Since the turn of the century, Celtic has had a number of well-known managers in charge of the club.
Martin O’Neill, who joined Celtic in 2000, was the catalyst for the club’s 24-year glory.
And I believe it is fair to say that O’Neill’s tenure paved the way for the Celtics’ current success.
Following O’Neill, Gordon Strachan took over the reins and continued O’Neill’s legacy by bringing enormous success not just locally, but also on the European scene, leading the team to the Champions League last 16.
However, given what Owen Coyle has revealed, Mowbray appears to have been Celtic’s second option to succeed Strachan in 2009.
Why Owen Coyle ‘turned down’ Celtic
Coyle had recently led Burnley from the English Championship to the Premier League when Celtic invited him to take over for Strachan that summer.
As reported by The Scottish Sun, Coyle told BBC Sportsound, “I turned down the Celtic position in 2009. “People don’t realise that.”I was the Burnley manager, and Gordon Strachan had recently departed from Celtic. I was obviously doing well with Burnley; I led them to the Premier League and was offered the job.
“I have to admit that my initial instinct was to say yes, I want to take the position.
“What I had to do was remove the emotion from the decision because my children were much younger at the time.
“As a family, we sat down and talked about it with my wife, deciding if we wanted to put the kids back into that environment at their age.
“If they’d been a little older, we probably would have.
“But I was in the best league in the world, competing against Chelsea and Manchester United every week.
“Ultimately, that’s why I decided not to.
“I think then Tony Mowbray was appointed subsequently after that.”
Coyle has no Celtic ‘regrets’
Growing up as a Celtic fan, Coyle must have found it tough to turn down that opportunity, but now that he manages Chennaiyin in the Indian Super League, the former Airdrie striker insists he has no regrets.
Coyle went on to say, “I don’t think you have any regrets because the judgements you make at the moment are final.
“Would it have been your childhood dream to manage Glasgow Celtic? Absolutely, since it is and will always be my team, which goes without saying.
“But you make those decisions and you make them for the best reasons.”
Nobody knows if Coyle would have been a success at Celtic, and if he was, the path of the club’s history could have been altered.
Because if Coyle had been a successful Celtic manager, fans might not have seen Neil Lennon lead the team to a victory over Barcelona in 2012. There might not have been another nine in a succession, let alone a Quadruple Treble.
Ange Postecoglou may never have been the manager, and Brendan Rodgers may never have fulfilled his dream of coaching Celtic twice!
Isn’t it interesting how things turn out?
