My thanks to Owen Coyle

Just like to say thanks to Owen Coyle for at least giving us some hope and entertainment as we emerged from the Megson era. Totally understand what he was trying to do but never understood why he tried to do it on the budget he was given. I struggled with his tactics and selections, but he was closest to the players so I'm in no position to disagree. The results have been shit, but at least I enjoyed the footie and always felt we had a chance of winning games - thanks for at least giving us that Owen. And all the best for the future.

You enjoyed the football? Are you high?

Yes. Absolutely caned.

That explains it. The football under Coyle was every bit as bad as under Megson.

I share most of Wanderlust's sentiments. For the best part of 2010/2011, it was as exciting as anything under Allardyce.

I'd like to think he'll get a warm welcome on any return to the Reebok if only for the way that he's conducted himself for the best part of his time at the club.

The footie was good in bits, great in others, appalling at times - plenty to keep everyone entertained one way or another.

Much better than the one-dimensional Megson approach IMO.

Sorry but all this I want to see beautiful football crap is, well... just crap!

Both Sammy Lee and Latterly, Owen Coyle tried it... and failed.

A club of our stature and finances cannot afford to have the players that play like barca, OK, Swansea did it for a few months but they were never going to sustain it, once the players who have been in the limelight bugger off, they are back to square one and unable to sign the players needed to do it again.

Arsenal are a 'big' club that can afford half-decent players and they DO play beautiful football... but really, has it got them anywhere in recent history? No.

I think we have to cut our cloth accordingly and go for a manager who will look at the players he has available and play a team that compliments each players strengths... not how the manager WANTS to play...

The playing style should be dictated by who is available on a game by game basis.

we are much to one-dimentional at the moment and its got to next to nowhere.

If we are playing a team that will try to pass us off the park, play ugly, get in there faces, piss them right off...

Likewise if we are playing a team that's camping in their own box... knock it round them a bit, create spaces for runners etc...

we need a manager that is less interested in 'style' and more concerned with results.

Id rather be a fan of a successful club, that does not sacrafice points for the sake of a bit of cocky movement and passing.

There is a time and place for everything.

wanderlust wrote:at least I enjoyed the footie and always felt we had a chance of winning games.

I can't agree with that bit of your post. The football was terrible the majority of Coyles time and his win ratio was just as terrible.

True but I appreciate stringing a few passes together and you could see they were trying to do it, even if they weren't good enough to pull it off. Also agree with RR inasmuch as you have to have the flexibility to do what the game requires, but still think we were more flexible under OC than GM.

Whoever comes in will have to work with what we've got so I hope everyone gets a chance and more options are tried out.

Reebok_Rebel wrote:Sorry but all this I want to see beautiful football crap is, well... just crap!

Both Sammy Lee and Latterly, Owen Coyle tried it... and failed.

A club of our stature and finances cannot afford to have the players that play like barca, OK, Swansea did it for a few months but they were never going to sustain it,.

You don't need tha players from Barca to be able to play that way, look at Blackpool, ok they got relegated from the prem playing open attacking football but bloody hell it was entertaining as with Swansea.

It's nonsense that teams of our stature can't play good football.

the majority of teams in the championship do play good football.

and i don't mean "barca football" i mean have the ability to pass and move and show for the ball.

Palace do it, Derby and Forrest do it, Leeds do it, in fact having watched all the televised champ games this season I've not seen a team that can't keep it on the floor.... apart from us.

aaron_bwfc wrote:

Reebok_Rebel wrote:Sorry but all this I want to see beautiful football crap is, well... just crap!

Both Sammy Lee and Latterly, Owen Coyle tried it... and failed.

A club of our stature and finances cannot afford to have the players that play like barca, OK, Swansea did it for a few months but they were never going to sustain it,.

You don't need tha players from Barca to be able to play that way, look at Blackpool, ok they got relegated from the prem playing open attacking football but bloody hell it was entertaining as with Swansea.

so your saying that rather than have a successful club, you would rather go down in a blaze of short, quick passes... ?

why did you want coyle out then?

Hipster_Nebula wrote:It's nonsense that teams of our stature can't play good football.

the majority of teams in the championship do play good football.

and i don't mean "barca football" i mean have the ability to pass and move and show for the ball.

Palace do it, Derby and Forrest do it, Leeds do it, in fact having watched all the televised champ games this season I've not seen a team that can't keep it on the floor.... apart from us.

Hipster, the clubs you have named about are all mediocre CHAMPIONSHIP clubs...

I intend on seeing Bolton back in the premier league next season, If we can do it playing tippy-tappy football then cracking, if we need to play ugly, then so be it.

'win at all costs' should be the attitude...

im sorry, but I feel better going home after one nil win with 3 points having stifled the opposition to the point of despair rather than go home losing 8-3 with no points but with 1,234,875 completed passes...

The crazy thing about Coyle is he claimed he wanted Bolton to be a passing team playing entertaining football - then signed useless wankers who were scared of the ball.

So teams of our stature can't afford to have players who can play football but "mediocre" clubs like Leeds can.... ur ok.

Just my opinion but i doubt i'd be alone, the reason we lose most games is our inability to retain possession. It's not about "tippy tappy" It's about the simple, basics of football. You know play with the feet. I'd challenge anyone to find a team thats been successful playing the kind of football we play, long aimless punts into the corners and non existant midfield.

and don't mention big sam because while his team was dire in the last 6 months before that we played excellent football on both sides of the ball. Stoke will be mentioned, they play the percentages but also know how to get forward quickly and utilise wingers.

Natasha Whittam wrote:The crazy thing about Coyle is he claimed he wanted Bolton to be a passing team playing entertaining football - then signed useless wankers who were scared of the ball.

This is why everyone talking about playing nice football is annoying me...

we obviously dont have the players to do it, thus Owen coyles downfall is not having a plan B... he was trying to make players play the way he wanted them to play.

what he should have done, is set the team up to play the way the players play...

he insisted with Kevin Davies playing 4-4-2... if your going to play kevin Davies, he needs to be upfront on his own holding the ball up and knocking the shit out of defenders, hes never going to run on to a through ball from midfield.

he wanted to play nice football, yet left our 2 more technically gifted strikers on the bench (Sordel and Afobe)

I think the problem was having a back four that wanted to play "tippy-tappy" football - unlike Barca's back four who apart from Pique on occasions, don't f*** about.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:So teams of our stature can't afford to have players who can play football but "mediocre" clubs like Leeds can.... ur ok.

Just my opinion but i doubt i'd be alone, the reason we lose most games is our inability to retain possession. It's not about "tippy tappy" It's about the simple, basics of football. You know play with the feet. I'd challenge anyone to find a team thats been successful playing the kind of football we play, long aimless punts into the corners and non existant midfield.

and don't mention big sam because while his team was dire in the last 6 months before that we played excellent football on both sides of the ball. Stoke will be mentioned, they play the percentages but also know how to get forward quickly and utilise wingers.

erm...

I have to mention him... sorry.

Big Sam? during the MOST SUCCESSFUL period in BWFC's history!

Stoke - the way they play does bring results.

The reason the teams you mentioned above have been languishing in the championship/league one for so long is due to the 'purest' fans demanding beautiful football.

apart from Swansea (who are now boring and plain like the rest) what teams have come up from the championship and actually successfully played beautiful football AND stayed up? seriously?

I'm not saying I want megosn back... HELL NO! I'm also not saying I dont want to see tippy-tappy football - id love to, im just thinking any new manager needs to take a realistic and pragmatic approach and not let what he WANTS to see dictate when he CAN do...

I did like his football - up to just before the FA Cup semi-final against stoke. Since then it became mediocre, boring and very one-dimensional and no plan B, never mind not having a plan A for a lot of the games. I gave him teh chance and when he couldn't deliver the goods after the toughest start for any Premiership club in the League's history, last season, then I knew the time was up and change was needed. It is not his fault that Davies and Gartside would sack him sooner. As a possible PR consultant, he would be amazing with what he did when Lofty died and the Muamba incident.

Good luck to him for whatever comes next.

the "long ball" tag attached to big sam was unfair.

we played the percentages and played them well, utilised Davies and the skills of Nolan with midfield runners and 2 men sticking to davies like glue.

the long ball under Coyle is have anyone up top thump the ball to him and have the midfield 20 yards away so the ball is given away.

Also if you think people like Campo, Stelios, Nolan, Heirro, Youri and JayJay couldn't pass the ball, well come on.

that was the difference, we could keep the ball back then. I remember us playing Spurs off the park away at WHL one time when we had Nakata, joy to watch... under BSA.