Source: Team_Talk
Wigan win no surprise to Whites boss
Wigan go the Reebok Stadium on the back of a 1-0 win over Liverpool on Monday - a result none of the other relegation fighters could have imagined, or wanted.[LNB]Coyle, though, says he was not surprised in the slightest.[LNB]"I suppose we all sat and watched that game wanting Liverpool to win," he said. "But now it has happened and Wigan have the points, it is not a result that surprised me one bit."[LNB]And Coyle knows Wigan will be cock-a-hoop after their first victory over the Merseysiders.[LNB]He continued: "Wigan were at home, they are a good side and they have also beaten Chelsea this season, so nothing surprises me in the Premier League, it is a very close competition.[LNB]"That has been seen this season. The top three, four or six - whatever you want to call them - have shown they are capable of losing games to teams lower down. It has happened too often this season for it to be a fluke."[LNB]He added: "I do not accept the theory that Wigan were not expected to get those three points against Liverpool. (Wigan boss) Roberto Martinez's team play some good attacking football, they deserved it.[LNB]"But Liverpool have not been playing to the level they are capable of, so why wouldn't you feel that Wigan could not beat them?[LNB]"Obviously all the other teams down at the bottom no doubt hope Wigan would not win that one, but it was no surprise to me."[LNB]Coyle puts Liverpool's decline down to their shocking injury problems and the key loss of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres for much of the campaign.[LNB]He said: "What is happening to Liverpool is for Rafael (Benitez) and his staff, but they are a top club going through an indifferent time. But they have been really hurt by injuries and suspensions, to key players.[LNB]"Sometimes with injuries you can get away with it, but not when it is your top players Gerrard and Torres.[LNB]"And losing Yossi Benayoun has also been a real blow, he is a player I love to watch and all three are irreplaceable.[LNB]"You cannot replace like for like in their case, and that in the end will lead to dropping points. You don't get any continuity and that can hurt the best teams."[LNB]But Coyle is more focused on with keeping Bolton up, and is convinced the Reebok men are improving.[LNB]He said: "I am more concerned with winning points at the moment rather than shaping Bolton into my style of play.[LNB]"When I arrived Bolton were in the bottom three and we have now got ourselves out of that position but that doesn't mean the hard work is over.[LNB]"We managed good back-to-back wins over Wolves and West Ham and although it was a blow what happened in midweek in defeat at Sunderland it only underlined how much more we have to do to make sure we survive.[LNB]"There is a gradual evolvement into what we want, but Bolton have played 11 league games now since I arrived - seven away from home - and we are making progress.[LNB]"We have played five of our last six away and in all we have taken 10 points in those 11 games, which is progress.[LNB]"That has kept us out of the bottom three, but to stay out we must continue to do our business right and keep taking points. That is the only way to stay up.[LNB]"What we are doing is short term planning, but we have the belief that we will stay up. Once we have done that we will be able to put our stamp more on things and look beyond our current position.[LNB]"It is dog eat dog down at the bottom, there is a group of about eight clubs there who will do everything they can to remain in the best league in the world."[LNB]He added: "We are all clamouring, scrapping, fighting for the points. But despite what happened at Sunderland, in the past couple of weeks we have given ourselves a platform to build on.[LNB]On the injury front, Bolton expect defender Gary Cahill back in training next week after recovering from a blood clot, while midfielder Gavin McCann will miss the rest of the season following an ankle operation.[LNB][LNB]
