Introduction
Jamshedpur FC has racked up their attacking arsenal by acquiring the services of versatile forward – Greg Stewart. He joins an elusive list of attackers for the ‘Red Miners’ who have made their intentions clear of fighting for the ISL crown. After finishing sixth in their last campaign, the Owen Coyle led side would like to make amends and qualify for their first-ever ISL playoffs. The team from the ‘Steel city of India’ had an average season last time around as they made a number of changes, but fell short of acquiring the playoff berth.
Despite their ordinary showing, the club showed a lot of courage and character throughout the campaign as they won impressively against the heavyweights (such as Mumbai City FC and Bengaluru FC), but fell short on numerous occasions which left a lot to be desired of. All in all another attacking acquisition leaves Owen Coyle with a plethora of options at his disposal and he will be surely banking on his latest signing to hit the ground running when the new ISL season kicks off.
A brief word on Owen Coyle
Owen Coyle is no stranger when it comes to management. The Scottish tactician has been around for almost two decades and built a strong reputation on leading sides with a brand of attacking as well as effective football. His first job dates back to the year 2003 when he helped Falkirk FC win the Scottish First Division. Since then he has managed a host number of clubs in Scotland followed by England and helped teams achieve their respective targets.
His biggest achievements to date are helping Burnley FC win promotion to the premier league in the year 2009 and also guiding Scottish club St Johnstone to their first win against Rangers FC in 35 years. In addition to these accomplishments, he also helped Chennaiyin FC rejuvenate their season and took them all the way to the finals of ISL.
A striker in his playing days it comes as no brainer to see so many attacking options and depth at Jamshedpur FC. The arrival of Scotsman Greg Stewart is another astute signing by the ‘Red Miners’. The experienced forward is known for his adaptability up front and a strong eye for assists. Nonetheless, he would be expected to share the goal-scoring burden with Valskis and make life easier for the Lithuanian forward who has had to do the bulk of scoring so far.
Who is Greg Stewart
The 31-year-old forward began his youth career with the likes of Hearts and Rangers but was released from the latter as a 13-year-old boy because of his height. After being allowed to leave by Rangers the exciting young striker joined Cowdenbeath, a team in the Scottish First Division and finished his first season with the club as the top scorer.
After spending four seasons at the club he signed with Dundee F.C and his fine performances for the club led to Birmingham City FC, signing him in the year 2016. However, lack of game time and change of managers resulted in him being loaned back to Aberdeen and Kilmarnock. After his contract expired with Birmingham City F.C he was offered a two-year deal by his boyhood club Rangers and helped the team win the Scottish Premiership.
Greg Stewart’s style of play
Greg Stewart is a flexible forward who can either operate in his preferred position as a number nine or on both the flanks. However, his recent expedition with Rangers FC saw him being played on the wings and create more chances for the forwards at the club. His quick feet and close ball control make him a valuable asset and his ability to stretch the opposition defence will be one of the key factors which Jamshedpur FC would like to exploit in their favour.
Other than his first touch and ball control the Scottish forward also possesses a strong left foot. With Farukh Chowdhary operating behind Valskis, it would be a perfect setup for the new recruit to play on either of the wings and dictate play from there. In addition to that, he also offers great cover to the two centre forwards (Valskis and Jordan Murray) and would be more than happy to take up the role whenever called upon for.
Previous records of Greg Stewart
In his career so far, the British player has scored 89 goals and provided 67 assists. Beginning his footballing adventure with Cowdenbeath the forward scored 31 times for the second division side and also became the top scorer in his very first season with nine goals.
His journey with Dundee F.C yielded 22 strikes as he was awarded SPFL player of the month in the year 2015 and was one of the four players who was shortlisted for the 2014–15 PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year award and was nominated for a second consecutive season in April 2016. Unfortunately, his time at Birmingham City F.C was a short one as lack of playing time and poor form hampered his goal-scoring exploits.
Nevertheless, he clawed his way back in his loan spells with Aberdeen and Kilmarnock as he helped the latter finish third in the league and scored 8 goals in 16 appearances. These impressive upturns led to Rangers FC signing him back on a two-year contract, where he scored three goals and assisted seven times to help his beloved club win their first title in ten years.
What this could mean for Jamshedpur F.C?
Greg Stewart joins a promising ISL side with enormous potential to win the league. Jamshedpur’s recruitment policy over the years has been reliant on key foreign recruits. Can he be the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle for Owen Coyle’s men to create history? Only time can tell.
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