OWEN COYLE could not hide his admiration for past adversary Brendan Rodgers as he plotted Celtic’s first domestic beating in 63 matches.

The pair crossed managerial swords in England competitively and socially while Coyle served at Burnley and Bolton Wanderers and Rodgers took charge of Watford and Swansea.

If the Ross County manager was seeking good omens ahead of tomorrow’s live-televised Dingwall meeting, the record books at least held a glimmer of one.

In three meetings, neither manager has managed an away win against the other, albeit with Rodgers enjoying two victories to Coyle’s one.

Coyle holds Rodgers’ managerial excellence in high regard, certainly, but it is his personal touch that caps it for the former Burnley and Bolton Wanderers manager.

Coyle recalled: “We’ve come up against each other a few times. I came up against his Swansea team in the Premier League when I was at Bolton.

“Before then, when he took over at Watford, my Burnley team also played them in the year we got promoted.

“He’s somebody I’ve always got on very well with. He’s genuinely a really nice man – that goes without saying.

“It’s always nice to be good and talented at what you do, which Brendan undoubtedly is, and equally it’s as important you’re a really nice man with it, and he is.

“Away from the football side he’s a man with lovely qualities. I think that’s shown in how he’s conducted himself as manager of the club.”

Coyle hit Premiership heights of his own in England as manager and would never claim to have modelled his approach on that of the Celtic boss.

But there have been parallels in the softly, softly approach the two have taken at their respective Scottish clubs after moving north.

Coyle said: “When Brendan came into Celtic they were the champions and had won the league for a number of years already.

“He recognised there was a lot of good things going on at the football club, with a lot of young players. Looking at the infrastructure, Brendan would be the first to tell you that a lot of people before him deserve enormous credit for that.

“They had brought some wonderful players to the club over the years. He looked at that and recognised there was nothing broken, but he had to try and enhance it.

“He’s made one or two wonderful signings. Financially it would have cost him money, but to get the likes of Scott Sinclair to the club – he’s a wonderful player and a match-winner, even at the top level of the game.

“He showed that as a kid coming through. All the way through in England he was a wonderful talent and he’s shining again now because he knows he’s got a manager that believes in him and trusts in him.

“Sometimes that’s what players need and Brendan has shown that.”

Some, particularly observers south of the border, have claimed Rodgers’ achievements are diminished or even worthless given the weak level of competition Celtic face in Scotland.

Coyle, though, sees it differently.

He said: “I’ve used this word before regarding Celtic and Brendan, but I think they have evolved as a team in terms of how they play their football.

“The Aberdeen game was a perfect example. Aberdeen are a good side but they couldn’t lay a glove on Celtic because of their passing and movement.

“Not only the passing and movement but the speed they did it, and the interaction. Brendan deserves enormous credit for that."