Owen Coyle's struggling side made a dramatic return to form yesterday as they thrashed Stoke 5-0 at the Reebok Stadium.

It was only their third Barclays Premier League win of the season and their first points on their home ground.

The Trotters had been handed a daunting fixture list in the opening two months of the season - they lost to five of the current top seven - but disappointing defeats by Sunderland, Swansea and Norwich brought criticism.

Eagles, the Trotters' outstanding performer with two goals against the Potters, said: "None of us really pay attention to what people say.

"Anyone can put you down, any job you do.

"We don't listen, we just go out there and do our job. We stick together.

"People can comment on everything, people think they can have a view on you.

"But with Owen, he keeps it close-knit. We don't listen to anyone outside.

"We are fit, happy and hopefully everyone can see that.

"I don't think anyone could have predicted 5-0 but it just shows what character we have got.

"I think we are getting our defence sorted and we are looking solid as a team."

Coyle will hope yesterday's remarkable result can spark an upturn in fortunes in the way last season's FA Cup semi-final hammering by the same side appears to have started a slump.

After being humbled 5-0 by Stoke at Wembley in April, the Trotters had lost 13 of their 16 league games prior to this weekend.

Until that slump Coyle's reputation had only been positive and Eagles feels little has changed.

The 25-year-old only joined the club in the summer but previously played for Coyle at Burnley.

He said: "I have always followed Bolton - it's been about two years that I thought I was coming.

"It was difficult because obviously I spoke to Owen regularly.

"When I found out I was coming in the summer I was over the moon.

"I knew the players because I have watched them, I just didn't know them personally.

"Now, to be part of it - with another two wins we are going to be in the top half and I believe we can do that.

"We have proved we can play with the best. We have had some bad results but now hopefully we are going to turn it around and climb the table."

Bolton took control over a Stoke side possibly weary after a Europa League trip to Maccabi Tel Aviv with a controversial second-minute goal.

Asmir Begovic handled what was deemed to be a back pass from Glenn Whelan and then allowed Ivan Klasnic to take a quick free-kick for Kevin Davies to score.

Eagles added a brilliant second from long range and a tight angle after another Begovic blunder before Klasnic swept in a third.

Eagles and Klasnic then doubled their tallies and such was Bolton's dominance the margin of their victory could easily have been greater.

Begovic did not agree with referee Howard Webb that Whelan's lob back into the area was a back pass but made no excuses for what happened afterwards.

The Bosnian told his club's website, www.stokecityfc.com: "I was very confused because I didn't see that as a pass back.

"It hit Glenn's shinpad and came up in the air so I don't see how he intended to pass that back.

"But it is what he interpreted it as. There was a bit of confusion there and they took advantage of that.

"In hindsight I should then probably have held it or kicked it away and we'd have moved on but that little bit of confusion killed us.

"He took it away from me and they put it in. It was not the best of starts."

He added: "Of course it is a team game. We all need to step up our games and improve quickly.

"The mistakes we are making are not good enough and we have got to go back to the basics that gave us success in the first place."