Owen Coyle

2.1.1. Club career

Coyle played for numerous clubs, making a significant impact at various levels of professional football.

2.1.2. International career

Despite being born in Paisley, Scotland, Owen Coyle chose to represent the Republic of Ireland at international level, qualifying by descent. He explained his decision, stating that he didn't believe he was "good enough to play for Scotland" and that the Irish selectors had shown greater interest in him, watching him play multiple times for Dumbarton.

Coyle represented the Republic of Ireland under-21 team. His debut was in February 1987, where he opened the scoring within two minutes against Scotland, though Scotland ultimately won 4-1. He also made two substitute appearances for the Republic of Ireland B team against England B, in Cork in March 1990 and at Anfield in December 1994.

Coyle earned one full international cap for the senior Republic of Ireland team in a friendly match against the Netherlands in Tilburg in April 1994. The Republic of Ireland won 1-0, and Coyle came on as a substitute in the 83rd minute, replacing the goalscorer Tommy Coyne.

2.2.1. St Johnstone

In April 2005, Owen Coyle was appointed as the new manager of St Johnstone. During his tenure, he achieved significant success, earning the Scottish First Division Manager of the Month award in March 2006 for his team's performance.

Coyle led St Johnstone to a notable 2-0 victory over Rangers at Ibrox in the Scottish League Cup, a feat not achieved in 35 years, securing a place in the semi-finals. They eventually lost 3-1 after extra time to Hibernian in that semi-final. St Johnstone also reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, with away wins against SPL clubs Falkirk and Motherwell, but were defeated 2-1 by Celtic at Hampden.

In the same season, the club vigorously challenged for the First Division championship and promotion to the SPL. Coyle received his second Scottish First Division Manager of the Month award for the 2006-07 season on 30 March 2007. St Johnstone took the title race with Gretna to the final day of the season, only narrowly missing out on promotion due to a last-minute goal by James Grady that secured Gretna's victory at Ross County.

In July 2007, Coyle signed a one-year extension to his contract, which would have kept him at St Johnstone until the end of the 2009-10 season. In the early part of the 2007-08 season, he led Saints to the 2007 Scottish Challenge Cup Final. However, he accepted an offer from Burnley the week before the final and departed the club. His assistant, Sandy Stewart, took charge for the final, which St Johnstone won 3-2 against Dunfermline Athletic.

2.2.2. Burnley

On 21 November 2007, Burnley secured permission to discuss their managerial vacancy with Coyle after agreeing on a compensation fee with St Johnstone. He was officially appointed as Burnley's new manager the following day. Coyle's application was supported by a reference from then-Scotland manager Alex McLeish, and he was also recommended by Bolton chairman Phil Gartside, who had considered Coyle as his second choice for the Bolton job before appointing Gary Megson.

In September 2008, former England striker Andy Cole credited Coyle with inspiring him to reconsider his decision to retire at the end of the 2007-08 season. Cole had spent three months on loan at Burnley, and stated that Coyle "brought the best out of me and made me feel a lot younger than my age."

Coyle earned the September 2008 Championship Manager of the Month award after guiding Burnley to five wins and a draw, including a League Cup victory over Premier League side Fulham. In November, Burnley secured a notable win against Premier League side Chelsea on penalties at Stamford Bridge, advancing to the League Cup quarter-finals. They then defeated Arsenal 2-0 in the quarter-final. Their League Cup journey ended dramatically in the semi-finals against Tottenham Hotspur; after overturning a 4-1 first-leg deficit by winning 3-0 at Turf Moor in 90 minutes, Burnley were just over three minutes away from a Wembley trip when Roman Pavlyuchenko scored in extra time to win the tie for Tottenham.

Under Coyle's leadership, Burnley achieved promotion to the Premier League by defeating Sheffield United 1-0 in the Championship Play-off Final at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 2009. This marked Burnley's return to the top tier of English football after 33 years. For the upcoming 2009-10 season, Coyle strengthened his squad by signing Tyrone Mears from Derby County for 500.00 K GBP, Steven Fletcher from Hibernian for a club record fee of 3.00 M GBP, and David Edgar on a free transfer from Newcastle United on 1 July 2009.

Amidst speculation linking Coyle with the vacant manager's position at Celtic, he signed a contract extension at Turf Moor on 18 June 2009, committing him to Burnley until the end of the 2012-13 season. On 19 August 2009, Burnley defeated defending Premier League champions Manchester United 1-0 at Turf Moor in their first top-flight home match in 33 years. They went on to win their first four home games against Everton (1-0), Birmingham (2-1), and Sunderland (3-1), although they lost their first five away games.

2.2.3. Bolton Wanderers

In January 2010, Bolton Wanderers expressed interest in Coyle replacing the recently sacked Gary Megson as their new manager. Coyle indicated a desire to leave Burnley for the position. On 5 January, Burnley's chairman announced that Coyle had departed the club. Coyle was appointed as Bolton manager on 8 January. His first game in charge was a 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal. He secured his first win on 23 January 2010, a 2-0 victory over Sheffield United in the FA Cup 4th round, and achieved his first league victory against his former club, Burnley, with a 1-0 win on 26 January 2010. His first away victory for the club came on 6 March, a 2-1 win at West Ham United.

When Bolton next played Burnley, Coyle was famously labeled "Judas" by Burnley fans who felt he had betrayed them. He responded to these comments by suggesting that if they were to use biblical terms about him and his time at their club, he should be referred to as 'Moses' for leading them out of the wilderness. Coyle's initial signings for Bolton included Stuart Holden from MLS side Houston Dynamo on a short-term contract, Manchester City winger Vladimir Weiss, and Jack Wilshere on loan from Arsenal until the end of the season. Coyle achieved his primary goal of keeping Bolton in the Premier League, finishing 14th with 39 points, nine clear of relegated Burnley.

On 1 July, Coyle made his first summer signings, acquiring Martin Petrov from Manchester City and Robbie Blake from Burnley on free transfers. He later signed Marcos Alonso from Real Madrid for an undisclosed fee and brought Ivan Klasnić back to the club on a free transfer after his previous loan spell. In January 2011, he made two more signings, purchasing David Wheater from Middlesbrough and signing Daniel Sturridge on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season. In his first full season as manager, Coyle's team finished 14th in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup semi-final stage, where they were comprehensively beaten 5-0 by Stoke City.

On 13 May 2012, Bolton were relegated to The Championship following a 2-2 draw at Stoke City on the final day of the season.

Bolton began the 2012-13 season with a 2-0 loss against Coyle's former club, Burnley. They then managed a win against Derby County and a draw against Nottingham Forest at the Reebok Stadium. The following week, Bolton suffered a 3-1 loss to Hull City, leading to sections of fans calling for Coyle's departure. Although the subsequent match against Watford was won 2-1, some fans continued to boo after the final whistle. They then lost 2-1 to Birmingham City at St Andrew's. Coyle's tenure at the Reebok Stadium concluded on 9 October 2012, when his contract with Bolton was terminated by mutual agreement.

2.2.4. Wigan Athletic

On 14 June 2013, Coyle was announced as the manager of Wigan Athletic, succeeding Roberto Martínez who had departed for Everton. His first match in charge of Wigan was a 4-0 victory against Barnsley in the Championship. His second game was against Manchester United in the Community Shield, which Wigan lost 2-0.

Coyle left Wigan on 2 December 2013. At the time of his departure, Wigan had lost for the third time in a week and were sitting 14th in the table.

2.2.5. Houston Dynamo

On 8 December 2014, Coyle signed a three-year contract to become the head coach of Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo. The official announcement of his appointment had been delayed due to the MLS Cup Final.

On 25 May 2016, Coyle and the club mutually agreed to part ways. Coyle cited his desire to be closer to his family, who resided in the United Kingdom, while the Dynamo organization indicated dissatisfaction with the team's on-field results.

2.2.6. Blackburn Rovers

Coyle was appointed manager of Championship club Blackburn Rovers on a two-year contract on 2 June 2016. After thirty-seven games in charge, Coyle and Blackburn mutually agreed to part company on 21 February 2017.

2.2.7. Ross County

On 28 September 2017, Scottish Premiership club Ross County appointed Owen Coyle as their manager on a two-year contract. However, he resigned from this position on 1 March 2018, with the club at the bottom of the league table.

2.2.8. Chennaiyin FC (first spell)

On 3 December 2019, Owen Coyle was appointed as the head coach of Indian Super League champions Chennaiyin. Upon his arrival, he orchestrated a remarkable turnaround for the team, leading them from the bottom of the table to a winning track by changing their style of play. Chennaiyin FC notably scored the most goals in the season after Coyle took charge. Under his leadership, Chennaiyin FC qualified for the playoffs and reached the ISL final, where they ultimately lost 3-1 to ATK, finishing as runners-up.

2.2.9. Jamshedpur FC

On 7 August 2020, Coyle was appointed head coach of Indian Super League club Jamshedpur. He led the team to a historic achievement, securing their first-ever trophy, the League Winner's Shield, during the 2021-22 season.

2.2.10. Queen's Park

In March 2022, it was confirmed that Coyle would return to Scottish football as the head coach of Queen's Park, officially taking up the role on 1 June. Queen's Park narrowly missed out on promotion to the Scottish Premiership during the 2022-23 season, losing a final-day title decider to Dundee and subsequently falling short in the playoffs against Partick Thistle. Coyle resigned from the club a few days after the playoff defeat, stating he needed time to "recharge his batteries."

2.2.11. Chennaiyin FC (second spell)

On 16 July 2023, Chennaiyin announced the return of Owen Coyle as their head coach ahead of the 2023-24 season. Under his renewed leadership, the team finished 6th in the table, qualifying for the Indian Super League playoffs for the first time in four years. They were subsequently defeated by FC Goa in the knockout stage.