Bolton knocked Swansea out of the FA Cup to progress to the 5^th 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.

Still it was Eagles who was looking like he might force the issue, and when his dinked pass released N’Gog it brought the Reebok faithful to their feet.  N’Gog took a touch and settled himself, only to put a weak shot straight at the ‘keeper.  The French striker looks bereft of confidence in front of goal right now, and Bolton will need that to change if they are to continue their pushes in league and cup.  What N’Gog can do, as he has shown in recent games, is hold the ball and feed runners – and that’s just what he did shortly after his miss.  Pratley was released, and he in turn fed Eagles who shot just wide.

Wanderers were well on top, but their inability to put the ball away was starting to worry the crowd.  Petrov had a good shot saved and the ball was released, with Swansea building from the back – the ball was played through and only a last ditch challenge from David Wheater prevented a goal.  If Bolton needed another reminder of Swansea’s threat, a disallowed goal should have given them that – but Wanderers failed to take heed.  As Swansea played in front of the back four, Boyata lost his head and dived into an unnecessary tackle.  He failed to win the ball, and Wheater was left isolated against Luke Moore, who ran onto a simple through ball and chipped his shot over an on-rushing Bogdan.  Wanderers were stunned, but it was a wound of their own making.

Bolton would once again have to show spirit and resilience to come back from behind, and they were not found wanting.  It took Wanderers less than 5 minutes to find a breakthrough of their own, with Darren Pratley rising to head home a Martin Petrov free kick.  The sides went in level at half time, with Bolton knowing they should already have put the game to bed.

Swansea started the second half with more attacking intent than they’d shown in the first.  It took a Sam Ricketts block to keep the visitors at bay just after the restart, and the Swans then saw a long range effort go just over the bar.  But Bolton began to assert themselves and Nigel Reo-Coker, especially, began to dictate play.  Having already played one beautiful ball out wide to start an attack just minutes earlier, the Bolton captain was at it again, feeding Martin Petrov on the left flank.   Petrov ‘s powerful shot was saved by the Swansea ‘keeper, but he spilt the ball at the feet of Chris Eagles, whose shot on the turn found the bottom corner.

Eagles slots home the winner.

Swansea refused to lie down, and went on the hunt for an equaliser.  A flowing move saw Luke Moore force a smart stop out of Adam Bogdan and an attack down the Bolton left saw Ricketts have to make a great tackle to deny the Swans a shot at goal.  However, Wanderers still had the better of it and Reo-Coker’s passing was once again key as Bolton almost found a third.  Reo-Coker sprayed a pass wide to Eagles, who flicked the ball over his opponent and sent a cross over towards Petrov, but the Bulgarian’s strike went just wide.  Petrov was involved again moments later, as his cross found the head of Pratley, but the ball struck the bar and bounced clear.

Pratley was becoming more and more involved in the game, and he went close again after good work from N’Gog.  The striker closed down Swansea’s defence, and Pratley showed good anticipation to intercept a sloppy back pass and flick the ball goalwards.  Many fans thought it was in but, as the roar went up from the crowd, the ball trickled agonisingly wide.  It was hard on Pratley, and on another night he’d have been celebrating a hat-trick.

In response to Wanderers’ renewed dominance, Brendan Rogers made two changes.  On came Danny Graham and Nathan Dyer, to offer Swansea more options in attack.  Dyer was immediately involved, as he was hacked down by Ricketts as he looked to skip past the Welshman.  Ricketts was lucky not to have been booked for what looked a bad tackle, but on the whole the Swans’ changes were ineffective.  When Bolton made their own change, it proved to be far more significant.

Kevin Davies was brought in on 74 minutes, to rapturous applause from the home crowd, and set about showing the Bolton fans that he’s still got what it takes to perform at the highest level.  Davies’ first touch almost set-up another goal, as Pratley ran beyond him and received the ball from a flicked header.  The burly midfielder couldn’t quite sort out his feet, and when he tussled with a Swansea player the referee harshly gave a foul against him.

Davies next contribution was a deft pass through to find the run of Nigel Reo-Coker, as the club captain found the captain for the afternoon.  It was a decent enough shot from Reo-Coker, but his effort was saved.  ‘Big Kev’ was there again barely a minute later, as he knocked the ball on to Eagles who found substitute Fabrice Muamba in space, only for the powerful midfielder to shoot wide.  Muamba then ran onto another Davies ball, but the keeper gathered as he tried to round his marker.  It was great stuff from the hosts, and especially from Kevin Davies, but Swansea weren’t quite finished yet.

The South Wales side still had time to trouble Bolton, and they forged a couple of openings before the final whistle; including hitting the post with a low drive and seeing a free kick saved and held by Bogdan.  Swansea, however, were never the same threat they had been at the Liberty Stadium earlier in the season, and most of the home support seemed fairly confident that their side would triumph.  There was just time for one last talking point, as Mark Davies tumbled in the box.  The crowd scream for a penalty, but the referee booked the midfield dynamo for diving – it was the correct decision, as Davies had played for it.

All in all, a comfortable win for the Whites in a game they dominated.  Swansea will feel they could, and perhaps should, have done better; but they can’t complain about the result.  Let’s hope Bolton can keep up their, thus far, impressive 2012 form with a win against Arsenal.

Final Score: Bolton 2 (Pratley, Eagles) – Swansea 1 (Moore).

Bolton (4-5-1): Bogdan 7, Riley, 7, Wheater 6, Boyata 5, Ricketts 6, Eagles 8 (Tuncay n/a), M.Davies 6, Reo-Coker 7, Pratley 7 (Muamba 6), Petrov 7, N’Gog 5 (K.Davies 8).

Man of the Match: Chris Eagles.  I seriously considered giving this to Kevin Davies, but in the end decided that would be unfair to Eagles, who worked hard, created plenty of openings and eventually got the goal he’d been after all game.  A good effort from the winger, who is starting to show more consistency in a white shirt.

Player Watch: Darren Pratley.  Since coming to Bolton from Swansea in the summer, nothing has gone right for the energetic midfielder; but there were signs today that he might have something to offer.  Pratley looked lazy and frustrated until his goal, but in the second half he started to make good runs and play some neat stuff in the middle of the park.  There’s a lot of work to be done if he’s to win over the Bolton fans, but his goal and second half display were a decent start.

What was that about!: Sometimes something happens in a game and you can’t figure out why.  Today’s example was a wild challenge by Boyata that opened up Bolton’s defence for Swansea.  All the big Belgian had to do was stay on his feet, but he dived in and left his defensive partner exposed.  Boyata is young, which is sometimes forgotten by his critics, but he needs to start learning fast if he’s to have a role in the team.

- Azreal88

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.

Wanderers may have looked more incisive, but Liverpool are a good team and gave the home side plenty to worry about, with the majority of possession.  With Gary Cahill sold, the Bolton centre back pairing is seriously short of pace, and Liverpool looked to take advantage.  With Andy Carroll decidedly out of sorts, it was left to Craig Bellamy to terrorise the Wanderers and do his once-in-a-while impression of a top class striker.  Bellamy is capable of playing some great football, but he was initially well marshalled by Wheater and Knight.  However, after about 20 minutes Zat Knight’s habit of falling asleep returned with a vengeance.  Knight started the game in dominating style, winning his headers and making some superb tackles; but the former Fulham player always makes watching fans nervous, and with good reason.  Bellamy began to curve his runs in behind Knight, and Liverpool’s midfield looked to spray passes over the big centre back’s head to find the Welshman’s runs.  It was an effective tactic, and Liverpool started to carve out openings.

It seemed Liverpool would soon create something meaningful, but it was Wanderers who were to again shock the visitors.  Eagles once more looked to get at the opposition defence, and as he slowed his run two Liverpool defenders were drawn to him.  Last calendar year, the move would have broken down there, but this is Bolton Wanderers 2012, and things are a little different now.  It was Nigel Reo-Coker, Bolton captain for the day putting in a captain’s performance, who offered Eagles an option.  Reo-Coker pushed in through the gap left by the centre half drawn in by Eagles, and the winger found his captain with a well-executed, chipped pass.  Nigel is often derided for being a “scrapper”, but there was nothing scrappy about how he controlled the ball beautifully on his chest before volleying it past a helpless Pepe Reina.  If Reo-Coker’s impressive passing stats don’t convince his doubters that he can play ‘real’ football, perhaps his well-taken goal will.

Liverpool were not entirely at the races, but they underlined their continued threat by creating several openings that Bolton were lucky to survive.  Liverpool had a penalty shout immediately before Reo-Coker’s goal, when Zat Knight appeared to handle Carroll’s flicked pass from a Liverpool free kick.   Maxi had a chance to get a shot away, but decided to take a touch and found himself tackled by two Wanderers players.  As the ball ran free to Adam Bogdan, Liverpool protested the lack of a spot kick, but their appeals fell on deaf ears.  Every Wanderers player on the park was then forced to get stuck in and work for the team, as Liverpool upped the tempo to try and get back in.  Despite Liverpool’s endeavour, Bolton’s voracious appetite for the tackle and ‘bodies on the line’ defending ensured that Bogdan was rarely tested in the Bolton goal.

Craig Bellamy reacts badly after being informed that he's a scrote with bad tatoos

When Bogdan was called upon to make a save, it was inevitably Craig Bellamy who was providing the examination.  Bellamy got in behind Knight and Ricketts just after the half hour mark, only to see his tame shot easily caught be the ginger Hungarian ‘keeper; who is affectionately known as “Shaggy”.  Cries of “wake up Knight” from the watching crowd went unheeded, and Bellamy was unleashed again only minutes later.  Carroll rose highest to get to a long headed clearence and flicked the ball on to the jet-heeled striker, who set off at pace.  Zat Knight was the tortoise to Bellamy’s hare, except that in this version it was the tortoise who decided to fall asleep – allowing the hare a one-on-one with Bogdan.  Bellamy slotted the ball past the Hungarian international ‘keeper, who actually managed to get a hand on the ball and was desperately unlucky not to take enough pace off the shot to allow Sam Ricketts to clear.  Ricketts, who was once again solid at left back, turn and berated Knight for his error.  Whatever Ricketts said seemed to have the desired effect, and Knight improved steadily afterwards.

Again, Wanderers fans looked for signs of the 2011 Bolton to reappear.  Was that a head dropping?  Was the blame-game starting up again?  In short, “no”.  Wanderers went back on the offensive, and it was again N’Gog who created an opening – having had a hand in both Bolton’s goals.  The industrious striker received the ball and turned well.  Ignoring impassioned cries of “shoot” from half the Reebok, N’Gog showed quick feet to win a free kick in a dangerous position.  The Frenchman’s contribution should not go unheralded, as he did a phenomenal job of holding the ball up and taking pressure off Bolton defence – as well as being involved in both of Wanderers openers.  Liverpool’s defence had looked dodgy all game, but surely they would be able to do the simple thing and form a wall?  Not a bit of it.  Petrov stepped up and struck his free kick through a gap you could have got Luis Suarez’s ego through, with only a smart save from Reina denying the Bulgarian the goal his performance would have merited.

Mark Davies holds down Gretar Steinsson as a helium filled Chris Eagles starts to float away.

The game now rested on which side, if either, would get the first goal of the second half.  It was Wanderers who did the honours.  From a Petrov corner, David Wheater knocked the ball down in a set-piece routine right out of the Allardyce era.  A clever run from Steinsson had him in the right place at the right time, but it still took a superb finish to beat Reina for a third time and lift the proverbial roof right off the Reebok.

The second half saw chances come and go for both sides, as every spectator in the place nervously watched both clock and pitch.  Daniel Agger almost got Liverpool back into it with a long-range special that thundered off the crossbar.  At the other end, a good run from Eagles ended with a decent effort going just past the upright.  However, clear-cut chances were at a premium, and Wanderers industry in the middle of the park was a joy to behold for fans used to seeing limp and passionless displays this season.

When the endless running finally started to catch up with Bolton’s players, gaps began to appear in their formation and Liverpool sought openings.  Once again though, Bolton showed an unwillingness to capitulate that their supporters have been waiting to see for some time.  There was always a last-ditch tackle, a body thrown in the way or a clever interception to save the day – and, failing that, there was someone to just hoof the ball down the pitch and clear the pressure.  It wasn’t pretty at times, but the level of desire shown should warm the cockles of the heart just as much as any of Bolton’s goals.  And it was clear that the crowd had a full appreciation of the players’ efforts, when late substitutions brought standing ovations for those going off.

Every Bolton fan in attendance learnt things on Saturday night, and questions were answered that had previously eaten away at the faith of many.  Firstly, have no doubts that this Wanderers side contains enough quality to stay up.  Secondly, and most importantly, this group of players really do have some grit and fight in them after all.  And thirdly, with an eye on our next league game, the 2012 edition of Bolton Wanderers doesn’t necessarily wilt when confronted by the big sides.  Bolton fans everywhere take heart, because, on today’s evidence, there’s life in us yet and fortress Reebok might not be the crumbling ruin we all took it for.

Bolton Wanderers (4-5-1): Bogdan 7, Steinsson 8, Wheater 8, Knight 7, Ricketts 8, Eagles 8 (Tuncay 5), Muamba 7, Reo-Coker 9, M.Davies 9, Petrov 8, N’Gog 8 (Davies 6).

Man of the Match: For me, it has to be Nigel Reo-Coker.  Many will have other views, but I thought today saw a true captain’s performance from Nigel and he didn’t put a foot wrong.  We’ve been waiting for a leader to emerge on the pitch and drag us out of this mire, and we may just have found him.

Coyle-watch: Owen gets major credit for today.  It was the right formation, and he sent the lads out with optimism and desire.  Subs remain the affable Scot’s weakness, with his failure to bring on fresh legs in good time almost costing Wanderers dearly.

The Opposition: Liverpool were their own worst enemy today, but Craig Bellamy was a bright spark in an otherwise dull display.  The lightning-fast Welshman may not have Nigel Reo-Coker’s respect as  a person, but everyone has to respect his ability on a football pitch.

Move of the Match: Saturday’s best ‘move’ was actually a piece of individual skill from Martin Petrov.  Petrov, marked by two Liverpool players, flicked the ball through the legs of Glen Johnson and was away before the England right back even knew what was happening.  Petrov had a slow start to his Bolton career, but his energy and winning mentality have not gone unnoticed in recent weeks; Martin is quickly becoming one of the out-of-contract players who should be on Coyle’s “retain” list, wages permitting.

-Azreal88

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’.

The wage bill rose to nearly £56 million, a figure almost £10 million higher than represented in the previous accounts, and despite a catastrophic financial performance, chairman Phil Gartside trousered a bonus of £164,000 in addition to a salary of £330,000 and a £50,000 contribution to his pension pot.

Goodbye to a Hero

So long Nat.

Nat Lofthouse played with honour for both Bolton and England. The great man passed away on 15th January 2011. Nat considered himself to be a local lad who’d just got lucky, and that modesty endeared him to football fans as much as his ability on the pitch. Tributes poured in from around the World and he was given a fitting and dignified send off. An announcement regarding a permanent memorial to Bolton’s favourite son is expected soon.

The Bright Spot

Although it ended in embarrassment, a cup run worthy of the name was still a pleasure to behold, especially as it involved beating three Premier League teams away from home. Mike Harding once remarked that ropes and red lamps should be placed around Birmingham and a sign erected saying ‘Danger – Hole in the World.’ He was right, but that didn’t stop 4,000 Whites fans making the journey down the M6 for the FA Cup quarter final – one of the best away days in years.

With normal time almost up and the scores at 2-2, the travelling throng would have settled for a replay. Lee Chung-Yong had other ideas, heading home from inside the penalty area in the final minute. Bolton were on their way to Wembley.

The Disaster

A week later the problems started, with Stuart Holden sidelined by a reckless challenge from Jonny Evans at Old Trafford. The American has yet to recover. His absence highlighted the lack of cohesion in Bolton’s midfield. That and a catalogue of defensive errors were cruelly punished by Stoke City in the Wembley semi-final as they cruised to an easy win.

The Potters deserved their victory, but it was hard not to conclude that Coyle’s men had shot themselves in the foot. And the knee. And the…well you get the picture.

This supporter travelled to London on coach 99, driven by the only person in the World who didn’t know that the M1 was closed. An unwanted and bad tempered tour through the London suburbs resulted, culminating in a wrong turn when in sight of the stadium, that took the early vintage vehicle down a side street containing a few thousand opposition fans.

One enterprising girlie took her top off as a distraction. This gave the baying Neanderthals a rare glimpse of female flesh and enabled them to count to two for the first time in their lives. Arrival time: 3.35pm. A pity it wasn’t a couple of hours later.

The rest of the season fizzled out with one win and then five consecutive defeats. A final day slide in the table from 9th to 14th cost the Whites £3 million in place bonuses, or three quarters of an Ali Al-Habsi. There was worse, much worse to come.

Coming up in part two:  Transfer dealings, false dawns and a very jittery chairman.

- Richard McCormick

TweetFollow @RMc2407

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

TweetFollow @RMc2407

* Note for lazy journalists.  Matt Taylor will not be re-united with ‘former boss’ Sam Allardyce

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.

So how relevant is end-of-season form to performance in next campaign? Let’s hope the answer is ‘not very’. Only two previous premier league teams have ever lost their last five matches: Sunderland in 2003 and Derby in 2008. Both teams finished bottom and were relegated. Sunderland set a record low points tally of nineteen. Derby set a new one with eleven. We are therefore proud holders of another record – the only premier league side to have lost their last five games without being relegated.

So are we realistic relegation candidates, and if so who else is? Maybe recent history can give us some pointers.

Teams relegated from the premier league over the last ten years generally fit into one or more of the following categories:

1. Newly promoted

The omens aren't good, Neil

The most obvious category. Thirteen of the last thirty relegated sides were newly promoted, and not since the class of 2001 – Bolton, Blackburn, and Fulham, who are all still there – have all three promoted sides stayed up. Looking on the bright side, it’s 1998 since all three promoted teams were relegated (Bolton, Barnsley, and Crystal Palace), so maybe at least one will survive?

Candidates: QPR, Norwich, Swansea

2. Narrowly avoided relegation
Five of the last ten years’ relegated sides – including each of the last two years – finished in 17th place the previous year, so history suggests there’s a 50:50 chance Wolves will be in the mix next season.
For the record those relegated sides were Derby, Sunderland, West Brom, Hull and West Ham, and those that have survived were Fulham, Wigan, Portsmouth, Everton, and Bolton.

Although no team finishing 16th has been relegated the next year, the closeness of this year’s relegation scrap suggests that the other last day survivors, Wigan and Blackburn, could also be in the mix.
Candidates: Wolves.
Possible: Wigan, Blackburn

3. Second season
Five of the 30 slots have gone to teams ‘enjoying’ their second season in the top flight. In the case of West Brom and Hull, they had also narrowly avoided relegation the previous season, but the other three – Ipswich, Reading, and Birmingham – had finished in the top half.

Newcastle and West Brom are the two clubs facing their second season. West Brom have steadied the ship under Roy Hodgson and will be targeting mid-table at least. Of the two, Newcastle would be the more likely candidates for me, but only because of indications of internal problems and my belief that Pardew is a poor manager, although they should have the finances to build a decent side after the sale of Andy Carroll.

Candidates: Newcastle and West Brom.

4. Finished the previous season badly
Accounts for six of the thirty relegation slots in the last ten years. Two of these were teams that had also narrowly avoided relegation, but the other four all finished comfortably mid-table, albeit in poor form, reminiscent of this year’s Bolton.

Leicester finished the 2000/01 season with nine defeats in their last ten and dropping from 4th to 13th in the process. They carried this form into the new season, getting thumped by newly promoted Bolton in their first game of the new campaign, losing seven of their first ten games, and being rooted to the foot of the table for most of the season.

Southampton finished 12th in 2004 but with only two points from their last five games. Again, this carried over to the new campaign, with them winning only one of their first twelve and ultimately finishing bottom.

Charlton finished the 2005/06 season in 12th place despite four defeats in their last five then started the next season with seven defeats and only one win in their first ten games, ultimately finishing 19th.

Birmingham’s impressive 2009/10 season saw them defy expectations and claim a top ten place, but also saw them win only one of their last ten games. Whilst the following year started with a four-game unbeaten run, they only managed one win in the first eight, and ultimately a poor end to a topsy-turvy season saw them relegated on the last day.

In four of the last ten seasons, one of the relegated teams have had the worst form of any surviving team in the last five games of the previous campaign. Obviously this also means that the other six teams that finished bottom of the form guide survived, including Everton in 2004 and Man City in 2007 who went on to enjoy top half finishes the following year.

Remember, though, that losing your last five games is unprecedented for any surviving club, so Bolton are in uncharted territory. We managed less than a point a game since Christmas (only Blackpool and West Ham had worse records) and with our diabolical away record, a tricky start at newly promoted QPR (reminiscent of Leicester in 2002) closely followed by games against five of last season’s top six and things could look bleak by mid-October.

Last season’s only other premier league ‘survivor’ with less than a point per game in their last five was Arsenal, who are clearly in no danger of relegation.

Candidates: Bolton

5. Other factors
This category covers other potential ‘warning signs’: financial troubles, loss of a long-term manager, change of ownership, daft managerial sackings and disastrous appointments.

Many of the teams already mentioned also fit into this category. Leicester had recently lost Martin O’Neill. Charlton had lost Curbishley and followed up with three managers the following year. Southampton lost Strachan and appointed Sturrock (briefly) then Wigley (laughably), and so on.

Only six of our thirty relegated teams do not fit into at least one of the categories above. Two of these – Leeds in 2004 and Portsmouth in 2010 – were victims of financial meltdown, as the consequences of overspending took them from European qualification to relegation in short time.

Another – Newcastle – had recently changed ownership, and were going through their Laurel and Hardy phase as new owner Mike Ashley was demonstrating why he should never have been allowed anywhere near a professional football club. There were already murmurings of discontent before Keegan walked out at the start of their relegation season.

Barring sudden loss of interest from the Arabs / Russians / Americans, there are a couple of potential candidates from this category.

Blackburn’s recent change of ownership coupled with the appointment of an inexperienced manager probably put them at the top of the list.

Bet you daren't appoint ... him!

Mike Ashley still should be allowed nowhere near a football club, and Newcastle’s sacking of Hughton and appointment of Pardew seems a bit of an odd one. Again there are murmurings from within the club, and the sale of your captain and main goal threat to a championship club doesn’t bode well, so let’s add them too.

Aston Villa’s appointment of McLeish is the most head-scratchingly daft for a while, but they have too much money and (currently) too good a squad to be genuine candidates.

Candidates: Blackburn, Newcastle.

That leaves only three clubs out of the last thirty relegated that were relegated without any of the ‘warning signs’ listed above, which suggests that if you’re an established premier league club not mentioned thus far, you’re probably safe..

Summary: put your money on …
It’s difficult to look beyond the three promoted sides, and likely that at least a couple will be in the mix. Other prime candidates for me would be; Blackburn due to their potential for off-field turmoil with the new owners and because they narrowly avoided relegation this year, Newcastle due to Mike Ashley, Alan Pardew, and second season syndrome, Wolves simply because the worst placed survivor tends to have an even chance of going down, and finally Bolton due to our poor form at the end of last season and our difficult schedule at the start of this one, but mainly so I don’t jinx us by saying we’ll be safe.

To narrow it down further, I’d expect Wolves to build on their survival in the last two seasons and Bolton to have too much pedigree, too solid a set-up and too good a manager to be in the mix after Christmas.

So perm any three from Norwich, QPR, Swansea, Newcastle, and Blackburn.

There you go – the three relegated teams will definitely come out of that bunch. Probably.

- Wakey

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.

Digressing slightly, and probably rubbing people up the wrong way at the same time, it’s a conviction of mine that football fans are sheep-like in the way that we happily go along with prevailing myths. There are plenty to chose from, but as examples I’d suggest “you can’t play decent football unless you have quality players” and counter that with “Blackpool”, or “you can’t play decent football with KD up front” and counter that with “Newcastle at home”. Similary, I’d counter “Fabrice Muamba is a decent defensive midfielder” with “b*ll*cks!”.

Baaa..I'm just not having this about Elmander...!

On of the more irritating prevailing myths is that Klasnic can’t last 90 minutes (how would anyone know?) or that he doesn’t get involved much apart from the goals.

It is these Klasnic myths I will now attempt to counter with the contention that he is our most effective forward when he gets the opportunity. Which sadly has been far too rarely, and generally only when we’re chasing the game.

Effectiveness – goals and assists

Total Goals and assists

Overall, our former hapless Swede romps it with 10 goals and 6 assists followed by KD. A total contribution of 16 goals to the cause – not a bad return (finally) from our record signing.

Convert this into goals and assists per “match” (i.e. per every 90 minutes played) and you get a different picture:

Now our underused Croatian is the star performer on both counts – averaging over a goal a game and an assist every three and a bit – followed by the Boy Wonder.

Goals and assists per 90 minutes:

Whilst Klasnic’s contribution, including assists, is almost a goal and a half per game, Elmander’s is less than a third of that. Big Kev brings up the rear with around a third of a goal per game.

Round one to Klasnic.

Attempts and attempts on target
Another somewhat brainless criticism of Klasnic is that “all he does is score…” – this is a genuine comment I have heard on many occasions. Seriously.

Notwithstanding the utter daftness of this, again it’s not borne out by the stats.

Elmander again tops the overall chart with 79 attempts (33 on target) followed by Sturridge with 54 and 21 respectively. Converting this per 90 minutes …

Attempts over 90mins..

Danny Sturridge leads the way with almost 5 attempts per ‘game’, with Klasnic a whisker behind, but Klasnic has more attempts on target. Not bad for a bloke who doesn’t do much.
Elmander is way behind on both counts with Big Kev once again in last place.

I am the man..and you know it..!

Chances created and passing
Poor old Kev’s not had a good time of it so far, so it’s time to get onto one of his strengths … creating chances for other players.

I’ve already mentioned that KD’s well ahead of anyone else with 86 chances created. Of the forwards, Elmander is next with 33. Kev also has more successful passes (915) than any other forward, followed by Elmander with 633. Converted per ‘game’ this gives us:

chances created and passes per 90 minutes.

KD clearly tops the list for chances created, but now he’s followed by Klasnic and Sturridge with Elmander well behind.

Davies also made the most passes, but presumably because a high proportion of these bounce aimlessly off his head, has the worst pass success and by far the highest number of failed passes.

Ivan doesn’t-do-much Klasnic has the second highest number of passes and the highest number of successful passes, whilst “workhorse” Elmander made far less passes than either and had the least number of successful passes. Only Sturridge attempted less passes than Elmander, presumably because he’s a greedy git.

Workrate – tackles and fouls
I know … it’s a bit like being back at school, but don’t worry; this is the last bit.

They may not be key indicators for the effectiveness of our forwards, but tackles and fouls should give us an indication of how much they get stuck in. Remember – Klasnic does nowt bar score goals…

Tackles and fouls per 90 minutes:

Probably the one we all expected Big Kev to win hands down (tackles, that is – fouls was obvious) so a bit of a surprise to see our work-shy Croatian and the big girls’ blouse Swede beat him into third place for tackles won. Also notable that Klasnic attempted the most tackles, not just that he won them all, and that Wonder Boy simply doesn’t do tackles. Although he did win the only one he attempted, so maybe he’s just trying to maintain his perfect record.

Not surprisingly, KD is involved in the highest number of fouls – over 5 per ‘game’ – but unfortunately the majority of them are fouls committed. Sturridge is the next most ‘active’, primarily because he’s too quick for the opposition who just end up chopping him down. Or giving him an excuse to dive. Elmander and Klasnic’s stats are closer, but again Klasnic both wins and concedes more free-kicks than the Swede.

Summary
One man clearly stands out above even the boy wonder from Chelsea as our star performer this season. Proportionate to time spent on the pitch, he has the most goals, the most assists, the most attempts on target, the most successful passes, and the most successful tackles, and is second only to KD on chances created.

But he does nowt but score goals. Apparently.

-Wakey-

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

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.

Frank Worthington. Showing that you can have twatty hair and still get laid.

Six players have been selected for more detailed analysis.  Three from times gone by, the others from the modern age.  You can vote for them or others by following the link at the bottom of the page.  Those doing so will be entered into a draw in which the prize is a foam stuffed replica of Phil Gartside.**

John Byrom

Byrom was signed from his home-town club, Blackburn Rovers, but his origins were soon forgotten as he proved to be that most treasured of things, a natural goal scorer.  Not exactly an athletic shape, the striker’s beer belly cost him a move to Stoke City, then in the old first division as they considered him ‘too fat’.

Revenge was sweet as the Whites beat Stoke in an FA Cup tie at Burnden Park, with Byrom bagging a hat-trick and enjoying himself in the bar afterward at the expense of those who’d disregarded him.

Some years earlier, in a victory over Liverpool in a League Cup game, there was an altercation between Byrom and Tommy Smith.  The story goes that Smith suggested they continue in the car park after the final whistle.  The invitation was accepted and JB put the renowned hard-man on his backside for the second time that evening.

Paul Jones

The epitome of a ball-playing centre back, Jones was on the edges of the England squad and would have won full caps had he played for a more fashionable club.  Yet, there was a time, early in his career when there were doubts over his future.

John McGinlay. Would you like some ribbons on that tattoo?

Originally a midfielder, he was tried as a central defender in a stroke of genius by then manager, Jimmy Armfield.  He went on to play over five hundred games for the club and was the cultured half of a formidable partnership with Sam Allardyce.

Frank Worthington

Much travelled serial-shagger he might have been, but the man could play and he knew where the goal was.  In between humping anything with a pulse, Worthington scored 24 league goals in the 1978-79 season, an astounding feat in a side threatened with relegation.

The former Huddersfield Town and Leicester City forward cemented his reputation as a cult hero (watch the spelling there) by scoring a brace at Old Trafford as Manchester United were beaten 2-1.  He’d also netted twice in a 3-0 victory at Burnden Park the previous December.

John McGinlay

Kissing the badge is one thing.  Having it made into a permanent part of your anatomy something else.  It’s just as well that the Wanderers had a proper emblem then, rather than the namby-pamby effort with multi-coloured sperms that exists now.

McGinlay was rescued from Millwall by Bruce Rioch and went onto play 230 times scoring on 118 occasions.  Whilst never making his mark in the top flight, he was an integral part of two promotion winning sides and scored the final goal at Burnden Park before the bulldozers moved in.

Jay-Jay. Nuff-said.

There’s another reason for liking McGinlay.  Wolves supporters hate him, and with good reason.  In a play off semi-final in 1995 against that club, the Scot not only stayed on the pitch after decking defender David Kelly, but went on to net the second goal.

‘It was just a wee push,’ he explained later.

McGinlay was roundly abused in every game after, by the Molineux mob, who never figured out that the more they booed, the more he scored.  But that’s Wolves fans for you.

Jay Jay Okocha

Brilliant, mercurial, thrilling, tantalising are words that could be used to describe Okocha, but let’s not mess about here.  He was shit-hot.  For a short time in 2003, the man so good they named him twice ,was the best player on the planet and he almost single headedly saved Bolton from relegation.

The Nigerian’s brilliant solo effort against West Ham will live forever in the memory, as will him making a complete tit of Roy Keane.  Add in that scorching free-kick against Aston Villa and the club captaincy, enhanced by his ability to speak four languages to a multi-cultural dressing room, and you had a figure at the very centre of Bolton under Sam Allardyce.

Ivan Campo

All together now. E-Van Campo. E-Van Campo.

Suffering from clinical depression, such was his neglect at Real Madrid, Campo was another of the fallen galacticos recruited by Allardyce.  Initially things didn’t look good, as he seemed a liability in defence, but played in Sam’s beloved holding role in front of the back four the Spaniard was ideal.

An excellent reader of the game, a sublime passer at his best (we’ll ignore the other times) and a way of being fouled that never less than amusing, endeared him to the crowd.

‘My Bolton friends, you must know that you will always be with me and have a special place deep in my heart,’ he wrote after leaving.  There wasn’t a doubt that the words were genuine.

Is there a player missing above who deserves the tag of ‘legend’?  Tell us who it is.

Then click here to place your vote

- Richard McCormick

**  This was journalistic license.  Or to put it another way, a lie.  There is no draw.  Or prize.  There isn’t a stuffed Gartside either.

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

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.

As he breezed into reception at Bolton Wanderers Training Complex in Euxton yesterday morning in his trademark shorts with his trademark grin, it was clear that, in all meanings of the phrase, there was only one Owen Coyle. After the formalities had been concluded and introductions made, he asked how we enjoyed the tour.

The tour itself consisted of a trip round the training ground, which I’ll expand on later, and a chance to observe a first team training session, albeit from what felt like half a mile away due to the location of the entrance and training pitches. Even from this distance, it was clear to see that our manager still has the predatory instincts which were sadly lacking on Saturday as he bagged a hat-trick.

Having said how much we enjoyed the tour, I naturally left out the petty grumble about the distance away from the training session, which, incidentally, is still far closer that I’d have people watching me at work, (especially if I was Muamba), he asked if we wished to have lunch in the staff canteen. There were no cameras present; there were no angles to work or opportunities to exploit. In short, there was no need, PR wise at least, to make such an offer. Don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t ending world hunger or creating world peace, he was offering four strangers lunch in the staff canteen. Lunch he didn’t pay for or cook.

Did you say they were training down there..?

Regardless of that, it was still a nice gesture and, most importantly, it was a very nice lunch to eat, and ensured that Coyle’s Godlike status remains well and truly intact. Doesn’t take a lot to impress I know!

It was just another example of Coyle’s ‘people skills’, making his players, and those loitering in reception, go above and beyond. I’m not a Bolton player and, as a ‘stocky’ 26 year old, that’s not likely to change, but I would have happily run through a brick wall for Mr. Coyle, after I’d finished a second portion of lasagne obviously.

I was hoping to meet Fabrice Muamba to give him lessons in basic passing and ball control but I didn’t see him. I can only assume this was due to the fact that he tried to find reception but ended up 40 yards away.

There were still some remnants from the days of Big Sam at the training ground. There was an unused cryo-chamber which looked like something out of RoboCop and a sign for the ‘Sports Psychologist’ which looked like a sign for the Sports Psychologist (we didn’t actually go in the room, although apparently the psychologist has long since departed). We were also informed that Big Sam used to have a bath in his dressing room, an insight which both intrigued and disturbed me in equal measure.

Following the tour, the insight, the training and the lunch, we were seated in reception to get some autographs from the footballing elite. I actually saw Sean Davis more yesterday than I have ever done in a Bolton shirt. Another player, Sam Ricketts, who is on the long term injury list was also present and was a very likeable guy too. He kindly stopped for an autograph and had a quick chat regarding his injury recovery which seems to be going well thankfully.

We also got to see a piece of footballing history; a Bolton player receiving an award. Gretar Steinsson accepted his award for being ‘Heads Up’ (I think, please don’t sue me Match Magazine) Champion 2011.

"How many have I done ?"

How many times do you think a footballer can bounce a ball on his head in 60 seconds without dropping it? I’ll tell you dear reader, 146 times if you’re Steinsson. Impressive eh? Not only did we get to see him accept his trophy, and leave it pride of place in reception for the other players (and manager for that matter) to see, we got to see him attempt to break his amazing record, a feat he may have achieved but for the small fact that no-one bothered to count.

Who needs the FA Cup Final eh? Whoops! Too soon? It had to end on a low note. That’s one of the many certainties in life if you support Bolton.  The glass is always half empty. Unless you’re Owen Coyle that is!

-Dave Hallsworth-