Owen Coyle has the potential to be a top boss

Scottish managers have dominated the English top flight since well before the inception of the Premier League.

Scottish bosses Bill Shankly, Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson, to mention just a few have all enjoyed immense success in the English top flight.

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In recent times the likes of David Moyes at Everton and more recently Owen Coyle at Bolton are Scottish managers enjoying relative success in the Premier League.

Coyle has been comforting his friend David Moyes recently after his side defeated the Toffee’s 2-0 at the Reebok Stadium and the Toffee’s sticky spell in the Premier League.

Coyle has praised Moyes for the work he has done at Goodison Park but its Coyle who I believe deserves the most praise. While Everton under Moyes have been struggling this season Bolton are well placed in the top half of the Premier League.

Scottish or Irish?

Owen Coyle may have represented the Republic of Ireland at international but he is every bit as Scottish as Porridge or Haggis. He was born and raised in Paisley Scotland. Some might argue he’s Irish but I definitely consider him to be Scottish.

Resources

According to reports the club are in major debt and could have to sell some of their best players come the end of the season. By then the Trotters could have qualified for Europe for the first time since big Sam Allardyce’s time at the Reebok Stadium. All the credit has to go to Coyle. And he deserves better than to lose his best players in the summer.

Style

Bolton used to be a one trick pony under Allardyce, all long balls and very direct football. However under Coyle they are now far more of a footballing team. That’s not to say they don’t play direct football at times but they have the ability to mix it up far more under Coyle.

Shrewd

With the financial troubles at the club Coyle has had to work within a tight budget. I have never heard him moan about the lack of resources or transfer funds though. Instead he has managed to make the best of the resources he has been given.

The loan signing of Chelsea youngster Daniel Sturridge is a perfect example of his dealings in the transfer market. He signed one of the most promising young attackers in the country without paying out a major fee.

Balance

Owen Coyle seems to have a good balance between strictness and fun in his approach to management. He is famed for his sense of humour but doesn’t allow people to take advantage of him.

From the interviews I have heard Owen Coyle give he seems a pretty honest and straight forward guy. He also seems very down to earth. His players also seem to like playing for him and he has a good relationship with his players.

Ambition

Owen Coyle is very ambitious and I don’t think he will be happy just occupying a place in the top half of the Premier League. He showed he was ambitious by swapping rivals Burnley for Bolton last season because Bolton had better resources.

I can see him doing the same if Bolton doesn’t sort out their financial problems. The lack of finances could hold the club back and in turn hold Coyle back. It’s a similar sort of situation his friend David Moyes is in, loads of ambition but no resources to back it up.

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If Bolton does lose Coyle I can see him going on to one of the top jobs in the game. I really do rate him that highly and apparently so do his colleagues. He is highly thought of by his peers and is on track to be a top manager. He has come a long way in a short-time and I expect him to go even further in the future.

Will Owen Coyle become a top boss?