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.

As he breezed into reception at Bolton Wanderers Training Complex in Euxton yesterday morning in his trademark shorts with his trademark grin, it was clear that, in all meanings of the phrase, there was only one Owen Coyle. After the formalities had been concluded and introductions made, he asked how we enjoyed the tour.

The tour itself consisted of a trip round the training ground, which I’ll expand on later, and a chance to observe a first team training session, albeit from what felt like half a mile away due to the location of the entrance and training pitches. Even from this distance, it was clear to see that our manager still has the predatory instincts which were sadly lacking on Saturday as he bagged a hat-trick.

Having said how much we enjoyed the tour, I naturally left out the petty grumble about the distance away from the training session, which, incidentally, is still far closer that I’d have people watching me at work, (especially if I was Muamba), he asked if we wished to have lunch in the staff canteen. There were no cameras present; there were no angles to work or opportunities to exploit. In short, there was no need, PR wise at least, to make such an offer. Don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t ending world hunger or creating world peace, he was offering four strangers lunch in the staff canteen. Lunch he didn’t pay for or cook.

Did you say they were training down there..?

Regardless of that, it was still a nice gesture and, most importantly, it was a very nice lunch to eat, and ensured that Coyle’s Godlike status remains well and truly intact. Doesn’t take a lot to impress I know!

It was just another example of Coyle’s ‘people skills’, making his players, and those loitering in reception, go above and beyond. I’m not a Bolton player and, as a ‘stocky’ 26 year old, that’s not likely to change, but I would have happily run through a brick wall for Mr. Coyle, after I’d finished a second portion of lasagne obviously.

I was hoping to meet Fabrice Muamba to give him lessons in basic passing and ball control but I didn’t see him. I can only assume this was due to the fact that he tried to find reception but ended up 40 yards away.

There were still some remnants from the days of Big Sam at the training ground. There was an unused cryo-chamber which looked like something out of RoboCop and a sign for the ‘Sports Psychologist’ which looked like a sign for the Sports Psychologist (we didn’t actually go in the room, although apparently the psychologist has long since departed). We were also informed that Big Sam used to have a bath in his dressing room, an insight which both intrigued and disturbed me in equal measure.

Following the tour, the insight, the training and the lunch, we were seated in reception to get some autographs from the footballing elite. I actually saw Sean Davis more yesterday than I have ever done in a Bolton shirt. Another player, Sam Ricketts, who is on the long term injury list was also present and was a very likeable guy too. He kindly stopped for an autograph and had a quick chat regarding his injury recovery which seems to be going well thankfully.

We also got to see a piece of footballing history; a Bolton player receiving an award. Gretar Steinsson accepted his award for being ‘Heads Up’ (I think, please don’t sue me Match Magazine) Champion 2011.

"How many have I done ?"

How many times do you think a footballer can bounce a ball on his head in 60 seconds without dropping it? I’ll tell you dear reader, 146 times if you’re Steinsson. Impressive eh? Not only did we get to see him accept his trophy, and leave it pride of place in reception for the other players (and manager for that matter) to see, we got to see him attempt to break his amazing record, a feat he may have achieved but for the small fact that no-one bothered to count.

Who needs the FA Cup Final eh? Whoops! Too soon? It had to end on a low note. That’s one of the many certainties in life if you support Bolton.  The glass is always half empty. Unless you’re Owen Coyle that is!

-Dave Hallsworth-

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.

Since signing for Bolton in January 2010, becoming Owen Coyle’s first signing in the process, he has had two season ending injuries in as many seasons. For a player who is not considered to be ‘injury prone’, he has spent a lot of time keeping Sean Davis company in the treatment room.

It was that Jonny Evens who did it...!

I have every faith that Holden will bounce back from this set back, just as he has the others in his career. He seems to have the right attitude and is already focusing on his recovery. That said, I’m sure he’ll be gutted about missing the biggest game of his club career, not to disrespect to his achievements in the MLS.

He has been a breath of fresh air in a Bolton midfield terrified of the ball in recent seasons. Confident in possession, keen for the ball and with an eye for a pass as well as being equally adept in his
defensive duties: he is / was (I can’t be arsed checking) the top tackling midfielder in the Premier League. A solid all rounder. The only slight criticism I can think of is that I thought that he may have chipped in with a few more goals, although I instantly forgive him that when I remember that one of the goals he did score was the winner against Blackburn, the first at home for 13 years. What a goal it was too!

Losing a player of Holden’s quality will obviously be a big blow as, in this author’s opinion (and that of many others), he has been our player of the season this year, and by some distance. Any team would be weaker in his absence. However, despite losing our best performer, is our season effectively over?

Bloody Hell.... look what you've started now Jonny.... hope you're proud of yourself ?

Unfortunately, the stats do not make for good reading: since Stu-S-A made his league bow for the Mighty Whites in March 2010 against Wolves,  we have won 41% of league games in which Holden has featured (impressive eh?) compared with just 20% when Holden has been absent (not so impressive).

Another issue we have is the fitness of Mark Davies. In an ideal world, I’d pick Mark Davies and Holden to be my starting midfield duo as I think they compliment each other well; they’re both comfortable in posession, good on the ball (Davies especially) and are always willing to take the ball and try and make something happen, a trait which I feel some other Bolton players do not have. To lose Holden is a spanner in the works; to lose Davies too is a toolbox in the works.

However, despite what the stats say (people can use stats to prove anything even remotely true), we are not a one man team. (As yesterday’s game v West Ham proved) We were in great form prior to the Man Utd game with six wins in the previous nine games in league and cup.

Not only was our form impressive, but the spirit within the team was as good as I can remember. 3-2 victories against Aston Villa, after going behind twice, and Birmingham in the cup, after twice being pegged back, demonstrated the great character and spirit in this Bolton team.

Under Megson, we would have lost the game against Villa for sure and could have easily lost the game against Birmingham. I very much doubt we would have gone on to win 3-2 under Megson. If I’m honest, I doubt we would have done so under Allardyce, whose teams were set up to grind out narrow 1-0 opposed to last minute winners.

The team demonstrated amazing resolve in each of those matches. Having dominated for large periods against Birmingham, passing up several opportunities to secure the win, they were hit with a big sucker punch with Phillips’ goal, however good a goal it may have been. It would have been easy for Bolton to take the draw and look to the replay in that position, but Owen Coyle’s men are made of sterner stuff. They didn’t allow Birmingham to establish any momentum following their goal and, ultimately, got the result which, overall, I think they fully deserved.

That is the type of attitude and desire that needs to return, not only on the pitch but in the stands. There’s no point in us feeling sorry for ourselves. Holden is a great player, but he’s just that, one player. The results we got before were down to the team, not any one man.

The fans and the team need to return to the previous mindset we had all of a month ago. Holden’s injury could be the defining moment in our season, it could give M Davies the chance to shine etc, but we can’t let it define our season.

We have a fantastic opportunity to reach our first FA Cup final in 53 years. What has happened in the last three weeks cannot be erased; it cannot be altered, however much we may wish it could be.

Go on cocker.... do it for me...!

However, we do have control over the next few matches. I’m sure Coyle will have team fully prepared for the semi final, but the fans can play their part too. The players need us now more than ever. Together, we can win this semi final, no matter who is in our midfield. Contrary to what the naysayers may believe, our season is far from over!

-Dave Hallsworth-

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-

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

"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.

Berbatov has been in good form though since the start of the season, and may be the player to fear from an attacking sense. More so than Rooney going off current stats. However, we are all too aware of the threat that Berbatov can cause having snatched yet another late winner in 2009 when Andy O’Brien managed to tackle himself and Puygrenier whilst leaving Tevez unscathed and free to cross for the a chance even the Bulgarian of old was not going to pass up. Added to the new form of Berbatov, similar to our own no. 9 (never thought I’d get to say that), there’s the long standing duo of Giggs and Scholes, who, the latter in particular, seem to turn out world class displays week in, week out. There’s also the added problem of Nani who seems to have found an end product to his endless trickery and, considering the lack of faith most fans have with at least one of our fullbacks, they could be in for a torrid afternoon. Is it all bad though? Should we do what Megson was only one short step away from and send out the reserves? Or better yet, not send out anyone at all. Just let them take the three points and leave the ‘stars’ free to concentrate of the ‘winnable’ game next week away at West Brom.

Do we stand any chance? Can we get something from this weekend? I think so. Their defence has looked far from solid since the season began, especially away, having conceded soft goals, and ultimately leads, in their previous two away games. True, Goodison Park and Craven Cottage are not happy hunting grounds for United of late and, sadly, the same cannot be said of The Reebok but their defence has looked undeniably shaky. Ferdinand could be back to play alongside Vidic. I’ll leave it up to yourselves whether you think that is good or bad for us. True, he is a great defender on his day, but he hasn’t played much football in the last few months and he’ll certainly have a baptism of fire coming up against Kevin Davies, who always gives defenders a game, and a rejuvenated Elmander, who is troubling goalkeepers more than ball boys this season. Is it not going to be easy this Sunday. Let’s face it, it never is, but we have reasons to be optimistic. Again, excluding the Carling Cup defeat to those bitter folk down the road, we’ve got some decent form to speak of ourselves.

We’ve only lost one game, away at Arsenal, and we were in with a shout of getting something their too until the sending off killed it as a contest. We’re also showing some bottle and drive which was absent last season. Apart from playing Stoke, we managed to obtain all of zero points from losing positions last season. If you include Stoke, the grand total is four points. We have managed to get level in the last three league games in which we went behind, and managed to get points from two of them. Such a comeback, especially the one against Birmingham, would have been unthinkable under Megson. Don’t get me wrong, I’d prefer us not to go behind at all, but at least we have demonstrated that we can still get something from games, despite any early setbacks. I think the form of Petrov can be the key on Sunday. He has had an indifferent start to his Bolton career, and may not have had quite the impact many of us would have hoped. However, he has the ability to be a match winner and, if we can get him the ball, I think he can give the United right back just as difficult a match as the likes of Nani and Giggs are likely to give Steinson and Robinson. We know that Davo will be his usual defence harrying self and Elmander seems to be playing without such a huge weight on his shoulders. Funny what a goal (or three) can do. Jussi will of course return between the sticks, although credit must go to Bogdan for some impressive saves and performances in tough games. I’m sure he will be a better keeper for his experience.

Yes, we’re still without Cahill but, at the risk of putting off any potential suitors, we have only kept two cleans sheets with him in the side in over a year. While I would not put the blame for that solely of Cahill’s shoulders, it is evidence enough that we can cope without him. I believe that we can give United a good game. I think Coyle will demand a response following Tuesday’s unpleasantness. I think we can trouble them going forwards. They’ve already dropped silly points and their defence looks far from solid. Plus, I fancy us to lift our game come Sunday. I play football Monday evenings with a shit load of United fans. It would be good to walk in there with a smile on my face having put another dent in their title dreams (even if it is only September). Here’s to a good game, a full house (although I think a 5-0 Bolton triumph is more likely) and a good result. Come On You Whites.

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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.

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.

Early years: 1888 – 1914
By the time Spurs were elected to the football league div 2 in 1908, founder members Bolton had completed 20 seasons, mostly in the First Division, but with a best placed finish of 3rd. Tottenham had already become the first – and only – non-league club to win the FA Cup since the formation of the football league in 1888. Bolton had yet to win the trophy, having been losing finalists in 1894 and 1904.
In their first season, Spurs finished runners up to Bolton– who had been relegated the previous season. Spurs stayed up for six seasons before being relegated in 1915, whilst Bolton went straight back down in 1910, only to bounce back at the first attempt and remain in the top flight until 1933.

Spurs’ first spell in the top flight saw them finish 15th, 15th, 12th, 17th, and 17th before finally finishing 20th in 1915.

After promotion again in 1911, Bolton finished 4th, 8th, 6th, and 17th before the league was suspended for WWI.

Between the Wars
When the league resumed in 1919/20, Spurs won the Second Division title and went on to enjoy an 8 year period in the top flight, finishing 6th in 1921 and then runners up in 1922 – their highest league finish at that point – but then spent the next 5 years in the bottom half, finishing between 12th and 15th, before being relegated again in 1928.

From 1919/20, Bolton enjoyed one of their best spells, finishing 8 of the next 9 seasons in the top 8.

The 1920’s also saw the two clubs share 4 FA Cup wins, Spurs winning the trophy in 1921 and Bolton following their 1923 success in the first FA Cup Final at Wembley with wins in 1926 and 1929. The decade also saw the first meeting between the two sides in the cup, with Spurs knocking Bolton out in a second round replay in 1925. The two clubs would go on to meet in the cup in a further 5 seasons, with 4 of the ties needing a replay, and a further tie – in 1948 – decided after extra time. In total, including this year’s clash, Spurs have knocked Bolton out 4 times.

Whilst Spurs spent 5 seasons in Division Two from 1928/29, Bolton had slipped into the bottom half of Division One, with the Trotters finally relegated in 1933, swapping places with Spurs who were promoted as runners up.

Spurs then spent two seasons in the top flight – finishing an impressive 3rd in their first season back, before finishing rock bottom the following year – whilst Bolton spent two years in Division Two, finishing 3rd before being promoted the following year as runners up, with the two teams again swapping places in the top flight.

The following four years leading up to WWII saw both clubs remain in their respective divisions, Bolton narrowly avoiding relegation in 1937 but then finishing in the top half for the following two years, whilst Spurs were mid-table in Div 2.

Post War years: 1946 – 1977
Resumption of the league programme in 1946/47 saw Bolton struggling at the wrong end of Div 1 for the next four years, with Spurs finishing 6th, 8th, and 5th before finally returning as Div 2 champions in 1950.

Spurs followed up their Div 2 success by winning the Div 1 title in their first season back in 1951, then finished runners up in 1952. The following season saw them down to 10th, before struggling at the bottom end for the next 3 seasons. Over the same period, Bolton enjoyed 4 top half finishes out of the 6 seasons, with only 1955 (18th) seeing them flirting with relegation. They were also on the wrong end of Blackpool’s famous 4-3 win in the 1953 FA Cup Final.

The next 20 years saw a period of unprecedented prolonged success for Spurs, with 15 top 8 finishes and only 1959 (18th), and 1975 (19th) out of the top half. The highlights of the period was undoubtedly the double success of 1961, in a spell which saw them finish in the top 3 six seasons out of seven between 1957 and 1963. Although they didn’t enjoy this level of consistent success in the remainder of the period, they managed 3rd place finishes in 1967 and 1971.

Spurs also retained the FA Cup in 1962 and won it again in 1967. They followed up their FA Cup success by winning the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963, the first European trophy win by an English club, along with League Cup wins in 1971 and 1973, a UEFA Cup win in 1972 and losing final in 1974.

Whilst the 1950’s ended well for Bolton, with the 1958 FA cup win followed up with two top 6 finishes, times were changing for the Lancashire outfit, with the abolition of the maximum wage and the end of Nat Lofthouse’s prolific career, and flirtation with relegation in 1961 and 1963 was merely a brief reprieve, as the Trotters finished 21st in 1964.

For a club that had never spent more than two consecutive years out of the top flight, and had only spent 7 years in the Second Division since the formation of the league in 1888/89, it would have seemed unthinkable at the time that Bolton would not have returned to the top flight for 14 seasons. Having narrowly missed out on an immediate return in 1965, Bolton spent the next couple of years in mid-table, before a gradual decline that saw relegation to Division Three in 1971 for the first time in the club’s history. They finished a disappointing 7th in 1972 before being promoted as Division Three champions in 1973.

After a couple of mid-table finishes, Bolton then narrowly missed out on promotion by a point in 1976 and 1977 (to Brian Clough’s Forest), whilst Spurs’ 19th place finish in 1975 was a warning for what was to come two seasons later, when they finished bottom of Division One.

1977- 2001
1977/78 saw the two clubs in the same division for the first time since Bolton’s relegation in 1964, with the two clubs – favourites for promotion – battling it out at the top all season, Bolton finally finishing champions with Spurs promoted in third place.

The fortunes of the two clubs from that point could not have been more different. Whilst Spurs have enjoyed an unbroken spell in the top flight, Bolton managed a 17th place finish in 1979 before being rooted to the bottom for most of the following season and being relegated by some distance. Bolton’s decline from 1980 was worse than that following their previous relegation in 1964, with the club plummeting through the divisions before spending a season – 1987/88 – in the Fourth Division. Bolton then spent a further 5 seasons in the third division before gaining promotion to the second tier in 1993.

Over the same period, Spurs were mostly a top half team, with 3rd place finishes in 1985, 1987, and 1990, and further FA Cup success in 1981, 1982, and 1991 (plus their only Cup Final defeat in 1987) and a UEFA Cup triumph in 1984.

After 2 years in the second tier, Bolton returned to the top flight after a dramatic play-off win v Reading in 1995, but their stay was short-lived. As Manchester United pipped Keegan’s Newcastle for the title, and Tottenham finished 8th, Bolton finished 4 points adrift at the foot of the table. 1995 also saw Bolton make their first appearance in the League Cup final, finishing runners up to Liverpool.

In 1997 Bolton bounced straight back in style, finishing 18 points clear at the top of Division One, with Spurs finishing mid-table in the Premiership. Again, their stay lasted only a season, going down on goal difference to Everton on the final day. Spurs were briefly involved in the relegation battle, but ultimately pulled away to finish 4 points clear in 14th.

Spurs remained in mid-table for the next three seasons, finishing 11th, 10th and 12th, winning the League Cup again in 1999, whilst Bolton missed out in the play-offs in 1999 and 2000 before finally returning via the same route in 2001.

2001-present
Whilst the next two seasons saw Bolton in relegation battles, finishing 4 points clear in 16th in 2002, before needing 44 points to survive in 17th place the following year (West Ham were relegated on 42 points), Spurs maintained their mid-table position, finishing 9th and 10th respectively.

Bolton finished top 8 in each of the next four seasons, with a best finish of 6th in 2005, 3 points off a Champions League place, and also made their second appearance in the League Cup Final, this time losing to Middlesbrough. Spurs finished 14th and 9th before consecutive 5th place finishes in 2006 and 2007, missing a Champions League spot by just 2 points in 2006.

The following season, with Sammy Lee replacing Sam Allardyce as manager, whilst Bolton were rooted to the foot of the table after 10 games with just 5 points, Martin Jol’s Spurs were just 2 points and two places above, and struggling to repeat the form of the previous two years. Whilst Bolton ultimately survived under Gary Megson, finishing 16th and 1 point clear of relegation, Spurs finished 10 points clear in 11th place after Juande Ramos had replaced Martin Jol, and again won the League Cup.

The following season saw Spurs finish 8th (and League Cup runners up) and Bolton comfortable in 13th, despite spending periods of the season hovering just above the relegation zone.

The two clubs have continued to have different fortunes this season, with Bolton breathing a sigh of relief having secured safety with two games remaining, and Spurs currently holding 4th spot and a Champions League place.

Overall …
It’s probably fitting for two clubs whose greatest successes have been in cup competitions that the biggest wins in meetings between the two have all come in cup competitions, with Tottenham’s 6-0 League Cup win in 2001 trumping Bolton’s 6-1 win in the same competition in 1996. Spurs have also enjoyed 4-0 FA Cup wins in 2002 – the only FA Cup tie between the sides not to go to a replay or extra time – and in this year’s competition.

The two sides have not been lucky for each other in the cup. Despite being drawn against each other nine times in cup competitions, and sharing 25 appearances in domestic finals, neither side has reached a cup final in the seasons that they have met.

Spurs have managed to do the double over Bolton six times – including both of their league title-winning campaigns, and most recently in 1978/79 – whilst Bolton have managed the same feat seven times, including 2003/04 and 2004/05. Results since then have typically gone for the home team.

Overall, of the 90 completed seasons that both clubs have been in the football league, Spurs have finished higher than Bolton 60 times.

The head to head results are somewhat closer. Out of a total of 97 meetings, Spurs have 42 wins to Bolton’s 36 (19 draws), whilst in league meetings, Spurs are ahead 36 to 33 (14 draws).

League meetings at White Hart Lane show a clearer dominance for Spurs, with 25 wins, 7 draws, and 9 defeats, the last in October 2004. Since that win, Bolton have managed just 1 point from the last 5 league trips.

With Spurs in pole position for the 4th Champions League spot, and Bolton now playing for nothing other than pride and Premier League prize money, will Spurs extend their dominance at White Hart Lane, or could Bolton upset the odds and get their first win there in almost six years?

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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Click the link to listen to the interview.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/751463426e948768/

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AW:      Tell us about the club Mark, how have they been helping?

MH:      Oh they’ve been fantastic. I come into remission and Adie the fitness coach and you’ve got Nick Worth in charge of the physios, they’ve been brilliant with me.  Then you’ve got the doc who’s been brilliant with me.  Owen Coyle’s been running with me and Adie’s set me running programmes to do to build my fitness back up and without the club I don’t think I’d be where I am now as well because they’ve been absolutely first class with me, first class.

AW:      Let’s go back a bit earlier in your career. You were a player before you were a ref weren’t you?

MH:      Yeah.  I was a player. I played non-league as a goal keeper down in the Ryman’s league and up until I was about 28 really then I gave up playing and sort of…well 30 I was, and gave up playing and took up refereeing.  I got one or two injuries and took up refereeing.

AW:      Do you think that’s given you an advantage as opposed to somebody…well you know, it’s a decent standard you played at.

MH:      It was yeah. It does help you playing the game. I have empathy for the game, I give players a chance, I love football, I’m a football fan and it’s all about 22 players on the field and the fans, you know, it’s not about the referee.  And I think that’s where sometimes we lose sight.  It doesn’t always mean to say that ex-players make good referees.

AW:      So how did you end up in Bolton then, because obviously we can tell from you voice that you’re not born and bred.

MH:      No born and bread in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire and I married a Bolton lass so obviously that’s when I moved up here and here I am.

AW:      You’ve become an honorary northerner.

MH:      I’m an honorary northerner, yeah and I love being a northerner. I love being a northwester, I wouldn’t move back down south.

AW:      So you’ve talked about the club helping you with your recovery, but how did you come about getting involved with Bolton in the first place?

MH:      When I first moved up here in 2000…Sam Allardyce has been brilliant with me as well.  He was in charge of the Wanderers and I asked if I could come along and train with him and I am and I’ve been there 10 years now, going every day.  I mean the lads have been fantastic with me and over the last 9 months I’ve got to know Joey O’Brien and Sean Davis very well, although Sean’s got on my nerves, in there recovering in the gym because of the long term injuries…but we’ve passed the time away really well and we’ve had a good laugh and he’s a bit of a pain in the backside is Sean!

We’ve had good times.  It’s been great, you know…but that’s why there’s a plus point being in the gym with them two all the time.

AW:            Obviously you arrived in 2000 and that was when the club was just about sort of on the up and up wasn’t it?

MH:      In 2000 first season in the Premier League it was.

AW:      And has the club advanced since you first arrived? I imagine that you’re one of those who have been around for the longest now.

MH:      I think they’ve gone from strength to strength really. You can’t take it away from what Sam Allardyce done.  I mean he’s put the club on the map and he’s done a fantastic job.   And obviously all good things come to an end and you move on.  And we’ve had people come and go and they’ve all done well in their own way and I think now that Owen Coyle’s here.  I mean Owen Coyle…his enthusiasm is second to none.  When I first saw his training session I thought he was absolutely…his enthusiasm was fantastic and he’s got all the lads up there and playing and working for him.

AW:      I suppose you’ll be coming up against Sam now won’t you because obviously you never did while was in charge of Bolton?

MH:      No I don’t referee Sam. He’s at Blackburn and we’re right good friends so they never give me Sam’s club’s.

AW:      Right, so that’s all kind of acknowledged then by the powers-that-be, is it?

MH:      Yeah.

AW:      Who are the best Bolton players that you worked alongside then over the last 10 years Mark?

MH:            Obviously there have been some great players haven’t there? I think Jussi Jaaskelainen  and I’ve trained with Jussi and I think he’s got to be up there, one of the top players, top performers, consistently week-in week-out.  And Ivan Campo was fantastic in the midfield there.  Djorkaeff and Jay Jay Okocha – there are some great names of the past aren’t there.

AW:      I suppose those are the sort of names as well that the fans remember best, particularly those like Campo really had a connection with the fans.

MH:      Oh of course he did.  They were some good days under Sam weren’t they. You know, I think the lads now that have come in are doing well and playing for Owen and if they keep us in the Premier League, which I think they will…I don’t think there’s a problem there…and see if we can kick on and see if they can kick on next season.

AW:      So you’ve said ‘us’ – you said ‘we’ there.  Does that mean that you’re a Wanderers fan? What would you describe yourself as?

MH:      Well you know, obviously being attached to the club you do, don’t you.  But I mean obviously people know I’m a QPR fan but obviously living in Bolton and training in Bolton, you get an affection for the club because as I say, the club have been fantastic with me and, you know, it’s a family run club.  So you do tend to say we, you know what I mean?

I’ve been to most games there this season because of my illness but you do, you use that terminology don’t you?

AW:      I imagine at times that it didn’t make you feel much better with some of the performances

MH:      [laughs]

AW:      Tell us about the rest of the league then.  You talked about Wanderers players.  Any other players that you’ve jut enjoyed being on the same pitch as?

MH:      Oh I mean there’s loads.  I mean there’s some fantastic players around isn’t there?  From refereeing, you just look at the likes of Alan Shearer, Henri, David Beckham. I had the privilege of refereeing Zidane and he was got to be one of the best, you know…it’s great to be on the pitch with players like that.  And you’ve got there some great players now.  You’ve got Rooney, you’ve got John Terry, you’ve got Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, they’re absolutely fantastic players aren’t they. And it’s one everyone would want to pay to see, whether you’re support for Chelsea or support for Arsenal, cos you’ve got Fabregas who’s outstanding as well, so there’s some fantastic players.  And instead of all the supporters booing and when they come to their grounds, they should be clapping them because you don’t want them players leaving the Premiership and going playing back in Spain and Italy and things like that cos we want to be the best league in the world and we need to keep those players in the Premier league.

AW:      Yeah, there’s the sort of well-known story of Wanderers fans of when Ruud Gullit played at Burnden Park, you know, he just absolutely played us off the park but the fans just clapped him off cos they hadn’t seen a player of that standard for 20 / 30 years on the pitch there.

MH:      But that’s what it should be like every ground…life’s too short.  I know that. You just don’t know what’s round the corner.  And instead of, you know, the fans…yeah of course they get emotional don’t they, with people, so it’s just great to have all these great players gracing our football pitches.

AW:      That brings me onto how you deal with the fans’ reaction to you.  We all know some of the choice language that fans can use about refs if things don’t go the right way.  How hard is it when the whole ground – they question your parentage or whatever it might be?

MH:      [laughs] It’s emotional.  People get emotional.  Football’s emotional.  And I mean 9 times out of 10 you don’t hear it because you’re concentrating and focussing on what you’re doing, so you don’t really pay any attention to it to be honest.

AW:      Do you understand it though?  Say there’s the FA Cup semi final over the weekend and John Terry’s tackle on James Milner has come in for a bit of scrutiny and then there was the penalty in that game as well.  Howard Webb doing that game and obviously someone that you know well.  But can you understand the frustration of the Villa fans there for instance?

MH:      Well obviously I can’t comment.  I honestly haven’t seen any of the incidents, obviously because I was refereeing my game at Oldham, so I’ve not seen.  And I was at Manchester City so I can’t really comment on that because I’ve not seen any of it.

AW:      Well speaking in general, you can understand how…because you know, fans spend a lot of money.  They travel to Wembley for instance in that case and you know, we as Wanderers fans have had loads of decisions, as of course all clubs have over the years, and you do remember them.

MH:      Yeah, it’s just…as I say, these things happen don’t they?  As I say it’s very difficult for referees.  They get a split second, you know, and so it’s very difficult for referees to referee at the top level.  As I said, they get a split second whereas you get all these replays and then you can make your mind up afterwards after watching it two or three times can’t you?  If you look at Fabio Capello, he said the English league’s got the best referees in the world.

But it’s just one of those things.  We all make mistakes.  I make mistakes.  It’s just one of those things.

AW:      Would you appreciate some help from cameras though Mark?

MH:            Obviously that’s not gonna happen because FIFA have said no so that’s the end of the matter so there’s no point, no matter what I say.  It can’t be used and that’s it.  I think we can make good use of them but obviously we cannot…

AW:      What’s the best match you’ve ever reffed at?  The City Gillingham playoff final, I know you did that.  That was an extraordinary match wasn’t it?

MH:      Oh it was fantastic.  Every game I referee is good.  You know, I treat every game the same.  You know, I just love refereeing.  I just love football and I treat every game the same, whether it be at Rotherham, Morecambe, Accrington or wherever it be…at Goodison Park, I treat every game the same.

AW:      You’ve done a league cup final, a charity shield.  Would the FA Cup Final be the dream?

MH:      Oh yeah it would be. I mean with my illness and obviously, you know, being out all season, there’s that carrot there and it would be great if I could come back and referee that FA Cup Final, on merit and not on sentiment.

AW:      How’s the restaurant going on?  You still involved?

MH:      Yeah, it’s not too bad.  It’s been a struggle.  It’s been a massive struggle but you know…it’s been difficult.  But yeah, my wife’s been running that so I’ve not had a lot of involvement with that.

AW:      Where do people go if they… you’ve been good enough to talk to us so we might as well give you a plug.  Where do people go if they want to get involved?

MH:      It’s Ristaurante Sottovento, 69 Worsley Road in Farnworth.  So come along and speak to us or whatever, and support your local restaurant.

AW:      Just a couple of final things then, just on more general reffing issues.  Are players more disrespectful now and does that really affect kids watching them?

MH:      No I don’t think so, no.  To be fair, I think the Respect Programme’s working very well from what I’ve seen of it and, you know, I can only talk for myself and I get the utmost respect from players and I think that the players give the referees the utmost respect as well to be fair.  You know, I think that’s been working well.

AW:      You know when players do surround you though and obviously we’ve talked about the passion that’s involved, and they do get right in your face and, you know, you only have to watch Match of the Day to see that there is some fairly choice stuff being said by the players.  Are you not tempted just to get the yellow card straight out?  That would stop them soon enough, wouldn’t it?

MH:            Well…as I say, football’s a very emotional game and, you know, that’s what it is, it’s very emotional.  And referees manage the occasion, they take that into consideration, so they may just be doing it to themselves and it may look as if it’s at the referee.  I mean the referee on the whole; I think the referees in England do an excellent job.  And the players and the managers do respect that.

AW:      And how’s it different when you’re refereeing an international game or a European game?  Is it more difficult with the language and that kind of thing?

MH:      No they all speak English.

AW:      So you make yourself understood?

MH:      Yeah.

AW:            Refereeing an international game must be a real honour as well.

MH:      It is yeah.  It’s a great honour to represent your country, just like a player, it’s a great honour to represent your country abroad with the three lions and the FIFA badge.  It’s fantastic.  So it’s just the same for a referee as it is for a player representing your country.

AW:      And what’s the future hold Mark?  Obviously you’ll try and keep your recovery on track and get back as a regular Premier League ref next season?

MH:      Yeah, well hopefully I’d like to get a game this season.  But we’ll see how my fitness goes and I’m getting stronger all the time and as I say, it’s not been easy, considering another 2 weeks I wouldn’t be here standing talking to you, it’s been amazing and the Christie  has been a fantastic hospital and my professional team has been brilliant with me and as I say I’ve got a charity dinner on May 7^th at Lancashire Cricket Club, which we’ve got Roberto Mancini, Sir Alex Ferguson, Owen Coyle and Sam Allardyce is guest of honour so it should be a great night.

AW:      Brilliant, how do people find out more about that if they want to?

MH:      They can contact Lancashire County Cricket Club. There’s a Lancashire website and if they want to make a donation, they can text Mark to 78070 to help raise money for the Christie. Or they can visit the Just Giving website…www.justgiving.com/Mark-Halsey

AW:            Fantastic. We wish you all the best with your recovery and it’ll be great to see you back on the pitch in the premier league.

MH:      OK thanks very much.

Click the link to listen to the interview.

http://www.zshare.net/audio/751463426e948768/

As well as battling the illness he is actively fundraising to raise money for The Christie, the leading cancer centre in Manchester. You can help him reach his £50,000 target by visiting www.justgiving.com/mark-halsey or goto http://www.lccc.co.uk/index.php?p=news&id=3495 for details of Mark’s charity dinner on May 7^th at which Sir Alex Ferugson, Owen Coyle, Roberto Mancini and Sam Allardyce will be in attendance.