Bolton v Chelsea - Wanderers' Coyle on coaching with Villa Boas - English premier League 2011-12
- 10 years ago
OWEN Coyle will not be pointing the finger after finding out that Stuart Holden will be out of action for six months.
Wanderers' injury jinx struck again on Wednesday when it was discovered during a routine operation that the influential US international had sustained cartilage damage during his rehabilitation, which forces him out of action until well into next year.
The news prompted an angry reaction from supporters, who had placed their hopes on the midfielder's return sparking an upturn in form for the club.
But speaking to The Bolton News, Coyle took a more pragmatic view, backing the 26-year-old to bounce back yet again after his lay-off.
"I don't want to blame anyone," he said. "The frustrating thing is that he had worked so hard to get back to the level he was used to playing. We saw that against Aston Villa, where he was fantastic.
"Nobody is a bigger admirer of Stuart Holden than I am. I brought him to this country for nothing. And he is a popular figure throughout the whole football club.
"I spoke to him after the operation and he was a bit down. But as I said to him, he has got 10 or 12 years left of a fantastic career ahead of him. This is a setback, but he'll bounce back from it."
Holden had suffered a fracture in the knee joint after a reckless challenge from Manchester United defender Jonny Evans in March, which required pins to be inserted to secure the knee joint during rehabilitation.
It had been hoped the pins could be removed next summer, but, after complaining of pain and swelling after his first-team comeback, Holden was booked in on Wednesday to undergo a follow-up procedure, which was expected to sideline him for six weeks.
On closer inspection, surgeons found that the pins had actually shifted slightly, causing damage to the cartilage, and the bad news was only conveyed to the player after he woke up from the anaesthetic.
It was the latest in a long line of injury problems for Coyle, who was at a loss to explain why he had lost
Wanderers' injury jinx struck again on Wednesday when it was discovered during a routine operation that the influential US international had sustained cartilage damage during his rehabilitation, which forces him out of action until well into next year.
The news prompted an angry reaction from supporters, who had placed their hopes on the midfielder's return sparking an upturn in form for the club.
But speaking to The Bolton News, Coyle took a more pragmatic view, backing the 26-year-old to bounce back yet again after his lay-off.
"I don't want to blame anyone," he said. "The frustrating thing is that he had worked so hard to get back to the level he was used to playing. We saw that against Aston Villa, where he was fantastic.
"Nobody is a bigger admirer of Stuart Holden than I am. I brought him to this country for nothing. And he is a popular figure throughout the whole football club.
"I spoke to him after the operation and he was a bit down. But as I said to him, he has got 10 or 12 years left of a fantastic career ahead of him. This is a setback, but he'll bounce back from it."
Holden had suffered a fracture in the knee joint after a reckless challenge from Manchester United defender Jonny Evans in March, which required pins to be inserted to secure the knee joint during rehabilitation.
It had been hoped the pins could be removed next summer, but, after complaining of pain and swelling after his first-team comeback, Holden was booked in on Wednesday to undergo a follow-up procedure, which was expected to sideline him for six weeks.
On closer inspection, surgeons found that the pins had actually shifted slightly, causing damage to the cartilage, and the bad news was only conveyed to the player after he woke up from the anaesthetic.
It was the latest in a long line of injury problems for Coyle, who was at a loss to explain why he had lost