Lonely place: Bolton were humiliated in their FA Cup
semi-final clash with Stoke
Owen Coyle has admitted
Bolton’s Wembley nightmare will
haunt him for the rest of his life but still challenged his
shattered players to show their true colours against Arsenal at the
Reebok.
The Bolton boss has spent all week working on the mental scars
from last Sunday’s FA Cup 5-0 semi-final mauling by Stoke but is
unsure the healing process will ever run its course.
‘The early part of the week was particularly difficult,’ he
said, ahead of Sunday's return to action. ‘We would be kidding
ourselves if we tried to make out we were not hurting at what
happened to us, because no-one envisaged a scoreline like that.
‘As manager, it will hurt until the day I die, and the same
applies to the players. If anyone thought those boys walked off the
pitch not bothered, they are sadly wrong. This was the biggest
stage they have played on, a chance to reach the FA Cup final, and
it hit them hard.
‘But you have to take that hurt and use it to motivate yourself.
It was a terrible day, just horrible, but sometimes you have to
take your medicine.
Rout: Jonathan Walters scored twice in the thumping 5-0
win
‘I had a meeting with them collectively, as well as
speaking to them individually, and the message was simple enough.
Football can take the rug from under your feet at times, but are
you going to wallow in self-pity or get up in the morning with a
smile on your face and get yourself going again?
‘We’re trying to get their mental state back to 100 per cent,
and we’ll see how close we are on Sunday. Terrible moments can make
you stronger. You’ve got to get back on the horse as quickly as
possible, and this is a fantastic opportunity for them, in what
should be a great game in an electric atmosphere.’
Back to the drawing board: Coyle has urged his team
to bounce straight back against Arsenal
Coyle took issue with Chelsea keeper Petr Cech’s claim
that Arsenal have blown their title chance.
‘They are right in the mix,’ he said. ‘They still have plenty to
play for, and Arsene Wenger will have them highly motivated. He has
been, and still is, an outstanding manager.’
