Coyle: there’s snow way this can continue

AS THE Blackburn fans celebrated the prospect of Owen Coyle’s association with their two most bitter rivals getting relegated this season, the Bolton manager was left with no choice but to acknowledge the reality of his new team’s situation.

With his old club Burnley looking destined for an immediate return to the Championship after their 5-2 hammering at Aston Villa, Coyle seems to be stuck in a mind-set of being encouraged by what he saw Bolton do in defeat against Arsenal and Manchester City, rather than the way they have performed in picking up two points from their matches against Fulham, Wigan and Blackburn.

The balance seems to have deserted him. Before his arrival, Bolton were a limited side but although he has been able to make them a little more solid – yesterday’s convincing defeat apart – what has been most surprising is that he has been unable to inject any life into their attacking options.

When he arrived at the Reebok Stadium at the start of last month, few would have imagined that Bolton would endure a run of five games without a goal and two of the only three they have managed in Coyle’s eight Premier League games came in a defeat to Arsenal.

The absence of Gary Cahill, who has a blood clot in his arm and is Bolton’s top scorer from centre back, has affected Bolton at both ends and the manner of the second and third goals yesterday has to be a major worry for Coyle.

“I wouldn’t expect to lose those goals on a school playground,” he said. “Whether that was the number of games coming in or feeling a little bit sorry for themselves I don’t know. But what I’ve always said is that you get up and do something about it. If you feel sorry for yourself, you’re no good to me and you won’t play a part in what you’re trying to do.

“We’ve had a bad day, no doubt about it. It’s as simple as that. But we’ve got enough about us to win matches. What we have to do is finish those chances. You can’t keep passing them up, particularly when it’s 0-0 or you’re 1-0 down.”

Ivan Klasnic, who has been missing with a calf problem, at least came off the bench and although the Croatian is about as much use as a traffic cone when it is not going his team’s way, he is the only player at the Reebok with a natural feel for finishing.

That could be said for Matt Taylor in the past but he has had a dreadful run in front of goal, which continued yesterday.

Nikola Kalinic could prove some inspiration for Bolton, as he looks like coming good after a miserable start following his £6 million move from Hadjuk Split in the summer.

He had already hit the bar when he was picked out by Morten Gamst Pedersen’s knock-down and drove a shot in off Zat Knight to give Blackburn the lead just before the interval.

Blackburn’s pressure was unrelenting as the second period wore on and Steven Nzonzi had a thumping header from Pedersen’s corner tipped over by Jaaskelainen.

Knight cleared the corner that followed but Ricardo Gardner somehow hooked the ball back towards his own goal, Givet helped the ball on and substitute Roberts doubled the lead with a low finish.

Pedersen, who could leave for nothing when his contract expires in the summer, played a free kick short to El-Hadji Diouf under no pressure and the former Bolton winger whipped in a cross that was glanced in by Givet to complete an emphatic victory.

What made Bolton’s inability to hurt Blackburn even more remarkable is that after Ryan Nelsen limped off, Keith Andrews slotted in at the back alongside Givet, but even so, Blackburn picked up an eighth clean sheet in 17 games as they recorded their fourth straight home win and moved on to 34 points.

“It was a very important three points for us and we are now looking up rather than down for the first time this season,” Blackburn’s former Bolton manager Sam Allardyce said.

“We’re making everybody stand up when they come here and they know they’re going to get a tough game.”

MATCH RATING: ** – Not one to live long in the memory but a decent game in heavy snow, with plenty riding on it. Bolton were made to pay for their lack of goal threat.

REFEREE: Chris Foy (Merseyside) 7 – Had a steady first half but had to be replaced by the fourth official, Lee Probert, at the break.