Southampton's defenders had a distinct size advantage.

The Whites started slowly, with Southampton passing the ball well and leaving their opposite numbers chasing shadows.  Bolton looked incapable of dealing with their opponents’ pace and movement, but Saints failed to find the final ball needed to really open-up the home defence.  The young Trotters didn’t help their own cause, as Lewis Fielding sent every goal kick sailing towards the heads of the Wanderers’ strikers, who were dwarfed by the away side’s defence; resulting in little possession for Lee and Kelly’s boys.

However, Saints’ dominance was not to last.  Bolton slowly came to grips with the pace of the game, and pulled themselves back into the match through sheer determination.  As Bolton began closing-down swiftly in all areas, Saints’ neat passing game started to unravel.  When Saints gave the ball away cheaply in midfield, it fell to the extremely impressive James Caton.  Caton skilfully moved the ball forward and fed striker Zach Clough, who showed quick thinking and equally quick feet to return the ball to Caton, who had continued his run.  It was bad luck that the pass sped just beyond him on the slick pitch, when he would have been through on goal.  It was a sign of things to come from Caton, who had the beating of his fullback all night.

Southampton remained dangerous, thanks mostly to basic errors from the home side.  A routine ball into the box was spilt by Fielding and fell to Jordan Turnbull.  Turnbull’s snap-shot looked goal-bound, but Andy Kellett was on hand to clear off the line and save his goalkeeper’s blushes.  It was Kellett’s first real involvement, but it was certainly not his last.

Wanderers were looking dangerous, and didn’t have to wait long for another good opportunity.  Luke Woodland won the ball with a tough tackle in midfield.  He got his head up and, displaying both composure and ability, released Caton on the left.  Caton carried the ball to the byline, before drilling the ball across the face of goal.  Woodland had made a lung-bursting run to try and get on the end of Caton’s cross, but was just inches beyond him.

Bolton continued to pressure, forcing Southampton to play long, and it was from a long-pass that Saints found an opening.  As Wanderers pressed up the pitch, the ball was lost and Southampton hit it forward.  The ball was collected well, drawing a foul from Oscar Threlkeld in a dangerous position and Corby Moore’s resulting free kick thumped the upright.

Flying winger James Caton skins his man.

Caton continued to impress, but the next chance came down Wanderers’ right.  Kellett, operating at right back, won the ball with a sliding tackle and came away with it.  Beating two men, Kellett drove forward and played an inch-perfect through ball.  Inexplicably, the linesman raised his flag with two Bolton players through and clear.  It was a poor decision, and the crowd let him know it.  Kellett continued to threaten, and it was another run and through ball that led to the corner from which Bolton broke the deadlock.  An in-swinger from Glenn Matthews was met by Threlkeld, who got both power and direction on his header and buried the ball past a flailing Steven Mowthorpe.

Bolton continued to play some good stuff, though Dylan Wolstenholme and Chris Lester were often guilty of giving the ball away and allowing moves to break down.  Nevertheless, Wanderers finished the half strongly and looked good value for the lead they took in at the break.

Southampton clearly got a talking-to at half time, as they came out fighting.  Wanderers continued to threaten through Caton, but possession was increasingly with Saints.  Under pressure, Bolton reverted to long-ball tactics; and it cost them dearly.  Southampton won a header in midfield and the ball was played wide to Jake Sinclair.  The tricky striker dribbled forward at pace and centred a great cross which was headed home by Moore.

Bolton produced a few good moments, with Caton always dangerous and Woodland showing some good passing, but Saints became more and more dominant, especially down their right.  The home side responded by replacing Wanderers left back Glenn Matthews, who had struggled, with Niall Maher.  Maher went to right back, with Kellett reverting to his usual left back role.  The move worked to solidify Wanderers’ left, but it was the centre of Bolton’s defence that would be their undoing.

Ben Dennis dominates in the air.

Bolton’s captain, Ben Dennis, had impressed.   Dennis is terrific in the air and comfortable on the ball, but his tendency to over-play would cost Bolton the game.  The Bolton stopper made a good interception and had plenty of time to clear to touch.  Instead, the captain decided to play his way forward and lost the ball in midfield to Jack Stephens.  Stephens drove forward, and Dennis’s wild lunge failed to win back the ball, which was slotted through to Sinclair.  Wanderers appealed for offside, and Sinclair did appear to be a good yard beyond the last defender, but the flag stayed down allowing Sinclair to coolly slot the ball past Fielding and give Southampton the lead.

Wanderers looked visibly drained and with Kellett exhausted, after two swashbuckling displays in 3 days, it was left to Caton to try and drag his side back into it.  Bolton brought off both forwards, who had worked hard and caused Saints problems; the changes serving only to blunt the home side’s cutting edge.  With Caton now moved upfront and Elliot Newby brought on to play on the left wing, Bolton’s creativity all but disappeared.  Striker Saul Hamer, on as a sub, gave a lack-lustre display and refused to chase or compete in the air.  So, having fought hard for most of the game, the last ten minutes saw Wanderers go out of the cup with a whimper.

There were still flashes of Bolton’s earlier quality, with Woodland showing a great range of passing and Caton having one last mazy run, but it was never going to be enough.  The end of the game shouldn’t detract from what was a decent display from the lads in White and there was plenty for Wanderers fans to be proud of.  Ultimately, the better side won; but it was a close-run thing.

Bolton (4-4-2):  Fielding 5, Matthews 5, Threlkeld 6, Dennis 6, Kellett 7, Lester 6, Wolstenholme 5, Woodland 7, Caton 8, Clough 5, Youngs 6.

Move of the Match: Andy Kellett won the ball with a sliding tackle.  Managing to retain the ball, he ran 40 yards, beating 2 players in the process.  His pass was inch-perfect, but a poor offside decision cost Wanderers a goal.

Man of the Match: James Caton.  A superb display from the young winger, who combined skill and pace with terrific work rate.

Honourable mentions: Andy Kellett was, again, very good.  Ben Dennis put in a good display, before souring it by losing his head; as well as losing Bolton the game.  Luke Woodland took a while to get going, but he grew in influence and gave a good all-round display.

Opposition watch: Jake Sinclair.  It was between the young Southampton striker and Bolton’s James Caton for the “most dangerous player on the pitch” award, but with a goal and assist the Saint’s player edged it.

Southampton Hit the Post

-Azreal88

Photographs:  Elena Ovechkina.

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

Enjoy it while it lasts, fatty. You'll soon be under pressure again

What to do with Owen Coyle?  Give him more time. Find him help. Get rid.  There is no general consensus.  If it’s the latter option, then Coyle could have no complaints. Six points from nine games is only one more than Sammy Lee got, prior to his sacking in 2007 and three wins (and twelve defeats) in fifteen league outings since the debacle at Wembley is unacceptable by any standards.

There’s also an unpleasing symmetry that has emerged.  Last season Bolton had the worst away record in the four divisions.  Now they have the poorest home results.

Criticism of the Whites boss should be tempered.  Losing the two best players in Stuart Holden and Lee Chung-Yong from a squad that was ordinary in the first place, would be a crushing blow to anyone in that situation.  In addition, his net spend in the transfer market over two seasons has been more or less nil, with Bolton so hamstrung for cash. But the lack of progress in rectifying what are glaring faults can not be ignored.

In Lee’s brief tenure, much attention was drawn to a desire to play more open football.  The reality was that his failures came because of an inability to field a team capable of defending.  With a back four containing Gerald Cid and Jlloyd Samuel at his most clueless, that was always a doomed venture.

The current side’s main problems lie further forward in midfield.  For much of the time there isn’t one.  The tendency to abandon that area when under pressure and camp out on the eighteen yard line is always costly.  It gives better teams space to involve the wingers and stretch the back line, whilst more basic opposition can launch hopeful punts into the penalty area, knowing that there will be no one to contest the ball when it comes back – a fact that isn’t lost on Gary Cahill.

“When you are under pressure, there is only so much you can head out and defend. It is difficult because I was out there thinking, ‘Why are we under so much pressure?’ We were defending all the time,” he pondered after Saturday’s game.

Coyle may need to guard his nether regions more often if the rot continues.

Too many of the personnel deployed in the centre of the park are not up to the job.  Chris Eagles continues to demonstrate that effort is no substitute for ability, whilst Darren Pratley has shown why he played just one game at Premier League level before signing for Bolton at the age of twenty-six.  Nigel Reo-Coker puts a ‘shift in’ to quote a certain departed  ginger person, but he’s invariably half a second behind the pace of the game and can’t turn defence into attack.  Martin Petrov isn’t a luxury that can be afforded.

Up front, David N’Gog has struggled, although it’s early to judge the former Liverpool man.  He shows neat touches of skill and can hold the ball up, but he’s not blessed with great pace and doesn’t look capable of fashioning chances for himself, an essential requirement, given the creation free zone behind him.  He needs a strike partner.  One that isn’t Kevin Davies.

Another worrying factor is that Coyle appears to have lost the ability to influence his players.  When a manager is reduced to using the press to put a rocket up his staff, it’s desperation time.

“There was a host of players who missed out from last week that who had four or five chances to claim that jersey,” he told the Bolton News prior to the latest capitulation.

“I don’t put players out of the team, players performances put them out of the team. If you play well, you will stay in the team, it’s very simple.”

It’s reminiscent of ex-Hull manager Phil Brown lecturing his under performers in the penalty area at Manchester City.  That was the beginning of the end for him too.

Should Coyle stay or go?  It goes against the grain with this fan to advocate a move that would bring yet more instability.  Football history shows quite clearly that teams who change manager on a frequent basis underachieve.  Yet he seems out of ideas, and out of his depth.

Sacking the manager now would be pointless.  It would lead to one of the duffers recruited from Burnley taking charge.  But the search for the next man must begin.

There are several unemployed candidates who would be keen on a return to the Premier League.  Graeme Souness, David O’Leary, Steve McClaren, Gordon Strachan to name just a few.  All should be avoided.  There are reasons why they haven’t got a job.

Let's hope Phil isn't ringing one of his agent friends.

But there is one exception and that is Mark Hughes.  Not in a permanent capacity, his ambitions go beyond a club like Bolton – but in a caretaker role.  It would be a no lose situation for him as the Wanderers are already a basket case.   Avoid relegation and he’d look like a genius.

That would leave time to look for a man who can build a foundation for the future and be appointed at the end of the season.  One thing is clear.  Chairman Phil Gartside must never be involved in the selection of a Bolton manager again.  He has now appointed three of them without due process.  It’s not the sort of thing you should do on a whim.

- Richard McCormick

TweetFollow @RMc2407

So far, Owen Coyle has shown admirable restraint in response to the incident, while there hasn’t been a peep out of Tom Miller, whose horror tackle did the damage, or Anthony Hudson, the Newport manager, who ultimately bears responsibility for forgetting to tell his player that this was supposed to be a friendly game.

It’s important not to go all Arsene Wenger on this. Football is a contact sport and long should it remain so. However, there is no place for the recklessness and lack of regard for a fellow player shown by Miller.

The video footage doesn’t look too bad, appearing to be just a coming together with desperately unfortunate consequences. The stills tell a different story.

We wish Lee Chung-Yong a speedy and complete recovery.

- Richard McCormick

TweetFollow @RMc2407

The lunge begins.  Note the distance of Miller (2nd right) from the ball.

Fully Airborne

Contact

The words came from Emma Davies, wife of Bolton captain Kevin, as she tweeted on the day of the recent public sector strikes. It was an inane comment to make, perhaps revealing long held prejudices, as the cause of the dispute was not the amount of time spent in class, but the erosion of pension rights.

Unsurprisingly, given that the man who supports her works short days, has long holidays and gets paid more in a week than most teachers earn in a year, there was some disagreement. Big Em did not take kindly to it.

‘People will know it’s me anyway by all the knives in my back,’ she advised later in the week after being seen in the local coffee shop. That, and her claims that she’d been abused, were melodramatic distortions of the truth. Granted, some of the replies were a little testy, but they only sought to highlight the crass nature of what she’d written.

If the matter had ended at that point, it wouldn’t be worthy of comment, but from there on in, Mrs SKD’s behaviour degenerated. She wasn’t so much a WAG, as a WUM. A Wind Up Merchant – someone who posts maliciously on an internet forum with the sole intention of provoking a reaction. Check out the message board attached to this site, or one of the others such as Wanderers Ways, The-Wanderer, Bolton Banter, Wanderers Mad or the Bolton News Forum, and such individuals are easy to pick out, once you’ve seen a few examples of their ‘work’.

Kev and Em on the lash

To sum up the Davo position, it’s ok to sneer at teachers because footballers work Christmas Day, Easter Sunday and bank holidays, pay high taxes and will be forced to retire at 35 whilst most of the population have the privilege of earning a crust for another thirty years or so.

‘But we are not complaining,’ added Emma, bravely.

On the latter point, Kevin Davies is taking his coaching badges, so he won’t be on the scrap heap after hitting his mid thirties. Perhaps he should tell the wife. Even if he wasn’t, it doesn’t take a mathematical whizz-kid to work out that after copping for a slice of Bolton’s multi-million pound wage bill over the past eight years, he won’t have to do anything bar tend to his donkeys.

Perhaps she’s just naïve or a bit dim? Er, nope. This is a woman who is desperate for us to know that she had a career before getting hitched. One that involved PR of all things.

So, what was the motivation for last week’s outbursts, one of which involved inviting a persistent detractor to pop round for coffee and a punch up? Perhaps Mrs Davies is still miffed at the abuse directed at her husband after the FA cup semi-final, which wasn’t justified, even if the rage and shame Bolton fans felt after their team’s miserable performance at Wembley was very real.

Maybe she wants her friends in the glitzy world she used to inhabit to know that she’s still alive. Or it could be that she’s joining  in with the all too familiar fan-bashing that comes from those directly connected to BWFC.

Chairman Phil Gartside once scolded the supporters for failing to attend an FA cup tie with Fulham and had to apologise. The season after, Sam Allardyce referred to the Reebok faithful as ‘ignorant and naïve’ for expressing disappointment at an end of term slump. Then were was Gary Megson, who thought the fans were ‘pathetic’ although his remarks were clarified the day after. He was only meant the ones attending Ewood Park who’d called him a wanker. Too late Gaz, offence already taken.

Once into his stride, the Ginger One couldn’t stop slagging off those who paid his wages, either by coming through the turnstiles or with their TV subscriptions. The damage he caused is still to be fully repaired. Therein lies the danger.

Twitter can be fun, informative even. It can also be mind-numbingly dull, as anyone following Rio Ferdinand will attest. But there are pitfalls. It’s unwise to judge someone based on internet posts, especially ones which are limited to 140 characters. But the truth is that people do just that.

Kevin Davies is a hero at Bolton, and deservedly so, after his commitment on the pitch over several years. It would be unfortunate if that reputation suffered because his other half can’t keep her ego in check when she’s within touching distance of a keyboard.

- Richard McCormick

Tweet

Elmander was always just a figure of fun..

It’s a matter of record that our hapless former Swede ended the season as top scorer with 10 premier league goals followed by Big Kev and the wonderkid loanee with 8 apiece. Our underused Croatian chipped in with 4, or to put it another way, the same number as KD if you ignore penalties.

Fans of Big Kev will be quick to point out that his game is about much more than scoring goals. They’ll point out that he created a whopping 86 chances, double the next highest, that only Robbo managed more than his 915 successful passes, and that only Elmander and Chungy had more than his 5 assists.

Fans of Elmander, meanwhile, should be publicly castrated on the town hall steps, but we’ll leave that one for another day.

It’s easy enough to look down our premier league stats and pick out the ‘top performers’, but does it give a fair reflection comparing someone who started every game, like Big Kev, with someone who rarely gets a look in, like Klasnic?

In the spirit of having bugger all else to do on a Sunday afternoon in the close season, I decided to compare stats per time played. The comparison is for premier league appearances only, and for the sake of simplicity (rather than accuracy) in calculating minutes played for each player all matches are assumed to last 90 minutes.

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

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

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

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

Effectiveness – goals and assists

Total Goals and assists

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

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

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

Goals and assists per 90 minutes:

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

Round one to Klasnic.

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

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

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

Attempts over 90mins..

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

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

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

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

chances created and passes per 90 minutes.

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

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

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

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

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

Tackles and fouls per 90 minutes:

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

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

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

But he does nowt but score goals. Apparently.

-Wakey-

Wow...hope you're not expecting me to score that goal...?

One of the things I’m far from certain of, that I’m reluctant to believe entirely, is the image of those in the public eye; actors, footballers, politicians etc. Politicians especially. You never know whether the personality they put across in public is in fact them, or merely a carefully planned and orchestrated PR stunt. Are they the same person behind closed doors? Are they the same charming, likeable character when the cameras are off?

Our manager, Owen Coyle, has a very good public image. It’s so good in fact that Bolton Wanderers have almost become fashionable thanks to his 16 month reign. Bolton Wanderers message boards have even been visited by Arsenal fans praising our new found love our the beautiful game, unthinkable in the Allardyce days, and our role in Jack Wilshere’s development, although I doubt these messages will be as common if we beat them consistently at The Reebok again as we did under Allardyce.

I recently got the opportunity to meet Mr. Coyle thanks to the good people at 188Bet and BWFCforum.co.uk. Even excluding my fondness for all things Bolton, this was quite a thrill. To put this into perspective, I no longer have to say that the most famous person I have ‘met’, and I lose the term very loosely, was ‘Fiz from Corrie’. I think it says a lot about the quality of your celebrity sighting if you don’t know their real name!

Well, I did know Owen Coyle’s real name but did I know the real Owen Coyle?

come and get some lunch !

I was well aware of the public perception of Owen Coyle. He’s a very likeable man with an infectious enthusiasm for people, football and life itself. It’s a shame that I didn’t get to spend more time in his company as I might have been able to recall a positive certainty in life for the first paragraph.

We have all seen him at The Reebok Stadium, both during and after the match, inspiring and encouraging his players from the sidelines and applauding the home fans from the pitch post match for their role in what has, for the most part, been another impressive result and performance.

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

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

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

Did you say they were training down there..?

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

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

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

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

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

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

"How many have I done ?"

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

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

-Dave Hallsworth-

How high do I need to raise it Owen ?

In case what follows appears grudging, it should be acknowledged that Stoke deserved their win and that the margin of victory did not flatter them. As stated on these pages previously, Tony Pulis’s side are more than the one-dimensional hoofers that they often portrayed as. They are admirably organised in midfield and have willing runners who are prepared to carry the ball through the centre of the park and place it in an area inconvenient to the opposition. Should they beat Manchester City in next month’s final, it will be a good day for football.

That said, the Wanderers didn’t just dig their own grave. They embalmed the body, drove the hearse to the cemetery and heaped soil on the rotting corpse.

Describing Paul Robinson’s pass across the face of his own goal as school boy defending, might provoke protests – but only from inmates of the country’s education system. Matthew Ethrington gratefully accepted the free shot, and the collapse was under way. Could Jussi Jaasklainen in the Bolton goal have done better? Possibly.

Things got worse shortly after as Robert Huth, fired home unopposed, after getting on the end of a feeble clearing header. Jaaskelainen went down on the shot with the urgency of someone falling off a zimmer frame.

On the half hour mark it was all over. Watching Jermaine Pennant admiringly as he dribbled from inside his own half was an option for supporters, but not for anyone on the pitch. His pass found an unmarked, onside Kenwyne Jones who couldn’t help but score. Suddenly, that 220 mile trip, including a two hour crawl through the London suburbs thanks to the M1 closure, seemed a seriously bad idea.

Whatever Owen Coyle said in the dressing room at half-time – it didn’t work. More of the same resulted. Wasteful passing, zero movement and a lack of energy and fight. Thomas Sorenson in Stoke’s goal had one save of note to make in the entire ninety minutes.

The shot from John Walters that provided the fourth goal was the moment of the game, but it came after he’d been allowed to run with the ball from the half way line with only Mark Davies challenging. The same player finished off the rout from close range after he’d had time to control the ball, look up and wave to his mum, before putting the ball past Jaaskelainen, who was rolling around on the floor like a clubbed seal.

A loss is hard to bear, a heavy reverse even more so. When it’s the worst performance ever seen at the most prestigious stadium in the country, in front of World-wide audience of a few hundred million, it’s hard to think of how it could be worse.

Bolton’s season is effectively over. A European qualification won’t be achieved through a league placing, and given the lack of squad depth such a thing would be a disaster, mitigated only by the large amount of alcohol that can be consumed on a foreign trip.

What Whites fans will be looking for over the rest of the campaign is pride, for there was little of it displayed on Sunday. With games to come against Arsenal, Manchester City, Blackburn, Blackpool and Sunderland, Bolton could have a crucial role to play in proceedings at the top and bottom of the table.

Fail to deliver acceptable performances and all the good work that Owen Coyle has done this season could well be forgotten.

- Richard McCormick

Can someone turn off those lights on your way out...!

However, reading several posts on various Bolton messageboards over the past three weeks, more than a few fans consider the season to be over already. In their minds, our season ended on 19th March 2011 at approximately 16.35.

This was when the boot of Manchester United’s Johny Evans collided with the knee of Bolton’s Stuart Holden. The initial reaction was not good: Holden was stretchered off the Old Trafford pitch in obvious distress and Bolton fans feared the worse. Two days later, those fears were realised: Holden was out for six months (‘gutted smilely’).

Evans, to his credit, called to Holden to apologise for the challenge, an apology that Holden has yet to receive from De Jong for a similar tackle twelve months earlier. Holden has accepted Evans’ apology conceding that, unfortunately, injuries are a risk in a contact sport such as football. Arsenal fans take note, it’s not just your players who can suffer injury as a result of a mistimed challenge, a fact that poor Holden knows only too well.

Since signing for Bolton in January 2010, becoming Owen Coyle’s first signing in the process, he has had two season ending injuries in as many seasons. For a player who is not considered to be ‘injury prone’, he has spent a lot of time keeping Sean Davis company in the treatment room.

It was that Jonny Evens who did it...!

I have every faith that Holden will bounce back from this set back, just as he has the others in his career. He seems to have the right attitude and is already focusing on his recovery. That said, I’m sure he’ll be gutted about missing the biggest game of his club career, not to disrespect to his achievements in the MLS.

He has been a breath of fresh air in a Bolton midfield terrified of the ball in recent seasons. Confident in possession, keen for the ball and with an eye for a pass as well as being equally adept in his
defensive duties: he is / was (I can’t be arsed checking) the top tackling midfielder in the Premier League. A solid all rounder. The only slight criticism I can think of is that I thought that he may have chipped in with a few more goals, although I instantly forgive him that when I remember that one of the goals he did score was the winner against Blackburn, the first at home for 13 years. What a goal it was too!

Losing a player of Holden’s quality will obviously be a big blow as, in this author’s opinion (and that of many others), he has been our player of the season this year, and by some distance. Any team would be weaker in his absence. However, despite losing our best performer, is our season effectively over?

Bloody Hell.... look what you've started now Jonny.... hope you're proud of yourself ?

Unfortunately, the stats do not make for good reading: since Stu-S-A made his league bow for the Mighty Whites in March 2010 against Wolves,  we have won 41% of league games in which Holden has featured (impressive eh?) compared with just 20% when Holden has been absent (not so impressive).

Another issue we have is the fitness of Mark Davies. In an ideal world, I’d pick Mark Davies and Holden to be my starting midfield duo as I think they compliment each other well; they’re both comfortable in posession, good on the ball (Davies especially) and are always willing to take the ball and try and make something happen, a trait which I feel some other Bolton players do not have. To lose Holden is a spanner in the works; to lose Davies too is a toolbox in the works.

However, despite what the stats say (people can use stats to prove anything even remotely true), we are not a one man team. (As yesterday’s game v West Ham proved) We were in great form prior to the Man Utd game with six wins in the previous nine games in league and cup.

Not only was our form impressive, but the spirit within the team was as good as I can remember. 3-2 victories against Aston Villa, after going behind twice, and Birmingham in the cup, after twice being pegged back, demonstrated the great character and spirit in this Bolton team.

Under Megson, we would have lost the game against Villa for sure and could have easily lost the game against Birmingham. I very much doubt we would have gone on to win 3-2 under Megson. If I’m honest, I doubt we would have done so under Allardyce, whose teams were set up to grind out narrow 1-0 opposed to last minute winners.

The team demonstrated amazing resolve in each of those matches. Having dominated for large periods against Birmingham, passing up several opportunities to secure the win, they were hit with a big sucker punch with Phillips’ goal, however good a goal it may have been. It would have been easy for Bolton to take the draw and look to the replay in that position, but Owen Coyle’s men are made of sterner stuff. They didn’t allow Birmingham to establish any momentum following their goal and, ultimately, got the result which, overall, I think they fully deserved.

That is the type of attitude and desire that needs to return, not only on the pitch but in the stands. There’s no point in us feeling sorry for ourselves. Holden is a great player, but he’s just that, one player. The results we got before were down to the team, not any one man.

The fans and the team need to return to the previous mindset we had all of a month ago. Holden’s injury could be the defining moment in our season, it could give M Davies the chance to shine etc, but we can’t let it define our season.

We have a fantastic opportunity to reach our first FA Cup final in 53 years. What has happened in the last three weeks cannot be erased; it cannot be altered, however much we may wish it could be.

Go on cocker.... do it for me...!

However, we do have control over the next few matches. I’m sure Coyle will have team fully prepared for the semi final, but the fans can play their part too. The players need us now more than ever. Together, we can win this semi final, no matter who is in our midfield. Contrary to what the naysayers may believe, our season is far from over!

-Dave Hallsworth-

That said, while I don’t for one second think that Coyle would turn  down Liverpool, they are after all a massive club with huge tradition  and a great history, that doesn’t mean that I don’t think he wouldn’t  regret it six months down the line.
I’m sure we wouldn’t stand in Coyle’s way if Liverpool does make an approach. It would be a fruitless endeavour anyway. Once a player / manager / assistant manager / coach / groundsmen / tea lady etc have made up their mind that they wish to leave, the best thing the club can do is try to get the maximum amount for them.

king Kenny in high spirites on his return to Anfield, with a ermmm his assistants

That is why, if Liverpool do come calling, we’ll be powerless to keep Owen. I’m not naive; Coyle is an ambitious manager and his career aims will mean that he’ll outgrow Bolton, just as he outgrew Burnley.
I don’t expect him to stay at Bolton for his entire career and I’ve  always been prepared for the fact that, if a big club  came in for  him, he would leave. The consolation in that logic was that, in order for a big club to come calling, Coyle had to be a success at Bolton.

He has; 7th in the league going into the new year, despite a little, and probably understandable considering the squad, wobble in form and results of late.
I have just been informed by my Dad that Roy Hodgson has been sacked by Liverpool and Kenny Dalglish has been appointed until the  end of the season

Cheers Liverpool. Kinda stepped on my point there. Ah well, I haven’t written a Manny Road article for so long… I’ll continue.
I don’t think there has been a worse time than this to manage Liverpool. Of course they are a massive club but they have an average team, little money to spend (although obviously more than we
have) yet they still have the same expectations. True, they should be doing better than what they are doing now, but their squad falls way short of the current top 5.
The Liverpool fans wanted Dalglish. They now have Dalglish. The masses now have their ‘messiah’. Where have we heard that before? If King Kenny does not provide the results expected at Liverpool, as Hodgson clearly didn’t, then they want a big name manager – Hiddink, Rijkard  etc.

To be fair, they have a point. Liverpool are a big club and have big ambitions. Some may say unrealistic expectations, but there’s no way a club like Liverpool shouldn’t be challenging for a Europa League  place, especially when the likes of Sunderland, Bolton and Stoke are  above them.

Sadly for Roy, success at a lower level doesn’t always translate into success at a bigger club. His managerial history is evidence of that.  He has had his managerial successes at ‘underdog’ sides such as Fulham and Switzerland, while his stays at Inter Milan and Blackburn were less impressive.

If the Liverpool fans didn’t think Hodgson has the right credentials  to manage Liverpool (he didn’t and I said that from the very
beginning), I fail to see how Coyle does. He has all of 18 months PL  experience. Coyle is destined for big things, I have no doubt about  that, but he’s still a relative novice at this level. He’s still  learning his trade and, looking round the Liverpool forums, their fans  know this.

The red half of Liverpool have never got over the fact they just arn't as pleasing on the eye as the blue half these days !

If you don’t have the majority of the fans (let’s face it, you can’t please all of the people all of the time) behind your appointment,  you’re always going to face an uphill struggle as those against your  appointment will continue to be negative to save face. ‘We won 4-1 but we were negative’ ring any bells?

In essence, you have to do twice as well in order to win over the sceptics. With Liverpool’s squad the way it is, and the expectation  level as high as it is, I consider that to be almost impossible for any  manager other than Dalglish who will get additional time due to his  legendary status at the club.

Sadly, you only get one shot at managing a ‘big’ club (ask Allardyce  and Rioch etc). Allardyce’s stock couldn’t have been higher when he left The Reebok for the final time in April 2007. In eight years, he had turned Bolton Wanderers from Championship strugglers into European contenders. He even managed a domestic cup final and an impressive interview for the England job for good measure. It took less than eight months at Newcastle to destroy that legacy.

Get the boot from a ‘big’ club, even if it is considered a harsh dismissal, and you could ruin all the good work you have done in your career up to that point. You’re forever finished at that level. True, Coyle has got time on his side, but once you are pigeon holed into a ‘level’, it is very difficult to get out.

Coyle has already been linked with the Arsenal job (it’s amazing what a strong media perception can do for a career). He has had continued success at every club he has been at. His star is definitely on the  rise, but if he were to take the Liverpool job at this stage in his  career, and failed (and with the aforementioned expectancy levels and  squad that was more than likely), he’ll be forever remembered as the  man who was sacked by Liverpool.

His success before Liverpool will forever be overlooked, or dismissed with the attitude that ‘it’s easy  to achieve success with Bolton, Burnley and St. Johnstone, but this is  [insert big club name here]‘.

Mark Hughes in another example; whilst at Blackburn, he was talked as being a candidate to replace Ferguson when he eventually retires from Manchester United.

Following ‘failure’ at Manchester City and he’s now at Fulham. Not to worry, it’s ‘his level’. At least he’ll have so much compensationI think the moral of the story is, if you’re offered a job at a ‘big’ club, be sure you’re ready for it. I’m not sure Coyle is.

If the Liverpool job had been offered to Coyle, I’m sure he’d have taken it. He’s an ambitious man and the possibility of managing a club like Liverpool would surely be too much to turn down.
However, I imagine a club in a better position on the field will come in for Coyle at some point if he stays here. We have the media perception now that we play like Brazil. That will attract potential suitors.

Personally, I think the media perception of Allardyce and his style of football always went against him. He achieved far more with us than Coyle has thus far (although I’m sure that will change if Coyle stays here) yet his name was never linked with Liverpool, much to his obvious (and understandable) irritation.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Spurs are interested in him if ‘Arry gets the England job. That wouldn’t have happened had he got the Liverpool job and, despite their respective histories, I know which job I’d prefer upon leaving Bolton.

Liverpool are a big club in decline. The allure of managing Liverpool is obvious, but the reality is not so great, as Hodgson will no doubt tell you. This is the worst Liverpool team in years. They have no chance of cracking the top 5 for the foreseeable future.

If it were any other circumstances, I’d say Coyle would be mad not to manage them, but with the current team and consistent expectation  levels, I think he’d have been in a no win situation.

Thankfully, for us anyway, Coyle was not put in that position. Liverpool’s owners have gone for Dalglish. To be perfectly honest,  it’s just delaying the inevitable. Other clubs will come in for Coyle if he continues his impressive work with us. He is far too good a manager to stay with us long term. We just need to enjoy his time here and, hopefully when he does move on, he’ll leave us in a good position in the league and perhaps a trophy in the cabinet. He is destined for big things that’s for sure and, at the moment, those things are bigger and better than Liverpool.

-Dave Hallsworth-