BWFC Goals
Bolton Head South after Sinking the Swans
Sunday, January 29th, 2012 | BWFC Goals, BWFC People, Chris Eagles, Darren Pratley | No Comments
Bolton Wanderers face an away tie at Millwall or Southampton after disposing of fellow Premier League Swansea City. Azreal reports from the Reebok.
Bolton knocked Swansea out of the FA Cup to progress to the 5th round on Saturday. It was a deserved win for the Whites, but far from plain sailing. Goals from Daren Pratley and Chris Eagles secured the win for Bolton, after Luke Moore had given Swansea an undeserved lead.
Luke Moore. Won't be looking quite so bloody smug now. Photo ©Getty Images
Bolton started brightly, with Eagles offering the most consistent threat – combining well down the right with Joe Riley, whose swashbuckling runs were dangerous all game. Swansea played a second-string, and it showed from the offing. Eagles is never shy about getting at his fullback, and he clearly meant business whenever he got the ball. However, Eagles love of a shot is not best served on the right of midfield and his attempts to cut in onto his left usually ended in pitiful efforts on goal.
It was from a set-piece that Eagles offered his first moment of creativity, but his ball into the box was headed right at the ‘keeper. Next, Eagles cut inside for another left-footed effort, and having had a few sighters the crowd expected him to worry the goalie – he instead worried the corner flag. Chris isn’t a player who lacks confidence though, and he continued to try and make things happen, winning a corner shortly after. The ball was swung in by Martin Petrov and, as the second ball dropped, Swansea were forced to throw bodies in the way to block a shot.
Wanderers were dominating the game, yet it was a subdued performance from Bolton’s central midfielders. Darren Pratley is still finding his feet at the club, and his advanced position meant Mark Davies had to play a deeper role. Davies is at his best pushing up and looking to link play and, in trying to incorporate Pratley, Wanderers lost some of their recent rhythm. Nevertheless, Swansea’s distinct lack of bite and energy in the middle meant the Whites remained comfortable for most of the game; and getting Pratley up to speed could prove vital for Bolton in the run in. › Continue reading
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
Bolton Wanderers 2011 – The Year of the Un-Coyled
Sunday, January 1st, 2012 | BWFC Goals, BWFC People, Lee Chung-Yong, Nat Lofthouse, Phil Gartside | 3 Comments
And so 2011 ends. A year in which Bolton started in sixth position in the Premier League, and finished in bottom place, needing close to a miracle to avoid relegation.
Mark Davies gets to grips with his defensive duties.
The last game, a home draw against fellow strugglers Wolves has aroused much anger, but there were signs of things on which to build. Owen Coyle’s side moved the ball around well at times and in recent outings Mark Davies has at last started to fulfil his potential as a creative midfielder, as well as improving his tracking back and tackling.
But the same defensive frailties remain and there is a lack of fire power up front, to which David N’Gog isn’t the answer, despite his other qualities. Even if the Wanderers put a consistent run of results together, there may simply be too much to do.
Off the field, things have been at least as bad. Burnden Leisure PLC, the parent company of Bolton Wanderers announced losses of £26 million bringing the total debt to £110 million. Some parties did well out of it. Moonshift Investments, a company controlled by club owner Eddie Davies which provides loan facilities, took £5 million in interest payments and is owed a £2.8 million ‘player success fee’. › Continue reading
Will Owen Coyle Regret Selling Matty Taylor?
Sunday, July 24th, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Matt Taylor, Owen Coyle | 5 Comments
Matthew Taylor has completed his move to West Ham United, for an undisclosed fee, after an amount of £2.2 million was suggested earlier in the week. The news has been greeted with joy by a section of Bolton’s support. It’s a harsh judgment.
Taylor was an easy target for the boo boys. He lacked pace, couldn’t go past a player and his defensive capabilities were of a standard that made the idea that he could stand in at left back seem laughable. Yet he most certainly had an end product.
Matt Taylor pictured left. The man with an enormous right testicle.
The midfielder was signed in January 2008 as Gary Megson* went on a spending spree with money acquired from the sale of Nicolas Anelka. Things did not begin well. Played further forward than he was used to, Taylor was famed for not scoring when he should have done. Most notably he missed a hat trick of sitters against former club Portsmouth as the Whites went down to a 1-0 defeat at home after dominating the game.
The following season he netted ten times, no mean feat for a midfielder, including the highlight of his time at Bolton, a scorching free kick against, ironically, West Ham at the Boleyn. A good goalkeeper would have struggled to save that effort. The Hammers only had Rob Green, whose fumblings have gifted the Wanderers so many points that he’s been assigned an honorary squad number at the Reebok.
The 2009-10 campaign was blighted by glandular fever which was undiagnosed until late February. Still, he got on the score sheet eight times, including a brace at Stoke that virtually guaranteed Premier League survival for Bolton. From then on he was a bit part player, struggling to hold down a place after the arrival of Martin Petrov and failing to string two good games together when given a chance.
At his best, Taylor was a deadly striker of the ball, an expert set piece taker and an accurate long range passer in open play. His main problem was that he didn’t produce his best frequently enough, which left the lesser parts of his game more open to criticism. But there was never any doubt about his commitment, with the stats frequently showing that he’d covered the most ground during a game.
There were claims that he was Megson’s man, but touchline arguments with the Ginger One test that assumption. His response, when asked if the former Bolton manager’s constant yelling bothered him, was also interesting.
“I don’t have a problem with it,” he said. The body language and tone of voice suggested that the words were not an accurate reflection of his thoughts.
Not that Taylor was averse to making his feelings known. There are some who claim that paying the entrance fee to a stadium entitles them to barrack an individual they see as underperforming. That’s another argument, but those people shouldn’t complain when the abuse is returned, as it was with Matt Taylor. Yet no player enjoyed the crowd’s adulation more when he scored.
Will Bolton miss him? Possibly. A set piece specialist is always useful in a side that lacks creativity. The counter argument is that this move brings in much needed revenue for the club and gives the player a chance of regular first team football and therefore an opportunity to regain his form.
Fans at Portsmouth still regard Matthew Taylor with affection. On the whole, that isn’t the case at Bolton, which is regrettable given his overall contribution. This supporter for one, wishes him well.
- Richard McCormick
* Note for lazy journalists. Matt Taylor will not be re-united with ‘former boss’ Sam Allardyce
Relegation fodder …
Monday, June 20th, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Premier League | 3 Comments
Would you buy a second hand car off these boys?
Aspirations have changed at Bolton since the dark days of Gary Megson. The arrival of Owen Coyle followed by our impressive start to the season had the more optimistic of us counting air miles and dusting off our Bulgarian phrase-books. Even when European qualification had passed us by – embarrassingly so in the cup – a top half finish was still on the cards right up to the end of the season.
Never mind. Coyle’s inherited Megson’s bunch of cloggers. Once he’s had the summer to make serious changes, we’ll be back to chasing Europe again. Surely relegation battles are a thing of the past? Aren’t they?
Maybe not. Our form after Christmas was relegation-standard, and the end of the season – five defeats on the bounce – was abysmal. It wouldn’t be the first time poor form at the end of one season has carried over to the next. Add to that our tough start to the season and it wouldn’t be a great surprise to see us rock-bottom after the first seven games. We’ll have easier runs to follow, but everything looks that bit tougher if you’re sat at the bottom and confidence may have taken a bit of a battering. › Continue reading
Even more Damn Lies and Stats..
Sunday, June 12th, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Kevin Davies, Premier League | 5 Comments
It’s summer. There’s nowt much to do bar make up daft transfer rumours or pick the bones from our once promising season. Since the press are doing a good enough job on the former, let’s have another stab at the latter with a look at some stats for our strikers for the season just ended.
Elmander was always just a figure of fun..
It’s a matter of record that our hapless former Swede ended the season as top scorer with 10 premier league goals followed by Big Kev and the wonderkid loanee with 8 apiece. Our underused Croatian chipped in with 4, or to put it another way, the same number as KD if you ignore penalties.
Fans of Big Kev will be quick to point out that his game is about much more than scoring goals. They’ll point out that he created a whopping 86 chances, double the next highest, that only Robbo managed more than his 915 successful passes, and that only Elmander and Chungy had more than his 5 assists.
Fans of Elmander, meanwhile, should be publicly castrated on the town hall steps, but we’ll leave that one for another day.
It’s easy enough to look down our premier league stats and pick out the ‘top performers’, but does it give a fair reflection comparing someone who started every game, like Big Kev, with someone who rarely gets a look in, like Klasnic?
In the spirit of having bugger all else to do on a Sunday afternoon in the close season, I decided to compare stats per time played. The comparison is for premier league appearances only, and for the sake of simplicity (rather than accuracy) in calculating minutes played for each player all matches are assumed to last 90 minutes. › Continue reading
Owen Coyle to Aston Villa. Definitely. Well Maybe. Or Not at All.
Saturday, June 11th, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Owen Coyle | 10 Comments
Bolton manager and former Burnley boss Owen Coyle has been linked with the vacant job at Aston Villa. The hunch-backed, toothless, many fingered hordes who congregate at Turf Moor have spent all night hunched over their transistor radios, desperately waiting for news of the situation, such is their bitterness at Coyle’s step up to manage the Whites eighteen months ago.
Coyle Salutes Visiting Burnley Fans
Sadly for them, the speculation is based on the clumsy imagination of a few keyboard monkeys in the media.
‘The same applies to Coyle, the Bolton manager whose representatives are believed to have indicated to the Midlands club that he would be interested in discussing the post,’ wrote work experience trainee Rory Smith in the Telegraph.
The phrase ‘are believed’ is the important one. It betrays a total absence of any facts to back up the supposition. Who believes it Rory? Ah, you do. Righto.
The situation at Villa has now descended into farce. Chairman Randy Lerner is reluctant to consider Mark Hughes after the manner in which he left Fulham, whilst the club’s stock has fallen in managerial circles due to the decision to cancel Steve McClaren’s interview after fans, quite rightly, registered disapproval.
Their counterparts at the Reebok know only too well, the perils of appointing a miserably untalented, balding, ginger wazzock. Some claim that the objections came because of second choice Steve’s woeful spell as England boss, but those with longer memories recall that Middlesbrough spent much of the season he was appointed to the national job hovering just above the relegation zone, and that after having a considerable transfer budget to spend during his time at the Riverside.
The Wally with the Brolly. Not wanted at Villa. Sensible that.
There was also the delicious moment when a Boro fan ran onto the pitch to throw his season ticket at the manager, during the midst of a 4-0 home defeat (to Aston Villa ironically). Magnanimously, the club offered it back. The fan didn’t want it.
Rafael Benítez, Carlo Ancelotti and David Moyes have ruled themselves out of the running for the position at Villa Park, whilst Roberto Martinez, whose Wigan side only extricated themselves from the relegation places on the last day of the season, has chosen to stay at the Dave Whelan Stadium. Maybe Coyle will get the offer. He appears to be the only candidate left.
Meanwhile, although chairman Phil Gartside has denied it via Twitter, the Wanderers are said to have placed a £5 million bid for Birmingham’s Cameron Jerome. Cameron Diaz would be preferable. She looks better and would score just as many goals in the Premier League.
- Richard McCormick
Follow @RMc2407
Just Who is the Bolton Wanderers Legend?
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News | 2 Comments
The season’s over, and as you may gather, dear reader, there’s not much to write about. It’s possible to put together a few words on transfer speculation, but with everyone on their holidays (Bolton players having started theirs a few weeks early) it’s a bit pointless, as no one will be signing on the dotted line just yet.
John Byrom. On his way for a snack
How about a question then? Yes, it’s been asked before, but if BBC3 can run repeats, then so can we.
Who do you consider to be the foremost Bolton Wanderers legend? The answer of course, is Nat Lofthouse, but that would make for a very short article and a futile exercise in voting. Added to that, very few people reading this will have seen the man play in the flesh, so he’s been excluded from the process. Gent that he was, Nat would understand.
What constitutes a legend? It’s a combination of things. Skill, effort, personality, affinity with the fans, and a feeling that the club and its followers genuinely meant something to that player – the latter quality getting ever more rare in today’s money driven game.
Wanderers fans have seen their share of might be called ‘characters’ over the years. Robbie Savage for a start off. No, not the blonde ponce currently ruining Radio Five, but the Whites midfielder, as famous for showing his arse to the crowd, as he was for scoring the goal against Wrexham that won promotion from Division Three.
Paul Jones. Football was played in black and white in those days.
Then there was Henry Mowbray, an extraordinarily thuggish left-back recruited from Blackpool. Mowbray kicked anything that moved. Sometimes he kicked things that didn’t move. On other occasions, things which moved before he kicked them never did so again. Henry wasn’t hampered by skill, but he certainly made an impression on his opponents. Often literally.
Moving up the ability register came Roy Greaves, who weathered years of criticism, before it finally hit home how valuable he’d been. Neil Whatmore was a prolific scorer, Peter Reid, a midfield dynamo who won less England caps than he deserved and Garry Jones sparkled briefly, scoring a hat-trick on a magical night at Burnden Park, as third division Bolton thrashed top flight Manchester City in front of a crowd of 42,000.
More recently, Gudni Bergsson got better with age, Youri Djorkaeff mesmerized with his exquisite talents, Eidur Gudjohnsen arrived as a fat lad with a dodgy ankle and departed a hero, whilst Fernando Hierro played a dazzling half-season that earned him a standing ovation from the Reebok faithful in his last match as a professional. › Continue reading
Will the Real Bolton Wanderers Please Stand Up?
Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Owen Coyle, Stuart Holden, Zat Knight | 6 Comments
And so it ends. A season of thrilling highs and crushing lows; flowing football and the Megsonesque; stirring fightbacks and feeble surrenders; fine home form but the worst away record in the league. Will the real Bolton Wanderers please stand up?
The campaign has ended with a small black cloud hanging over the Reebok and a genuine fear amongst fans of what might happen next time around, after five defeats on the bounce and a disastrous last day that saw the club drop five places in the Premiership and lose over £4 million in bonuses.
Martin Petrov finishes off Spurs, eight seconds after the ball had been on the edge of Bolton's penalty area.
It seems a long time ago that the Whites were sweeping aside Spurs, Wolves and Newcastle in quick succession with the sort of pass and move football that supporters had been longing to see. The roar of anticipation as the side broke from defence hadn’t been heard since the promotion season of 1997.
There were special goals too, the result of both individual and collective brilliance. Johan Elmander’s triple turn on a sixpence at Wolves that left four defenders needing to have their internal organs unplaited; Stuart Holden finishing off a move involving twelve passes in the same game; Mark Davies starting and finishing a move that saw a late equaliser against Blackpool; Elmander skipping around Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul to complete a passing sequence that started on the half-way line; Holden’s half volley at home to Blackburn that put a stop to Sam Allardyce’s victory jig on the touchline, and his managerial tenure at that club.
Lee heads the winner at Birmingham. It was going to be our year.
The FA Cup run was long overdue and much appreciated, even if it did end in disaster. Beating three Premier League teams away from the Reebok is no mean feat, and victory at Birmingham City was the best away day Wanderers fans had had in years.
After beating Newcastle, there was a slump in form and another, more significant one, in the final games. In both cases, Stuart Holden’s absence was the key factor. The American’s astute reading of the game and his ability in recovering possession after his colleagues had lost it, covered up a major problem with Bolton’s midfield organisation. There wasn’t any.
Failing to deprive the opposition of space in that vital area isn’t a luxury that any top flight side can afford, yet Owen Coyle didn’t come anywhere near to remedying the problem. Coyle has a different idea of how football should be played than Sam Allardyce, but he could learn a thing or two in that respect, from the man who used to occupy his chair.
The manager’s persistence with Zat Knight at the expense of David Wheater was also a puzzle, as the new signing seemed to gel better with the rest of the defence. One wondered if Knight had footage of the supposedly tee-total Scot doing unnatural things with the club mascot, whilst swigging from a bottle of Buckfast.
Oh no it wasn't.
After events of the last couple of months, the Bolton boss doesn’t quite have the God-like status he enjoyed before, with some wondering if he is too inflexible to be a truly great manager. Time will tell no doubt, especially if he is afforded the funds to make the squad truly his own over the summer months.
The habit of gifting points to teams in desperate need of them was seriously irritating, the worst instance being the visit of Sunderland. The Wearsiders hadn’t scored away from home since January when they arrived at the Reebok in May, and had no recognised strikers available. So there was a grim inevitability about their 2-1 win, with Bolo Zenden running the show after stopping off for his pension on the way to the game.
Liverpool under Roy Hodgson were the worst they’d been for decades, yet secured two wins. Chelsea were in dismal form on meeting the Whites but managed the same. Relegation threatened Blackburn were grateful for the easy three points at Ewood Park after not winning for months, as were Blackpool at Bloomfield Road, although it wasn’t enough to save them.
Has there been progress overall? It can be argued either way. More points have been gained than last term, with fewer goals conceded and the highest number scored since Bolton returned to the Premier League in 2001. Yet the finishing position is exactly the same as last year and one place lower than Gary Megson managed in his one full season.
There has been a glimpse of what Bolton Wanderers could be, tempered by harsh reality that comes from a squad lacking in depth. The season may be over, but the next mission, one that involves building a side to compete at the top level for an eleventh straight year is already underway.
- Richard McCormick
I have touched greatness… and his name is Owen Coyle
Thursday, May 12th, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Fabrice Muamba, Football Association, Gretar Steinsson, Owen Coyle, Premier League, Sam Allardyce, Sean Davis | No Comments
There are few certainties in life – one day, hopefully a long time in the future, it will end and, before then, you will pay taxes. Lots of taxes! They are the main certainties in life, depressing as they are, although there are other ones along the way – Vaz Te falling over, Muamba blazing over etc etc. I’m sure there are some positive certainties in life but I’m at a loss to say what they are at the moment so I’ll move on.
Wow...hope you're not expecting me to score that goal...?
One of the things I’m far from certain of, that I’m reluctant to believe entirely, is the image of those in the public eye; actors, footballers, politicians etc. Politicians especially. You never know whether the personality they put across in public is in fact them, or merely a carefully planned and orchestrated PR stunt. Are they the same person behind closed doors? Are they the same charming, likeable character when the cameras are off?
Our manager, Owen Coyle, has a very good public image. It’s so good in fact that Bolton Wanderers have almost become fashionable thanks to his 16 month reign. Bolton Wanderers message boards have even been visited by Arsenal fans praising our new found love our the beautiful game, unthinkable in the Allardyce days, and our role in Jack Wilshere’s development, although I doubt these messages will be as common if we beat them consistently at The Reebok again as we did under Allardyce.
I recently got the opportunity to meet Mr. Coyle thanks to the good people at 188Bet and BWFCforum.co.uk. Even excluding my fondness for all things Bolton, this was quite a thrill. To put this into perspective, I no longer have to say that the most famous person I have ‘met’, and I lose the term very loosely, was ‘Fiz from Corrie’. I think it says a lot about the quality of your celebrity sighting if you don’t know their real name!
Well, I did know Owen Coyle’s real name but did I know the real Owen Coyle?
come and get some lunch !
I was well aware of the public perception of Owen Coyle. He’s a very likeable man with an infectious enthusiasm for people, football and life itself. It’s a shame that I didn’t get to spend more time in his company as I might have been able to recall a positive certainty in life for the first paragraph.
We have all seen him at The Reebok Stadium, both during and after the match, inspiring and encouraging his players from the sidelines and applauding the home fans from the pitch post match for their role in what has, for the most part, been another impressive result and performance. › Continue reading
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