Coyle 'like a young Bill Shankly'

Coyle was yesterday unveiled as Steve Cotterill's successor at Turf Moor, beating off a number of high-calibre candidates to land the Clarets hot-seat.

The 41-year-old Glasweigan is seen as the perfect man to deliver success to Burnley and fulfil the club's dreams of reaching the Premier League.

He was so impressive during the interviewing procedure that Burnley's operational director Flood said Coyle stood head and shoulders' above other candidates.

Flood went so far as to compare Coyle to fellow Scot Shankly, who in the 1960s transformed Liverpool from a failing second division side to English league champions.

"When we first spoke to Owen he struck me as being like a young Bill Shankly," said Flood.

"That's a big label to give him but there are definitely similarities.

"He's tee-total like Shankly was and has the same steely determination.

"We were trying to be open-minded as we could with the interviews.

"That's why Peter Reid and Paul Jewell were possibilities for the job, but I thought Owen was head and shoulders above the lot."

Former Bolton striker Coyle was widely regarded as one of the best young managers in Scottish football after last season guiding St Johnstone to the semi-finals of the CIS and Scottish Cups, while they were a whisker away from being promoted to the SPL.

His win-ratio with the McDiarmid Park outfit is also hugely impressive, and it was those statistics that also encouraged Flood and Clarets chairman Barry Kilby to prise Coyle away from the Saints.

Furthermore, Coyle's contacts across Britain are second-to-none, as Flood feels the new boss will attract quality players from north of the border and across the Irish Sea.

Flood added: "Owen's a hidden gem. He's a natural winner.

"He's probably been overlooked a little bit, although he had three job offers from Scottish Premier League clubs and, last year, was considered as one of the candidates for the Bolton job.

"His statistics show that he's got a 50 percent winning record as manager, and just 20 percent in defeats. That's better than Sir Alex Ferguson's!

"Owen's also the right age at 41. He's very fit and you could see his energy at the Masters tournament recently.

"He's got very high standards in training and I think that will get the best out of everybody.

"At the end of the day, he's Scottish and a Republic of Ireland international.

"We probably need to source players from outside our own backyard, because Man United, Man City, Everton, Blackburn Rovers are in our backyard.

"We can't get good lads on our own doorstep, and we maybe need to get into that connectivity with Scotland and Ireland. Owen's an ideal door-opener for that."

Although Coyle has yet to test his managerial credentials in English football, Flood believes he will not only handle the pressure but thrive on it.

"He's been in management for four years. He knows the pressure of buying and selling players and man-management," added Flood.

"He knows how to get the best out of the resources available. Those are all the things you learn in the job.

"It takes time to acclimatise, but I think he's done his apprenticeship.

"If you look at his background, he's a Glasgow boy. He's one of nine children and part of a big family. Nothing is too big a challenge for him.

"He wants the pressure of a Saturday afternoon. He likes pressure and if you are going to be successful in football, you are going to have to handle the pressure and, in a way, enjoy it."

Flood continued: "Owen will want to get his feet under the table straight away and I'm sure he will have positive impact, but you cannot judge him on the first few games.

"You have got to give the guy a chance to build up a relationship with the players and create a bit of inspiration."

"It would be good if we could get into the Premiership - that's his ambition. He wouldn't be here unless it wasn't.

"He's got that attitude. He's not here for a joyride."