8/1 on two delusional former Bolton managers

Sluffy wrote:So would you say getting 40 points and being relegated is a better season than getting 38 points and staying up?
I think I know what the vast majority of people would consider to be the more successful one would be.

You can't critically evaluate a manager's performance (as I believed we were doing) on success alone. It's not doable as there are other contributing factors.

For what it's worth, I'd consider a 14th finish and a cup run more successful than a 13th finish and a first tie exit in both cup competitions.

At the end of the day success is measured on the final position in the league table, not on the points you've achieved.

The various league champions, promoted and relegated teams and even Sky prize money is determined on where you finished - not how many points you gained

How do you evaluate a managers performance - is the manager who wins the league title who as access to unlimited financial resources better than a manager who keeps his team up whilst managing just on a shoe string budget?

Coyle on any measure you care to take as been a failure at Bolton. Take for example his points per game average which is worse than Megson's. His transfer dealings with what meagre budget he had as been dreadful - he didn't even select his own purchases to play in the team he picked - how staggeringly bad is that!?

Last seasons home record was the worst in the clubs history and believe me when you've lived to see as many Bolton Wanderers seasons as I have, then you will realise that takes quite some doing!

If you want to believe Coyle did fine as a manager here then that's up to you but please consider this - when he first came to Bolton clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool were linked with him, now it's teams like Accrington and bottom placed Ipswich - so, do you think his stock as a manager as risen or drastically fallen whilst he led us from the Premiership to the lower reaches of the Championship?

Of course by his own admission, he is the best manager he knows!

Deluded.

I think success is measured by getting the most out of what you have. A team can be relegated if that's the best they're capable of achieving and it would still be a success for them. Losing narrowly to a team with the resources of e.g. Manure could be viewed as a good result if the performance was good whereas league position is a relative measure of resources.

Are you saying that Swansea, Norwich or even Wigan were better 'resourced' than us last season - all of them stayed up whilst we of course didn't!

Perhaps if Coyle had not spent £10 million of his 'resources' on Ngog, Sordell, Wheater and Alonso and wasted God knows how much extra money on resigning Knight for a further two years - and invested the money more wisely, we wouldn't even be having this conversation in the first place.

And just by the way of emphasising this point, today’s team as only 4 of Coyle's permanent signings in the starting eleven, but FOUR on the bench whilst Knight, Alonso and Sordell can't even get in the squad!!

Great strenthening of the side over the last three seasons Owen, thanks!

He was a failure by any criteria you care to name.