Bolton Wanderers

It has been awhile now that Owen Coyle has insisted that his Bolton team are different than the Bolton premiership fans have come to know. This season has seen the team start to deliver on that statement. 

Gone are the days of sixty meter artillery barrages on the opposition eighteen yard box, and instead a tighter more synchronised pattern has emerged as Bolton have systematically dismantled several sides this season, with attacking football that has thrilled the teams faithful followers.

The players have been delivering excellent football with a unified diligence based on a belief in the words spoken by Coyle on the training ground and in the press room.

Johan Elmander is delivering on the sum invested in him with eight goals scored by the big Swedish striker. His footwork alone this season has demonstrated the talent he has and his scoring rate is on a par with another inform giant, Andy Carroll of Newcastle United

Elmander's two against Newcastle in the weekend displaying the finesse he has at his command.

Along with him Coyle has also had Bolton hero Kevin Davies in excellent form, with Fabio Capello even calling him up to start for the national side. Lee Chung Yong has also been in fine touch, and with a nickname like 'Blue Dragon', why wouldn't you be? The Korean continues to show why he has been successful in the English game, with fine play and a grit that belies his slight frame.

Bolton currently sit in fifth place on the table, and have recently been scoring for kicks, in one match putting four past a Tottenham side that had just beaten Inter Milan, though recent form has suggested that that is not as difficult as it was last season. Bolton however have proceeded to ignore reputations and go about their work with a ferocious speed a crafty hyena could well emulate sneaking in on a larger predators kill.

Manchester United were two up at the Reebok before crumbling to a draw that was reported more as United's failure than Bolton's revival. The truth has come through in the table though, as reflected in the belief displayed against the giants of Manchester, is the sky high morale that has seen them bustle, flick and feint their way to the top five positions.

Coyle has brought an attacking style based on ball movement and positional play back to Bolton and they have started to look more and more like a team that will be extremely difficult to beat on their home ground. The movement and urgency is at optimum levels as displayed in the turbulent time that gave to Newcastle, speed and technical quality leaving the visitors struggling to keep up. Though Newcastle did in fact conjure up a fair few chances of their own, the clinical finishing of Bolton was more than enough to see the home side put five past Chris Hughton's wonderfully inconsistent Newcastle side.

Coyle was seen again in the after match to say that his team has come to play teams off the pitch rather than harangue them off it.

Bolton have been one reason that many fans of the game are saying this is one of the most even competitions in the premier leagues history. The strength presented by them now makes them yet another side that are capable of defeating any team in the league on their day. Coyle has proved that his notion to leave Burnley and try to reassemble a struggling Bolton was the correct one, as he has taken them from relegation danger to champions league challengers within a few short months.

Bolton have been a strong side in the past and Sam Allardyce can be credited for his work in making them a team that visitors took detailed note of.

The new era is here though, and Coyles arrival has turned around a team that were in serious danger of going the way of other sides that challenged the ruling elite for a time, to the championship. They avoided this though and have started to turn on a style of football, that is entertaining to watch and also producing results.

It would not be a surprise to see this team in the running for the place they currently hold, as the season winds up in a few months time. 

Bolton 4 - 2 Tottenham

Bolton Wanderers survived a thrilling Spurs comeback to claim all three points against at the Reebok Stadium.

Tottenham, who were coming off the back of a 3-1 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League, could have gone back above Manchester City with a win, but failed to recapture their midweek European form.

The game started scrappily, with both sides guilty of giving the ball away cheaply.

And it was one such moment that lead to Kevin Davies giving Bolton the lead shortly after the half hour mark.

Sandro—preferred to Tom Huddlestone in the middle of the park—was caught in possession by Bolton's Fabrice Muamba. Muamba passed to an unmarked, and very offside Kevin Davies, who rolled the ball past Heurelho Gomes in the Tottenham goal.

Gareth Bale, who had tormented Inter at White Hart Lane, was causing problems down the Spurs left and nearly created the equaliser, but Peter Crouch was unable to get on the end of Bale's cross.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp brought Roman Pavlyuchenko on at half-time, replacing the largely disappointing Wilson Palacios. It signalled a switch to the 4-4-2 system, with the intention of providing Crouch with more support.

But it was Bolton who started the second half with more purpose, and they deservedly added to their lead on 56 minutes. Johan Elmander got to the by-line and pulled the ball back to Gretar Steinsson, who finished assuredly from 12 yards out.

Huddlestone was rightly brought on to replace Sandro, who failed to have any influence on the game, and Spurs started to create a few chances. 

Pavlyuchenko set up Niko Kranjcar inside the Bolton box, but the Croatian—making his first league appearance of the season—could only blaze his effort over the bar.

A Spurs mistake then gifted Bolton their third goal.

William Gallas needlessly gifted the ball back to Bolton in his own defensive third and the ball broke to Lee Chung-Yung in the Tottenham box, who was bundled over by Benoit Assou-Ekotto. Davies stepped up and slammed the ball past Gomes for his second goal of the afternoon.

The three points seemed safe, but then Tottenham sparked into life.

Alan Hutton, who has made the right back position his own this season, pulled a goal back after 79 minutes. The Scottish international cut in from the right flank before curling a delightful left foot finish into the Bolton goal.

Eight minutes later, Bolton's defence failed to clear a Tottenham corner and the ball fell to Pavlyuchenko.

With the angle acute and two opposing players bearing down upon him, Pavlyuchenko kept his eye on the ball before unleashing an unstoppable volley past Jussi Jaaskelainen. The Finnish keeper barely had time to raise his hands before the ball had nestled into the back of the net.

Bolton were now looking nervous and Tottenham rampant. Three minutes into injury time, a long ball upfield left the Bolton defence slow to react and William Gallas found himself in the unusual position of being clear through on goal.

But as he approached the edge of the Bolton box, the impressive Stuart Holden produced a game saving tackle to rob the former Arsenal defender of the ball.

The ball was cleared upfield and Davies nodded the ball down to substitute Martin Petrov, who calmly rolled the ball past Gomes to seal the three points.

The result leapfrogged Bolton above Tottenham and into the top five in the Premier League. They have impressed with their performances after being tipped as strugglers at the start of the season.

Kevin Davies has matured further as a player and Elmander has contributed with a few goals. Gary Cahill and Zat Knight have formed a formidable partnership at the back, and the play of American international Holden will have surprised many.

Tottenham, meanwhile, will face questions about their ability to switch between European competition and the league. They missed Rafael van der Vaart—who has been a revelation since signing in August—and will be hoping the Defoe isn't far from returning to fitness to provide them with a real goal scoring threat upfront.

With the Premier League season now rapidly approaching, I have decided to take a look at each of the 20 sides that will be playing at the top level of English football during this upcoming season.

I have decided to actually go in reverse order, with Wolverhampton starting the list off and Arsenal concluding it right before the start of the Premier League season.

In the 15th installment of this series, I will now look at Bolton Wanderers, who finished 14th last season, as Bolton were a likely relegation candidate before a sharp rebound in the second half of the season.

Review of Last Season

After a terrible start to last season that saw Bolton as a likely relegation candidate, manager Gary Megson saw himself sacked and in came Burnley boss Owen Coyle to help the Wanderers avoid relegation.

And with Coyle in charge, that is exactly what happened, as Bolton were able to pick up points against sides such as Fulham, Stoke City, and Birmingham City and were able to stay up for another season.

Transfers

Incoming Players: Robbie Blake (Burnley), Martin Petrov (Manchester City), and Marcos Alonso (Real Madrid).

Departing Players: Ali Al Habsi (Wigan Athletic), Nicky Hunt (Bristol City)  Ricardo Vaz Te (Panionios).

Bolton Wanderers Fixture List

1. Will Owen Coyle be able to keep up his magic from last season?

After Owen Coyle took over, Bolton played with more energy and were a much better club than under Gary Megson, which was the reason why Bolton were able to stay up.

My guess is yes, Coyle will be able to keep up his magic from last season, and Bolton will be better than last season.

2. Will Martin Petrov perform up to expectations?

Extremely unhappy at Manchester City, Martin Petrov will now get to play everyday with Bolton and we will be able to fully see what he can bring to this club.

Petrov should live up to expectations, but he will also need to have his team play strong around him for everything to work out.

3. Can Bolton use their August fixtures to help stay up this season?

To start off the season, Bolton will have Fulham, West Ham, and Birmingham City to start off their season; three matches that the Wanderers can get points out of.

Of course, for a side such as Bolton (that only had 39 points last season), they will need to do better than this to succeed, and getting early season points truly can go a long way.

4. Will Bolton be able to stay up once again?

I think that Bolton will be able to stay up this season, as they have a manager that is motivated to help this club get better, and with some great talent, Bolton will stay up.

For a preview of Chelsea's Premier League season, please click here.

Bolton boss Owen Coyle can only be applauded after sealing a season-long loan deal for Arsenal starlet Jack Wilshere.

Coyle had earmarked the England hopeful as a target while he was in charge at Burnley, but after Coyle's move to The Reebok the deal was pulled.

At his new club Coyle, who is sure Wilshere will be a hit in the Premier League, made signing the 18-year-old a priority.

Wilshere has made seven first-team appearances for Arsenal this season, but Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is keen for the attacking midfielder to play regularly. And with Coyle promising attractive football at the Reebok Wenger was more than happy to sanction the deal.

Coyle is sure to throw Wilshere into his starting line-up although the youngster was an unused substitute in Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Liverpool.

Coyle told the club's website: "Jack is a talented, young, hungry player who I think has got a bright future ahead of him.

"He has got an abundance of quality and he will enhance our squad.

"It is similar to the deal with (Manchester City loanee) Vladimir Weiss in terms of the belief that I can help the player and the player can help this football club.

"The deals suit all parties concerned if the boys go and deliver on the pitch."

Wilshere has represented England at all youth levels including Under-21 and some have suggested he could make Fabio Capello's World Cup squad.

When Coyle became the new manager at Bolton, the impact of his move was so great that Burnley's Premier League relegation odds shortened afterwards.

Meanwhile, in horse racing news pundits are awaiting the release of the weights list for this year's Grand National.

The list should provide further clues as to who is in with a chance of winning the race.

After much speculation surrounding his short-term future, Arsenal's Jack Wilshere completed a loan move to Bolton until the end of the season, the team announced today. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had previously said the midfielder would be loaned out in January "without any doubt."

Wilshere has made seven appearances for Arsenal's first team and is considered one of the most promising youngsters the club has produced for years. Wenger clearly feels this boy has something a bit special for having played him in the Champions League, most notably against Olympiakos this season.

Wilshere, 18, is an England under-21 international and became Arsenal's youngest ever league player at 16 years and 256 days old when he came on as a substitute away at Blackburn in September of 2008. He also scored in the Carling Cup win against Sheffield United in the same season.

Wilshere signed a long-term contract with the Gunners in July and will be hoping that his loan move will see him capture form that can see him cement a regular place in the Arsenal first team, having been on the fringes of late.

The move has come at the right time for Wilshere. He played against West Ham in the FA Cup third round and was largely disappointing. But he is young and still learning. He is not ready for a first-team slot at the Emirates but has plenty of potential he can now realise at Bolton.

In the past, Arsenal youngsters have been loaned and not seen much playing time. I don't see this being a problem at Bolton. New boss Owen Coyle was desperate to take Wilshere on loan whilst at Burnley and continued his attempts when he moved to Bolton. He has also been included in the squad to face Liverpool this weekend immediately. 

Bolton are crying out for creativity, as Coyle likes to play free-flowing football in the Wenger mould and Wilshere can provide the link from midfield to attack and create goals.

Wilshere will return to Arsenal in the summer with extended first-team experience and, more importantly, Premier League experience to his and Arsenal's benefit.

After spending the majority of Gary Megson's reign booing and hissing in near-pantomime fashion, Bolton fans got their wish last month as the man once dubbed "The Ginger Mourinho" was relieved of his duties at the club. With Bolton in 18th place in the league chairman Phil Garside decided a change was needed and, under fairly acrimonious circumstances, Owen Coyle was lured away from rivals Burnley to take up the reins at the Reebok.

Many of the Turf Moor faithful view the move a sideways step rather than genuine progression but, after Coyle revealed fellow manager Mick McCarthy laughed at the size of the transfer budget available at Burnley, he clearly thought that the bigger kitty on offer at Bolton would stand him in better stead to avoid the drop.

One of the keys to Bolton's survival will be Coyle's ability to change Johan Elmander's fortunes in front of goal. Signed for a club record transfer fee, believed to be around £8 million, Elmander was brought in as a direct replacement for Nicolas Anelka. However, he has only managed seven goals in 38 appearances for the club and with Leeds United marksman Jermaine Beckford being linked with Bolton the Swede could soon be out in the cold.

Owen Coyle has inherited a squad with players who are more than capable of surviving in this league. With Jussi Jaaskerleinan, the much sought after Gary Cahill, England under-21 midfielder Fabrice Muamba and captain Kevin Davies making up the spine of the team Coyle will feel confident of proving that he made the right choice in leaving Burnley.

Davies, who is recovering from illness and hopes to be fit for this weekend's match, appears to be a fan of his new boss. He said: "I had a meeting with him on Wednesday morning and we had a good chat - I'm quite impressed with him so far... The players have said that the training has been really good - just energetic and full of enthusiasm."

The new manager could be forgiven for wincing when he saw his fixture list - back-to-back games against high-flying Arsenal before the visit of some familiar faces as his old colleagues at Burnley come to play at his new home.

However, Coyle has already achieved what Megson could not. After playing more than 50 games for the Trotters between 1993 and1995 he has been heralded as the prodigal son by many supporters. Megson proved that without the backing of fans the manager's job can be an unwinnable battle, but it seems this isn't something Coyle will have to worry about for now.

Coyle also has an outside chance of winning some silverware and while FA Cup final betting slips are unlikely to feature the club's name a good run should generate some much needed revenue.

In other news, Aston Villa are currently dominating the Carling Cup betting after they won the first leg of their semi-final against Blackburn.

The power of the fans in football cannot be underestimated, just ask Gary Megson.

The Bolton faithful never really took to the former West Brom chief and, following protest after protest, the Trotters finally axed Megson on December 30th.

Ex-Burnley boss Owen Coyle has since been appointed at The Reebok and the fans can now start channelling their energy into supporting their beloved Wanderers.

The Reebok had become a sorry place in recent months with fans desperately trying to oust the manager they once called the 'Ginger Mourinho' during his first season at the helm, when he helped the club avoid the dreaded drop.

However, things have been on the slide ever since and the vintage Sam Allardyce years have been long forgotten as the club again prepare to fend off relegation.

Bolton are currently in 18th place in the top flight and the progress that was envisaged by chairman Phil Gartside under Megson simply did not materialise. Currently, Bolton's Premier League relegation odds make grim reading for fans of the Trotters.

Results were not forthcoming and the supporters grew increasingly disillusioned with Megson's long-ball tactics and apparent unwillingness to change his ways.

All those factors contributed to the demise of Megson and now it is down to former Bolton favourite Coyle to turn the club around.

The style of play is sure to change under the new boss, but whether he can improve the club's fortunes remains to be seen.

However, if he can get the fans onside with a fluent, passing style of play he might just get the time he needs to put the club back on track.

In other sports news, the odds for this year's Aintree Grand National are already starting to hot up and could be worth keeping an eye on.

The sacking of Bolton manager Gary Megson after the 2-2 draw against relegation rivals Hull City has increased the speculation that Burnley's Owen Coyle is Phil Gartside's first choice as Bolton's new manager.

Gartside, the Bolton Chairman had originally had the ex-Trotter's striker on his short list for the open manager's position two-and-a-half years ago when he appointed Megson. It was on the advice of Gartside, that Burnley appointed the Scotsman, Coyle at Turf Moor. 

Coyle's tenure at Turf Moor has been nothing short of miraculous. Since retiring form his playing career as a journeyman striker, which took in 13 clubs. The 43-year-old manager has slowly grown into a very good manager.

After successful stints in Scotland managing Falkirk and St Johnstone, Coyle lead the Saints to two Scottish Cup semifinals (loosing both) and helping them to the Scottish Challenge Cup final.

However, the week before the final he took over at Turf Moor when a compensation package between the two clubs was agreed. St Johnstone went on the win the Cup in his absence.

Coyle's time in the Championship was highly successful. In his first season at Turf Moor, he lead the Clarets to a solid mid-table finish.

His second season in charge he lead them to an historic League cup campaign with victories over Premiership opposition in Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal in the quarter-final with a 2-0 victory.

In the two-leg semifinal, the Clarets lost to Tottenham Hotspurs but in highly dramatic fashion. After a humbling 4-1 defeat to Spurs at White Hart Lane, Burnley took the Premiership side to extra time with a dramatic 3-0 victory in normal time, which leveled the aggregate score but with three minutes of extra time remaining Roman Pavlyuchenko scored to send the Clarets out of the competition.

However, more importantly for Coyle and Burnley, his side won a place in the Championship play-offs and went on to win promotion to the Premiership for the first time in their history. A one-nil victory over Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium was enough to seal promotion.

After Promotion, Coyle made some astute signings, not least Steven Fletcher from Hibernian in Scotland for a club record fee of £3 million. Coyle's Burnley side hit the ground running, and soon showed the Premiership just how good his team was, with some impressive results.

Victories over established Premiership sides Manchester United, Sunderland, and Everton, and draws against Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Manchester City soon proved that Coyle had built a side that wasn't in the Premiership to make up the numbers.

However, with Coyle's success came suitors. In this case, his old club, Bolton Wanderers.

Initially, Coyle stated that his focus was on Burnley and fighting to keep the Clarets in the Premier League. However, after further enquiries Coyle expressed his desire to join Bolton Wanderers. It is believed that after Burnley allowed Coyle to talk to Bolton, Coyle and Gartside soon agreed terms.

In a club statement, "Senior Burnley Football Club officials have, on Monday evening, held detailed talks with first team manager Owen Coyle over his future at Turf Moor.

"As a result of these talks over Coyle's future with his current employers, both parties have decided to take a further 24 hours to digest the information shared before making any further announcement.

"There will be no further comment during this time from Burnley Football Club or Owen Coyle."

It is rumored that the two clubs are now ironing out a compensation package due to the 12-month extended contract that Coyle signed at Turf Moor. The compensation package is believed to be in the region of £3 million.

The exit of Coyle, could be devastating for the Clarets who are only five places above Bolton in 14-place in the division with only two more points then their Lancashire rivals.

It is believed that Manchester United assistant manager Michael Phelan is the fans favourite to take the position if Coyles departure is confirmed, with Lee Clark and Paul Jewell also in contention.

It seems to be only a matter of time before Owen Coyle is unveiled as the new manager of Bolton Wanderers. Pending a compensation package between current club Burnley and Bolton, Coyle will be installed as the third manager since the departure of Sam Allardyce.

This move seems to have all the ingredients to please the supporters and the media alike, but is it the best football move?

Coyle has a history with Bolton, having played for the club from '93-'95. Coyle is revered by the supporters for being a key member of the first Bolton side to play in the premiership. His role as an attacking player seems to have extended to his playing philosophy as a manager.

He has experienced success at both his managerial posts, St. Johnstone and Burnley, and was in consideration for the Bolton job before Gary Megson was hired by Bolton chairman Phil Gartside.

As well as being successful, his clubs have been known for playing a passing game that is attractive and the antithesis of the long ball tactics associated with Bolton. 

Playing attractive football is always going to be something that keeps the fans interested, but the recent success of Bolton (under Allardyce) was predicated on the physical aspects of the game.

With the exception of a very unsuccessful spell under the diminutive Sammy Lee, Bolton have not really experimented with the passing game. There are also doubts that the squad could cope with that style. 

Although Coyle will have nearly the full transfer window to make changes, it is doubtful that a real remake is possible. This means that he will have to work with the players already on hand. 

There is little doubt that Coyle is a quality manager with a preference for attacking play, but will Bolton fans have a preference for flair or survival? The success that was built by Allardyce and to a degree sustained by Megson rests on Bolton being difficult to play and therefore beat. 

A change to the passing game could doom Bolton in the same way that they struggled under the stewardship of Sammy Lee. This could ultimately mean that the Reebok Stadium will see Blackpool and Watford instead of Chelsea and Arsenal next season.

Ivan Klasnic is a striker, a scorer of goals. Klasnic has scored goals throughout his career starting with St. Pauli of the Bundesliga through his newest stop at Bolton of the English Premier League. His total of six in thirteen appearances is a nice haul for a player who only came into the league on loan in late August, but that only tells part of his story.

Klasnic began his professional career with German side St. Pauli a team located in his hometown of Hamburg. After leading his hometown team to promotion in '00/'01 Klasnic secured a transfer to Bundesliga high fliers Werder Bremen, where after a few injury plagued season he was able to emerge in the '03/'04 season as Bremen took the title.

Success with Bremen and Croatia (he chose to represent Croatia instead of Germany) followed and until he started to feel pain during the fall of 2005 everything was looking up.

As the pain emerged Klasnic realized that something was wrong. When it was believed that he needed an appendectomy blood work was done that revealed kidney issues. Doctors immediately began to treat his condition with drugs but as time went on and his performances dipped it became obvious that more treatment was necessary.

By January of 2007 Klasnic had reached a point where the continuation of his career was in question.

Klasnic managed to overcome the complications of kidney failure while undergoing two kidney transplants. Klasnic's problems began in 2007 when he learned that his kidneys were on the verge of failure. He would have to start dialysis and wait up to five years for a donor, an action that would surely end his career.

The only way for Klasnic to return to the pitch would be through a family transplant. His mother was able to supply a kidney and all seemed positive. A week later Klasnic was informed that the Kidney did not take and he was faced with the prospect of breaking the news to his family.

Fortunately for Klasnic his father was also able to offer his kidney to the star striker, this time the surgery seemed to take. 

If the story ended there it would be impressive, star footballer survives potential kidney failure, but Klasnic was not content with only surviving. Following rehabilitation Klasnic was allowed to return to action for Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, but disputes with the club, particularly the medical staff, led Klasnic to seek a new club.

Through a disappointing season at relegated FC Nantes in France Klasnic was still playing, which in itself was a success. 

In order to continue to play at the highest level Klasnic is on loan this season at Premier League side Bolton Wanderers. He appears to have taken the chance to prove that his form for Werder Bremen and the Croatian National Side is not only in the past.

A haul of half a dozen through 13 games should be seen as a success. If he can keep up his scoring pace he might also perform the small miracle of keeping Bolton in the premiership.