Unlucky Black Cats
ABERDEEN Owen Coyle says old pal McInnes would have taken Sunderland job but for his experience at Bristol City, writes Stewart Fisher
THE sun was out in Milngavie yesterday and the grass at the West of Scotland rugby ground had never looked greener. Owen Coyle was in attendance to help present medals to eager children at a McDonald’s and Scottish FA grassroots community football day but he spared some time to reflect upon the decision of Derek McInnes – the man who he helped set on the road to coaching at St Johnstone – to turn his back on Sunderland last week to stay at Aberdeen.
The point is that – armed with the knowledge of a bruising, short-lived spell at Bristol City, and cognisant of the fact that he could be dumped at the drop of a hat in the event of a change of ownership – McInnes ultimately decided the grass on the other side isn’t always greener.
Coyle’s last tilt at managing in the Championship, at Blackburn Rovers, ended messily amid many broken promises from a backsliding boardroom, but he feels that if anything is putting a smile back on the face of the Scottish game it is the fact that chairmen and directors are more prepared to stick with their managers than is the case down south.
It should probably be pointed out that even Brendan Rodgers, who has hardly put a foot wrong in Scottish football since arriving here 12 months ago, was sacked twice by unforgiving chairmen with unrealistic expectations in England.
“If Derek hadn’t had the experience he had at Bristol City then I think he would have taken the Sunderland job,” Coyle told the Sunday Herald. “That is just my opinion, because you have to say it is a huge opportunity to go to the Championship, at such a huge club like that.
“But I think Derek realised, because of his experience at Bristol City, that there was a lot more to it. He is a clever man and he has balanced everything up, all the pros and cons, and came to a decision. It has worked out well for Aberdeen because they have an outstanding management team to take the club forward.”
McInnes has hardly looked back since taking over the reins from Coyle at McDiarmid Park in November 2007. I say hardly, because being dismissed from the Ashton Gate side in January 2013 was a blow to the solar plexus at the time.
“We as managers never lose faith in what we do,” said Coyle. “Just because Derek lost his job at Bristol City, it didn’t make him any better or worse as a manager than he was before.
“The best example of that is that – for all the accolades and everything he has done this year – Brendan [Rodgers] has lost his job twice, too. He was sacked by Reading when they were bottom of the Championship, and he bounced back. He lost his job at a fantastic club, Liverpool, too but yet he still goes into Celtic and does all the brilliant things he did this year.”
Coyle went on: “I think particularly in the last few months, there has been that energy again about Scottish football, that positivity. There have been a lot of really good things and I think Scottish football is blessed in a way that a lot of clubs have chairmen or chairwomen who are prepared to back their managers and help them.
“That is not always common around the world. You look at Ann Budge at Hearts, and people go on about Ian Cathro, but she is giving the boy a chance. Had that been another country, or another owner, he might not have had that opportunity.”
There was a transfer between Scotland’s top two clubs, on last season’s form at least, yesterday when Jonny Hayes completed his £1.3 million move from Aberdeen to Celtic, with Ryan Christie returning on loan to Pittodrie for another year. Eyebrows have been raised at that kind of outlay for a player in his late 20s but Coyle feels the Irishman will be a great addition to the squad.
“I think he has shown what he can do domestically, and he is now involved at international level as well,” said Coyle. “He has pace, he can score a goal and he can create a chance. He will be very, very
I think Scottish football is blessed that a lot of clubs have chairmen or women who are prepared to back their managers
hungry as well. Probably at Aberdeen he was guaranteed a place in the team if he was fit, at Celtic he faces a real battle for a starting slot and you may actually find that he has another 10-20 per cent to find.”
Celtic will enter the Champions League draw tomorrow, and as remarkable as their 2016-17 campaign was, it doesn’t make them immune from the usual nerve-shredding ordeal which is qualifying for the group stage.
“Whatever happened last season, that is finished now,” said Coyle. “Regardless of what your situation is – unbelievable or not so good – these European games are always tough. But Brendan will make sure they are at it, the is are meticulous in preparation. And it shows you the mentality they have in the group for them to go a full season unbeaten.”
As for Coyle, he is content with life, fussing over his first grand-daughter, and taking his time between jobs to holiday in the Maldives and the Gulf.
Having worked in the USA, and England, he says: “The important thing for me now is working with the right people. When you get that feeling, you know you can bring success for a club.” Owen Coyle was speaking at the McDonald’s & Scottish FA Community Football Day in Milngavie, encouraging youngsters to play football at a grassroots level and celebrating Quality Mark clubs in the area. For more information visit http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/betterplay