(incidentally, when fans discuss the golden era of Bolton Wanderers, for me our second greatest period – after the 1920′s – is 30 Dec 2009 to 8 Jan 2010)

I’ll start by saying I’m a huge fan of Owen Coyle. In my opinion, this is the best managerial appointment we have ever made. Whether we go on to have the success to justify that statement remains to be seen and depends on a whole range of factors, but for me there has never previously been an available candidate more perfect for the job. I’ve stated my reasons for this in great depth many times in the past on the old official board and others, so I won’t go over old ground.

we're all a happy bunch here...

All that said, my take on the first year under OC is that if anything the “Coyle revolution” has gone slightly slower than I expected / would have liked.

To evaluate the changes, it seems reasonable to summarise based on some key areas: our league position, the style of football, spirit / morale within the club, and mood / enthusiasm of the supporters.

League position:
A massive “pass” for OC thus far. Taking over in the bottom three and guiding us comfortably to safety last season was a solid start, but it’s our lofty heights this season that really catches the eye. It’s pretty safe to say that we would be nowhere near 6th at this stage of the season under the previous manager. I’d also say it would be unlikely that we would be anywhere near this position now if BSA had never left (or worse – returned).

However, we shouldn’t get too carried away yet. We have put ourselves in an excellent position to give us a chance of a top 8 finish, but there’s a long way to go yet. Other teams have games in hand, and our position could look a bit different after the next couple of games.

We’ve also benefited from a season where some of the fancied sides have started poorly. Nobody would have predicted at the start of the season that Liverpool, Everton AND Villa would all be outside the top 8 at this stage of the season.

What our position does give us is the confidence that we can beat anyone on our day. We have thus far bounced back from our defeats and have yet to face a losing run, so while there is obviously the risk that we may drop down the table in the second half, our position at this point is outstanding.

Style of football:
I suspect I’m in the minority in that I saw changes (or thought I did …) in our style more or less straight away, albeit they were not major and were more indications of our attempt to play better football than any great transformation.

However, thus far I think this is the area where OC has had the least success, although admittedly this may be judging things against my optimistic expectations.
Undoubtedly, things have progressed signifcantly since the dark, ginger days. We are undoubtedly trying to play positive attractive football. When it comes together, we look great. When it doesn’t – and it often hasn’t – we don’t look massively different from the Megson era.

What is different – and massively – is that even when we don’t look great, we know that we are trying to play positive football. Under Megson, it was patently obvious to everyone that things, style-wise, were never going to get any better. On the odd occasion the ginger one hinted we might develop our style over time – usually around the time we were trying to flog season tickets – he very quickly went on to deny it.
We are clearly a much better side on MOTD, hence we are the new media darlings, but the hype over our transformation has been hugely exaggerated.

The reason that we haven’t made the level of progress style-wise that I expected (and I believe Coyle wanted) is simple: we haven’t been able to change the personnel much. Because most of the squad were under contract and we haven’t been able to sell many, Coyle has only been able to bring in two significant signings (Allonso is “one for the future”, to quote BSA). Holden has been inspirational, and sums up the type of player Coyle wants – a “proper” footballer, always comfortable in possession. Petrov has yet to set the world on fire, but on paper was a great signing, and demonstrates Coyle’s passion for exciting wingers.

Match attack superstar...

Other than that, he’s been stuck with mostly Megson’s signings. There are clearly different opinions on the quality of the ginger ones transfer activity. For (further) clarification (Don), with one or two exceptions, I believe he wasted £40m+ on largely mediocre players, but even if you think Megson bought well, I suspect you’d probably accept that they were bought to play Megson football. By and large – LCY and Mavies excepted – they are not comfortable on the ball.

Whilst Coyle has worked wonders with the squad he has, and we have seen clear and demonstrable progress in areas such as possession and pass completion, we still struggle at times to keep hold of the ball and control games. Incidentally, our average possession per game has gone from sub-40% under Megson to 50% plus under Coyle. Admittedly, I’m guessing about the 50% plus, but it’s a fairly confident guess that I’ll confirm at some point when I can be bothered.

My overall verdict on style of football: another “pass” (pardon the pun), but by nowhere near as much as the media and others would have you believe (although as Coyle himself says, we are very much a work in progress).

Spirit / morale within the club:
I tend to be a bit sceptical of the propaganda that comes out of football clubs. Interviews these days are carefully managed by the press office, so the odd snippet claiming everyone is happy and the manager is a nice bloke prove nowt.
At a push, the volume of positive “news” could be used as an indication, or you could claim to interpret the “tone” of the stuff that comes out (“he said he liked Megson, but you can tell that he really likes Coyle), but in reality it’s all fluff.

So how do we judge the improved morale and spirit within the club?

Ok, the volume and consistency of the “good news” since OC came in does seem relatively convincing, and the less processed stuff, e.g. remarks in live interviews, twitter etc, all support the party line that Coyle is an inspirational / positive / infectious manager.

It’s also been commented on elsewhere that everyone around the club, ticket office, club shop, etc etc, seem much brighter than they did a year or so ago, i.e. everything “feels” better, much like it did in Rioch’s tenure.

But the proof in the pudding is what we actually see on the pitch.

The players have demonstrated a spirit that was invisible under the ginger one.
Maybe this can be attributed to Coyle’s acclaimed man-management versus Megson’s petulent shout/bully/sulk approach. At least now we can believe that if a player’s out of the team it’s because the manager thinks someone else will do a better job, rather than because the manager’s fell out with him.

Under Megson, if we went behind we gave up the ghost. Under Coyle, we’ve come back from two down against Blackpool and – with ten men – Birmingham.
Under Megson, we couldn’t hold on to a two goal lead. Under Coyle this season, we’ve gone on to score a third goal on four occasions and – despite scares against Spurs and Wolves – have gone on to win when we take a two goal lead.
We’ve seen it consistently throughout the season so far. I’m sure everyone can pick their own examples, but I’d also point to beating Blackburn with ten men, or the disappointment etched all over the faces of the players when we’ve only managed draws away at Villa and Everton and at home to Man Utd.

This, again is a massive “pass” for OC.

Mood / enthusiasm of the supporters:
Is it fair to judge a manager’s performance on the mood of the fans? Probably not, in all fairness. It’s been commented elsewhere that we have some bloody miserable fans at the best of times, and you don’t have to do too much research to realise that there are plenty who couldn’t manage an independent thought, let alone a football club.

However, whilst I’d accept that we’re probably not the best qualified to judge a manager’s performance, at the end of the day it’s OUR CLUB in a way that, sadly, it is rarely if ever the manager’s club.

It also matters because a disgruntled fan-base rarely goes hand in hand with success on the pitch.

It’s pretty obvious that the mood has improved massively over the last year. A surprisingly healthy league position has had a massive impact, but it was also the easiest area for Coyle to succeed in.

In a nutshell, Megson alienated the vast majority of the fans over his time in charge. By the end, he was roundly disliked (“hated” by many).

Owen Coyle is everything that Megson isn’t. It’s pretty much as simple as that.

Where Megson was ultra-negative, Coyle is positive. Where Megson was surly, Coyle is charming. Where Megson had a pop at the supporters, Coyle praises and thanks us. The list is pretty much endless.

It’s worth noting that Coyle wasn’t universally worshipped from day one. There have still been plenty – let’s call them miserable wankers, for want of something better – who couldn’t help spouting off that the football wasn’t much better, the crowds weren’t coming back, we had the same number of points under Megson etc etc etc.

Let’s also not kid ourselves that they’ve all been won round. They’re simply keeping quiet until they think of something else to moan about. But whilst they tend to be vocal on internet forums, and there are always a few to be heard in the ground, the miserable wankers really don’t count. They will never ever be happy, so fcuk ‘em.

The mood of “the fans” generally is – quite obviously – another massive pass for OC.

Summary …
OC’s had a huge impact on the spirit within the club and the mood of the fans. Our current league position is exceptional against anybody’s pre-season expectations. The league position obviously helps with the feel-good factor. Massive success in these areas.

Performance and style-wise, for me it’s been more a mixed bag. Fantastic at times, but I think there is much, much better to come, particularly once OC has chance to change the personnel at the club.

So here’s to 2011 and another year of progress under OC.

Happy New Year everyone.

Guest Bogger -Wakey-

how times have changed

Finals (12 wins) and a combined total of 146 years of top-flight football between them, not to mention Spurs’ 4 League Cup wins, and 4 European trophies.

Recent history has been very different for the two clubs, with Spurs only spending one year out of the top flight since 1950, whilst Bolton have dropped through the leagues and back twice in the same period. However, looking further back in history paints a different picture of the two clubs.

Prior to 1950, Spurs had spent as much time in the Second Division as the First, and their only FA Cup win had come as a non-league club in 1901. Bolton had already won the cup three times, been runners-up twice, and spent the vast majority of their history in the top flight.

The abolition of the maximum wage in 1961 changed the football landscape at the time, and Bolton’s decline from this point onwards was dramatic and prolonged.

By the end of the 1959/60 season, Bolton were historically England’s 5th most successful club, based on average league position. At the same point, despite one league title success, Spurs were the 20th best team.

By the end of 2008, Spurs – by now winners of the FA Cup eight times, the League Cup four times, and four European trophies – had moved up to seventh in the table of overall average league positions, whilst Bolton had failed to add to trophy cabinet, had spent more time out of the top flight than in it, and slipped to 21st in the overall average league table.

In anticipation of the weekend’s clash, bwfcforum’s Statman takes a closer look at the history of the two clubs for Manny Road.

Early years: 1888 – 1914
By the time Spurs were elected to the football league div 2 in 1908, founder members Bolton had completed 20 seasons, mostly in the First Division, but with a best placed finish of 3rd. Tottenham had already become the first – and only – non-league club to win the FA Cup since the formation of the football league in 1888. Bolton had yet to win the trophy, having been losing finalists in 1894 and 1904.
In their first season, Spurs finished runners up to Bolton– who had been relegated the previous season. Spurs stayed up for six seasons before being relegated in 1915, whilst Bolton went straight back down in 1910, only to bounce back at the first attempt and remain in the top flight until 1933.

Spurs’ first spell in the top flight saw them finish 15th, 15th, 12th, 17th, and 17th before finally finishing 20th in 1915.

After promotion again in 1911, Bolton finished 4th, 8th, 6th, and 17th before the league was suspended for WWI.

Between the Wars
When the league resumed in 1919/20, Spurs won the Second Division title and went on to enjoy an 8 year period in the top flight, finishing 6th in 1921 and then runners up in 1922 – their highest league finish at that point – but then spent the next 5 years in the bottom half, finishing between 12th and 15th, before being relegated again in 1928.

From 1919/20, Bolton enjoyed one of their best spells, finishing 8 of the next 9 seasons in the top 8.

The 1920’s also saw the two clubs share 4 FA Cup wins, Spurs winning the trophy in 1921 and Bolton following their 1923 success in the first FA Cup Final at Wembley with wins in 1926 and 1929. The decade also saw the first meeting between the two sides in the cup, with Spurs knocking Bolton out in a second round replay in 1925. The two clubs would go on to meet in the cup in a further 5 seasons, with 4 of the ties needing a replay, and a further tie – in 1948 – decided after extra time. In total, including this year’s clash, Spurs have knocked Bolton out 4 times.

Whilst Spurs spent 5 seasons in Division Two from 1928/29, Bolton had slipped into the bottom half of Division One, with the Trotters finally relegated in 1933, swapping places with Spurs who were promoted as runners up.

Spurs then spent two seasons in the top flight – finishing an impressive 3rd in their first season back, before finishing rock bottom the following year – whilst Bolton spent two years in Division Two, finishing 3rd before being promoted the following year as runners up, with the two teams again swapping places in the top flight.

The following four years leading up to WWII saw both clubs remain in their respective divisions, Bolton narrowly avoiding relegation in 1937 but then finishing in the top half for the following two years, whilst Spurs were mid-table in Div 2.

Post War years: 1946 – 1977
Resumption of the league programme in 1946/47 saw Bolton struggling at the wrong end of Div 1 for the next four years, with Spurs finishing 6th, 8th, and 5th before finally returning as Div 2 champions in 1950.

Spurs followed up their Div 2 success by winning the Div 1 title in their first season back in 1951, then finished runners up in 1952. The following season saw them down to 10th, before struggling at the bottom end for the next 3 seasons. Over the same period, Bolton enjoyed 4 top half finishes out of the 6 seasons, with only 1955 (18th) seeing them flirting with relegation. They were also on the wrong end of Blackpool’s famous 4-3 win in the 1953 FA Cup Final.

The next 20 years saw a period of unprecedented prolonged success for Spurs, with 15 top 8 finishes and only 1959 (18th), and 1975 (19th) out of the top half. The highlights of the period was undoubtedly the double success of 1961, in a spell which saw them finish in the top 3 six seasons out of seven between 1957 and 1963. Although they didn’t enjoy this level of consistent success in the remainder of the period, they managed 3rd place finishes in 1967 and 1971.

Spurs also retained the FA Cup in 1962 and won it again in 1967. They followed up their FA Cup success by winning the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963, the first European trophy win by an English club, along with League Cup wins in 1971 and 1973, a UEFA Cup win in 1972 and losing final in 1974.

Whilst the 1950’s ended well for Bolton, with the 1958 FA cup win followed up with two top 6 finishes, times were changing for the Lancashire outfit, with the abolition of the maximum wage and the end of Nat Lofthouse’s prolific career, and flirtation with relegation in 1961 and 1963 was merely a brief reprieve, as the Trotters finished 21st in 1964.

For a club that had never spent more than two consecutive years out of the top flight, and had only spent 7 years in the Second Division since the formation of the league in 1888/89, it would have seemed unthinkable at the time that Bolton would not have returned to the top flight for 14 seasons. Having narrowly missed out on an immediate return in 1965, Bolton spent the next couple of years in mid-table, before a gradual decline that saw relegation to Division Three in 1971 for the first time in the club’s history. They finished a disappointing 7th in 1972 before being promoted as Division Three champions in 1973.

After a couple of mid-table finishes, Bolton then narrowly missed out on promotion by a point in 1976 and 1977 (to Brian Clough’s Forest), whilst Spurs’ 19th place finish in 1975 was a warning for what was to come two seasons later, when they finished bottom of Division One.

1977- 2001
1977/78 saw the two clubs in the same division for the first time since Bolton’s relegation in 1964, with the two clubs – favourites for promotion – battling it out at the top all season, Bolton finally finishing champions with Spurs promoted in third place.

The fortunes of the two clubs from that point could not have been more different. Whilst Spurs have enjoyed an unbroken spell in the top flight, Bolton managed a 17th place finish in 1979 before being rooted to the bottom for most of the following season and being relegated by some distance. Bolton’s decline from 1980 was worse than that following their previous relegation in 1964, with the club plummeting through the divisions before spending a season – 1987/88 – in the Fourth Division. Bolton then spent a further 5 seasons in the third division before gaining promotion to the second tier in 1993.

Over the same period, Spurs were mostly a top half team, with 3rd place finishes in 1985, 1987, and 1990, and further FA Cup success in 1981, 1982, and 1991 (plus their only Cup Final defeat in 1987) and a UEFA Cup triumph in 1984.

After 2 years in the second tier, Bolton returned to the top flight after a dramatic play-off win v Reading in 1995, but their stay was short-lived. As Manchester United pipped Keegan’s Newcastle for the title, and Tottenham finished 8th, Bolton finished 4 points adrift at the foot of the table. 1995 also saw Bolton make their first appearance in the League Cup final, finishing runners up to Liverpool.

In 1997 Bolton bounced straight back in style, finishing 18 points clear at the top of Division One, with Spurs finishing mid-table in the Premiership. Again, their stay lasted only a season, going down on goal difference to Everton on the final day. Spurs were briefly involved in the relegation battle, but ultimately pulled away to finish 4 points clear in 14th.

Spurs remained in mid-table for the next three seasons, finishing 11th, 10th and 12th, winning the League Cup again in 1999, whilst Bolton missed out in the play-offs in 1999 and 2000 before finally returning via the same route in 2001.

2001-present
Whilst the next two seasons saw Bolton in relegation battles, finishing 4 points clear in 16th in 2002, before needing 44 points to survive in 17th place the following year (West Ham were relegated on 42 points), Spurs maintained their mid-table position, finishing 9th and 10th respectively.

Bolton finished top 8 in each of the next four seasons, with a best finish of 6th in 2005, 3 points off a Champions League place, and also made their second appearance in the League Cup Final, this time losing to Middlesbrough. Spurs finished 14th and 9th before consecutive 5th place finishes in 2006 and 2007, missing a Champions League spot by just 2 points in 2006.

The following season, with Sammy Lee replacing Sam Allardyce as manager, whilst Bolton were rooted to the foot of the table after 10 games with just 5 points, Martin Jol’s Spurs were just 2 points and two places above, and struggling to repeat the form of the previous two years. Whilst Bolton ultimately survived under Gary Megson, finishing 16th and 1 point clear of relegation, Spurs finished 10 points clear in 11th place after Juande Ramos had replaced Martin Jol, and again won the League Cup.

The following season saw Spurs finish 8th (and League Cup runners up) and Bolton comfortable in 13th, despite spending periods of the season hovering just above the relegation zone.

The two clubs have continued to have different fortunes this season, with Bolton breathing a sigh of relief having secured safety with two games remaining, and Spurs currently holding 4th spot and a Champions League place.

Overall …
It’s probably fitting for two clubs whose greatest successes have been in cup competitions that the biggest wins in meetings between the two have all come in cup competitions, with Tottenham’s 6-0 League Cup win in 2001 trumping Bolton’s 6-1 win in the same competition in 1996. Spurs have also enjoyed 4-0 FA Cup wins in 2002 – the only FA Cup tie between the sides not to go to a replay or extra time – and in this year’s competition.

The two sides have not been lucky for each other in the cup. Despite being drawn against each other nine times in cup competitions, and sharing 25 appearances in domestic finals, neither side has reached a cup final in the seasons that they have met.

Spurs have managed to do the double over Bolton six times – including both of their league title-winning campaigns, and most recently in 1978/79 – whilst Bolton have managed the same feat seven times, including 2003/04 and 2004/05. Results since then have typically gone for the home team.

Overall, of the 90 completed seasons that both clubs have been in the football league, Spurs have finished higher than Bolton 60 times.

The head to head results are somewhat closer. Out of a total of 97 meetings, Spurs have 42 wins to Bolton’s 36 (19 draws), whilst in league meetings, Spurs are ahead 36 to 33 (14 draws).

League meetings at White Hart Lane show a clearer dominance for Spurs, with 25 wins, 7 draws, and 9 defeats, the last in October 2004. Since that win, Bolton have managed just 1 point from the last 5 league trips.

With Spurs in pole position for the 4th Champions League spot, and Bolton now playing for nothing other than pride and Premier League prize money, will Spurs extend their dominance at White Hart Lane, or could Bolton upset the odds and get their first win there in almost six years?

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.

Come breezeblock, let us spread harmony amongst the forumites

Here’s a brilliant contribution from ‘breezeblock‘ a prolific poster on bwfcforum

I went to the Fulham game by train. I don’t do it very often because it’s quicker to drive and no-one complains about the smell on the M60. The trains were slightly messed up because of some essential repairs in Preston…probably having electricity or running water installed. Met up with Wayne and some of the old BWFC board regulars and had a couple of Australia’s finest auburn blush hops-based beverage served in a delightful polyethylene terephthalate decanter (Fosters in a plastic bottle). Would have been nice to have a pint at half time but the queue at 3.39pm was already fourteen deep and I gave up by 4.53pm when that number was down to seven deep. Not only does the beer taste like sheep dip but you have to suffer a similar queuing process as the animals themselves do.

The game was horrible.

Spurted out of the ground to the station to catch a 4.50pm train that never existed. Watched an express train shoot by and waited some more. The next train only went to Manchester Victoria but we got on regardless. As we pulled away I saw forlorn face at the station gate, a cross between Pat Roach and Donald Sutherland…it was Wayne being manhandled and shackled by the transport police. Or maybe the platform was just full, either version is OK.

The announcer told us anyone going to Piccadilly should get off at Bolton. So we did. Then we found out the train to Piccadilly was another 40 minutes so we jumped onto the next train to Victoria where we waited 20 minutes for a Metrolink tram to Piccadilly that never existed. So we got a taxi and got stuck behind a traffic accident near High Street.

Some time later…

Manchester Piccadilly is a great station, fully refurbished, completely revamped. It has everything the modern day train traveller could ask for. It also has the highest number of football tourists immediately following a game at Old Trafford. Every accent, every dialect, every nationality, every single piece of crappy red merchandise from the MUFC superstore packed into endless throbbing carrier bags all shuffling around the concourse. The next train to Stockport was also the next train to Euston. It was a Virgin train, red on the outside and even redder on the inside. We claimed the last two available seats and watched as the middle-class, middle aged types around us tried to work out what BWFC stood for on my son’s hat. A kid opposite had the full MUFC kit on as well as the hat, scarf, MP3 player, magazine, carry bag. He was a walking advert for kackness. Thankfully the Mental Health Act will support people like him as he goes through his life thinking Old Trafford is in Surrey.

We are now arriving at Stockport…

My Thai bride was picking us up but the train had arrived much earlier than expected so I thought I’d have a crafty beer in the station cafe. We walked along the platform and watched the ‘United’ away day special disappear out towards Cheshire without its pointless and valueless cargo and I prayed I would never have to endure such an ordeal again. Surprisingly Jesus heard those prayers. He must have done, he was standing just a few metres away.

On Saturday the 6th February 2010 on platform 3 at Stockport Station I had an epiphany, a spiritual flash and suddenly the world and its fog of confusion was cut through with a blade of clarity so sharp that I now understood dimensional time properties, advanced nucleosynthesis, proportional cosmological principle theory and also why digital alarm clocks go fast when you keep your finger on the forward button but not so when you want to go back.

Jesus was just as I expected…he had a patchy beard, his hair was dark and limp and it licked at his shoulders, teased his angular jawline, delicately overhanging his Fulham training shirt. It was at this moment I realised that Jesus had some friends with him, disciples if you prefer…and one of them bore an uncanny resemblance to Damien Duff. Jesus was Jonathan Greening and he, along with the full Fulham squad and the entire backroom staff of Fulham FC were holed up in the Pumpkin Cafe Bar at Stockport Station following a delay. Their train hadn’t even made it north yet in order for it to turn around and become south bound and full of folk looking like supreme beings…and Damien Duff.

I explained to the womb-monkey that these were the same people we had watched just a few hours ago. The Fulham physio went for a piss and said hello before realised the scarves we had on were blue and white, not black and white. There were so many people in the cafe we couldn’t get in…I looked across at Jesus and although he smiled it was clear there was no room at the inn.

As we walked down the stairs Roy Hodgson was walking up. Hello Roy, I said, I think you got away with that today…I said smiling.
“What?” he replied.
“Were you happy with that in the end?”
“What, the game or the point?” he asked.
“The point…the game wasn’t much to watch from either side.”
“Do you watch that every week,” he enquired.
“Yep, home and away,” I answered and Roy, now at the top of the stairs and us near the bottom, lifted up his chin and gestured his hand to the roof.
“You must have strong necks to watch that every week.”
“Strong necks and thick skins,” I said before wishing him a safe journey.

Outside the dragon was sitting patiently in the car park and we headed home to an evening of Junior Scrabble and as much Vimto as we could stomach. I thought Roy was quite rude but it’s pointless wishing bad things upon him because no matter where he goes, Jesus goes with him.

Alex Ferguson goes in to hiding after hearing Gary Megson thinks they're mates now. Pic from tpower1978

The Bolton News falls for the United boss’ mind games

I Twittered last night about the appalling levels of hypocrisy on Five Live Sport, who went seamlessly from talking about how out of order football fans are for abusing players to then justifying Alex Ferguson’s abuse of referee Alan Wiley.

But Five Live aren’t the only ones who’ve swallowed Fergie’s spin.

This report in The Bolton News carried quotes from the Manchester United manager, lifted from his programme notes for Saturday’s game against the Wanderers, in which he said of Bolton fans:

You see the unreasonableness and impatience of fans expressed in many different ways and it’s all quite different from, say, 30 years, ago.

Would that be the same unreasonableness and impatience that prompts a manager to call in to question the professionalism of a referee?

Ferguson doesn’t give a toss about Megson or the Wanderers. When I worked on the Chelsea matchday programme, Jose Mourinho would often tailor his matchday notes to highlight weaknesses in the opposition – and thus wind them up when they got to the ground and read it.

Far from “launching an impassioned plea on behalf of Gary Megson”, as The Bolton News put it, Ferguson was merely stoking the fires of discontent to give his side an advantage – and The Bolton News fell for it.

More importantly, why is it OK for managers to publicly criticise referees and for players to blatantly swear at them on the pitch, but as soon as a fan dares criticise the people whose wages they pay, they are accused of bringing the game in to disrepute?

If anyone can explain this, there’s a comment box below…

We know how you feel about supporting Bolton Wanderers, because we feel the same (Image courtesy of ElPablo)

Sky’s subtle and understated-as-ever marketing campaign for their Premier League coverage this season is a series of TV adverts and posters featuring the line ‘we know how you feel about football, because we feel the same.’

Leaving aside the rather patronising assumption that all football fans are replica-shirt wearing, 606-calling halfwits (OK, a lot are), the other problem with these ads is that they’re too general, aimed at fans of every club without thought for the fundamental differences in the emotional make-up of fans of clubs as diverse as, let’s say, Bolton and Manchester United.

To solve this problem, Manny Road is proposing a new version of the advert targetted specifically at Bolton Wanderers fans (see pic above). I think this more adequately sums up the reality of being a Wanderers fan right now than this video.

What do you think? Comments in an orderly queue below please…

• All quiet on the Anti-Megson Front
• Why are Bolton fans so negative to Gary Megson?
• Taylor backs under-fire boss
• Protests before the Spurs game
• I’m going to throw my season ticket on the pitch if we lose today
• BBC bias towards Bolton
• Diouf transfer to Blackburn triggered by angry dressing-room row at Sunderland
• Bolton boss Megson confident fans are with him
• Bolton defender Puygrenier: Call me Steak
• The career of Mark Davies at Wolves – in pictures
• Davies didn’t fulfil potential – Wolves boss Mick McCarthy
• Youri Djorkaeff Offered Advisory Role At PSG
• Can Mark Davies Really Save Bolton Wanderers from the drop?
• Why Bolton are in serious need of some creative reinforcement

Related articles by Zemanta

• Bolton Wanderers Hall of Shame #8: Gary Megson – or is it me? (mannyroad.com)
• So how accurate were all those transfer window rumours? (mannyroad.com)
• Bolton 3-2 Spurs: What the papers say (mannyroad.com)
• Wanderers window shopping dispatch #4: Five questions that need answering (mannyroad.com)

What Manny Road has been reading (and thinking) about Bolton Wanderers over the past few days

- Four Four Two documenting how money took over football, including reference to Bolton’s David Jack becoming the first £10,000 footballer (those must have been the days to be a Bolton Wanderers fans… three FA Cups in seven years, the best players in the land in our team etc etc).

- The same magazine also underlined why times are a little less exciting – even depressing – for the modern day Wanderers supporter. According to their calculations, Bolton are ‘technically insolvent’ (the only good news appears to be that so are 10 other Premier League clubs).

- On this discussion on the 606 forum, one Wanderers fan reveals his own research into the club’s financial position, which many have been questioning since the mysterious link to the Icelandic banking collapse a couple of months back. It includes the Burnden Leisure PLC yearly Trading Report for accounting period July 2007 to July 2008 (my favourite bit of this is where the guy asks everyone to keep it a secret because he shouldn’t really be spreading the info around… should’ve thought about that before you posted it on the internet).

- Ali Al-Habsi showing why we signed him up on a new contract (or putting himself in the shop window?) in the Gulf Cup.

- The club still trying to flog subscriptions to Wanderers World, which as far as I can tell is universally disliked, mainly due to the standard of the commentary. Still that didn’t stop The Bolton News giving them a glowing write up that amounted nothing short of a (presumably) free advert. The club says jump and the paper says how high.

- And finally, Big Brother is watching you at the Reebok Stadium… apparently these new security cameras make fans more secure, although it’s also possible that the security guards would rather watch the fans than the dross frequently served up on the pitch.

Have your say on any of these stories in the comment box below…

The eagle-eyed will notice that this dispatch contains no reference to the January transfer window, which is pretty much dominating the Bolton Wanderers headlines right now. For a summary of that particular soap opera click here.

Whatever your excuse – sickness, living too far away (mine) or ripping your season ticket up in disgust a few weeks ago – here’s the Manny Road guide to following the game online…

Live streaming
These are always hit and miss so I can’t guarantee it’ll work but try this… PL Football.

Minute-by-minute reports
You can follow the action as it happens on bwfc.co.uk (which also includes fan input via email), The Bolton News or The BBC.

Discussions
There active discussions on The Wanderer and Bolton Banter fan sites.

And as ever you can have your say on anything Bolton Wanderers in the comment box below.

There was a big debate on the BBC 606 Wanderers message board last week about Jussi Jaaskelainen. It started after someone posted a link to my piece from the summer in which I said Jaaskelainen doesn’t deserve a testimonial from Bolton Wanderers.

Of course, my side of the argument wasn’t done any favours by Jaaskelainen’s heroics against Hull on Saturday, but I did say in my fans’ view match report of the game – in which I reported that fans were saying I’d been made to look like an idiot – that I’d address this subject again. So here goes…

Firstly, my argument with Jaaskelainen was never about his ability. I’ve been saying for years that if I had to pick a squad of the Premier League’s best players then Jaaskelainen would be one of my three keepers. He is easily good enough to have played for one of the big four and I’ve always been baffled as to why Arsenal – who have been the weakest in that department in recent years – have never tried to sign him.

Nor would I argue with his ‘legendary status’. By any measure he will go down as one of the club’s greatest ever players.

My argument was that having allowed his agent to hold the club to ransom last season and declaring he was going to leave, it’s a bit rich to then turn around and ask for a testimonial as part of your new contract.

In an age when players can earn in a year what many of us couldn’t even earn in a lifetime, the testimonials – which were traditionally about giving players a financial nest egg to help them make the transition back to normal working life (buy a pub, start a business etc) – are now completely unnecessary.

The financial function of the testimonial is now redundant, therefore the only point of them is for supporters to show their respect and appreciation to an individual player. In my view that is redundant too. We already show him respect by paying (a lot) to go to games and singing his name every week, which is more respect than he showed supporters last season.

In the 606 discussion it was pointed out that Jaaskelainen never actually said anything. But nor did he contradict it. In fact, by saying nothing at all and allowing his agent to do all the dirty work for him, he made himself look pretty cowardly. I notice that he was happy to speak out – without the need for Peter Harrison to act as middle man – when it came to taking the plaudits for reaching 400 appearances in a Wanderers shirt.

The other thing that was said in the discussion is that money from testimonials normally goes to charity these days. Again, though, he’s not actually said that that would be the case.

If he comes out and says all the money will go to charity, then fine. I hope the Reebok sells out for it. But if it’s nice little earner and a love-in with the fans that he’s after, then I hope supporters show him the same respect he showed us: none.