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Apart from a short period at Bolton, during which time he never played against the Clarets, his career has been exclusively in Scotland where he played for ten different clubs, starting his playing career with Dumbarton and ending it with St. Johnstone where he was still registered as a player.
His management career started briefly with Falkirk but for almost two years he's been in charge of St. Johnstone where his cup exploits have gained him something of a reputation. They reached the semi-finals of both major cups last season. They beat Rangers on the way in the Scottish League Cup and run Celtic very close before going out to them in the Scottish Cup.
Now at the age of 41 he moves south for a second time to the North West of England and becomes our first Scottish manager since Martin Buchan, although we hope he has more success than a previous Scottish manager Frank Hill who brought Jimmy McIlroy to Turf Moor.
Chairman Barry Kilby said of the appointment: "There were some outstanding candidates for the post, but Owen has all the credentials to make a success of his appointment. He is hungry for the opportunity to manage in England after an impressive start to his careeer in Scotland.
"The fact that Scotland manager Alex McLeish took time out from preparing his country's huge Euro 2008 qualifier against Italy to sing Owen's praises shows he has the support of some top people. I am sure the fans will join me in welcoming Owen to Turf Moor and wishing him every success."
Operational director Brendan Flood added: "Owen has charisma and determination by the bucketload and his win percentage of victories as manager also tells us that he is a winner.
"In four seasons as a manager he has been offered three Scottish Premier League jobs, which is an indication of how highly he is rated. But importantly, Owen fits our profile of wanting a young, hungry manager who can attract young players from the likes of Scotland and Ireland.
"He is very much a manager for the future and I look forward to seeing him take Burnley to the next level."
Clarets Mad obviously send him our best wishes and now we would like your views on this latest appointment. Please EMAIL them to us and we'll include them on the site.