Bolton ace Nolan upset at failing to catch Capello's eye

Maybe he prefers Swan Lake to watching Rocky but he is missing out on a player who continues to press a legitimate claim for inclusion in the England squad.

Kevin Nolan may not quite have the quality to replace Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard but he scored the opener as Bolton grabbed their first away victory of the season.

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Heidar Helguson got Bolton's second.

"There have been a lot of squads that have passed me by since I have been at Bolton," Nolan says.

"I'm not surprised but I am a bit hurt and upset. I thought with a new England manager coming in I might have a shout but I refuse to let it get me down. I'll keep on doing what I do, scoring goals and working hard and if I keep that up maybe my chance will come.

"I know we have a lot of good players available, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole. They are world class. It would take a brave man to leave them out."

You sense that if Nolan were playing in a more fashionable side his opportunity would come — Gary Cahill, the £5million signing from Villa had an outstanding debut and will also be hoping Signor Capello finds his way to the Reebok Stadium — but at Bolton a good work ethic takes precedence over individual artistry.

They were the principles on which Steve Coppell built Reading but financial restraints and modest wages do not make them the most attractive destination for players and six successive defeats suggest trouble lies ahead.

"I said last October that the three relegated clubs would come from a pool of nine and we are now firmly one of them," Coppell reflected.

"We can't rest on what happened last season. We have not been as fluent as we were then.

"Does it give me sleepless nights? Of course it does. I always think of a quote from Bill Shankly along the lines of 'losing is worse than death because you have to live with losing'. This is something you carry around."

For the first time in Coppell's reign the fans were booing at the end.

"It is hurtful, I admit. I heard some of the comments made from behind me, which I didn't particularly like. But I'm the manager and I would prefer they were directed at me rather than the players," he said.

"Alan Curbishley told me he hadn't has a good night's sleep since last September. If you want to sleep at night you don't become a football manager."