As a child, Owen Coyle Jr moved with his family from Scotland to join a school that was divided down the middle, between Burnley fans and those who supported rival club Blackburn Rovers.
Given that his father, at the time, had just become the manager of Burnley, Coyle was popular, with half of his classmates at least — particularly by the time his dad had led them to promotion into the Premier League in 2009.
But the name he carried did not subsequently garner the same popularity when his dad was lured from Burnley to join Bolton Wanderers — where he had previously enjoyed a successful spell as a player — in the following January.
“In Scotland, even in Dundee or Aberdeen, you would still see Celtic and Rangers shirts everywhere. In Burnley, everyone had a Burnley shirt on or a Blackburn shirt on,” Coyle tells The Athletic. “When he was Burnley manager and doing well, half the school seemed to like me and the other half ensured I had to grow a bit of a thick skin.
“But when he left Burnley to join Bolton, that was… a big thing. The media made a lot of it and I had to weather that, but it probably taught me a thing or two about how to handle those situations, even at such a young age. There was social media abuse and, if I am honest, there were probably even a few teachers who were Burnley fans and were not my best pal for a while.
“Whatever the future holds, I would like to think criticism will be like water off a duck’s back, because I have already seen that. The experience will serve me well, whether I end up as a coach or in an executive role.”
Owen Coyle Sr pictured during his time managing Burnley (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Football was always in Coyle’s blood. Although he might not have predicted that, by the age of 29, he would be working as loans and player pathway manager at Nottingham Forest, having already become the youngest coach in Great Britain to have earned his UEFA Pro coaching license.
“When I was 15 I scored four goals in a game for my school, it was the match of my life. My uncle Joe (who forged a playing career in the Scottish Football League) told me I had played well but added ‘I think it is going to be tough for you to make the step up’,” says Coyle. “That was the moment I started to think about coaching.
“I would watch training at Bolton. I grew up in that space where there was pressure and expectation; where everything was about that fight for three points. Being in that environment always appealed to me.”
Coyle’s coaching career began when he was only 16, when he took an apprentice role with the Lancashire FA, working with men, women and junior players. “It was not so much coaching as working in the community, we were getting kids who were involved in gangs off the streets,” says Coyle. “I worked in a similar environment at Oldham Athletic and Blackpool.”
At 18 Coyle was appointed as the manager of the England amputee team.
“We went to three World Cups and three European Championships. We got to the final in 2017, where we played at Besiktas, in Istanbul,” he says. “There were 42,000 people there. We were getting water and coins thrown at us. The atmosphere was incredible. We lost 2-1 to a goal in the last minute of extra time.
“The players were such an inspiration. Whether it was through cancer, a road accident or something else that led to them losing a limb, they had to show such a level of resilience. It does give me perspective now. And I hope that proves to be full circle moment this summer, if things go well in the Europa League. It would be nice to go back to Besiktas (where the final will be staged), wouldn’t it?”
Before joining Forest in the Autumn of 2023 — initially in a coaching role within the academy — Coyle got to spend a season working with his dad at Queen’s Park in the Scottish Championship.
“I was initially involved with the B team but, after a few months, I moved up to coach with the first team,” says Coyle. “It was interesting because I had always been on the outside of it with my dad. When you have such a close relationship, you always have the mentality that you want to help, don’t you?
“Not just that you want to help them do well but also to help them when it is tough. The chance for us to work together was special. We worked together really closely. It was the club’s first year back in the Championship in three decades. On the final day, we had a game with Dundee, which would decide which one of us won promotion. We lost a 5-3 thriller — and we ended up losing in the play-offs.”
It was a change of dynamic for Coyle when he joined Forest back in an academy role. But after two years, he was handed the role of loans manager last summer.
Coyle has been impressed with how Tyler Bindon has adapted to life at Sheffield United (Jess Hornby/Getty Images)
“Every day is different. Yesterday, I was with Craig (Mulholland, Forest’s head of football development and talent management) watching the under-18s against Burnley. We had a meeting before that, about the loan signings and what the plans are for next season,” he says. “Over the weekend I will be at three or four different games, including watching Tyler (Bindon) with Sheffield United.
“I have been all over the world catching up with different players, speaking to partner clubs, speaking agents and the players’ families too. The idea is to ensure everyone is aligned with where we are going and what is happening.”
New Zealand international defender Binden’s recent performances for Sheffield United have prompted a sense of optimism, with the 21-year-old having notched up 22 appearances in the Championship.
“Tyler is doing well. He went in there under Ruben (Selles), who had managed him at Reading. Results did not go as people wanted and he ended up exiting the club. Chris Wilder came back and Tyler was not somebody who Chris initially trusted,” says Coyle.
“Tyler had to work hard and show he was capable. But he has been one of their best players — and that has helped him to get more involved with New Zealand as well, on an international level. That is great for him ahead of the World Cup.
“He still has a lot to learn, which is natural for a young player. But his mentality is one of the best I have come across. He is hungry to learn. He applies himself, he is humble. He will go on to have a top, top career and hopefully will have the opportunity to represent Forest if everything goes the right way.”
Coyle was also recently in Frankfurt to watch £26million striker Arnaud Kalimuendo, who was allowed to move to Germany on loan when Sean Dyche was manager. He has scored four goals in 12 Bundesliga appearances.
“Kalimuendo has done really, really well. It has been an interesting time for him, because he was a high-profile signing (from Rennes in August). In the early stages it did not work out for him, for many different reasons,” says Coyle. “He has gone over there, he is performing, he is scoring goals… but he is still very positive about his relationship with Forest. He talks to the other players regularly. He has been back to watch games.
“He is heavily invested in Forest. He will return in the summer and we will see where his future lies at Forest, within the squad plan.”
Owen Coyle says Arnaud Kalimuendo is ‘heavily invested in Forest’ (Alexandra Beier/AFP via Getty Images)
When Forest faced Fenerbahce in Istanbul in February, they made a point of inviting Jota Silva — who is on loan at Besiktas — to join up with the squad.
“The biggest feedback we have had from Besiktas is that Jota, every day, is the hardest worker in training. That represents Forest really well,” says Coyle. “Whether it is Jota, Kalimuendo, Tyler, or Omar (Richards) who is at Rio Ave, they are still part of Forest,” says Coyle. “It is a value for us that they feel that Nottingham is still their home. If they are asked to step back out (for Forest) it is important they feel connected.”
Having gained his UEFA Pro License at 28 — “It was something I always wanted to achieve. I was proud” — Coyle is equipped for a future in management. But he is also enjoying his current role.
“I can support our players who are out on loan but, during pre-season and in January, I have the opportunity to work with them on the grass as well,” he says. “I can still keep my hand in on the coaching side,” he says. “If I am going to support Omar, Cuiabano or Tyler and give them some honest feedback after a game, they hopefully think I am credible when I do that — rather than just being a guy who sits on a laptop.
“It will also keep my hand in for future opportunities at the club, if there is a coaching role.”
Coyle will ultimately face a crossroads moment where he must decide whether to go into coaching or pursue a role as a director of football or something similar. But there is part of him that would like to follow in the footsteps of the old man.
“I speak to him two or three times a day. Whether it is to chat about training or recruitment,” says Coyle of his dad, who is currently managing in India, with Jamshedpur, following spells with Wigan Athletic, Houston Dynamo, Blackburn, Ross County and Chennaiyin. “He came home last week and we spent some time together. We play padel. He is happy for me to bounce things off him.
“I was focused on making my own path and forging my own journey when I was younger; I did not want to lean on him. It is difficult to make your own name when you have the same name as him.
“But as I have become more mature, I have realised I am fortunate he is my dad and that he has been through all he has.”