Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Coyle poised for switch to Celtic

Owen Coyle is wanted by Celtic
Coyle has been offered improved terms to stay with Burnley

Owen Coyle is expected to be the new Celtic manager by the end of the week.

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has spoken to the 42-year-old, who has taken Burnley to the Premier League in his first full season in charge.

The Lancashire club are anxious to keep the former St Johnstone boss and have offered Coyle a contract extension.

However, the lure of joining the team he supported as a boy is thought to be more attractive than Burnley's return to the top flight in England.

Paisley-born Coyle has two years of his current deal to run at Turf Moor and operations director Brendan Flood told BBC Sport he is "100% sure that Owen Coyle will lead Burnley in to their first season in the top flight in 33 years."

He joined Burnley in November 2007, a few days before St Johnstone won the SFL Challenge Cup final against Dunfermline.

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The former Bolton, Dundee United, Motherwell and Falkirk striker took the helm at McDiarmid Park in April 2005, finishing second in the First Division.

The Perth club, who recorded a surprise 2-0 win over Rangers at Ibrox that season, also reached the semi-final stage of both domestic cup competitions, losing to the eventual winners on both occasions.

Celtic are looking for a new manager after Gordon Strachan stepped down on Monday.

And leading scorer Scott McDonald is an admirer of what Coyle has achieved in his short time at Burnley.

"He's done a fantastic job," McDonald said of Coyle, whose squad includes Steven Caldwell, the brother of Celtic defender Gary.

"We've kept a close eye on Burnley this year as well because Gaz Caldwell's brother plays for them, so we've been hearing about Burnley for the last 12 months.

"We've seen a lot of them on TV and they've played some great stuff at times.

"It's not for me to comment on who's going to be the next manager - it's not my decision. I'll just be happy to pull on the Hoops again next year and work as hard as I can for whoever that is."

ะพ 6:07 AM

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