Its time to talk about Bolton Wanderers

mike65

Isn't it? Topsy turvy league or not there can be little doubt that Owen Coyle has turned them into an increasingly sophisticated side while retaining some of that traditional hardy physical presence that served then so well under Sam Allardyce. They have scored 26 goals with Johan Elmander bagging 8 and Kevin Davies 6



Two losses and one of them might be considered a bit unlucky (against Liverpool)



Looking through thier fixtures until the new year I doubt there is a game that they think is beyond them. While I'm not expecting to see Kevin Davies scare Champions League opponents next season a place in the Europa League is certainly not out of the question as things stand, could they do it?

JerryHandbag

When Trappatoni steps down, FAI could do a lot worse than give Owen Coyle a ring.

racso1975

I certainly hope so. Only concern is squad depth. Brum went on a great run last year but last quarter of season fluck'd them up. The lads were just exhausted

racso1975

Also is there talk of money trouble? Heard they may be sellin lads in january

OPENROAD

JerryHandbag wrote: »

When Trappatoni steps down, FAI could do a lot worse than give Owen Coyle a ring.

Why would he take it though?

JerryHandbag

JerryHandbag wrote: »

When Trappatoni steps down, FAI could do a lot worse than give Owen Coyle a ring.

Bolton job >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ireland job

Mr.Nice Guy

Coyle would be a great successor to Trap because his side play similar to the way Trap sets out his teams. The central midfielders Muamba and Holden are not very fancy but they tackle well and do a job. There's good creativity from the wide areas and Davies plays a role similar to Doyle for Ireland. Credit too for Coyle in rejuvenating Elmander.

Coyle will be an unrealistic target as a Trap successor if he keeps doing so well since international management is unlikely to be attractive to a guy doing well at club level in the Premiership.

I'm a huge fan of Bolton's Lee Chung Yong. I think he could do a job for a top club the way Park does for United. In fact I'd love the two to be together at United. He's a little gem that guy.

JerryHandbag

OPENROAD wrote: »

Why would he take it though?

You'd have to ask him. Cos he's an ex Ireland international? (ok just 1 cap). I'm just being optimistic (for a change!) and saying he would be a great choice for post Euro 2012 when I presume Trap will be gone. Hopefully the FAI will have him on their radar, but we'll probably end up with George Burley

OPENROAD

JerryHandbag wrote: »

You'd have to ask him. Cos he's an ex Ireland international? (ok just 1 cap). I'm just being optimistic (for a change!) and saying he would be a great choice for post Euro 2012 when I presume Trap will be gone. Hopefully the FAI will have him on their radar, but we'll probably end up with George Burley

I just can't see much appeal to the job to be honest, it will be very interesting to see who is on the list of possible candidates next time.

everdead.ie

They are playing well but they have had there bit of luck as well which has helped I'd doubt there ability to keep it going over 38 games definetly have it in them for a Europa league place

Whippersnapper

Their second-half performance against Spurs was brilliant to watch. They had numerous chances to take the ball into the corner to waste time but they kept looking for the man. (Fair enough, it turned out to be a risky enough tactic until Petrov wrapped things up)

Ardennes1944

on me 'ed son! not off me ed' son!
sorry

Xavi6

Davies and Elmander have been super and get all the plaudits but I'm a massive Stuart Holden fan. He's a very dynamic midfielder who plays the box to box role very well and has formed a great partnership with Muamba.

Of the 3 o'clock kick offs yesterday I chose Bolton/Newcastle as I expected a cracker and it delivered. Great side to watch now.

eagle eye

I've been an Owen Coyle fan for a good while now. I was really impressed with the way he had St. Johnstone playing when he was there. When he took the Burnley job I was pretty depressed because I don't like to see them doing well. Coyle did a great job there getting them promoted for the first time in 33 years to the top division. Burnley had no money and this was a massive achievement.

But then he got them playing good football in the Premier League. They were always going to find it tough to survive in the Premier League but he really did a great job with them up until his departure immediately after the start of the New Year. Its actually frightening to think that when he left them after 20 games they had 20 points and they only managed to get 10 points from the 18 games when he wasn't there.

He took over Bolton who were in the relegation zone and they finished 14th which was ironically the position that Burnley were in when he left them.

At Bolton he hasn't spent a whole pile of money either. He signed Martin Petrov on a free, he signed Ivan Klasnic who was there on loan the season before on a free too and Robbie Blake also who was so good for him at Burnley. What he has done with Elmander is just amazing. Bolton fans were calling him the greatest waste of money ever by the club when he failed to make it into the lineup for Gary Megson after he splurged out over £8 million on him. But with Coyle its no surprise that he can get the best out of the player.

The thing that makes him special imo is that every player works very, very hard for him. His style of football is pretty exciting to watch too. His attacking philosophy is similar in many ways to what Alex Ferguson has done at United for many years with wide players a very important of his gameplan. The big secret though and its not such a secret is the effort he gets from every player. I don't think he will be long at Bolton because bigger clubs have to be sniffing around already given his record with small clubs and now with Bolton this year. When he gets a job with a big club with money he will win a Premier League title imo.

machiavellianme

Hogson's successor????

Necronomicon

I seem to remember him being roundly criticised when he moved to Bolton - a lot of people called it a 'sideways' move because Burnley were above them at the time. I think it's pretty evident now what a great move it was; he has really unlocked their potential and shown that they are capable of playing football, and being successful at it.

flahavaj

eagle eye wrote: »

I've been an Owen Coyle fan for a good while now. I was really impressed with the way he had St. Johnstone playing when he was there. When he took the Burnley job I was pretty depressed because I don't like to see them doing well. Coyle did a great job there getting them promoted for the first time in 33 years to the top division. Burnley had no money and this was a massive achievement.

But then he got them playing good football in the Premier League. They were always going to find it tough to survive in the Premier League but he really did a great job with them up until his departure immediately after the start of the New Year. Its actually frightening to think that when he left them after 20 games they had 20 points and they only managed to get 10 points from the 18 games when he wasn't there.

He took over Bolton who were in the relegation zone and they finished 14th which was ironically the position that Burnley were in when he left them.

At Bolton he hasn't spent a whole pile of money either. He signed Martin Petrov on a free, he signed Ivan Klasnic who was there on loan the season before on a free too and Robbie Blake also who was so good for him at Burnley. What he has done with Elmander is just amazing. Bolton fans were calling him the greatest waste of money ever by the club when he failed to make it into the lineup for Gary Megson after he splurged out over £8 million on him. But with Coyle its no surprise that he can get the best out of the player.

The thing that makes him special imo is that every player works very, very hard for him. His style of football is pretty exciting to watch too. His attacking philosophy is similar in many ways to what Alex Ferguson has done at United for many years with wide players a very important of his gameplan. The big secret though and its not such a secret is the effort he gets from every player. I don't think he will be long at Bolton because bigger clubs have to be sniffing around already given his record with small clubs and now with Bolton this year. When he gets a job with a big club with money he will win a Premier League title imo.

Fantastic post until the last sentence which is slightly optimistic.

monkey9

flahavaj wrote: »

Fantastic post until the last sentence which is slightly optimistic.

I don't know, i think that's pretty possible. I think Coyle is one of the best young managers around with lots of potential.

I'd like to see Liverpool take a chance on him. It would be a risk, i suppose and the supporters would rather a big name manager who has a proven track record.

But if we appointed Coyle tomorrow, i'd be happy with that.

LuckyLloyd

eagle eye wrote: »

I've been an Owen Coyle fan for a good while now. I was really impressed with the way he had St. Johnstone playing when he was there. When he took the Burnley job I was pretty depressed because I don't like to see them doing well. Coyle did a great job there getting them promoted for the first time in 33 years to the top division. Burnley had no money and this was a massive achievement.

But then he got them playing good football in the Premier League. They were always going to find it tough to survive in the Premier League but he really did a great job with them up until his departure immediately after the start of the New Year. Its actually frightening to think that when he left them after 20 games they had 20 points and they only managed to get 10 points from the 18 games when he wasn't there.

He took over Bolton who were in the relegation zone and they finished 14th which was ironically the position that Burnley were in when he left them.

At Bolton he hasn't spent a whole pile of money either. He signed Martin Petrov on a free, he signed Ivan Klasnic who was there on loan the season before on a free too and Robbie Blake also who was so good for him at Burnley. What he has done with Elmander is just amazing. Bolton fans were calling him the greatest waste of money ever by the club when he failed to make it into the lineup for Gary Megson after he splurged out over £8 million on him. But with Coyle its no surprise that he can get the best out of the player.

The thing that makes him special imo is that every player works very, very hard for him. His style of football is pretty exciting to watch too. His attacking philosophy is similar in many ways to what Alex Ferguson has done at United for many years with wide players a very important of his gameplan. The big secret though and its not such a secret is the effort he gets from every player. I don't think he will be long at Bolton because bigger clubs have to be sniffing around already given his record with small clubs and now with Bolton this year. When he gets a job with a big club with money he will win a Premier League title imo.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055784207&highlight=Owen+Coyle

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055787253&highlight=Owen+Coyle

eagle eye wrote: »

Bolton and Burnley are two of the smallest clubs in the Premier League.
Where on earth are you getting this notion that Bolton have brighter prospects than Burnley? They have similar attendances for home games, neither club has much money. Its a sideways step not a step up.
Coyle has history with Bolton, its a great coup for Bolton but its a very classless mid-season move.

eagle eye wrote: »

Bolton are not a big club, I don't believe for one minute that Coyle would make that move, its a sideways move. Both teams are in the group of clubs that will constantly be fighting for survival in the Premier League.

*whistles*

flahavaj

monkey9 wrote: »

I don't know, i think that's pretty possible. I think Coyle is one of the best young managers around with lots of potential.

I'd like to see Liverpool take a chance on him. It would be a risk, i suppose and the supporters would rather a big name manager who has a proven track record.

But if we appointed Coyle tomorrow, i'd be happy with that.

Saying he will win the league is a bold statement however. Realistically the only two clubs who have won it since rsenal's invincibles are United and Chelsea, I can't see Coyle winding up in either job anytime soon. Either club will be looking at Mourinho-level successors to their current managers if/when they step down, not Bolton-level managers. The other option is City - again I just can't see Coyle getting that job.

That is not to say I don't disagree that Coyle is a good manager - I think he's excellent and I admire his footballing principles. I can see his next port of call being a Villa or Everton-level appointment. Lets see how he handles the increased expectations of these clubs before we start saying he's gonna win the league.

HalloweenJack

I've been an admirer of Coyle since he went to Burnley. It looks like he did a great job there.

I was disappointed that he left them for Bolton 'cause I thought he would have been able to keep them up and I honestly didn't see the appeal of Bolton.

They've had an amazing start to the season and they have looked good. I saw the Liverpool and Spurs games. The Liverpool game was a bit flat, iirc, but they looked brilliant against Spurs, the Spurs who had just beaten Inter.

He has them playing well and, obviously, to be getting the performances he has been out of Elmander, he must be doing something right.

Jax Teller

keysersoze_88 wrote: »

went for bolton think owen coyle will get them playing nice football instead of hoofing it

glad i went for them in this thread

Pro. F

He really is proving himself to be a quality manager. But Bolton's lack of depth and money issues will slow them soon enough I would guess. Hopefully they can secure a Europa League place.

I definitely think he has it in him to turn into a premier league winning manager but that depends on him getting a top job. He's still plenty young so there's a reasonable chance of that happening in time.

I agree with Flah that it would probably involve an Everton/Villa type of team first though.

eagle eye

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055784207&highlight=Owen+Coyle

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055787253&highlight=Owen+Coyle





*whistles*

Whats your point Lloyd?

eagle eye wrote: »

Coyle has history with Bolton, its a great coup for Bolton but its a very classless mid-season move.

I've always rated the man highly and I said it there as you can see. I thought what he did was pretty classless though leaving a club mid-season. I still think Bolton are a small club in Premier League terms. He has done a brilliant job with them and I'm saying that bigger clubs have to be sniffing around him at this stage. I suppose though that it shows that ruthless uncaring side that you have to have to be successful.

I think if he stayed with Burnley last season that they would still be playing Premier League football. I'm not sure that Bolton would have survived if he hadn't went there. We'll never know for sure what would have happened but I don't get what you are suggesting with that post

alias no.9

I was going to wait for the first anniversary of his appointment to bring this one back up. The table is very tight and a game or two can make a big difference to league position but the performances speak for themselves, irrespective of league position.
Does anyone out there still think Gary Megson was hard done by? It seemed to be the opinion of many here that he was doing as good as could be expected for Bolton. With only Stuart Holden and Martin Petrov coming in and starting games, Coyle has turned Megsons sows ear, maybe not into a silk purse, but into something a lot more desirable.
I fear however that the board of the club just aren't ready for this level of success. Things turned sour between the board and Sam Allardice when they were in a similar league position at christmas and Sam looked for backing to push on from there, he didn't get it. He lost interest, the rest of the season was poor though they still qualified for europe based on how well they did in the first half of the season. It's as if the board see finishing any higher than 17th is overspending.

alias no.9

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055784207&highlight=Owen+Coyle

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055787253&highlight=Owen+Coyle

Thanks for digging those links out, I found my big rant in the second one. How's this for reading the tea leaves...

alias no.9 wrote: »

I think Elmander will be a revelation under Coyle.

everdead.ie

I think the biggest problem Bolton will have is getting through the second half of the season. Their chairman came out last week after reporting a £13m loss last year to say that they wouldn't be able to refuse a reasonable (12-15m) offer for Cahill or an offer for elmander who is in the last year of his contract.
Arsenal and Chaelsea in particular will be intrested in Cahill and he would probably be an improvement for City as well over Toure to partner Kompany in central defence.

massdebater

machiavellianme wrote: »

Hogson's successor????

That would be a backwards step for him

Bolton in 5th >>>>>>>>> Liverpool in 9th