CLARETS skipper Steven Caldwell is predicting a bright future as the Owen Coyle era begins in earnest this afternoon.

The 41-year-old Scot put pen-to-paper on a three-and-a-half year deal on Thursday after he won the race to succeed Steve Cotterill at Turf Moor.

Coyle met the players for the first time at Gawthorpe yesterday as his charges prepared for the visit of Stoke City.

And Caldwell, who misses the game with a thigh strain, believes Coyle is the man to breath new life into the club.

He said: "I've been very impressed with him so far. From what we have seen so far, it's going to be great working with the new manager.

"At his first training session, everyone was buoyant. It's a big day for the club with the new manager and the 125-year anniversary celebrations with us wearing the different kit.

"I'm so disappointed to be missing it but I'm hoping we can get a valuable three points."

Caldwell admitted that it been a tough time for the players since Cotterill's departure on November 8.

But he added: "It's always difficult when you change managers but you've just got to deal with it and go about the job you're paid to do.

"The new manager has come in and hopefully we can achieve tremendous success under him.

"We're looking forward to a fresh start. We want to be rising up the league and maintaining a consistency for the new gaffer. He's a positive man and everybody is in a really positive mood and we have a belief that we can go forward.

"It's important now that we look at the bigger picture. We were aiming for promotion at the beginning of the season and we want to reiterate that.

"It's an exciting time with a new manager at the club. We'll need to adapt to the way he wants us to play the game and try and do the best we can for Burnley Football Club.

"We're all looking forward under the new regime and we're hope to begin rising up the table."

Coyle comes to English football as something of an unknown quantity in management terms.

But Caldwell admitted to have been impressed with his achievements north of the border.

"I knew about him being from Scotland myself," he added. "He did a tremendous job at the club he was at and he's clearly one of the up and coming managers.

"He's been linked with a couple of big jobs in Scotland and I remember watching him as a player at clubs like Bolton and Motherwell.

"He has a big reputation in Scotland and he seems a very fair and honest man and it's going to be a very exciting time for everybody."