Challenge and resources bigger at Bolton, says Owen Coyle

The greater opportunity to invest in players at Bolton was the main motivation behind Owen Coyle's decision to leave Burnley, the Trotters' new manager told a press conference this morning. "This is an unbelievable challenge," Coyle said. "But it was a big wrench to leave Turf Moor. Of course I am excited but the emotional attachment I feel for Burnley has made it a difficult decision. With finance so tight, we all pulled together and achieved promotion. But there was a choice to be made about whether we carried on as were doing or maybe invested £30m to establish the club. That wasn't possible. The level of finance Burnley were at, it was always going to be difficult and you risk sliding down the leagues. I think Burnley will stay up but I was trying to move things quicker than the finance would dictate." Coyle said that his only priority was staying in the Premier League. "There's an unbelievable stadium here, and the infrastructure is all in place – the academy and training centre," he said. "Everything is geared for top-flight football and it is my job to ensure it. "I was never motivated by personal finances myself. If it was about wages I would have taken the job at Celtic in the summer. I poured my heart and soul into that [Burnley] job and we left no stone unturned to get where we did. "My motivation is the magnificent challenge. I want to be involved at the highest level and that's the Premier League. As a boyhood Celtic fan I turned down that job to stay here. The best individual players are in the Premier League and you want to go and compete against the best in the business. I want Bolton to play in a manner to win points and entertain the fans." Asked whether he would be backing his manager during the January transfer window, the chairman, Phil Gartside, said he always had done so in the past. He paid tribute to Gary Megson, who was dismissed 12 days ago, and said the club had built a big legacy over the past 10 years that was an honour to pass on to Coyle. Gartside said that it took the pair five minutes to make up their minds after meeting last Saturday and that no one else had even made it on to Bolton's shortlist. Bolton's style will change, Coyle said, but the priority was to avoid relegation before looking to make improvements. Gartside admitted that he was always worried about the fans' reaction but said: "They'll embrace Owen for what he is, a bubbly and infectious character. You can't not like this guy. He's sat there because he'll keep us up."