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Bolton came close to gaining a point at Old Trafford on Saturday. With the game at 0-0, Jussi Jaaskelainen’s fumble allowed Dimitar Berbatov to secure a late winner for League leaders Manchester United. But after the game Coyle refused to blame Jaaskelainen, he said ‘we win as a team, we lose as a team’. I love this positive attitude towards team unity and I think it is one of the things that has made Owen Coyle one of the best managers in the Premier League this season.

I think it is this atmosphere, where everyone is part of the team, that has seen Owen Coyle contribute to the development of Jack Wilshere. This season he is doing it again with Daniel Sturridge. Owen Coyle is fantastic at getting the best out of players, he does this by building player’s confidence; self-belief is crucial both to form and in realising potential.

One way to give a player this confidence is to just play them every game; let him know that he is valued . The other way is to make them feel part of the unit. Young lads from Chelsea and Arsenal train in a squad of international super-stars. I doubt they feel they belong at that level until they break in to the first team. But it is tough to break through because of the quality of competition. It is even harder to develop if you don’t get to play.

This year Daniel Sturridge has scored 4 goals in 6 games for Bolton – it looks like he is fulfilling his potential. Last season Wilshere spent the latter half of the season at The Reebok Stadium with Owen Coyle. He played 14 times and scored once. It might have only been a short period of playing Premier League football, but there was less pressure on Wilshere at Bolton. This way Wilshere got some experience of playing top flight football but did so under less scrutiny. The benefits of this have been demonstrated by Wilshere’s form this year.

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The last thing a young player needs is a manager who is feared. Owen Coyle is definitely not that. He is a tracksuit manager and loves getting involved with the players, so no player is isolated. Coyle tries to play all his players at darts or table-tennis, it might sound stupid but it is the type of non-formal situation to get to know your manager and it is a great way to make players feel part of the club. He also loves a to play in training sessions and has even played for the reserve team this season.

Coyle’s skills are not limited to young players; Johan Elmander has improved dramatically this year. In the previous two seasons he was a player who was strong and skilful but just didn’t seem to have the confidence a striker needs to score goals, but this season he has already scored 10 goals in the Premier League.

Coyle has taken Bolton from a team who had been accused of playing one dimensional football to a team who play good football and every player contributes. Players don’t look scared to attack, and have a great team spirit; Coyle’s enthusiasm is infectious.

Coyle is not afraid to give the likes of Wilshere and Sturridge regular first team action, he backs their ability and builds players up with confidence so they can realise that potential. Having shown that he can get the most out of players, young and old, I would not be surprised if he ends up at a top club in the coming years.

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Share this appreciation of Owen Coyle, one of the few tracksuit managers in the Premier League? Get in touch with Joe here.

Perhaps Wellington Silva will visit the renowned Owen Coyle finishing school soon…

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Veteran Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has admitted that he is desperate to be allowed to leave Craven Cottage and join Arsenal before the transfer window shuts.

The 37-year-old Australia international is reported to be a top target for Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who is keen to being in an experienced keeper to help out Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski.

New Cottagers boss Mark Hughes does not want to lose one of his star performers, but Schwarzer is adamant that he wants the opportunity to move to the Emirates Stadium.

He told the Australian Daily Telegraph:"I need it to happen. I've had a couple of chats with Mark Hughes and it's delicately poised.

"Who wouldn't be keen to go to Arsenal? At this stage in my career it's an amazing opportunity to play at that level and one I really want to take.

"It's taken a long time and the season's very close. On one hand you understand them not wanting to disrupt too many things, but I want things resolved as quickly as possible.

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"Only time will tell whether that happens or not."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

As the Premier League reaches its quarter stage, many players have excelled and impressed in the opening nine games with some high score demolitions and last gasp winners. However, some players have not been up to expectations and this is a chance to name and shame.

The Champions of last year have been embarrassed by their rivals; however they have inflicted similar defeats of their other rivals. Some teams have underachieved so far and some the complete opposite but there is no denying that some players have just been poor. Whether it be missed chances, lack of effort, goalkeeping howlers or defensive mistakes, plenty of performances have raised eyebrows this season for good and bad reasons and here is a list of the top 10 players that have disappointed so far this season.

Click on Roger Johnson to unveil the top 10 players to have disappointed this season

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Compiled by Brad Pinard

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The future of Cesc Fabregas has been discussed in detail for the last two years. Ever since he has become a top class midfielder, he has been linked to his boyhood club, Barcelona. Arsenal do not rely on Fabregas and his presence in the squad has become disruptive. I think Arsenal should sell Fabregas this summer.

If Fabregas leaves, Samir Nasri can take over the central role. Nasri has been excellent this season and I fully believe he will become as good as Fabregas (if he is not already). In Jack Wilshere, Arsenal have another exciting central midfielder. Wilshere has out-performed Fabregas at times this year and I believe he is good enough to play in a three man midfield. With the combination of Wilshere and Nasri I don’t think Arsenal will miss Fabregas.

So, not only do Arsenal have sufficient cover, but I also think Fabregas has given all he can for Arsenal. It seems to me that everyone has been talking about the fact that Fabregas has not won any major silverware, more than they do about Arsenal not winning any silverware. This is a distraction for the other members of the squad.

Before the Barcelona game, Fabregas hugged and joked with the Barcelona players. That night Fabregas looked like a kid in a playground, not a general going into battle. I cannot imagine Patrick Vieira or Tony Adams acting in this way. The night was ‘his’ not Arsenal’s; he was returning to his old club. I don’t think that benefitted anyone in the team, a captain should be more professional. At the Nou Camp, he put personal history before the future of Arsenal.

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Arsenal is a club where the future is always talked about. They have developed ‘next-year syndrome’ where improvement and development are more common than success. This is something they need to rectify. The Fabregas-Barcelona saga in the last two years has contributed to an attitude where people consider the future of Arsenal and not the present. I say let him go this summer and be done with it.

If Fabregas leaves, Arsenal could be left with between £35-45m; a huge amount of money. With that cash, Wenger, being Wenger, could buy four good players with the potential to become great. I would rather see him buy two quality players in their prime.

Which areas to invest the money would be another matter, personally I would like to see them try and involve Mascherano in the transfer, a defensive-minded midfielder, who is disciplined in a positional sense, could be just what Arsenal are missing. But there are also problems on the wing and in goal to remedy. If Fabregas leaves, who should Arsenal bring in?

I have heard many people calling for the purchase of a new defender but I don’t think that is necessary. Thomas Vermaelen is going to be fit next year, his return will make a difference. Furthermore, Djourou has developed well. Interestingly, Arsenal have conceded just 8 goals in the 17 Premier League games Djourou has started and kept 9 clean sheets.

But before I get any more carried away with future transfers, it needs to be said that Barcelona might not buy him. Their fans are definitely not convinced. Xavi and Iniesta currently boss the Barcelona midfield and are two of the best players in world football. Xavi is 31, so while Fabregas is the ideal long term replacement, he might not be a regular for another three or four years.

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I doubt Fabregas would want to leave Arsenal for anywhere other than Barcelona. So if they do not make a good enough offer this summer, the player will remain at The Emirates. This could mean another few years where the Fabregas story takes precedent over Arsenal’s.

If you agree that Fabregas should be sold this summer you can follow joe on twitter @joeaustin8

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Joe Cole has arrived in Switzerland for a medical before officially signing for Liverpool.

The 28-year-old England international has joined up with his new team-mates at a training camp where he will complete the formalities on his free transfer move to Anfield.

Cole is the first player brought to the club by new manager Roy Hodgson following his release by Chelsea at the end of the last campaign.

The Reds beat off interest from Tottenham and West Ham to sign the midfielder and club legend Ian Rush believes Cole can help bring the best out of star duo Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

Cole is expected to put pen to paper on a four-year contract worth a reported £90,000 per week in the next few days.

"When you look at what we've got attacking-wise, we've got younger lads but we needed more experience and Cole brings that," said Rush, who is the club's all-time leading goalscorer.

"Joe could play just behind Fernando Torres. People don't know his position because he can play on the left, right and just off the striker, and I think it's a wonderful signing.

"Skill-wise he is the best in England – there is no one better.

"I'm sure Roy Hodgson will play him in every game, especially if he is playing well, and maybe getting regular football is a reason why he has come to Liverpool.

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"To get Joe to come out of London and come to Liverpool is a coup for Hodgson himself.

"A lot of people were expecting him to stay in London because that's where he was born and been brought up.

"I think this sends a sign out to Liverpool supporters that the club do mean business."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

QPR have confirmed that Shaun Derry, Paddy Kenny and Clint Hill will not give evidence against John Terry in the on-going race row.

The Chelsea defender was accused of making racist comments by Rangers’ centre half Anton Ferdinand, and daily newspapers yesterday indicated that the Loftus Road trio were set to tell their story of events regarding the incident.

Despite being caught up the nasty scenes in QPR’s 1-0 win over their London rivals last Sunday, the club have confirmed the players will not be involved in the search for the truth.

‘There is no truth in these stories whatsoever,” an official statement from a QPR spokesman reads

”None of the three players have been called to give evidence or will be called to give evidence.”

The FA continue to investigate Ferdinand’s claims, and have not yet given a ruling for or against the England star.

The allegations have also been taken seriously by the Kick It Out anti-racism group, with it’s head Lord Ouseley calling for severe action against Terry should Ferdinand’s accusations be verified.

Terry was left out of the Chelsea squad that overcame Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park in midweek, but is set to return to Andre Villas Boas’ starting XI for the crunch Premier League fixture with Arsenal on Saturday.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova was full of praise for his side’s gutsy 1-0 La Liga win over third-placed Valencia at the Mestalla on Wednesday.Vilanova – speaking in the absence of manager Pep Guardiola, who had been admitted to hospital with a back problem – said they were relieved to take all three points from a fellow top-four side, despite not being at their clinical best.”We know that there are many games to go, both away and at home. We always know that we can draw or lose, because this can happen against any team in this league,” he said. “We knew that this was one of the difficult grounds, and we hadn’t been able to win here in two years. We had many chances in the first half, especially for (goalscorer Lionel) Messi. We knew that anything could happen, and that is why we celebrated so much.”Vilanova said the La Liga champions were expectant of victory at the Mestalla, but knew it was going to be a tough contest with their Champions League rivals.”We expected a good result, but not a 0-4 or 0-5 here. We knew that it would be hard, the result is great for us and we know that you can’t win every game by a landslide,” he said. “We made changes to be more attacking, not to be more defensive. We are happy, because in the first half we had more chances on goal than them. We are satisfied.””The minutes were ticking away and we had to risk a bit more. We put Pedro on as a goalscoring option, knowing that we could concede a goal as well.” “We saw that Valencia were a little more tired and that we had more of a chance. He played a good game and was good up front, which is what we hoped for. Sometimes you think about the effects of travel, but this isn’t the case.”

Ledley King’s World Cup dreams appears to be coming to an abrupt end before ever actually starting, after the defender suffered yet another injury whilst playing against the US this past Saturday.

The England centre-back managed to play only just 45 minutes before eventually being substituted for Jamie Carragher, which raises a few questions. Was Capello’s decision to include King in his final 23 man squad a correct one? Or has the Italian gambled, and evidently wasted a valuable space by taking the centre-back to South Africa?

King’s recent injury (although not connected to his long-term knee problem) would have no doubt reignited the debate of whether the defender should have been included in the squad in the first place by Capello. The England coach told the gathering media of the defender’s set-back:

“Ledley has a problem with his abductor muscle and will not play in the next game.”

The England centre-back has officially been ruled of the group C clash against Algeria this Friday, and recent reports suggest that the player’s groin injury may take up to three weeks to heal, which has left King’s World Cup dreams in on the rocks. The man likely to take his place, Jamie Carragher, told Sky Sports of King’s dismay:

“Losing Ledley is a blow. He is a top player and it is unfortunate because it is the same position as Rio. You can’t bring anyone else out now, so any injury is going to hurt the squad. But the manager (Fabio Capello ) picked five centre-backs in the squad because he knew there could be problems and his selections have been proved right.”

The Spurs man is not known to have a great fitness level, and as such, stuggled to get game time. Nevertheless, Capello decided to take him to South Africa as he is undoubtedly one of the finest defenders England have to offer.

Capello’s theory behind King’s inclusion was that the player would be a back-up option in the defensive department. Certainly King himself knew that when boarding the plane that he was only a contingency plan, should John Terry or Rio Ferdinand have been unfit, suffered an injury or stricken by a virus. Ferdinand did have fitness problems prior to the start of the World Cup, and unexpectedly suffered knee ligament damage during an England training session. Ferdinand was ruled out so King stepped in.

To be fair King did perform well against USA, but with every touch, run and tackle England fans and maybe even Capello were genuinely worried that the centre-back was going to pull a muscle and sadly he did…a gamble which backfired by the England coach? You better believe it.

Capello could have left King home and instead opted for either Gary Cahill or Ryan Shawcross. However, these two centre-backs are still very young and have only been capped at U-21 level for their country, so to take either one of them would have been a crazy decision by the Italian.

King was unfortunate to pick up yet another injury, although, it was pretty much written in the stars, wasn’t it? Taking all this into consideration, should King have been included in the England squad this summer, despite his injury-prone status? Yes. Secondly, did Capello waste a space on the England plane in regards to the defender? Not really. Thirdly and more importantly, were there better options available to the England coach to consider? Many would think not.

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Plymouth teenager Matt Lecointe could be about to become the Premier Leagues next young star with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United all chasing his signature according to the Mirror.

The 16-year-old’s has made 10 appearances for the Pilgrims despite his tender years and his performances on the right wing have caught the eyes of the top flight trio.

Scouts from all three clubs have cast their eye over the Plymouth born youngster with many comparing him to new Gunners midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain due his similar style of play.

With all three interested in securing his services it’s likely the teenager will command a sizeable fee that could provide a financial lifeline for the League two side who are battling to stay in business.

The Devon based side have endured severe monetary problems over the last few years surviving a winding up order before going into administration in March.

All that came before Peter Reid was sacked as manager at Home Park with midfielder Carl Fletcher being placed in temporary charge as interim chairman Peter Ridsdale attempts to engineer a takeover of the club.

Should Arsenal, Liverpool or United step up their interest the potential sum Plymouth could receive for Lecointe would go a long way to putting the club back on a firm financial footing and give him the chance to step up his development.

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Win tickets to Legends Lounge to see the titanic clash at Anfield

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Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is hoping his homework will pay off as his side aim to end their Champions League jinx against Lyon.Ligue 1 giants Lyon have an unbeaten record over the Spaniards in European competition, and eliminated Real Madrid in last season’s first knock-out round.

The French side went on to reach their first ever Champions League semi-final, but were themselves defeated by eventual runners-up Bayern Munich.

“Ever since we drew Lyon, we have been studying and learning about them,” Mourinho said.

“It’s been years since Madrid made it (to the quarter-finals), and it’s because they have never beaten Lyon. I am not losing sleep over Lyon or any other team.”

Madrid striker Karim Bezema will once again return to his former club, but the the 23-year-old believes his current side have developed enough to quash Lyon’s record.

“If I’m lucky enough to play I will do everything I can,” he said. “This match will be different to last year. Our team has changed … I think we are going to defeat Lyon and win the Champions League.”

Lyon’s cause will not be helped by the absence of key striker Lisandro Lopez.

The 27-year-old Argentine has found the target eight times this season, but injured his hamstring during training this week.

“You have to respect the player,” said Lyon coach Claude Puel. “He is injured and it’s a handicap for us.”

However, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris remains confident that Lyon can get the better of Real Madrid yet again.

“Faced with a great team like Real, we know that by giving 200% we are not even sure of the result,” he said.

“They are a favourite for the Champions League. And we are an obstacle for Real. We hope to cause an upset.”