In late October this website asked, Why no praise for West Brom? West Brom then promptly went on to win one more point in the following games. It is with that lesson that I must apologise to any Bolton fans if their team suddenly goes on a slide but it cannot go without saying any longer. Bolton Wanderers have been wonderful, this season has been superb for the Trotters and yet I haven’t seen many articles extolling their virtues, of which there are many.

It is now late November and after a demolition of Newcastle United, Bolton occupy 5^th place in the Premier League. They are ahead of Spurs on goal difference and a world away from being in the relegation zone as they were last season. Not only that they are playing exciting football under a manager whom the chairman and – crucially – the fans have great faith. With a push towards Europe and a team full of exciting young players and wily veterans, Bolton fans can expect to see this form continue, unless the curse of EPLtalk sets in.

Where has it all gone right?

The revolution began in January of this year as Owen Coyle was appointed from – then – Premier League new-boys Burnley. Burnley had been playing good football but hadn’t won a game for months; they did have creditable draws over Arsenal, Man City and a win over Manchester United early in the season. Coyle took over from Gary Megson, who had become a deeply unpopular figure at the Reebok due to his unsuccessful and unattractive football, two factors which often will spell the end for a manager. Coyle had left as he considered Bolton a team better suited to ‘top flight football’. This was at a time when Bolton were at the same level as Burnley in the league and gate attendances were dropping at The Reebok.

Since the change in management Bolton have been on an upward swing, having avoided relegation last season Bolton entered this season with modest expectations. Coyle has gotten the best out of his players and tailored his tactics to suit that. It has been shown before this season that a 4-4-2 can be effective if applied correctly and pressure is maintained on the opposing side, you need only look at Sunderland’s win over Chelsea and Newcastle’s win over Arsenal to show this. Coyle has played this way with two ‘normal’ wingers. Along with this has been the willingness to go direct if the play calls for it as Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander have proven themselves capable in the air and in bringing each other into play.

Speaking of Elmander, this is the biggest positive for Coyle since his appointment. The startling thing about Bolton’s turnaround has been that it has been done with effectively the same team that he was left with. Elmander was a punch line when Coyle took over as the mis-firing Swede was lambasted for his poor scoring tally and record transfer fee. Whilst he didn’t start scoring straight away there has been a marked improvement in both the quality and quantity of his goals and he is finally showing the moves of a £10 million player. The same applies to Kevin Davies, who could charitably have been described as ‘one-dimensional’ under Gary Megson, Davies has added nuances to his performances which led to an England cap and a small degree of consternation when he was left out of the England squad more recently. Another exciting player already on the Bolton books was the young Korean Chung-Yong Lee, a tricky winger with a great cross I was surprised to hear James Richardson (of the Guardian podcast) question his ability. I thought it was clear to see that the Korean was a very-good Premier League winner and I contested he would make a valuable addition to a team in need of good wingers such as Liverpool.

With this kind of quality at the club I actually find myself in the position of wondering whether Gary Megson was really all that bad for Bolton, he certainly had an eye for a player. He signed Tamir Cohen, Gretar Steinsson, Matty Taylor, Gary Cahill, Fabrice Muamba, Mark Davies and the two signings mentioned above. These are all quality players with Davies, Muamba and Cahill all still relatively young. It is damning though that under another manager these players have performed better and achieved better in such a short space of time. Perhaps scouting is more appropriate to a man of Megson’s ability.

That is not to say though that Coyle has not been as prevalent in the transfer market. Having not spent more than a rumoured £1.5m on an ex-Real Madrid youngster Coyle has added to this team very well. The loan signings of Vladimir Weiss and Jack Wilshere showed the faith he had in quality youth and showed the ambition with which he wanted to play. Since then he has also brought in Robbie Blake and Martin Petrov who have the experience needed to enhance the youth players already at the team (Much like Robert Pires move to Villa). If you have been following Bolton and particularly if you are American you will have noticed one name conspicuously absent. That is because the best of Coyle’s signings and one done for nothing has been Stuart Holden, the Scottish-American midfielder has been key for both Club and Country and one major injury aside has been ever present in Bolton’s team. A dynamic young player he only has one element missing from his game and that is the lack of goals, however if he continues to play the way he has been that will be easily forgiven.

All of the above has been a great positive for Bolton fans who – since their promotion – have become accustomed to the Premier League and even the odd foray in Europe do still have some serious problems beyond the pitch. Coyle has operated well on his budget given that he has had very little money to spend as recent financial results have shown the club in £90m of debt (Which was up 30m from the year previous) puts the club on precarious financial footing. There may have to be sales in order to prop up the balance sheet but a reduction in the quality of the players on show would be a negative sign towards fans as they currently occupy a European place. Also the problem with their record signing taking so long to find his level is that as he has surged into form his contract is on it’s last legs and if no deal is agreed before January he could leave on a Bosman, though the club could sell him at a reduced cost to prevent that (see the story of Nigel De Jong’s transfer).

With that Bolton are at a fork in the road, do they secure their future by losing their best players and hope to unearth a few more gems? Or do they hold on to their best players and risk putting the club in Jeopardy for the hope of a financial windfall from Europe and a high-table place? We will soon see but for the meantime I will continue to watch Owen Coyle’s Bolton play football because, unless you are a fan of the opposing team, it is a joy to behold.

(You can follow me @kipp9 on twitter)

It’s the North London derby this weekend. Arsenal, who are fast becoming serious title contenders play Host to Tottenham. The Gunners sit second, 2 points behind Chelsea. Tottenham find themselves seventh after a much needed win against Blackburn last weekend. Three points for either side would see them make significant strides up the Premier league table, so a point a piece it will be at the Emirates.

With the calibre of attacking players available to both sides you get the feeling it won’t be a goalless encounter. Make sure you have North London’s big hitters in your starting line up by Saturday lunchtime. Arsenal have no fresh injury worries as yet, but Tottenham have lost the services of string-puller Tom Huddlestone for a few months.

Elsewhere in the Premier League it’s the battle of the big number nine’s at the Reebok stadium, well it’s technically three number nine’s. Newcastle’s Andy Carroll acquitted himself well on Wednesday night, considering he was half way back to Newcastle by the time England forged any meaningful attack and will be looking to add to the 77 points he’s already picked up this season. Bolton’s Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies continue their fine form, add midfielder Chung-Yong Lee to the mix and you could find yourself in the points. However, the way this season is going a match featuring a trio of the League’s top strikers is bound to finish in a stalemate.

On paper Stokes trip to West Brom doesn’t look the most exciting match up, but this could be the dark horse of the weekend. Stokes flying winger Matthew Etherington and yo-yo midfielder Dean Whitehead are a risky gamble worth taking. Similarly the home side have mister consistent in Chris Brunt (58) and their very own goal machine in Peter Odemwingie (47), both could reward you with a healthy points haul this game week.

Premier League matches have been so hard to predict this season, so I’m not even going to mention Chelsea’s trip to St Andrews or Man Utd taking on Wigan, and as for Liverpool Vs West Ham, well I’m saying nothing. Sunderland’s fantastic performance at the bridge last Sunday summed up the Premier League perfectly, anything can and will happen in a game week. It’s a pundit’s nightmare.

I am however prepared to stick my neck out in regards to Sunday’s matches – Blackburn Vs Aston Villa and Fulham Vs Man City have got 1-1 written all over them. It will be a day where defences will triumph. Fulham’s Brede Hangeland and Villa’s James Collins will sure up any defence and both have weighed in with a few goals this season.

Game week 14 concludes with Everton’s trip to surprise package of game week 13, Sunderland. It goes without saying that Asamoah Gyan is the star man at the stadium of light right now, but his strike partner Darren Bent could return from injury in time for Monday nights clash. Everton themselves have a few potential bargains available, defensive rocks Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin are good value at 5.8 and 5.5 million respectively and young full back Seamus Coleman (4.9 million) is improving every week.

That’s your lot for this week. If you feel like joining in the fun then join the EPL League by visiting: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ the code you need to join is 13413-5300

When Bolton paid a club record fee of £8.2 million for the Swedish striker Johan Elmander, a few eyebrows were raised. Yet, the former Toulouse striker had been one of the most consistent players in the French league during his time for the Téfécé and had built a reputation as a creative deep lying centre forward. Unfortunately, joining a side whose manager lacked any creative spark seemed an unusual step for the likable Swede.

It was as unusual for a manager as lacking in creative idea’s as Gary Megson decision to sign him. To put it mildly, Elmander had a nightmare first 18 months at Bolton, playing in a defensively minded side and struggling to cope with being used as a main striker, rather than his usual deeper role. His play suffered, his reputation fell and a nightmare 9 month barren spell seemed to be a millstone he couldn’t shift.

The sacking of Megson was not only a god send for the Bolton faithful, but for the striker as well. Owen Coyle brought a breath of fresh air to the Reebok stadium that removed all the negativity that had built up under the previous two regimes. Despite the continual negative press that Bolton continue to garner, Coyle’s appointment has been one of continual improvement and changing perceptions.

It’s always easy to label sides such as Bolton Wanderers as purely physical, but Coyle is trying his upmost to change the footballing opinion of the side. Any side that had players such as jay Jay Okocha and Youri Djorkaeff cannot seriously be considered a long ball side. To counter this though the lack of credit for players such as Jussi Jaaskelainen and Kevin Davies showed their achievements were never considered seriously.

Coyle’s appointment has seen Elmander return to his previous quality that he showed prior to joining Bolton. It’s not just a flash in a pan either, he’s been playing consistently well since Coyle took over in January this year. The manager clearly identified Elmander as key to creating a new Bolton Wanderers and the club is beginning to reap the dividends of the change. As an avid watcher of French football, I was always impressed with the strikers ability, skill and quality.

It was a real surprise to see him struggle so much and of course, some players for one reason or another, simply cannot cope with playing in a different league or a new country. Yet Elmander had adapted to playing in Norway, the Netherlands and France so much easier, it was strange to see him look so uncomfortable. Coyle clearly identified the problems and addressed them immediately, allowing Elmander to release the stresses that had clearly held him back.

This season has seen him already equal his league goal tally from last season with 3 to his name so far and Bolton bloodied Manchester United’s nose on Sunday. This is a side clearly on the up, playing attractive, positive football and finally seeing the best of Johan Elmander. It should be a good season for the Bolton faithful and one that will see them bloody a few more noses of more illustrious opponents. Elmander has the skills to unsettle the best defenders and I hope we seem him continue to get the goals his approach play this year clearly deserves.

I realize that Bolton’s football ground is named Reebok Stadium, but it’s about time that the lamb be put to slaughter and for Bolton, if at all possible, to move away from Reebok. Reason being is that their football kit designs just seem to one failed experiment after another.

Enter the next piece of evidence which is Bolton’s away jersey for the 2010-11 season which is blue, but in some lights, looks purple. The shirt features white trim and orange piping.

There’s something about Reebok designs which make the shirts look awkward, out-of-date and unappealing. Maybe it’s the logo, or maybe it’s the lines they add to the shirt designs to give it depth? No matter what it is, Reebok – which is owned by Adidas – needs to do something about their future designs for crying out loud.

For the largest selection of Premier League shirts for all 20 clubs, visit the EPL Talk Shop.

With the World Cup still fresh in our memories, it’s good to know that we didn’t have to wait long to get our fix of international soccer now that several Premier League sides are currently in America training in preparation for the new season which begins on August 14.

Wednesday night marked the first friendly by a Premier League team this summer when Bolton Wanderers beat Charlotte Eagles 3-0 in North Carolina. But tonight will be the first televised game of the Premier League tours this summer when Manchester United take on Celtic, which will be shown on ESPN2 at 7pm ET. Gemma Thompson on the Man United website has been keeping United supporters up-to-speed on all of the developments on the tour thus far with the Tour 2010 blog.

Manchester City, meanwhile, has been training all week at the Nike headquarters in the north west. As a side note, if you want to see how boring life is for a football player, read Micah Richard’s diary which he’s been posting on the Manchester City website where he discusses life on the US tour thus far. City plays its first game of the US tour against Portland tomorrow.

Tottenham Hotspur will be playing San Jose Earthquakes tomorrow, which will be shown live on ESPN2 at 4pm ET. In preparation for that game, they’ve been busy training at the Earthquake’s facility where more than 1,200 fans came out to watch their practice session on Thursday which was also attended by some American football players from the San Francisco 49′ers.

Check out the complete preseason schedule of all Premier League clubs who are playing around the world. Plus, be sure to bookmark the TV schedule for all Premier League clubs who are featured on US television. And last but not least, if you’re planning on attending any of the games featuring Premier League clubs, send me your pictures and stories from your experiences so I can share them with the rest of the EPL Talk readers. Reach me at thegaffer[at]epltalk[dot]com

We wake up this morning to the reality that the 2010 World Cup is over. Four years is a long time to wait until the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. But fortunately there is plenty of soccer in store for us in the coming days to weeks. Specifically:

• Bolton Wanderers begins their U.S. tour against Charlotte in: 2 days
• Manchester United plays Celtic in Toronto: 4 days
• Tottenham Hotspur plays San Jose Earthquakes in: 5 days
• Manchester City plays their first friendly of the summer against Portland Timbers in: 5 days
• Number of days until the Community Shield is played between Chelsea and Man United: 27 days
• 2010-11 Premier League season kicks off in: 33 days
• Number of days until the next World Cup: 1,432

Hats off to the Premier League clubs who were smart enough to predict a healthy appetite in the US for soccer this summer especially after a successful tournament and a great run by the United States men’s national team. With perfect timing, we’ll be able to see four Premier League clubs begin their summer preseason friendlies this week in the United States. And many of the games will be on television. So for those of you who are wondering what to do with your free time now that the World Cup is over, be sure to set your DVR to record the following games featuring Premier League clubs being shown on US television.

With the Premier League season now done and dusted, there is no better time to look at the winners and losers of one of the most open and un-predicable seasons in history.

Arsenal

Despite another trophy-less season there has been a considerable improvement with the Gunners, showing more fight and determination despite playing a majority of the season without any central strikers. However there are clear areas where key additions must be made, case 1: a goalkeeper, case 2: two central defenders, a central midfielder and a striker, which is more than likely to be Chamakh from Bordeaux.

Grade: B

Teacher’s Pet: Thomas Veremalen – without question the best buy of the season, at 8.5m from Ajax, has been solid in defence and knows where the back of the net is too.

Detention: Lucas Fabianski – in Arsene Wenger’s words, despite having talent lacks concentration.  Still will be there next season so Arsenal fans best get used to him.

Aston Villa

Without question one of the most improved teams in the Premier League yet another encouraging season after two Wembley visits and a solid 6th place finish. Have a strong nucleus of English players highlighted by the number of their internationals. Squad is still relatively small and could be bolstered by more firepower and extra protection in midfield.  They are very susceptible to the counter-attack because of the lack of protection given to Petrov due to their heavily attacking midfield of Downing, Milner and Young.

Grade: B

Teacher’s Pet: James Milner – fully deserved his Young Player of the Year award and is a definite for Fabio Capello’s squad if not starting 11.

Detention: Emile Heskey – Hasn’t started enough games or scored goals for Villa this season. In the World Cup squad largely due to his successful partnership with Wayne Rooney.

Birmingham City

Credit where credit is due, having been tipped to be one of the three teams to be relegated.  But with an unbeaten 15-game run and one of the most well organised defences in the country (with Scott Dann and Richard Johnson) The Blues more than deserve there highest finish in the Premier League. Cemented by picking up vital points at home against the original ‘big four’ of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Grade: A-

Teacher’s Pet: Joe Hart – fully deserves his call up to the England squad and if he had more full senior experience would be picked as the No. 1 keeper for the World Cup.

Detention: Christian Benitez – despite real effort and endeavour hasn’t set the Premier League alight and subsequently The Blues have decided not to purchase him.

Blackburn Rovers

Job done for Big Sam’s team, at the start of the season survival was very much the key for Blackburn.  They had a clear problem scoring goals but in the last few months of the season showed key wins against Arsenal and Aston Villa and draws against Man. United and Chelsea providing evidence that they have improved greatly.  Shopping List during the summer must be for a goal scoring striker.

Grade: C

Teacher’s pet: David Dunn – when he is fully fit, he is by far a class apart from any other at the club.  Special mention to Paul Robinson, who has proved his critics wrong with excellent performances this season. Should have been in the mix for a World Cup call-up.

Detention: The Blackburn Strike-force of Roberts, McCarthy (now at West Ham) and Di Santo has scored only 10 goals between them all season.

Bolton

I was one of the football public who originally questioned Owen Coyle’s decision to move from Burnley to Bolton. But it has clearly been the right decision finishing 14^th in the Premier League and never looking in any real relegation threat. Have tightened up defensively and next season expect Bolton to target a mid table place.

Grade: D

Teacher’s Pet: Gary Cahill, a huge cog in the defensive wheel who earned an England Call-up before getting injured.

Detention: Johan Elmander – no longer in the pecking order for playing up front alongside Davies, that honour goes to Ivan Klasnic.

Burnley

After a fantastic start to the season signs were starting to show that away form could be a problem if Burnley were to survive.   Losing Owen Coyle was undoubtedly a massive loss, but it’s defensively where Burnley has really struggled.  82 goals have been conceded by the Clarets and Blues this season, the most in the Premier League and the fewest away wins is a recipe that shows the trap door in any level of professional football.

Grade: F

Teacher’s Pet: Good individual season for Graham Alexander, who has been offered another one year contract extension at the age of 38.

Detention: Collectively the defence for conceding 82 goals.

Chelsea

Another season and more silverware in the cabinet! An historic double which wasn’t looking so likely after the defeat to Inter Milan in the Champions League: where Chelsea were out-thought and out-schooled.  From that point forward Chelsea were simply magnificent, scoring goals for fun, 7 past Stoke, 8 past Wigan, an easy victory against Liverpool at Anfield but the biggest result may have been the victory at Old Trafford.  Still concerns over the ‘age’ of the squad and whether they truly have the ability to be the best in the Champions League.

Grade: A+

Teacher’s Pet: Frank Lampard, 22 league goals from midfield is a fantastic achievement: if he has a good World Cup, England will have chance to cause a few upsets.  Other Chelsea personnel who have had excellent seasons include Didier Drogba (another 30+ goal season) and Florent Malouda who has provided Chelsea with more width and another attacking goal threat, 12 goals for him this season in the Premier League.

Detention: Jon Obi Mikel – I can’t see what he brings to the Chelsea team, when Essein is fit, he the man who makes room.

Everton

A quality side hit by key injuries to key players in the early part of the season including Arteta, Yakubu and Jagielka to name a few. Since the return of the core squad Everton form had improved greatly.  Just a little too much to do in order to secure a European spot.  With a full squad next season they will be in the fight again for an Europa League place.

Grade: D

Teacher’s Pet: Tim Howard – Established goal-keeper, another solid season, and rightfully USA’s number 1 choice, likes saving penalties from England players (take note!).

Detention: Marouane Fellaini – has taken up a more defensive role this season, but a player who really lit the blue touch paper in 08/09, but this season has been an enigma.

Stay tuned as the likes of Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are still to come.

After being overlooked for so many summers, the United States will have several Premier League clubs coming to North America in July. In addition to Manchester United confirming a tour of North America and Tottenham Hotspur playing a couple of friendlies, Manchester City today announced additional tour dates, while Bolton Wanderers today announced a three-game tour of North America.

Manchester City today added a game against Club America to be played in Atlanta. And Steven Goff’s Soccer Insider column is reporting that an announcement will be made Monday that Manchester City will play against Inter Milan in Baltimore. That would be a mouthwatering tie that would feature Roberto Mancini against Jose Mourinho (we hope).

Here are all of the dates to remember for the Man City tour:

• Sporting Lisbon and Red Bull New York v Manchester City, July 22-25, Harrison, NJ
• Club America v Manchester City, July 28, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
• Inter Milan v Manchester City, July 31, M&T Stadium, Baltimore (tentative)

Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle, who is no stranger to having his team play friendlies in the States after Burnley came over last summer, will be pitting his team against the following opponents:

• Charlotte Eagles v Bolton, July 14
• Charleston Battery v Bolton, July 17
• Toronto FC v Bolton, July 21

Visit our preseason friendlies page for the complete list of games featuring Premier League teams. And stay tuned to our Premier League TV schedule page to find out which games will be shown on television (when announced).

Many of us want the season to end as soon as possible so we can begin the countdown for the World Cup. For one Tottenham Hotspur supporter, he got a bit ahead of himself in this past Saturday’s match against Bolton Wanderers when he ran on to the pitch and lost his bearings.

For a good laugh, watch this one-of-a-kind video (see above). Maybe the boy was sensing the chances of Spurs qualifying for the Champions League and he wanted to speed up time before Wednesday’s massive match against Manchester City?

It’s hard to believe, but it’s the last weekend before the final Sunday of the 2009-10 Premier League season. I think you’ll agree that it’s been an incredible one both on and off the pitch. But before I get too nostalgic, there are still big games happening this weekend and plenty to talk about.

Feel free either before, during or after the games today to share your thoughts in the comments section below regarding the following matches:

• Birmingham v Burnley, 7:45am ET
• Manchester City v Aston Villa, 10am ET
• Portsmouth v Wolves, 10am ET
• Stoke City v Everton, 10am ET
• Spurs v Bolton, 10am ET

The must-watch matches are the ones that feature the battle for fourth at 10am ET — Manchester City v Aston Villa (Fox Soccer Channel), and Tottenham versus Bolton (Fox Soccer Plus and FoxSoccer.tv).

Share your feedback in the comments section below.