Gary Cahill
The Year of the Un-Coyled: Part Two
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 | BWFC News, BWFC People, Gary Cahill, Kevin Davies, Owen Coyle | 2 Comments
The new season beckons. Excitement mounts. Yeah right…
Comings and Goings
The summer transfer market was slow, with attempts to offload Gary Cahill for a handsome fee meeting with failure. The desire to get rid couldn’t have been more obvious if a small ad had been placed in the classifieds.
‘For Sale : Top class international defender. Two careful owners. All offers considered.’
For sale to a good home. Or any home, in exchange of a big sack of cash.
The bid from Arsenal was derisory and caused tension between the two clubs, while ‘Arry Redknapp, true to character, made enquiries a few minutes before the end of the window. The behaviour of the interested clubs was disrespectful to Bolton and to Cahill, who it should be noted, has behaved impeccably. He will move to Chelsea later this month with the best wishes of Whites fans.
Ali Al-Habsi was sold to Wigan, Matt Taylor to West Ham and Danny Ward to Huddersfield to give Coyle some working capital. Eight new players were brought in, some on loan. None of them can be considered an unqualified success. Note the polite phrasing of that last sentence.
Pre-season was overshadowed by the broken leg sustained by Lee Chung-Yong in a friendly at Newport County. When top flight sides play such fixtures against non league opposition there’s a tacit agreement that it won’t be an eyeballs out affair. A shame that no one told Tom Miller. Or maybe they did and he’s a psychopath.
The First False Dawn
Whatever confidence there was evaporated when the fixture list for 2011-12 was published. Five of the leading clubs were to be faced early on. QPR imploded in the first game of the season giving the Wanderers an easy 4-0 triumph and a creditable loss against Manchester City took place a week after.
Then it was downhill accelerating, with feeble performances against Liverpool, Manchester United, Norwich, Arsenal and Chelsea. The worst fears had been realised. › Continue reading
The Search for Bolton’s Next Manager Starts Now
Monday, October 24th, 2011 | BWFC News, BWFC People, Gary Cahill, Owen Coyle, Phil Gartside | 17 Comments
Another day, and another spineless performance from Bolton Wanderers, this time against the long ball hoof merchants that are Sunderland. Surrender to Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, was uncomfortable to watch, but seeing the same attitude displayed against much more limited opposition has tested the patience of many Whites fans beyond breaking point.
Enjoy it while it lasts, fatty. You'll soon be under pressure again
What to do with Owen Coyle? Give him more time. Find him help. Get rid. There is no general consensus. If it’s the latter option, then Coyle could have no complaints. Six points from nine games is only one more than Sammy Lee got, prior to his sacking in 2007 and three wins (and twelve defeats) in fifteen league outings since the debacle at Wembley is unacceptable by any standards.
There’s also an unpleasing symmetry that has emerged. Last season Bolton had the worst away record in the four divisions. Now they have the poorest home results.
Criticism of the Whites boss should be tempered. Losing the two best players in Stuart Holden and Lee Chung-Yong from a squad that was ordinary in the first place, would be a crushing blow to anyone in that situation. In addition, his net spend in the transfer market over two seasons has been more or less nil, with Bolton so hamstrung for cash. But the lack of progress in rectifying what are glaring faults can not be ignored. › Continue reading
Gary Cahill to Leave – In Exchange for a Truck Load of Players
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011 | BWFC News, BWFC People, Gary Cahill, Kevin Davies, Richard McCormick | 2 Comments
The long running Gary-Cahill-to-leave-but-we-don’t-know-how-much-for-and-where-to continues this morning with the skunks in the press being particularly inventive.
Eboue flys, without assistance from an airline
Matt Law, in an ‘exclusive’ for the Daily Express, figures that Arsenal will offer Henri Lansbury, Carlos Vela, Armand Traore and Emmanuel Eboue as part of a deal for Bolton’s star centre back.
This will be unwelcome news for Eboue, who was involved in a spat with Kevin Davies at the Reebok in 2006 and has never quite recovered. The Ivorian international has already catered for this eventuality, obtaining a Belgian passport to make his detection more difficult. He was last seen on the M25, heading for Heathrow, with final destination unknown.
Across town at Spurs, Harry Redknapp is prepared to trade Sebastien Bassong, Robbie Keane, Jermaine Jenas and Alan Hutton according to the Daily Mail. This motley crew is worth £17 million apparently, matching Cahill’s asking price. However, if Jenas is excluded, the value of the players offered rises to £20 million.
If it’s ok with Messrs Wenger and Redknapp, we’d rather have the money, thanks.
- Richard McCormick
Follow @RMc2407
What a difference a year makes….?
Monday, December 27th, 2010 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Bruce Rioch, Football Association, Gary Cahill, Gary Megson, Johan Elmander, Kevin Davies, Lee Chung-Yong, Premier League, Premiership referees | 1 Comment
I didn’t get round to replying to Josh’s thread about what a difference a year makes, so I’ll stick my thoughts here.
(incidentally, when fans discuss the golden era of Bolton Wanderers, for me our second greatest period – after the 1920′s – is 30 Dec 2009 to 8 Jan 2010)
I’ll start by saying I’m a huge fan of Owen Coyle. In my opinion, this is the best managerial appointment we have ever made. Whether we go on to have the success to justify that statement remains to be seen and depends on a whole range of factors, but for me there has never previously been an available candidate more perfect for the job. I’ve stated my reasons for this in great depth many times in the past on the old official board and others, so I won’t go over old ground.
we're all a happy bunch here...
All that said, my take on the first year under OC is that if anything the “Coyle revolution” has gone slightly slower than I expected / would have liked.
To evaluate the changes, it seems reasonable to summarise based on some key areas: our league position, the style of football, spirit / morale within the club, and mood / enthusiasm of the supporters.
League position:
A massive “pass” for OC thus far. Taking over in the bottom three and guiding us comfortably to safety last season was a solid start, but it’s our lofty heights this season that really catches the eye. It’s pretty safe to say that we would be nowhere near 6th at this stage of the season under the previous manager. I’d also say it would be unlikely that we would be anywhere near this position now if BSA had never left (or worse – returned).
However, we shouldn’t get too carried away yet. We have put ourselves in an excellent position to give us a chance of a top 8 finish, but there’s a long way to go yet. Other teams have games in hand, and our position could look a bit different after the next couple of games.
We’ve also benefited from a season where some of the fancied sides have started poorly. Nobody would have predicted at the start of the season that Liverpool, Everton AND Villa would all be outside the top 8 at this stage of the season. › Continue reading
Bolton’s Gary Cahill Joins Stoke City
Sunday, October 17th, 2010 | BWFC People, Gary Cahill, Johan Elmander, Kevin Davies | 4 Comments
Opinions are still divided after Saturday’s game between Bolton and Stoke City at the Reebok.
Should Stoke have had a penalty? Was the sending off of Ivan Klasnic harsh?
Should the Neanderthal Stoke fans who terrorised women and children be inhumanly euthanized? Should they be joined by the Bolton chavs who mouthed off and then ran off leaving others to deal with the consequences of their actions?
Some things can be agreed on though. Kevin Davies, Johan Elmander and Gary Cahill play for Bolton, while Jermaine Pennant, Ryan Shawcross and Kenwyne Jones are in the employ of Stoke City.
Not according to the News of the World.
The quotes in italics are produced word for word from Adrian Milledge’s deliciously confused match report.
Rupert Murdoch. Worth billions. Employs numpties.
‘The 33-year old, set up by Pennant’s outswinging corner, should have doubled Bolton’s lead in first-half stoppage time but headed wide.’
That 33-year old was Kevin Davies, who was presumably trying to score from inside his own penalty area. Neat if you can manage it.
‘Cahill completely snuffed out any threat from Davies and his strike partner, the in-form Johan Elmander.’
No wonder Davo had a lean day. Johan too.
‘And with Shawcross keeping a firm hand on striker Kenwyne Jones, the goal came from a winger.’
This marking players from your own side lark seems to be catching on.
Ready for the best bit? Here you go.
‘…aside from Delap’s long throws and some teasing corners sent in by Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant, Stoke played the ball on the floor.’
Maybe Mr Milledge watched the game whilst upside down. That would account for his mental disintegration.
Shock and Surprise in Bolton as the Unthinkable Happens
Saturday, September 4th, 2010 | BWFC People, Gary Cahill | 2 Comments
There was a small earth tremor in Bolton last night as the jaws of several thousand local football fans hit the floor simultaneously. The reason? Gary Cahill making his much awaited and long overdue debut for England after Michael Dawson’s attempt to re-invent himself as a contortionist went horribly wrong.
Of course Cahill wasn’t anything close to being first choice. Rio Ferdinand has a knee problem and John Terry a shagging injury, whilst West Ham’s Matthew Upson is still hiding under the stairs in East London after being terrorised by Kevin Davies again. Not that Upson should be anywhere near the national squad, unless it’s to hand out the half-time oranges. › Continue reading
Spurs v Bolton – How the pendulum has swung…?
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Gary Cahill, Gary Megson, Gudni Bergsson, Jay-Jay Okocha, Owen Coyle, Premier League, Sam Allardyce | 16 Comments
This weekend sees Bolton travel to White Hart Lane, and a clash between two famous old clubs that have 16 FA Cup
how times have changed
Finals (12 wins) and a combined total of 146 years of top-flight football between them, not to mention Spurs’ 4 League Cup wins, and 4 European trophies.
Recent history has been very different for the two clubs, with Spurs only spending one year out of the top flight since 1950, whilst Bolton have dropped through the leagues and back twice in the same period. However, looking further back in history paints a different picture of the two clubs.
Prior to 1950, Spurs had spent as much time in the Second Division as the First, and their only FA Cup win had come as a non-league club in 1901. Bolton had already won the cup three times, been runners-up twice, and spent the vast majority of their history in the top flight.
The abolition of the maximum wage in 1961 changed the football landscape at the time, and Bolton’s decline from this point onwards was dramatic and prolonged.
By the end of the 1959/60 season, Bolton were historically England’s 5th most successful club, based on average league position. At the same point, despite one league title success, Spurs were the 20th best team.
By the end of 2008, Spurs – by now winners of the FA Cup eight times, the League Cup four times, and four European trophies – had moved up to seventh in the table of overall average league positions, whilst Bolton had failed to add to trophy cabinet, had spent more time out of the top flight than in it, and slipped to 21st in the overall average league table.
In anticipation of the weekend’s clash, bwfcforum’s Statman takes a closer look at the history of the two clubs for Manny Road. › Continue reading
Bolton Wanderers 3-2 Everton: Video highlights
Sunday, October 25th, 2009 | BWFC Goals, Gary Cahill, Lee Chung-Yong | 6 Comments
For those who don’t want to wait for Match of the Day
Lee Chung-Yong’s goal from the Wanderers 3-2 victory over Everton at the Reebok Stadium today. More to follow…
Bolton Wanderers 3-1 West Ham: Video highlights
Thursday, September 24th, 2009 | BWFC Goals, BWFC People, Gary Cahill, Johan Elmander, Kevin Davies | No Comments
Some much needed relief…
All the goals from the Wanderers 3-1 Carling Cup win over West Ham (minus the last goal for some reason)…
Setanta misses the point with Bolton Wanderers season review
Monday, June 8th, 2009 | BWFC News, BWFC People, Danny Shittu, Gary Cahill, Gary Megson, Gretar Steinsson, Johan Elmander, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Matt Taylor, Mustapha Riga | 6 Comments
Image via Wikipedia
The Sky wannabes let Gary Megson off the hook
It’s the time of year when newspapers and websites fill empty space with reviews and analysis of the season just passed. Most of them are hardly worth reading, especially when you’ve had a season as dull and uneventful as the Wanderers have.
One section from Setanta’s end-of-season Bolton Wanderers review jumped off the page, though.
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