OWEN COYLE revealed his admiration for Brendan Rodgers – as he plotted to derail Celtic’s record-breaking 63-game unbeaten domestic run in Dingwall tomorrow lunchtime.
The Highlanders have completely sold out their stadium for the visit of the Invincibles so if you don’t have a ticket don’t bother heading up there.
BREAKING NEWS | Our match v @celticfc on Saturday is now completely SOLD OUT.#selloutsaturday pic.twitter.com/fXlIR6e2eY
— Ross County FC (@RCFCStaggies) November 16, 2017
The Ross County boss, who once rejected the chance to manager Celtic to stay in the “Barclays Premier League’ faced the Irishman in England while Coyle was in charge at Burnley and Bolton and the Hoops gaffer was at Watford and Swansea.
Remarkably, in three meetings, neither manager has secured an away win against the other, with Rodgers enjoying two victories to Coyle’s one.
The Highlanders’ chief said: “We’ve come up against each other a few times. I was in opposition to his Swansea team in the (Barclays) Premier League when I was at Bolton.
“Before then, when he took over at Watford, my Burnley team also played them in the year we got promoted.
“He’s somebody I’ve always got on very well with. He’s genuinely a really nice man.
“It’s always nice to be good and talented at what you do, which Brendan undoubtedly is, and equally it’s as important you’re a really nice man with it and he is.
“Away from the football side, he’s a man with lovely qualities. I think that’s shown in how he’s conducted himself as manager of the club.”
Coyle added: “When Brendan came into Celtic, they were the champions and had won the league for a number of years already.
“He recognised there was a lot of good things going on at the football club, with a lot of young players. Looking at the infrastructure, Brendan would be the first to tell you that a lot of people before him deserve enormous credit for that.
“They had brought some wonderful players to the club over the years. He looked at that and recognised there was nothing broken, but he had to try and enhance it.
“He’s made one or two wonderful signings. Financially, it would have cost him money, but to get the likes of Scott Sinclair to the club – he’s a wonderful player and a matchwinner, even at the top level of the game.
“He showed that as a kid. All the way through in England, he was a wonderful talent and he’s shining again now because he knows he’s got a manager that believes in him and trusts in him.
“Sometimes that’s what players need and Brendan has shown that.”
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