Roy Coyle
Encyclopedia
Roy Coyle is a former Northern Ireland international footballer
and the most successful manager
in the history of the Irish Football League.
, Glentoran F.C.
, Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
and Grimsby Town F.C.
. He won two Irish League
titles and played in Europe six times while with Glentoran before winning five Northern Ireland
international caps while playing for Sheffield Wednesday in England
.
and the Irish League Cup. Coyle stayed at the club for 4 years then decided to become manager of Glentoran F.C.
saw Glentoran crashing to a 5-2 defeat at Holm Park. At the final whistle, Glentoran fans booed the players and as Coyle walked by, the fans shouted "Coyle Out!" (In a strange twist, this also happened to former Northern Ireland Captain Alan McDonald who won the league with Glentoran in 2009, but the next season, saw Glentoran crash to a 6-0 home defeat to Coleraine F.C.
and a 2-0 away defeat to Dungannon Swifts F.C.
and the fans yelling "Out! Out! Out!") Coyle resigned that evening. He was replaced by Newry City manager Paul Millar
. Millar led Glentoran to the top of the league till Christmas and then Millar started going through what Coyle went through. Millar was sacked at the end of the season.
but the job went to former Cliftonville & Coleraine manager Marty Quinn.
history and has won 50 trophies in a success-filled career, mostly with Linfield F.C.
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
and the most successful manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
in the history of the Irish Football League.
Playing career
Coyle was a "teak tough" wing-half with Ballymena United F.C.Ballymena United F.C.
Ballymena United, is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club hails from the town of Ballymena, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Ballymena Showgrounds. Club colours are sky blue and white. Away Colours are Red and BlackThe club was...
, Glentoran F.C.
Glentoran F.C.
Glentoran F.C. is a semi-professional, football club in Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 and plays its home games at the Oval in east Belfast. Club colours are green, red, and black.Glentoran's biggest rivals are Linfield...
, Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
and Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
. He won two Irish League
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
titles and played in Europe six times while with Glentoran before winning five Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
international caps while playing for Sheffield Wednesday in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Linfield
Roy Coyle became player-manager of Linfield in 1975. In his first couple of years at the club, Coyle got Linfield into the Irish Cup final but lost to Carrick Rangers F.C. A year laterthey lost in the Irish Cup final again, but this time to Coleraine F.C. the following year. The Linfield board decided to give Coyle another chance and that decision proved to be one of the best decisions ever made in Irish League football. Roy Coyle won 31 trophies with Linfield and left the club in 1990 after his contract was terminated.Derry City
Coyle was appointed manager of Derry City in 1991. The season before, he was manager of County Down club Ards but resigned. Coyle only stayed for 2 years and winning the League of Ireland Cup. In 1993, Coyle left and returned to Ards F.C.Ards F.C.
Ards F.C. is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1900, is from Newtownards, but plays its home matches at Dixon Park in Ballyclare, which it shares with Ballyclare Comrades...
Ards F.C.
Coyle return to the County Down side in 1993 and won 2 trophies. The County Antrim ShieldCounty Antrim Shield
The County Antrim Shield is a football competition in Northern Ireland. The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Football Association , often plus intermediate teams who...
and the Irish League Cup. Coyle stayed at the club for 4 years then decided to become manager of Glentoran F.C.
Glentoran F.C.
Glentoran F.C. is a semi-professional, football club in Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 and plays its home games at the Oval in east Belfast. Club colours are green, red, and black.Glentoran's biggest rivals are Linfield...
Glentoran
Roy Coyle shocked the Irish League by becoming the new manager of Glentoran after the sacking of Tommy Cassidy. Even though Coyle played for Glentoran, it took some of the fans a while to get used to him after managing their bitter rivals Linfield. Coyle brought that success he had with Linfield and became Glentoran's most successful manager ever by winning 16 trophies with Glentoran. In 2006, after winning the league, Glentoran started to have a string of poor results. The fans started to turn against Coyle and the players. Then an away match to Armagh City F.C.Armagh City F.C.
Armagh City F.C. is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Championship 2. The club, founded in 1964 as Milford Everton, and originally hailed from the village of Milford, just outside Armagh city, but changed their name in 1988 on relocation to Armagh...
saw Glentoran crashing to a 5-2 defeat at Holm Park. At the final whistle, Glentoran fans booed the players and as Coyle walked by, the fans shouted "Coyle Out!" (In a strange twist, this also happened to former Northern Ireland Captain Alan McDonald who won the league with Glentoran in 2009, but the next season, saw Glentoran crash to a 6-0 home defeat to Coleraine F.C.
Coleraine F.C.
Coleraine F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1927, hails from Coleraine, County Londonderry and plays its home matches at the Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white...
and a 2-0 away defeat to Dungannon Swifts F.C.
Dungannon Swifts F.C.
Dungannon Swifts F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1949, has risen from the Mid-Ulster league to the top tier in Northern Ireland since its election to the Irish League First Division in 1997...
and the fans yelling "Out! Out! Out!") Coyle resigned that evening. He was replaced by Newry City manager Paul Millar
Paul Millar
Paul William Millar is a Northern Irish football player turned manager, currently manager of Larne.As a player, he played in Midfield and attack. He started at Glentoran, moving on to Portadown, before signing with Port Vale in 1988. Three years later he transferred to Cardiff City...
. Millar led Glentoran to the top of the league till Christmas and then Millar started going through what Coyle went through. Millar was sacked at the end of the season.
Newry City
Coyle swapped clubs with Paul Millar who went to be Glentoran's new manager. Coyle only stayed for a couple of months and decided to retire. A year later Coyle was linked to a move to Glenavon F.C.Glenavon F.C.
Glenavon F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1889, hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park...
but the job went to former Cliftonville & Coleraine manager Marty Quinn.
Returning to football
Coyle returned to Glentoran as director of football along with Scott Young being the new manager for the East Belfast club.Managerial Honours
Coyle is the most successful manager in Irish LeagueIFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
history and has won 50 trophies in a success-filled career, mostly with Linfield F.C.
Linfield F.C.
Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....
- Linfield (November 1975 - April 1990) 31 Trophies
- Irish LeagueIFA PremiershipThe IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
(10) 77/78, 78/79, 79/80, 81/82, 82/83, 83/84, 84/85, 85/86, 86/87, 88/89 - Irish CupIrish CupFor the equivalent tournament in the Republic of Ireland, see FAI Cup.The Irish Cup is the national cup knock-out competition in Northern Irish football. Inaugurated in 1881, it is the fourth oldest national cup competition in the world...
(3) 77/78, 79/80, 81/82 - Gold CupGold Cup (Northern Ireland)The Gold Cup is a now-defunct cup competition which involved competitors from Ireland and from 1921 onwards, just for Northern Ireland. It was initially run by the New Irish Football Association but later, and mainly, by the Irish Football Association....
(7) 78/79, 81/82, 83/84, 84/85, 87/88, 88/89, 89/89, 89/90 - Ulster CupUlster CupThe Ulster Cup was an annual football competition held by the Irish Football League for senior clubs. It was held on fifty-one occasions until being suspended after the 1998/99 season and discontinued after a one-off re-appearance in 2002/03. The last three editions were only open to First...
(4) 77/78, 78/79, 79/80, 84/85 - County Antrim ShieldCounty Antrim ShieldThe County Antrim Shield is a football competition in Northern Ireland. The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Football Association , often plus intermediate teams who...
(5) 76/77, 80/81, 81/82, 82/83, 83/84 - Irish League Cup (1) 86/87
- Tyler All-Ireland Cup (1) 80/81
- Irish League
- Ards (October 1990 - June 1991)
- Derry City (June 1991 - September 1993) 1 Trophy
- League of Ireland Cup (1) 91/92
- Ards (October 1993 - November 1997) 2 Trophies
- County Antrim ShieldCounty Antrim ShieldThe County Antrim Shield is a football competition in Northern Ireland. The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Football Association , often plus intermediate teams who...
(1) 93/94 - Irish League Cup (1) 94/95
- County Antrim Shield
- Glentoran (November 1997 - February 2006) 16 Trophies
- Irish LeagueIFA PremiershipThe IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
(3) 98/99, 02/03, 04/05 - Irish CupIrish CupFor the equivalent tournament in the Republic of Ireland, see FAI Cup.The Irish Cup is the national cup knock-out competition in Northern Irish football. Inaugurated in 1881, it is the fourth oldest national cup competition in the world...
(4) 97/98, 99/00, 00/01, 03/04 - Gold CupGold Cup (Northern Ireland)The Gold Cup is a now-defunct cup competition which involved competitors from Ireland and from 1921 onwards, just for Northern Ireland. It was initially run by the New Irish Football Association but later, and mainly, by the Irish Football Association....
(2) 99/00, 00/01 - County Antrim ShieldCounty Antrim ShieldThe County Antrim Shield is a football competition in Northern Ireland. The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Football Association , often plus intermediate teams who...
(4) 98/99, 99/00, 01/02, 02/03 - Irish League Cup (3) 00/01, 02/03, 04/05
- Irish League
- Newry City (February 2006 - January 2007)