John McGinlay
It’s Time for Owen Coyle to Earn His Money
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC People, Johan Elmander, John McGinlay, Mark Davies, Owen Coyle | 1 Comment
Bolton take on Wolves at the Reebok Stadium tonight with a section of the home support close to panic. It’s not surprising. Since thumping Newcastle over two months ago, the Whites haven’t played well and the last two games have seen a gutless loss to Chelsea, and a failure to beat Wigan reserves in the FA Cup.
John 'Popular in Wolverhampton' McGinlay
No one realistically expected Owen Coyle’s men to maintain the heights reached in November, but the difference in the level of performance is striking. The team has been toothless up front, disorganised in midfield and shambolic at the back. Most worrying is the complete evaporation of confidence, given that the man in charge is famed for his powers of motivation. There’s even been a new word coined to describe the situation. It’s ‘Megsonesque’, appearing in a dictionary near you soon.
Coyle has the chance to freshen things up after acquiring two new players in the transfer window. Both Gary Cahill and Zat Knight have their qualities, but as a unit they don’t work, so the arrival of David Wheater is welcome.
Up front, Kevin Davies looks old and Johan Elmander is still in a sulk that started when his contract negotiations broke down. It hasn’t occurred to the Swede that he’s still being rewarded handsomely for his lack of effort. Given that, Daniel Sturridge, on loan from Chelsea ought to start.
Johan 'I Can't be Arsed Anymore' Elmander
But it’s in midfield where the main problems lie. Matt Taylor doesn’t work on the right, Martin Petrov doesn’t work at all, Stuart Holden has suffered injuries and Fabrice Muamba relapsed to his gormless worst. The only player to emerge from that area with credit of late is Mark Davies.
Wolves are on odd side, inconsistent and physical to the point of being psychotic. But there’s a better reason to dislike them: They’re Wolves.
There’s never been much love lost between supporters of the two clubs, but things intensified in the 1990s, as Bolton won promotion to the Premier League at the expense of the Dingles, as they’re known to fans of near neighbours West Brom. Hopefully John McGinlay will be wheeled out at some point in tonight’s proceedings and club mascot Lofty the Lion will have a target pinned to his chest so that the visiting scrubbers can throw pies at him again. Ain’t nostalgia great?
The Wanderers (the real ones) have slipped into the bottom half of the table and need three points from this game. An early goal will help as will forward play that involves more than sending the ball down the channels and then hoofing it into the penalty area to no one in particular.
Bolton aren’t as good as they appeared to be late last year, but they aren’t as bad as they seem now. They should certainly have enough to see off Mick McCarthy’s side. With difficult games to come, a failure to do that could have heavy consequences. It’s time for Owen Coyle to earn his money.
- Richard McCormick
Has Al-Habsi’s Move to Wigan Been Scuppered?
Monday, August 30th, 2010 | Adam Bogdan, Ali Al-Habsi, BWFC People, John McGinlay, Jussi Jaaskelainen | 2 Comments
The loan of Ali Al Habsi to Wigan Athletic was seen as beneficial to all parties. It gave the player a chance of first team football, eased the load on Bolton’s wage bill and provided Wigan with a goalkeeper who wasn’t:
a) Always injured
b) Crap
Yes, Chris Kirkland, that’s you we’re talking about.
However, there have been a couple of snags. After being roundly thrashed by Blackpool and Chelsea, Roberto Martinez’s side were expected to go the same way at Spurs. Instead they scored an unlikely victory and the big Omani stopper performed heroically to keep a clean sheet for the second time in five days.
Wigan. Clean sheet. Same paragraph. Doesn’t compute does it?
Agent Al-Habsi appears to have misunderstood his instructions. He was supposed to keep the result respectable, not stop the other lot scoring altogether.
Secondly, events at the Reebok on Sunday, have got some fans in a panic, frantically calling for Bolton’s reserve ‘keeper to be recalled. Jussi Jaaskelainen will receive a three match ban for violent conduct after giving Roger Johnson what John McGinlay might have described as a ‘wee push’, albeit in a somewhat girly fashion. › Continue reading
Bolton Wanderers Hall of Fame #6: Owen Coyle
Friday, December 5th, 2008 | Andy Walker, BWFC People, Fabian De Freitas, Gary Megson, Johan Elmander, John McGinlay, Keith Branagan, Kevin Davies, Mixu Paatelainen, Nat Lofthouse, Owen Coyle | No Comments
A scorer of important goals, worthy of his place in McDonald’s…
There was an interesting discussion on the Times’ The Game podcast recently about how strikers don’t score goals any more. Their evidence was that the only three of the Premier League’s top 10 goalscorers are still playing (and none of them are at the top of their game any more).
Ivan Campo Appreciation Society: Exhibit D
Thursday, October 9th, 2008 | BWFC People, Ivan Campo, Ivan Campo Appreciation Society, John McGinlay | No Comments
In loving memory of Bolton Wanderers legend Ivan Campo…
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a bug in the system of the BWFC latest news feed that displays on the top right-hand side of this blog. It kept crashing and I couldn’t figure out why.
Well, after some trial and error, it appears the bug was caused by the news feed from the Manchester Evening News. Since I removed the MEN feed it’s worked perfectly.
More proof that Mancunians and Boltonians don’t mix came in the MEN’s report of the Wanderers 3-1 win at West Ham. As Vital Bolton Wanderers pointed out, their assertion that Bolton had not won at Upton Park for 44 years was slightly wrong… they were a mere 41 years out.
In fact, Bolton also won at West Ham in the League Cup in 1994, when a Super John McGinlay brace helped us on our way to Wembley.
But the long wait for a league win at Upton Park was ended in 2005 when your favourite Spaniard and mine Ivan Campo scored the decisive goal.
So, for making the Mancs look stupid, we salute you Ivan…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv69mqem2-I]
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Desert Island Goals: John McGinlay, Jason McAteer and Andy Walker
Saturday, September 20th, 2008 | Andy Walker, BWFC People, Gary Megson, Jason McAteer, John McGinlay | No Comments
Great goals from Bolton Wanderers history…
It’s sometimes difficult to explain why so many Bolton fans see the early to mid-nineties as the golden age, even though the last few years have – in theory – been even more successful.
I think part of the romance of that era was the idea of taking on the world and conquering it against all the odds. There was an ‘anything is possible’ attitude at that time that was epitomised by those great FA Cup performances against Liverpool, Everton, Aston Villa and this one in 1994, when goals from John McGinlay, Jason McAteer and Andy Walker helped knock out the holders Arsenal.
Seven and a bit years in to our current Premier League life, the novelty has definitely worn off. Then the Uefa Cup came along to reinvigorate us, but Gary Megson didn’t share our dreams. His team selection in Lisbon was more ‘anything is impossible’.
Ahead of what’s likely to be another 10-men behind-the-ball, attack-at-your-peril performance from Megson’s Bolton Wanderers against Arsenal this afternoon, now seemed like a good time to remember the days when we used to scare the life out of big teams with energetic, attacking football.
The club in its current incarnation was built on the back of nights like this. So when Megson complains about supporters getting on his and the team’s back, he should know that it’s not necessarily just about results, or even performances. It’s about the life and the optimism being sucked out of the club by a manager who has failed to understand what Bolton Wanderers is all about.
We don’t win European Cups and Premier League titles, and we don’t expect to. So please Gary, give us something else to get excited about.
These were the days…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3e6kNpPPXc]
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10 very good reasons to sell Abdoulaye Meite
Thursday, July 31st, 2008 | Abdoulaye Meite, BWFC People, Gary Megson, Henrik Pedersen, John McGinlay, Nat Lofthouse | 1 Comment
Abdoulaye Meite not fit to lace Super John McGinlay’s boots
The Bolton News reports that the Wanderers are furious with West Brom’s latest £1.5 million bid for defender Abdoulaye Meite.
Given that Gary Megson clearly doesn’t rate the player and Meite himself proved he doesn’t want to play for the Wanderers when he refused to come out for the second half against Manchester Untied at Old Trafford last season, you’d think they would take the money and run.
From the fans’ point of view there is another very good reason to get shut of Meite. For some bizarre reason the club has given him the squad number 10 for next season (if he’s still around).
Meite's profile on bwfc.co.uk: The pic says 5 but the squad list says 10
Being something of a traditionalist, I’m of the view that defenders should be barred from wearing numbers 7 to 11. More importantly, as this thread on The Bolton News points out, to give a Man United-fearing, cowardly sore loser like Meite the shirt that was once warn by Super John McGinlay is tantamount to treason.
Mind you, the same argument could’ve been made about Henrik Pedersen, Nat Lofthouse and the number 9 shirt a few years ago… even before Henrik became a left back.
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