THE king is dead; long live the king. Owen Coyle has dodged his biggest challenge of keeping Burnley in the top flight in order to take the job of trying to keep Bolton up.

It has to be said that Bolton’s chances may well have been decreased by the appointment of the once popular Scotsman.

Yes, Coyle did a fabulous job of getting Burnley into the top flight but with each passing week, hopes of survival gradually decreased.

And it’s not because the Burnley team is not worth a place at the top table.

The slide after the bright start is down to a complete inability to defend. That has been down to the manager’s lack of defensive skills and the instructions given out to his loyal troops.

Yes, you can probably expect defeats at Chelsea, Liverpool and the likes - but sickening losses at Portsmouth and Wolves really do set alarm bells ringing The players are good enough yet Coyle’s gung-ho style of play, as nice as it is to watch, puts the pressure on, mistakes are made and games are lost.

There is a school of thought that Coyle has reached his limit as a manager. He has been found out at the top level. When the going got tough, the Coyle got going. He didn’t have the answers to the tough questions posed by the Premier League.

He won’t have the answers at the Trotters either.

A new, experienced boss will toughen up the Burnley side. Okay, it may not be as pretty to watch but that style can keep the Clarets in the top flight.

Coyle has worked wonders with the smallest budget in the top flight - and don’t we know it.

But in recent weeks his stock has started to decrease in value.

Opposition managers know full well that Burnley can be beaten because of that dodgy defence.

The fans who have travelled the length and breadth of the country are aware of that, TV pundits have started to laugh at the happenings in the back line.

Yet Coyle’s refusal to bend from his philosophy is a worry.

Yes, Arsenal can get away with it. More importanly Burnley can’t...and Bolton won’t be able to either.

The new man has a great squad of players to work with, the fans will roar the club on and the Clarets can survive.