Uncategorized

Is Owen Coyle a Horrible Mistake? – Part Two

|
Image for Is Owen Coyle a Horrible Mistake? – Part Two

Way back in January on Vital Bolton, we wondered if Owen Coyle was the right man to take control at the Reebok.

At the time, Phil Gartside was pursuing the ex-Burnley manager and upsetting the whole of a town that didn`t have much to be cheerful about in the first place. It was pointed out that Coyle had limited experience of Premier League football and was in charge of a side in poor form who were being kept afloat by home results.

Seven league outings into the Coyle reign and it`s time to revisit that view. The record is won 1, drawn 2, lost 4. Defeats against Arsenal and Liverpool can be discounted. The Bolton of 2010 have neither the skill or the backbone to challenge the big boys.

The same might be said of the reverse at Manchester City, but despite all the money spent at Eastlands, City are still decidedly soft-centred – a number of less gifted sides have managed a point there.

So that leaves the games against Wigan, Burnley and Fulham in which a total of one goal has been scored. The counter argument – there were three clean sheets, three more than Gary Megson managed in all of the preceding games, is valid, but they came against sides with as much attacking threat as an Italian tank.

The biggest criticism of Bolton under Megson, is that they were a collection of individuals and not a team. That`s still the case. There is little movement off the ball and even when there is, it`s a rarity to find the player in possession looking up to see where the runners are. Such a shortcoming is bound to result in an outfit that is less than the sum of its parts.

It may be that the Ginger One assembled a squad that`s impossible to meld into an efficient unit. The injuries to Ivan Klasnic and Gary Cahill are significant factors too. As is the poor form of Kevin Davies and Matt Taylor. But the suspicion lingers that Coyle is out of his depth.

His after match remarks don`t inspire confidence either. Megson, for all his faults could accurately pinpoint the problems, even if he was powerless to remedy them. Coyle indulges in a desperate search for positives in the same way that brought Sammy Lee such mockery. Coulda woulda shudda doesn`t bring you victories.

Some might say this judgment is premature. If it were a final verdict, that would be true. But it`s merely a preliminary report. One in which Own Coyle scores a C minus.

Share this article

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *