TheBoltonNews
I have touched greatness… and his name is Owen Coyle
Thursday, May 12th, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Fabrice Muamba, Football Association, Gretar Steinsson, Owen Coyle, Premier League, Sam Allardyce, Sean Davis | No Comments
There are few certainties in life – one day, hopefully a long time in the future, it will end and, before then, you will pay taxes. Lots of taxes! They are the main certainties in life, depressing as they are, although there are other ones along the way – Vaz Te falling over, Muamba blazing over etc etc. I’m sure there are some positive certainties in life but I’m at a loss to say what they are at the moment so I’ll move on.
Wow...hope you're not expecting me to score that goal...?
One of the things I’m far from certain of, that I’m reluctant to believe entirely, is the image of those in the public eye; actors, footballers, politicians etc. Politicians especially. You never know whether the personality they put across in public is in fact them, or merely a carefully planned and orchestrated PR stunt. Are they the same person behind closed doors? Are they the same charming, likeable character when the cameras are off?
Our manager, Owen Coyle, has a very good public image. It’s so good in fact that Bolton Wanderers have almost become fashionable thanks to his 16 month reign. Bolton Wanderers message boards have even been visited by Arsenal fans praising our new found love our the beautiful game, unthinkable in the Allardyce days, and our role in Jack Wilshere’s development, although I doubt these messages will be as common if we beat them consistently at The Reebok again as we did under Allardyce.
I recently got the opportunity to meet Mr. Coyle thanks to the good people at 188Bet and BWFCforum.co.uk. Even excluding my fondness for all things Bolton, this was quite a thrill. To put this into perspective, I no longer have to say that the most famous person I have ‘met’, and I lose the term very loosely, was ‘Fiz from Corrie’. I think it says a lot about the quality of your celebrity sighting if you don’t know their real name!
Well, I did know Owen Coyle’s real name but did I know the real Owen Coyle?
come and get some lunch !
I was well aware of the public perception of Owen Coyle. He’s a very likeable man with an infectious enthusiasm for people, football and life itself. It’s a shame that I didn’t get to spend more time in his company as I might have been able to recall a positive certainty in life for the first paragraph.
We have all seen him at The Reebok Stadium, both during and after the match, inspiring and encouraging his players from the sidelines and applauding the home fans from the pitch post match for their role in what has, for the most part, been another impressive result and performance. › Continue reading
Its not over yet cocker…..!
Sunday, April 10th, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Football Association, Gary Megson, Marc Iles, Nat Lofthouse, Owen Coyle, Premier League, Sam Allardyce, Stuart Holden | No Comments
Sunday 22nd May 2011 – the day the 2010/2011 Barclay’s Premier League comes to an end. Champions will be decided (although, if Arsenal continue to falter, Man Utd may have clinched their nineteenth league title long before the final day), teams (hopefully Wigan and Blackburn) will be relegated, European places will be confirmed and, for the remaining twelve teams, midtable obscurity / survival will be secured.
Can someone turn off those lights on your way out...!
However, reading several posts on various Bolton messageboards over the past three weeks, more than a few fans consider the season to be over already. In their minds, our season ended on 19th March 2011 at approximately 16.35.
This was when the boot of Manchester United’s Johny Evans collided with the knee of Bolton’s Stuart Holden. The initial reaction was not good: Holden was stretchered off the Old Trafford pitch in obvious distress and Bolton fans feared the worse. Two days later, those fears were realised: Holden was out for six months (‘gutted smilely’).
Evans, to his credit, called to Holden to apologise for the challenge, an apology that Holden has yet to receive from De Jong for a similar tackle twelve months earlier. Holden has accepted Evans’ apology conceding that, unfortunately, injuries are a risk in a contact sport such as football. Arsenal fans take note, it’s not just your players who can suffer injury as a result of a mistimed challenge, a fact that poor Holden knows only too well. › Continue reading
Why Coyle shouldn’t make another ‘sideways’ move
Monday, January 10th, 2011 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Bruce Rioch, Owen Coyle, Premier League, Sam Allardyce, Sammy Lee | 5 Comments
Before we get started, I want to make one thing clear; to all the bitter Burnley fans who may read this, I fully expect Coyle to accept the Liverpool job if, and that’s a big if at the time of writing, it is offered to him. That is the nature of football. We saw it with Rioch and Allardyce; you saw it with Coyle and.. erm… Coyle
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 › Continue reading
What a difference a year makes….?
Monday, December 27th, 2010 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Bruce Rioch, Football Association, Gary Cahill, Gary Megson, Johan Elmander, Kevin Davies, Lee Chung-Yong, Premier League, Premiership referees | 1 Comment
I didn’t get round to replying to Josh’s thread about what a difference a year makes, so I’ll stick my thoughts here.
(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. › Continue reading
Kevin Davies – A true Legend
Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Eidur Gudjohnsen, El-Hadji Diouf, Football Association, Gary Megson, Ivan Campo, Johan Elmander, Kevin Davies, Nat Lofthouse, Nicolas Anelka, Owen Coyle, Premier League, Youri Djorkaeff | 2 Comments
Legend: it’s a word thrown round all too readily it appears these days. Scrolling down my news feed on Facebook last week, I found one friend bestowing legendary status on Javier Hernandez following his late winner for Manchester United away at Valencia. I’m sure he was caught up in the moment, or at least I hope so, and I imagine in the cold light of day, he wouldn’t be quite so keen to put Hernandez up with the ‘Kings of the Stretford End’ such as Cantona, Law and Charlton just yet although, considering the fact that the guy probably couldn’t find Old Trafford with a sat nav and more than likely believes that football was invented in 1993, nothing would surprise me.super
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. › Continue reading
Wanderers v Man Utd preview
Saturday, September 25th, 2010 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Football Association, Gary Megson, Premier League | No Comments
A date which will live in infamy for eternity. A day in which millions were glued to their TV screens, unable to watch, understand or even comprehend what had just happened in the previous two hours. Those who were there and witnessed it first hand will never forget that day. On the one year anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, Bolton Wanderers proved that lightning can strike twice and defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford for the second year running. The masses were stunned.
"Rooney just hasn't been the same since all this came out"- Ferguson
It’s the game which every Bolton fan looks for when the fixtures are published; United at home. The team we love to beat more than any other. Seems hard to believe it was eight years ago that we recorded the second of our famous wins over United, and in their own back yard to boot. However, since that night in September, our record against Man Utd. has not made for nice reading; one solitary league win, Megson’s first as Bolton boss, and the first at home since December 1978; two draws, which felt like defeats due to the manner in which they were obtained – a last minute equaliser from Solskjaer denying us a famous double in 2002/2003 and an even later equaliser from David Bellion (remember him? No-one else does) in 2004 after ‘Sir’ Les Ferdinand had handed us a late lead.
Every other match against United has resulted in defeat, and some heavy defeats at that. Can this Sunday be any different? After the ‘concentrating on the league’ result on Tuesday, I can understand people being sceptical about our chances of success. However, there are some reasons to be optimistic surely? Well, Rooney’s had a poor start to the season by anyone’s standards, but especially his. That’s always a plus, yeah? Well, perhaps not. The last time we faced a Rooney in the middle of a goal drought, he went home with the match ball! The ‘charity boys’ strike again! That said, J’Lloyd Samuel isn’t playing so they’ll have to do without his impeccable finishing ability. Swings and roundabouts really. › Continue reading
Roll up, roll up….. Guest Bloggers wanted….
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 | BWFC News, Marc Iles, Richard McCormick | No Comments
MannyRoad, is opening its famous doors to any and all budding Bloggers….! You don’t have to be a Richard McCormick (he’s already here) or a Marc Iles… Just put your feelings and thoughts about BWFC or football in general down and send them to us… don’t worry if you’re not a keyboard wizard, articles can be tidied up if need be.
The same applies if you have an idea for an article, but don’t feel up to writing it. Let us know what you have in mind and we’ll see what we can do.
Just contact us with your email address and we’ll get back to you…!
Bolton’s Greatest Ever Manager …
Thursday, May 13th, 2010 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Bruce Rioch, Premier League | 3 Comments
In reality, we do not have an outstanding list of candidates for our greatest ever manager. We’ve only had 23 full-time managers. Of these, you can pretty much discount dismiss Tom Mather, who was manager throughout WWI, and the short spells of Jimmy Meadows and Sammy Lee and even shorter (in duration) reign of Jimmy McIlroy.
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 17th best and 14th 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. › Continue reading
Spurs v Bolton – How the pendulum has swung…?
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Gary Cahill, Gary Megson, Gudni Bergsson, Jay-Jay Okocha, Owen Coyle, Premier League, Sam Allardyce | 16 Comments
This weekend sees Bolton travel to White Hart Lane, and a clash between two famous old clubs that have 16 FA Cup
how times have changed
Finals (12 wins) and a combined total of 146 years of top-flight football between them, not to mention Spurs’ 4 League Cup wins, and 4 European trophies.
Recent history has been very different for the two clubs, with Spurs only spending one year out of the top flight since 1950, whilst Bolton have dropped through the leagues and back twice in the same period. However, looking further back in history paints a different picture of the two clubs.
Prior to 1950, Spurs had spent as much time in the Second Division as the First, and their only FA Cup win had come as a non-league club in 1901. Bolton had already won the cup three times, been runners-up twice, and spent the vast majority of their history in the top flight.
The abolition of the maximum wage in 1961 changed the football landscape at the time, and Bolton’s decline from this point onwards was dramatic and prolonged.
By the end of the 1959/60 season, Bolton were historically England’s 5th most successful club, based on average league position. At the same point, despite one league title success, Spurs were the 20th best team.
By the end of 2008, Spurs – by now winners of the FA Cup eight times, the League Cup four times, and four European trophies – had moved up to seventh in the table of overall average league positions, whilst Bolton had failed to add to trophy cabinet, had spent more time out of the top flight than in it, and slipped to 21st in the overall average league table.
In anticipation of the weekend’s clash, bwfcforum’s Statman takes a closer look at the history of the two clubs for Manny Road. › Continue reading
Every Day’s a cup final for Mark Halsey….!
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 | BWFC Goals, BWFC News, BWFC People, Football Association, Ivan Campo, Jay-Jay Okocha, Nicolas Anelka, Owen Coyle, Phil Gartside, Premier League, Premiership referees, Sam Allardyce, Youri Djorkaeff | 11 Comments
The support from football fans and ordinary people in the street has been inspirational
Click the link to listen to Mark Halsey’s Exclusive interview.
http://www.zshare.net/audio/751463426e948768/
Despite hailing from Hertfordshire, Mark Halsey has firmly established himself as one of Bolton’s favourite adopted sons. After spending 12 years playing non-league football for Cambridge City and Hertford Town he began his refereeing career in 1989 and a decade later refereed the famous 1999 Football League One Play-off Final between Gillingham and Manchester City at Wembley. The same year he was promoted to Premier League status and shortly after the FIFA List of referees. He quickly established himself as one of the most popular referees in the League.
Mark was kind enough to take time out of his schedule to speak Exclusively to Manny Road & bwfcforum’s Andi Walton. He started by asking him about his current health:
MH: Yeah I’m feeling very good, I seem to be getting stronger with every game I do and it’s a bonus for me because I never thought I’d be back refereeing again, so every day is a cup final and it’s really great to be back and the reception I’ve received from the two games I’ve done at Rotherham and Port Vale and Oldham and Bristol Rovers, the fans have been absolutely fantastic and it’s been very emotional and overwhelming for me.
AW: It must have been the furthest thing from your mind getting out on the football pitch when you were in the midst of your treatment but now you’ve got to that stage, it must be a real thrill.
MH: For me to come back and, you know, I suppose…for what I’ve gone through with all my chemotherapy and my radiotherapy…I mean if you saw me at Christmas, I was nowhere near the Mark Halsey of old, you know, but I’ve worked hard and a lot of people have helped me and it’s been great. The support I’ve received from people around the country – just ordinary football fans and ordinary people in the street. They’ve been inspirational to me and they’ve got to really pat themselves on the back for the way they’ve helped me and it’s down to them that I’m back where I am now.
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