Should Aston Villa look at the Bolton manager to replace Alex McLeish?
At present, and quite rightly after the season he has just had with Norwich, Paul Lambert is considered the frontrunner for the Villa job.
Lambert is not afraid to take a big decision, as he showed when he left Colchester in 2009 after walloping Norwich 7-1, to go and join them.
If he decides Villa is a step up in his career, he will take the plunge, but right now he is yet to comment either way, and is just as likely to rebuke the interest.
One man who would surely jump at the chance of the vacant job at Villa Park, is Owen Coyle.
Coyle is highly rated, despite overseeing Bolton’s relegation from the Premier League for the first time in a decade.
Pundits have been unable to pinpoint a conclusive reason for Wanderers’ demise; Was it bad tactics, poor signings, a lack of money, terrible luck with injuries, or a combination of all four?
As thus, Coyle has survived relegation to the Championship largely with his reputation still intact, with the drop seen as a blotch on an otherwise good CV.
Unlike McLeish, Coyle comes across well in the media, tends to always have the majority of the fans onside, and likes his sides to play positive attacking football.
Is he right for Villa? One of Coyle’s assets in recent years has been his management and development of young players, with Jack Wilshere and Daniel Sturridge both being loaned out to him and thriving in his sides.
Aston Villa have a number of talented youngsters, including Gary Gardner and Ciaran Clark, who could benefit from his management.
Coyle may choose to rebuild Bolton, and make amends for their surprise relegation, but if Villa come calling it will be a tough one for him to refuse.
The danger is that; yes he is a step up from McLeish, but so are a lot of managers, and this alone should not rule the club’s enxt appointment, they have to make sure the manager is right for the club.
Coyle’s relegation may just make Villa fans wary of such an appointment, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that 18 months ago he was being talked up in a similar way to Lambert after a terrific few months with Bolton.
Right now Coyle is an outsider for the job; at 33-1, and might just be worth a speculative few quid.
Villa fans, how would you feel about Coyle succeeding McLeish?
image: © ell brown
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