Tonight's Football

[Harry Genshaw]

Great free kick that. A draw would be a good result in that Wigan would still be domed pretty much and Spurs would nick that last CL place

A girl could go off you, you know.

Aww, am sorry GG. Normally I would go for your mob over Spurs, but it would be nice for someone different to get into the top 4 cartel for once.

[Gooner Girl]

Great free kick that. A draw would be a good result in that Wigan would still be domed pretty much and Spurs would nick that last CL place

A girl could go off you, you know.

Aww, am sorry GG. Normally I would go for your mob over Spurs, but it would be nice for someone different to get into the top 4 cartel for once.

No, no it wouldn't. Not spurs anyway.

[BWFC_Insane]

Another local game next season so that's good. Wonder where Martinez will go? If I were a club chairman I'd not touch him with the proverbial barge pole.

Hopefully he will feck off back to Spain!

DSB mentioned that people ITK think he's a twonk. This suggests the same.

To be honest I've always fallen for the "doing a good job with limited options" idea.

So what's the story ?

Same here, I think he's done a good job there. (Well upto now anyways)

just an insane hatred of Spain because Colin Todd and Owen Coyle once visited there...

Steve Bruce, yes Steve Bruce finished his final season at Wigan with them in 11th place.

Martinez turned them into perennial relegation strugglers who have now dropped.

I don't think that is anything to get excited about.

I also think he's one of the most annoying out there.

[Bruce Rioja]

Dave 'The Cat' Felgate on the bench at Reading tonight with Kidd as part of the caretaker manager set-up. Blast from the past! Didn't even know he worked there. Good luck to him.

I thought that he worked in the sawmill at Anthony Axford's and took two pies a day for lunch?

[Bruce Rioja]

Steve Bruce, yes Steve Bruce finished his final season at Wigan with them in 11th place.

Martinez turned them into FA Cup winners

[a1]

DSB mentioned that people ITK think he's a twonk. This suggests the same.

To be honest I've always fallen for the "doing a good job with limited options" idea.

So what's the story ?

dunno, but i'm more interested in how mike pollitt's opinion vis-a-vis coyle were kinda well known (despite possibly having only kind of direct contact with him twice a year) , but that he never aired any similar opinion on roberto martinez (despite working with him probably every week).

roberto martinez will be the next barcelona manager.

itk.

[bobo the clown]

Nope .... I'm clearly not itk .... what is Pollit's view then ?

[a1]

pollitt knew that coyle were happy clappy batshit. off meeting him twice a year.

to me, martinez is the same , mikey p. never sez owt about that.

the shitstirring coward.

#HappyWiganRelegationDay

[boltonboris]

Steve Bruce, yes Steve Bruce finished his final season at Wigan with them in 11th place.

Martinez turned them into FA Cup winners

In BWFC_I's world, finishing a season clear of relegation is more important than lifting one of the Worlds most famous and historic competitions.

If I was a Wigan fan, I'd know which one I'd be happiest with.

[BWFC_Insane]

Steve Bruce, yes Steve Bruce finished his final season at Wigan with them in 11th place.

Martinez turned them into FA Cup winners

In BWFC_I's world, finishing a season clear of relegation is more important than lifting one of the Worlds most famous and historic competitions.

If I was a Wigan fan, I'd know which one I'd be happiest with.

It's a different debate that. The real world, the one we actually live in, rather than the one people would like, I don't think there is ANY argument that can counter that staying in the premiership is far more critical to a club than winning the FA Cup.

End of the day the romantic notion of a "day to remember" forever is nice and everything but I'm not sure it's consolation when you're plunged into administration, or end up in the bottom divisions.

I wonder how many Portsmouth fans would genuinely now not swap that trophy for a side that was still in the premiership and doing well?

Anyhow, by logic if winning the FA cup at a small side and relegating them makes you a good manager then winning the FA Cup at a small side and not relegating them must make you a brilliant manager. So I expect Redknapp must be really ace then?

As for the Martinez thing, well I think he's vastly overrated thus far. I think the FA Cup win brilliant and all, but his overall time at Wigan he's been praised for performing worse than Steve Bruce did there. And considerably, considerably, worse than when Allardyce managed us, with probably an even smaller transfer budget.

They were lucky to survive for the past two seasons and this time it's caught up with them. How has he progressed them?

[boltonboris]

What evidence is there to show that they'll be "plunged into administration"

Portsmouth fans? I'm not sure, but me personally. I'd take winning the FA Cup and playing in Europe over a 17th placed finish for the umpteenth year in a row. And remind me how much Redknapp spent on winning that Cup. Compare that to Martinez's spend.

When Steve Bruce was the manager at Wigan, their nearest rivals in the league weren't spending £24M on 1 striker. I can;t be arsed looking, but who's the most expensive player in the Wigan squad?

Last comment: You get what you deserve. If you stay up, it's because you deserve to. I'm not sure 'luck' is a factor over 38 games. Think you've said that yourself when Coyle claimed he was unlucky.

[Bruce Rioja]

It's a different debate that. The real world, the one we actually live in, rather than the one people would like, I don't think there is ANY argument that can counter that staying in the premiership is far more critical to a club than winning the FA Cup.

What complete and utter bollocks. Here's the deal, in the real world too, fancy that! Look at our club's history - what stands out the most - our FA Cup wins or the years we managed to survive in the top division? Football is about winning stuff, sorry to have to break it to you so abruptly.

[boltonboris]

What would you rather have? Scraping by every year and getting absolutely wholloped once every few weeks, but having nowt to play for other than not finishing in the bottom 3, or winning an FA Cup, but accepting that you'll have to play in a more ceompetitive league on a more even keel, visiting grounds you've not seen in over a decade at the same time?

[BWFC_Insane]

It's a different debate that. The real world, the one we actually live in, rather than the one people would like, I don't think there is ANY argument that can counter that staying in the premiership is far more critical to a club than winning the FA Cup.

What complete and utter bollocks. Here's the deal, in the real world too, fancy that! Look at our club's history - what stands out the most - our FA Cup wins or the years we managed to survive in the top division? Football is about winning stuff, sorry to have to break it to you so abruptly.

Bruce, I agree. But we aren't living in that age anymore. I'm not saying that I'd sacrifice the FA cup for scraping by every season in the premiership. But equally I'd personally, never ever ever trade the FA Cup Portsmouth won for the position they are in now.

I'm not saying that happens to every relegated side, it won't probably happen to Wigan given Whelan's support, but it could damage them massively as a club, who knows? I fully despise the financial reward of staying in the premiership (and the champs league) that has devalue the cups. I hate it. I'd love for Bolton to have been able to say "feck the league lets go for UEFA cup glory" or whatever. Part of me wishes they had. But they can't because of the way the football league and financial TV deal is structured. It's shit. I agree.

I mean take ourselves, we've been backed fairly heavily by Eddie Davies and still are hardly financially secure as a club and can't really afford a long absence from the top flight. We're not alone in that.

I genuinely think that now, one day out in the sun will not compensate for the potential, but very possible and real long term decline that absence from the premiership can create.

It's a monster. But for me (personal opinion) we have to survive in the world we're in and this is it.

[boltonboris]

Imagine in 30 years time...

"I was there that day.. The day we managed to draw with Fulham with 9 games left to ensure another season of mediocrity"

"Yeah, good story granddad"

[BWFC_Insane]

Imagine in 30 years time...

"I was there that day.. The day we managed to draw with Fulham with 9 games left to ensure another season of mediocrity"

"Yeah, good story granddad"

This is often said. But said grandson or daughter is probably not going to be so impressed if your team are now lower league, or non-league scrappers. Even less so if they haven't ever heard of them cos they've gone out of existence.

And the use of the word "mediocrity" is a bit misleading. Being in the top flight, even mid table or bottom half is a long way beyond mediocrity.

Would one cup win mean that everyone would be happy with say 20 years of real mediocrity in league one? Would fans accept that and be happy? No moaning?

[boltonboris]

by "Mediocrity" I meant in that respective division.

And so, because most kids are a bunch of glory hunting know-nowts, you'd rather stay in the top flight and never win feck all to ensure that these people have heard of us.

Football's football to me. I like seeing my club play at the highest level, but it's not the be all and end all. I'll still support them. It doesn't matter what division I'll be supporting them in, or who against. But when I'm older, I'd rather have the memories of cup wins and trophies and parades than not finishing 18th in a league run by billionaire play boys.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

There is just as valid an argument to say we can't afford to be in the Premiership. I mean, we struggled to stay in it whilst spending rather a lot of money that Eddie had. At least in this league we can compete to win it and not bankrupt ourselves or Eddie in the process.

[BWFC_Insane]

There is just as valid an argument to say we can't afford to be in the Premiership. I mean, we struggled to stay in it whilst spending rather a lot of money that Eddie had. At least in this league we can compete to win it and not bankrupt ourselves or Eddie in the process.

We can only compete because of the parachute payments. Once they have finished, well it will be interesting to see.

Like BB I will watch Bolton any league, anywhere. I don't subscribe to the view that the FA cup will keep you warm on a cold winters night 4 years down the line in Scunthorpe though. I don't think modern football (love it, hate it, it's what we've got) works like that.

What I hope for is continued success. Not one blip then nowt. If that success means winning trophies then great, but if it means what Allardyce did here then I'd take that too.

Realistically best a club like ours can hope for is sustained periods in the premiership with quick returns. Being in the premiership gives you the best chance of winning a (major) trophy as well given the better quality of players you can attract and afford.

[boltonboris]

There is just as valid an argument to say we can't afford to be in the Premiership. I mean, we struggled to stay in it whilst spending rather a lot of money that Eddie had. At least in this league we can compete to win it and not bankrupt ourselves or Eddie in the process.

We can only compete because of the parachute payments. Once they have finished, well it will be interesting to see.

Like BB I will watch Bolton any league, anywhere. I don't subscribe to the view that the FA cup will keep you warm on a cold winters night 4 years down the line in Scunthorpe though. I don't think modern football (love it, hate it, it's what we've got) works like that.

What I hope for is continued success. Not one blip then nowt. If that success means winning trophies then great, but if it means what Allardyce did here then I'd take that too.

Realistically best a club like ours can hope for is sustained periods in the premiership with quick returns. Being in the premiership gives you the best chance of winning a (major) trophy as well given the better quality of players you can attract and afford.

Again, that doesn't matter. Old Trafford or Scunthorpe. I'll still be watching Bolton, not the opposition.

It seems like you prefer current prestige to historical triumphs