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.

The root of the problem was Bolton’s midfield system.  Having chosen to man-mark Arsenal’s midfield trio, Bolton had surrendered the middle of the pitch to any opposition defender who decided to carry the ball forward.  As Arsenal’s defence brought the ball forward at feet, at least one midfielder was forced to move forward to make a challenge and suddenly Arsenal had a player free in 10-15 yards of space.  With time and space to turn and run, Arteta and Ramsey could pick their passes at will.  When Bolton’s midfield chose to stick to their marking responsibilities, Arsenal’s defenders were free to run right at the Bolton back line and pick passes of their own.  Bolton were lucky, in truth, that Thomas Vermaelen had been deployed at left back.  If Arsenal had had a centre half with more creativity, Bolton could have been in serious trouble.

Bolton managed to forge good chances of their own.  David N’Gog had an effort saved when played clean through, and when he flicked the rebound to Chris Eagles the winger shot just wide.  Martin Petrov, a player in fine form at the moment, was effective down the left and whipped in several dangerous crosses.  However, it was a calculated, rather than inspired, display from Wanderers in the first half – and it was generally agreed they would have to show more aggression in the second half to claim any points.

Thankfully for Wanderers fans, Bolton 2012 were back in full force for the second half; which saw the marking system in midfield modified to cut the number of free runs Arsenal had through the centre.  When faced with a defender in possession, Wanderers’ wingers started to come inside and pick up players, freeing central midfielders to close-down or intercept.  With their freedom to play openly from the back largely curtailed, Arsenal took to playing a more direct brand of football – with mixed results.  The clear height advantage of Wanderers’ back four meant that Arsenal increasingly lost possession as a result of their switch in passing styles, and Bolton’s desire to continue to play on the deck meant they came increasingly into the game.

Theo Walcott in familar pose, ie missing the goal.

With more even possession, came a more frantic game, with both sides looking to get forward and make something happen.  Bolton grew in confidence, with Mark Davies and Nigel Reo-Coker carrying the ball forward with increasing regularity.  Wanderers, in general, became more attack-minded – with the fullbacks on both flanks pushing forward to offer support as moves developed.  When Owen Coyle first arrived at Bolton, his team talks seemed to regularly inspire the side to give much improved second-half displays – fans should hope that this was a sign of that returning.

Arsenal remained dangerous.  Robin Van Persie twice struck the woodwork, and only a superb save by Adam Bogdan denied Theo Walcott when in behind the Bolton line.  The home side, however, were not to be beaten, and Bolton’s defenders were prepared to put their bodies on the line to preserve a rare clean sheet.  David Wheater was imperious throughout and Zat Knight, who had looked lumbering in the first 45, seemed more switched-on and aggressive after the break.  Arsenal could perhaps have been described as unlucky to gain only a point, were it not for Bolton’s efforts at the end of the game.

If the first 70 minutes had seen Bolton defend resiliently and counter-attack when the opportunity presented itself, the last 20 minutes of the game were dominated almost entirely by the team in White.  And it was Kevin Davies arrival which, just as it had against Swansea a few days earlier, signalled the transition from Wanderers simply matching their opponents, to Wanderers outplaying them.  Arsenal tried their own ‘heroic’ substitution, but Henry failed to have a real impact on the game – though he showed flashes of the old brilliance.

As the pressure from the home side increased, one of their more frustrating habits returned.  Why is it that Bolton’s players are so shot-shy these days?  Tuncay and Kevin Davies both had shots blocked, when if they had taken the chance to shoot early they’d have had a free effort on goal.  Mark Davies and Reo-Coker both chose to take an extra touch when in good shooting positions, allowing them to be closed down and forcing them to play more difficult angles and shoot wide.  Clearly this reticence is something which will have to be worked on in training.  Nevertheless, it was Bolton who had the run of the place come the end of the game and could have won it, especially had a late shout for a penalty on Mark Davies been granted.

Arsenal will feel they should have won the game in the first half, but should equally be relieved they didn’t lose it in the last quarter.  Bolton will be delighted with a point, and can quite rightly claim to have been the match of a side with hopes of a top four finish.  If the Wanderers play like this every game until the end of the season, they’ll be well clear of the drop come the final day.  Arsenal will have to dramatically improve to claim a Champions League spot, and both sides will agree a draw was about right.

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

Man of the Match: David Wheater.  I think this might be a controversial pick, but there you go.  It was ‘Wheats’ or Reo-Coker, and Reo-Coker’s dip for the last 20 minutes of the first half meant the big centre half carried it.  Wheater was immense throughout, blocking a number of shots, clearing off the line and bringing the ball forward out of defence.  Superb display.

Coyle-Watch: Owen is becoming increasingly vocal and animated as Bolton’s revival continues.  Today’s tactics were solid and there was good use of subs.  Can’t fault the manager.

Nigel Reo-Coker: Some would argue that Reo-Coker has been our best player this season, whilst others rubbish that claim; but nobody would argue with the assertion that Nigel has been superb since he assumed the captain’s role on the pitch.  With another classy and authoritative display today, the former Villa man is quickly establishing himself as a favourite amongst the Reebok faithful.  It may be harsh not to have made him man of the match for this game, but his dip in the latter stages of the first half almost cost Wanderers their point.  In spite of that, it’s the first time in a long while that a Bolton captain has improved after gaining the armband, rather than fallen away – long may it continue.

- Azreal88

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

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

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

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.

Following Bolton’s 5-1 demolition of Newcastle, they too were just six points off the league leaders, yet claims that we could claim the first league title in our club’s illustrious history were not forthcoming. While Bolton Wanderers have (whisper it) become fashionable of late, with numerous column inches devoted to the ‘total football’ Owen Coyle’s team is now playing, the common consensus is that the league title may be beyond us, despite a friend of mine signing up to bwfcforum.co.uk with of rather optimistic username of ‘Bolton for the Title’! Yet I have reason to believe that Kevin Davies may indeed be lifting some silverware come May.

The title race is one of the closest in years. Some commentators have said that this is evidence that the league is the best it’s ever been, despite the fact that Chelsea’s total of 28 points from 14 games is the lowest tally accumulated by a league leader since 1994. However, whatever the reason, the league is indeed close this year. Chelsea lead the way obviously, despite their recent loss of form, but they’re just three points ahead of fourth placed Manchester City and (as this is a Bolton blog and we’re flying high), just six points ahead of fifth placed Bolton Wanderers.

The run up to Christmas is vitally important. We have five games before the trip to Chelsea on December 28^th. My personal target is 8 points from those five games, but I’m sure you will have your own targets and aspirations too dear reader. I consider that to be a realistic target, especially considering three of the five games are at home against Blackpool, [Insert Corporate Name Here] Rovers and West Brom. We also have away trips to Eastlands to face Man City in a match to determine fourth place (provided we beat Blackpool this week) and a trip North to face Sunderland, a match to keep us in fourth place (provided we beat Blackpool, City and Blackburn).

If we can get the necessary wins to take us to that ‘magical’ 30 point target, it will leave us to get 10 points from the remaining 18 games to see us safe from relegation. I know that we’re not talking about the prospect of relegation at the moment, considering our form and league position, but the sooner we can make that mathematically certain, the better.

The reason I hope that we can get to 30 points by January is not to keep pace with the league leaders, or even the top 4 contenders, although that would be nice. The reason I want to put ourselves three quarters of the way to safety is so we can give the FA Cup a bloody good go this season.

For a club with such a fine FA Cup tradition, our recent attempts at cup success have been nothing short of pathetic. We haven’t got past the fifth round since 2004, and that includes third round exits in both attempts under Gary Megson. However, we now have a manager who remembers fondly the cup runs of the early 90s (ironically better than myself) when we had several, memorable giant killings of top flight teams while we were in the lower leagues, knocking out the cup holders (Liverpool in 1993 and Arsenal in 1994) in consecutive seasons, and at their own grounds too.

We’re now equipped with a manager who treats cup competitions with the respect they deserve (I’ll conveniently ignore our unfortunate exit to Burnley in the league cup earlier this season) and I firmly believe that we are well equipped for cup success. Before anyone says anything, yes this belief is largely motivated by our hammering of Newcastle and other impressive performance of late. However, with the race for the title being so close this season, their priorities may not include the FA Cup. It is well document that Abramovich wants the Champions League, a cup which six managers and £500m have yet to obtain for him; Man United want that nineteenth title to surpass Liverpool; Arsenal just want to win anything although, for some bizarre reason, that doesn’t seem to include the FA Cup; Man City are focused on finishing fourth, ditto Spurs, and both may harbour distant dreams of winning the league (with it being so close, they may never have a better chance). Of course, in isolation, the above teams having other, perhaps more pressing, priorities is hardly a guarantee of cup success. Chelsea have managed to win the FA Cup in successive seasons whilst maintaining a strong domestic title challenge.

However, we have impressive form ourselves and have done more than enough to prove that we’re a good team with some fine players. Two defeats in fourteen Premiership games shows that we’re no longer a soft touch, determined to turn up at games with the sole, and ultimately unsuccessful, aim of trying to escape with a draw.

For the first time in years, we take the game to opposition. For the first time in over a decade, once ahead we keep attacking, which has produced the most goals per game we have ever scored in a Premier League season. Owen Coyle has instilled a belief in the players that we can take points in every game, and with good reason as, bar defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool, we have taken points in every game.

We have a settled team and, with that, we have created some strong partnerships; in Elmander and Davies, we have one of the best striking duos in the Premiership on current form. They have scored 14 goals and have numerous assists between them Davies’ excellent pass to set up Elmander’s first goal against Newcastle being a prime example. His deft touch to set up his strike partner against West Brom is another.

In Holden and Muamba, we have a midfield duo who can rival most teams in the league. No-one covers more ground, and they boast the record of the most tackles this season. However, it is Holden’s attacking prowess that has caught the eye. He is easily one of the star performers of the season, turning in first class performances in each and every match.

With our current form, and the bit of luck you need in cup competitions, I believe that we could do very well in this season’s FA Cup. Coyle has a strong cup record for each of the clubs he has managed; he took St Johnstone to the semi finals of both domestic cup competitions in Scotland, knocking out Rangers at Ibrox along the way, and got them to the final of the Scottish Challenge Cup before leaving for Burnley, a cup final which his current assistant Sandy Stewart won without him before himself moving South to link up with Coyle. He then took Burnley to within 2 minutes of Carling Cup final before a late Jermain Defoe goal deep into extra time snatched away their dreams. The one thing against the Allardyce era, for me anyway, was that, for all the top eight finishes, and they were considerable achievements, we had no need for the silver polish, and sadly you can’t organise an open top parade to show off a league table. That may all change under Coyle.

All the players have said that Coyle’s enthusiasm is infectious and that rubs off on everyone he meets. Well, I haven’t met Owen Coyle but his enthusiasm has rubbed off on me regardless. It’s not going to be easy and, similar to my last article after the Stoke game regarding Europe being a possibility, I’m sure a lot of other clubs will be thinking the same, but hopefully we may need to get the champagne on ice because we have a great chance of going to Wembley (twice)!

-dh1985-

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.

The key is consistency or, in this case, the lack of it; no team outside the top five has any, and even the top teams are struggling for form with United especially dropping unexpected points. The only consistency the bottom half can speak of recently is consistently average (Sunderland with five draws) or consistently awful (Wolves with four defeats).

Due to many games this season ending all square (this must be a record surely? One for Martin Tyler perhaps), if a team can get a winning run together they can easily move up the table. Take Stoke for example: they lost their first three games, were rooted in the relegation zone adrift in 19th and looked like a team in trouble. Fast forward five weeks and a four match unbeaten run which included three wins and they were in 7th and harbouring their own dreams of Europe. That was until they visited the ‘Fortress Reebok’ obviously!

Things can change that quickly. With the heavyweight challengers for the remaining European places either starting slowly (Everton), having several managerial changes (Villa) or not starting at all (Liverpool), the race for Europe / the top ten is wide open.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Bolton can make a return to the heady days of sixth placed finishes but, if we can get some consistency and turn some of these draws into wins, we should be closer than anyone imagined at the start of the season. However, that could be said for a lot of teams.

Owen Coyle has made us hard to beat this season with our sole defeat coming away at The Emirates (no shame there). This is always vital to any successful season. We’ve also managed to get points after falling behind, something we struggled to do last season. Again, more signs of progress. Last week’s victory was vital in terms of points first and foremost, but also potential and belief. While we had made a decent start, especially considering the fixtures and performances, and we could have easily had another 2-4 points to our name had we been a bit more clinical, there was always a worry, in my mind anyway, that if we continued to draw matches or, worse still, lose a couple, all the good work in the previous marches would have been undone.

However, now we have picked up a much needed three points against a good Stoke side, extended our unbeaten run, ended our winless run, those points we picked up against Villa, Man Utd and West Brom start to look even better. We have to ensure this is not a false dawn though. We can do that by following up last week win with another against Wigan. Back to back wins will give us a little distance from the chasing pack, even at this stage, and especially away from the relegaton places. We can then start to look up the table opposed to down and that’s when we can start focusing on a top half finish.

No teams have looked unbeatable this year. We now have a manager who puts the belief in the players that we can pick up points in every game. True to his word, we have picked up points in every game, with the exception of the Arsenal match. If we can turn the draws into wins, which we are more than capable of doing going off the performances, then a top half finish is not out of the question. If you look around the league, there are not many teams who I would say are much better than Bolton at the moment, and that includes the likes of Liverpool and Villa etc. We have proved that we are hard to beat this season and we can take points off the best teams in the league. We just need to take all three points more often! I think with us getting the win against Stoke, and breaking the cycle of draws, we have the opportunity to put a run of wins together, hopefully including points at Wigan and at home to Liverpool.

If we can pick up some wins between now and Christmas, and do so on a consistent basis, then 2011 could be a very happy new year for us Wanderers fans.

-dh1985

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.

Post match, Arsene Wenger berates anyone foolish to hold a microphone within whining distance, demanding a life-time ban for Davies, Bolton’s expulsion from football, retrospective action by the Premier League going back five years and a government enquiry.

The internet explodes with pompous indignation as the writers of a thousand Arse blogs reiterate exactly the same sentiment.

Back at Villa Park, Cuellar got to his feet quickly, Davies apologised, the two shook hands, and the free kick was taken without fuss.  This is how real men play football.

Meanwhile at the Stadium of Light, Arsenal finished the game against Sunderland with ten men, after Alex Song had been deservedly sent off for a murderous, pre-meditated and cowardly body check on the diminutive Steed Malbranque.  This disgusting attack was as sick as it was revolting, and showed a callous disregard for the life of a fellow footballer.  Malbranque stayed overnight in hospital as a precaution and will require years of counselling to overcome post-traumatic stress after his hideous ordeal.

Psycho Song laughs at the injuries he's caused

Deportation to a desert island where cannibalism is still rife or extradition to a country which retains the death sentence would be a suitable punishment for Wenger’s psychopathic hit man.  Instead, he will serve a ludicrously lenient one match ban.

Hmm.  This mawkish over-reaction lark is quite fun, once you get started.  Maybe that’s why the Goons are so addicted to it.

‘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.

The team selection was bizarre given the task ahead.  A midfield containing all three of Lee Chung-Yong, Martin Petrov and the out of his depth Stuart Holden, isn’t going to stop the opposition playing.  That left the improved but still limited, Fabrice Muamba to win the ball.  As usually happens against the better teams, Muamba was drawn out of position and bypassed.

Cesc Laughs at Owen's Tactics

Sam Allardyce recognised that Arsenal play with little width, so he denied them space in the middle of the park and defended deep.  Coyle on the other hand, chose to go with a high back line, when faced with Cesc Fabregas, who can put an accurate ball over the top with his eyes closed.  On the scale of foolish things to do it ranks alongside a water buffalo showing its arse to a crocodile before going for a paddle.

Add in a standard of defending inside the penalty area that was reminiscent of a pub team – after they’d been on the ale, then this reverse and the magnitude of it was inevitable.

If anyone thinks this a knee-jerk reaction to a heavy loss, then read the Fulham match report from the opening day of the season.  The ease with which an opposing team can get behind Bolton’s defence was highlighted then, as was the lack of movement.  The latter fault results in a level of ball retention that is fatal when the other lot use it so well.

A trip to the Emirates was always going to be difficult given the gulf in class between the individual players of each side.  But to go there without a game plan or any discernable organisation, was making things easier than it should have been for the home side.

Owen Coyle is a likeable character, and the atmosphere amongst Whites fans infinitely preferable to that under Gary Megson.  But he has a lot to learn.  Maybe in time he’ll be an effective manager, but at present, the man from Paisley looks exactly what he is at this level – a beginner.

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.

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Click the link to listen to the interview.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/751463426e948768/

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AW:      Tell us about the club Mark, how have they been helping?

MH:      Oh they’ve been fantastic. I come into remission and Adie the fitness coach and you’ve got Nick Worth in charge of the physios, they’ve been brilliant with me.  Then you’ve got the doc who’s been brilliant with me.  Owen Coyle’s been running with me and Adie’s set me running programmes to do to build my fitness back up and without the club I don’t think I’d be where I am now as well because they’ve been absolutely first class with me, first class.

AW:      Let’s go back a bit earlier in your career. You were a player before you were a ref weren’t you?

MH:      Yeah.  I was a player. I played non-league as a goal keeper down in the Ryman’s league and up until I was about 28 really then I gave up playing and sort of…well 30 I was, and gave up playing and took up refereeing.  I got one or two injuries and took up refereeing.

AW:      Do you think that’s given you an advantage as opposed to somebody…well you know, it’s a decent standard you played at.

MH:      It was yeah. It does help you playing the game. I have empathy for the game, I give players a chance, I love football, I’m a football fan and it’s all about 22 players on the field and the fans, you know, it’s not about the referee.  And I think that’s where sometimes we lose sight.  It doesn’t always mean to say that ex-players make good referees.

AW:      So how did you end up in Bolton then, because obviously we can tell from you voice that you’re not born and bred.

MH:      No born and bread in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire and I married a Bolton lass so obviously that’s when I moved up here and here I am.

AW:      You’ve become an honorary northerner.

MH:      I’m an honorary northerner, yeah and I love being a northerner. I love being a northwester, I wouldn’t move back down south.

AW:      So you’ve talked about the club helping you with your recovery, but how did you come about getting involved with Bolton in the first place?

MH:      When I first moved up here in 2000…Sam Allardyce has been brilliant with me as well.  He was in charge of the Wanderers and I asked if I could come along and train with him and I am and I’ve been there 10 years now, going every day.  I mean the lads have been fantastic with me and over the last 9 months I’ve got to know Joey O’Brien and Sean Davis very well, although Sean’s got on my nerves, in there recovering in the gym because of the long term injuries…but we’ve passed the time away really well and we’ve had a good laugh and he’s a bit of a pain in the backside is Sean!

We’ve had good times.  It’s been great, you know…but that’s why there’s a plus point being in the gym with them two all the time.

AW:            Obviously you arrived in 2000 and that was when the club was just about sort of on the up and up wasn’t it?

MH:      In 2000 first season in the Premier League it was.

AW:      And has the club advanced since you first arrived? I imagine that you’re one of those who have been around for the longest now.

MH:      I think they’ve gone from strength to strength really. You can’t take it away from what Sam Allardyce done.  I mean he’s put the club on the map and he’s done a fantastic job.   And obviously all good things come to an end and you move on.  And we’ve had people come and go and they’ve all done well in their own way and I think now that Owen Coyle’s here.  I mean Owen Coyle…his enthusiasm is second to none.  When I first saw his training session I thought he was absolutely…his enthusiasm was fantastic and he’s got all the lads up there and playing and working for him.

AW:      I suppose you’ll be coming up against Sam now won’t you because obviously you never did while was in charge of Bolton?

MH:      No I don’t referee Sam. He’s at Blackburn and we’re right good friends so they never give me Sam’s club’s.

AW:      Right, so that’s all kind of acknowledged then by the powers-that-be, is it?

MH:      Yeah.

AW:      Who are the best Bolton players that you worked alongside then over the last 10 years Mark?

MH:            Obviously there have been some great players haven’t there? I think Jussi Jaaskelainen  and I’ve trained with Jussi and I think he’s got to be up there, one of the top players, top performers, consistently week-in week-out.  And Ivan Campo was fantastic in the midfield there.  Djorkaeff and Jay Jay Okocha – there are some great names of the past aren’t there.

AW:      I suppose those are the sort of names as well that the fans remember best, particularly those like Campo really had a connection with the fans.

MH:      Oh of course he did.  They were some good days under Sam weren’t they. You know, I think the lads now that have come in are doing well and playing for Owen and if they keep us in the Premier League, which I think they will…I don’t think there’s a problem there…and see if we can kick on and see if they can kick on next season.

AW:      So you’ve said ‘us’ – you said ‘we’ there.  Does that mean that you’re a Wanderers fan? What would you describe yourself as?

MH:      Well you know, obviously being attached to the club you do, don’t you.  But I mean obviously people know I’m a QPR fan but obviously living in Bolton and training in Bolton, you get an affection for the club because as I say, the club have been fantastic with me and, you know, it’s a family run club.  So you do tend to say we, you know what I mean?

I’ve been to most games there this season because of my illness but you do, you use that terminology don’t you?

AW:      I imagine at times that it didn’t make you feel much better with some of the performances

MH:      [laughs]

AW:      Tell us about the rest of the league then.  You talked about Wanderers players.  Any other players that you’ve jut enjoyed being on the same pitch as?

MH:      Oh I mean there’s loads.  I mean there’s some fantastic players around isn’t there?  From refereeing, you just look at the likes of Alan Shearer, Henri, David Beckham. I had the privilege of refereeing Zidane and he was got to be one of the best, you know…it’s great to be on the pitch with players like that.  And you’ve got there some great players now.  You’ve got Rooney, you’ve got John Terry, you’ve got Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, they’re absolutely fantastic players aren’t they. And it’s one everyone would want to pay to see, whether you’re support for Chelsea or support for Arsenal, cos you’ve got Fabregas who’s outstanding as well, so there’s some fantastic players.  And instead of all the supporters booing and when they come to their grounds, they should be clapping them because you don’t want them players leaving the Premiership and going playing back in Spain and Italy and things like that cos we want to be the best league in the world and we need to keep those players in the Premier league.

AW:      Yeah, there’s the sort of well-known story of Wanderers fans of when Ruud Gullit played at Burnden Park, you know, he just absolutely played us off the park but the fans just clapped him off cos they hadn’t seen a player of that standard for 20 / 30 years on the pitch there.

MH:      But that’s what it should be like every ground…life’s too short.  I know that. You just don’t know what’s round the corner.  And instead of, you know, the fans…yeah of course they get emotional don’t they, with people, so it’s just great to have all these great players gracing our football pitches.

AW:      That brings me onto how you deal with the fans’ reaction to you.  We all know some of the choice language that fans can use about refs if things don’t go the right way.  How hard is it when the whole ground – they question your parentage or whatever it might be?

MH:      [laughs] It’s emotional.  People get emotional.  Football’s emotional.  And I mean 9 times out of 10 you don’t hear it because you’re concentrating and focussing on what you’re doing, so you don’t really pay any attention to it to be honest.

AW:      Do you understand it though?  Say there’s the FA Cup semi final over the weekend and John Terry’s tackle on James Milner has come in for a bit of scrutiny and then there was the penalty in that game as well.  Howard Webb doing that game and obviously someone that you know well.  But can you understand the frustration of the Villa fans there for instance?

MH:      Well obviously I can’t comment.  I honestly haven’t seen any of the incidents, obviously because I was refereeing my game at Oldham, so I’ve not seen.  And I was at Manchester City so I can’t really comment on that because I’ve not seen any of it.

AW:      Well speaking in general, you can understand how…because you know, fans spend a lot of money.  They travel to Wembley for instance in that case and you know, we as Wanderers fans have had loads of decisions, as of course all clubs have over the years, and you do remember them.

MH:      Yeah, it’s just…as I say, these things happen don’t they?  As I say it’s very difficult for referees.  They get a split second, you know, and so it’s very difficult for referees to referee at the top level.  As I said, they get a split second whereas you get all these replays and then you can make your mind up afterwards after watching it two or three times can’t you?  If you look at Fabio Capello, he said the English league’s got the best referees in the world.

But it’s just one of those things.  We all make mistakes.  I make mistakes.  It’s just one of those things.

AW:      Would you appreciate some help from cameras though Mark?

MH:            Obviously that’s not gonna happen because FIFA have said no so that’s the end of the matter so there’s no point, no matter what I say.  It can’t be used and that’s it.  I think we can make good use of them but obviously we cannot…

AW:      What’s the best match you’ve ever reffed at?  The City Gillingham playoff final, I know you did that.  That was an extraordinary match wasn’t it?

MH:      Oh it was fantastic.  Every game I referee is good.  You know, I treat every game the same.  You know, I just love refereeing.  I just love football and I treat every game the same, whether it be at Rotherham, Morecambe, Accrington or wherever it be…at Goodison Park, I treat every game the same.

AW:      You’ve done a league cup final, a charity shield.  Would the FA Cup Final be the dream?

MH:      Oh yeah it would be. I mean with my illness and obviously, you know, being out all season, there’s that carrot there and it would be great if I could come back and referee that FA Cup Final, on merit and not on sentiment.

AW:      How’s the restaurant going on?  You still involved?

MH:      Yeah, it’s not too bad.  It’s been a struggle.  It’s been a massive struggle but you know…it’s been difficult.  But yeah, my wife’s been running that so I’ve not had a lot of involvement with that.

AW:      Where do people go if they… you’ve been good enough to talk to us so we might as well give you a plug.  Where do people go if they want to get involved?

MH:      It’s Ristaurante Sottovento, 69 Worsley Road in Farnworth.  So come along and speak to us or whatever, and support your local restaurant.

AW:      Just a couple of final things then, just on more general reffing issues.  Are players more disrespectful now and does that really affect kids watching them?

MH:      No I don’t think so, no.  To be fair, I think the Respect Programme’s working very well from what I’ve seen of it and, you know, I can only talk for myself and I get the utmost respect from players and I think that the players give the referees the utmost respect as well to be fair.  You know, I think that’s been working well.

AW:      You know when players do surround you though and obviously we’ve talked about the passion that’s involved, and they do get right in your face and, you know, you only have to watch Match of the Day to see that there is some fairly choice stuff being said by the players.  Are you not tempted just to get the yellow card straight out?  That would stop them soon enough, wouldn’t it?

MH:            Well…as I say, football’s a very emotional game and, you know, that’s what it is, it’s very emotional.  And referees manage the occasion, they take that into consideration, so they may just be doing it to themselves and it may look as if it’s at the referee.  I mean the referee on the whole; I think the referees in England do an excellent job.  And the players and the managers do respect that.

AW:      And how’s it different when you’re refereeing an international game or a European game?  Is it more difficult with the language and that kind of thing?

MH:      No they all speak English.

AW:      So you make yourself understood?

MH:      Yeah.

AW:            Refereeing an international game must be a real honour as well.

MH:      It is yeah.  It’s a great honour to represent your country, just like a player, it’s a great honour to represent your country abroad with the three lions and the FIFA badge.  It’s fantastic.  So it’s just the same for a referee as it is for a player representing your country.

AW:      And what’s the future hold Mark?  Obviously you’ll try and keep your recovery on track and get back as a regular Premier League ref next season?

MH:      Yeah, well hopefully I’d like to get a game this season.  But we’ll see how my fitness goes and I’m getting stronger all the time and as I say, it’s not been easy, considering another 2 weeks I wouldn’t be here standing talking to you, it’s been amazing and the Christie  has been a fantastic hospital and my professional team has been brilliant with me and as I say I’ve got a charity dinner on May 7^th at Lancashire Cricket Club, which we’ve got Roberto Mancini, Sir Alex Ferguson, Owen Coyle and Sam Allardyce is guest of honour so it should be a great night.

AW:      Brilliant, how do people find out more about that if they want to?

MH:      They can contact Lancashire County Cricket Club. There’s a Lancashire website and if they want to make a donation, they can text Mark to 78070 to help raise money for the Christie. Or they can visit the Just Giving website…www.justgiving.com/Mark-Halsey

AW:            Fantastic. We wish you all the best with your recovery and it’ll be great to see you back on the pitch in the premier league.

MH:      OK thanks very much.

Click the link to listen to the interview.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/751463426e948768/

As well as battling the illness he is actively fundraising to raise money for The Christie, the leading cancer centre in Manchester. You can help him reach his £50,000 target by visiting www.justgiving.com/mark-halsey or goto http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=3495 for details of Mark’s charity dinner on May 7^th at which Sir Alex Ferugson, Owen Coyle, Roberto Mancini and Sam Allardyce will be in attendance.

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…

I was trying to understand what was going through Alan Wiley’s mind at the time. You see him go to put the whistle in his mouth, then instead to leave mini-Davo writhing round in pain on the floor until Arsenal scored. This is YET another example of refs ‘helping out’ the big clubs.

Out of interest, have you read the book ‘Seeing Red’ by Graham Poll? It does kind of put the referee’s job in to perspective and I must admit that they have a difficult task with controlling the big games; this is the reason why not many people become pro refs. That said, Poll also states that the worst thing that gets his goat is people ‘questioning the integrity’ of referees. Mr poll, I understand that people do make mistakes, but you CANNOT deny that most of the ‘mistakes’ they do make benefit the ‘bigger’ clubs…strange that!

So do you not wonder why people question referees integrity when we have incidents happening like this every week? The FA will do nothing at all about it, you can appeal but you won’t win, it’s easier to fine/charge a manager for sticking up for his team than it is to look at a dodgy refereeing decision again and evaluate what should have been done.

I believe hands down that referees DO have certain allegiances and DO help out the big clubs. I believe this is more down to pressure from the media and fans more than anything. Think about it – you make a decision that stops a team from qualifying for a lucrative Champions League spot or winning a cup just because you have allowed a ‘less popular club’ to take a perfectly legitimate penalty in the dying mins of a match – the media would rip said referee apart, not to mention the subsequent appeal that would take months and possibly damage the referee’s reputation.

Referees ‘that back down to the big clubs’ (i.e. a ‘good’ referee) will find it easier to deny a smaller or non-London club for that matter a match changing decision as the media don’t care about them so much so the backlash would not be as big and neither would the repercussions – hence better for the referee’s career. Until we can stop the media influence on football in this country (not sure how, free speech and all that) we will always have this problem and the people who do have the power to do something about it – i.e. referees, the FA chairmen, pundits, hacks etc won’t, so it will carry on and get worse and worse and worse.

This is just my theory from a fans point of view and is not written to vindicate anybody. However, as I stated above I just feel that referees do always favour the bigger clubs; there is simply too much evidence to assume otherwise. The club (Bolton Wanderers) should appeal against the ‘lack of action’ to the FA, if anything just to show that we are not pushovers, it probably wouldn’t amount to anything but may make Gallas realise that he is a cheat and we may get an apology (at best Gallas would get a ban).

As I stated above I am not directly questioning the integrity of Mr Wiley (however dubious), I am simply putting forward a theory that it is a large part of the media (mainly London based) who can influence referees decisions and make them think twice about making them.

Your views welcome in the comments below…