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.

The root of the problem was Bolton’s midfield system.  Having chosen to man-mark Arsenal’s midfield trio, Bolton had surrendered the middle of the pitch to any opposition defender who decided to carry the ball forward.  As Arsenal’s defence brought the ball forward at feet, at least one midfielder was forced to move forward to make a challenge and suddenly Arsenal had a player free in 10-15 yards of space.  With time and space to turn and run, Arteta and Ramsey could pick their passes at will.  When Bolton’s midfield chose to stick to their marking responsibilities, Arsenal’s defenders were free to run right at the Bolton back line and pick passes of their own.  Bolton were lucky, in truth, that Thomas Vermaelen had been deployed at left back.  If Arsenal had had a centre half with more creativity, Bolton could have been in serious trouble.

Bolton managed to forge good chances of their own.  David N’Gog had an effort saved when played clean through, and when he flicked the rebound to Chris Eagles the winger shot just wide.  Martin Petrov, a player in fine form at the moment, was effective down the left and whipped in several dangerous crosses.  However, it was a calculated, rather than inspired, display from Wanderers in the first half – and it was generally agreed they would have to show more aggression in the second half to claim any points.

Thankfully for Wanderers fans, Bolton 2012 were back in full force for the second half; which saw the marking system in midfield modified to cut the number of free runs Arsenal had through the centre.  When faced with a defender in possession, Wanderers’ wingers started to come inside and pick up players, freeing central midfielders to close-down or intercept.  With their freedom to play openly from the back largely curtailed, Arsenal took to playing a more direct brand of football – with mixed results.  The clear height advantage of Wanderers’ back four meant that Arsenal increasingly lost possession as a result of their switch in passing styles, and Bolton’s desire to continue to play on the deck meant they came increasingly into the game.

Theo Walcott in familar pose, ie missing the goal.

With more even possession, came a more frantic game, with both sides looking to get forward and make something happen.  Bolton grew in confidence, with Mark Davies and Nigel Reo-Coker carrying the ball forward with increasing regularity.  Wanderers, in general, became more attack-minded – with the fullbacks on both flanks pushing forward to offer support as moves developed.  When Owen Coyle first arrived at Bolton, his team talks seemed to regularly inspire the side to give much improved second-half displays – fans should hope that this was a sign of that returning.

Arsenal remained dangerous.  Robin Van Persie twice struck the woodwork, and only a superb save by Adam Bogdan denied Theo Walcott when in behind the Bolton line.  The home side, however, were not to be beaten, and Bolton’s defenders were prepared to put their bodies on the line to preserve a rare clean sheet.  David Wheater was imperious throughout and Zat Knight, who had looked lumbering in the first 45, seemed more switched-on and aggressive after the break.  Arsenal could perhaps have been described as unlucky to gain only a point, were it not for Bolton’s efforts at the end of the game.

If the first 70 minutes had seen Bolton defend resiliently and counter-attack when the opportunity presented itself, the last 20 minutes of the game were dominated almost entirely by the team in White.  And it was Kevin Davies arrival which, just as it had against Swansea a few days earlier, signalled the transition from Wanderers simply matching their opponents, to Wanderers outplaying them.  Arsenal tried their own ‘heroic’ substitution, but Henry failed to have a real impact on the game – though he showed flashes of the old brilliance.

As the pressure from the home side increased, one of their more frustrating habits returned.  Why is it that Bolton’s players are so shot-shy these days?  Tuncay and Kevin Davies both had shots blocked, when if they had taken the chance to shoot early they’d have had a free effort on goal.  Mark Davies and Reo-Coker both chose to take an extra touch when in good shooting positions, allowing them to be closed down and forcing them to play more difficult angles and shoot wide.  Clearly this reticence is something which will have to be worked on in training.  Nevertheless, it was Bolton who had the run of the place come the end of the game and could have won it, especially had a late shout for a penalty on Mark Davies been granted.

Arsenal will feel they should have won the game in the first half, but should equally be relieved they didn’t lose it in the last quarter.  Bolton will be delighted with a point, and can quite rightly claim to have been the match of a side with hopes of a top four finish.  If the Wanderers play like this every game until the end of the season, they’ll be well clear of the drop come the final day.  Arsenal will have to dramatically improve to claim a Champions League spot, and both sides will agree a draw was about right.

Bolton Wanderers (4-5-1): Bogdan 8, Steinsson 7, Wheater 8, Knight 6, Ricketts 7, Muamba 7 (Pratley 6), Reo-Coker 8, M.Davies  8, Eagles 6 (Tuncay 6), Petrov 8, N’Gog 7 (Davies 7).

Man of the Match: David Wheater.  I think this might be a controversial pick, but there you go.  It was ‘Wheats’ or Reo-Coker, and Reo-Coker’s dip for the last 20 minutes of the first half meant the big centre half carried it.  Wheater was immense throughout, blocking a number of shots, clearing off the line and bringing the ball forward out of defence.  Superb display.

Coyle-Watch: Owen is becoming increasingly vocal and animated as Bolton’s revival continues.  Today’s tactics were solid and there was good use of subs.  Can’t fault the manager.

Nigel Reo-Coker: Some would argue that Reo-Coker has been our best player this season, whilst others rubbish that claim; but nobody would argue with the assertion that Nigel has been superb since he assumed the captain’s role on the pitch.  With another classy and authoritative display today, the former Villa man is quickly establishing himself as a favourite amongst the Reebok faithful.  It may be harsh not to have made him man of the match for this game, but his dip in the latter stages of the first half almost cost Wanderers their point.  In spite of that, it’s the first time in a long while that a Bolton captain has improved after gaining the armband, rather than fallen away – long may it continue.

- Azreal88

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

TweetFollow @RMc2407

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.

In the middle of October something incredible happened. The Wanderers faced a side even worse at defending than them as they travelled to the primitive badlands of Wigan. A 3-1 win resulted. The season had started at last!

Oh No It Hadn’t

Steve Bruce. Job safe. But not for long.

The optimism was good for seven days. Under Steve Bruce, Sunderland were a wretched outfit and he arrived with his job on the line. Kevin Davies & Co did their best to keep Fat Head in employment with a second half display of wearying ineptitude. Things hadn’t improved.

As the month drew to an end, Manny Road published the first in a series of articles discussing potential wrong doing in at least one transfer deal involving Bolton Wanderers. Phil Gartside had cut one agent out of a deal, paid another well over the odds and lied about it.

If the word of the excluded agent had been the only evidence it would have been easier to discount, but sworn statements by BWFC employees and a document obtained from the FA gave the allegations substance.

Gartside was a jibbering wreck as he addressed a meeting of the Bolton Wanderers Supporters Association, a gathering he normally has to be dragged kicking and screaming to. But by then the Bolton Chairman was on a publicity drive, no doubt under the orders of self styled ‘Director of Communications’, Mark Alderton, a man who has watched too many episodes of the West Wing.

Perhaps at some point Alderton will realise that he’s a gopher at a small town northern football club, rather than an aide at the White House. Until then, the chances of information emerging from the Reebok that hasn’t been carefully spun first remain slim.

The questions posed by this site and Whites supporters remain unanswered. They will be asked again by other parties as the year progresses.

November

Things started brightly with a walloping of Stoke City. It didn’t make up for the hurt at Wembley. Only a return visit and a different result will do that. But it did provide some kind of closure. Pointing and laughing at those Potters fans who’d arrived wearing ‘5-0’ tee-shirts added to the fun.

What happened on the pitch seemed irrelevant at the end of the month as the news of Gary Speed’s suicide broke. The motivation behind his actions is a mystery and to protect his family from further hurt it should remain so. RIP Gary, and thanks for all you did as a Bolton player.

False Dawn II

Bald Gary Megson. You're just a bald Gary Megson.

December started with another three defeats, but a fighting win at Blackburn Rovers lightened the mood. The players looked different. They’d grown balls and a backbone. There was a neat role reversal as travelling fans enjoyed the home abuse of Rovers manager Steve Kean. It made the treatment of Gary Megson seem like playful banter

The relief this time lasted less than a week as a moderate Newcastle side were treated to three gift-wrapped points at home on Boxing Day. It felt more like Groundhog Day.

Onward and…er, Upward

It’s been a sobering year for Bolton fans. The optimism prompted by the arrival of Owen Coyle has long gone and the overriding opinion is that he and his coaching staff are out their depth. Fortress Reebok is now a ruined sandcastle.

Despite that, the Wanderers manager has been given an easy ride by match goers. Perhaps that’s because he’s still regarded with affection. Or it may be that the point of anger has passed and that only apathy remains.

According to reports, Coyle will get the cash generated by the sale of Cahill and the rest of January to get his act together. Whoever is in charge of the team will face a tough task. To reach the magical forty points at season end, a further 27 will be needed from nineteen games. That includes those against the top teams, for whom Bolton are a fleeting inconvenience these days.

Injuries have played their part in the Whites decline, as have the departures of Johann Elmander and Daniel Sturridge and the ageing of Kevin Davies and Jussi Jaaskelainen. No one expected the season to be easy. No one fooled themselves that the squad was anything more than average. Relegation, if it happens, may be forgiven. But not if that cherished place in the top flight is meekly surrendered.

- Richard McCormick

TweetFollow @RMc2407

The Year of the Un-Coyled Part One

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’.

The wage bill rose to nearly £56 million, a figure almost £10 million higher than represented in the previous accounts, and despite a catastrophic financial performance, chairman Phil Gartside trousered a bonus of £164,000 in addition to a salary of £330,000 and a £50,000 contribution to his pension pot.

Goodbye to a Hero

So long Nat.

Nat Lofthouse played with honour for both Bolton and England. The great man passed away on 15th January 2011. Nat considered himself to be a local lad who’d just got lucky, and that modesty endeared him to football fans as much as his ability on the pitch. Tributes poured in from around the World and he was given a fitting and dignified send off. An announcement regarding a permanent memorial to Bolton’s favourite son is expected soon.

The Bright Spot

Although it ended in embarrassment, a cup run worthy of the name was still a pleasure to behold, especially as it involved beating three Premier League teams away from home. Mike Harding once remarked that ropes and red lamps should be placed around Birmingham and a sign erected saying ‘Danger – Hole in the World.’ He was right, but that didn’t stop 4,000 Whites fans making the journey down the M6 for the FA Cup quarter final – one of the best away days in years.

With normal time almost up and the scores at 2-2, the travelling throng would have settled for a replay. Lee Chung-Yong had other ideas, heading home from inside the penalty area in the final minute. Bolton were on their way to Wembley.

The Disaster

A week later the problems started, with Stuart Holden sidelined by a reckless challenge from Jonny Evans at Old Trafford. The American has yet to recover. His absence highlighted the lack of cohesion in Bolton’s midfield. That and a catalogue of defensive errors were cruelly punished by Stoke City in the Wembley semi-final as they cruised to an easy win.

The Potters deserved their victory, but it was hard not to conclude that Coyle’s men had shot themselves in the foot. And the knee. And the…well you get the picture.

This supporter travelled to London on coach 99, driven by the only person in the World who didn’t know that the M1 was closed. An unwanted and bad tempered tour through the London suburbs resulted, culminating in a wrong turn when in sight of the stadium, that took the early vintage vehicle down a side street containing a few thousand opposition fans.

One enterprising girlie took her top off as a distraction. This gave the baying Neanderthals a rare glimpse of female flesh and enabled them to count to two for the first time in their lives. Arrival time: 3.35pm. A pity it wasn’t a couple of hours later.

The rest of the season fizzled out with one win and then five consecutive defeats. A final day slide in the table from 9th to 14th cost the Whites £3 million in place bonuses, or three quarters of an Ali Al-Habsi. There was worse, much worse to come.

Coming up in part two:  Transfer dealings, false dawns and a very jittery chairman.

- Richard McCormick

TweetFollow @RMc2407

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

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

TweetFollow @RMc2407

Related Articles

Phil Gartside: “A Cheat, a Liar and a Fraudster”

The Ginger Harry Secombe Who Runs Bolton Wanderers

Phil Gartside – and his Friend at the FA

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

TweetFollow @RMc2407

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

TweetFollow @RMc2407

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

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