Omanis will be happy if Le Roy can keep his smile all the way up to January 17 [AFP]

Then comes the big smile and arguably the most unruly set of front teeth ever to be ignored by a dentist.

Oman coach Claude Le Roy is not a man to walk into a room unnoticed.

Now in the seventh decade of his life, this is the sixth national team Le Roy has taken charge of.

The sharp-suited French extrovert is tasked with winning a first Gulf Cup title for his adopted country – and as a man who has been hired, fired and re-hired more times than a ballistic taxi, Le Roy is aware of his responsibility.

'Big umbrella'

"As hosts I know we are expected to win and that to reach the final is not enough. But I know it is also a time to put up a big umbrella because you never know what is going to come down on top of you," he said on Saturday – the eve of the curtain-raiser against Kuwait.

From a journalists' point of view this is one coach who will never leave you short of a quote.

His enthusiasm for life and football remains as pronounced as the positioning of his incisors. 

His press conference demeanour veers from that of a good-natured after dinner speaker to the frustrated forelock-tugging of a school teacher at breaking point.

And he will happily berate local journalists for using their mobile phones in front of him (something he may have to get used to in this part of the world) and will seize on any perceived gap in their knowledge.

Le Roy roar

"Saudi Arabian football is not new to me," he roars in response to one question at the Sultan Qaboos Stadium.

Le Roy has been known to get his teeth into unprepared journalists [GALLO/GETTY]

Le Roy's coaching career has stretched over almost 30 years and this is his 13th job. He has learnt to defend his corner.

He has had his greatest successes in Africa.

He won the Africa Cup of Nations title with Cameroon in 1988 and this time last year was in charge of Ghana as they attempted to win that same trophy on home soil.

That they ultimately failed to do so meant calls to Le Roy's shipping and re-location agents were not long in coming.

'Always humble'

"Football keeps you humble, always humble," he says, remembering the experience.

"We beat a good Morocco side, then won against Nigeria and yet lost in the semi-finals to a weak Cameroon team. You can predict nothing in this game."

But the game and the job has lost none of its allure.

He's appalled by what he describes as 'Club-Med coaches' who fly in for a home fixture a few days before a match and leave immediately afterwards.

"I always invest time in the country I work for. That is why I have moved to Oman with my family full-time.

"I want to watch local league games, in fact I will watch just about any game.

"The prospect of maybe finding just one young player who is good enough for the national team is what excites me."

Uncertain future

Regardless of his passion, the long term prospects for any foreign coach in the Gulf are about as secure as that of the financial advisor who told you it might be a good idea to invest all your savings in that West African bank you received an email about.

Oman have reached the final in the last two editions of this Gulf Cup and the local feeling is that home advantage should now see them go on and win this title.

If he comes up short, Le Roy knows better than most that he will probably be on the look out for job number 14.