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MacGregor in high spirits as he gets his man

Owen Coyle meets the press as he is unveiled as Ross County's new manager, alongside chairman Roy McGregor (left)
Owen Coyle meets the press as he is unveiled as Ross County's new manager, alongside chairman Roy McGregor (left)

Ross County chairman Roy MacGregor reckons new manager Owen Coyle will view the Staggies job as a stepping stone in getting his career back on track.

Coyle has joined County on a two-year contract along with assistant Sandy Stewart and head of recruitment John McGinlay, replacing Jim McIntyre and Billy Dodds after their sacking earlier this week.

The appointment of the 51-year-old is a coup for the Staggies, with Coyle having previously worked in the Premier League with Burnley and Bolton, although he has had unsuccessful spells at Wigan, Houston Dynamo and Blackburn in recent years.

Former attacker Coyle had a loan spell at County from Dunfermline during the 2000-01 season and MacGregor says he has been a long-time admirer of his new manager.

MacGregor said: “It was only on Monday afternoon I started to think. We had 71 applications by Tuesday night. I always try to take our time to do these things and decide best how to move on but I always thought if the opportunity came Owen was someone I’d like to work with.

“His enthusiasm is huge and he has values and beliefs. He has always had his best results when he has got on well with leaders of football clubs.

“His difficulties at Wigan and Blackburn came when the owners were not about or there were other challenges. At the likes of Burnley, he has done really well as he did with Falkirk and St Johnstone.

“If that chemistry is right at the top, it helps, and he passes that to his players. He’s going to be working with players here who are not English Premier League players. That is a factor. He has to come back down.

“He could have got back into football far sooner but he was looking for the right opportunity. I think this will be a stepping stone for him but the stepping stone probably suits Ross County as well.

“Every manager here has left the club in a better place than when they came. That is testimony to the managers we’ve had.

“It is just this industry is a tough one. We’re all judged by results.”

MacGregor is hopeful Coyle can bring entertaining football to Dingwall, adding: “Home form is important for a team from this part of the world given the cost of being an away supporter.

“It is important to any team, but here it is critical.”

Coyle senses beginning of fruitful partnership

The relationship between chairman and manager is the most important of any at a football club.

Within moments of being approached by Roy MacGregor, new Ross County manager Owen Coyle saw the makings of a partnership that could bring the club success.

Coyle has been desperate to find a way back into management after leaving Blackburn Rovers in February following a difficult eight-month spell with the debt-burdened Lancashire outfit, who went on to be relegated from the English Championship.

Following other short-lived spells with Wigan Athletic and Houston Dynamo in recent seasons, Coyle is craving the stability that saw him reach the English Premier League with Burnley in 2009, before being lured to Bolton Wanderers the following year.

Coyle has rejected offers to return to the game but the 51-year-old quickly sensed MacGregor’s plea was the one he had been waiting for before joining the Staggies on a two-year contract to replace Jim McIntyre.

Coyle said: “What was important for me, given the experiences I’ve had, is I found the right person to work with regards to an owner or a chairman.

“It had to be someone that shared the same vision, the same passion and enthusiasm that I have.

“I have been very lucky in my career as a player and manager and when I’ve worked with the same sort of people as Roy I can achieve success.

“That’s why I felt, because I’ve had a couple of experiences where I’ve not had that kind of relationship, it’s important I recognised it.

“When the chairman came on, and knowing him as I did through the years, I knew he was an outstanding man as everyone knows. As we chatted I got a really good feeling for it.

“When I’ve got that feeling I know there’s someone special I’m working with and that can only bring success at a football club.

“I have turned down jobs in the last six months, both home and abroad, because I never felt that connection.”

Coyle is confident he will get the backing required to match his ambitions at Dingwall and added: “I know he’s a terrific listener and, if he can help me, he is going to be very supportive.

“Every manager that has been here has said the same thing. I know all the lads – when I came here Neale Cooper was the manager and Gordon Chisholm was the assistant manager. All the way through – Alex Smith, Derek Adams and Jim McIntyre have always said the chairman has been so supportive in helping them. That’s not commonplace at football clubs, I can assure you.

“That’s why it was a huge attraction – I knew I would get that support to try and help the club move forward.

“Again, it takes a lot of things. It takes everyone, not just the manager and the chairman, but everyone at the club singing from the same hymn sheet. We need to make sure we want the same thing.

“When we do, we can achieve special things.

“I’m not saying it’s going to be today or tomorrow but we are ambitious to do well.”

Coyle’s determination to thrive in management has not been dampened by any of his recent experiences and he added: “I have been to America and I worked with good people – Chris Canetti, the president of Houston Dynamo, is a really nice man.

“Bolton and Blackburn are both good clubs but, equally, when there’s a bit of financial unrest or whatever it is, that can be difficult for everyone.

“Neil Lennon found that at Bolton and we see now how well he is doing at Hibs, which is brilliant because he’s a good friend of mine.

“When all is said and done, what I learned from all those experiences was that, whether they are good or bad, I learned from them.”