Queens Park announce appointment of Owen Coyle as manager

Owen Coyle has been announced as the new manager of League 1 side Queen’s Park.

The Spiders have been without a permanent manager since sacking Laurie Ellis and Grant Murray in December, as they looked to appoint the person they believed could develop the team and help the club reach their goals.

Coyle was identified as the man to fulfill that role and will take charge of his 11th club, having previously managed in Scotland, England, USA and India.

His last job was at Indian side Jamshedpur, who he led to the Super League Shield, and he will take the reins at Queen’s Park from June.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at a wonderful club in the Indian Super League, but it was time for me to come home and I am delighted to be joining an ambitious, progressive club in Queen’s Park,” Coyle said.

“The club’s ambitions are really exciting, and the structure being put into place was enormously appealing to me. We have some terrific talent at the club, and we will be looking to attract and develop more, so the challenge for me is one I look forward to.”

Queen’s Park chief executive Leeann Dempster said: “First of all, we’d like to thank Jamshedpur for the generous way they have behaved throughout our talks.

“With their agreement, and although he doesn’t officially start till June 1, Owen will be able to help us prepare our teams for the final few games of the season.

“We are excited to have secured a head coach of Owen’s experience and expertise. He has grown up in the Scottish game, as both player and coach, but has also added considerable international experience and brings all that wealth of knowledge to our club as we continue our journey to building a unique club that makes fans proud on and off the pitch.”

Director of football operations Marijn Beuker, who joined from AZ Alkmaar earlier this season, said: “We have taken the time to find a suitable candidate, matching our desired profile. With 19 seasons as head coach in different countries, Owen has a wealth of experience and knows what winning looks like. Owen is a coach who believes in developing talent and creating a close-knit group. He’s a fantastic fit for us and I’m confident he’ll help the first team push on.

“Owen’s arrival also ensures that we can now continue to focus on composing the player group for next season and further growing our Academy and scouting organisation.”