Jussi Jaaskelainen

Owen Coyle’s side managed a 0-0 draw with Fulham in their opening league game after an extensive pre-season that saw them travel to North America and Scotland and achieve some mixed results.

Keeper Jaaskelainen arrived at Bolton in 1997 and has seen a lot change around the club during his time in the north west.

He admits to being particularly impressed by the effect that Coyle has had on the team since he replaced Gary Megson in January.

The former Burnley manager has worked astutely in the transfer market during the summer, bringing Martin Petrov and Robbie Blake in on free transfers while also signing Marcos Alonso and teenager Tom Eaves.

Former Finland international Jaaskelainen has saved Bolton (125/1 to finish in the Premier League top four) countless points over his 13 years at the club and admits that defensive frailties hampered the side last season – which is something that needs to change this year.

Only five clean sheets in 36 games last season held the club back and the 35-year-old told the Bolton News that was the result of “loads of individual mistakes”, something that was not “good enough” for the club.

“With the manager bringing a lot more confidence to players hopefully we can show that during the season and that will result in more clean sheets,” said Jaaskelainen.

“The main thing for us is to have a good start and, in the first 10 games, we need to get around 15 points because in the last three years that is what has been letting us down.

“If we make a good start, then we can look for a top-10 finish.”

One man looking to benefit from the new confidence that Coyle has brought to the Reebok Stadium is striking misfit Johan Elmander.

The £10 million club record signing has scored only eight goals since arriving in the summer of 2008 and has been subject of cruel jibes during his time in the Premier League.

After the draw against Fulham Coyle took time to pay credit to the Swedish striker, stating he was “outstanding” during the game and “deserved a goal” – he was ultimately prevented by young goalkeeper David Stockdale, however.

Speaking about the forward, Coyle said: “I have always had belief in him. I can try and give him confidence because I have belief in him as a manager, and I’ve shown that by picking him.”

Elmander is likely to have his next chance to repay the faith from his manager when Bolton travel to east London to take on West Ham in the Premier League this weekend (West Ham 6/5 to win, Bolton 21/1, draw 9/4).

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Celtic

The new Bhoys chief is desperate to wrestle the SPL crown back from Old Firm rivals Rangers (11/10) this season, but he will have to do it without the winger on board.

Republic of Ireland star McGeady has moved to the Russian capital for a fee of £9.5m which should allow Lennon to draft in some replacements for the 24-year-old, with Bellamy wanted on loan.

The Wales international has been left out of City’s 25-man squad for the Premier League although Spurs are thought to be in the chase for him as well.

But Lennon still believes the loss of McGeady will be a big blow to loyal Hoops supporters.

He said: “I’m sorry to lose him, he is one of the entertainers in the game.

“We’ll probably miss out on his peak years but he came to us and said that he felt at the end of the season it would be better for him to move on.

“It’s difficult to stand in the way of someone who doesn’t want to be here.”

Lennon is hoping Bellamy’s relationship with the Celtic fans will help him land his man.

He added: “When you see someone of the calibre of Craig and the fact that he’s not in the 25 and he’s looking to go out and play football, then we feel it’s something that we can’t try and miss out on.

“We’ve been speaking to his representatives and we’ve been speaking to Man City.

“How far down the line we are will be down to Craig obviously.

“But the advantage we have is that, one, it’s not in the Premier League and, two, he has been here before and he enjoyed his time here and made a huge impact on the game up here and has a real connection with the supporters.”

Celtic kick off their Scottish Premier League campaign at Inverness on Saturday (Inverness 7/1, draw 16/5, Celtic 2/5 – 90 minutes).

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Puyol’s fellow Barca and Spain team-mates, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, have already gone on record over their desire to see 23-year-old don the famous blaugrana shirt – and now Puyol has also come out to lend his support.

Arsenal are understood to have already rejected a bid from Barcelona for their captain who moved to north London as a teenager in 2003, going on to make almost 200 appearances for the Gunners (Arsenal 7/1  2010/11 Premier League Outright).

Arsenal’s fans are hoping Fabregas is still on board to make many more appearances for them, but he won’t be if Puyol and co get their own way.

Speaking to The Sun,  versatile defender Puyol said: “He is having to stay at a club where he no longer wants to be for another year.

“I wonder how intelligent it is keeping a player who doesn’t want to be there.

“After seven years of great service, I thought Arsenal could have granted him his dream move.

“Cesc has given everything to Arsenal to try to win a trophy but they haven’t matched his expectations.

“I won’t say he is in a prison, as we know how privileged we are as football players.

“But after how clear Cesc made it that he wanted to be in Barcelona, I thought they would have granted him that.”

Whether or not Fabregas is still a Gunner by the end of the transfer window remains to be seen.

But if he is, boss Arsene Wenger has told the midfielder he stands a chance of playing his part in taking the Premier League title back to north London for the first time since 2003/04.

The Frenchman told Arsenal’s website: “We know in England that the Premier League is the biggest league in the world and everybody invests a lot of money.

“We invest in our work, in our beliefs, in the quality of our behaviour and I am confident that will pay off.

“We finished third last year and we hope we can improve on that – but the race will be tough.”

The Gunners host the Emirates Cup again this weekend, kicking off against AC Milan on Friday night.

Arsenal (7/4 – 90 Minutes) kick off the season at Liverpool (5/4) on August 15.

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Roy Hodgson

With most onlookers impressed with the free transfer capture of Cole, Reds fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when skipper Gerrard then pledged his future to the club.

Hodgson is certainly upbeat about the season ahead after securing the services of the England pair, with the transfer work not yet complete.

The former Inter Milan boss admitted: “It will be a tough season with a lot of matches and the disappointment of last season is going to take a while to dissipate. But it is very good that our best player is still going to be playing at this club.

“It’s a great piece of news and fingers crossed the speculation about Steven will go away. It gives everyone a boost without question.”

Hodgson believes that Liverpool (12/1 to win the 2010-11 Premier League) will start the season with a stronger group of players than when when Rafa Benitez ended his spell in charge at Anfield.

The manager added: “Hopefully with the signing of Joe Cole – and if we are lucky one or two others to boost the squad – we will be going into this season’s competition maybe stronger on paper than we were last season.”

It looks like one of those further new captures will be the Rangers youngster Danny Wilson, who is on the brink of a move to Merseyside.

The SPL champions have agreed a three-year deal in principle with Liverpool over the sale of the teenage defender.

Rangers chief executive Martin Bain claims the Glasgow club will receive £2m for the centre back, rising to £5m with add-ons linked to games played for the Reds.

The 18-year-old, who turned down an offer to remain at Ibrox, is understood to be undergoing a medical will the prospect of sealing a switch this week.

Hodgson also remains upbeat over the future and fitness of Fernando Torres (11/2 to be Premier League top goalscorer), who continues to be linked with a summer move.

The Spaniard is still on holiday following Spain’s World Cup success but Hodgson has spoken to the striker, who suffered a groin injury when coming on as a substitute in the final against the Netherlands.

The Liverpool boss revealed: “I met Torres last Wednesday in Ibiza, albeit briefly. He told me the groin problem was not anything to worry about, it was something which would clear up with rest on holiday.”

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Leeds

The Elland Road outfit may have limped over the line to finish as runners-up in League One last season, but it was enough to get them back in the second tier of English football.

And now Grayson is looking to kick on by insisting he is not just going up into the Championship next term to make up the numbers.

He told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “I’m not going to settle for finishing fourth from bottom and staying up.

“It’s a risky strategy anyway and a negative way to look at things. To be honest, I don’t think that many people in Leeds would see it as an achievement.

“Most people would probably see it as a disappointment and I accept that.

“Staying up is your first target but I won’t be the only manager who’s looking at the Championship and seeing a wide open league.

“Twelve teams could have a real chance, maybe more. I said in May that I go into every season looking for promotion and I still believe it might be a possibility.”

Totesport makes Nottingham Forest the 8/1 favourites to win the Championship next term, with Middlesbrough (9/1) and Queens Park Rangers (10/1) just behind them.

Leeds must do without the goals of Jermaine Beckford next season after the striker made the move to the Premier League with Everton.

Billy Paynter has been snapped up from Swindon as his replacement although Grayson is still weighing up whether or not to make permanent moves for last season’s loan stars, Michael Doyle and Neill Collins.

Grayson added: “They’re players who did really well for us last season but they’re obviously tied to other clubs.

“I’m not going to say we will try to sign them or that we won’t. It’s a case of looking at all the options and seeing what’s best for the club.

“We’re at the end of June and there’s no need for clubs or players to rush into decisions.”

Leeds kick off their season with a home clash against Derby on August 7.

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Peter Crouch

Rooney is being held up as the potential saviour for the Three Lions over the next month following his sensational form for Manchester United in the season which has just finished.

His 33 goals were not enough to help Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to the Premier League title but his form has left many observers predicting England can enjoy real success this summer – providing he hits his top level and stays injury free.

Crouch, who is being tipped to start up front alongside Rooney against America in the Group C game on Saturday, believes the former Everton youngster could prove to be a revelation.

“It is massive for us to have someone in such great form going into the World Cup,” Crouch added.

“He has always been fantastic. A top-class player. People are saying he needs to play with another striker.

“But this season at United he has proved he can play up front on his own and still score goals.

“Wayne is world-class. He is in the top five players right now – everyone would agree with that.”

Crouch, on offer at 14/1 to be the top PL striker at World Cup, is also talking up his strike-partner as a potential World Player of the Year if he can inspire Fabio Capello’s side to glory and help England win their first major tournament since 1966.

“I think he could end up being the World Player of the Year. It would be great for England if someone could do that,” he added.

“For someone to win it would be phenomenal. You also forget how young Wayne is.

“He has achieved so much in a short time. He has a long, long way to go in his career.”

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Venables guided England to the semi-finals of Euro ‘96 and knows all about what it takes to succeed as a club and international manager.

And he has warned the England squad their mental approach will be one of the decisive factors in how they perform in the World Cup.

He said: “They have got to be actually thinking about winning it. People keep asking me how do I think they will do, will they reach the quarter-finals or the semi-finals?

“But they have got to be thinking about the final and then winning it. If you don’t really expect to win it, you won’t win it.

“You have got to think you are going to win as a group of players and a management team.

“I think there’s a very good chance, although you can’t see much past Spain and Brazil.

“Brazil know how to win these competitions and while it was the European Championships Spain won two years ago, a lot of the time, the European Championships are tougher than the World Cup because there are so many strong teams in Europe.”

There is much emphasis placed on the fitness of Wayne Rooney (6/4 Top England Goalscorer – World Cup 2010), who suffered a calf strain in the final Premier League game of the season against Stoke City.

But Venables says that Rooney should not be considered as England’s biggest hope.

He said: “I understand the focus on Wayne Rooney, but although he is the outstanding player, he is part of a team.

“We need all our best players, and the team the manager would like to put out, fit and in form.

“We have got Ashley Cole back, and it looks like Rio Ferdinand is going to be fit and strong.

“You need all your best players fit, and that goes for every country.”

Venables is fronting a charity competition to select England’s fantasy World Cup XI and raise funds for Everyman’s research into prostate and testicular cancer.

He said: “As you can imagine, it’s unbelievably difficult.

“When a team has won it, there’s a feeling that you can’t really go for other players outside that, but it’s about picking the strongest possible team.”

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West Ham

The former Chelsea coach is currently helping Hammers chief Gianfranco Zola mastermind their survival in the top flight and is in bullish mood ahead of Monday night’s trip to Liverpool, who in their own way have flopped as badly as the east Londoners this season (Liverpool 1/3, draw 18/5, West Ham 9/1).

West Ham have not won at Anfield in almost 50 years but Clarke reckons he has seen enough over the last few weeks of the campaign to travel in good heart.

He told the club’s website: “When I first went into coaching I was challenging for trophies at the other end of the table, but there is pressure on that as well. In every football match, there is pressure involved.

“That’s why we do it and what we’re in the game for.”

The weekend has been kind to the Hammers so far after Burnley were beaten and Hull could only draw at Birmingham, so Zola and Clarke will be keen viewers as fellow strugglers Wigan entertain Arsenal on Sunday.

Barring a massive shock at the DW Stadium, a win for West Ham at Liverpool would move them up to 16th place, six points clear of the drop zone, and while that prospect might appear fanciful to the neutral, Clarke is fully behind his side (West Ham 9/2 to go down).

He added: “We’ll focus on the fixture on Monday night at Liverpool and, if we continue doing what we have been doing, we’ll be OK.

“Obviously the last couple of results were good for us and we have to build on them. The finishing line is in sight and we have to keep going.

“It’s been a difficult season right from the start, but we’re still in there fighting.

“We have to achieve the objective of staying in the Premier League and we’re all confident we can do that.”

West Ham’s mission could be boosted by events in Iceland – positive ones for a change.

After the banking crisis saw the Hammers taken over by asset management company, CB Holdings, a subsidiary of its then main creditor, the Icelandic bank Straumur, almost 12 months on the volcanic eruption has hampered Reds striker Fernando Torres’ bid to visit a Barcelona-based knee specialist.

Kop chief Rafa Benitez does not want to risk the Spain ace until he has been given the once-over, but the volcanic ash cloud has hampered the former Atletico Madrid ace’s journey to the Catalan capital.

Liverpool also look set to have to field Daniel Agger at left-back again as a temporary measure following injuries to Emiliano Insua and Fabio Aurelio.

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