THE Whites are safe at last, just as I predicted a few weeks ago, but if the players think they can get the sun tan lotion out for the last two games they can think again.

Owen Coyle has done the job he was brought in to do and he will be pleased about that, but I know he wasn’t pleased about the way they got that final point on Saturday.

In fact I was thinking of bobbing my head into his office and shaking his hand, but I saw the look on his face and thought better of it. He was fuming, and rightly so.

Two-nill didn’t flatter us at all at half time against Portsmouth. It could easily have been five – that was how much the lads were in control of the game.

But they always say 2-0 is an awkward lead and I experienced it myself in my playing days. The third goal is so important. Score it and the game’s usually over, concede it and you’re in danger of getting the jitters. And that is what happened on Saturday.

It takes characters to deal with situations like that and I can fully understand Coyley fuiming about his players surrendering a winning position in the way they did.

I’ve said it before and I make so excuse for saying it again: He’s a winner and he wants winners around him.

He was brought here to do a particular job this season and he’s done what he said he would do and kept the club in the Premiership.

You’ve got to give full marks to the chairman, Phil Gartside, and chief executive, Alan Duckworth, for bringing him on board, but he hasn’t come to Bolton to fight relegation battles every year. This is an established Premier League club – next season will be the 10th on the trot in the top flight – and Coyley will be targeting a top-10 finish.

He will want to move the club forward and if any players don’t want to go with him, he will bring in other players who do.

In some ways the hard work starts here. I’m sure Coyley will know the players he wants to keep and the ones he wants to let go and he will already have his eyes on players he wants to bring in.

It can be cruel on those who are discarded or left behind, but now that he has achieved his first objective he will want to move Bolton Wanderers to the next level – and he won’t waste any time in doing that.