Clarets deserve more credit - Coyle

Published Dec. 16, 2009 1:25 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Clarets, who face Arsenal at Turf Moor on Wednesday night, are in mid-table, with their 18 points won by a group of players assembled with what their manager describes as the smallest budget known in the Premier League. Cole said: "We know we have moved the goalposts in terms of expectation now but we have only spent Â£4million to assemble this team, which is the smallest budget known to the Premier League, and the players have not had the credit they deserve. "We have spent Â£9million and brought in Â£5million, and we don't have any bona fide Premier League players, just some who have had fleeting glimpses of it. "Yet we have shown, at Turf Moor in particular, we can go toe to toe with the very best and we are sitting here with 18 points having worked our socks off to get them. "Derby were relegated with 11 points with double the budget that we have got so we are doing this against all the odds." Arsenal's visit comes with the Gunners pushing again for the title and Coyle has promised his side will not try to kick the Gunners off the park. The north London side have become used to rough treatment at the hands of other Lancashire clubs beginning with a 'B' - Bolton and Blackburn have in the past both been criticised by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger for their overly-physical approach. The lingering resentment towards ex-Blackburn manager Mark Hughes was highlighted by Wenger's refusal to shake his hand after Arsenal's Carling Cup defeat by Manchester City, but Coyle insists he is full of admiration for the Frenchman. Coyle added: "If you watch our team, we look to play football. We don't have overly-physical players in our team. "We like to think we are competitive but there has always been good football in games between ourselves and Arsenal and I don't see any reason why that should be any different. "Arsene's a top-class manager and he's someone us young managers aspire to follow in terms of teams playing football of that nature. "I can only speak about our relationship and I'm full of admiration for him - he's always been very gracious to me and always had a word for me." Coyle expects his squad to have recovered from any bumps and bruises left over from the 1-1 draw with Fulham in time for Wednesday night's game. Only long-term absentees Martin Paterson, Chris McCann and Jay Rodriguez remain sidelined through injury.