Former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker admits he felt sorry for old boss Owen Coyle and believes he was in a difficult position.
Reo-Coker spent the 2011/12 season at the Whites as they were relegated out of the Premier League. He scored three goals in 43 games that campaign.
The midfielder departed the club at the conclusion of the campaign as Bolton dropped into the Championship. He later became one of 15 players to depart the Whites as the club ended an 11 year stay in the top flight.
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Reo-Coker has reflected on his time under Coyle and expressed sympathy for his former boss, believing the Scot was in a difficult position at Wanderers. He has spoken warmly of Coyle's management and feels he was in a tough situation with the sheer amount of players whose deals were running out at the conclusion of that season as they fought to preserve their top flight status.
Speaking to the Shirtless Plantain Show on YouTube, the former Wanderers midifelder said: “The thing with Owen Coyle is he was the nicest manager I’ve ever come across. I spoke to him on a personal level and he told me his reasons why he was that way, and I really liked him. I can’t say anything negative about him.
“I just felt sorry for him because I think if he had the right people playing for him – the Bolton thing was so difficult for him. At the time there were 11 like players coming out of contract.
“As a manager like that, with how nice he was, it is hard to be able to motivate these players when a bit of selfishness comes in football and everyone is worried for themselves, with contracts coming up. If Bolton stayed up, it was not going to affect whether they were going to get a new deal or not. So he was in a difficult position but as a manager, he was fun.
“He used to join in training and used to play striker. He used to put the ball in the top bin and make fun of the players in training that couldn’t do it! He was a unique manager.”
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