Sunderland
The Search for Bolton’s Next Manager Starts Now
Monday, October 24th, 2011 | BWFC News, BWFC People, Gary Cahill, Owen Coyle, Phil Gartside | 17 Comments
Another day, and another spineless performance from Bolton Wanderers, this time against the long ball hoof merchants that are Sunderland. Surrender to Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, was uncomfortable to watch, but seeing the same attitude displayed against much more limited opposition has tested the patience of many Whites fans beyond breaking point.
Enjoy it while it lasts, fatty. You'll soon be under pressure again
What to do with Owen Coyle? Give him more time. Find him help. Get rid. There is no general consensus. If it’s the latter option, then Coyle could have no complaints. Six points from nine games is only one more than Sammy Lee got, prior to his sacking in 2007 and three wins (and twelve defeats) in fifteen league outings since the debacle at Wembley is unacceptable by any standards.
There’s also an unpleasing symmetry that has emerged. Last season Bolton had the worst away record in the four divisions. Now they have the poorest home results.
Criticism of the Whites boss should be tempered. Losing the two best players in Stuart Holden and Lee Chung-Yong from a squad that was ordinary in the first place, would be a crushing blow to anyone in that situation. In addition, his net spend in the transfer market over two seasons has been more or less nil, with Bolton so hamstrung for cash. But the lack of progress in rectifying what are glaring faults can not be ignored. › Continue reading
Relegation fodder …
Monday, June 20th, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Premier League | 3 Comments
Would you buy a second hand car off these boys?
Aspirations have changed at Bolton since the dark days of Gary Megson. The arrival of Owen Coyle followed by our impressive start to the season had the more optimistic of us counting air miles and dusting off our Bulgarian phrase-books. Even when European qualification had passed us by – embarrassingly so in the cup – a top half finish was still on the cards right up to the end of the season.
Never mind. Coyle’s inherited Megson’s bunch of cloggers. Once he’s had the summer to make serious changes, we’ll be back to chasing Europe again. Surely relegation battles are a thing of the past? Aren’t they?
Maybe not. Our form after Christmas was relegation-standard, and the end of the season – five defeats on the bounce – was abysmal. It wouldn’t be the first time poor form at the end of one season has carried over to the next. Add to that our tough start to the season and it wouldn’t be a great surprise to see us rock-bottom after the first seven games. We’ll have easier runs to follow, but everything looks that bit tougher if you’re sat at the bottom and confidence may have taken a bit of a battering. › Continue reading
Will the Real Bolton Wanderers Please Stand Up?
Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Owen Coyle, Stuart Holden, Zat Knight | 6 Comments
And so it ends. A season of thrilling highs and crushing lows; flowing football and the Megsonesque; stirring fightbacks and feeble surrenders; fine home form but the worst away record in the league. Will the real Bolton Wanderers please stand up?
The campaign has ended with a small black cloud hanging over the Reebok and a genuine fear amongst fans of what might happen next time around, after five defeats on the bounce and a disastrous last day that saw the club drop five places in the Premiership and lose over £4 million in bonuses.
Martin Petrov finishes off Spurs, eight seconds after the ball had been on the edge of Bolton's penalty area.
It seems a long time ago that the Whites were sweeping aside Spurs, Wolves and Newcastle in quick succession with the sort of pass and move football that supporters had been longing to see. The roar of anticipation as the side broke from defence hadn’t been heard since the promotion season of 1997.
There were special goals too, the result of both individual and collective brilliance. Johan Elmander’s triple turn on a sixpence at Wolves that left four defenders needing to have their internal organs unplaited; Stuart Holden finishing off a move involving twelve passes in the same game; Mark Davies starting and finishing a move that saw a late equaliser against Blackpool; Elmander skipping around Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul to complete a passing sequence that started on the half-way line; Holden’s half volley at home to Blackburn that put a stop to Sam Allardyce’s victory jig on the touchline, and his managerial tenure at that club.
Lee heads the winner at Birmingham. It was going to be our year.
The FA Cup run was long overdue and much appreciated, even if it did end in disaster. Beating three Premier League teams away from the Reebok is no mean feat, and victory at Birmingham City was the best away day Wanderers fans had had in years.
After beating Newcastle, there was a slump in form and another, more significant one, in the final games. In both cases, Stuart Holden’s absence was the key factor. The American’s astute reading of the game and his ability in recovering possession after his colleagues had lost it, covered up a major problem with Bolton’s midfield organisation. There wasn’t any.
Failing to deprive the opposition of space in that vital area isn’t a luxury that any top flight side can afford, yet Owen Coyle didn’t come anywhere near to remedying the problem. Coyle has a different idea of how football should be played than Sam Allardyce, but he could learn a thing or two in that respect, from the man who used to occupy his chair.
The manager’s persistence with Zat Knight at the expense of David Wheater was also a puzzle, as the new signing seemed to gel better with the rest of the defence. One wondered if Knight had footage of the supposedly tee-total Scot doing unnatural things with the club mascot, whilst swigging from a bottle of Buckfast.
Oh no it wasn't.
After events of the last couple of months, the Bolton boss doesn’t quite have the God-like status he enjoyed before, with some wondering if he is too inflexible to be a truly great manager. Time will tell no doubt, especially if he is afforded the funds to make the squad truly his own over the summer months.
The habit of gifting points to teams in desperate need of them was seriously irritating, the worst instance being the visit of Sunderland. The Wearsiders hadn’t scored away from home since January when they arrived at the Reebok in May, and had no recognised strikers available. So there was a grim inevitability about their 2-1 win, with Bolo Zenden running the show after stopping off for his pension on the way to the game.
Liverpool under Roy Hodgson were the worst they’d been for decades, yet secured two wins. Chelsea were in dismal form on meeting the Whites but managed the same. Relegation threatened Blackburn were grateful for the easy three points at Ewood Park after not winning for months, as were Blackpool at Bloomfield Road, although it wasn’t enough to save them.
Has there been progress overall? It can be argued either way. More points have been gained than last term, with fewer goals conceded and the highest number scored since Bolton returned to the Premier League in 2001. Yet the finishing position is exactly the same as last year and one place lower than Gary Megson managed in his one full season.
There has been a glimpse of what Bolton Wanderers could be, tempered by harsh reality that comes from a squad lacking in depth. The season may be over, but the next mission, one that involves building a side to compete at the top level for an eleventh straight year is already underway.
- Richard McCormick
This is How to Play the Game Mr Wenger
Monday, September 20th, 2010 | BWFC News, BWFC People, Kevin Davies, Premier League | 20 Comments
Things are looking a bit brighter at Planet Reebok, after last week’s defeat at Arsenal, a battling performance at Aston Villa, a match in which Bolton could have taken all three points, having lifted spirits. A report on the game has already appeared here, but one incident which wasn’t included should be remarked upon.
Early in the second half, Kevin Davies clattered into Carlos Cuellar. The challenge was late and badly timed, but without malice. Imagine this happened at the Emirates Stadium:
The fouled player rolls around on the turf for ten minutes, clutching what he feels is the appropriate part of his anatomy, encouraged by the bitter sobs of hysterical outrage from fifty-odd thousand tearful home fans. › Continue reading
Oh Goody. Yet Another Bolton Pre-Season Preview
Friday, August 13th, 2010 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Kevin Davies, Lee Chung-Yong, Mark Davies, Matt Taylor, Owen Coyle, Phil Gartside, Premier League, Ricardo Gardner, Sam Allardyce | 1 Comment
Things couldn’t be more different. This time last year there was a collective gloom amongst Bolton fans. The previous season had ended with one win in eleven games, the summer signings were uninspiring and Gary Megson was still in charge.
There was an inevitability about the opening day defeat to Sunderland, which was far worse than the 1-0 score line suggested. That Steve Bruce’s men won only once more on their travels said it all.
St Owen of Lostock Acknowledges the Throng
This time round there’s a quiet optimism and it’s all due to one man. Owen Coyle arrived in January on a tidal wave of approval that’s yet to subside. Where Megson was dull and uninspiring, Coyle has the energetic enthusiasm of a new puppy. So much so, that you want to slap him sometimes. Putting so much faith in a manager with precisely one year’s top flight experience might not be the wisest thing, but what the hell, football supporters need hope.
Not many clubs have splashed money about in the transfer window. Bolton certainly haven’t. That’s because they haven’t got any. The much desired prolific goal scorer hasn’t arrived, but then only Nicolas Anelka and a pre-blubber Michael Ricketts, qualified for that description in the last decade, so it was always a forlorn hope.
Instead, there’s Robbie Blake, late of the unwashed hordes in Burnley. Blake’s a capable operator. It’s just a pity he’s older than God. But he may be a useful player to have on the bench, providing he doesn’t succumb to arthritis or senile dementia. Or have his zimmer frame nicked when the scallies from Liverpool come to visit.
Concessions have already been made to combat the advancing years. Drinks bottles for the other players contain Lucozade, laced with electrolytes. Robbie has Sanatogen in his. › Continue reading
Are the vultures circling for Gary Megson already?
Monday, August 17th, 2009 | BWFC News, BWFC People, Gary Megson, Phil Gartside | 15 Comments
Manny Road gets ready for battle (Pic: Gidzy, some rights reserved)
Manny Road gets ready for battle (Pic: Gidzy, some rights reserved)
The media are looking for a victim and the Bolton Wanderers boss might not get such an easy ride this season
Disclaimer: Before we get started, it’s worth pointing out that in preparation for writing this post Manny Road has kitted up in full body armour in anticipation of the backlash likely to come my way. Manny Road is well aware that it’s a marathon not a sprint, that it was only one game, and that but for the legs of Marton Fulop we might well have got a point against Sunderland on Saturday.
So what’s my point? Why is Manny Road stoking the fires of negativity after just one game?
Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Sunderland: Video highlights
Saturday, August 15th, 2009 | BWFC Goals | 1 Comment
For those that don’t want to know how miserable the next nine months could be, look away now
Here’s all the action from Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Sunderland, if you can bear it…
Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Sunderland: The fans’ view
Monday, May 11th, 2009 | BWFC News, BWFC People, Fabrice Muamba, Gary Cahill, Gary Megson, Gavin McCann, Johan Elmander | No Comments
The Bolton Wanderers match report you won’t read in the papers (or see on Match of the Day)
Here’s how the various Bolton Wanderers message boards reacted to the goalless draw with Sunderland…
Positives
- “We have now secured our place in the Premier League for the ninth successive season, which you have to say is a fantastic achievement however it has been done.”
- “Overall Gary Megson has done a good job and he deserves the chance to prove himself further next season” … “The board should back him with more money.”
Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Sunderland: Video highlights
Sunday, May 10th, 2009 | BWFC Goals | 1 Comment
For those for who 90 minutes of this tedium wasn’t enough
OK, so highlights might be a bit of a misleading term, but here’s some video of Bolton playing Sunderland anyway…
Bolton Wanderers v Sunderland: Here’s one we made earlier
Saturday, May 9th, 2009 | BWFC Goals, BWFC People, Gary Cahill, Johan Elmander, Matt Taylor | No Comments
What happened the last time the Wanderers played Sunderland
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