Arsenal
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 Cahill to Leave – In Exchange for a Truck Load of Players
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011 | BWFC News, BWFC People, Gary Cahill, Kevin Davies, Richard McCormick | 2 Comments
The long running Gary-Cahill-to-leave-but-we-don’t-know-how-much-for-and-where-to continues this morning with the skunks in the press being particularly inventive.
Eboue flys, without assistance from an airline
Matt Law, in an ‘exclusive’ for the Daily Express, figures that Arsenal will offer Henri Lansbury, Carlos Vela, Armand Traore and Emmanuel Eboue as part of a deal for Bolton’s star centre back.
This will be unwelcome news for Eboue, who was involved in a spat with Kevin Davies at the Reebok in 2006 and has never quite recovered. The Ivorian international has already catered for this eventuality, obtaining a Belgian passport to make his detection more difficult. He was last seen on the M25, heading for Heathrow, with final destination unknown.
Across town at Spurs, Harry Redknapp is prepared to trade Sebastien Bassong, Robbie Keane, Jermaine Jenas and Alan Hutton according to the Daily Mail. This motley crew is worth £17 million apparently, matching Cahill’s asking price. However, if Jenas is excluded, the value of the players offered rises to £20 million.
If it’s ok with Messrs Wenger and Redknapp, we’d rather have the money, thanks.
- Richard McCormick
Follow @RMc2407
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
Bolton End Arsenal’s Season. Again
Monday, April 25th, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News | No Comments
There was a time under Sam Allardyce, when Bolton beating Arsenal at the Reebok was a given thing. Allardyce’s team were accused of many things on such occasions – bullying, brutalisation and attempted murder amongst them, but the truth was that Big Sam had schooled his players perfectly. They denied the opposition midfielders space, and nullified whatever threat they posed.
But that was a long time ago. Before Sunday’s game Bolton had lost eight successive league games against the Gunners, without ever being in contention.
It's just like the old days
So it was something of a relief to find that Owen Coyle had instilled the battling spirit of old, especially after the previous week’s rabbit in the headlights disaster at Wembley. The Wanderers matched Arsenal in the first half and with better finishing could have gone in with more than a single goal lead.
While they had to fight more of a rearguard action in the second period, defeat was never on the cards against a side with limited end product, and Tamir Cohen’s last minute winner provided him with a poignant moment and the sell out crowd with three points to celebrate.
There was a fear that Bolton would end the season in melt-down, slipping to lower mid-table. That feeling has now been assuaged, Coyle has shown his mettle as a manager and the players deserve credit for putting that Stoke embarrassment behind them.
And what of Arsenal? Arsene Wenger’s team has shot itself in the foot so many times of late that a permanent limp will result. The lack of a commanding centre half doesn’t help, neither does insufficient defensive organisation at set pieces. But those things don’t disguise the fact that Wenger doesn’t have the gifted players at his disposal that he used to have.
Bergkamp, Henri, Pires, Ljungberg and Overmars are treasured names from the past. Only Cesc Fabregas can be mentioned in the same breath. Some might claim that for Jack Wilshere, but while the ex-Bolton loanee is thought of with affection at the Reebok, he’s not the cross between Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi and Ronaldhino that the hard of thinking in the press corp proclaim him to be.
With five games to go for Bolton, it’s fun time. There’s a chance to get through the 50 point barrier for the first time since the Allardyce days and an opportunity to help relegate Blackburn (and Blackpool too). Nothing can wipe away the hurt of that FA Cup semi-final defeat (bar returning next season and doing better) but there are still consolations to be had.
- Richard McCormick
Champagne on ice
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Lee Chung-Yong, Owen Coyle | 6 Comments
Harry Redknapp stated prior to the Arsenal game that, if Spurs were victorious in the North London derby, his Tottenham side could win the Premier League. His statement was widely ridiculed, though not quite as widely as it should have been, not due to the idea that Spurs could win their first league title in 50 years, but because Spurs hadn’t won such a fixture since 1993. Thirty minutes in and ‘Arry’s pre-match boast was looking even more ridiculous as the distance between the pretenders and the elite could not have been more stark. However, 60 minutes later and, following a miraculous turnaround, Spurs fans were toasting their first win at their rival’s home in seventeen years. Once the three o’clock fixtures finished, Redknapp was considered almost clairvoyant. Chelsea’s defeat at St. Andrews meant that Spurs were now just six points away from the league leaders. Title challengers indeed.
eh up... Harry's going on about the title again, better make an appearance just to keep things real...!
However, whilst journalists were marvelling at Redknapp’s Nostradamous like predictions, few noticed a fatal flaw in his plan. Whilst Arsenal were slipping up at home, that was their third home defeat of the season and fourth in total, Chelsea had suffered back to back defeats for the first time in years, City were struggling to play more than one attack minded player in any given team and Man United, while unbeaten, cannot win away, few had noticed that another team in white were above Spurs, and their form was not faltering. › Continue reading
Europe, here we come !
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Football Association, Kevin Davies, Lee Chung-Yong, Premier League | 2 Comments
Just how high can Bolton finish this season? While I’m not trying to get carried away by our lofty (the Lion) league position – 7th at the time of writing – and I’m sure they’ll be many more twists and turns, wins and losses, highs and lows before the season’s out, but what can we realistically expect with regards to league position come the final day?
According to Lee Chung Yong, who notched his first goal of the season against Stoke, we may have reason to check the exchange rate, get ourselves some travellers’ cheques, purchase some sun block (or thermals going off our previous visits to Belgrade and Plodiv etc) and prepare for a European tour once again.
"Ivan.... sort the sunbeds out son"
When I firsy read lee’s quotes, I thought that 20+ months of constant football had finally taken its toll on the youngster and he’d gone insane. European finish? Madness surely? Still, I suppose it was no more insane than England International (had to mention that) Kevin Davies proclaiming that a top ten finish was an achievable aim under Gary Megson’s leadership!
However, the more I read Lee’s quotes, admittedly aided by our last gasp win this weekend, the more I tend to agree with him. Ok, Europe may be too much, too soon this season, but a top ten finish should be a legitimate aim – Davies, please feel free to use this as your cue to trot out last season’s quotes to an unsuspecting journalist.
So what is the reason for this change of heart, aside from the obvious? Well, upon looking at the league table this morning, ignoring the top 5 which I think will remain the same, albeit maybe in a different order, there isn’t a lot to choose from between the remaining 15 teams. Unlike last year when Pompey looked doomed already with their off the filed problems, not to mention the small issue of losing their first seven matches, there are no teams who you can write off as relegation certainties just yet (or as close as you can get to a certainty in October). Similarly, there aren’t any teams who you think have had such a good start, they’ll be playing European football next season, unless you think that both West Brom and Bolton will be England’s representatives in the Europa League next season. › Continue reading
This is How to Play the Game Mr Wenger
Monday, September 20th, 2010 | BWFC News, BWFC People, Kevin Davies, Premier League | 20 Comments
Things are looking a bit brighter at Planet Reebok, after last week’s defeat at Arsenal, a battling performance at Aston Villa, a match in which Bolton could have taken all three points, having lifted spirits. A report on the game has already appeared here, but one incident which wasn’t included should be remarked upon.
Early in the second half, Kevin Davies clattered into Carlos Cuellar. The challenge was late and badly timed, but without malice. Imagine this happened at the Emirates Stadium:
The fouled player rolls around on the turf for ten minutes, clutching what he feels is the appropriate part of his anatomy, encouraged by the bitter sobs of hysterical outrage from fifty-odd thousand tearful home fans. › Continue reading
Owen Coyle Needs to Wise Up and Fast
Sunday, September 12th, 2010 | BWFC People, Owen Coyle | 9 Comments
So, it was all Stuart Atwell’s fault. After Bolton suffered a predictable defeat at Arsenal, Owen Coyle blamed the referee.
‘I think the turning point was prior to the Gary Cahill red card. It was two seconds earlier on the edge of the Arsenal box when Chung-Yong Lee was blatantly tripped,’ he told Sky Sports.
‘I think the whole stadium has seen it bar Mr Attwell and his assistant. From that Arsenal went on the counter-attack and we ended with 10 men.’
Coyle is entitled to complain about two poor decisions in the space of a few seconds (the other being Gary Cahill’s sending off) but to claim the game hinged on them is wide of the mark. By that stage Arsenal were 2-1 up and in control. Instead, the Wanderers boss needs to look closer to home, for he is to tactical nous what Wayne Rooney is to marital fidelity. › Continue reading
Every Day’s a cup final for Mark Halsey….!
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Football Association, Ivan Campo, Jay-Jay Okocha, Nicolas Anelka, Owen Coyle, Phil Gartside, Premier League, Premiership referees, Sam Allardyce, Youri Djorkaeff | 11 Comments
The support from football fans and ordinary people in the street has been inspirational
Click the link to listen to Mark Halsey’s Exclusive interview.
http://www.zshare.net/audio/751463426e948768/
Despite hailing from Hertfordshire, Mark Halsey has firmly established himself as one of Bolton’s favourite adopted sons. After spending 12 years playing non-league football for Cambridge City and Hertford Town he began his refereeing career in 1989 and a decade later refereed the famous 1999 Football League One Play-off Final between Gillingham and Manchester City at Wembley. The same year he was promoted to Premier League status and shortly after the FIFA List of referees. He quickly established himself as one of the most popular referees in the League.
Mark was kind enough to take time out of his schedule to speak Exclusively to Manny Road & bwfcforum’s Andi Walton. He started by asking him about his current health:
MH: Yeah I’m feeling very good, I seem to be getting stronger with every game I do and it’s a bonus for me because I never thought I’d be back refereeing again, so every day is a cup final and it’s really great to be back and the reception I’ve received from the two games I’ve done at Rotherham and Port Vale and Oldham and Bristol Rovers, the fans have been absolutely fantastic and it’s been very emotional and overwhelming for me.
AW: It must have been the furthest thing from your mind getting out on the football pitch when you were in the midst of your treatment but now you’ve got to that stage, it must be a real thrill.
MH: For me to come back and, you know, I suppose…for what I’ve gone through with all my chemotherapy and my radiotherapy…I mean if you saw me at Christmas, I was nowhere near the Mark Halsey of old, you know, but I’ve worked hard and a lot of people have helped me and it’s been great. The support I’ve received from people around the country – just ordinary football fans and ordinary people in the street. They’ve been inspirational to me and they’ve got to really pat themselves on the back for the way they’ve helped me and it’s down to them that I’m back where I am now.
Bolton Wanderers opinions you won’t read on the BBC
Monday, January 25th, 2010 | BWFC News, Mark Davies | 4 Comments
Alan Wiley gets in the mood for another balanced performance (via cliff1066)
Alan Wiley gets in the mood for another balanced performance (via cliff1066)
This post, the first by our second new guest blogger Stephen McClusky, was originally posted on the BBC 606 message board, from where it was swiftly censored on the grounds it would ’cause too much controversy’. In the interests of free speech, here it is…
I know we are probably sick of hearing about the HORRIFIC challenge on mini-Davo; however I need to express my sheer anger and disgust at what was, in my opinion. A VERY cynical (even malicious) tackle on a player who was a massive part of the game.
So here is my honest opinion…
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