NEW Blackburn Rovers manager Owen Coyle is the right man for the task in hand at Ewood Park, according to former Rovers midfielder Mark Patterson.

Former Burnley boss Coyle penned a two-year deal with Rovers yesterday and said he was ‘honoured and delighted’ to be taking over from Paul Lambert.

MORE TOP STORIES:

And Patterson, who played with Coyle at Bolton in the mid 1990s, believes the 49-year-old can handle the pressure at Ewood Park.

“He is going to get a lot of flak for being an ex-Burnley manager but he will have known that going in,” said Patterson who played more than 100 games for Rovers between 1983-88. “The type of character he is he will be strong enough to deal with that.

“He has got good experience of the Championship and he is a strong willed individual who knows what he wants.

“He is going to have a big job on his hands but he is the right man to take on the challenge.”

Coyle left his job at MLS side Houston Dynamo last week and has pledged to bring entertaining football to Ewood Park.

He said: “First and foremost I’m absolutely thrilled and honoured to be Blackburn Rovers manager and I look forward to working with terrific people at the club.

“The ultimate aim is to give a team that is representative of the fans, a team that is entertaining and hard working, and a team that can win.”

And Patterson is hopeful the appointment will prove to be a success.

“I think he has one of the toughest jobs in the Championship next season and that is to try and keep Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.

“I have seen the teams that have gone into League One and struggled to get out and obviously Bolton are now in there and it is important that Rovers don’t go down that path.

“He will need to win the fans over, that is obvious. But the way to do that is to get a team that are playing for the colours and playing for the shirt. If he does that, and if he is allowed to bring in the players he wants to, then I think he can be good for Rovers.

“I’m sure he must have been given assurances by Venky’s before signing his contract so hopefully he can bring in some players that will allow Rovers to compete in the Championship.”

Patterson admits that Coyle, who guided Burnley into the Premier League in 2009 before jumping ship for Bolton in 2010, didn’t stand out as a future manager when they were teammates at Wanderers.

“He wasn’t one of the obvious ones who you thought would go on to be a manager,” added the 51-year-old.

“The likes of Phil Brown you could see would go on and be managers but if I am being honest he wasn’t. Having said that it is all about what you are like in dealing with people and standing in front of a group of players.

“He was very amiable and a good character to have around the place. He was always having a laugh and joke with the lads and when he wasn’t in the team he was always looking to help people. He is a very positive person.

“He won’t be taken for a fool and if someone needs getting rid of then he will do it.”

Coyle emerged as a leading candidate for the job earlier this week with Rovers also having interviewed Manchester United Under-21 boss Warren Joyce, Cardiff City Director of Football Russell Slade and former Sheffield United boss Nigel Adkins.

And Rovers director Mike Cheston is confident the club have got the right man.

“We took our time and conducted a thorough search and Owen was the standout candidate,” said Cheston.

“He brings with him a wealth of management experience, a strong track record in the Championship and we believe he will complement our existing coaching staff perfectly.

“He meets all of the criteria we were looking for and we firmly believe he is the right man to take this club forward.”

Coyle began his managerial reign with Falkirk and St Johnstone in Scotland before joining Burnley in 2007.

Having guided the Clarets to the Premier League in 2009 he left for Bolton and led Wanderers to the FA Cup semi-final in 2011.

But they were relegated 12 months later and Coyle then lasted less than six months at Wigan Athletic in 2013.

He has spent the past 18 months in charge of MLS side Houston Dynamo but left the American side last week with Dynamo bottom of the Western Conference.