1:40pm Friday 19th March 2010
By Marc Iles
OWEN Coyle has put his defensive successes at Wanderers down to pure, hard graft.
For a manager who has a reputation for attacking football, it seems almost against type that the majority of the Whites’ points in 2010 have been built primarily on a steady back four.
Going into tomorrow’s game at Goodison Park, Coyle has racked up five clean sheets in the 12 Premier League games in which he has taken charge — and the Scot admits he would be delighted to see that kind of form extend to the end of the season.
“Statistics are whatever you want to make of them,” he said.
“I think we are very much an attacking team but the fact we have kept clean sheets is down to how hard we have worked.
“There was a period where we weren’t scoring goals, and that wasn’t because we were playing badly, it’s just that we weren’t being clinical.
“But we managed to get a couple of 0-0 draws because we worked ever so hard, and it was a collective effort, it wasn’t that we had gone all out to make sure goals didn’t go in against us.
“We’ve had a number of clean sheets, and that’s given us a tremendous platform to build from because the minimum you can earn then is a point.
“It starts with the strikers, who have worked really hard to give us that foothold. That gives confidence to everyone involved.”
Factor in the absence of Gary Cahill for the last five weeks, and Coyle’s achievements are made all the more impressive.
But he is reluctant to accept the praise — preferring instead to pass it on to Sam Ricketts and Andy O’Brien, who have filled in alongside Zat Knight at various times in the last five weeks.
“We’ve had to change the back four round quite a lot but it’s testament to the players that they have coped so well,” he said.
“You can try and impart some knowledge but ultimately the players have to bring their best game, and that’s what they have been doing.
“It has been testament to their character, and it tells me a lot about the group of players I have at this football club.”
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