The words ‘Zat Knight’ and ‘four and a half million’ should never appear in the same sentence (apart from this one) unless you’re counting reasons to dislike the lumbering oaf. But that’s how much Gary Megson paid for him. Those still wondering about the real reason Martin O’Neill left Villa now have their answer. He couldn’t stop laughing and had to take time off to recuperate.

This season’s abject West Midlands reject is Nigel Reo-Coker, who generally arrives at the scene a second after the ball has departed and kicks whoever remains there instead. His was a free transfer. It wasn’t value for money.

A ginger worshipper of Phil Gartside leads the Megson Out campaign

Going back a little there was Gavin McCann. To be fair to the badger, he had some good days, but as regular readers to this site know, his move had the stench of corruption about it. One court case resolved, another pending. Read Phil Gartside: “A Cheat, a Liar and a Fraudster” for more details.

Jlloyd Samuel arrived at the same time. Another disappointing acquisition. Another court case. This time involving the larger than life (and larger than everyone else) figure of Mark Curtis. Read The Ginger Harry Secombe Who Runs Bolton Wanderers for the facts.

Villa fans have a problem familiar to their counterparts at the ‘Bok. Their team is managed by an uninspiring ginger wazzock, who wasn’t wanted and still isn’t. A definition on the Urban Dictionary had the term ‘Ginger People’ nailed.

‘The hair colour that all thieves have in common. If you see a ginger, the chances are he already has many of your possessions.’

It’s been removed now. Shame that. Of course there may be ginger people who are honourable, talented, intelligent or just nice. It’s just that nobody has met one.

At least Saturday’s visitors have a striker in Darren Bent, who knows where the goal is. Bolton’s front men don’t appear to know where the stadium is of late, although according to the Daily Mail, Ivan Klasnic has been scoring in a different fashion. Now his wife is filing for divorce.

Add in a non functioning midfield and Keystone Cops defending and it’s easy to see why Bolton are joint bottom of the table. Of course Owen Coyle has had injuries to contend with and some astoundingly bad luck. But even with those mitigations he is doing less well than he should be.

A draw may be likely in this game. If only because it’s 24 league games since the Whites had one. Villa on the other hand have shared the points in five of their seven fixtures away from home.

However that result wouldn’t be much use to the Whites. A win is essential. Sadly, with the club is such disarray, it is difficult to see that happening.

- Richard McCormick

TweetFollow @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

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

Young in deep concentration as he prepares for a back 3½ somersault pike

Young was aided in his efforts at the weekend by referee Kevin Fiend (no, there shouldn’t be an ‘r’ in there) who blew for a free kick every time the England international was touched, looked at in a funny way or blown over by the wind.  Fiend’s assistants faired no better.  One of them was unable to flag offside against the visitors as his arm had been super glued to his side by Gerald Houlier, in a devilishly cunning move that only a Frenchman could have devised.  The other had already been to Specsavers only to be turned away as the high street chain don’t sell white sticks or supply guide dogs.

Darren Bent, Stewart Downing and the soon to be waterborne Young, also needed assistance in the vision department as all three missed chances that could have put Villa out of sight before Bolton grabbed not just the equaliser, but the winning goal too.  Owen Coyle thought the situation tremendous.

‘Jussi has made a tremendous save and we have drove ourselves forward,’ he told the official site.  ‘We have a tremendous record at the Reebok – the fans know that and again they played their part.’

Houlier had another explanation for the result.  He blamed Martin O’Neill for selling two goal hero Gary Cahill which has an appealing if slightly skewed logic to it.  It would have been no surprise if he’d criticised his predecessor for failing to sign Ivan Klasnic, scorer of the winner, or Jussi Jaaskelainen who kept out a penalty awarded after Blind Pew had failed to spot the ball going three feet out of play in the build up.

Thank You For the Music.  Not.

A couple of seasons ago Bolton Wanderers conducted a survey asking fans how the match day experience could be improved.  As a result, the two fat blokes waving flags who used to run up and down the touchline when the team scored were dispensed with.  As was the pre-match firework display that left the Reebok Stadium shrouded in mist for the first ten minutes of each game.

Best of all, the cheesy music, played after a home goal also bit the dust.  It seems unlikely that soul legend James Brown was thinking of a small football club in North West England when he wrote I Feel Good.  And no, this isn’t the way to Amarillo – head up the M61 and turn left at the coast.

So it’s something of a disappointment that the music is back, this time accompanied by a sentimental montage of moving images on the scoreboard screen, reflecting past glories.  It hasn’t been revealed who thought of this wheeze, but whoever it was should be slapped into a deep state of unconsciousness.

It’s Like Watching Paint Dry

Gary Megson. Oh, how we laughed.

All right thinking Bolton fans will have been keeping an eye on the fortunes of Gary Megson after his appointment as manager of League One duffers Sheffield Wednesday.  We like to see our old boys do well, right?  Er, no.  It’s because we want the bastard to fail.  That way he might just belt up about how he was so mistreated whilst at the Reebok.

Wednesday’s 4-2 home defeat to fellow strugglers Plymouth was most pleasing (nice one, Peter Reid) not least because of the Ginger One’s post match comments.

‘It was like watching paint dry,’ he opined.

Now you know how we felt Gaz.

- Richard McCormick

This time last season, Whites fans were looking forward to the inevitable sacking of Gary Megson, and as Johan Elmander’s recent comments show, the players were sick of the Ginger One’s if-it-moves- shout-at-it routine.

Mystery solved. It was Martin Samuel who ate all the pies. And probably the mash too.

The mood has also been lifted by the belated England cap awarded to Kevin Davies, which has had the added bonus of upsetting the morbidly obese West Ham supporting monkey that is the Daily Mail’s Martin Samuel.

So the question posed in the title to this article might seem a bit odd.  A look at the league table shows it isn’t.  Bolton sit in twelfth place with eight points and a goal difference of minus one.  Or to put it another way, exactly the same position as last term after seven games. Now Coyle has the chance to move ahead on that front.

Last season’s fixture against the Potters marked a low point in terms of what happened on the pitch.  Disaffected football fans have been known to voice their disapproval, but they usually wait until the half or full time whistle.  The match was only 25 minutes old when the Reebok faithful started to boo.

Megson’s comments after the game demonstrated that he was beyond redemption. An interviewer asked if the second half performance been enough to send the fans home happy.

‘I don’t know, I’m not bothered,’ came the reply.  When your manager morphs into Catherine Tate it’s time to go.

Games against Stoke aren’t easy.  ‘Physical’, ‘dirty’ and ‘long ball’ are labels used by lazy football writers and resentful opposition fans.  In truth, Tony Pulis has assembled a squad, who work hard and for each other, containing several individuals of genuine quality – former Bolton favourites Abdoulaye Faye and Eidur Gudjohnsen amongst them.

But a victory should be the aim here.  Gradual improvement is the realistic objective for Owen Coyle’s Bolton.  Supplanting Stoke who finished in comfortable mid-table last time round will be a valuable first step.

- Richard McCormick

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.

Ashley Young at leisure. Things can get a bit rough in the West Midlands.

In the Ginger Era that would have been it, but Coyle’s Bolton are starting to have belief in themselves. Luck played a part too, with Sam Ricketts replacing the injured Andy O’Brien, giving the visitors a more solid looking centre back pairing.  Why Ricketts didn’t start is something of a mystery, as he performed well in the middle of defence last season when called upon.

From there on in, the Whites got themselves back in contention, and the equaliser was deserved.  Stuart Holden was the architect, carrying the ball from near the half-way line.  The American’s right wing cross, after exchanging passes with Lee Chung-Yong, was over hit, but Martin Petrov was on hand to divert the ball to Kevin Davies, who had time to take a touch, before lashing a left-foot shot into the roof of the net.

That was the end of the scoring, but the second half was a lively affair.  Villa had their chances, the best of them producing a fine double save from Adam Bogdan, but those that fell to Bolton looked more convincing.  Brad Friedel did well to keep out a Petrov volley, and even better to deny substitute Matt Taylor from a free kick.  In between Johan Elmander should have done better when teed up by Lee, but shot straight at the Villa ‘keeper.

‘We came roaring back into the game and we feel hard done by not to be leaving with all three points,’ Coyle told Sky Sports in his post match interview.  The Scotsman wasn’t wrong in his assessment.

There was much to cheer about from this performance.  Holden was more effective (although he’s still too easily dispossessed),  Lee was a constant threat on the right, Mark Davies at last got a chance to do what he’s good at, ie run at the opposition, and Kevin Davies was back to his troublesome best after a week suffering the after effects of a concussion.  Maybe the captain needs to head butt more Arsenal players. In addition, Petrov, looked a bit more like the player who did so well at Manchester’s biggest council house and rookie goalkeeper Bogdan was assured throughout.

As ever, the BBC’s radio report did the Wanderers a disservice, referring to them as ‘undeniably physical’.  Bolton were so undeniably physical that they committed eight fouls, as opposed to Villa’s sixteen.  Not that the home side were played unfairly.  This was an evenly fought, committed encounter with hard, but legal challenges from both sides.  It was the sort of game that Arsene Wenger would like to see outlawed.

It’s a bit soon to be putting the bunting up, especially with the visit of Manchester United next week, but this was the best performance under Coyle so far.   Retain the best aspects of it going forward and there’s a basis for optimism.

On a Sadder Note

Condolences to the family of the as yet unnamed Bolton fan who passed away at the game before kick off.   The 77 year old from Little Lever collapsed as the players were warming up and paramedics were unable to resuscitate him.  RIP.

Trevor Francis lines up for his league debut

1940-1949

 The resumption of the league programme saw only three completed seasons in the 1940’s. Bolton struggled in the bottom half in all three, and were 19th best overall, whilst Birmingham – relegated in 1939 – missed out on promotion in 1947 before winning the Second Division the next year and finishing 17th in 1949, leaving them with the 22nd best average league position for the period.

Manchester United were top dogs, finishing 2nd in each of the three seasons, with Villa 6th, with league finishes of 8th, 6th, and 10th.

1950-59

The 1950’s were another successful period for Bolton, spending the entire decade in the top flight, enjoying five top ten finishes and two FA Cup Finals, including the 1958 win over the post-Munich Busby Babes. Over the decade, Bolton were the seventh best league side, although this was to precede four decades that were to see Bolton drop down the leagues and back up again twice.

Birmingham split the decade equally, with five years in the top flight and five in the second tier. They started the decade by coming bottom of the First Division, then spent the next five seasons in the upper reaches of the second tier before promotion as champions in 1955. The following season saw the Blues reach their highest ever league position of 6th, and reached the FA Cup final for the second time, losing 3-1 to Manchester City in a game memorable for City keeper Bert Trautman’s heroics in completing the match despite a broken bone in his neck.

They also became the first English club to take part in European competition, playing their first group game in the inaugural Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in May 1956. They would go on to lose a semi-final replay 2-1 to Barcelona after drawing 4-4 on aggregate. Both 1957 and 1958 saw Birmingham finish 13th, and they finished the decade with a 9th place finish in 1959.

For the 1950’s as a whole, Birmingham were the 17th best team, a feat they would not match until the first decade of the next century. Local rivals Aston Villa were 12th best – their worst decade to date – whilst three title wins helped Manchester United to be top dogs, ahead of Wolves in second place and Arsenal in third.

The decade was also the heyday for two of the smaller Lancashire clubs, with Blackpool the 4th best team overall (their best ever decade) and Burnley 5th (they would go one better in the 1960’s).

1960-1969

At the start of the decade, Bolton were historically the 6th best side since the commencement of league football in 1888 (Birmingham were 24th) and had spent all bar seven seasons in the top flight. Although they started the decade with a top six finish in the First Division, football was changing with the abolition of the maximum wage imminent, and the 1960’s were to see the start of Bolton’s fall from the top table of English football.

The following season saw the retirement of legendary centre forward Nat Lofthouse, and Bolton struggled without him, finishing 18th. Despite a mid-table finish in 1962, Bolton were again 18th the following year before finally being relegated in 1964. The remainder of the decade saw Bolton slowly slip down the Second Division, finishing 3rd in 1965, 9th in each of the next two years, 12th in 1968, and 17th in 1969.

Birmingham spent the first six years struggling at the foot of the First Division, finishing 19th, 19th, 17th, 20th, and 20th before finally being relegated in 1965 in last place. Despite struggling in the league, they had notable cup success, becoming the first English club to reach a European final in 1960, losing 4-1 to Barcelona in the Inter Cities Fairs Cup, and repeating the feat a year later, this time losing to AS Roma after beating Inter Milan home and away in the semis. The Blues also beat rivals Aston Villa 3-1 on aggregate to win the 1963 League Cup.

Following relegation, Birmingham finished the decade in the top half of Division Two, and ended as the 26th best team, one place below Bolton in 25th, the Trotters’ worst decade to date. Aston Villa also had their worst decade to date, in 21st place, whilst Manchester United were 3rd behind Spurs and Everton.

1970-1979

The start of the decade saw both clubs struggling at the wrong end of Division Two, with Bolton in 16th and Birmingham in 18th, but the two clubs were to head in different directions for the next few years.

In 1971 Bolton finished rooted to the foot of the Second Division, and relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history, whilst Birmingham finished mid-table.

Bolton spent the next two years in the third tier, promoted as champions in 1973, followed by two seasons mid-table in Division Two. In each of the following two years, they finished 4th, missing out on promotion by a point to West Brom and Brian Clough’s Notts Forest respectively, before pipping Southampton and Spurs to the Second Division title in 1978. Unlike their promotion rivals, Bolton’s return to the top flight would be brief, although they did end the decade with a relatively comfortable 17th place finish.

Birmingham followed their 9th place finish in 1971 with promotion the following year, and spent the next seven years in the top flight, flirting with relegation in 1974 (19th), 1975 (17th), and 1976 (19th), but otherwise being comfortably mid-table before their relegation in 1979.

The decade was again Bolton’s worst to date, with only one season in the top flight and two in the third tier, and an overall position of 32nd best team for the decade, whilst Birmingham were 20th.

Liverpool dominated the decade with 4 title wins and a worst finish of 5th, followed by Leeds in 2nd, with by far and away their best decade, and two times champions Derby in third. Aston Villa had their worst decade, with four seasons in the second tier and three in the third dragging their ranking down to 26th, the only decade in which Birmingham have outperformed their neighbours in the league. Bolton’s near neighbour’s Manchester United suffered relegation in 1974 after struggling the previous year, but bounced straight back and still managed to be the 8th best team of the 1970’s.

1980-1989

By 1972, Bolton had dropped out of the all-time top ten, and by the end of the 1970’s they were historically the 13th best team since league football began. Birmingham were 23rd. Whilst the 1980’s was to see Birmingham improve their all-time ranking by one place to 22nd, a position they still hold, Bolton were to drop from 13th to 18th.

If the 1960’s were bad for Bolton and the 1970’s worse, the 1980’s were an unmitigated disaster that saw the club plummet from the top flight to the Fourth Division and on the brink of bankruptcy.

The decade started with Bolton rooted to the foot of the First Division in 1980. The following two seasons saw them battling relegation in the second tier, a fight they were to lose in 1983, when seven points from their last twelve games contributed to a bottom-place finish, three points from safety, and relegation to the Third Division for the second time.

Again they finished mid-table in their first season, but rather than bounce back the following year, they spent the next three seasons in the bottom half, culminating in the unthinkable – a play-off defeat to Aldershot and relegation to the Fourth Division for the first and only time in the club’s history.

The Trotters managed to secure promotion at the first attempt in 1988, and finished the decade with a 10th place finish in Division Three.

Birmingham started the decade with promotion to the top-flight, replacing Bolton in the process, and spent the next four seasons in the bottom half before relegation in 1984, two points adrift of perennial survivors Coventry. The following season they were promoted again, finishing second behind Oxford and above Man City in third, but survived only one season, finishing thirteen points adrift of safety, but five above neighbours West Brom. The next three seasons saw them virtually mirror Bolton’s performance after their relegation in 1980, finishing 19th twice before being relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history, finishing in 23rd place, twelve points from safety and one place above neighbours Walsall.

Despite their unprecedented relegation to the third tier at the end of the decade, Birmingham’s performance over the 1980’s as a whole was consistent with previous decades, with an overall rating of 24th. Bolton, on the other hand, had spent one year at the foot of the top tier, three seasons in the second, five in the third, and one in the fourth, leaving them with an overall ranking of 48th that would have been unthinkable a decade or two earlier, and put them in the bottom half of the 93 clubs that had played league football in the 1980’s.

Top dogs were Liverpool, with six title wins, followed by Arsenal and Manchester United in joint second, Forest in fourth, and Everton in fifth.

Look out for part three, 1990 to present, coming soon

On face value, Bolton and Birmingham don’t have a great deal in common. Bolton have always struggled to compete against local big-city clubs, whereas Birmingham are based in England’s second city. Birmingham have enjoyed several high-profile- and sometimes controversial – owners, whilst Bolton have been quietly run by the local bakers for much

Wakey in manny road stand watching Wanderers v Birmingham 1922

of their history.

Scratch the surface (and clutch a few straws) and you can find the odd similarity. Both were formed within a year or so of each other, initially as church sides. Both have lived largely in the shadow of more successful local rivals. Both would see their rightful place as mid-table (ish) in the Premier League, although there are probably at least twenty other clubs with similar aspirations.

Scratch even deeper, and there’s a much closer similarity between the two.

Bolton fans would probably claim that the Trotters are the more successful of the two clubs. Founder members of the Football League, they have four FA Cup wins plus three losing final appearances to Birmingham’s two losing finals. They have completed – or will have by Sunday evening – 71 seasons in the top flight to Birmingham’s 56. Of the 107 seasons both teams have been league clubs, including this season, Bolton have finished higher than Birmingham 69 times. Bolton even edge the meetings between the two, with 46 wins to Birmingham’s 39.

But it’s in terms of league success that the two clubs share their greatest similarity.

The method we use to measure how successful a team is historically is to take the overall average league position, i.e. ranking every team’s league position each season from the winner of the Premier League (1st), to the bottom of League Two (92nd), or less in seasons with less than 92 league clubs. Follow the same principle from the inception of the league to present and you can give each team an overall average league position.

In this respect, the two clubs couldn’t be closer.

Historically – including this year and working on the basis that professional league football in England began in the late 1880’s, rather than the early 1990’s as Sky would have you believe – Bolton are the 21st most successful league side in England. Birmingham are 22nd.

Incidentally, and annoyingly for Bolton and Birmingham fans respectively, our local rivals Manchester United and Aston Villa are 5th and 6th most successful, although all four teams are one place higher if you ignore founder members Accrington’s five years as a First Division side.

Bolton fans and regular readers of Manny Road will know that Bolton’s “all-time league” position has dramatically worsened since the 1960’s. In 1960 Bolton were England’s 5th most successful team, and despite the club’s decline, didn’t slip out of the all-time top 10 until the early 1970’s. But how do the two teams’ performances compare?

In anticipation of Sunday’s clash, Manny Road takes a decade-by-decade view of the respective league history of both clubs.

1889-1899
Founder members Bolton spent the first decade (and a bit) in the top flight without ever setting the division alight – a third place finish in 1892 being their highest – and ending the century as the 7th most successful side overall. However, 1899 saw the club finish 17th and face relegation from the top flight for the first time.

Birmingham joined the league as founder members of the newly formed Second Division, and won the inaugural title in 1893 but failed to gain promotion, losing a Test Match (a.k.a. play-off) to Newton Heath (a.k.a. Man Utd). The following year they did go up, finishing second but beating Darwen in a Test Match. Incidentally, Liverpool beat Newton Heath via the same system to take their place in the top flight.
Two years later, Birmingham were relegated after a Test Match against Liverpool, and spent the remainder of the decade in the Second Division.

Birmingham ended the period as the 19th best side, one place ahead of Manchester United. Villa were the most successful club, winning the title 4 times and with an overall average of 3.6, well clear of 2nd best Everton’s average position of 4.1.

1900-1909
The first decade of the twentieth century saw both clubs spend six years in the First Division and four in the second.

Bolton bounced back at the first attempt in 1900, but were relegated again two years later. The following year they had their worst finish to date – 7th in the Second Division – before gaining promotion again in 1905. After two 6th place finishes, Bolton were relegated again in 1908, before going back up as champions the following year, ending the decade as the 16th most successful club, a significant drop on the previous decade, but still comfortably above neighbours Manchester United in 23rd.

Birmingham had their own mini yo-yo spell, with promotion in 1901, relegation in 1902, and promotion again in 1903. They then spent five years in the top flight, with best finishes back-to-back 7th place in 1905 and 1906, before being relegated in 1908 and finishing the decade mid-table in Division Two. Over the decade as a whole, Birmingham were the 18th most successful side.

Newcastle were top dogs for the decade, pushing Birmingham’s arch-rivals Villa into 2nd place.

1910-1919
Only six seasons were completed due to the outbreak of WWI, with Birmingham spending all six in the second tier. They started the decade with their worst year, finishing bottom, and had a best finish of 3rd in 1913.

Bolton briefly continued to yo-yo, finishing bottom in 1910 and bouncing stright back, but then spent an extended period mostly in the top half of the First Division, and – apart from a 17th place finish in 1915 – didn’t face a serious relegation threat again until the 1930’s.

For the six completed seasons of the decade, Bolton were the 13th most successful club, with Birmingham 33rd. Local rivals Villa were again 2nd (Blackburn were top dogs), whilst Manchester United had established themselves as a top flight club, and were in 6th place overall.

1920-1929
The 1920’s saw Bolton’s best ever decade, spending the entire period in the top flight – mostly in the top half – with best placed finishes of 3rd in 1921 and 1925. They also won the FA Cup three times in the decade, including the first Wembley final in 1923.

The period also saw an improvement in Birmingham’s fortunes, with promotion in 1921 followed by an extended run in the First Division. Their best finish was 8th in 1925, which was also their only top half finish in the decade.

Bolton were the 3rd best side in the 1920’s with Birmingham 16th. Local rivals Villa and Manchester United were 5th and 17th respectively, with Liverpool top dogs overall.

1930-1939
The ten years up to WWII saw Birmingham’s best ever decade in terms of league performance, spending the whole period in the top flight, albeit mostly in the lower half. Their best performance was 9th in 1932, and they flirted with relegation in 1931 (19th), 1934 (20th), 1935 (19th) and 1938 (18th), before ending the decade – and the break for WWII – with relegation in 1939 in 21st position. The Blues also reached their first FA Cup final in 1931, losing 2-1 to West Brom.

The first four years of the 1930’s saw Bolton struggle in the bottom half of the First Division, finally being relegated in 1933. They narrowly missed out on promotion in 1934, before regaining top-flight status the following season. After finishing mid-table in 1936, they narrowly avoided relegation the following year, finishing 20th. The final two years of the decade saw Bolton finish comfortably in the top half.

The period saw Birmingham enjoy the 14th best average league placing to Bolton’s 16th, the first of three decades in which the Blues would come out on top. Arsenal were top dogs, with Villa 8th and Manchester United – yet to emerge as a major force and spending six of the ten years in the second tier – 26th.

The war was to cut short the 1939-40 season after just three games, and the league programme didn’t resume until the 1946-47 season, so this is as good as any a point to look at the overall average league positions from 1889-1939.

Bolton, having spent 40 of the 47 completed seasons in the top flight, were 7th overall. Birmingham had missed the first four years, and spent 26 years in the top flight and 17 in the second tier, and were 20th best overall, one place above Man United, who had spent almost half of their 43 years in the second tier.

Overall top dogs were Sunderland, who had spent all of their 45 league seasons in the top flight and won the title six times, followed by Villa, who had also won the title six times, but spent two years in the Second Division, and five times champions Everton, who had spent all bar one year in the top division.

Look out for parts 2 and 3 over the next couple of days.

Manny Road gets ready for battle (Pic: Gidzy, some rights reserved)

The media are looking for a victim and the Bolton Wanderers boss might not get such an easy ride this season

Disclaimer: Before we get started, it’s worth pointing out that in preparation for writing this post Manny Road has kitted up in full body armour in anticipation of the backlash likely to come my way. Manny Road is well aware that it’s a marathon not a sprint, that it was only one game, and that but for the legs of Marton Fulop we might well have got a point against Sunderland on Saturday.

So what’s my point? Why is Manny Road stoking the fires of negativity after just one game?

The answer is that I’m not. I’m merely pointing out that others in the media are starting to sound a little less sympathetic towards Gary Megson, who I believe got a pretty easy ride in the press last season.

Here’s a rough sketch of the timeline of attitudes towards Megson during his time at Bolton Wanderers…

Phase 1: Bolton fans outraged by Megson’s appointment, the media – shocked that someone with his track record has been given another chance – are largely in agreement.
Phase 2: Megson keeps Bolton up, fans are still largely unsure but the media – probably just relieved that the lack of anything interesting happening at the Reebok means they don’t have to write about Bolton much anymore – think he’s done a great job.
Phase 3: Megson continues to keep Bolton on an even keel, the media still think he’s doing a great job and slag fans off for not supporting him.

But some of the reports over the weekend suggest we may now be entering a new phase, one in which the fans continue to be disillusioned with Megson (if you think it’s just me, see if you can find any optimism or positivity in reaction to Saturday’s result over on the BWFC Facebook page) and the media start to see our (well, some of us) point again.

Exhibit A: The Bolton News finally get round to pointing out how, despite slashing prices, the club can barely give season tickets away.

Exhibit B: Following on from Daniel Taylor’s pre-season mauling of Megson, The Guardian continues to stick the boot in in their Sunderland match report, saying Bolton were devoid of tactics, ‘insipid, pedestrian and uninspiring’, and that none of Megson’s summer signings made any kind of impact.

Megson got any easy ride from the media last season. There were enough managerial-merry-go-round type stories elsewhere (Newcastle, Tottenham, Portsmouth) to prevent the media from smelling blood at the Reebok. That meant that when the fans got on Megson’s back, it inspired sympathy for the Wanderers boss among the press rather than any kind of killer instinct.

But this season, with the usual candidates for implosion – Spurs, West Ham, Man City – all looking fairly well set, the press may need to seek its prey elsewhere. Newbies are the usual target, but Roberto Martinez (playing the kind of football Bolton fans can only dream of right now) got off to a flier with Wigan at Aston Villa, and most of the other teams of Bolton’s stature – Stoke, Hull, Wolves et al -are all still content enough in the ‘grateful just to be here’ stage of their Premier League lives to get rid of the managers that got them there just yet.

So far Phil Gartside has been able to stave off calls for Gary Megson’s head, but once the fans, media and bank manager (once he counts up those season ticket receipts) are in unison, the only thing that will save Megson is an above average run of results/league position over the next couple of months – and on Saturday’s evidence, it’s difficult to see how this season is going to be any different from last year’s stop-start campaign.

OK, Manny Road is braced… unleash your fury in the comments below…

Watch ‘highlights’ of Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Sunderland here