Upon retiring from playing, Coyle managed Falkirk and St Johnstone, before joining then Championship side Burnley in November 2007. In his first full season in charge, Burnley won promotion to the Premier League in 2009. He then moved to Bolton Wanderers in January 2010, halfway through his first season in the Premier League; Coyle stated this move was due to Bolton being "ten years ahead of Burnley".[7] After leaving Bolton in October 2012, Coyle was appointed manager of Wigan Athletic in June 2013, only to leave the club six months later. He was made head coach of Houston Dynamo in December 2014, until he left by mutual agreement in May 2016. He then managed Blackburn Rovers between June 2016 and February 2017. He returned to Scotland to manage Ross County in September 2017, but resigned from this position after five months.
On 3 December 2019, Coyle was appointed as head coach of Indian club Chennaiyin. He led them from bottom of the table to the ISL final. After a stint with Jamshedpur, he returned to Scottish football in March 2022 with Queen's Park.
Playing career
Club
Early career in Scotland
Coyle began his senior career with Dumbarton in 1985 where he played alongside his brothers Joe and Tommy. In 1988, he joined Clydebank.
In the summer of 1993, Bolton Wanderers paid £250,000 to sign Coyle, and his two-year spell in England included promotion and a brief chance to play in the FA Premier League. He was a key part of their Division One promotion winning side in 1995, scoring a 75th-minute goal against Reading in the playoff final which gave Bolton a lifeline to peg the scoreline back to 2–1. With 90 minutes on the clock, the score was 2–2 and Bolton won 4–3 in extra time to end their 15-year exile from the top flight.[9]
Dundee United
However, in October 1995, a £400,000 transfer fee took him to Dundee United, where he was once again part of a promotion-winning side, scoring the winning goal in extra time in the second leg of the playoff against Partick Thistle.[10][11]
Coyle then joined Falkirk, being promoted to co-player-manager alongside John Hughes in 2003.[15] After leaving this post he returned to Dundee United, primarily in a coaching capacity but also registering as a player. A lack of first team opportunities, however, led to him being loaned out to Airdrieonians' successors, Airdrie United;[16] the move was subsequently made permanent. He also took up the post of assistant manager to Sandy Stewart.[17]
Post-retirement
He played in an emergency for Burnley Reserves on 9 April 2009, scoring with a lob in a 2–0 win against Accrington Stanley, helping them win the Reserve League title.[18] On 7 October, Coyle played again for Burnley Reserves in a 1–0 defeat to the Liverpool Reserves at Prenton Park.[19]
On 15 November 2010, Coyle returned to playing action at the age of 44 when turning out for Bolton in their friendly match with Northern Ireland side Cliftonville. It was the first time in fifteen years that he had started a game for Bolton and he chipped in with a goal in a 2–0 Wanderers win.[20]
International
Although born in Scotland, Coyle represented the Republic of Ireland under-21 team. Regarding his choice to represent Ireland, Coyle stated "My ambition was to play at the highest level possible and, if I'm being totally honest, I didn't and still don't think I would have been good enough to play for Scotland. But the Irish watched me play six or seven times for Dumbarton and my first game for them was actually against Scotland."[2][3][4] Coyle's debut was in February 1987; he opened the scoring within two minutes, with Scotland going on to win 4–1.[21]
In April 2005, Coyle was named as the new manager of St Johnstone.[25] In March 2006, he was awarded Manager of the Month for the Scottish First Division for his team's performance. Coyle led St Johnstone to a 2–0 victory over Rangers at Ibrox to reach the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup.[26] It was their first win over the Glasgow club at Ibrox in 35 years. St Johnstone lost 3–1 after extra time to Hibernian in that semi-final. Saints also reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup thanks to away wins against SPL clubs Falkirk and Motherwell, but lost 2–1 to Celtic at Hampden in the semi-final.[27]
In the same season, Saints also competed for the First Division championship and promotion to the SPL. On 30 March 2007, Coyle was awarded his second Scottish First Division Manager of the Month award of the 2006–07 season.[28] Saints took the title fight with Gretna to the final day of the season, and only a last minute goal by James Grady that gave Gretna victory at Ross County denied Saints promotion.
Coyle signed a one-year extension to his contract with St Johnstone in July 2007, which would have kept him at the club until the end of the 2009–10 season.[29] In the early part of the 2007–08 season, Coyle led Saints to the 2007 Scottish Challenge Cup Final. He accepted an offer from Burnley in the week before the final and left the club. Coyle's assistant Sandy Stewart took charge of the team for the final, which was won 3–2 against Dunfermline Athletic.[30][31]
Burnley
On 21 November 2007, Burnley were granted permission to discuss their managerial vacancy with Coyle after a compensation fee was agreed with St Johnstone.[32] He was appointed as Burnley's new manager the following day.[33] Coyle was given a reference by then Scotland manager Alex McLeish to support his Burnley application, and was also recommended by Bolton chairman Phil Gartside after they appointed Gary Megson as their new manager, as Coyle was Gartside's second choice for the Bolton job after Megson.[34]
In September 2008, former England striker Andy Cole credited Coyle as the reason he re-thought his decision to retire from playing at the end of the 2007–08 season. Cole spent three months on loan at Burnley that season, and Cole stated, "I went to Burnley and spoke to Owen and got a great vibe. He brought the best out of me and made me feel a lot younger than my age."[35]
He won the September 2008 Championship Manager of the Month award after leading Burnley to five wins and a draw, which included a League Cup win over Premier League side Fulham. In November Burnley secured a victory over Premier League side Chelsea on penalties at Stamford Bridge to put them in the quarter-finals of the League Cup. In the quarter-final, Burnley defeated Arsenal 2–0. They were knocked out in the semi-finals in dramatic fashion, after overturning a 4–1 deficit by winning 3–0 at Turf Moor after 90 minutes. Burnley were little more than three minutes away from a famous win and a trip to Wembley, when Roman Pavlyuchenko scored to win the tie in extra time for Tottenham Hotspur.
Burnley, under Coyle, won promotion to the Premier League by beating Sheffield United 1–0 in the Championship Play-off Final at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 2009.[36] The 2009–10 season was the first time Burnley had played in top tier of English football for 33 years. Coyle added to his squad by signing Tyrone Mears from Derby County for £500,000 and Steven Fletcher from Hibernian for a club record fee of £3,000,000 and also David Edgar signed on a free transfer from Newcastle United on 1 July 2009.
After speculation linking Coyle with the vacant manager's position at Celtic, on 18 June 2009, Coyle signed a contract extension at Turf Moor to stay with Burnley until the end of the 2012–13 season.[37]
On 19 August 2009, Burnley defeated the defending Premier League champions Manchester United 1–0 at Turf Moor in their first top-flight match at home for 33 years.[38] They went on to win their first four home games with wins against Everton 1–0 Birmingham 2–1 and Sunderland 3–1 and lose their first 5 away games.
Bolton Wanderers
In January 2010, Bolton Wanderers expressed their interest in Coyle becoming their new manager to replace the recently sacked Gary Megson, with Coyle expressing a desire to leave Burnley and take up the position. On 5 January, Burnley's chairman announced that Coyle had left the club.[39] On 8 January, Coyle was appointed as Bolton manager.[40] His first game in charge was a 2–0 home defeat to Arsenal.[41] He achieved his first win on 23 January 2010, 2–0 in the FA Cup 4th round at home to Sheffield United and achieved his first league victory against former club Burnley, 1–0 on 26 January 2010.[42] He achieved his first away victory at the club on 6 March, 2–1 at West Ham United. When Bolton next played Burnley Coyle was called "Judas" by the Burnley fans as they felt that he had betrayed them. He responded to these comments by saying that if they (Burnley fans) were going to use biblical terms about him and his time in charge of their club, he should be referred to as 'Moses' for leading them out of the wilderness.[citation needed] Coyle's first signings for the club were Stuart Holden from MLS side Houston Dynamo on a short-term contract and Manchester City winger Vladimir Weiss and Arsenal's Jack Wilshere on loan until the end of the season. Coyle achieved his goal of keeping Bolton in the Premier League by finishing 14th with 39 points, nine clear of relegated Burnley.
On 1 July, he signed Martin Petrov from Manchester City and Robbie Blake from Burnley on free transfers, making them his first summer signings. Coyle also later signed Marcos Alonso from Real Madrid for an undisclosed fee and also brought Ivan Klasnić back to the club on a free transfer after spending the previous season on loan at the Reebok. In January 2011, he made two further signings, buying David Wheater from Middlesbrough and signing Daniel Sturridge on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season. In his first full season at the club, Coyle's team finished 14th in the Premier League and reached the semi-final stage of the FA Cup, where they were beaten 5–0 by Stoke City.
On 13 May 2012, Bolton were relegated to The Championship, following a 2–2 draw at Stoke City on the final day of the season.
Bolton started the 2012–13 season against his former club Burnley, against whom they lost 2–0. They then went on to win against Derby County and draw against Nottingham Forest, both of which were at the Reebok Stadium. This meant the club had played three matches in a week. The following week, Bolton lost 3–1 to Hull City. In The Bolton News' report of the match, chief sports editor Marc Iles wrote, "Sections of Wanderers fans called for Owen Coyle to leave his post as the club fell to a dire 3–1 defeat at the KC Stadium, The anti-Coyle chants continued after the final whistle, leaving the club potentially with a lot to think about heading into the international break."[43] The following match, against Watford was won 2–1, although fans still booed after the full-time whistle.[44] They then lost to Birmingham City 2–1 at St Andrew's. Coyle's time at the Reebok Stadium came to an end on 9 October 2012, when it was confirmed by the club that Coyle's contract with Bolton had been terminated.[45]
On 25 May 2016, Coyle and the club announced his departure by mutual consent, with Coyle stating his desire to be closer to his family who remained residing in the United Kingdom, while the Dynamo were not satisfied with the results on the pitch.[50]
Blackburn Rovers
Coyle was appointed manager of Championship club Blackburn Rovers on a two-year contract on 2 June 2016.[51] After thirty-seven games in charge, Coyle mutually parted company with Blackburn on 21 February 2017.[52]
Ross County
On 28 September 2017, Scottish Premiership club Ross County appointed Coyle as their manager on a two-year contract.[53] He resigned from this position on 1 March 2018, with the club sitting bottom of the league.[54]
Chennaiyin
On 3 December 2019, 2 times Indian Super League champions, Chennaiyin appointed him as their head coach.[55] After his arrival at Chennaiyin FC they came back to the winning track when he changed their style of play. Chennaiyin FC scored the most goals in the season after his arrival as manager. Chennaiyin FC qualified to playoffs and reached the final under him and in final they lost to ATK 3–1 and became runners up of ISL.[56]
In March 2022, it was confirmed that Coyle would be returning to Scottish football after being appointed as the head coach of Queen's Park and would take up the role officially on 1 June.[58][59] Queen's narrowly missed out on promotion to the Scottish Premiership in the 2022–23 season, losing a final-day title decider to Dundee and then in the playoffs to Partick Thistle. Coyle left the club a few days after the playoff defeat, saying he needed time to "recharge his batteries".[60][61]
Return to Chennaiyin
On 16 July, 2023, Chennaiyin announced the return of Owen Coyle as the head coach ahead of the 2023-24 season.[6] Coyle led the club to finish 6th on the table and the club qualified for the ISL playoffs for the first time in four years, where they lost to FC Goa in the knockouts.[7]
↑ Some sources give Coyle's birthplace as Glasgow, as he described himself in interviews as "Gorbals born and bred";[2][3][4] however official and statistical sources give Paisley.
Related Research Articles
St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland. The team competes in the Scottish Premiership, the top division of Scottish football. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun – an old name of Perth, and the team is nicknamed the "Saints".
The Anglo-Scottish Cup was a tournament arranged for teams in the English and Scottish football leagues during the summer for several years during the 1970s. It was created in 1975 as a new incarnation of the Texaco Cup, with a similar format to its predecessor, but involving clubs from England and Scotland only.
Christopher Mark Eagles is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger.
John "Yogi" Hughes is a Scottish professional football coach and former player.
Gary James Cahill is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
Tyrone Robert Mears is an English former professional footballer who played as a right-back and he is currently the head coach for Fort Lauderdale United in the USL Super League
Alan Gow is a Scottish former footballer. As a player he played as either a striker or an attacking midfielder. He is currently under-18s manager of Airdrieonians.
Steven Banks is an English football player and coach. Banks played as a goalkeeper for clubs in the English and Scottish leagues, including Gillingham, Blackpool, Wimbledon and Heart of Midlothian. He achieved the unusual feat of winning the Scottish Cup with three clubs, although he was an unused substitute in all three finals. Towards the end of his playing career, Banks started working as a goalkeeping coach. He is currently in that role at his former club Blackpool.
Matthew William Glennon is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Alexander Stewart is a Scottish football coach and former player. He played as a left-back for Hearts, Kilmarnock, Airdrieonians, Partick Thistle and Airdrie United. He became the latter club's first manager, and has been an assistant manager at several clubs in Scotland, England, the United States and India, working with Owen Coyle.
Stephen Mark Davis is an English former footballer who played as a defender. He had three spells with Burnley, and has subsequently coached for them. He was the first team coach for EFL Championship side Bolton Wanderers but was sacked along with Owen Coyle on 9 October.
Scott Harry Nathaniel Arfield is a professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Bolton Wanderers. Born and raised in Scotland, Arfield represented his nation of birth at international youth levels before switching to Canada in 2016.
The 2009–10 season was Bolton Wanderers 11th season in the Premier League, and their ninth consecutive season in the top division of English football and covers the period from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010. Bolton Wanderers failed to win the 2009–10 Premier League title, making it the 71st time that they have competed at the top level without winning the title, the most of any club.
Season 2009–10 for Hibernian was their eleventh consecutive season of play in the Scottish Premier League. The SPL season began on 15 August 2009, with a 2–1 win against St Mirren at home. After a very strong start to the season in which they challenged for the league leadership, Hibs then had a slump in form in the later part of the season. The team eventually secured a Europa League place via finishing fourth in the SPL by winning 2–0 on the final day at Tannadice. Hibs were eliminated from the Scottish Cup in a quarter final replay by Ross County and were knocked out of the Scottish League Cup in the third round by St Johnstone.
The 2010–11 season was Bolton Wanderers's twelfth season in the Premier League, and their tenth consecutive season in the top-flight of English football.
Rhys Gordon Bennett is an English professional footballer who is currently without a club. He plays as a central defender, although he has also been deployed in defensive midfield, and as a full-back.
Joseph John Paul McKee is a Scottish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Cumnock Juniors.
John Henry is a Scottish former footballer. During his career, Henry played for Clydebank, Kilmarnock, Falkirk, Airdrie, St Johnstone, Queen of the South and Dumbarton. After retiring as a player, Henry joined the coaching staff of Partick Thistle, Burnley and Blackburn Rovers.
The history of Bolton Wanderers Football Club covers the period from its founding in 1874 up to the present. For a general overview of the club itself, see Bolton Wanderers F.C.
The 2022–23 Scottish Championship was the tenth season of the Scottish Championship, the second tier of Scottish football.
References
1 2 "Owen Coyle". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
↑ "Owen Coyle 'distraught' after player suffers heart attack". Donegal Daily. 17 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012. Owen, who was born in the 'Little Donegal' area of Glasgow to Donegal parents and who is a frequent visitor to Gaoth Dobhair, accompanied Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba to hospital after he collapsed on the pitch during Wanderers' FA Cup sixth-round match at Tottenham Hotspur.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
