Coyle: Keep focus on Wolves

Coyle: Keep focus on Wolves

Published Dec. 30, 2011 1:16 p.m. ET

The match at the Reebok Stadium, where the Trotters have lost eight out of nine Premier League games this term, pits Coyle's 19th-placed side against a club two positions and four points above them in the table. With a daunting-looking run of fixtures to come afterwards, the clash appears vital for Bolton and after seeing them get punished for sloppy mistakes recently, the Scot is demanding maximum concentration from his players. That includes Gary Cahill, whose departure to Stamford Bridge has moved a step closer, with it being confirmed that agreement has been reached with Chelsea over a fee - believed to be in the region of £7million - for the England defender. Whether or not the 26-year-old plays in the New Year's Eve contest remains to be seen, but Coyle is adamant that when it gets under way, the thoughts of those who are involved must be on Wolves alone. "It is hypothetical, but if it was (his last game for Bolton), I think Gary would like to go out on a high," Coyle said. "The bottom line is Gary has to be ready to give as big a performance as he always does for his team-mates, for the football club and for the supporters who have been magnificent for him - and that has got to be the focus for everyone." Having defeated fellow strugglers Blackburn 2-1 at Ewood Park on December 20, Bolton failed to build on the result, going down 2-0 at home to Newcastle on Boxing Day. Asked about the stature of this game, Coyle said: "It was Blackburn, then it moved to Newcastle and there is no getting away from it - now Wolves has become our biggest game of the season, absolutely. They will feel that as well." Earlier, Coyle had revealed the news about Cahill, who is out of contract at the end of the season and has for some time been linked with a move away from the Bolton. "There has been a fee agreed between the clubs and we have now given Gary's representatives permission to speak to Chelsea," Coyle said. If Cahill, who joined Bolton in 2008 from Aston Villa, is to leave in the next few days, Coyle will view it as a blessing that it is occurring early in the January transfer window, giving him a chance to reinvest the money in new players. With such a key figure departing, it would seem imperative that the Trotters squad - which has been blighted by injuries - is strengthened over the coming weeks if they are to avoid relegation. Bolton have been linked with New York Red Bulls defender Tim Ream, who recently spent some time training with them, although Coyle will not be drawn at this point on the specific identity of any targets. "There are a number of players out there who are of varying degrees of interest to us, and that is where we are," Coyle said. "There are some good players and I think it is fair to say that we do want to add one or two to the group, but it would be remiss of me to start mentioning individual names. "Those are players who belong to other teams and I have always tried to be very respectful of that." Coyle indicated after the Newcastle loss that he would make some changes to his side and he has a trio of defenders back in first team contention. The manager will be able to call on Sam Ricketts, who returned to the squad in that game as an unused substitute after a lengthy spell out with an Achilles injury, as well as Gretar Steinsson and Joe Riley, recently sidelined by illness and a hamstring problem respectively, but midfielder Darren Pratley is a doubt having picked up a virus. Bolton will be midway through what has been a hugely disappointing campaign after the match and Coyle remains confident the Trotters can get out of trouble. "I take confidence from knowing what we have at this football club and what we are trying to put in place," he said. "My belief is yes, absolutely (Bolton can stay up) - I have seen nothing that can convince me otherwise. "I accept that we have to get that level of consistency, but if we bring the performances that we have at various times and have consistency with it, there is no doubt that we can move up this league."

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