Holloway’s flash in the pans refuse to go away

Bolton 2 Blackpool 2

At 47, Ian Holloway is not a young manager but with each passing week is giving credence to those that believe he should be England’s next manager.

Blackpool play with a system that every player is entirely attuned to and believes in. They play a 4-3-3 with each component knowing it is bringing the best out of him and despite coughing up two late goals at the Reebok Stadium, they are showing signs that they are becoming a little more solid and have even started scoring from set pieces.

Compare the way they play and attack with the way England perform and it is not so hard to see why he is the sixth favourite to replace Fabio Capello and although he has easily been mocked in the past — and his accent will never change — few Premier League managers talk more sense.

Now we are just three games short of the halfway mark, Blackpool have shown they are no flash in the pan and Holloway feels there is plenty more to come.

He said: “Do I think we are going to hit a wall and suddenly be rubbish? No. Do I think we will keep improving? Yeah, we need to. We are letting too many goals in. But I think we will score more.

“My lads have realised they can score and will score. They will get that little bit of cheekiness about them, do bits and pieces, and we only need one or two things go our way. That performance would have pleased me even if they had come back and won 3-2.

“Our fans were absolutely magnificent and to be fair I feel like one of them. The way we are playing, I would buy a scarf, I would buy a hat, I have even coloured a mini for my wife in our colours. It’s got a tangerine roof and tangerine mirrors — because that is what it means to me.”

Like Holloway’s boys, it seems that Owen Coyle’s players are entirely infatuated with him and good ideas and some belief appear to be taking both a long way.

What is fascinating about Bolton’s flying start to the campaign is that Coyle has polished players that were in a relegation battle last season. With the long-serving Jussi Jaaskelainen in goal, 10 of Saturday’s starting line-up were signed by the much-maligned Gary Megson.

With Bolton more than £90 million in debt, his transfer dealings have been limited but there were also question marks about some of Coyle’s signings at Burnley.

A strong core of his side was provided by previous manager Steve Cotterill, with only three of the team that won the 2008 play-off final bought by the Scot, although Steven Fletcher and Tyrone Mears were two of the best buys of last season.

It does not seem to matter as Coyle appears able to turn anything in front of him into a decent side. There are so many personal success stories at the Reebok Stadium that they do not need to be listed here.

But what was notable at the weekend was the collective desire to do something about their poor start and that when the pressure was at its most intense, they created a goal of composure and beauty.

“The boys have been enjoying the attention, and being where we are in the table,” defender Zat Knight said. “Manchester City only picked up a point at Stoke, so if we beat them, we can go above them.

“We’ll live and learn by what’s happened, and try to get a decent week in training. You might not have thought at the start of the season that we could be in this position but we’ve adjusted our goals now.

“We might have been looking at different positions but knowing that we can go fourth is a huge incentive.”

Only Arsenal and Liverpool have managed to beat Coyle’s side this season but for more than an hour it looked like Blackpool would join that illustrious two-club list.

After they opened the scoring with an Ian Evatt header from Elliot Grandin’s corner, they pulled Bolton to bits on the break and the hosts, nothing like the side they have been in the last three months, were booed off at half time.

Just before the hour, Luke Varney headed in from another Grandin corner and DJ Campbell should have made it three.

But Coyle’s bold changes paid off, with Martin Petrov’s control allowing him to find the top corner of the net with a shot from just outside the area with 14 minutes left.

With just over a minute remaining, Bolton then produced one of the goals of the season with a five-man passing move culminating in Johan Elmander back-heeling for Ivan Klasnic, who picked out Mark Davies to equalise.

Coyle hopeful Elmander will stay at club

OWEN COYLE is hopeful leading scorer Elmander will remain at the club after revealing negotiations are ongoing over a new deal.

The Swede, who has had a renaissance under Coyle, has seven league goals this season but his upturn in form and a contract expiring in the summer has led to speculation he may look for a big move.

“The player’s agent and the chairman had a good meeting,” said Coyle.

“Johan just has to concentrate on his football and let his representatives look after things. The dialogue will continue and we’ll keep the door open and hopefully we’ll get to somewhere where we are happy with.”

Bolton’s Mark Davies has found first-team opportunities limited this season and was only in the starting line-up because Stuart Holden failed a fitness test on a thigh injury.

But he seized his chance and manager Owen Coyle was suitably impressed.

“I thought he was brilliant. He is such a gifted young player and I have very high hopes for him,” he said.

“He has been as frustrated, as I have, that we can’t get him in the team but that has been because of the form of Holden and Fabrice Muamba, who have been outstanding for us.

“We have some terrific players — Martin Petrov, Ivan Klasnic, Rodrigo Moreno — all coming off the bench.

“I know they are all frustrated they are not starting. Every day in training they are giving everything they got.”