Bolton boss jumps to Pulis' defence

olton boss Owen Coyle has sprung to the defence of Stoke's Tony Pulis as they prepare to meet at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday. Along with Blackburn's Sam Allardyce and Wolves' Mick McCarthy, Pulis was criticised by Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy in the debate about tackling in the top flight.Murphy alleged the trio sent out teams "so pumped up there is inevitably going to be problems", but Coyle has sprung to the defence of his managerial counterparts.The Bolton boss told The Sentinel: "Danny Murphy is a very talented player, there is no doubt about that."But no manager instructs his players to go and try to hurt opponents."That just doesn't happen. As good a player as Danny is, he should leave managing to the managers."We are very fortunate in this league that we have outstanding managers."These are top class managers who he has criticised, and they do their very best for their football clubs."Stoke face a stiff task against the Trotters, who have been rejuvenated under Coyle, tasting defeat just once in the top flight this term.Coyle's side are also winning plaudits for their style of play and the Bolton boss hailed the current spirit at the club.He added: "There is a good feeling about the place. We are all pulling in the right direction and hopefully that will bear fruit as the season progresses."There has always been a perception about the club and a certain style of playing, but the only way of changing that is by winning games and performing well."The players are a united group and they are showing that, and we must try to keep delivering performances of that standard."There is a general goodwill feeling about Bolton out there now and we have got to go and capitalise on that."

Source: Team_Talk