Coventry City simply hit the jackpot with Celtic transfer | OneFootball

Michael Doyle was a fantastic servant for the Sky Blues across two lengthy spells.

When Michael Doyle joined Coventry City from Celtic back in 2003, few could have foreseen the career that he would go on to enjoy at the Ricoh Arena.

The midfielder first made the switch south of the border as a youngster, but went on to make 337 appearances for the Sky Blues across two lengthy spells.

The Irishman is seen as a legend by fans of the Midlands outfit, and there are also fond memories of him at the other clubs he represented – Sheffield United, Portsmouth and Notts County.

Doyle has become a hugely recognisable figure in the EFL over the years, and the value that he provided to Coventry surely puts him up there with their best ever signings.

Doyle is a Coventry legend

After he made the switch from Celtic, Doyle’s initial spell with Coventry lasted for over six years.

During that time, the Sky Blues were a regular second tier outfit. He quickly became an integral player for the club over his first spell, captaining the team on several occasions and very rarely missing games.

He clocked up over 40 league appearances for five consecutive seasons between 2003 and 2008, a run which culminated a campaign which saw him notch seven goals and three assists – the best year of his whole career in terms of goal contributions.

However, after Coventry’s summer signings in 2009 left him unsure of a place in the team, Doyle was forced to head elsewhere to ensure he could continue to play regular football.

He joined Leeds United on loan for the 2009/10 campaign and made 42 league appearances for Simon Grayson’s side.

After that loan spell, Doyle returned to Coventry for a few months, before leaving to join Sheffield United. However, he could do little to prevent the Blades from falling into League One ahead of the 2011/12 season.

Over the next four seasons, the combative midfielder became club captain of the South Yorkshire outfit and missed a combined total of just 12 league games, but the team were unable to restore the Blades' second tier status.

He was released by United in the summer of 2015 and joined Portsmouth, for whom he started every game in the 2016/17 season, helping them to the League Two title.

After that title victory, the then-35-year-old agreed to re-join Coventry, with the Sky Blues having fallen into the fourth tier. Doyle joined with the aim of re-vitalising the club, which gave him his first opportunity in English football.

He did just that, helping them to play-off glory in his first year back at the club.

The midfielder left Coventry as a 37-year-old in January 2019, when he dropped back down into League Two with Notts County.

He departed Coventry as a Sky Blues legend, with over 300 appearances for the club. He had captained them on numerous occasions, and his feisty and unforgiving style helped to drive standards and spur on all the teams that he played in.

Doyle has since entered the world of management

Since leaving Coventry, Doyle was relegated out of the EFL with Notts County at the end of his first season, but he remained loyal to the club and was a fine servant for them during their National League stint.

He scored a remarkable stoppage-time winner from the halfway line in an FA Trophy tie with Dagenham and Redbridge in January 2020, and then spent 72 minutes in goal for a league game against the same opponents the following season.

Unbelievably, Doyle kept a clean sheet until he was beaten by a stoppage-time consolation goal, having been forced to don the gloves as a result of a red card early into proceedings.

He moved into coaching as the assistant at Meadow Lane in the summer of 2021, before a brief stint as Forest Green’s second in command.

He has since made his bow as a manager, taking charge of National League side Woking in December 2023, however, he was then sacked one year into the job.

Over the course of his playing career, Doyle became one of those players who was hated by fans of clubs who he never played for. However, for the four EFL teams that he represented on a permanent basis, he is remembered particularly fondly for his uncompromising style and his incredible leadership.