PremierLeague
Ice Cold Reebok. Red Hot Football
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 | BWFC News | 3 Comments
Bolton hosted Arsenal on Wednesday, with the two sides producing probably the most exciting 0-0 draw yet seen this season. It was a night of subzero temperatures, but the football was red hot and no one watching could help but be thoroughly entertained.
Sam Ricketts fights the cold with an unusual warm up routine.
It was a disappointing result for Arsenal, but certainly not an unfair one. Bolton are vastly improved in 2012, and they produced yet another determined display. The home side did, however, have plenty of silk to go with their steel. Listening to some post-match reviews, you could have been forgiven for thinking that Bolton had bullied and harassed their way to a point against an underperforming Arsenal; not a bit of it. This was an organised and unyielding Wanderers display, but also one which displayed verve and attacking drive. Arsenal have played worse this season and still won, and Bolton deserve full credit for keeping a clean sheet against them.
The Gunners started brightly, with Bolton failing to come to grips with the pass-and-move style for which the North London outfit have become known. Indeed, in the early stages of the game, it seemed last year’s Wanderers had made an unwelcome return. The Whites followed the ball around the pitch, watching Arsenal play whilst not actively trying to stop them. As a result, the ball found its way into the box far too regularly for the home crowd’s liking, and Arsenal looked increasingly likely to take the lead.
A ball whipped in by Alex Chamberlain should have been converted, but no Arsenal player could get a touch. Minutes later the ball dropped to Walcott, but the winger took one touch too many and found himself closed down, with Ricketts clearing the ball. Then it was Robin Van Persie’s chance to squander an opening, cutting inside onto his right and then taking an age to shoot – the ball cannoned off Wheater to safety. “Too easy” was the cry from the stands. › Continue reading
Welcome Back Bolton Wanderers. We’ve Missed You
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 | BWFC News, David Ngog, Mark Davies, Nigel Reo Coker | 3 Comments
Once upon a long time ago, Bolton Wanderers were a team that no one liked to play. Sam Allardyce set his side up in such a way that it stifled opposition, that on paper should have been superior.
Members of the media, most of whom can’t think for themselves, may have dubbed it ‘not for the purist’, but Whites fans took pleasure in the reputation – and the results.
There might be a few more of these sold now.
All that ended with the arrival of Gary Megson. The Ginger One won one, drew one and lost all the rest, against the then big four. In the 2008-9 season, he managed one point from 42 against teams that finished in the top seven.
Some will argue that points have the same value, whether they’re achieved at the expense of title contenders, or relegation fodder. That may be mathematically correct, but it overlooks the morale boost that lesser teams get from turning over the big boys, for sport is about nothing, if not glory.
One of the criticisms levelled at Owen Coyle was that he had failed to arrest that losing trend, bar one late season win against an already demoralised Arsenal. After the way Liverpool were swept aside at the Reebok on Saturday, there is one charge less facing the man from Paisley.
A sober analysis might include the arguments that Liverpool, without Uruguay’s favourite racist are an ordinary side and that Kenny Dalglish inherited a squad some way short of Champions League potential that a summer spending spree has failed to improve. Then there’s Steven Gerrard, who has yet to regain much of his usual game, apart from whining and bitching to the match officials.
But sod that. The men in white were fully deserving of their victory and it should be celebrated. Underpinning a collective effort stuffed with commitment and fighting spirit were several worthy performances.
Adam Bogdan put his Chelsea nightmare behind with a solid display of maturity. The Hungarian international wasn’t called upon to perform heroics, but he handled his routine tasks well, some of which could have gone horribly wrong.
It has been suggested that he might have come off his line more quickly in order to prevent Craig Bellamy scoring, but such a view assumes that Bogdan can move at roughly twice the speed of Usain Bolt.
At the other end of the pitch, David N’Gog continued to progress in his role of lone front man, holding up the ball well and showing some clever touches. The Frenchman isn’t a natural goal scorer, but that will matter less if he can play in advancing midfielders as he did for Bolton’s opener.
Nigel Reo Coker has been criticised this season, not least on these pages. He still lacks an astuteness in reading the game, but starting with the away victory at Blackburn the former West Ham and Aston Villa midfielder has played a leader’s role and exhibited the combative qualities that made Coyle give him a contract in the first place.
Game sorted. Now to do something about that hair cut.
However the stand out performer, not for the first time of late, was Mark Davies, who is at last realising his potential. Gone, is the tendency to drift in and out of games and his tackling and tracking back have improved beyond measure.
Mini Davo’s attacking abilities have never been in doubt, but he seems lighter, fitter and faster and is starting to enjoy his first injury free season in years. We’ll pause for a bit there, while readers find a piece of wood to touch.
Can Bolton maintain the improvement, that started at Ewood Park and has continued since? (although not without a hiccups or two) If so, then relegation which seemed a certainty a few weeks ago, may yet be avoided.
There are difficult games still to come, but the end of season run in, seems kind compared to the other drop zone contenders. If it’s really the hope that kills you, then Wanderers fans are once more in grave danger. No, that wasn’t a pun. Honest.
- Richard McCormick
The Year of the Un-Coyled: Part Two
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 | BWFC News, BWFC People, Gary Cahill, Kevin Davies, Owen Coyle | 2 Comments
The new season beckons. Excitement mounts. Yeah right…
Comings and Goings
The summer transfer market was slow, with attempts to offload Gary Cahill for a handsome fee meeting with failure. The desire to get rid couldn’t have been more obvious if a small ad had been placed in the classifieds.
‘For Sale : Top class international defender. Two careful owners. All offers considered.’
For sale to a good home. Or any home, in exchange of a big sack of cash.
The bid from Arsenal was derisory and caused tension between the two clubs, while ‘Arry Redknapp, true to character, made enquiries a few minutes before the end of the window. The behaviour of the interested clubs was disrespectful to Bolton and to Cahill, who it should be noted, has behaved impeccably. He will move to Chelsea later this month with the best wishes of Whites fans.
Ali Al-Habsi was sold to Wigan, Matt Taylor to West Ham and Danny Ward to Huddersfield to give Coyle some working capital. Eight new players were brought in, some on loan. None of them can be considered an unqualified success. Note the polite phrasing of that last sentence.
Pre-season was overshadowed by the broken leg sustained by Lee Chung-Yong in a friendly at Newport County. When top flight sides play such fixtures against non league opposition there’s a tacit agreement that it won’t be an eyeballs out affair. A shame that no one told Tom Miller. Or maybe they did and he’s a psychopath.
The First False Dawn
Whatever confidence there was evaporated when the fixture list for 2011-12 was published. Five of the leading clubs were to be faced early on. QPR imploded in the first game of the season giving the Wanderers an easy 4-0 triumph and a creditable loss against Manchester City took place a week after.
Then it was downhill accelerating, with feeble performances against Liverpool, Manchester United, Norwich, Arsenal and Chelsea. The worst fears had been realised. › Continue reading
Bolton Wanderers 2011 – The Year of the Un-Coyled
Sunday, January 1st, 2012 | BWFC Goals, BWFC People, Lee Chung-Yong, Nat Lofthouse, Phil Gartside | 3 Comments
And so 2011 ends. A year in which Bolton started in sixth position in the Premier League, and finished in bottom place, needing close to a miracle to avoid relegation.
Mark Davies gets to grips with his defensive duties.
The last game, a home draw against fellow strugglers Wolves has aroused much anger, but there were signs of things on which to build. Owen Coyle’s side moved the ball around well at times and in recent outings Mark Davies has at last started to fulfil his potential as a creative midfielder, as well as improving his tracking back and tackling.
But the same defensive frailties remain and there is a lack of fire power up front, to which David N’Gog isn’t the answer, despite his other qualities. Even if the Wanderers put a consistent run of results together, there may simply be too much to do.
Off the field, things have been at least as bad. Burnden Leisure PLC, the parent company of Bolton Wanderers announced losses of £26 million bringing the total debt to £110 million. Some parties did well out of it. Moonshift Investments, a company controlled by club owner Eddie Davies which provides loan facilities, took £5 million in interest payments and is owed a £2.8 million ‘player success fee’. › Continue reading
Bolton, Aston Villa and a bit of Naughtiness
Friday, December 9th, 2011 | BWFC People | 8 Comments
This week’s visitors to the Reebok Stadium are Aston Villa, a club that has contributed significantly to the downfall of Bolton Wanderers. Not necessarily through results, but by off loading their less gifted players in a north westerly direction.
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
The Strange and Confusing World of Phil Gartside
Monday, December 5th, 2011 | BWFC News | 14 Comments
Smiley Phil
“I’ve got to say, that Stuart Parker’s one of my favourite players, but if he’s going to score from there he’s one hell of a player.” The words came from Bolton chairman Phil Gartside who was speaking on the BBC’s Five Live, in the wake of an entirely predictable thrashing at Tottenham Hotspur.
Who Stuart Parker is, hasn’t yet been established.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, Gary Cahill was sent off for legging up Scott Parker after his clumsy touch had given the Spurs midfielder a run on goal, albeit from a somewhat unlikely position.
By the time he spoke to Mark Chapman on the Beeb, Gartside was in a forgiving frame of mind.
“We had a game against Stoke the other week. I know the Stoke chairman Peter Coates described Howard Webb as disgraceful. I’m not going to say that about Stuart Atwell,” he commented.
Grumpy Phil
You’re not? How kind. Oh, hold on. Wind the clock back half an hour or so, and here’s what Gartside told Greater Manchester Radio.
“The refereeing decision, to quote Peter Coates, when he said about Howard Webb and the decision at Bolton, is an absolute disgrace.
“The authorities will look at that and my statement, that the referee’s a disgrace, is probably questionable, but we’ve had some bad decisions this season.”
After the softening of his position on air, Garty returned to grumpy mode on the way home, just after passing through Sandbach.
“Get a life and look at the injuries,” he tweeted from his iPhone to one supporter who had suggested that taking 9 points from a possible 42 made it hard to ‘keep the faith’.
Maybe Phil’s hormonal. Or perhaps there’s more than one of him and one Phil doesn’t know what the other’s doing. That might explain a few things.
Nasty Phil.
- Richard McCormick
Related Articles
Phil Gartside: “A Cheat, a Liar and a Fraudster”
Phil Gartside: “A Cheat, a Liar and a Fraudster”
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 | BWFC People, Phil Gartside | 28 Comments
Gavin McCann. Not a name to make you sit up and take notice, although he was a solid enough performer for the most part. Yet if allegations surrounding his signing prove to be true, the midfielder may emerge as a highly significant figure in the history of Bolton Wanderers.
Jerome Anderson. Head of SEM
The decision to sign McCann was taken by Sam Allardyce, and the deal was brokered by Tony McGill, a football agent of eleven years standing, who was more recently involved in the transaction that took James Milner from Aston Villa to Manchester City and Stephen Ireland in the opposite direction.
McGill had meetings with then first team coach Ricky Sbragia and scouts Dave Worthington and Jack Chapman, all of whom were in agreement that the signing was a suitable one. After Allardyce left, it was decided to press ahead, with new general manager Frank McParland handling the detail. In all, the process took over six months.
So far, so ordinary, but then McGill describes what appears to be a strange turn of events, in which Bolton chairman Phil Gartside took a central role.
“The night before the deal I got a call off Gavin McCann to say there’s another agent doing the deal. The night before, I couldn’t believe it,” he says.
“Gartside said to my solicitor that he did the deal himself, there was no other agent involved. I went to court, to get all the legal documents because Bolton wouldn’t give us any information.
“I then went to court and got disclosure, then discovered that Gartside had employed another agency to work on behalf of Bolton to do what, nobody knows. He paid them £300,000. For nothing. For doing absolutely no work at all. ”
According to McGill, his protests led to further questionable behaviour.
“When I complained, somebody altered the contract date to backdate it a week, to show that they’d done some work. We’ve got a photocopy of the document, where the date’s been changed to backdate it, because contracts have to be lodged before the event and this wasn’t.
“And, the agency concerned used an unlicensed agent to do the deal – Dave Sheron. He went to Bolton, the day he signed to do the deal. There was nothing to do.”
Owen Coyle. Jerome Anderson's client.
The agency was SEM – Sport, Entertainment and Media Group. SEM is headed by Jerome Anderson, who was associated with Manchester City during Thaksin Shinawatra’s ownership of that club and with the Venky’s takeover at Blackburn Rovers. He’s also Owen Coyle’s agent.
On a deal like the one with McCann, the commission would normally be in the region of 5%. Yet the sum of £300,000 paid to SEM represents 30% of a £1 million transfer fee.
Legal action followed. McGill sued McCann for breach of contract, with the player settling out of court in November 2009. He has an ongoing claim against SEM.
However his complaint to the FA, where Gartside is a board member, was not acted upon. “The FA looked at this transfer deal, found that there was serious wrong doing, passed it over to their legal department and it’s been squashed,” he explains.
McGill asserts that the FA’s legal team didn’t even reply to his query, which is at odds with Gartside’s statement on Twitter last week - “…one side of a story and old news been investigated by authorities. Club and officers cleared of any wrong doing.” It’s doubtful that the agent would agree with that assessment.
“I’ve written to Phil Gartside on several occasions and texted him and I’ve called him a cheat, a liar and a fraudster,” he declares.
Gavin McCann. Formerly Tony McGill's client.
“I’ve got evidence of him changing the contracts going to the FA. We’ve physically proved that it was impossible for that date on the contract to be valid because nobody was there on that day.
“I’ve written to the sports minister Hugh Robertson, and he’s written back or e-mailed me back to say that he has given the FA until February 29th to completely reshuffle the place and to clean their act up, especially the compliance unit or he’s going to legislate against them.”
Until then, Manny Road has a few questions for Phil Gartside. We’ll be more than happy to publish his side of the story.
What services did SEM provide that caused you to pay them £300,000?
Why was a commission of 30% paid, when the going rate is 5%?
Has Bolton been involved in any other deals where the agent was changed at the last minute?
Why was the date on the McCann contract changed? Who changed it?
As a member of the FA board, how will you, and they, ensure impartiality in any enquiry?
From him leaving the club in 1995, until rejoining as Bolton manager, you spoke to Owen Coyle just once. What was it that led you to recommend him to Burnley as their manager?
Next up: The man who is said to be really running Bolton Wanderers.
- Richard McCormick
The Most Important Game of Owen Coyle’s Career
Sunday, November 6th, 2011 | BWFC People, Owen Coyle | No Comments
Stoke City are Sunday’s visitors to the Reebok Stadium with Owen Coyle’s position looking increasingly doubtful. After ten games of the season, Bolton are firmly in the relegation zone with a measly six points.
Needed at BWFC. Stuart Holden that is, not the porky women.
Yet the man from Paisley is still regarded with affection by most. This is as it should be. Coyle is a likeable and decent man, and one of the few involved with Premier League football who realises that without the fans’ money he would have a hobby instead of a lucratively paid profession. But that doesn’t alter the fact that he and his team are in deep trouble.
Stoke are the very antithesis of Bolton, difficult to play against and well organised in midfield, even if they do stretch the rules to an extent to which they can’t be worn again. However, Tony Pulis heads a mid-table outfit. That many home supporters are questioning whether it’s even possible to get a result, shows how low expectation has fallen.
In order to do so, Coyle needs to get the basics right. Bolton’s shape isn’t so much two lines of four as one huddle of panic, usually located around the eighteen yard line. Surrendering the space between there and the half-way line makes it a cakewalk for the opposition.
Also Needed at BWFC.
Going forward there is an utter lack of creativity. There is little advantage in hoofing the ball in the general direction of the penalty area and hoping for the best. What happened to the man who believed in wingers who crossed from the bye-line?
The most troubling aspect of this six month slump is the lack of spirit shown by Bolton’s players. It’s similar to the situation in January 2007. The Whites were third in the league at that point, but won only four games from then until the end of the season, with a few hidings along the way. It later transpired that Sam Allardyce had been denied previously promised transfer funds. He lost interest and it showed. One wonders if there is a another underlying issue at the club that is yet to be revealed.
If he does nothing else, Coyle needs to put some fight back into his men. The Whites are in for a long relegation battle. It would be regrettable if it were all but over by Christmas, with the man who brought such hope in possession of his P45.
The Gartside Saga – Part Two
Coming up after the weekend, Manny Road gives you the inside story on the Gavin McCann transfer, and asks why the FA refused to investigate it.
Meanwhile, Bolton chairman Phil Gartside has sought support from an unlikely source, as the graphic below shows. After being caught retweeting naughty words about Arsene Wenger over the summer, you’d think he’d have learned his lesson. It’s not the real Gary Barlow, Phil. Or even the unreal Gary Barlow.
What a Tweet
- Richard McCormick
Is This the Real Reason Why Bolton Wanderers are so Bad?
Monday, October 31st, 2011 | BWFC People, Gavin McCann, Mike Whitlow, Owen Coyle, Phil Gartside | 3 Comments
Harrison - Blowing the whistle.
Bolton Chairman Phil Gartside may have some explaining to do
Ten games gone, over a quarter of a season, and Bolton Wanderers languish next to the bottom of the Premier League table with a meagre six points, having taken last season’s wretched run of form into the new campaign.
Manager Owen Coyle has taken most of the blame, with some focus placed on his summer signings. None of them have excelled. Given the cash limitations, that isn’t surprising. The latest accounts show a debt in excess of £110 million.
But there is another factor that should be considered – and that is the conduct of Bolton Wanderers in the transfer market. In short, there are agents who will not deal with the club, thus limiting the players that can be signed. Manny Road spoke to two of them last week.
One is Peter Harrison, who has been doing the rounds recently, as he attempts to drum up publicity for an upcoming book and documentary. Harrison has been inactive in football for around eighteen months, but was asked if he would put a player into Bolton.
“If I was still doing it, I wouldn’t put a player in,” he replied. That statement might seem surprising given that the man has previously represented Jussi Jaaskelainen, Ali Al-Habsi, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Mike Whitlow amongst others, but he isn’t alone in that view.
Tony McGill was Gavin McCann’s agent prior to the midfielder signing for the Whites in 2007. Does he still deal with Bolton?
The Badger : A value signing, but at what cost?
“Do I bollocks. No chance. I wouldn’t go anywhere near them. I will never, ever do any deals with Bolton Wanderers while Gartside’s there,” he said.
The day before the transfer was to be finalised, McCann rang McGill, informing him that another agent was doing the deal. It went ahead with agency SEM pocketing £300,000 for providing services which have never been determined.
McGill sued McCann, with the former Aston Villa man settling out of court, but his complaint to the FA was not acted upon.
Harrison is known primarily to Bolton fans because of his involvement with the BBC’s Panorama programme in 2006, in which he appeared to suggest that former manager Sam Allardyce could be induced into accepting a bung. He is scathing about the investigation, which followed him for six months.
“The only thing they got out of me was when we were sitting like this at the hotel having a coffee. He [the under cover reporter] says ‘if you were going to bung Sam, how would you do it?’
“I say’s. ‘You can’t do it, but if I was going to do it, I’d offer him it, he’s got that much money he’d say “no, look after Craig” and I’d give him it. But you can’t do it.’
“So in the programme, the narrator’s talking, and they cut the front off and I say I’ll do that with Sam, and they cut the end off. That’s the only thing they had on me, but Sam turned against us, he blames us for not getting the England job.”
The BBC’s investigation led to the Quest enquiry, led by Lord Stevens. Seventeen transfers were highlighted in the final report, four of which involved Bolton. One of those took Blessing Kaku to the Reebok in 2004.
Rachel Anderson, Kaku’s agent, contacted Quest, claiming that she had been frozen out of the deal.
Kaku played just 133 minutes for Bolton
“Kaku signed an exclusive representation agreement with me, effective from June 1, 2004, but after he played a trial match for Bolton in the August, he suddenly went out of contact. The club knew I was the player’s agent but I was cut out of the deal. The FA failed to act despite my contract being lodged with them,” she told the Mail on Sunday in 2007.
“Blessing said he was being told that the deal would not go ahead if he continued to use me as his agent,” Anderson claims she was told, on finally getting in touch with her client.
The deal went ahead with Jamie Hart acting as agent, who according to some sources had never met Kaku, until he arrived in Bolton for a week’s trial.
Player dumps agent. Deal goes ahead with another agent. FA chooses not to act. Any of that sound familiar?
Three agents, all of them highly critical. How many more are there? Have other deals been hijacked? Were some deals stopped altogether? Does any Wanderers manager stand a chance of getting the best players available to him?
Next up: The full story of the Gavin McCann transfer and worrying times for the FA.
- Richard McCormick
The Search for Bolton’s Next Manager Starts Now
Monday, October 24th, 2011 | BWFC News, BWFC People, Gary Cahill, Owen Coyle, Phil Gartside | 17 Comments
Another day, and another spineless performance from Bolton Wanderers, this time against the long ball hoof merchants that are Sunderland. Surrender to Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, was uncomfortable to watch, but seeing the same attitude displayed against much more limited opposition has tested the patience of many Whites fans beyond breaking point.
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. › Continue reading
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