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John McGinlay believes Wanderers should hand some specialist help to Gary Madine if they want him firing again in League One.
After a difficult first season at the Macron Stadium, the big striker still has plenty to prove to Whites fans, some of whom gave him a rough ride last term.
But while Madine has struggled to win over supporters in the last 12 months, one of the club’s most prolific goalscorers of all time reckons he could benefit from some expert advice.
“Given the work, I think Madine has a chance,” he told The Bolton News. “I’d like to have him for six weeks, two months, and I think you’d see a difference.
“He has got all the tools. He’s a good athlete, he’s good with his back to goal, he can get in behind, he’s decent in the air. But clearly there are issues he has to sort.
“I don’t think the systems have helped him one bit. And I do think he’s been made the scapegoat for the team not doing well at times, which is a little too easy.”
A return of six goals made Madine Wanderers’ joint-second top-scorer but after some bad misfortune in his first few competitive games, he struggled for confidence as the team struggled for results.
A well-publicised spat with manager Neil Lennon coupled with some persistent injury problems exacerbated the 25-year-old’s problems and he featured just once – the infamous 6-0 defeat at Bristol City – in the final two months of the campaign.
While McGinlay accepts Madine “has to help himself” he also insists there were tactical reasons why he under-performed last season and has backed the former Sheffield Wednesday man to prosper in Phil Parkinson’s more direct brand of football.
“You have to ask if Madine was given enough support – on and off the pitch?” said the former Scotland international.
“He was getting one or two chances a game and not scoring but strikers should be getting more than that. It should be six, eight. That might sound a lot but it isn’t and a team like Phil Parkinson has put together in the past will be getting crosses into the box and giving Madine a chance.
“One up front is a very difficult position to play. If you’re up against a back four and the full-backs tuck in, you are completely outnumbered.
“We didn’t get the support up to Madine, or Emile Heskey last season. You find yourself chasing your own flick-ons, never having a pass to play.
“Don’t get me wrong, I think Madine was a bit lazy at times and his attitude can be questioned too. But if you can get him into a bit of scoring form then you will see a completely different player.”
Neil Lennon did look to bring McGinlay to the training ground to work with the club’s strikers at the start of last season but the move was vetoed by former chairman Phil Gartside and the board.
Whether Parkinson and his staff look to recruit any specialist help for their front men remains to be seen but the Whites legend reckons it is an area all-too-often overlooked outside the top flight.
“Clubs bring in a goalkeeping coach because it’s a specialist position but I’d argue every position has its own requirements,” he said.
“Your most expensive player is invariably up top. If he scores more goals, he’s worth a lot more too.
“You might do a bit of crossing and finishing to help the attacking players but there isn’t a lot of one-on-one help and I think strikers can benefit from that more than anyone else.”
Madine’s success could also hinge on Zach Clough – last season’s top scorer – playing further forward than he did last season, argues McGinlay.
“I think he’s got to get back to playing in the penalty box more,” he said. “He dropped off a lot last season, played out wide, but he’s not doing enough damage there.
“I can see him dropping behind Madine and being more of a partnership than they were last season.
“But that is another thing you can only really improve on the training ground – getting to know each other’s game and really working on your relationship on the pitch.”
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After a difficult first season at the Macron Stadium, the big striker still has plenty to prove to Whites fans, some of whom gave him a rough ride last term.
But while Madine has struggled to win over supporters in the last 12 months, one of the club’s most prolific goalscorers of all time reckons he could benefit from some expert advice.
“Given the work, I think Madine has a chance,” he told The Bolton News. “I’d like to have him for six weeks, two months, and I think you’d see a difference.
“He has got all the tools. He’s a good athlete, he’s good with his back to goal, he can get in behind, he’s decent in the air. But clearly there are issues he has to sort.
“I don’t think the systems have helped him one bit. And I do think he’s been made the scapegoat for the team not doing well at times, which is a little too easy.”
A return of six goals made Madine Wanderers’ joint-second top-scorer but after some bad misfortune in his first few competitive games, he struggled for confidence as the team struggled for results.
A well-publicised spat with manager Neil Lennon coupled with some persistent injury problems exacerbated the 25-year-old’s problems and he featured just once – the infamous 6-0 defeat at Bristol City – in the final two months of the campaign.
While McGinlay accepts Madine “has to help himself” he also insists there were tactical reasons why he under-performed last season and has backed the former Sheffield Wednesday man to prosper in Phil Parkinson’s more direct brand of football.
“You have to ask if Madine was given enough support – on and off the pitch?” said the former Scotland international.
“He was getting one or two chances a game and not scoring but strikers should be getting more than that. It should be six, eight. That might sound a lot but it isn’t and a team like Phil Parkinson has put together in the past will be getting crosses into the box and giving Madine a chance.
“One up front is a very difficult position to play. If you’re up against a back four and the full-backs tuck in, you are completely outnumbered.
“We didn’t get the support up to Madine, or Emile Heskey last season. You find yourself chasing your own flick-ons, never having a pass to play.
“Don’t get me wrong, I think Madine was a bit lazy at times and his attitude can be questioned too. But if you can get him into a bit of scoring form then you will see a completely different player.”
Neil Lennon did look to bring McGinlay to the training ground to work with the club’s strikers at the start of last season but the move was vetoed by former chairman Phil Gartside and the board.
Whether Parkinson and his staff look to recruit any specialist help for their front men remains to be seen but the Whites legend reckons it is an area all-too-often overlooked outside the top flight.
“Clubs bring in a goalkeeping coach because it’s a specialist position but I’d argue every position has its own requirements,” he said.
“Your most expensive player is invariably up top. If he scores more goals, he’s worth a lot more too.
“You might do a bit of crossing and finishing to help the attacking players but there isn’t a lot of one-on-one help and I think strikers can benefit from that more than anyone else.”
Madine’s success could also hinge on Zach Clough – last season’s top scorer – playing further forward than he did last season, argues McGinlay.
“I think he’s got to get back to playing in the penalty box more,” he said. “He dropped off a lot last season, played out wide, but he’s not doing enough damage there.
“I can see him dropping behind Madine and being more of a partnership than they were last season.
“But that is another thing you can only really improve on the training ground – getting to know each other’s game and really working on your relationship on the pitch.”
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