Selecting championship rather than Premier League was abit weird!
Anyway, interview that Coyle done today on bwfc website
Owen Coyle on…The 2011/12 season "My great disappointment and hurt is for our fans, who have been absolutely terrific this season, and for everybody who works so hard behind the scenes at our football club. We have been lucky to have had tremendous backing and I appreciate that.
"Believe me, there is no doubt that we are hurting too and are hugely disappointed. It's not a good feeling and as the manager I have the ultimate responsibility and I accept that.
"I also know how hard everybody is working to make this club better and stronger, and I believe my objective is to make sure that it is run well for years to come.
"What we are trying to do is put a plan in place. This season was always going to be a season of transition. What made it more difficult were the quite unprecedented circumstances that we found ourselves in, on-and-off the pitch.
"We have had to be progressive and aggressive with our young players to push them on, and they have done that. And even with the ones we have signed, they will get better.
"The likes of Marvin Sordell, David Ngog (above), Marcos Alonso and Gregg Wylde are exciting. Chris Eagles is relatively young and Mark Davies has progressed to become more than a bit-part player.
"Our fans are educated, they know their football and I'm pretty sure they can see what we are doing.
"We couldn't continue to play 'patch-up' every year and ask for another £10million one year and then another £10million the next.
"The difficulty we had, to change the squad year-by-year, was that all those players were under long-term contracts and on a high salary.
"Because of that, we had 11 players coming to the end of their contract this summer so this year was, as I said, all about making the transition and bringing on our own young players.
"Obviously we wanted that to be on the platform of the club playing in the Barclays Premier League, but all we can do now is pick ourselves up and go again with the core of a young team.
"Within that though we have to find a balance and that is why we signed Kevin Davies and Sam Ricketts on new contracts."
Owen Coyle on…Strengthening the squad in the summer transfer window "We certainly want to add to our numbers and I will sit with Eddie and Phil to discuss who we would like to bring in this summer.
"If you look at the infrastructure at the moment, we have two tremendous young goalkeepers in Rob Lainton and Jay Lynch behind Adam Bogdan (below) who has done so well. I would love Jussi Jaaskelainen to stay and if he does there is then a real battle for the slot.
"In the full-back areas there is Tyrone Mears and Joe Riley who can play on the right, while Sam Ricketts and Marcos Alonso can play on the left.
"At centre-back there is Tim Ream and, obviously, with the injury to David Wheater we need to strengthen that area with a couple of bodies.
"In the midfield there is Mark Davies and Darren Pratley, plus we are hoping Stuart Holden will be back for the start of next season. We also have young Josh Vela, but we will be looking to add another one to that area.
"In the wide positions there is Chris Eagles, Chung-Yong Lee, Gregg Wylde and Martin Petrov, and from a striking point of view there's Kevin Davies, David Ngog and Marvin Sordell.
"The infrastructure and platform is there for that to be a very progressive, young team moving forward and that is what we will look to do.
"Because of what we are trying to do in the academy, I felt that it was important we brought in somebody of Sammy Lee's (below) ilk, stature and experience. He can help bridge the gap from the academy, reserves and first team.
"As much as Josh Vela, Joe Riley, Michael O'Halloran and Jay Lynch are pushing on to the first team squad, there's others also following them.
"We have to make that transition smooth and that's why we brought Sammy in. His position is a key cog in what we are trying to do."
Owen Coyle on…Expectations of the Championship and the forthcoming 2012/13 season "The Championship is a tough and very competitive league. Equally, like the Premier League, we know that it is unforgiving. You switch off for a second and you are going to be punished.
"There are still the international breaks and so that means there are a lot more midweek matches. Because of the amount of games you play, you have to make sure you rest at the right times so you enter matches in the best possible shape.
"It's demanding but I believe that we will have enough to compete. So, we are looking forward to a good pre-season and we will be in good shape for the campaign and what we want to achieve.
"I have had seven years in management now and this is the first time that I have tasted any sort of disappointment, but every time football sends you the harshest lesson you can ever get, you have to pick yourself up.
Coyle Interview
posted on 21/5/12
So does he start this new plan in January when his 3 year plan finishes?
I'm confused.
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The new plan starts following his Summer holiday.
All aboard the good ship Coyle.
posted on 21/5/12
He HAD to get Barclays Premier League in
But he's saying all the right things I believe.
posted on 21/5/12
and as the manager I have the ultimate responsibility and I accept that.
*****
Correct ..... and if I was the owner of Bolton Wanderers, Owen would likely now be paying the ultimate price for failing to deliver on his one and only objective, namely, keeping this club in the Premiership.
But I'm just a fan of the club, with no powers at all ...so I now have to trust that ED, PG and the like have carefully considered all the options, and decided to let Owen Coyle continue running the show.
No ...it doesn't fill me with joy ...but he's here ...he's staying...... and if the vision he's laid out comes to fruition, and is not just a string of sound bites just to placate the fans ..then we should have an excellent season in front of us.
So ...you're getting my support Mr Coyle, for whatever it's worth. We need to ' hit the ground running ' next season though, and there will have to be clear signs of ' lessons learnt ' to enable that support to continue long term ...but, you're the man in charge. Nobody wants you to fail, and everybody expects so much this season.
Yes, I'm gonna buy into OC's plans .. and look forward to an exciting, effective and successful new season.
Down to you now, Owen
posted on 21/5/12
Staying in the PL wasn't his "one and only objective". It was of course, the main objective.
It's obvious his other objectives have been to reduce the average age of the squad and cut the wage bill (regardless of relegation).
posted on 21/5/12
It is time to get behind the team but it's a little insulting to suggest that we were not last season. Booing compared to performance was minimal.
It's actually more important to see lessons learnt. While supporting has its part last season showed it did little to change anything.
I want to see real improvement not in the east stand lower but on the pitch and from the bench. Owen accepts responsibility great now do something about it it. Expectations should be high this season. A real promotion push from the off is the least we can expect.
To see people really get behind the team there has to be something for them to get behind on the pitch!
posted on 21/5/12
Reducing the average age of the squad is easy ...you just let older players go, and only bring younger players in; Same with cutting wage bills ; you let high earners go, and put a cap on future wage contracts. Those are easy to achieve goals, that most folk in the street could manage, let alone a professional manager. Where it gets more complicated is in having to balance that with retaining a good enough squad to compete at the highest level.
There's little to be gained by saving 20million on wages, cutting your average player age down, but then crashing out of the Premiership and losing 2,3,4 times more than you've saved.
Owen has now got the task of continuing to implement those ' secondary ' objectives, without harming this year's main objective, which is promotion back to the Premiership.
If he can manage that balancing act ... we'll all be happy. But there won't be a lot of comfort for fans if, this time next year, he achieves those ' secondaries ' but fails the main objective (again). Otherwise, we may as well drop down yet another division, and slash the wages bill even further, & put a load of 18-19 yr olds in the team on 10 bob a week ...... but that's not what I want to see .. and I don't think anyone else would, either.
He has to get the balancing act spot on ...and it HAS to include promotion ..we cannot afford it NOT to.
posted on 21/5/12
Well this could get confusing......
Anyway on to the article. Very interesting interview for several reasons. Obviously its great hearing him talk about where he wants to take the club, i.e. down a sustainable route.
However I find it interesting the players he doesn't mention. No doubt he hasn't mentioned Muamba for a reason, we don't even know if he'll be back playing ever let alone next season. However not mentioning young Tom Eaves is interesting. Has scored regularly enough for the reserves yet no mention of him in relation to the first team but others like Jay Lynch, O'Halloran et al are talked about. So is Eaves heading out on loan or out entirely? Or am I reading too much in to that?
I also find the fact that he hasn't mentioned Zat Knight very very interesting. Now hopefully thats down to the fact that he doesn't rate him! I would hope he will only be offered a new deal if we can't get anyone else....
All in all an interesting read.
posted on 21/5/12
I think the reason he hasn't mentioned Zat Knight or Jussi, WF, is that contract negotiations are ongoing.
posted on 22/5/12
largehat he mentioned Jussi, saying he hopes he'll stay to add competition for the keeper's jersey.
As to Zat Knight, I suspect he might actually perform well at Championship level. He wouldn't be the first player to be good in this league who couldn't quite make the jump to the top flight. But as he isn't mentioned at all I suspect it may mean he is on his way out.
This is a very encouraging interview. As most of you know I wanted Owen to stay anyway but I was far from sure he would. I'm glad to see he has the stomach for the fight and the courage to admit that the buck stops with him.
I'm looking forward to next season now more than ever.
COYWM
posted on 22/5/12
OC always says the right thing .....that's his banter. It all sounds good and I support him for one more season.
Meanwhile back on the pitch we are trying to resign Zat ....already have SKD and now Ryo who seemed to fade badly at the end. We seem to be relying on Holden & Lee to come back at peak.
The masterplan looks like the old plan to me so far. I also like the fact that OC will have a budget meeting with fat phil & eddie sometime in the next few weeks. Why is that meeting not this morning? clubs are chasing players as we speak....we might have a meeting in a couple of weeks after Phil comes back from Benidorm. Things are as per normal at BWFC.