REAM WOULD BE A GREAT SIGNING - COYLE

REAM WOULD BE A GREAT SIGNING - COYLE

Bolton boss Owen Coyle has revealed he would be eager to sign defender Tim Ream for Bolton Wanderers, but realizes why MLS side New York Red Bulls has insisted the defender is not for sale.

Ream is spending a few days training with the Trotters after enjoying last week with Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion.

West Brom manager Roy Hodgson was impressed by the centre-back and stated he was considering a bid to sign USA international on loan in the January transfer window.
The 24-year-old has also impressed Coyle and he believes Ream has the quality to be part of the Bolton squad.

But, Red Bulls sporting director Eric Soler has confirmed Ream has made the trip to England to gain experience and the USA international will be with the Major League Soccer club next campaign.

Outstanding

"Would we like to have him at the football club? Absolutely," Coyle said.
"Red Bulls have said that he is not for sale and that is totally understandable - I would say that about my top players.

"Tim Ream is an outstanding player. He is someone I have known about for a couple of years now and I have watched his games extensively.

"I can totally understand why the Red Bulls would say he is their player, because he is a prized asset.

"But he has come in here, conducted himself very well and shown his quality - he has a lot of similar qualities to (Bolton's USA international) Stuart Holden, in terms of mentality and how he sees the game and wants to progress, and those are attributes I love.

"He is a New York Red Bulls player and I wouldn't say anything else beside that because you have to respect that he has come in for a week's training with the permission of the club.

"We'll leave it at that for the moment, and we'll see what January brings."

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Official: Dennis Erickson out as Arizona State coach

Official: Dennis Erickson out as Arizona State coach

The administrator spoke on the circumstance of secrecy on Sunday because details of Erickson's going away have not been finalized.

Erickson will meet with athletic director Lisa Love as early as Monday and, at 64, could be allowed to give up work rather than be fired. Erickson could unmoving coach in whatever bowl game the Sun Devils play in.

Erickson's job came into danger after Arizona State lost its final four games next a 6-2 start, knocking the Sun Devils from contention to play in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game next Friday. He was 31-30 in five seasons in the wasteland.

Erickson won a pair of national titles with Miami and had stops at Oregon State and Idaho before incoming in Tempe in 2007. He had an imposing start in the wasteland, named the Pac-10 coach of the year after most important the Sun Devils to the Holiday Bowl and their first 10-win season in nine years.

That twisted out to be the highlight of his tenure. Arizona State won no more than six games the next three years, ineligible for a bowl last season since two of its games were next to Football Championship Subdivision schools.

Love opt to stick with Erickson in spite of three straight shaky seasons and the Sun Devils went into this year with high prospect, recurring nearly every starter on both sides of the ball.

Arizona State looks good early; taking control of the Pac-12 South after its first eight games then went into a tailspin.

After becoming bowl eligible for the first time in four years with a win over Colorado on Oct. 29, the Sun Devils lost their grip on the South with a loss to UCLA the next week, and couldn't make up ground regardless of the Bruins' lackluster finish.

The final blows for Erickson's probability of keeping his job came with a unsatisfactory home loss to rival Arizona, which had fired its coach and had won just two games at that point, followed by Friday's 47-39 loss to California at home.

"I don't know that I have ever been through a month like this," Erickson said after the loss to Cal. "We felt that we had a chance to have a great year, then you lose four in a row and just end up with a very, very average year."

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