It’s a disturbing thought isn’t it?  A ginger manager at the Reebok Stadium again.  Fortunately it’s not that ginger one, but another with thinning copper locks, namely Alex McLeish, whose Birmingham City side take on Bolton Wanderers this afternoon.

There’s another tenuous link with the Whites provided by bean-pole striker Nikola Zigic who signed for McLeish recently.  Sam Allardyce and Harry Redknapp watched the Serb as he played for Crvena Zvezda against Cork City back in 2006, with the possibility of recruiting him.  Sam’s thoughts aren’t recorded, but ‘Arry wasn’t impressed.

Not a Pretty Sight

‘I don’t think five million will buy him,’ advised Zigic’s agent after the game.

‘I know, I’m one of them,’ replied Bagpuss.

Birmingham were last season’s surprise package.  They were expected to struggle but survived comfortably, thanks to some stout organization and occasional last ditch defending.

So far the two sides have identical results, one draw, two wins and entrance to the next round of the Carling Cup.  The performances of Owen Coyle’s side have been patchy.  They were disjointed against Fulham and overrun in the first half at West Ham, before finishing as comfortable victors.  Yet the points tally so far is satisfactory.

Coyle has an almost full squad to pick from, bar Ivan Klasnic and Sean Davis, who was only kept on to keep the medical staff busy now that Ricardo Vaz Te has transferred to the treatment room at another club.

The defence is a worry and the midfield hasn’t gelled yet, although individually there seems to be potential there.  The most encouraging thing so far has been the improvement in Johan Elmander.  Let’s hope it’s not another false dawn.

The last game at the Reebok between these two ended in a 2-1 victory for the Whites, but as all parties involved had already booked their summer holidays, it has limited relevance.  Expect a tightly fought encounter with (optimistic hat on) Bolton running out the eventual winners.

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Can we play you every week Rob?…

Bolton visit West Ham at the weekend, where they’ll encounter a generous acquaintance.

At the recent World Cup, goalkeeper Rob Green deprived England of a much needed victory, with a comical gaffe.  This was no surprise to White’s fans.  They’ve enjoyed Green’s attention deficit disorder immensely over the past few years.  He’s good for at least three points a season – to Bolton that is.

Oops...

Ultimately, Green was rescued by his colleagues in the national side.  They were even more dismal than he was, including Matthew Upson, another who shouldn’t have been in South Africa, unless it was to have a gander at Table Top Mountain.

Making up the trio of undesirables is Tal Ben Haim, formerly a competent centre-half for the Wanderers.  Since leaving the Reebok, Ben Haim has failed at Chelsea, Manchester City, Sunderland and Portsmouth.  He put the blame for his mis-adventures at Stamford Bridge on someone else.

‘If I knew Avram Grant was going to be the coach I would have signed for another club. I knew nothing good would come for me with Grant as Chelsea coach,’ he moaned.

It must have been an unpleasant surprise when Ben-Haim joined Portsmouth, only to be followed by Grant a few weeks later.  Yet now he’s signed on loan for West Ham. Guess who the manager is? Maybe the Israeli has lost his mind as well as his ability.

Bolton go into this one, with six straight wins over the Hammers.  They’ve lost only once in twelve league games against Saturday’s opposition, a Carlos Tevez inspired affair, at the start of Sammy Lee’s ill fated tenure.

‘Who’s the midget in the suit?’ sang the home support.

The Wanderers were lacklustre against Fulham, West Ham had a disaster at Aston Villa.  Both sides need a win.  Which is probably why a draw is the likely result.

Enjoy.  Contains a few naughty (but very funny) words at the end.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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BWFCforum’s Wakey continues with part three of the decade-by-decade review of the league history of Bolton and Sunday’s visitors Birmingham, covering the modern period: 1990 to present.

1990-1999

another close encounter....

The 1990’s are a strange decade for Bolton fans. Whilst they only spent two seasons in the top flight and four in the third, and had their second worst ranking of any decade, most of us look back on the decade with a great deal of fondness. It was undoubtedly the decade that started the revival in the club’s fortunes after the misery of the 1980’s; that brought Bruce Rioch’s free-flowing football to the club; that saw great giant killing acts, including knocking cup holders Liverpool out of the competition in a replay at Anfield, before repeating the feat the following season at Highbury against then cup-holders Arsenal. It was the decade that saw a return to the top flight for the first time in fifteen years, a record breaking promotion campaign under Colin Todd, the move to the Reebok, and local legends like John McGinlay, David Lee, and even commentator Dave Higson.

The 1990’s started for Bolton with a 6th place finish and a play-off semi-final defeat to Notts County. The following season saw a 4th place finish, and this time a trip to Wembley in the play-off final, again ending in disappointment with defeat to Tranmere.

The following year was a disappointment, with Bolton finishing 13th, heralding the departure of manager Phil Neal and the appointment of Bruce Rioch. Rioch’s first season saw promotion from the third tier – by now the Division Two – at his first attempt, finishing runners-up to Stoke.

After consolidating their place in Division One with a 14th place finish, Bolton gained promotion to the Premier League in 1995 after a memorable play-off final win against Reading. Rioch departed for Arsenal, and Roy McFarland was brought in as joint manager with Colin Todd. The Wanderers spent most of the season rooted to the foot of the table, before their inevitable relegation, nine points adrift of safety.

The following season saw the Trotters win the First Division by eighteen clear points from second-placed Barnsley, and only missing out on becoming the first team to amass 100 points and 100 league goals in the same season due to a Tranmere equaliser on the last day of the season.

Again the stay was short-lived, with relegation on goal difference to Everton on the final day of the 1997-98 season. The following season, Bolton again made the play-off final, this time losing to Watford.

Birmingham spent the first three years of the decade in the third tier alongside Bolton, finishing 7th (one place behind the Trotters) and 12th before gaining promotion in 1992 as runners up to Brentford. The following season saw them finish 19th, but they were relegated the year after, losing out on goal difference to West Brom.

As Bolton were gaining promotion to the top flight in 1995, Birmingham were gaining promotion as champions of Division Two, with Brentford as runners up.

The next four years saw steady progress but no promotion, finishing 15th, 10th, 7th, and 4th respectively, and losing out to Watford in the play-off semi-finals in 1999.

The 1990’s had seen Bolton recover from a third tier club to one with genuine Premiership aspirations, but their overall ranking of 33rd was the second worst in the club’s history. Birmingham were the 24th best team in a decade which had also seen them climb from the third tier to the upper reaches of the second.

Manchester United were the team of the decade, winning the title five times, followed by Liverpool and Arsenal with Aston Villa in 4th, enjoying their best decade since 1919.

2000-2009

The first decade of the new millennium was to prove Bolton’s best since the 1950’s, although it started in yet more play-off disappointment in a season that was to see the Wanderers fail in three semi-finals: to Tranmere in the League Cup, to Aston Villa on penalties in the FA Cup, and to Ipswich after extra time in a controversial play-off semi-final which saw Ipswich awarded three penalties and referee Barry Knight hand out twelve yellow cards and two red to Bolton players. The same season saw Sam Allardyce replace Colin Todd as manager.

The following season, the Trotters put their disappointment aside and returned to the top flight once more after play-off victory against Preston. They had finished the season in third place behind Fulham and Blackburn. All three teams remained in the Premiership for the remainder of the decade.

Despite leading the table briefly at the start of the season, 2002 saw Bolton in a relegation scrap, eventually finishing 16th and avoiding relegation by four points. A year later, they needed 44 points to retain their Premier League status, a home win on the last day against Middlesboro securing safety and condemning West Ham to relegation on 42 points.

The next four years saw top eight finishes for the Wanderers, enjoying a best place of 6th and securing European football on two occasions.

The end of the 2006-07 season saw the departure of manager Sam Allardyce and the ill-fated appointment of his assistant Sammy Lee. Lee was sacked shortly (no pun intended) into the following season, leaving Bolton bottom of the table with five points from ten games when Gary Megson took over. Having seemed to put themselves in a comfortable position, a poor run of form at the start of 2008, following the departure of Nicholas Anelka, saw the Trotters facing relegation, until a run of eleven points from the last five games saw them avoid relegation by a point.

They flirted vaguely with relegation at times the following season, but helped by a run of four wins in five matches in November, finished comfortably in 13th, seven points clear of relegation to end the decade in the top flight.

Birmingham started the decade with three 5th place finishes, losing out in the play-off semi-finals to Barnsley and Preston before beating Norwich on penalties in the 2002 final. They also reached the final of the League Cup in 2001, losing on a penalty shoot-out to Liverpool.

They went on to enjoy three comfortable seasons in the Premier League under manager Steve Bruce, finishing 13th, 10th, and 12th respectively, but 2006 saw them relegated along with West Brom and Sunderland after a late rally from Portsmouth.

Bruce remained in charge, and Birmingham achieved an immediate return as runners-up to Sunderland. However, after a disappointing start to the following season, and amidst speculation about a possible takeover and its implications for Bruce’s position, he left the club to join Wigan in November 2007 and was replaced by Alex McLeish. Ironically a month earlier, Bruce had been a target for Bolton, but the Trotters were refused permission to speak to him.

McLeish couldn’t keep Birmingham up, and despite looking well placed going into the later stages, a run of five points from the last six games, combined with the late-season form of both Bolton and Fulham, saw the Blues relegated, one point behind Fulham but with a superior goal difference.

Again, the Blues bounced back up immediately, finishing runners-up to Wolves and ensuring that they would start the new decade in the top flight.

The decade was Bolton’s fourth best ever, with eight seasons in the top flight, including four top eight finishes, helping them to a ranking of 11th. Birmingham split their time equally between the top two divisions, with three promotions and two relegations, and finished with a ranking of 17th, also their best rating since the 1950’s.

Unsurprisingly, Manchester United were top dogs, with six league titles helping them to top spot (and a ludicrously low average league position of 1.7), followed by Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Aston Villa.

Whatever happens on Sunday, Birmingham will finish above Bolton for the 38th time, and the first time since 2003, and both teams will meet again in the Premier League next season.

Summary Table

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Another instalment from bwfc forum’s resident Stat man – Wakey – who over the next 3 days leading up to our final premier league game this season, gives us a very interesting insight into previous encounters and shows the history and rivalry of the two clubs are closer than you would think….

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

Wakey in manny road stand watching Wanderers v Birmingham 1922

of their history.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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This weekend sees Bolton travel to White Hart Lane, and a clash between two famous old clubs that have 16 FA Cup

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?

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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.

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Keeping it real, unless you're a journalist of course (via nimish gogri)

Football fans will ‘get real’ when journalists do too…

Disliking Bolton Wanderers has become default mode for most journalists and pundits these days. Their main problems with us are that we bullied Gary Megson out of a job and have ideas above our station when it comes to what we think our team should be capable of.

The first point has been covered at length on this site, but I will just link to a comment I left on this article, which repeated the misleading argument that results had nothing to do with Megson’s sacking. I added a bit of realism.

On the second, am I the only person who finds it incredibly ironic that Sky and the  newspapers, who have spent the last 15 years hyping the ‘promise land’ of the Premier League, are now telling us that we should ‘get real’?

When Sky start running adverts along the lines of “you’re welcome to watch Arsenal v Manchester United this weekend on Sky Sports. It will probably be really dull, with both teams cancelling each other out and not really trying to win the game, but we’ll do our best to make it interesting for you” instead of the usual “Super Sunday” and “clash of the century” bollocks, maybe then football fans will have some realism too.

Another irony is those in the media insisting we get real when they place such little value on realism in their own work. It’s not just Bolton either. When Roberto Mancini took over Mark Hughes’ job at Man City, Lee Dixon, a (probably) very well-paid (with your license fee) pundit was allowed to say (unchallenged) on Match of the Day that Mancini had not achieved anything more than Hughes in the game. How about a bit of realism, Lee? How about the three Serie A league titles that Mancini has won, Lee? How about the two Italian Cups and the fact he’s managed in the Champions League, Lee?

Another piece of journalism lacking realism was this piece in the Irish Independent about Owen Coyle’s appointment as Megson’s replacement. This line in particular got me:

Having scored 23 goals in 78 appearances for Bolton under Bruce Rioch between 1993 and 1995, Coyle’s recent billing as a club legend suggests a touch of revisionism at the Reebok.

Unlike most 21st century websites, the Irish Independent do not allow readers the privilege of correcting their mistakes via some kind of commenting system, so instead I had to write an email to the ‘letters to the editor’ section (what is this, 1999?). Here’s what I wrote:

This is a classic case of a journalist looking at facts and figures and failing to put them in any kind of context. Coyle’s importance to Bolton fans is not based on the number of goals he scored but on the importance of the ones he did. He was by no means prolific, in fact he was often a nervous finisher in front of goal, but somehow he had a knack for scoring goals in very important games, most notably in FA Cup ties against Everton and Arsenal in 1994.

These days, Bolton beating Everton and Arsenal in FA Cup ties may not seem that significant, but at the time we were a lower league team with fresh memories of being in Division Four only six years earlier. Furthermore, these FA Cup victories were symbolic of the rebirth of Bolton Wanderers from the doldrums of the 80s.

The mid-90s, when Bruce Rioch led us back to the top flight with two promotions in three years are remembered extremely fondly by all Bolton fans, not least because of the style with which these promotions were achieved. Pretty much every player who played during that period is considered to be something of a ‘legend’, regardless of the number of games played or goals scored.

Therefore there is no revisionism at the Reebok. The national media may have forgotten about Coyle’s association with Bolton in the intervening 16 years, but Bolton fans never did.

I trust you will publish this letter on your website so all your readers can have access to the full facts.

Watch this space to see if the Irish Independent ‘get real’.

Leave your views below. This isn’t the Irish Independent, so what you waiting for?

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Katie and Peter: More annoying than Gary Megson. Pic from shimelle, some rights reserved

How Gary Megson could become more popular than Adolf Hitler

Ridiculous analogies are the latest weapon of choice for the army of Pro-Megsonites (mainly non-Wanderers), who have taken it upon themselves to criticise Bolton fans for daring to have an opinion about the manager whose wages they pay.

SquareFootball (a good site that Manny Road enjoys a good relationship with, but isn’t afraid to criticise when they get it totally wrong), suggested recently that Bolton fans wouldn’t get behind Gary Megson even if he guided us to the Champions League.

The article goes on to say:

I’m pretty sure that if Hitler was brought back from the dead and stood in the middle of the pitch at the Reebok Stadium that he would get a better reception than Megson.

Now, whilst Megson isn’t on most people’s Christmas card lists, I’m pretty sure Hitler might get a boo or two as well if he was paraded on the pitch at half-time. In fact, if I wanted to get all over-the-top and tabloid about it, I might point out that suggesting Hitler would get a good reception is pretty offensive to any Boltonian whose relatives died in the Second World War, but this isn’t the Daily Mail, and I’m sure it wasn’t meant like that. Besides, Manny Road has been having a little fun with Hitler recently too (thanks to @Shoot_Immortals on Twitter for educating me about Godwin’s Law in relation to the use of Hitler in analogies).

What I’m absolutely convinced about, is that if Gary Megson got us in to the Champions League, not only would Bolton fans stop booing him, we would all chip in and get them to put up a statue of him in the Town Hall Square. Hell, I’d probably build my own personal shrine to the Ginger God.

But Gary Megson isn’t going to get us in the Champions League, and to make this analogy implies that he has done something that is in some way comparable to getting us in the Champions League. He hasn’t. He’s done an OK job, that’s it. How can anyone predict what Bolton fans will do when Megson does something remarkable when he’s never done anything remarkable?

So, just for the record, here are 10 other things that Gary Megson is never going to achieve, but if he did, I for one would back him all the way…

1. Discover a cure for cancer

2. Find Madeleine McCann (and maybe sign her up to replace Gavin)

3. Bring peace to the Middle East

4. Make it cool to be ginger

5. Get Katie and Peter to shut the fuck up

6. Find an alternative to David Cameron as our next Prime Minister

7. Get Johan Elmander to score 30 goals a season

8. Find Osama Bin Laden (and sign him up too, we could use someone with a bit of tactical nous)

9. Make bwfc.co.uk an interesting read

10. Get Gary Lineker to stop patronising the crap out of us every Saturday night on Match of the Day

Failing all that, three points against Spurs today would be a good place to start.

Who’s with me? And what other things could Megson do to win you over?

Views in the comment box below…

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What Manny Road has been reading (and thinking) about Bolton Wanderers

• Ferdinand, Dixon calling for Kevin Davies inclusion in England squad on MOTD
• New fitness coach not worth the money
• Pompey look to Gary Megson (Or is this just wishful thinking?)
• Missing handset saga: Thank God they didn’t plant a gun on me (crazy story this involving Jay-Jay Okocha)
• Megson defends Kevin Davies
• Megson slams diving cheats
• Megson to protect young star Mark Davies
• Meggo eyes double summer swoop for Sean Davis and Miguel Veloso
• Fans Get Behind Megson

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Image via Wikipedia

The final round of ins, outs and shaking it all abouts at Bolton Wanderers this January

Ins
With the three ins this year – Davies, Sebastien Puygrenier and Ariza Makukula – already in the bag, Bolton barely got a mention on Sky Sports News’ overly-dramatic transfer deadline day coverage (was the countdown of the last 10 seconds, accompanied by pictures from Big Ben, really necessary, especially as the Premier League had extended the deadline due to the bad weather?).

Gary Megson confirmed after the Spurs game that he was targetting two more signings before the window shut at 5pm yesterday, so the Wanderers failure to bring in any more new players has to be seen as leaving Megson short of what he feels he needs to keep us in the Premier League.

In particular, Kevin Nolan’s departure would now seem to leave a hole in the Wanderers’ midfield, in spite of Mark Davies’ impressive home debut against Spurs. The Bolton News said that Rangers’ Barry Ferguson was the man Megson had earmarked to fill Nolan’s boots, but in the end the Scottish club weren’t interested in selling either him or Pedro Mendes, another midfield target. The same was true of Portsmouth’s Sean Davis.

The Wanderers faced a different problem in their pursuit of Sporting Lisbon midfielder Miguel Veloso: a lack of cash, although many papers and websites continued to link Veloso with a move to Bolton even after Megson had said the deal was dead on Match of the Day.

Outs
Failing to field the full quota of subs at Arsenal in early January meant Bolton were never likely to offload too many players this January. Nolan’s departure to Newcastle came as a shock to many though, including some of the players. Heidar Helguson’s move to QPR caused less distress.

The key statistic here, though, is that for the second year running Bolton have made a profit in the January transfer window, despite Megson claiming he did have money to spend. And for the second year running we have sold – in the eyes of many – our most influential player (although Kevin Davies might have something to say about that).

Shaking it all abouts
A move for Henrik Larsson never materialised, and rumours of Fred’s imminent arrival at the Reebok Stadium also turned out to be pie in the sky. Ditto for striker Pavel Pogrebnyak and Marco Zorro.

The key questions that arise from all this are as follows:

1. If Megson had money to spend, why is it that he failed to bring in more players?

2. Is it Megson’s fault for not making Bolton an attractive enough proposition for players; is it Phil Gartside’s fault for not making even more money available for the likes of Veloso; or is it just unfortunate that other clubs weren’t willing to sell?

3. Given no-one else was brought in after his departure, was selling Nolan to Newcastle a bad move?

4. Does making a profit in the transfer window represent a lack of ambition or good business sense?

5. Is the January transfer window a welcome distraction or a farcical circus that should be abolished?

If you have the answers to any of these questions, please share your wisdom in the comment box below…

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