I said I’d claim Cup then take title .. and they still knocked me back for job
ROSS CO v HEARTS 12-year-old County superfan Blaine reveals his grand plan after missing out on job
OWEN COYLE knew he faced a fight for the Ross County manager’s job with chairman Roy MacGregor’s phone red-hot.
What he didn’t realise was littleknown Blaine Thomas had already wowed the wealthy businessman.
Vying for the post with Premier League veteran Coyle and over 80 others, the 12-year-old Invergordon Academy pupil’s bold application caught MacGregor’s eye.
The neat, hand-written letter promised realistic ambitions – with consolidation this year and a serious title tilt only in his second season.
Charmed by the youngster’s enthusiasm, MacGregor and Coyle invited the lad in for a stadium tour ahead of today’s home tussle with Hearts – and even let him take charge in training.
That let failed candidate Thomas run the rule over players he admits he might well have off-loaded.
The youngster said: “I saw Jim McIntyre had lost his job and I really like Ross County so I just thought I would write and see what happens.
“I wrote to the chairman and was realistic about my expectations.
“In the first season I said the priority would be avoiding relegation and maybe pushing for a top-half finish. But we’d try to win the Scottish Cup as well.
“In my second season I told him I could have a go at winning the league.
“I didn’t make any demands about budgets but just told him what sort of players I’d want.
“I thought we could buy some experienced players to tutor the younger ones and also some youth players to improve the potential of the squad. I never really mentioned the current squad.”
The ruthless MacGregor is famously known to favour managers who play with “style and panache” but the chairman’s ethos didn’t faze young Blaine.
He said: “I told him I would play a more attacking formation and get some more goals.
“I hoped I might get a reply but I didn’t expect it would end in a day like this. I loved the stadium tour and meeting the manager as well as seeing the players up close in training.
“The facilities are very good. I’d like to be a manager in the future and this would be a good place to work.”
Coyle said: “When I see the calibre of contenders I was up against I’m just delighted Roy has put his faith in me!
“It was great to invite Blaine in to watch some training and see if he had any tips for me. You can tell the boy loves his club.”
Meanwhile, Coyle will keep a wary eye on Kyle Lafferty today years after helping the Northern Ireland striker win a £4million move to Rangers.
The County boss was in charge at Burnley when he helped the then raw talent win a dream switch to play for his boyhood heroes.
Following spells at Sion, Palermo, Norwich, Caykur Rizespor and Birmingham, Lafferty’s now at Hearts with seven goals already.
And Lafferty was among the first names on Coyle’s lips as he assessed the threat ahead of his first home match in charge.
He said: “I know Kyle well. When I came in at Burnley he’d already played with Northern Ireland and had scored a fantastic winner against Sweden, people knew what he was about.
“He was a young lad you could see was destined to play at a high level. He’s 6ft 4in and very quick.
“He can score and create goals. He is a nice lad and his team-mates will like him as he is always popular.
“He has played with a number of clubs and in different countries and he will be one we have to be wary of.
“Esmael Goncalves is another really good player who is quick and strong and Jamie Walker is excellent. Hearts’ attackers have real quality.
“They have Christophe Berra at the back who I know from my time in England and he was a stand-out at Ipswich. We’ll have to be respectful but we have players who can cause them problems.”