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EIDUR Gudjohnsen will have time to sit down and talk with Wanderers about a new contract after completing arguably the most important 90 minutes of his international career to date.
The striker has left nothing to chance as he prepares for Friday’s crucial home Euro qualifier between Iceland and Czech Republic which, if all goes well, could leave his homeland with one foot in next summer’s finals.
Gudjohnsen has trained with MLS club Philadelphia Union to avoid losing any of the sharpness he rediscovered in some style at the Macron Stadium.
At 36, this is his last chance to grace a major competition but whereas he carried the hopes of a nation virtually single-handed in the past, this time he is backed by a golden generation of Icelandic stars in what is his international reincarnation.
Some will be well-known to Wanderers fans like Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson or Cardiff City’s Aron Gunarsson, others less so, like Kolbeinn Sigporsson of Ajax or Alfred Finnbogasson, the Real Sociedad striker linked recently with a loan move to Bolton.
The squad currently share the lead at the top of Group A with Friday’s opponents the Czech Republic and have a five-point advantage on third place at the halfway stage. Victory, especially if results go their way elsewhere, could leave Gudjohnsen heading back to the UK in a very positive frame of mind indeed.
Chasing Iceland are Turkey and the Netherlands, who go to Latvia on the back of a demoralising defeat against the USA – minus Tim Ream – on Friday, their sixth in nine in all competitions.
Since finishing third in the World Cup it has been more total disintegration than total football for the Dutch who know anything but victory in Riga could give them an impossible task to qualify for France next summer.
Next summer’s showpiece was the obvious target Gudjohnsen had in mind when he agreed to end a six-month spell in the wilderness and return to football in November last year, 14 years after he had last pulled on a shirt for Wanderers.
Just like he has in Philadelphia over the last few weeks, the former Barcelona man called in some favours around Europe and managed to keep himself in shape, in case the right offer came along.
And when Neil Lennon extended the opportunity to come and train at Euxton, the scene was set for a fairytale return for club and country.
Though Wanderers were never anything more than inconsistent, Gudjohnsen’s form and fitness improved steadily. There were times, in fact, that the Whites were forced to rely more than they should on the veteran front man when times got bad in the New Year and they started to slide back down the table.
After making an emotional international return in March and scoring in a 3-0 qualifying win against Kazakhstan, Gudjohnsen gained worldwide headlines.
But he switched effortlessly back to the local scene with goals against Blackpool and Cardiff in his next two games to take his total to seven for the campaign as a whole.
Although Gudjohnsen had to leave behind his family in Spain, including heavily pregnant wife Ragnhildur, and communicate via Skype, his role at the club was becoming more and more prominent.
He took on the captaincy towards the end of the season and few could argue against him taking the role on full-time, should he choose to stay.
Retirement has been written off while Iceland remain in contention for the Euros, and so long as Gudjohnsen’s thoughts do not differ significantly from the way they were back in May, he will be back for pre-season training.
“It’s been lovely being back,” he said after the final game of the season against Birmingham. “The main thing was to stay up really, when you look at it from the start of the season, or certainly from where we were from when I arrived.
“We’re not pleased about how we finished the season but there are a lot of good things to come.
“We have just got to make sure we’re ready and prepared for next season.
“I’ve always said it, I loved my time here. I loved the first spell I was here, I love it now. We’ll see where it takes us.”
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/13322722.Eidur_heading_back_for_more_at_Wanderers_once_he_has_realised_his_international_dream/
The striker has left nothing to chance as he prepares for Friday’s crucial home Euro qualifier between Iceland and Czech Republic which, if all goes well, could leave his homeland with one foot in next summer’s finals.
Gudjohnsen has trained with MLS club Philadelphia Union to avoid losing any of the sharpness he rediscovered in some style at the Macron Stadium.
At 36, this is his last chance to grace a major competition but whereas he carried the hopes of a nation virtually single-handed in the past, this time he is backed by a golden generation of Icelandic stars in what is his international reincarnation.
Some will be well-known to Wanderers fans like Swansea’s Gylfi Sigurdsson or Cardiff City’s Aron Gunarsson, others less so, like Kolbeinn Sigporsson of Ajax or Alfred Finnbogasson, the Real Sociedad striker linked recently with a loan move to Bolton.
The squad currently share the lead at the top of Group A with Friday’s opponents the Czech Republic and have a five-point advantage on third place at the halfway stage. Victory, especially if results go their way elsewhere, could leave Gudjohnsen heading back to the UK in a very positive frame of mind indeed.
Chasing Iceland are Turkey and the Netherlands, who go to Latvia on the back of a demoralising defeat against the USA – minus Tim Ream – on Friday, their sixth in nine in all competitions.
Since finishing third in the World Cup it has been more total disintegration than total football for the Dutch who know anything but victory in Riga could give them an impossible task to qualify for France next summer.
Next summer’s showpiece was the obvious target Gudjohnsen had in mind when he agreed to end a six-month spell in the wilderness and return to football in November last year, 14 years after he had last pulled on a shirt for Wanderers.
Just like he has in Philadelphia over the last few weeks, the former Barcelona man called in some favours around Europe and managed to keep himself in shape, in case the right offer came along.
And when Neil Lennon extended the opportunity to come and train at Euxton, the scene was set for a fairytale return for club and country.
Though Wanderers were never anything more than inconsistent, Gudjohnsen’s form and fitness improved steadily. There were times, in fact, that the Whites were forced to rely more than they should on the veteran front man when times got bad in the New Year and they started to slide back down the table.
After making an emotional international return in March and scoring in a 3-0 qualifying win against Kazakhstan, Gudjohnsen gained worldwide headlines.
But he switched effortlessly back to the local scene with goals against Blackpool and Cardiff in his next two games to take his total to seven for the campaign as a whole.
Although Gudjohnsen had to leave behind his family in Spain, including heavily pregnant wife Ragnhildur, and communicate via Skype, his role at the club was becoming more and more prominent.
He took on the captaincy towards the end of the season and few could argue against him taking the role on full-time, should he choose to stay.
Retirement has been written off while Iceland remain in contention for the Euros, and so long as Gudjohnsen’s thoughts do not differ significantly from the way they were back in May, he will be back for pre-season training.
“It’s been lovely being back,” he said after the final game of the season against Birmingham. “The main thing was to stay up really, when you look at it from the start of the season, or certainly from where we were from when I arrived.
“We’re not pleased about how we finished the season but there are a lot of good things to come.
“We have just got to make sure we’re ready and prepared for next season.
“I’ve always said it, I loved my time here. I loved the first spell I was here, I love it now. We’ll see where it takes us.”
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/13322722.Eidur_heading_back_for_more_at_Wanderers_once_he_has_realised_his_international_dream/
