For Stu Holden and Tim Ream, Owen Coyle's Sacking Equalled Uncertainty

One of the first things we covered when Bolton Wanderers announced that they had parted ways with Owen Coyle was what it would mean for the club's American contingent, namely Tim Ream and Stuart Holden. For Holden, the issue at hand was the loss of the man that put faith in him and brought him to the Premier League from Major League Soccer. For Ream, the issue is bigger. Speaking to the Bolton News, Ream discussed what it was like for him:

"It was quite stressful for the first couple of days, not knowing. I've taken advice from the other guys, not asking them what to do, but just following their lead."

Ream, who made pretty much an immediate impression for Owen Coyle in the Premier League, found himself on the outs this season (like a number of other Bolton ever-presents). Ream was named to the bench for most matches, started the odd one or two, and was left out entirely on a few occasions. With Jimmy Phillips in charge though, he has had a second (and third) chance, playing the full 90 in both of Bolton's last two games and set to start tomorrow against Middlesbrough.

"My wife and I had a conversation too, and the stressful part was not knowing whether the next manager will like the way you play. It's fear of the unknown.

"For me and for the other guys that he brought in specifically it was tough - especially Stu (Holden).

"We came over and made big changes to our own lives, and he did a lot to bring us over here.

"So it was tough to take but that's the ugly side of football and you have to deal with it."

Some of you may remember that we had the chance to interview Tim over the summer, about a month before the current season began. When we spoke to him, he had nothing but positive things to say about Owen Coyle:

"The first thing is that he made me feel wanted and made me feel welcome from the get-go. The guys he had on the team already were really good at doing that as well. You know, kinda taking me in and helping me out.

"After that it was just playing in training and just pushing me to continue to get better and work on my fitness and work on my touch. Just do things quicker has been the biggest thing that he's worked on with me and it's helped out a lot."