Owen Coyle, a manager once linked to Celtic, has publicly called on the club’s principal shareholder to extend Martin O’Neill’s time in charge.
Dermot Desmond is set for showdown talks with O’Neill this week as discussions intensify over the future leadership of the club.
Coyle, who grew up supporting Celtic from the Gorbals district of Glasgow, declined to take the job when it was offered to him seventeen years ago.
He still declines to explain publicly what made him remain at Burnley, the club he had guided into the Premier League via a play-off final against Sheffield United at Wembley.
Coyle is one of only ten Scottish managers ever to have taken charge of more than 100 Premier League games, giving his opinion significant weight.
He told MailSport that O’Neill’s example, having just delivered a dramatic Double, has demonstrated that age is simply a number.
Coyle said: “I thought when O’Neill came in to Celtic last October to replace Brendan Rodgers on an interim basis the club would have left him in place until the summer.”
He added: “If they had done that it would have been a Treble – not just the Double – that Celtic would have won.”
Coyle was present at the Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Dunfermline, attending alongside his father-in-law John McGrory and McGrory’s son Tony to mark an 80th birthday celebration.
He described O’Neill as “the original safe pair of hands” who has provided a bridge between the supporters and the boardroom during a period of genuine discontent among fans.
The discord at Celtic has largely centred on a failing player recruitment system that has seen the first-team squad suffer a visible and widely discussed decline in quality.
Coyle insisted recruitment need not overwhelm O’Neill, saying: “That’s a subject Martin can address over the course of the next year and it won’t faze him in the slightest.”
He highlighted the role of Shaun Maloney as an important asset in that regard, noting the pair can work together on the necessary summer rebuild.
Coyle also recalled advice from Sir Alex Ferguson, quoting him directly: “You’ll never get every signing right but if you get seven out of 10 to work then you’ll be doing well.”
While backing O’Neill, Coyle also reflected on the title race, noting Derek McInnes was once his coach at St Johnstone and that Hearts lost the championship on the final day at Celtic Park.
He noted Rangers lost their own title challenge after being beaten by Motherwell at Ibrox in the first game following the split, which sent them into a downward spiral.
Coyle himself scored two goals for Motherwell at Ibrox in a game broadcast live on television, temporarily preventing Rangers from winning Nine-in-a-Row.
“The game was live on TV and there were celebrations planned for George Square,” he recalled, “but Motherwell had targets of our own – and the main one was to avoid the play-offs.”
Currently working with FC Jamshedpur in India, Coyle said a move that began as an eleven-week stint has stretched into seven years of work across two separate spells.
He confirmed he has received offers to leave India but said none were right for him, while remaining open to the right opportunity should it arise.
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