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VOTE: Was Sam Allardyce right to criticise Wanderers . . ?

Yes, says David Magilton

SAM Allardyce has every right to take a swipe at the club he loves.

To witness Wanderers' fall from grace has been heartbreaking for everyone concerned and doubly so for the man who built it up in the first place.

You can question the motives as to why Allardyce, pictured, walked out on Wanderers with two games of last season remaining, but after seeing the way the club have fallen from grace this season, it must have been very difficult for him to have kept his own council for so long.

Reader Poll
Was Sam Allardyce right to criticise Wanderers?
Yes
48.1%
No
51.9%

The timing of his remarks is a different matter, however, and with Wanderers facing probably the most important game of the season against Sunderland on Saturday, could hardly have come at a more inopportune moment.

But he was asked the question on the radio and in typical Big Sam fashion answered it honestly. Maybe he has a hidden agenda or was hoping his comments would, in some perverse way, be a spur to the team.

After all, Big Sam knows many of the players well and may have used his outburst to fire up the players.

They can either react in a positive way or could simply ignore his rantings as just that.

But after the way his side had progressed in the eight years he was at the Reebok helm, it must have been disappointing, to say the least, for him to watch Wanderers languishing at the bottom of the Premiership with the Championship calling.

They are still not out of the woods and we all hope that their reformation of the last three games will continue, but it should all have been so different.

Allardyce's comments appear to have overlooked his side's poor form in the second half of last season, but there was still a sound basis of a squad to build upon in the summer.

The quality of some of those signings left a lot to be desired and undoubtedly played a major factor in why Bolton have struggled, but it was compounded by the fact that Allardyce himself was quite happy to poach several of his highly-rated backroom staff when he left for Newcastle.

Allardyce lives in the town and, although born in Dudley, is as Boltonian as they come.

It appears everybody else has a view on Wanderers' plight, as witnessed by the more than vociferous deluge of comments on our website and in the paper over the past few weeks, so why shouldn't Big Sam not be entitled to his twopennyworth.

No, says Neil Bonnar

SAM Allardyce says he is upset to see Wanderers in trouble, and nobody could blame him.

He spent eight years working for the club during which time he took them from the Championship to the top eight of the Premiership in each of the last four seasons.

He laid into his old club big style on Monday saying they have brought about a "demise" after he left them in "great shape".

He criticised what he called the "pulling apart" of the team he left, and accused his successors of trying to fix something that wasn't broken.

All heavy stuff.

As a football fan as well as a newspaper man I've been waiting to hear what he has to say about events at Wanderers since he left.

I've got no problems with what he said - everyone is entitled to their opinion, and Allardyce more than anyone on this issue.

What I do have a problem with is the timing of it.

A lot of the current team played under Allardyce, some were bought by him and others were brought through the ranks by him.

These players have been brought up to take notice of what he says, and probably still do.

I hope that this week they ignore it because the timing of the comments couldn't be worse as regards trying to keep Wanderers in the Premiership.

Wanderers have got enough problems at the moment without the distraction of Allardyce slaughtering them.

They are one point above the relegation zone with two games to play. Their last match is at Chelsea who haven't lost at home for four years and may need to win to have a chance of pipping Manchester United to the title.

All things being equal we can write off any chance of Wanderers getting anything but a cup of tea and a shower at Stamford Bridge.

Which means they will almost certainly have to win at home to Sunderland on Saturday to stay in the Premiership.

The rest of the country hates Wanderers and would dance on their grave if they went down.

Everyone in the Bolton camp is battling manfully to try and survive, with seven points and two capacity away followings in the last three games.

They need all the help they can in their preparation for the biggest game since the last relegation fight five years ago.

The man who led them to safety on that occasion has done nothing to help them achieve it this year by expressing his opinions now.

7:54am Thursday 1st May 2008

Print   Email this   Comment
Posted by: steve, bolton on 2:15pm Thu 1 May 08
What big Sam said will have no effect on anyone whatsoever.
It'll mean nothing to the players who are the only people who matter.
Posted by: steve, bolton on 2:22pm Thu 1 May 08
The rest of the country hates Wanderers and would dance on their grave if they went down.

I travel extensively around the country and discuss football regularly with many supporters and can honestly say I have never got the impression that Bolton are even mildly disliked,in fact many people are very pleased that a club as small as Bolton were able to compete with the big clubs whilst others struggled.
Posted by: davel, n wales on 2:29pm Thu 1 May 08
if bsa cant comment on bolton then who can,he built the club up from virtually nothing I heard the interview he was asked the question and he answered honestly.why cant bolton news ask these questions .like if we still had money to spend after anelka sale why didnt we spend it .as per usual lies from gartside.I know megson is a yes man but does he have to say the same crap as the chairman.I HAVE BEEN A FAN FOR 32 YEARS AND FOLLOWED BOLTON ALL OVER THE COUNTRY BUT I HAVE HAD ENOUGH IAM NOT GOING UNTIL WE GET RID OF CURRENT REGIME.
Posted by: jp cotton, heywood on 2:38pm Thu 1 May 08
Most people outside the club seem to have respect for us.I work with mainly united fans and they seem to have respect for Bolton. Sams comments are fair enough he did a wonderful job for the club and tells the truth.
Posted by: Gareth Jones, Australia on 3:11pm Thu 1 May 08
jp cotton wrote:
Most people outside the club seem to have respect for us.I work with mainly united fans and they seem to have respect for Bolton. Sams comments are fair enough he did a wonderful job for the club and tells the truth.
As usual, Wanderers supporters are more well-informed than The Bolton News journalists, who are more interested in creating a sensationalist, advertising-selling beat-up, than reporting real football news. These Allardyce stories are nothing more an obvious distraction from the disastrous and incompetent Bolton leadership of Phil Gartside and Gary Megson.
Posted by: Andy W, Cumbria on 3:18pm Thu 1 May 08
Big Sam did nothing by himself. He was part of a successful team that included Phil Gartside, Eddie Davies and the rest. Sam at Newcastle proved that without a patient and honest board behind him, he wouldn't last long. This is the man who took apart our backroom staff when he left, bought Cid and a lot of other dumb buys and left us in relegation form.

Some of you are too easily impressed with his own self publicity. We could easily have gone under as a club without Davies and Gartside. Their leadership and Sam's management skills led us to Europe twice and top 8 on four successive years. Some of you are forgetting who has steadied our club and gave Sam full rein to run the team as he wanted (probably the same people who wanted BSA sacked for our boring brand of football).
Posted by: apple on 3:57pm Thu 1 May 08
Andy W if we were in relegation form how come we amassed more points since January than we have under the ginger numpty since January this year. What form are we in now if we were in relegation form last year when we managed to qualify for Europe. Big Sam is entitliled to his opinion and can voice it when he likes as he has earned the right to do so.
Posted by: Gareth Jones, Australia on 4:02pm Thu 1 May 08
Andy W wrote:
Big Sam did nothing by himself. He was part of a successful team that included Phil Gartside, Eddie Davies and the rest. Sam at Newcastle proved that without a patient and honest board behind him, he wouldn't last long. This is the man who took apart our backroom staff when he left, bought Cid and a lot of other dumb buys and left us in relegation form. Some of you are too easily impressed with his own self publicity. We could easily have gone under as a club without Davies and Gartside. Their leadership and Sam's management skills led us to Europe twice and top 8 on four successive years. Some of you are forgetting who has steadied our club and gave Sam full rein to run the team as he wanted (probably the same people who wanted BSA sacked for our boring brand of football).
You cannot deny the empirical evidence. Look where we were 12 months' ago, and where we are right now. Allardyce was the catalyst for everything at Bolton. Mr Davis is just a businessman, not a benefactor; Mr Gartside is just an account, and MR Megson is . . . well, Mr Megson has no charisma, and he cannot plan, or manage a football team. Are you a BN journalist?
Posted by: Andy W, Cumbria on 4:15pm Thu 1 May 08
You've also got to look where Megson started the season from and the dispirited players he took over. Big Sam lost any respect for his views when he walked out of the club. He's now a tarnished and failed manager. He might get another job abroad. he will never be given the reins of a top club now. Why? Because Bolton, and by that I mean Davies and Gartside, gave him the perfect platform to perform on.

Megson's not perfect - far from it. But he's who we've got and it looks likely that he'll keep us in the Premier League - something that did not seem possible when he took over.

Allardyce was NOT the catalyst. That belongs to Gartside. It was he who took the risk and appointed Big Sam. A catalyst is an chemical that causes other chemicals to react. gartside was here first. Therefore is anyone should be given that title it belongs to Phil Gartside.

Without him and Davies, there would now be no Bolton Wanderers. Don't forget that.

Now that's what I call empirical evidence!
Posted by: deano, Bolton on 4:28pm Thu 1 May 08
Andy W you are an idiot. simple as that.
Posted by: apple on 4:32pm Thu 1 May 08
Megson should not be involved with football let alone at Bolton it is the biggest mistake that Gartside has made even bigger than the appointment of LSL. The reason for this is his record and it has not improved any other club would have sacked him by now he is totally inept. If you think he is capable of better then you know nothing about football. Any decent manager would have taken us to mid table by now and not relied on luck to scrape points out of our last two games.
Posted by: Victor, Horwich on 4:48pm Thu 1 May 08
Neil Bonnar - He laid in to his Club big style. Big style - sounded to me like he had a lot of concern in his voice and it was an honest enough answer - so don't spin this. Laid in to - he actually stated the facts. If he wanted to lay in to the Club he would only have reiterated what many of the posts on the BN website already have stated. His Club - you still believe that he has fond association and still believes it to be his Club as well as many of us do. If you want to do a bit of honest journalism why don't you and your mate David start a for and against forum about the wonderful Chairman and see how many against you get on that subject.
Posted by: Gareth Jones, Australia on 5:04pm Thu 1 May 08
Andy W:

Re: Mr Gartside, as catalyst

Andy, I do respect your right to hold that point of view, but I suspect a high majority of individuals posting on this site would disagree with you, including me.

Mr Megson has had plenty of time to prove himself at Bolton Wanderers, and quite frankly, Mr Gartside has made two disastrous appointments that have the potential to destroy our Premier League status. This managerial duo is a disaster! When Mr Davis has sold the club, its supporters will still be here to pick up the pieces.

Moreover, I am very glad to see that you can read a dictionary and write in decent English prose. And I'm sure you wouldn't sink so low to be a BN journalist?
Posted by: Steve Battersby, Oldham on 5:21pm Thu 1 May 08
I have decided not to contribute further to this site after this posting. I have always tried to put my arguments in a positive and structured manner and to accept that other people will view each situation in different ways.

Above, we have an equally well reasoned and logical posting from Andy W that clearly not everyone agrees with. I myself partly support his theory but do feel Allardyce would have emerged at some club to do what he did at The Reebok and therefore Gartside's contribution, though critical, was not necessarily pivotal to events in the past 8 years.

To then read 'Deano's' one line response which is not only utter nonsense but also insulting in its content has convinced me that to indulge this site further is a waste of my valuable time.

From hereon in I will send letters to the paper and take my chance on having them printed in the hard copy, where censorship thankfully still exists. Deano and others like him are fully entitled to their views but they should be expressed in a civil manner and show respect to those who try and think their way through issues.

Let's all get to The Reebok on Saturday and help try and keep us in The Premier League. So this is au revoir but maybe not goodbye.
Posted by: Gatecrasher, Canada on 5:27pm Thu 1 May 08
As i said before , Mr "A,s" timing is incredebly bad. As it was when he left this club.( just before the end of the season). His consideration for making comments are for himself. We are not talking about his abilities as a manger , but his lack of ability to keep his mouth shut.It seems he has done as much as possible to disrupt this team since he left, raiding staff and players.. he may have had issues with the club management, but he should think about what this club did for him as well by giving him the chance to build his reputation as a manager.
Save your comments till the season is over Mr Allardyce,. If anyone cares to listen!
Posted by: Julie Moores, Bolton on 5:31pm Thu 1 May 08
I dont agree at all with Andy. Sam was battling all the time he was here against Gartside/Davies.
He had ambition, they didnt.
Posted by: Pedro, Bolton on 5:58pm Thu 1 May 08
From BWFC site: Good luck lads!

THE CLUB has released its team news for tonight's Manchester Senior Cup game against Stockport County at Moss Lane, Altrincham.

Squad: Brocklehurst, McDonald, Burns, Sheridan, Carlisle, Gbemie, Mooy, Sissons, Obadeyi, Wolze, Ward, Sinclair, Harsanyi, Michail, Smith.

Wanderers only need to draw the game to see them played Manchester United in the final.
Posted by: john readyhoff, LosAngeles on 6:28pm Thu 1 May 08
Gartside is doing a great job .. after all he did sign up Sam .. its dissapointing that Sam is having a go at his own Team, he should be supporting their fight for survival.

JR
Posted by: Pedro, Bolton on 6:30pm Thu 1 May 08
NB states: "Their last match is at Chelsea who haven't lost at home for four years and may need to win to have a chance of pipping Manchester United to the title."

Remember the home records of Bayern and Red Star? Records are there to be broken!!! And what better day to break Chelsea's with 3000 Wanderers supporters at the Bridge to witness it!!

Come on you Whites!!!

FILL THE REEBOK ON SATURDAY AND TO THE SS (SILENT SUPPORTERS) - DROWN OUT THOSE MACKEMS!!
Posted by: Gloucster White, Gloucester on 6:38pm Thu 1 May 08
What I don't understand is the poll say just under 60% agree with BSA I am one of those. So heres the question how come about 90% of people have said/are saying exactly the same him on here and yet some of you are slagging him off for it. Double standards if you ask me or pi55ed of cos he got to say it in the open and beat you to it. Shallow. Fact is he is right and we all know it. Thing is some of us drink coffee in a morning some of you stay in the comatosed state. Time to wake up people. Like him or loath him BSA was and is likely to be for quite some time the best manager (acheivment wise) we have EVER had. End OF goodnight
Posted by: Bristolwhite, Bristol on 6:39pm Thu 1 May 08
I think Gartside got lucky with Allardyce who changed the fortunes of the club very quickly. He achieved the success he did despite Gartside (Davies). Who else could have made us into top 8 regulars on such limited resources? The Chairman's appointments since Sam left speak volumes for his decision making.
Posted by: ding dang do, just outside the relegation zone on 8:12pm Thu 1 May 08
Right you moaning set of tosspots :) is Saturday going to be the best atmosphere of the season?

'I'm in the mood for singing'

Come on you white men! Lets get behind our team!

We can sort the other rubbish out after!!
Posted by: Camposcomb, westhoughton on 8:21pm Thu 1 May 08
BSA is entitled to his oppinion because the facts speak for themselves.Since he left its been all downhill thanks to Gartside ,LSL and Megson and as for bad timing wasnt it our beloved current manager who has recently spoken up for Brum,s chances of staying up and just today praised Sunderland!!
Posted by: culchethwhite, Culcheth on 8:22pm Thu 1 May 08
Getting very bored reading these comments, it's the same old story. What's important now is positivity from now 'till the final whistle on Saturday night. We need everybody pulling in the right direction...nothing else matters. So save all your energy for the game. We, the fans, now need to show that we're not a fickle lot just passionate about BWFC. ps we desperately need an anthem !
Posted by: Pedro, Bolton on 8:53pm Thu 1 May 08
Me too Culcheth White! We should have been having a ball in Florence tonight, makes my white blood boil!

Come on you Whites!!!
Posted by: MICK, BOLTON on 8:58pm Thu 1 May 08
Sam Allardyce will know more about whats happening behind the scenes at the wanderers than me,you and the BN so no matter if you love or hate him its his opinion and its up to him what he says about it.
For all we know he could be taking about whats happend at the accademy with the roumors about megson sacking the coaches.
To say sam failed at newcastle is a joke.
When he left if i remember right they where 10th hows that failing?
Posted by: Pedro, Bolton on 8:58pm Thu 1 May 08
Zenit, who WE beat remember? will waltz through the UEFA Cup Final. They have just thrashed Bayern 4-0.
Posted by: Andy W on 9:04pm Thu 1 May 08
apple wrote:
Andy W if we were in relegation form how come we amassed more points since January than we have under the ginger numpty since January this year. What form are we in now if we were in relegation form last year when we managed to qualify for Europe. Big Sam is entitliled to his opinion and can voice it when he likes as he has earned the right to do so.
Well, partly because we had played 2 more games between January 1 in 2007 and the end of that season, and January 1st this year to date.

Between Jan 07 and the end of the seasoon we had won 4 league games, drawn 5 and lost 8. This season since January, we have won 4 games, drawn 3 and lost 8. A win on saturday and we'll have amssed more points in the post-Christmas period this season than last season.

So that's why I said that we were in relegation form last season.

The facts since Big Sam left are obvious - he's unemployed and his reputation in the game has fallen. We are likely to be a Premier league team again next season.

Let's not forget that in 2004/05, we went 10 games and only picked up 3 points. Did we call for Big Sam to be sacked then? No! Megson's just been through a similar patch.
Posted by: Andy W on 9:08pm Thu 1 May 08
MICK wrote:
Sam Allardyce will know more about whats happening behind the scenes at the wanderers than me,you and the BN so no matter if you love or hate him its his opinion and its up to him what he says about it.
For all we know he could be taking about whats happend at the accademy with the roumors about megson sacking the coaches.
To say sam failed at newcastle is a joke.
When he left if i remember right they where 10th hows that failing?
It isn't failing. But look at the difference a good board who backs their manager to the hilt makes. Gartside and Davies had faith in him.

But in the eyes of football, Allardyce is now tarnished goods. Only a Premier team fighting relegation would consider him now.
Posted by: Julie Moores, Bolton on 9:11pm Thu 1 May 08
Very small minded of anyone to have a go at a man who did more for this club than any other manager in history.

I dont think his reputation in football has suffered at all.
Posted by: MICK, BOLTON on 9:21pm Thu 1 May 08
Andy W wrote:
MICK wrote: Sam Allardyce will know more about whats happening behind the scenes at the wanderers than me,you and the BN so no matter if you love or hate him its his opinion and its up to him what he says about it. For all we know he could be taking about whats happend at the accademy with the roumors about megson sacking the coaches. To say sam failed at newcastle is a joke. When he left if i remember right they where 10th hows that failing?
It isn't failing. But look at the difference a good board who backs their manager to the hilt makes. Gartside and Davies had faith in him. But in the eyes of football, Allardyce is now tarnished goods. Only a Premier team fighting relegation would consider him now.
I dont agree.
From what was said at the time mike ashley and the newcastle fans where the one,s that other managers,pundits and fans of other clubs where sla99ing not sam.
Posted by: digger, bolton on 10:17pm Thu 1 May 08
i,m just watchin the boring rangers uefa cup semi-final its goin 2 penalties we should be goin 2 the final flora are awful we would av bt them easy & be on our way 2 wastelands gutted..............
............
Posted by: Toby, Deane on 10:38pm Thu 1 May 08
Congrats to Rangers on reaching the UEFA Cup Final. It could so easily have been us Megson, you useless muppet!
Posted by: Andy W on 10:49pm Thu 1 May 08
Julie Moores wrote:
Very small minded of anyone to have a go at a man who did more for this club than any other manager in history.

I dont think his reputation in football has suffered at all.
Personally, I think John McGovern running a marathon to raise money to keep the club afloat probably tops anything Allardyce did. And at no stage have I lessened Sam's achievements at Bolton - just pointing out it was a team effort and he couldn't have done it without a huge amount of support from the board.
Posted by: Andy W on 10:50pm Thu 1 May 08
MICK wrote:
Andy W wrote:
MICK wrote: Sam Allardyce will know more about whats happening behind the scenes at the wanderers than me,you and the BN so no matter if you love or hate him its his opinion and its up to him what he says about it. For all we know he could be taking about whats happend at the accademy with the roumors about megson sacking the coaches. To say sam failed at newcastle is a joke. When he left if i remember right they where 10th hows that failing?
It isn't failing. But look at the difference a good board who backs their manager to the hilt makes. Gartside and Davies had faith in him. But in the eyes of football, Allardyce is now tarnished goods. Only a Premier team fighting relegation would consider him now.
I dont agree.
From what was said at the time mike ashley and the newcastle fans where the one,s that other managers,pundits and fans of other clubs where sla99ing not sam.
Let's see if he's in the running for the City job in a few weeks. Don't think he will be, though this time last year, he was.
Posted by: joannebk, bolton on 10:57pm Thu 1 May 08
I think that BSA is positioning himself nicely for a return to wanderers if a consortium comes in and (hopefully) ejects gartside and davies.

Clean slate, clear out...

Let's hope he has the dosh and the insight to do something constructive with it.

Make sure Al Habsi stays, for starters.
Posted by: Pedro, Bolton on 11:11pm Thu 1 May 08
Well done lads!

Wanderers Through To MSC Final
Posted on: Thu 01 May 2008


BOLTON WANDERERS will face Manchester United in the final of the Manchester Senior Cup after beating Stockport County on penalties at Moss Lane.

The young Wanderers side edge out the Hatters 3-2 in the shootout after both sides ground out a scoreless stalemate during 90 minutes.
Posted by: charlie, wigan on 11:11pm Thu 1 May 08
Steve Battersby wrote:
I have decided not to contribute further to this site after this posting. I have always tried to put my arguments in a positive and structured manner and to accept that other people will view each situation in different ways. Above, we have an equally well reasoned and logical posting from Andy W that clearly not everyone agrees with. I myself partly support his theory but do feel Allardyce would have emerged at some club to do what he did at The Reebok and therefore Gartside's contribution, though critical, was not necessarily pivotal to events in the past 8 years. To then read 'Deano's' one line response which is not only utter nonsense but also insulting in its content has convinced me that to indulge this site further is a waste of my valuable time. From hereon in I will send letters to the paper and take my chance on having them printed in the hard copy, where censorship thankfully still exists. Deano and others like him are fully entitled to their views but they should be expressed in a civil manner and show respect to those who try and think their way through issues. Let's all get to The Reebok on Saturday and help try and keep us in The Premier League. So this is au revoir but maybe not goodbye.
Spot on.
There is a culture on this site that if you do not follow the line of GARTSIDE OUT MEGSON OUT brigade you are somehow doing the club an injustice.
The pathetic name calling is ridiculous.
Just remember Sam was always good with self publicity, one of the reasons we liked him. I may not agree with all Andy W says but he deserves to be heard with respect and have his say.
We'll be there Saturday come what may....
Posted by: MICK, BOLTON on 11:45pm Thu 1 May 08
Andy W wrote:
MICK wrote:
Andy W wrote:
MICK wrote: Sam Allardyce will know more about whats happening behind the scenes at the wanderers than me,you and the BN so no matter if you love or hate him its his opinion and its up to him what he says about it. For all we know he could be taking about whats happend at the accademy with the roumors about megson sacking the coaches. To say sam failed at newcastle is a joke. When he left if i remember right they where 10th hows that failing?
It isn't failing. But look at the difference a good board who backs their manager to the hilt makes. Gartside and Davies had faith in him. But in the eyes of football, Allardyce is now tarnished goods. Only a Premier team fighting relegation would consider him now.
I dont agree. From what was said at the time mike ashley and the newcastle fans where the one,s that other managers,pundits and fans of other clubs where sla99ing not sam.
Let's see if he's in the running for the City job in a few weeks. Don't think he will be, though this time last year, he was.
Betting has already opened up on his successor and not surprisingly, Scolari is favourite at 4/1. Others in the betting of interest include, Sam Allardyce at 8/1, Steve McClaren at 8/1, and Jose Mourinho also at 8/1.

From-
http://www.betting-d
irectory.com/sports-
betting-article2422.
html
Posted by: Northern Star, Canada on 1:01am Fri 2 May 08
It only hurts coz its true.
O.M.G. did the club and local paper forget WE ARE 1 POINT AWAY FROM RELEGATION.
Maybe B.S.A. is trying to light a fire under the clubs and players **** in order to get the result we need(which is nothing less than a win).He is just stating his intensions before he retakes his club(clear out some of the less motivated members of this team).
L.O.L wishful thinking.
COME ON "U" WHITES,saturday is the season.
Posted by: ad_bwfc, Essex on 1:27am Fri 2 May 08
who scored for our reserves in the game tonight because bolton websites reporting is as good as ever..

more to follow..............


in two weeks
Posted by: ad_bwfc, Essex on 1:30am Fri 2 May 08
ad_bwfc wrote:
who scored for our reserves in the game tonight because bolton websites reporting is as good as ever.. more to follow.............. in two weeks
just realised my silly error. am a bit drunk. apologies to everyone it was a goaless draw.

got my tickets for chelsea. buzzin !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: argietrotter, Buenos Aires on 3:46am Fri 2 May 08
BSAīs capacity for self-delusion appears to be boundless.Has he or all those clamouring for his return forgotten what the last six months of his reign were really like? The football was dire- I got to the point of hoping that my friends here in Argentina wouldnīt see us on TV - the substitutions were diabolical and Iīve lost count of the one goal leads we threw away by trying to defend them, the obsession with work-rate i.e ball-chasing made us look like a fit pub team, we were on relegation form.While I deplore what happened in Lisbon but it was FSA who started the practice of not trying to win Cup gams The foundations of the team were built on sand, we never replaced JayJay and the other ageing stars signed by FSA were always going to run out of steam one day. His supposed hands-on style was exposed in an interview I saw on ESPN with Borgetti, when they asked him how he got on with the manager he said he couldnīt say as he hadnīt had very much contact with him. FSA ran when the paper was coming off the cracks and failed at Nīcastle just as I thought he would.The idea that he left us as an established Premiership team is laughable, we had a couple of good seasons but our position was always going to be precarious, there are about five teams who are not going to be relegated,the rest are always in danger. FSA should shut his mouth,look for a job and prove he is a decent manager, something I seriously doubt.
Posted by: trotters1964, preston on 7:53am Fri 2 May 08
argietrotter wrote:
BSAīs capacity for self-delusion appears to be boundless.Has he or all those clamouring for his return forgotten what the last six months of his reign were really like? The football was dire- I got to the point of hoping that my friends here in Argentina wouldnīt see us on TV - the substitutions were diabolical and Iīve lost count of the one goal leads we threw away by trying to defend them, the obsession with work-rate i.e ball-chasing made us look like a fit pub team, we were on relegation form.While I deplore what happened in Lisbon but it was FSA who started the practice of not trying to win Cup gams The foundations of the team were built on sand, we never replaced JayJay and the other ageing stars signed by FSA were always going to run out of steam one day. His supposed hands-on style was exposed in an interview I saw on ESPN with Borgetti, when they asked him how he got on with the manager he said he couldnīt say as he hadnīt had very much contact with him. FSA ran when the paper was coming off the cracks and failed at Nīcastle just as I thought he would.The idea that he left us as an established Premiership team is laughable, we had a couple of good seasons but our position was always going to be precarious, there are about five teams who are not going to be relegated,the rest are always in danger. FSA should shut his mouth,look for a job and prove he is a decent manager, something I seriously doubt.
so you say you live in argentina, i suppose you are going to tell us you lived all your life in bolton but love it so much you emigrated half the way round the world because i'm getting a bit fed up of ex pats telling us how to run our club or people from other countries telling us what great fans they are, read our history and then you will believe in the legend of bsa, as for our footy if its that crap why dont you join your mates watching man utd or liverpool or this week it will be chelsea , as for borgetti, was a has been over here mate, way off premiership standard, at his peak he would have had a chance of making it, however if your judgement of boltons greatest manager since the 1950's (i assume you have record books in buenes aires) is based on half a dozen words by borgetti, then sadly you know nothing about football. if 4 top 8 finishes in a row are not proof of establishment then what is, self deluded, see megson, gartside and yourself. as for the comment you and your mates etc, i suppose youve been watching the bright attacking football played this season, however i believe we will stay up, if megson is in charge or remains in charge he will have to change his whole footballing ethos for you and your mates to not be embarrased to watch us, excellent grammar, spelling and english, as usual you are probably typing this in horwich. and before you chip in with your usual comments about 'negative' posts charlie, i'll be shouting louder than you on saturday, i can assure you of that. but if we go down all those 'give megson a chance' will be looking for a whole new series of excuses to back their tired old arguments why its not gartside,megson and davies fault.
Posted by: Aidan, sheffield on 2:26pm Fri 2 May 08
All sam said was what we have been saying on this furum, all season. We wouldnt be in the position if he was here, so for me he is the one man who can condone the clubs poor decision making this season.
Posted by: mick, bolton on 3:52pm Fri 2 May 08
i agree with everything sam has said,just thought the timing was wrong.
Posted by: Andy W on 4:57pm Fri 2 May 08
Aidan wrote:
All sam said was what we have been saying on this furum, all season. We wouldnt be in the position if he was here, so for me he is the one man who can condone the clubs poor decision making this season.
Given the form that the club was in when he left I can't see how you can say we wouldn't be in this position if he was here.
Posted by: breezeblock, Manchester on 7:46pm Fri 2 May 08
Argie, I agree with you whole-heartedly.

And Trotter, where in ANY record book does it mention Sam Allardyce? Because our name didn't get engraved onto any cup during his tenure and yet people keep talking about him being a record breaker, most successful, blah, blah, blah...so I'm wondering just where are these records that will show the success of BSA?

Just remember that Harry Redknapp is about to have more success than Sam in a couple of weeks time and Harry hates nutritionalists, psychologosts and ProZone! So without the fancy stuff Harry will actually BE in the record books because Pompey will be carved onto the FA Cup.

That puts it into perspective.



Posted by: stevieg11, belmont rd on 7:55pm Fri 2 May 08
I've heard some cr@p on here but Andy W, U take the biscuit.I've supported the Whites 4, 45 yrs & read BEN comments 4 yrs but U take the biscuit.No-one who has watched the Wanderers recently can agree with U.& that incls my 4 chidren!!
Posted by: Andy W on 8:55pm Fri 2 May 08
stevieg11 wrote:
I've heard some cr@p on here but Andy W, U take the biscuit.I've supported the Whites 4, 45 yrs & read BEN comments 4 yrs but U take the biscuit.No-one who has watched the Wanderers recently can agree with U.& that incls my 4 chidren!!
45 years. In that time, you'll have seen Ian Greaves side, the highs and the lows (Division Four and the like) and some recent highs. We now only have a club because Gartside and Davies have managed the finances well over the last few years. We were within a whisker of the banks pulling the rug from under our feet if Gartside had not asked Eddie Davies to underwrite the club. Those are the facts. We would now be supporters of nothing. No club and the first top flight club to go under.

But what thanks do those guys get from the people on here? None.

Big Sam was part of a team, an important part, but not the be all and end all. And as I've said before, other clubs may well have sacked him and certain parts of our development. Don't forget that either. Remember the 80s? How many managers did we have in that decade?
Posted by: breezeblock, Manchester on 10:21pm Fri 2 May 08
Well said, Andy.
Posted by: argietrotter, Buenos Aires on 2:20am Sat 3 May 08
trotters1964 wrote:
argietrotter wrote: BSAīs capacity for self-delusion appears to be boundless.Has he or all those clamouring for his return forgotten what the last six months of his reign were really like? The football was dire- I got to the point of hoping that my friends here in Argentina wouldnīt see us on TV - the substitutions were diabolical and Iīve lost count of the one goal leads we threw away by trying to defend them, the obsession with work-rate i.e ball-chasing made us look like a fit pub team, we were on relegation form.While I deplore what happened in Lisbon but it was FSA who started the practice of not trying to win Cup gams The foundations of the team were built on sand, we never replaced JayJay and the other ageing stars signed by FSA were always going to run out of steam one day. His supposed hands-on style was exposed in an interview I saw on ESPN with Borgetti, when they asked him how he got on with the manager he said he couldnīt say as he hadnīt had very much contact with him. FSA ran when the paper was coming off the cracks and failed at Nīcastle just as I thought he would.The idea that he left us as an established Premiership team is laughable, we had a couple of good seasons but our position was always going to be precarious, there are about five teams who are not going to be relegated,the rest are always in danger. FSA should shut his mouth,look for a job and prove he is a decent manager, something I seriously doubt.
so you say you live in argentina, i suppose you are going to tell us you lived all your life in bolton but love it so much you emigrated half the way round the world because i'm getting a bit fed up of ex pats telling us how to run our club or people from other countries telling us what great fans they are, read our history and then you will believe in the legend of bsa, as for our footy if its that crap why dont you join your mates watching man utd or liverpool or this week it will be chelsea , as for borgetti, was a has been over here mate, way off premiership standard, at his peak he would have had a chance of making it, however if your judgement of boltons greatest manager since the 1950's (i assume you have record books in buenes aires) is based on half a dozen words by borgetti, then sadly you know nothing about football. if 4 top 8 finishes in a row are not proof of establishment then what is, self deluded, see megson, gartside and yourself. as for the comment you and your mates etc, i suppose youve been watching the bright attacking football played this season, however i believe we will stay up, if megson is in charge or remains in charge he will have to change his whole footballing ethos for you and your mates to not be embarrased to watch us, excellent grammar, spelling and english, as usual you are probably typing this in horwich. and before you chip in with your usual comments about 'negative' posts charlie, i'll be shouting louder than you on saturday, i can assure you of that. but if we go down all those 'give megson a chance' will be looking for a whole new series of excuses to back their tired old arguments why its not gartside,megson and davies fault.
Oh dear,toys out of the pram. What offends you most, the fact that I live in Buenos Aires, that I cricise FSA or my grammar and spelling]
Posted by: argietrotter, Buenos Aires on 4:54am Sat 3 May 08
breezeblock wrote:
Argie, I agree with you whole-heartedly. And Trotter, where in ANY record book does it mention Sam Allardyce? Because our name didn't get engraved onto any cup during his tenure and yet people keep talking about him being a record breaker, most successful, blah, blah, blah...so I'm wondering just where are these records that will show the success of BSA? Just remember that Harry Redknapp is about to have more success than Sam in a couple of weeks time and Harry hates nutritionalists, psychologosts and ProZone! So without the fancy stuff Harry will actually BE in the record books because Pompey will be carved onto the FA Cup. That puts it into perspective.
Thank you
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