Owen Coyle was appointed Burnley boss on the recommendation of Scotland manager Alex McLeish.
Burnley operations director Brendan Flood revealed a telephone call from McLeish convinced him to hand the highly-rated Coyle a three-and-a-half-year deal.
Flood said: "I said we needed one or two more references, so he gave me Alex McLeish.
"Alex took the time out last Friday to tell me what a great guy Owen is and that he's going to be a Premiership manager one day.
"That spoke volumes for me."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article