Kenny Dalglish waves goodbye to the chance of a top four finish.

At first, it looked as though Bolton were going to make a slow start.  Liverpool seemed relaxed and confident, whilst the men in white seemed nervous and gave the ball away far too easily.  Liverpool’s dominance lasted all of 3 minutes, and then Wanderers took control of the game.  Fabrice Muamba, whose new-found on-the-ball composure has been welcomed by all Bolton fans, fed a short ball to the feet of David N’Gog.  N’Gog’s ability with his back to goal is starting to become telling, and his deft flick, whilst holding off the challenge of Martin Skrtle, gave Mark Davies licence to run.  As Davies carried the ball forward N’Gog was off and running, forcing Agger to go with him with him and opening-up space in the heart of the Liverpool defence.  With Skirtle lumbering in his wake and Agger on the back foot, Davies took full advantage with a trademark ‘jinky’ run giving him a sight of goal.  Owen Coyle made comments in the press recently, in which he called on Davies to add goals to his game; Mark was clearly listening.  A beautifully placed finish from the midfielder gave Wanderers the lead and sent the Reebok faithful into raptures.

Liverpool were visibly shocked, as were most Bolton fans to be honest, but Wanderers immediately set out to show the early goal was no fluke.  Chris Eagles, who had a dreadful time against Utd at Old Trafford, looked like a man with a point to prove, and it was he who would worry Liverpool next.  Eagles won the ball from Jose Enrique and set-off in determined fashion.  Eagles would trouble Enrique all game with his energy and willingness to run with the ball, and he skipped away from the former Spain U21 international before drilling a shot across the face of goal.  If Liverpool fans had seen the first goal as a freak, Eagles’ effort may have knocked them down a peg or two – if nothing else, it shut the usually boisterous Liverpudlian away fans up for some time.  Maxi Rodriguez almost gave Liverpool something to sing about, as he got in behind from a long punt by Pepe Reina.  It really should have been 1-1, but Maxi somehow contrived to ‘miscontrol’ the ball and then handle, earning Wanderers a freekick.  It was a let-off for Wanderers and should have been a wake-up call for a defence playing a high line.

Wanderers may have looked more incisive, but Liverpool are a good team and gave the home side plenty to worry about, with the majority of possession.  With Gary Cahill sold, the Bolton centre back pairing is seriously short of pace, and Liverpool looked to take advantage.  With Andy Carroll decidedly out of sorts, it was left to Craig Bellamy to terrorise the Wanderers and do his once-in-a-while impression of a top class striker.  Bellamy is capable of playing some great football, but he was initially well marshalled by Wheater and Knight.  However, after about 20 minutes Zat Knight’s habit of falling asleep returned with a vengeance.  Knight started the game in dominating style, winning his headers and making some superb tackles; but the former Fulham player always makes watching fans nervous, and with good reason.  Bellamy began to curve his runs in behind Knight, and Liverpool’s midfield looked to spray passes over the big centre back’s head to find the Welshman’s runs.  It was an effective tactic, and Liverpool started to carve out openings.

It seemed Liverpool would soon create something meaningful, but it was Wanderers who were to again shock the visitors.  Eagles once more looked to get at the opposition defence, and as he slowed his run two Liverpool defenders were drawn to him.  Last calendar year, the move would have broken down there, but this is Bolton Wanderers 2012, and things are a little different now.  It was Nigel Reo-Coker, Bolton captain for the day putting in a captain’s performance, who offered Eagles an option.  Reo-Coker pushed in through the gap left by the centre half drawn in by Eagles, and the winger found his captain with a well-executed, chipped pass.  Nigel is often derided for being a “scrapper”, but there was nothing scrappy about how he controlled the ball beautifully on his chest before volleying it past a helpless Pepe Reina.  If Reo-Coker’s impressive passing stats don’t convince his doubters that he can play ‘real’ football, perhaps his well-taken goal will.

Liverpool were not entirely at the races, but they underlined their continued threat by creating several openings that Bolton were lucky to survive.  Liverpool had a penalty shout immediately before Reo-Coker’s goal, when Zat Knight appeared to handle Carroll’s flicked pass from a Liverpool free kick.   Maxi had a chance to get a shot away, but decided to take a touch and found himself tackled by two Wanderers players.  As the ball ran free to Adam Bogdan, Liverpool protested the lack of a spot kick, but their appeals fell on deaf ears.  Every Wanderers player on the park was then forced to get stuck in and work for the team, as Liverpool upped the tempo to try and get back in.  Despite Liverpool’s endeavour, Bolton’s voracious appetite for the tackle and ‘bodies on the line’ defending ensured that Bogdan was rarely tested in the Bolton goal.

Craig Bellamy reacts badly after being informed that he's a scrote with bad tatoos

When Bogdan was called upon to make a save, it was inevitably Craig Bellamy who was providing the examination.  Bellamy got in behind Knight and Ricketts just after the half hour mark, only to see his tame shot easily caught be the ginger Hungarian ‘keeper; who is affectionately known as “Shaggy”.  Cries of “wake up Knight” from the watching crowd went unheeded, and Bellamy was unleashed again only minutes later.  Carroll rose highest to get to a long headed clearence and flicked the ball on to the jet-heeled striker, who set off at pace.  Zat Knight was the tortoise to Bellamy’s hare, except that in this version it was the tortoise who decided to fall asleep – allowing the hare a one-on-one with Bogdan.  Bellamy slotted the ball past the Hungarian international ‘keeper, who actually managed to get a hand on the ball and was desperately unlucky not to take enough pace off the shot to allow Sam Ricketts to clear.  Ricketts, who was once again solid at left back, turn and berated Knight for his error.  Whatever Ricketts said seemed to have the desired effect, and Knight improved steadily afterwards.

Again, Wanderers fans looked for signs of the 2011 Bolton to reappear.  Was that a head dropping?  Was the blame-game starting up again?  In short, “no”.  Wanderers went back on the offensive, and it was again N’Gog who created an opening – having had a hand in both Bolton’s goals.  The industrious striker received the ball and turned well.  Ignoring impassioned cries of “shoot” from half the Reebok, N’Gog showed quick feet to win a free kick in a dangerous position.  The Frenchman’s contribution should not go unheralded, as he did a phenomenal job of holding the ball up and taking pressure off Bolton defence – as well as being involved in both of Wanderers openers.  Liverpool’s defence had looked dodgy all game, but surely they would be able to do the simple thing and form a wall?  Not a bit of it.  Petrov stepped up and struck his free kick through a gap you could have got Luis Suarez’s ego through, with only a smart save from Reina denying the Bulgarian the goal his performance would have merited.

Mark Davies holds down Gretar Steinsson as a helium filled Chris Eagles starts to float away.

The game now rested on which side, if either, would get the first goal of the second half.  It was Wanderers who did the honours.  From a Petrov corner, David Wheater knocked the ball down in a set-piece routine right out of the Allardyce era.  A clever run from Steinsson had him in the right place at the right time, but it still took a superb finish to beat Reina for a third time and lift the proverbial roof right off the Reebok.

The second half saw chances come and go for both sides, as every spectator in the place nervously watched both clock and pitch.  Daniel Agger almost got Liverpool back into it with a long-range special that thundered off the crossbar.  At the other end, a good run from Eagles ended with a decent effort going just past the upright.  However, clear-cut chances were at a premium, and Wanderers industry in the middle of the park was a joy to behold for fans used to seeing limp and passionless displays this season.

When the endless running finally started to catch up with Bolton’s players, gaps began to appear in their formation and Liverpool sought openings.  Once again though, Bolton showed an unwillingness to capitulate that their supporters have been waiting to see for some time.  There was always a last-ditch tackle, a body thrown in the way or a clever interception to save the day – and, failing that, there was someone to just hoof the ball down the pitch and clear the pressure.  It wasn’t pretty at times, but the level of desire shown should warm the cockles of the heart just as much as any of Bolton’s goals.  And it was clear that the crowd had a full appreciation of the players’ efforts, when late substitutions brought standing ovations for those going off.

Every Bolton fan in attendance learnt things on Saturday night, and questions were answered that had previously eaten away at the faith of many.  Firstly, have no doubts that this Wanderers side contains enough quality to stay up.  Secondly, and most importantly, this group of players really do have some grit and fight in them after all.  And thirdly, with an eye on our next league game, the 2012 edition of Bolton Wanderers doesn’t necessarily wilt when confronted by the big sides.  Bolton fans everywhere take heart, because, on today’s evidence, there’s life in us yet and fortress Reebok might not be the crumbling ruin we all took it for.

Bolton Wanderers (4-5-1): Bogdan 7, Steinsson 8, Wheater 8, Knight 7, Ricketts 8, Eagles 8 (Tuncay 5), Muamba 7, Reo-Coker 9, M.Davies 9, Petrov 8, N’Gog 8 (Davies 6).

Man of the Match: For me, it has to be Nigel Reo-Coker.  Many will have other views, but I thought today saw a true captain’s performance from Nigel and he didn’t put a foot wrong.  We’ve been waiting for a leader to emerge on the pitch and drag us out of this mire, and we may just have found him.

Coyle-watch: Owen gets major credit for today.  It was the right formation, and he sent the lads out with optimism and desire.  Subs remain the affable Scot’s weakness, with his failure to bring on fresh legs in good time almost costing Wanderers dearly.

The Opposition: Liverpool were their own worst enemy today, but Craig Bellamy was a bright spark in an otherwise dull display.  The lightning-fast Welshman may not have Nigel Reo-Coker’s respect as  a person, but everyone has to respect his ability on a football pitch.

Move of the Match: Saturday’s best ‘move’ was actually a piece of individual skill from Martin Petrov.  Petrov, marked by two Liverpool players, flicked the ball through the legs of Glen Johnson and was away before the England right back even knew what was happening.  Petrov had a slow start to his Bolton career, but his energy and winning mentality have not gone unnoticed in recent weeks; Martin is quickly becoming one of the out-of-contract players who should be on Coyle’s “retain” list, wages permitting.

-Azreal88

Meanwhile, tucked away in a corner of the club’s official website, was news of a deal between Bolton Wanderers and South Korean firm Hanwha SolarOne, which will lead to a series of advertising campaigns at the Reebok Stadium, featuring that company’s range of solar panels. Inter Milan and Hamburg SV have similar agreements.

The promotion of a clean, sustainable, environmentally friendly method of energy generation seems an ethically sound project to be involved with.

There’s a snag though. Hanwha Group also makes landmines.

Yes, you read that right. Those devices which have a tendency to explode, sometimes thirty years or more after they’ve been laid, leaving victims, frequently children, dead or maimed.

Hanwha Group was founded in 1952 as Hanwha Explosives Inc, and has since grown into a global conglomerate embracing a vast variety of businesses. However, the explosives division is still thriving and continues to peddle landmines as well as cluster munitions and missiles. Unlike the UK, South Korea is not a signatory to the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel mines. This leaves Hanwha free to continue that gory branch of its trade.

SungSoo Lee, CSO of Hanwha’s business division was enthusiastic about his latest deal.

“Hanwha Group is proud to support the Bolton Wanderers, one of the most respected Premier League football clubs,” he said.

“Most of all, full attention of Bolton on sustainable world is accordant with the Hanwha Group credentials on social responsibility addressing climate change, energy disparity, and energy security and scarcity on a global scale.”

It’s yet to be explained how that vision fits in with the sale of products that can blow a human being to bits.

- Richard McCormick

TweetFollow @RMc2407

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Dave Hallsworth-

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

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

we're all a happy bunch here...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Match attack superstar...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy New Year everyone.

Guest Bogger -Wakey-

Last week Owen Coyle’s men lost to the poorest Liverpool team in decades.  That seemed a long time ago as they demolished a Spurs side who had ripped Inter Milan a new nether orifice in mid-week.

Yet in the first half, that outcome seemed unlikely.  There was no lack of effort or belief against Gerrard & Co, but there was an absence of guile that proved costly.  The same seemed to apply in the opening period against Tottenham.

All that changed, in a pivotal moment, just after the half-hour mark and it was down to defensive ineptitude, inadequate goal-keeping and a linesman who should have gone to Specsavers.

Fabrice Muamba, robbed a dawdling Sandro and found Matt Taylor, who fed the ball to Kevin Davies.  The Wanderers captain was in an offside position, and he didn’t strike the ball that cleanly, but Heurelho Gomes, in the Tottenham net, got down to it with all the speed of someone with an arthritic hip.  The home side were one up, and the complexion of the game changed for good.

'Arry's Not 'Appy

Had the visitors gone in level, Harry Redknapp would probably have stayed with his starting eleven.  Instead he brought on Roman Pavlyuchenko for Wilson Palacios in an attempt to open the game up.  It worked, but not in the way that ‘Arry had envisioned.

‘After we went one down, we went 4-4-2 and were as open as a barn door,’ said the man with the saggiest jowls in football, post-match.  It was an accurate assessment, although he missed the words ‘and it was all my fault’ off the end of the sentence.

Ten minutes into the second half and Bolton extended their lead with the best passing movement of the game so far.  Lee to Taylor to Elmander to Gretar Steinsson, who finished with the touch of a striker.

Steinsson had been expected to be busy at the other end of the pitch with Planet of the Apes extra, Gareth Bale.  The Spurs winger had a quiet game, as befits a man who had been hyped into outer space by a fawning media, but he did show moments of quality in the first half.

One was a teasing cross between goalkeeper and the last defender that someone should have got on the end of. Another was a free-kick that hit the outside of the post after Paul Robinson had brought down Sandro. Robinson protested his innocence in the usual way, ie loudly, but like Sandro, he didn’t have a leg to stand on. If the tackle had been any later, it would have occurred in next Wednesday’s game against Everton.

Fifteen minutes from the end, things got even better for the Whites.  Matt Taylor found Lee Chung-Yong in the penalty area and he was bundled to the floor by Assou-Ekotto.  Davies put the resulting spot-kick away in a crisp fashion.  Game over.

Well, not quite.  There was no doubt about the quality of Alan Hutton’s curling left-foot strike that gave the visitors a life-line three minutes later, but he was afforded space by a defence that had gone into cruise mode.  The same could be said about Pavlyuchenko’s volley from an acute angle that made it 3-2.  A great finish, but only a misunderstanding between Steinsson and Jussi Jaaskelainen led to the ball being in that area.

It was here perhaps, that Bolton were at their most impressive.  It would have been easy to panic, but in the remainder of normal time, and the almost six additional minutes added, they showed a surprising ability to keep possession, that denied Tottenham further chances, and at the death, came the best moment.

Stuart Holden ended William Gallas’s solo run with a sliding tackle, and the ball fell to Gary Cahill.  His inch perfect pass was headed on by Davies to Martin Petrov.  The Bulgarian sprinted away from his pursuers and poked the ball under Gomes to give the result a more emphatic look and one that reflected the balance of play.

That Spurs were under strength and still giddy after their European adventures, should be acknowledged, but not over emphasised.  It’s also worth remembering that when the Londoners last won a league game at Bolton, the Reebok Stadium didn’t exist.

The plan was to put a picture of Peter Crouch here. Google image search turned up a better suggestion.

But there was much to cheer the home support here.  Fabrice Muamba had his best game of the season.  Lee Chung-Yong was industrious and inventive. Johan Elmander ran himself into the ground and Gary Cahill signs the deeds on his ownership of Peter Crouch tomorrow.

In addition, Matt Taylor had a hand in three of the goals and Stuart Holden again showed why he’s made himself indispensable.  Man of the Match though, was Kevin Davies, who produced a display that might even get the doughnut repository that is Martin Samuel to belt up for five minutes.

The only major downside was the attendance.  A sparse 20,255 due to a silly kick off time and TV coverage.  But if the quality of the second half performance can be replicated the missing fans will surely return.

- Richard McCormick

Should Stoke have had a penalty? Was the sending off of Ivan Klasnic harsh?

Should the Neanderthal Stoke fans who terrorised women and children be inhumanly euthanized? Should they be joined by the Bolton chavs who mouthed off and then ran off leaving others to deal with the consequences of their actions?

Some things can be agreed on though.  Kevin Davies, Johan Elmander and Gary Cahill play for Bolton, while Jermaine Pennant, Ryan Shawcross and Kenwyne Jones are in the employ of Stoke City.

Not according to the News of the World.

The quotes in italics are produced word for word from Adrian Milledge’s deliciously confused match report.

Rupert Murdoch. Worth billions. Employs numpties.

‘The 33-year old, set up by Pennant’s outswinging corner, should have doubled Bolton’s lead in first-half stoppage time but headed wide.’

That 33-year old was Kevin Davies, who was presumably trying to score from inside his own penalty area.  Neat if you can manage it.

‘Cahill completely snuffed out any threat from Davies and his strike partner, the in-form Johan Elmander.’

No wonder Davo had a lean day.  Johan too.

‘And with Shawcross keeping a firm hand on striker Kenwyne Jones, the goal came from a winger.’

This marking players from your own side lark seems to be catching on.

Ready for the best bit?  Here you go.

‘…aside from Delap’s long throws and some teasing corners sent in by Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant, Stoke played the ball on the floor.’

Maybe Mr Milledge watched the game whilst upside down.  That would account for his mental disintegration.

A proud moment for Super-kev

It’s not just fans of other clubs who seem keen to claim certain questionable players as ‘legends’. El Hadji Diouf has achieved legendary status to some Bolton fans, despite the fact that his consistency could often be called in to question and, regardless of his ‘love’ for the club, he felt the overwhelming urge just prior to our biggest match of the season at home to Sunderland to announce to the national press that, irrespective of the result of said match, he would be leaving Bolton for a big club on the continent. Now, I’ve visited Sunderland in the past and, while it does seem like another country, and sometimes another world, it sure as hell isn’t in Spain!

So what does constitute a legend? Well, in my humble opinion, in order for the word legend to have the impact it deserves, it has to be limited to certain players who have had a profound impact on the club. We have had some world class players grace the famous white shirt of Bolton Wanderers, particularly over the last ten years: Jay Jay Okocha – so good they named him twice; Youri Djorkaeff – World Cup winner in 1998 and European Championship winner in 2000; Ivan Campo – two time Champions League winner; Fernando Hierro – three time Champions League winner and five time winner of La Liga; Eidur Gudjohnsen – two Premier League titles with Chelsea and a La Liga title and Champions League winner with Barcelona; Stelios Giannakopoulos – European Championship winner with Greece in 2004; Nicolas Anelka – Premier League, FA and Champions League winner with Arsenal and Real Madrid respectively prior to his time with us, not to mention adding further Premier League and FA Cup success with Chelsea following his time at The Reebok. In total; ten domestic league titles, seven Champions Leagues, two European Championships, two FA Cups, one UEFA Cup, one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one World Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal. Not to mention, the small number of 457 International caps. In short, these guys have won it all.

However, despite being hugely talented players and for all their numerous winners’ medals, only Ivan Campo has a legitimate claim of being a Bolton legend in my eyes. Legendary status is not about ability alone; it is about passion for the shirt, the club and the fans; always giving 100% effort and commitment in every game, no matter what your ability; staying at the club for a prolonged period of time and having created some amazing memories for the fans to treasure forever.

While I’m sure United fans will remember Hernandez’s winner for a few weeks, especially if it sparks a decent run in the competition, I doubt it will remain a talking point for generations nor will it last long in the memory unlike, say, a late equaliser in the Alianz Arena to claim an unforgettable 2-2 draw against a true powerhouse of European football, Bayern Munich.

The player who scored that goal is not a Champions League winner; he’s not an FA Cup winner either, having his one chance of a final appearance cruelly taken away from him in the eleventh hour whilst playing for Southampton in 2003. At the time of writing, he doesn’t have any international caps to speak of, although that will hopefully change in a week. However, despite the lack of international recognition or domestic honours, there is one player, one man who epitomises what being a legend is all about. That man is Kevin Davies.

Just can't put my finger on it....!

Two weeks prior to Diouf’s shameful self promotion, we had an arguably more important home game against West Ham. Four points adrift from safety and with time running out, it was imperative that we win. Failure to do so would almost certainly see us relegated, and didn’t the cockneys know it. In a match when we needed the players to stand up and be counted, one player stood taller than most. Even after putting Bolton into a second half lead, crashing the ball into the roof of the net after Green (who else) had made of mess of dealing with a Bolton corner, Davies continued to provide an all action display which eventually resulted in a severely dislocated finger. That would have meant the end of the action for most players, but not Kevin Davies. After getting it popped back into place, he returned to field in a relative act of strength and determination that would have made the Lion of Vienna proud. Bolton went on to record a five match unbeaten run which included further wins against Middlesbrough and Sunderland and our Premiership survival was secured.

For those of us who have watched Kevin Davies since he first arrived at Bolton in 2003, his call up, whilst welcome, is long overdue. Even Davies himself had given up the dream of international football, assuming that his three U21 caps would be the pinnacle of his international career, and even believed that the call telling him the news was some sort of wind up. But a wind up it most certainly wasn’t. Capello, in what was an admittedly unexpected move, had indeed called up Kevin Davies to the England squad to face Montenegro on October 12th. Davies is part of an unwanted pub quiz trivia question regarding his lack of an international call up. Which eight players have cost more than £7m in a single transfer but have never represented their country at senior level? No doubt Davies will be hoping to amend that question to read ‘which seven players’ come Tuesday evening.

His call up has naturally attracted criticism in some quarters: he’s too old seems to be the primary concern and, had it not been Davies who had been called up, it’s one which I would tend to agree with. That said, when you look round for the youthful alternatives, Andy Carroll seems to be the only option, and he has all of 20 Premiership appearances to his name. However, they always say, if you’re old enough, you’re good enough, but Carroll also falls down on those criteria too. The other concern (apart from the obvious that, as he plays for Bolton, he is clearly not good enough for international football) is that due to his all action, competitive style of play, he’ll instantly be dismissed for serious foul play due to the continental style officials. They must have forgotten that Kevin Davies managed to amass thirteen UEFA Cup appearances for Bolton Wanderers and, despite being refereed by the same officials who will oversee the England matches, he was never dismissed and managed to play for the full 90 minutes in each match.

True, Davies may not have the skill of Messi and, to be fair to Kev, the same can be said for a lot of players, but, for fear of trotting out the clichés, he does have a good touch for a big man; the goal against West Brom being a prime example. He also has an element of craft and guile to his game which often goes overlooked. His outside of the right foot pass to Lee in the build up to Elmander’s goal against West Ham being yet another example of his skill with the ball at his feet and, had it been created by a player known for their passing ability e.g. Scholes or Fabregas, we would have no doubt seen it replayed for months.

He also has the attributes which were missing from the England team this summer; heart, passion, desire and pride in the shirt. If he gets even two minutes at the end of the match to wear the Three Lions of England, it’ll mean so much more to Kevin Davies than to the many players who come through the youth teams ranks nowadays who believe that they have made the grade simply because they have a Rolex watch and a Aston Martin at the age of 18. They can learn a lot from Kevin Davies. Had the England team shown the same passion, desire and will to win which Davies demonstrated two years ago against West Ham, there is a good chance that our World Cup dreams may not have ended with the same pathetic performances in the group stages before being torn apart by a far superior and efficient German team in the last 16. Rooney may be one of the best players in the world, but you couldn’t tell that this summer in South Africa yet regardless of form, opposition or circumstances, Kevin Davies always puts in a shift; Kevin Davies always puts in a performance. The same cannot be said for some of his new team mates.

Davies should feel immense pride in his call up, regardless of whether he gets any time on the pitch. We all do. It is the pinnacle of any player’s career to represent their country, or at least it should be. Davies is no exception. He has done incredibly well for Bolton and it is fantastic for himself and the club that he has (finally) got the recognition he deserves. It would be incredible for the fairytale call up to have a happy ending and Davies to get the cap he deserves but whatever happens Kev, you’ve done us all proud!

Super Kevin Davies – England International (hopefully); Bolton Legend (definitely)

Dave Hallsworth

Player, shirt, grin, with zimmer frame cunningly concealed

Robbie Blake had done nothing, apart from look old, after he replaced Johan Elmander, but his free kick that gave the Whites a share of the points was a peach.  Ben Foster in the Birmingham goal couldn’t have been further from the ball if he’d been outside the stadium.

Five minutes into the second half things had looked grim for the home side, after Craig Gardner put Birmingham two up.  By this stage, they were down to ten men, Jussi Jaaskelainen having been sent off for bitch slapping Roger Johnson.  The incident will be a prime candidate for inclusion in a future instalment of Football’s Most Embarrassing Moments. That left Adam Bodan, wearing a shirt almost the exact colour of his hair to make a league debut under the most difficult of circumstances.

Johnson appeared to be at the centre of everything.  Early on he put the visitors ahead from a James McFadden cross, but was at fault when bundling Kevin Davies to the floor with twenty minutes remaining.  Davies coolly slotted the resulting penalty home.

Bolton huffed and puffed to little effect, a Johan Elmander effort being the closest thing to a chance, but they were rescued as referee Kevin Friend lived up to his name.  A clash between Gary Cahill and Barry Ferguson appeared to be six of one and half-a-dozen of the other, but a free kick was given to the home side just outside the penalty area, and Blake curled it brilliantly over the wall to give his new side a share of the spoils.

Expecting Owen Coyle to immediately transform Bolton’s dysfunctional game into something more dynamic would be foolish. He is after all, working mainly with the squad that his predecessor assembled in order to play dull football.  But more evidence that he’s moving in the right direction is required.

The centre back pairing coped easily with Bobby Zamora, but the defence as a whole is still too easy to get behind, particularly on the side that should be occupied by Gretar Steinsson.  Up front, the Whites were toothless, incapable of putting the opposition under sustained pressure.

The most damning criticism of Gary Megson, is that his players looked as if they were strangers to each other.  After a pre-season with Coyle and a whole host of friendly games, little progress has been made in that department.  Can we have some movement please?

A scoreless draw, against a side notoriously poor on their travels is not a satisfactory result (Fulham won one game and lost eleven away last season.)  Especially with a difficult September to come in which the points tally is likely to be zero.

Worse was to come for those Wanderers fans who tuned into Five Live on the way home where the BBC demonstrated their continuing contempt for Bolton by giving the match summariser’s gig to Stuart Hall.

Hall is many things, an irritating wanker being one of them, but he’s no football reporter.  The use of language is bad enough.  It reminds you of On Again, On Again, the song that Jake Thackray wrote about his wife.

‘…she is one of those women who
Will never use three or four words when a couple of thousand will easily do’

Belt Up Stuart. Forever.

But it’s Hall’s dodgy recall, that’s the killer.  He made snide remarks about Johan Elmander – at his brightest for some time,  but lavished praise on Kevin Davies, Martin Petrov and Lee-Chung Yong who were little better than passengers.

Davies was disinterested and wasteful in possession and Petrov had no end product, while Bolton’s favourite Korean import was so anonymous he could have been rechristened Lee Chung-Who?

Hall has his own personal clock museum.  It would be the ideal place to stash him once he’s been processed by the taxidermist, for he is the epitome of a man whose time has passed.

I'll blow all my rivals out the water......!

We can also discount the fledgling tenure of current manager Owen Coyle, and Roy McFarland’s strange half-season spell as co-manager.

This leaves seventeen full-time managers who held the position for a season or more, but includes short-ish unsuccessful spells for Nat Lofthouse, Stan Anderson, George Mulhall, and Charlie Wright, all of less than two years.

Taking these out, we are now down to thirteen contenders.

Of these thirteen, I would immediately dismiss six as candidates.

John Somerville and Will Settle managed us in the early part of the twentieth century, and during their tenures we were the 17^th best and 14^th best team in England respectively. Given that there were only two divisions and forty league clubs by the end of Settle’s tenure, the fact that we were in the top half of the Football League does little to enhance either manager’s claim to greatness. Additionally, Somerville managed to get us relegated four times between 1899 and 1910.

Settle in fairness did gain promotion in his first season, kept us in the First Division for his remaining four seasons in charge, achieved a top placed finish of 4^th in 1912, and enjoyed a win ratio of 43%. On the other hand, he didn’t win anything, I know bugger all about him, and he’s been dead for donkey’s years, so I don’t think he’ll mind me discounting him. I would probably have included him in a top ten, but I’d have had to find two other half decent managers, which is where the plan fell over.

Walter Rowley managed us for four years after the end of WWII. All four seasons were spent in the bottom half of the First Division, with a best finish of 14^th.

John McGovern joined the club as player manager in 1982, taking over a team that had narrowly avoided relegation from the Second Division the previous season. McGovern went one better, getting us relegated at the first attempt, rooted to the foot of the table. Whilst selling off our assets at rock bottom prices, and replacing them largely with non-league stars, McGovern managed to consolidate our position in the lower leagues over the next year or two before being mercifully put out of his misery in January 1985. He had accrued a miserable 31% win ratio mostly in the Third Division. If only Pele had said “yes”.

Phil Neal basically left us where he found us after six and a half miserable years of aimless clog-ball. His greatest achievement was an unprecedented relegation to the Fourth Division, although in fairness we were only there for a year. He managed a win ratio of 37% in the bottom two divisions in a period that saw us as statistically the 56^th best team in England – our worst performance under any manager. After his abject failure to display any managerial talent at Bolton, his rehabilitation included spells as manager of Coventry and as assistant England manager.

I will dismiss Gary Megson from the list of candidates – something I dearly wish I could have done in October 2007 – for obvious reasons. Megson’s attempts to build a team of negative hoofers in his own image, squeeze four defensive midfielders into the same side, and stubbornly refuse to give us anything to get excited about make his tenure the most mind-numbingly miserable since Phil Neal’s. Megson achieved a win ratio of 28% in his two and a half years of relegation battles, with his finest moment coming in the second half against Hull, which finally ended our agony. Was it really only two and a half years?

We are now down to seven candidates…

Also-rans…

There are one or two managers that couldn’t be seriously considered as our greatest ever manager, but will undoubtedly inspire fond memories in most Bolton fans for various reasons.

#7 Colin Todd enjoyed a title success in the second tier in English football, and probably one of our most exciting seasons, with a brand of football that swept all before it.

Ignoring the farcical half-season with Todd and McFarland as joint managers, Todd took the reins in January 1996 with Bolton rooted to the foot of the table and nine points from safety. He could do little to prevent relegation, and we finished the season sixteen games later in exactly the same position – rooted to the bottom and nine points from safety. The following season was our (almost) record-breaking title success. This was the zenith of Todd’s tenure. Some strange transfers and odd team selections were partly masked by the unfortunate nature of our relegation on goal difference to Everton on the final day.

In reality, it was for the most part a poor season, and a run of twelve games without a win between December and March, including a 5-1 home defeat to Coventry, ultimately helped to seal our fate. The following year saw a disappointing 6^th place finish, and a tepid defeat to Watford in the play-off finals. After a disappointing start to the following season, Todd left the club in September 1999 with a win ratio of 43% and one glorious season spoiled by much disappointment.

#6 Jimmy Armfield is another manager held in high regard due to his 1973 Third Division Championship winning effort, setting us on the road to recovery (first time around) and to laying the building blocks for Ian Greaves’ exciting young team of the 1970’s. Armfield took over a side that had just finished bottom of the Second Division, and finished 7^th in the third in his first season. The following year, Bolton went up as champions, and followed this up with an 11^th place finish in Division Two in 1974. Armfield’s claim is weaker than Bruce Rioch’s primarily because he took over the club at what was at that stage it’s lowest ever point with a realistic expectation that he would bounce straight back. The fact that it took two years to get out of the Third Division and Armfield left the club mid-table in the Second Division, coupled with the fact that we were comfortably outside the top echelons of the game throughout his three year tenure (we were the 45^th best team during this period) means that Armfield is not a realistic possibility, despite a respectable 44% win ratio.

#5 Ian Greaves presided over a five-year spell at the club that saw an exciting blend of young home-grown talent, with the likes of Peter Reid, Paul Jones, Sam Allardyce, Neil Whatmore etc, and experienced stars such as Peter Thompson, Willie Morgan, and Frank Worthington.

Greaves’ first season saw him improve one place on predecessor Armfield’s 11^th place finish, but then followed three years in which we narrowly missed out on promotion twice before finally winning the Second Division championship in 1978 and returning us to the top flight for the first time in fourteen years.

After consolidating the following year with a 17^th place finish in a season that saw us beat Manchester United home and away and Frank Worthington finish as First Division top scorer, hopes were high for the start of the 1979-80 season, particularly as Greaves was given funds to invest in the team.

Unfortunately, this is where the wheels came off, and Greaves was sacked in January with Bolton adrift at the foot of the table, eight points from safety and with only one win from twenty four league games.

Greaves built a fantastic young side, but then saw it largely fall apart, left us well on the way to relegation and set the seeds for a decline that would ultimately take us all the way to football’s basement. Two near misses and one Second Division title, with a fairly healthy 39% win record, can’t mask the fact that he left us more or less in the same – or potentially worse – position than he found us.

#4 Bruce Rioch took over a side that had just finished 13^th in the Third Division, built an attractive footballing side including ‘legends’ such as John McGinlay, and dragged us from the lower leagues to the Premier League in three thrilling seasons. Add the giant killing cup runs, including knocking out the holders in replays on their own grounds in successive seasons, plus a League Cup final appearance, and Rioch could be considered a credible candidate.

However, despite gaining promotion from the third in his first season and – dramatically – promotion to the Prem two years later, Rioch left before testing his team in the top flight. Choosing an ill-fated move to Highbury rather than finishing the job at Burnden leaves Rioch open to the accusation that he had taken us as far as he could.

Despite an impressive win record of 48% and the dramatic rise under his tenure, the fact that Rioch didn’t manage us in the top tier and that we were statistically only the 36^th best club in England in his time here rules Rioch out of the running, but does not diminish the respect most fans have for his achievements at the club.

The Top Three

We’re now down to three, and with the exception of the romanticism of the Bruce Rioch era, we’ve yet to set the world alight with managerial talent.

Our top three managers (or my top three, at any rate) are: Charles Foweraker (July 1919 – August 1944), Bill Ridding (October 1950 – August 1968), and Sam Allardyce (October 1999 – April 2007).

#3 Sam Allardyce

Despite delivering our most successful spell since the 1950’s, Allardyce still manages to split opinion amongst Bolton fans. There are obvious plus points: four consecutive top eight finishes, qualifying for Europe twice, bringing the likes of Djorkaeff, Okocha, Hierro and Campo to the Reebok, and a League Cup final appearance stand out a mile.

His league performance is a story of almost uninterrupted success. Taking over from Colin Todd after a poor start to the season, we somehow managed to pip Huddersfield for the last play-off spot despite being seven points behind them with four games to play. The disappointment of the controversial semi-final defeat to Ipswich was eclipsed by our fury at referee Barry Knight, who sent of our entire team three times, booked most of the Bolton fans, and awarded Ipswich a couple of dozen penalties (although in fairness, we were awarded a free-kick – for offside – mid-way through the second half).

A year later we secured third place and promotion via the play-offs, then got off to a flyer in the Prem, topping the table for the first four games. Inevitably, we still ended up battling relegation, and may well have gone down but for the introduction of Djorkaeff and Fredi Bobic.

The following season saw another relegation battle sweetened hugely by the arrival of Jay Jay Okocha and Ivan Campo, followed by four consecutive top eight finishes (8^th, 6^th, 8^th and 7^th respectively).

Over his entire tenure, including the two seasons in the second tier, we were the 11^th best team in the country, an achievement the likes of which we hadn’t seen for fifty years. Add to this the repeated successes over the Sky Four – including back-to-back wins at Old Trafford and regular sulk-inducing victories over Arsenal – and a League Cup Final appearance, and Big Sam’s reign looks like a golden era in the history of the club.

Against all this, Allardyce’s reign is tainted in some fans’ eyes. The case for the prosecution may well be helped by the disingenuous nature of his departure “to take a break from football”. He promptly tipped up as Newcastle boss a few weeks later, although to be fair his break from football was not long delayed (most Newcastle fans believe it started long before he became their manager). The fact that he was followed to Newcastle by members of his backroom staff and pinched Abdoulaye Faye off us for peanuts also left a sour taste for some.

Even if he’d left under better circumstances and still sent us all Christmas cards, Allardyce would have plenty critics amongst Bolton fans, due in part to his cynical brand of anti-football (diving was encouraged, shooting from outside the box strictly prohibited), and in part to his blatant attempts to talk himself into a “better” job throughout his entire reign. After a couple of years, you start to get a bit blasé about the success, and crave the occasional bit of excitement, particularly in the last couple of years. There was a time under Allardyce when I would almost hope that the opposition would score early, because we only seemed to come out of our shell once we were behind.

Allardyce has not exactly been kind to the club’s hierarchy since he left, claiming that the club’s ambition did not match his own, and that a few bob in the January transfer window would have brought us Champions League football (despite our lofty position at the time, in truth we had a poor side that had over-achieved in the first half of the season and were blatantly on the verge of being found out). Partly due to Allardyce’s comments, and partly due to those of chairman Phil Gartside upon Allardyce’s departure, Big Sam’s most vocal supporters are often Gartside’s most vociferous opponents.

This is one of the conundrums of the Allardyce reign: without the support of the club’s hierarchy, Allardyce could not have achieved the same level of success.

By giving Allardyce a ten-year contract early in his reign, Gartside effectively made him too expensive to sack, thereby immediately giving him absolute authority in the dressing room. On the verge of relegation in 2001-02, the board put together a financial package the likes of which we’d never seen to lure both Djorkaeff and Bobic to the Reebok. At the start of Big Sam’s final season we smashed our transfer record to bring Anelka to the club, only to be accused by Allardyce of lack of ambition a few months later.

Although Gartside didn’t have his finest hour upon Allardyce’s departure (for the record, Little Sam is not a better manager than Big Sam, and the less said about Megson, the better) the relationship between Big Sam and the Chairman prior to that point was strong and fruitful, and the club played a huge part in supporting Allardyce’s success.

In truth, Allardyce started to lose interest and look for a bigger stage once the England job had passed him by, but probably the thing that drags down Allardyce’s achievements the most – apart from his failure to win a trophy – is the state that he left the club in.

Throughout his reign, Big Sam was a short-term manager, consistently patching the team up with loanees or older players at the end of their career. Before the foreign superstars, we had the likes of Ian Marshall, Colin Hendry, Michael Bridges etc. Despite the ten year contract and the claims that he had a long term plan for the club, only Kevin Nolan – who was already at the club when Allardyce arrived – ever came through the ranks to make a real impression. I’ve deliberately ignored Nicky Hunt. We consistently brought in “promising” young players, introduced as “one for the future”, and consistently watched them disappear without trace.

In the end, Allardyce’s legacy was a team well past it’s sell-by date that needed a complete overhaul to prevent disaster, and a youth structure that had little potential to uncover future stars. Allardyce undoubtedly got the best out of some of his signings, but it is highly doubtful that he could have dragged this on for another season without an investment in the team that would have been way beyond our means. Sam is undoubtedly a canny operator, and he displayed this to the end, getting out at the right time before he ran the risk of ending up back where he started.

#2 Bill Ridding

Manager for eighteen years until 1968, Ridding presided over our second most successful decade, the 1950’s, in which we were the country’s 7^th best side. Under Ridding’s tenure, we enjoyed seven top ten finishes, one FA Cup win and one losing FA Cup final. The 1958 cup final success was achieved with a team that hadn’t cost a penny in transfer fees.

Over the entirety of Ridding’s reign, we were the 12^th best club in England – one place worse than under Allardyce. He also had a worse win ratio than Allardyce – 38% compared with 41% – and left us in a worse position than he found us, having finished 12^th in the Second Division in his final season. This was, at the time, our worst ever league placing.

Having said this, it would have been difficult if not impossible for any Bolton manager to have maintained our position at the top table given the changing financial climate in football, and specifically the removal of the maximum wage which meant that clubs like Bolton could no longer compete with big city clubs over players’ wages.

It may well also be the case that Ridding had had his day, but it is also notable that the club struggled following his departure, wallowing at the bottom end of the table for two seasons and then rock bottom in 1970. It would take a further six years and four managers to get back to where we were when he left.

Ridding pips Allardyce to second place despite the last few years of his tenure because of what he achieved in his first decade or so, with more top half finishes and higher league positions than Allardyce managed, including one 4^th place, and two FA Cup final appearances including one success. I suppose you could throw the Charity Shield in there for good measure if you really wanted to.

#1 Charles Foweraker

Charles Foweraker is still our longest serving and most successful manager.

English league football did not begin with the Premier League, it began a good few years (a hundred plus) beforehand, and the fact that Foweraker has been dead since 1950, or the fact that all the games were in black and white, does not diminish his achievements at the club.

Over the entirety of his 25 year tenure as manager, Bolton were the 6^th best team in the country. He managed us through our most successful spell in the 1920’s, when we were the 3^rd best team in the country overall. He achieved ten top-ten finishes, including twice finishing 3^rd, and won the FA Cup three times, in 1923, 1926, and 1929.

The only blot on his copybook was our relegation in 1933, but we bounced back two years later, having narrowly missed out on promotion in 1934, and went on the finish the 1930’s with a couple of seasons in the top eight.

Although his win ratio is slightly less than Allardyce’s, a far greater proportion of his tenure was in the top flight (23 out of 25 years, compared with 6 out of 8 for Allardyce), and his combination of cup success and relative league success make Foweraker an absolute shoe-in for our greatest ever manager.