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Is Owen Coyle’s Attacking Style at Bolton a Sign of Things to Come for Other Premier League Clubs?
It’s no secret that Bolton have played some fine football this season as their current fifth place position proves. While Bolton were once a side under Sam Allardyce who played anything but beautiful football, Owen Coyle has done wonders at the Reebok in an incredibly short time. With a cast of players largely similar to Gary Megson’s Bolton who languished in the Premier League towards the bottom and with no real ambition, Coyle has been able to inject his brand of gusto-laden football into Bolton to the tune of some more than healthy results.
In just four and a half short months last season, Coyle proved the right man for the job when he pulled Bolton out of the relegation zone and finished the season in 14th on 39 points. Over the summer, Coyle secured the services of Martin Petrov and Robbie Blake but it was his time spent with his first choice starting XI that has proved most decisive in Bolton’s impressive run of results this season.
While Bolton continue to thrive under Coyle and chase a European spot of some form, I can’t help but to notice just how many other Premier League sides are implementing similar styles of attacking football and staying committed to the cause of attack.
Joining Bolton on the list of clubs who are attempting to shred the moniker of dull and boring sides in the Premier League are West Brom, Wolves, Blackpool and Wigan (Saturday’s match between Bolton and Blackpool is sure to be an incredibly open and entertaining match).
Although Coyle himself is no innovator of tactics new or unheard of, his dedication to positive football seems to be catching on as teams once thought of as unable to compete with traditionally bigger sides have enjoyed some success against them this season.
West Brom drew United and beat Arsenal away from home, Wolves beat Manchester City at home and Wigan beat Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Although Wolves and Wigan remain in the relegation zone currently, it’s not for their lack of trying while they’ve stayed committed to attacking football.
While Coyle’s formation of 4-4-2 that has been so successful isn’t breaking ground in English football, his tactics and organization of his team have been paramount in what Bolton have been able to achieve this season. A central midfield pairing of Stuart Holden and Fabrice Muamba compliment each other well and both feature close to the top of the tackles won list. Both work hard and have the ability to complete a decisive pass while Holden often gets forward resembling a third striker.
Kevin Davies continues to do what Kevin Davies does well and strike partner Johan Elmander has been in scintillating form in recent weeks. Chung-Yong Lee has performed tirelessly on the wing, exposing many of the league’s left backs with his pace and invention and a back-line led by Gary Cahill has been solid enough without flirting with shakiness.
Coyle’s strength can be described as noticing what players are good at, recognizing that talent and molding it with other players who have different strengths to form a cohesive unit. Whether or not Coyle and Bolton can keep up their fantastic run is yet to be known, but what is a sure thing, is that Coyle will stay committed to attack thus proving he’s a quality manager while it seems others are noticing and trying their best to do the same.
Related posts:
- Bolton Look To Build On Coyle’s Good Start
- Should Managers Be Allowed To Change Clubs When Players Cannot?
- Will Owen Coyle Take Over At Bolton Wanderers?
Fun with Wenger: Oh when the Spurs come marching in!
Dear Arsenal Supporter,
Right, I’ve been waiting to hear this. Go on.
We could not maintain our focus nor our urgency for 90 minutes on Saturday because some players dropped their level. At the same time if you look at the stats and the numbers it’s very difficult to understand how we lost the game.
“Some players dropped their level”. Some players meaning the two central defenders you bought who could not cover anyone with speed in a phone booth? Those two? Because that’s how it looked to me, pal. Oh, and that rubbish backup keeper, he dropped focus too. AGAIN.
There was a drop of concentration, some basic errors, some bad luck as well because I don’t think it should have been a free kick in the build-up to the penalty. But overall I was speechless after the game; it’s a mystery how we could lose it like that.
The referee and bad luck. I could write these things myself. “It’s a mystery how we could lose it like that”? Please. You say this after every loss. EVERY ONE. We’ve lost three times at the Emirates this season and it’s always “bad luck” and “the referee”.
We were in control in the second half as well as the first half. It was a free kick for us and then a goal for them. We were caught on the counter-attack at 2-0 and after that we were punished. We dominated Tottenham but we lost it and we can only look at ourselves.
Actually, you were in control in the first half, that part is true. You were not in control in the second half. You got dominated and taken apart in the second half, to be honest, and you know it, and the scoreline proves it. They came out and ran more, hustled more, and generally bossed it. Oh, and they deserved the three points, too. Your guys like to admire their work, their guys go out there and attack. That’s the difference. They grind, you paint.
I believe what is difficult to accept is that when you are 2-0 up, you have a free kick and you are caught on a counter-attack. That is very difficult to understand. Once a team comes back to 2-1 they have hope again. And we couldn’t take our third chance. We had plenty of chances to score: we had Chamakh, Koscielny, one or two shots, but we didn’t take those chances.
No, you didn’t take those chances. They weren’t spectacular chances, they were just chances. You don’t have a player like Gareth Bale or Rafa Van der Vaart at this point, players who make other players better and can score goals. I know you continue to think that Theo can be that, but he isn’t. Cesc looks lost at times, his head is clearly elsewhere. The Russian has been off his game all year. Gael Clichy has been Arsenal’s dirty little secret for 18 months because his play has been below-average. So let’s not go on and on about missed chances and how you don’t understand how they came back. They have a good team, they are a Champions League side, and they came out with fire and tried to win. Your guys didn’t. Simple as that, fella.
I don’t think we lacked focus – if we had not started the game well maybe you could say that. But I felt some players who played midweek – who played Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday – could not maintain the pace in the game so we had some heavy legs in the second half.
Did you or did you not say like four paragraphs ago that some players dropped focus? Yes, you did. Now it’s heavy legs. I’ll grant you that internationals were played this past week, perhaps you’re aware that Spurs have international players as well? They do. When your group supposedly got “heavy legs” their crew, containing a number of internationals, managed three goals. At your stadium. So what is it? Heavy legs or lost focus? I think Spurs just kicked your ass in the second half, but you’ll never say that or give them credit, so, I guess it’s up to me.
Obviously three defeats at home is too many. In the first two games against West Brom and Newcastle we didn’t deliver the performance and we can only say that we got what we deserved. On Saturday we delivered the performance but what is worrying for me is that we had an opportunity to go to the top of the league and when we had to deliver we couldn’t.
You delivered the first half performance. You then took your foot off the gas, clearly thinking “same old Spurs” and they took you apart. It’s a good point about this team knowing what they should be playing for and not delivering, though. First smart thing you’ve said in this entire screed. Congratulations.
That’s worrying because that’s part of our job.
Indeed it is. Winning matches at home against teams in the second half of the table like West Bromwich Albion is part of your job. Beating teams at home is part of every teams job. So stop losing at home. NOW.
Thanks for your support.
Yeah, whatever. Shut up, I hate you.
Tracy McGrady’s reverse dunk just a sign of things to come?
Last night against the Wizards, Tracy McGrady cut to the basket, caught a lob and finished with a reverse dunk.
Initially I didn’t bat an eye, because that was a typical McGrady play. But then I remembered the T-Mac who had no lift in his final days as a Rocket, struggled last year with the Knicks and played cautiously in his brief Pistons career so far.
And apparently, McGrady believes we’ll see more plays like that from him in the future. From Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News:
“I envision being that guy again,” said McGrady, now 31. “Whether that happens I don’t know. I would like to be that guy. I’ve worked so hard to get back to being that guy. If it doesn’t happen I can look in the mirror and say I’ve done everything possible because I’ve come a long way to come to where I am today.”
If I’d read that comment from McGrady a few weeks ago, I admit I would’ve been skeptical. But every time I see him play, I grow less so. It would be unheard for a player, at his age with his significant injury history, to return to the form that helped him win a scoring title and dominate games with his athleticism. But I don’t think we’ve seen the last of McGrady as a starting-caliber player in this league.
The Pistons probably don’t have enough minutes to give him so we can fully find out, but the basic reason McGrady came here was for an opportunity to show the league he can still play, and he’s done nothing to disappoint so far.
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Fulham 1-4 Manchester City…A Day Where City Come Good
Ahead of City’s trip to Fulham, the pressure was very much on Roberto Mancini. After a disappointing run of form which had seen the blues draw their last two games 0-0. A bad result in London could have spelled the end for Roberto Mancini, but what followed was their best performance of the season.
In many ways it was a matter of time before City finally produced a display that would strike fear in to their Premier League rivals, and you have to feel that Mancini was extra motivated to do it against Fulham, managed by the man he replaced last December.
Mancini has been blasted by the media of late with many saying he has done no better than Mark Hughes, his predecessor at Eastlands. Much of this criticism has been fair, because City haven’t showed that they have developed in the time since Hughes’ departure.
But today everything clicked for Mancini. Yes they were against a Fulham side who produced a desperately below par performance, but generally City were fantastic and didn’t give the hosts any opportunity to grasp the game.
Yaya Toure starred in a midfield role which saw him utilised all over the pitch, while Carlos Tevez was at his influential best. Mancini’s side have now set a standard that really needs to be maintained over the coming months.
If City can consistently match today’s performance, they have a fantastic chance of achieving great things this season, but so often this season City have been caught out, just when we think they are going to make a charge for glory. However Mancini does seem to be fairly satisfied with his sides start to the season, even though they should be at least six points better off.
In many ways I feel Mancini seems to find the expectations of the City fans very difficult to manage, and constantly looks to play down their title hopes. In reality he has to be aware that a title challenge is the only thing that can prolong his City tenure.
Results and performances like today’s will give him a title challenge, there is no doubt about that, but whether City can now find consistency is another question.
Related posts:
- Manchester City To Challenge For The Title?
- Manchester City Grind Another Result Out
- Manchester City’s Roberto Mancini Must Go!
Charlie Villanueva prefers to come off the bench
Via Terry Foster of The Detroit News:
"I prefer that role," Villanueva said Monday. "The coach has the confidence in me to finish. I would rather come off the bench. I have done that throughout my career, so it is nothing new for me."
That doesn’t really jive with what Villanueva told me before the season, when he said he preferred to start.
My guess is Villanueva prefers to start, but because coming off the bench has worked for him lately, he’s more accepting of that role. (Even before the season, he said he was OK with coming off the bench.)
Although it seems most commenters on this site want Greg Monroe to start at power forward, my preference has been Villanueva. But with these comments, I’m content to just leave him where he’s comfortable.
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If you must start Richard Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey, it’s nice when they come through
Like most people, I was a bit surprised Rodney Stuckey and Richard Hamilton started against the Warriors tonight.
Unlike most people, I agreed with them starting.
The Pistons are in an unmanageable situation. They have too much invested in Stuckey and Hamilton to sit those players. They have a coach who may have lost the respect of the team but probably can’t be fired because the team is for sale.
I really doubt Kuester wanted to start Stuckey after the point guard disrespected him. It wouldn’t surprise me, either, if Kuester didn’t want to start Hamilton over Ben Gordon, who has been the better player. But he had to start Stuckey and Hamilton.
The only way for this to work is keep Stuckey and Hamilton happy and hope they play well.
It worked tonight. Stuckey (21 points, nine assists and six rebounds) and Hamilton (27 rebounds, five rebounds and two assists) shined in a 102-97 win.
Instead of playing two liabilities in the backcourt, the Pistons had two stars. Throw in tough team defense and a well-deserved double-double from Charlie Villanueva, and you can survive the sloppy start to the second half and earn an exciting victory. But it all starts with that backcourt.
They hit big shots down the stretch, moved the ball and played tough defense on Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry.
More importantly, their body language was great. At times this year, Hamilton has looked less than chipper. He needs to have a pep in his step to play this way, and he had it tonight. I wasn’t sure how Stuckey would react to his benching, but he came out focused and said the right things.
In his postgame interview with Ryan Field, Stuckey admitted he made a mistake and apologized to his coach and his teammates. I like that answer much more than the dismissive comment he offered earlier in the day about moving past the situation.
I don’t expect Stuckey and Hamilton to be so productive every night, but with the Pistons situation, it makes everything so much easier when they are.
Ben Wallace’s night ends early again
What’s up with Ben Wallace? He hasn’t played in the last four fourth quarters.
Is it possible, at his age, once he sits, he struggles to get loose again? Is Kuester overly worried about hack-a-Ben? Have strange matchups made this appear to be a trend, when it’s really not?
Check back for more notes on tonight’s game.
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