10 YEARS AGO

BOLTON Wanderers were looking for a new manager after Colin Todd sensationally quit the club.

Six weeks into his fifth season in charge of team affairs, the former England international ended his seven-year association with the Whites when he resigned in protest over the club’s decision to sell Per Frandsen to Division One rivals Blackburn Rovers for £2.25million.

Todd, who recommended that the Danish international should not be sold, told his directors that his position had become untenable.

He had grown increasingly frustrated by the financial constraints imposed since Wanderers’ failure to win promotion back to the Premiership the previous season. He had been unable to strengthen his squad — even with loan signings — unless he unloaded players.

Twenty-four hours earlier, club chairman Gordon Hargreaves had issued a statement through the Bolton Evening News in an attempt to scotch rumours that Wanderers were close to bankruptcy.

But Todd’s resignation the morning after his son, Andy, had captained the side to victory over Gillingham in a League Cup tie at the Reebok, prompted Hargreaves to admit that, because of the difficult financial position at the time, the club was unable to match the manager’s ambitions.

Todd, who joined Wanderers as assistant to Bruce Rioch in 1992 and became joint manager with Roy McFarland in 1995, assumed sole control in January 1996. He was unable to save the club from relegation from the Premiership that season but guided them straight back into the top flight in record-breaking style the following year.

Relegation in 1998 proved a bitter blow and the writing was on the wall the following year when defeat by Watford in the Play-off Final at Wembley proved financially crippling.

Todd said he was disappointed to be leaving the club but admitted: “It’s going to be very, very difficult to push the club in the direction I want it to go.

“The sale of Per Frandsen makes it more unbearable for myself and the players.”

As Todd left, the guessing game began as to who would succeed him. Former Liverpool manager Roy Evans was installed as an early favourite and Phil Brown — promoted from first team coach to caretaker manager — said he wanted the job. But attention quickly switched to the Midlands where former Wanderers favourite Sam Allardyce was impressing with his management of Notts County.

Elsewhere, Gary Megson’s position as manager of Stoke City was under threat — just two months into his reign at the Britannia Stadium.

An Icelandic business consortium was launching a takeover bid for the Potters and planned to replace Megson with the Icelandic national team manager Gudjon Thordarson.

15 YEARS AGO

JASON McAteer, John McGinlay and Alan Thompson got the goals as Wanderers thrashed Premiership strugglers Ipswich 3-0 at Portman Road in the first leg of their second round Coca-Cola Cup tie.

But it came as no real surprise considering the scalps Bruce Rioch’s giant-killers had taken in previous seasons: Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal and Aston Villa.

It might only have been “half time” and still at the early stages of the competition but McGinlay sensed a memorable cup run was on the cards.

“You never know,” said the legendary fans’ favourite. “This was another superb night for us. These games against Premier League opposition seem to suit us down to the ground.

“I think it’s the way we play. We certainly enjoy them.”

Rioch, who was aiming to lift Wanderers into the Premiership, suggested: “The club has got a momentum going at the moment.”

There could be even greater momentum if rumours were true that Rioch was about to strengthen his squad with the signing of Liverpool’s Steve Nicol, who was available for around £300,000.

Manchester United were in hot water with the Football League for playing an “under-strength” team at Port Vale in the Coca-Cola Cup, but Alex Ferguson didn’t care.

Not only did Fergie’s fledglings beat Vale 2-1, they also gave an exciting glimpse into the future in the shape of Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Keith Gillespie and Gary Neville.

The word from Japan, meanwhile, was that former England international Gary Lineker was about to turn his back on professional football and swap his boots for a microphone.

Lineker announced he would retire at the end of the Japanese season but had no plans to go into management. “My ambitions are towards the media side of the game — TV, possibly radio or writing a little bit,” he said.

40 YEARS AGO

RON Hill, the Bolton Harrier, was the toast of Athens when he confirmed his status as pre-race favourite by winning marathon gold for Britain in the European Athletics Championships.

The 30-year-old research textile chemist from Romiley, Cheshire, won comfortably after overtaking the Belgian veteran, Gaston Roelants in sight of the Panathanaikon Stadium.

Roelants had led from nine miles to the last mile but his legs failed him and he just could not respond to Hill’s challenge.

The Bolton man admitted, however, that he was flagging himself five miles from the end when, lying third behind fellow Brit Jim Alder, he caught sight of Roelants, who was a full two minutes ahead. “Somehow I recovered and caught Alder and then saw Roelants,” he said.

Hill’s victory made it six golds for Britain in the championships, equalling their record at Stockholm in 1958.

Boxing dominated the sports pages with Henry Cooper being declared fit for his “world heavyweight title” fight with Jimmy Ellis at Wembley.

Our Henry was given the all-clear after tearing a cartilage in his knee — an injury that threatened to scupper his hopes of fighting for what was still regarded as an unofficial title.

Cassius Clay had been stripped of the belt after refusing to submit to US Army conscription and was on bail as he appealed against a five-year prison sentence. But that didn’t prevent him travelling to Philadelphia for a spat with Joe Frazier — the New York-recognised world champion.

The confrontation in a Philadelphia police gymnasium followed Clay’s jibes that Frazier was a “flat-footed slow fighter who would have no chance against me”.

But it turned into a farce when officials refused to let the unsanctioned scrap go ahead and Clay challenged Frazier to settle their grievances in a nearby park — a challenge Smokin’ Joe declined.

Back at Burnden Park, Bolton Wanderers produced one of their worst displays for many a day when they lost 1-0 to Portsmouth in a Second Division game notable only for a total lack of excitement and incident.