Paton's Premier Par: Owen Coyle

"The people who have followed Dunfermline through thick and thin are an absolute credit to themselves ...

Listen as Owen Coyle talks about his Dunfermline days

When Owen Coyle attended the recent Paton's Premier Pars fund raiser in the Alhambra, the Wigan manager had won seven, lost seven and drawn three.  When he returned home the Latics lost three home matches in a row to Brighton, Waregem and Derby County and that sadly ended Owen's managerial position with Wigan Athletic. Ironically when speaking exclusively to the website that night he was very upbeat about his career as a manager:-

"I have been very fortunate everywhere I have been to be very successful. Obviously I left Bolton Wanderers after the disappointment of losing our Premier League place. Even then if you look at that season, the injuries to top players were incredible and on the last day if we had won at Stoke we would have stayed up but drew 2-2 in a game where two refereeing decisions were truly bizarre.

"I have been very fortunate from my time at Falkirk as a player/manager winning the league to when I had a very successful period there to Burnley to Bolton as well. When I went to Bolton Wanderers they were favourites for relegation but we addressed that and had a magnificent run with them.

"Now the job is to get Wigan back to the Premier League. I am certainly challenged to do that and involved in the Europa League as well, so we are really enjoying it. To have your career in football as a player, coach or manager you are blessed. Growing up as kids we never thought about the lifestyle, we just wanted to play the game.

"That never leaves you, I feel very blessed to have that career and I am enjoying what I am doing. I know that there are plenty more wins to come because that's what we like doing, winning football matches. There is plenty ahead of me."

Owen accepted the invitation to attend the Paton's Premier Pars night  without any hesitation. The former Pars player talked enthusiastically about the Pars and messers Paton and Campbell:-

"Dick and Bert have always been a part of my footballing career and I was coming as soon as I knew that they were going to be here. I have fond memories of my time at Dunfermline; I enjoyed my time and had great cameraderie with the players that I played with.

"As we do in football when you can play a small part to help with such a great idea and obviously help the club as well then of course you will do that."

Owen joined Dunfermline from Motherwell in March 1999 making his debut in a 0-0 draw at Rugby Park before winning back to back home games against Dundee and St Johnstone. He recalled:-

"Dunfermline were bottom of the league when I came but we started really well and although I did not score in them we took seven points from three games and moved off the bottom of the league. The one clear memory I have is going to Pittodrie for the following game. I am not singing my own praises but I played a brilliant ball over the top and Davie Graham ran through with his pace and scored. We were 1-0 up at half time.

"In the second half we did not play as well as we did in the first and we ended up losing the game 3-1 and they leapfrogged us. That put us back to the bottom and I don't think think we we won any of the remaining seven games.

"That was a period of transition for Dunfermline at the time and at the start of the next season in the First Division we were outstanding. I think I scored twelve goals in the first twelve games but then Dick lost his job.

"Dick didn't lose his job because he wasn't a good manager - he was an outstanding manager. The bottom line was that the politics of the club were changing. Shares had been sold and Dick Campbell wasn't the chairman's man. The change meant that Jimmy Calderwood came in and believe it or not what I do remember is that I had never been sent off in my life. I only had two sendings off in my whole career and they were both in that same season for Dunfermline Athletic.

"It was incredible. Sometimes in football you are fated - things are meant to be for some reason. The first was against Airdrieonians at East End Park, big Andy Smith had been sent off ten minutes earlier when I got a second yellow. Dick was the manager and we were down to nine men after about 25 minutes and ended up drawing the game 0-0. The rest of the lads were magnificent that day.

"Then I remember going to Raith Rovers after Christmas for the derby and I was brought down for a penalty by Marvin Andrews but the referee never gave it. I got up to get in my position and the stand side linesman was flagging. I was totally bemused but it turned out that he thought that I kicked Marvin Andrews when I was on the ground which never happened. It was bizarre to have played the career that I had from a 13 year old at Dumbarton to my last game for St Johnstone when I was nearly 40 and have two sendings off both within two months of each other at Dunfermline.

"We got promoted that year back to the Premier League. I think we finished second with Jimmy Calderwood and I truly believe that with Dick Campbell we would have won the league that season. Nothing I saw that season would convince me otherwise.

"Every manager was his own ideas and own flavour of players. I started some games for Jimmy but not as many as I'd have liked. I moved more than five times but five times I dropped salary because I wanted to play. Dunfermline was one of those. When I was on the bench I was frustrated, felt that I should be playing and obviously the manager had his own opinions. I had no problems with that but I moved on because I wanted to play."

That move was back for a second spell of what was to be three at Airdrieonians. Owen was sorry to leave Dunfermline because he had built up a great relationship with everybody at East End Park:-

"The supporters were outstanding for their club and indeed the people who worked at Dunfermline were the salt of the earth and every football club needs people like that because as well as working at the club, first and foremost, they are fans. What we understand in football is that directors, chairmen, owners, managers and players will all come and go but the one constant in any football club is the supporter. They are there from baby to last breath because that's their team.

"That's what what I loved about Dunfermline because having played for a number of clubs it was always a bugbear of mine seeing supporters buses leaving towns to go and support Celtic and Rangers because for me you should support your local team in the community that you grew up in.

"Everybody wants success but there are always cycles of success for different clubs regardless of the size of them. The people who have followed Dunfermline through thick and thin are an absolute credit to themselves and that is my one big abiding memory of Dunfermline at the time - how good the support was."