BWFC News
Ice Cold Reebok. Red Hot Football
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 | BWFC News | 3 Comments
Bolton hosted Arsenal on Wednesday, with the two sides producing probably the most exciting 0-0 draw yet seen this season. It was a night of subzero temperatures, but the football was red hot and no one watching could help but be thoroughly entertained.
Sam Ricketts fights the cold with an unusual warm up routine.
It was a disappointing result for Arsenal, but certainly not an unfair one. Bolton are vastly improved in 2012, and they produced yet another determined display. The home side did, however, have plenty of silk to go with their steel. Listening to some post-match reviews, you could have been forgiven for thinking that Bolton had bullied and harassed their way to a point against an underperforming Arsenal; not a bit of it. This was an organised and unyielding Wanderers display, but also one which displayed verve and attacking drive. Arsenal have played worse this season and still won, and Bolton deserve full credit for keeping a clean sheet against them.
The Gunners started brightly, with Bolton failing to come to grips with the pass-and-move style for which the North London outfit have become known. Indeed, in the early stages of the game, it seemed last year’s Wanderers had made an unwelcome return. The Whites followed the ball around the pitch, watching Arsenal play whilst not actively trying to stop them. As a result, the ball found its way into the box far too regularly for the home crowd’s liking, and Arsenal looked increasingly likely to take the lead.
A ball whipped in by Alex Chamberlain should have been converted, but no Arsenal player could get a touch. Minutes later the ball dropped to Walcott, but the winger took one touch too many and found himself closed down, with Ricketts clearing the ball. Then it was Robin Van Persie’s chance to squander an opening, cutting inside onto his right and then taking an age to shoot – the ball cannoned off Wheater to safety. “Too easy” was the cry from the stands. › Continue reading
Gary Megson: Phil Gartside Told Me to Get Out of Europe
Thursday, January 26th, 2012 | BWFC News, BWFC People, Phil Gartside | 3 Comments
We’ve heard some strange claims from Gary Megson in the past, but his most recent interview has the potential to be seriously explosive. Megson claims that, whilst manager of Bolton, the club’s chairman Phil Gartside “ordered” him to lose a UEFA Cup game and send Bolton crashing out of the competition.
Phil Gartside. Is that a smile or a maniacal laugh?
Many Bolton fans have issues with Gartside, but actively telling a manager to throw a game is something that even critics of the chairman will find hard to believe. Gartside has spoken on ‘Twitter’, rubbishing Megson’s story. In response to my ‘tweet’ reading “Megson claims “ordered” to lose in UEFA. You couldn’t make it up”, Gartside said “your (sic) right you couldn’t make it up but somebody has.” In response to another message, a clearly angered Gartside said “can’t believe he’s said that”.
The Bolton News has reported on the comments from the ex Bolton boss, and says that the club will not be commenting officially. Whilst you can understand the club’s position, this could well be a mistake; with many fans already demanding the chairman respond.
Gartside was accused of a “lack of ambition” by Sam Allardyce, in an interview given to the Telegraph’s Jeremy Wilson in August 2011, in which ‘Big Sam’ claimed the Bolton hierarchy “didn’t want” Champions League football. Megson is sowing seeds of discord in fertile ground and the club really needs to formally respond.
- Azreal88
Welcome Back Bolton Wanderers. We’ve Missed You
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 | BWFC News, David Ngog, Mark Davies, Nigel Reo Coker | 3 Comments
Once upon a long time ago, Bolton Wanderers were a team that no one liked to play. Sam Allardyce set his side up in such a way that it stifled opposition, that on paper should have been superior.
Members of the media, most of whom can’t think for themselves, may have dubbed it ‘not for the purist’, but Whites fans took pleasure in the reputation – and the results.
There might be a few more of these sold now.
All that ended with the arrival of Gary Megson. The Ginger One won one, drew one and lost all the rest, against the then big four. In the 2008-9 season, he managed one point from 42 against teams that finished in the top seven.
Some will argue that points have the same value, whether they’re achieved at the expense of title contenders, or relegation fodder. That may be mathematically correct, but it overlooks the morale boost that lesser teams get from turning over the big boys, for sport is about nothing, if not glory.
One of the criticisms levelled at Owen Coyle was that he had failed to arrest that losing trend, bar one late season win against an already demoralised Arsenal. After the way Liverpool were swept aside at the Reebok on Saturday, there is one charge less facing the man from Paisley.
A sober analysis might include the arguments that Liverpool, without Uruguay’s favourite racist are an ordinary side and that Kenny Dalglish inherited a squad some way short of Champions League potential that a summer spending spree has failed to improve. Then there’s Steven Gerrard, who has yet to regain much of his usual game, apart from whining and bitching to the match officials.
But sod that. The men in white were fully deserving of their victory and it should be celebrated. Underpinning a collective effort stuffed with commitment and fighting spirit were several worthy performances.
Adam Bogdan put his Chelsea nightmare behind with a solid display of maturity. The Hungarian international wasn’t called upon to perform heroics, but he handled his routine tasks well, some of which could have gone horribly wrong.
It has been suggested that he might have come off his line more quickly in order to prevent Craig Bellamy scoring, but such a view assumes that Bogdan can move at roughly twice the speed of Usain Bolt.
At the other end of the pitch, David N’Gog continued to progress in his role of lone front man, holding up the ball well and showing some clever touches. The Frenchman isn’t a natural goal scorer, but that will matter less if he can play in advancing midfielders as he did for Bolton’s opener.
Nigel Reo Coker has been criticised this season, not least on these pages. He still lacks an astuteness in reading the game, but starting with the away victory at Blackburn the former West Ham and Aston Villa midfielder has played a leader’s role and exhibited the combative qualities that made Coyle give him a contract in the first place.
Game sorted. Now to do something about that hair cut.
However the stand out performer, not for the first time of late, was Mark Davies, who is at last realising his potential. Gone, is the tendency to drift in and out of games and his tackling and tracking back have improved beyond measure.
Mini Davo’s attacking abilities have never been in doubt, but he seems lighter, fitter and faster and is starting to enjoy his first injury free season in years. We’ll pause for a bit there, while readers find a piece of wood to touch.
Can Bolton maintain the improvement, that started at Ewood Park and has continued since? (although not without a hiccups or two) If so, then relegation which seemed a certainty a few weeks ago, may yet be avoided.
There are difficult games still to come, but the end of season run in, seems kind compared to the other drop zone contenders. If it’s really the hope that kills you, then Wanderers fans are once more in grave danger. No, that wasn’t a pun. Honest.
- Richard McCormick
Champions League Liverpool? You’re Having a Laugh!
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, David Ngog, Mark Davies, Nigel Reo Coker, Premier League | 9 Comments
Saturday saw a blustery evening at the Reebok, but it wasn’t the wind that blew Liverpool away. A new year has, it seems, brought a new Bolton Wanderers with it. A battling, energetic and imaginative display saw The Whites put three past the visitors and take three points off the Merseysiders for the first time since 2006 – when goals from Ivan Campo and Gary Speed put The Reds to the sword. It had been a long time coming, but this game was worth the wait.
Kenny Dalglish waves goodbye to the chance of a top four finish.
At first, it looked as though Bolton were going to make a slow start. Liverpool seemed relaxed and confident, whilst the men in white seemed nervous and gave the ball away far too easily. Liverpool’s dominance lasted all of 3 minutes, and then Wanderers took control of the game. Fabrice Muamba, whose new-found on-the-ball composure has been welcomed by all Bolton fans, fed a short ball to the feet of David N’Gog. N’Gog’s ability with his back to goal is starting to become telling, and his deft flick, whilst holding off the challenge of Martin Skrtle, gave Mark Davies licence to run. As Davies carried the ball forward N’Gog was off and running, forcing Agger to go with him with him and opening-up space in the heart of the Liverpool defence. With Skirtle lumbering in his wake and Agger on the back foot, Davies took full advantage with a trademark ‘jinky’ run giving him a sight of goal. Owen Coyle made comments in the press recently, in which he called on Davies to add goals to his game; Mark was clearly listening. A beautifully placed finish from the midfielder gave Wanderers the lead and sent the Reebok faithful into raptures.
Liverpool were visibly shocked, as were most Bolton fans to be honest, but Wanderers immediately set out to show the early goal was no fluke. Chris Eagles, who had a dreadful time against Utd at Old Trafford, looked like a man with a point to prove, and it was he who would worry Liverpool next. Eagles won the ball from Jose Enrique and set-off in determined fashion. Eagles would trouble Enrique all game with his energy and willingness to run with the ball, and he skipped away from the former Spain U21 international before drilling a shot across the face of goal. If Liverpool fans had seen the first goal as a freak, Eagles’ effort may have knocked them down a peg or two – if nothing else, it shut the usually boisterous Liverpudlian away fans up for some time. Maxi Rodriguez almost gave Liverpool something to sing about, as he got in behind from a long punt by Pepe Reina. It really should have been 1-1, but Maxi somehow contrived to ‘miscontrol’ the ball and then handle, earning Wanderers a freekick. It was a let-off for Wanderers and should have been a wake-up call for a defence playing a high line. › Continue reading
Maybe it’s Time for Tuncay Now
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 | BWFC News | 3 Comments
The Whites go into round four of the FA Cup on cruise control. Azreal is there to see the action and to make a suggestion to St Owen.
Bolton will play Swansea in round 4 of the FA Cup after enjoying a largely comfortable 2-0 win over Macclesfield Town at the Reebok Stadium. Macclesfield did well to force a replay with the Premier League side, but quality told on Tuesday night as the Wanderers eased to victory. It was a night of contrasts, as the old cliché “a game of two halves” was played out on the pitch. Bolton started well and dominated the first half, only to switch off after the break. Macclesfield, without home advantage, failed to really get going; but managed to put in a better display in the latter stages to give their fans something to sing about.
Lofty Junior demonstrates the fine art of levitation.
The League Two side were a goal down inside the first minute, after a poor pass by Jon Bateson rebounded off Ivan Klasnic. Bateson rushed back to clear, only to completely miss the ball and slip to the ground. Klasnic seized the opportunity and centred the ball to Kevin Davies, who slid in and managed to make a scruffy connection. The shot was close to Macclesfield ‘keeper Jose Veiga, but he contrived to fumble the ball and it squirmed into the net. It wasn’t classic football from the Whites, but Bolton will take whatever luck comes their way during a difficult season.
Wanderers’ second goal showed far more of their Premier League quality than had their first, and would have graced any game. Tuncay was fed the ball by Klasnic and set off at a canter, skipping through the challenge of Macclesfield’s Arnaud Mendy and sliding the ball to Petrov who was advancing down the left. The Bulgarian winger, who put in a real shift in the first half, still had plenty to do, but his first touch was good and his second teed the ball up nicely; allowing him to blast a shot goalward. The pace and swerve on the shot clearly surprised Veiga, who was beaten at his near post.
Wanderers didn’t look satisfied with 2-0, and sought to kill the game off in the first half, creating several more chances. Tuncay’s forays into the centre often lead to neat interchanges, and one such could easily have lead to Wanderers going three up. Ricketts fed the ball to Petrov, who was afforded time and space to pick his pass. The ball was played to the feet of Tuncay, whose deft heel-flick found Klasnic on the edge of the box. Had the ball fallen to Klasnic’s left, it would almost certainly have been buried past the visiting ‘keeper, but Klasnic is less adept with his right and his first time shot went wide of the post. Other opportunities presented themselves, but a lack of quality in the final third meant Wanderers were unable to breach Macclesfield for a third time. › Continue reading
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 Strange and Confusing World of Phil Gartside
Monday, December 5th, 2011 | BWFC News | 14 Comments
Smiley Phil
“I’ve got to say, that Stuart Parker’s one of my favourite players, but if he’s going to score from there he’s one hell of a player.” The words came from Bolton chairman Phil Gartside who was speaking on the BBC’s Five Live, in the wake of an entirely predictable thrashing at Tottenham Hotspur.
Who Stuart Parker is, hasn’t yet been established.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, Gary Cahill was sent off for legging up Scott Parker after his clumsy touch had given the Spurs midfielder a run on goal, albeit from a somewhat unlikely position.
By the time he spoke to Mark Chapman on the Beeb, Gartside was in a forgiving frame of mind.
“We had a game against Stoke the other week. I know the Stoke chairman Peter Coates described Howard Webb as disgraceful. I’m not going to say that about Stuart Atwell,” he commented.
Grumpy Phil
You’re not? How kind. Oh, hold on. Wind the clock back half an hour or so, and here’s what Gartside told Greater Manchester Radio.
“The refereeing decision, to quote Peter Coates, when he said about Howard Webb and the decision at Bolton, is an absolute disgrace.
“The authorities will look at that and my statement, that the referee’s a disgrace, is probably questionable, but we’ve had some bad decisions this season.”
After the softening of his position on air, Garty returned to grumpy mode on the way home, just after passing through Sandbach.
“Get a life and look at the injuries,” he tweeted from his iPhone to one supporter who had suggested that taking 9 points from a possible 42 made it hard to ‘keep the faith’.
Maybe Phil’s hormonal. Or perhaps there’s more than one of him and one Phil doesn’t know what the other’s doing. That might explain a few things.
Nasty Phil.
- Richard McCormick
Related Articles
Phil Gartside: “A Cheat, a Liar and a Fraudster”
Phil Gartside Speaks. Care to Add Anything Else, Mr G?
Thursday, December 1st, 2011 | BWFC News | 5 Comments
Over the past few weeks, Manny Road has highlighted a number of transfers involving Bolton Wanderers which appeared to show the club acting with dubious intent.
Wanderers fans still in denial may care to stick their heads in this.
One was the move of Gavin McCann from Aston Villa. To recap briefly, football agent Tony McGill stated that he had been frozen out of the deal having done the preparatory work, for which he should have been paid.
So far, Whites chairman Phil Gartside has refused to comment, bar a few feeble squeaks on Twitter. However, a comment he made at the time has now been unearthed.
“The McCann move was one of the easiest deals we’ve done. It was worked out between myself and Villa chief executive Richard FitzGerald. McGill had no mandate from McCann or the clubs,” said Gartside.
There are several problems with this claim. If McGill had no mandate with McCann, why did the former player settle out of court when he was sued for breach of contract?
As part of that legal process, sworn witness statements were taken from three people, who were at the time employed by Bolton Wanderers. They contradict Gartside’s account.
If the deal was worked out between the chairman and chief executive of the respective clubs, why was the agency SEM paid £300,000 – six times the going rate for a player of McCann’s value?
Over to you Mr Gartside. Anything else to add?
The full story of the Gavin McCann Transfer
Phil Gartside: “A Cheat, a Liar and a Fraudster”
- Richard McCormick
Gary Speed – A Tribute to a Proper Footballer
Monday, November 28th, 2011 | BWFC News | 3 Comments
Shocked. Stunned. Astonished. Devastated.
Just four of the words used about the suicide of Wales manager Gary Speed, who played out the later stages of his top flight career with Bolton Wanderers.
Understanding why someone should take his own life when he had so much to carry on for is a cruel puzzle. Gary Speed had a loving family, the respect of his peers and a bright future as a manager. Just a few hours before, he had appeared on the BBC’s Football Focus, where he spoke of his determination to guide Wales to a qualifying spot in the World Cup.
Whether his actions were the response to a single event, or the culmination of a long battle with his inner demons isn’t known, but if it was the latter, he did an extraordinary job of keeping that facet of his personality hidden.
Speed arrived at Bolton in the summer of 2004 for £750,000. It seemed a steep fee for a 34 year-old. He repaid it several times over. This wasn’t a glamour signing like Jay Jay Okocha or Youri Djorkaeff, but it was, in its way, just as important.
Sam Allardyce knew that replacing the extravagant talents of Djorkaeff was nigh on impossible, so he chose a man who the stats showed frequently outworked players ten years his junior. It was as wise a decision as the big man made.
In that season, and the ones just after, the Whites were a formidable outfit that no one liked playing against. Of course there were talented individuals in midfield, but it was Speed who held the show together. One of those players was Ivan Campo, who has a different reason to remember his former team mate.
In a match against Crystal Palace he suffered a clash of heads with Speed, and missed several games afterward.
“We are just waiting for word from the surgeon, who stitched his face back together,” said Allardyce when asked about the Spaniard’s progress. Speed himself was rarely injured, a testament to a self-imposed fitness regime that allowed to him to play in the Premier League until he was nearly forty.
Tributes continue to pour in, but perhaps the most telling one, at least as far as Bolton is concerned, comes not via a household name, but from one of the young players he mentored during his time at the Reebok.
“R.I.P Gary Speed. Was a pleasure knowing him and playing with him. My hero,” wrote left-back Scott Jamieson, now back in his native Australia. It is a wise choice of idol.
In an era when so many bring disgrace on the sport, football needs its good guys. The loss of Gary Speed is not easy to bear.
- Richard McCormick
Phil Gartside – and his Friend at the FA
Thursday, November 24th, 2011 | BWFC News | 23 Comments
Over the past few weeks, using a mixture of interviews and information already in the public domain, Manny Road has highlighted a number of transfer deals involving Bolton Wanderers, where the behaviour of the club and its associates appeared to be questionable.
Geremi. Mark Curtis. Google it. Go on, you know you want to.
Two of those transactions resulted in legal action with another case pending. One involved an agency being paid £300,000 for apparently doing nothing. In all of them, the person brokering the deal was replaced at the last minute, without a satisfactory explanation being offered.
Phil Gartside has been mentioned more than a few times, although it may be that the Whites Chairman is little more than a trained monkey, with football agent Mark Curtis acting as the organ grinder.
Curtis and controversy are never far apart. A fuller treatment of his deeds (at least some of them) is contained in the previous article in this series, but suffice to say that he has the uncanny knack of being on hand when a player on the move dumps his agent, leaving him or one of his associates to act on behalf of the buying club, thus obtaining a hefty commission.
But there is another high profile person who could offer some insight, if he chose to. The name Sir Dave Richards sounds like something out of a Dangermouse cartoon. In fact it belongs to the chairman of the FA Premier League, who is a close associate of Gartside’s.
Andy Carroll. Mark Curtis. Google. Go.
One might expect someone in such an exalted position to have a blemish free record in both football and business. That isn’t the case.
Prior to being recommended to the FA by Ken Bates, Richards was chairman of Sheffield Wednesday. He left, with the club on the brink of relegation from the Premier League and in a disastrous financial predicament. The latter was only resolved more than a decade later, when Milan Mandaric negotiated a deal which made him owner, but left creditors millions of pounds out of pocket.
Richards’s record in business was similarly chequered. In July 2001 his company went into administrative receivership.
Now the man with the wacky name may find his position under threat, or at least he ought to, given the pitiful state of the FA’s compliance unit. Sports minister Hugh Robertson has pledged to legislate against football if there isn’t internal reform. Given the amount of money slushing about within the Premier League, Robertson will no doubt face determined opposition, but if he succeeds, several clubs, including Bolton Wanderers, may have something to fear from a retrospective investigation.
Bolton 5 Stoke 0. Watching are Phil Gartside, middle row, far left. Mark Curtis, middle row, third left. Sir Dave Richards, front row third left.
The reaction to this series of articles has been mainly positive. To some they have provided proof of long suspected bad faith – although those claims have never been made here.
Others have been more sceptical, which is healthy. After all, football agents are not known for having altruistic motives.
A small, cerebrally challenged minority, have responded with hysterical rage. Manny Road has been accused of ‘dragging the name of Bolton Wanderers through the mud’.
Leaving aside the sadly unimaginative rhetoric, those claims are laughable. The owner of this website puts thousands of pounds into Bolton Wanderers every season in advertising and sponsorship, and has done for many years. Perhaps those having tantrums can reveal the size of their contributions before getting precious.
Or they could threaten to ‘fill in’ Henry Winter, the Guardian’s David Conn, or Dan King of the Daily Mail, all of whom have written on the subject.
Information came to light. It showed there was a case to answer. Therefore it was published.
So, at the risk of upsetting the more sensitive souls here are…
A Few More Questions for Phil Gartside
What is the role of Mark Curtis at Bolton Wanderers?
How much has Mark Curtis been paid while you’ve been chairman?
Why do continue to use an agent found guilty of improper conduct?
Do you have any foreign bank accounts?
The transfer of David N’Gog took longer than expected. Was this because he was told to dump his agent and refused to do so?
Not that there are likely to be answers forthcoming. “Bolton fans think they should be finishing top six every season,” snorted Gartside, at the start of a meeting he’d arranged with this supporter, after the scale of Gary Megson’s ineptitude became clear.
The Bolton Chairman’s silence shows that he continues to view followers of the club who pay his fees with contempt.
Other Articles in the Series
Is this the Real Reason Why Bolton Wanderers are so Bad?
Phil Gartside: “A Cheat, a Liar and a Fraudster”
The Ginger Harry Secombe Who Runs Bolton Wanderers
Oh, and one more question for Mr G
Is it ok if we refer to you as ‘Light Fingered Phil’ from now on?
- Richard McCormick
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