Coyle: ‘Fergie always had time for me’
FOR Owen Coyle, facing Manchester United in the FA Cup this afternoon just won’t be the same without Sir Alex Ferguson in the opposite dug-out.
Coyle happily admits he would call upon the managerial governor for advice or help when needed.
Ferguson was always on hand to help fellow Glaswegians such as Coyle as they faced the pitfalls of the management game.
And there was nothing quite like a post-match chat with Fergie as the current Blackburn boss often had in his days at Burnley and Bolton in the Premier League.
“Sir Alex would come in after the game and you could spend hours chatting with him,” says Coyle.
“It wouldn’t all be about football either. He’s very worldly in his ways and a very clever man.
“He was always the same, win, lose or draw. I remember our first home game in the Premier League with Burnley. They were Champions and we beat them 1-0.
“He still came in afterwards and we spent about two hours together. Eventually I had to say, ‘Right, it’s time to go.’
“But that is the quality of Sir Alex. He was always there, regardless of the situation. If your team were not getting the results, he would be there to say, ‘Listen, it’s OK.’
“That was invaluable, and it tells you more about him as a person.
“He gave his time freely, which is all credit to him as you can imagine how much he had to contend with.”
Coyle will have to mastermind one of the great cup upsets this afternoon with his Rovers side currently stuck in the bottom three of the Championship.
But a thrilling run to the quarterfinals as a player with Bolton in 1994 fills him with hope.
“We were a Championship club and we beat Everton, Arsenal who were FA Cup holders, and Aston Villa on the way,” he says.
“It was instrumental for our team. It gave us a great sense of what we could do with guys like Alan Thompson, Alan Stubbs and John McGinley.
“We took that confidence of knowing we could play into the following season.
“And we ended up getting promoted to the Premier League via the play-off final.”