Bolton Wanderers Hall of Fame #6: Owen Coyle
Friday December 5th, 2008
A scorer of important goals, worthy of his place in McDonald’s…
There was an interesting discussion on the Times’ The Game podcast recently about how strikers don’t score goals any more. Their evidence was that the only three of the Premier League’s top 10 goalscorers are still playing (and none of them are at the top of their game any more).
The history of Bolton Wanderers in that same period certainly backs this up. Where we once had John McGinlay and Andy Walker both banging in 20 plus goals a season, we now have Kevin Davies struggling to get in to double figures.
I’m not knocking Davies, who does a great job for the team, but fans love a goalscorer, and if Gary Megson could pull one out of the hat (Johan Elmander, perhaps?) then you’d soon see some of those empty seats at the Reebok filling up.
In this context, my assessment of the achievements of Owen Coyle’s contribution to Bolton Wanderers has changed a lot.
Coyle was always in the shadow of Walker and – when he left – McGinlay. Even Mixu Paatelainen seemed to get more affection from the fans, who were quick to change the words of Coyle’s song to ‘gets the ball and does f*** all’ as soon as he missed a chance or mis-controlled (which, to be fair, he did to quite often).
I remember laughing out loud when they built the McDonald’s on Middlebrook and put Coyle’s name on a Wanderers wall of fame alongside McGinlay and Nat Lofthouse.
But compared to today’s strikers, not only was Coyle a fairly prolific striker (check out Coyle’s stats here), he also scored some incredibly important goals: against Everton and Arsenal (twice) in the FA Cup, and more importantly, this goal against Reading in the 1995 play-off final…
[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4zXec-Czwd0]
Everyone remembers Fabian De Freitas’s brace from that game and Keith Branagan’s penalty save, but few remember Coyle’s contribution, playing out of position on the left wing in an injury-hit team.
I don’t think I’m the only Bolton Wanderers fan who has changed their view on Coyle, either. I noticed quite a few congratulatory messages on the various Wanderers discussion boards this week after Coyle’s Burnley side knocked Arsenal out of the Carling Cup.
There was a certain evocation of the spirit of Bruce Rioch’s giantkilling Bolton side in all this bonhomie, of course. But it’s not every day you see Wanderers fans extending the hand of friendship to their Lancashire neighbours. For that, Owen Coyle, we salute you.
How highly do you rate Owen Coyle’s contribution to Bolton Wanderers? Have your say on Coyle in the comment box below…
Andy Walker, BWFC People, Fabian De Freitas, Gary Megson, Johan Elmander, John McGinlay, Keith Branagan, Kevin Davies, Mixu Paatelainen, Nat Lofthouse, Owen Coyle
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