Owen Coyle sets out plans after taking Ross County helm
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OWEN Coyle had no hesitation about taking over as Ross County manager – and he’s set his sights on driving the club up the Scottish Premiership.
The 51-year-old former Airdrie goal-grabber has been out of Scottish football for a decade since leaving St Johnstone for Burnley, but was yesterday announced as the new boss at the Global Energy Stadium.
The strugglers axed League Cup-winning duo Jim McIntyre and Billy Dodds on Monday and chairman Roy MacGregor moved swiftly to secure the man who guided unfancied Burnley into the English Premier League via the play-offs in 2009.
He has signed a two-year-deal and will be in the dug-out to take the team against Kilmarnock tomorrow with assistant Sandy Stewart.
Coyle’s capture will be seen by many as a coup and he explained that he aims to get the Staggies winning again – and climbing the table sooner rather than later.
"We have to find a way to win games again, but that’s why we love the game and the challenges it brings. The sooner we start to do that the better," he said.
"There’s been some great times at Ross County over the years and everybody wants that winning feeling in football. We all set out with the same aims."
Coyle, from Paisley, saw off rivals Paul Hartley and Alan Stubbs to become the boss in Dingwall, having played for the club on loan from Dunfermline Athletic briefly in 2000-01.
The Staggies players will need to up their game as no wins from their last seven fixtures has left them 10th and in danger of dropping to the bottom on Saturday if Killie beat them.
Getting the call from MacGregor hours after Monday’s news was music to his hears as he sought a return to front-line management.
He said: "I’m delighted to be here. When the chairman asked me if I was interested, knowing I’d been up here on loan, having brought my teams up here and knowing the infrastructure, then of course it was of huge interest.
"After a few chats about how we thought we could progress the club – we’re both as ambitious as when we first started in the game – when it came together, I’m excited to get started.
"The chairman rang me Monday afternoon and I was flattered, because he’d been inundated. He asked if I was interested and I said I probably would. Knowing the chairman as I did, I knew how infectious and enthusiastic he was. I knew how much he, his colleagues and his friends had poured into the club, not just finance, but emotion and time too. It takes a real passion and care for the club."
Coyle turned heads at then Division One club St Johnstone when he led the Perth Saints the semi-finals of the League Cup and Scottish Cup and into the 2007 Challenge Cup final.
He was lured to Burnley just before this final and his long-time assistant Sandy Stewart, who is the new County number two, was in charge as St Johnstone beat Dunfermline Athletic 3-2.
The season before this, Coyle had taken St Johnstone to the brink of promotion into the Premier League, but last-day drama saw Gretna clinch the title in Dingwall, sending County down to Division Two.
The former Republic of Ireland international bossed Burnley into the top-flight thanks to a play-off final win at Wembley against Sheffield United eight years ago.
That same year, he had the chance to replace Gordon Strachan as Celtic manager, but signed a new contract at Turf Moor and life in the Premier League down south got off to a flying start as his players beat Manchester United in their first home game at that level for more than three decades.
Some of Coyle’s best times as a forward came in the colours of Bolton and he could not resist their advances in 2010 when they moved for him to become their next manager.
He achieved his first target of keeping Bolton at England’s top table, while Burnley took the drop. However, two years later, Bolton were unable to stay up, going down on the last day of the season. Poor results at the start of the new term in the Championship saw him sacked in October 2012.
The following summer he was the man to become Roberto Martinez’s replacement at Wigan Athletic, but inconsistent results led to his departure before Christmas.
He did not hang about for his next job and raised eyebrows by moving to America to manage Houston Dynamos, where he penned a three-year contract. In May 2016, he clinched a move back to England, saying he wanted to be closer to his family and he was handed the Blackburn Rovers job just weeks after his switch from Stateside.
However, with a win rate of just below 30 per cent over 37 games, he was shown the door at Ewood Park earlier this year.
