The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Dingwall reunion for rivals
Premiership: Coyle relishing testing his Staggies against in-form Hoops
Ross County manager Owen Coyle will revive a former Premier League rivalry with Brendan Rodgers when the Staggies host Celtic tomorrow.
The pair have met four times, three of which came during the 2011-12 season when Coyle was in charge at Bolton Wanderers and Rodgers was at Swansea.
Rodgers won the first Premier League meeting between the two in a 3-1 home victory for the Swans in October 2011, with the sides sharing a 1-1 draw in April the following year. Coyle’s Bolton won 2-1 at home in an FA Cup tie in January 2012.
The pair had also met in the Championship but, with Rodgers’ Watford defeating Burnley 3-0 at Vicarage Road in January 2009, although it mattered little come the end of the season as Coyle steered the Clarets to promotion to England’s top flight.
Having helped Celtic clock up a record-breaking domestic run of 63 matches without defeat, Rodgers is undoubtedly favourite to enhance his head-to-head record against Coyle at Victoria Park tomorrow.
Coyle is full of admiration for the way his counterpart has taken the team he inherited from Ronny Deila last summer to the new heights, and he said: “When Brendan came into Celtic they were the champions and had won the league for a number of years already.
“He recognised there was a lot of good things going on at the football club, with a lot of young players. Looking at the infrastructure, Brendan would be the first to tell you that a lot of people before him deserve enormous credit for that. They had brought some wonderful players to the club over the years, and he looked at that and recognised there was nothing •Ce•tic boss Brendan Rodgers believes the next Scotland manager will get the maximum out of Kieran Tierney as a left back.
The 20-year-old played right back for former national team manager Gordon Strachan towards the end of the failed World Cup qualification campaign and interim boss Malky Mackay broken, but he had to try and enhance it.
He’s made some wonderful signings.”
Coyle wants his players utilised the Hoops defender as a left-sided centre back for the friendly defeat by Holland last week.
Rodgers stressed that the next Hampden incumbent, whoever he is, will see the best of Tierney, named Ladbrokes Premiership player of the month for October, in his natural position.
Rodgers said: “His best to stand up to the challenge of taking on the best side in the country, in his first meeting with the champions since he succeeded position is left back and that’s where Scotland will gain the maximum out of a talented young player.”
Tierney said of his award: “It is my first one, I am delighted with it.”
Goalkeeper Dorus de Vries, 36, has signed a contract extension with the Hoops until the summer of 2019. Jim McIntyre in September. Coyle added: “We could wax lyrical and talk about them all day but it’s important we make sure from our perspective we get our Ross County team ready to give their all, which they will.
“We’ve got a very hardworking, conscientious group of lads who have been doing very well.
“Saturday will be a great test.
“I’m really looking forward to it from that aspect, because I want to know, when they’re faced with outstanding quality, how their reaction is and how we go about it.
“We’re learning all the time, we’re in the job five or six weeks. That’s why I’m really looking forward to this game.”