Coyle's top 3 signings

[Harry Genshaw]

If we'd lined up at Wembley with Holden/Muamba we'd probably have made the FA Cup Final,

The maddest thing I've ever, EVER, read on here

[mrpiccollo]

looking over this thread makes me realise actually how bad owen has been at bolton and not only that how wastefull he has been its honestly atrocious.

furthermore i notice a few people chosing holden as the best player purchased by coyle !! really the guys been out injured for near 2 years guys wake up hes just enjoying the paycheque in my oppinion

best 3 by far

Wheater

Eagles

Sordell

ngog close 4th place

wheater rock defensivly will likely stay with bolton for years

eagles creativity which we sorely need

sordell a solid young english striker we can mould into the player we most need (yet we play him as an understudy to SKD even though were trying to play tippy tappy football now apparently)

Ngog sorely underratted and needs more time on the pitch along a goalscorer (think elmander with less workrate more pace and with some room to grow as a player)

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

looking over this thread makes me realise actually how bad owen has been at bolton and not only that how wastefull he has been its honestly atrocious.

furthermore i notice a few people chosing holden as the best player purchased by coyle !! really the guys been out injured for near 2 years guys wake up hes just enjoying the paycheque in my oppinion WTF????

best 3 by far

Wheater - Average

Eagles - Hit and miss. Lots of miss last season with a sprinkling of hit

Sordell - Played about 10 minutes and ignored for the rest

ngog close 4th place - Below average

I worry about you Mr P

[mrpiccollo]

looking over this thread makes me realise actually how bad owen has been at bolton and not only that how wastefull he has been its honestly atrocious.

furthermore i notice a few people chosing holden as the best player purchased by coyle !! really the guys been out injured for near 2 years guys wake up hes just enjoying the paycheque in my oppinion WTF????

best 3 by far

Wheater - Average

Eagles - Hit and miss. Lots of miss last season with a sprinkling of hit

Sordell - Played about 10 minutes and ignored for the rest

ngog close 4th place - Below average

I worry about you Mr P

i worry about alot of people on this forum honestly but even moreso i worry about bolton were awfull and seem to be going nowhere

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

i worry about alot of people on this forum honestly but even moreso i worry about bolton were awfull and seem to be going nowhere

We can agree on that!

[Ianmooreslovechild]

This thread is like an ugly girl competition.

[Prufrock]

looking over this thread makes me realise actually how bad owen has been at bolton and not only that how wastefull he has been its honestly atrocious.

furthermore i notice a few people chosing holden as the best player purchased by coyle !! really the guys been out injured for near 2 years guys wake up hes just enjoying the paycheque in my oppinion WTF????

best 3 by far

Wheater - Average

Eagles - Hit and miss. Lots of miss last season with a sprinkling of hit

Sordell - Played about 10 minutes and ignored for the rest

ngog close 4th place - Below average

I worry about you Mr P

i worry about alot of people on this forum honestly but even moreso i worry about bolton were awfull and seem to be going nowhere

You aren't even a very good WUM.

[Martin_Cruise]

If we'd lined up at Wembley with Holden/Muamba we'd probably have made the FA Cup Final,

The maddest thing I've ever, EVER, read on here

Why? We had a better team than Stoke before Holden was injured.We were 6th in the table several places above Stoke because we had a team that got better results.

Take Holden out of the team and it was a relegation team that got battered 5-0 and shipped in 4 at Blackpool.He was that important to the team.There's no chance we'd have lost 5-0 to Stoke or let in 4 at Blackpool if the matches were in February when Holden was fit.

[officer_dibble]

It must be clear they weren't mentally prepared as well...we may have limited stoke to 3 with holden

[BWFC_Insane]

If we'd lined up at Wembley with Holden/Muamba we'd probably have made the FA Cup Final,

The maddest thing I've ever, EVER, read on here

Why? We had a better team than Stoke before Holden was injured.We were 6th in the table several places above Stoke because we had a team that got better results.

Take Holden out of the team and it was a relegation team that got battered 5-0 and shipped in 4 at Blackpool.He was that important to the team.There's no chance we'd have lost 5-0 to Stoke or let in 4 at Blackpool if the matches were in February when Holden was fit.

I think its becoming clear that it was not quite as simple as all being about Holden.

Big impact losing him, yes. But I think there is a bit more to it!

[Martin_Cruise]

If we'd lined up at Wembley with Holden/Muamba we'd probably have made the FA Cup Final,

The maddest thing I've ever, EVER, read on here

Why? We had a better team than Stoke before Holden was injured.We were 6th in the table several places above Stoke because we had a team that got better results.

Take Holden out of the team and it was a relegation team that got battered 5-0 and shipped in 4 at Blackpool.He was that important to the team.There's no chance we'd have lost 5-0 to Stoke or let in 4 at Blackpool if the matches were in February when Holden was fit.

I think its becoming clear that it was not quite as simple as all being about Holden.

Big impact losing him, yes. But I think there is a bit more to it!

We were a crock of shite before Holden (although Wilshire temporarily solved the midfield problem), as good as under Allardyce with Holden, and a crock of shite from the day Holden was injured.

It's a clear as black and white to me.

[BWFC_Insane]

If we'd lined up at Wembley with Holden/Muamba we'd probably have made the FA Cup Final,

The maddest thing I've ever, EVER, read on here

Why? We had a better team than Stoke before Holden was injured.We were 6th in the table several places above Stoke because we had a team that got better results.

Take Holden out of the team and it was a relegation team that got battered 5-0 and shipped in 4 at Blackpool.He was that important to the team.There's no chance we'd have lost 5-0 to Stoke or let in 4 at Blackpool if the matches were in February when Holden was fit.

I think its becoming clear that it was not quite as simple as all being about Holden.

Big impact losing him, yes. But I think there is a bit more to it!

We were a crock of shite before Holden (although Wilshire temporarily solved the midfield problem), as good as under Allardyce with Holden, and a crock of shite from the day Holden was injured.

It's a clear as black and white to me.

But if you look back we had a very poor period around christmas time that season when Elmander's form dipped a bit. We picked up when Sturridge came in and scored some goals.

At the time the focus was on Holden's injury, and don't get me wrong it was a huge loss. But I don't think it was the only factor, looking back.

There is no way on gods green earth that Holden playing converts a 5-0 loss against Stoke into a win. Lets not forget that stoke beat us at the Britannia a few months before that and Holden was playing.

Something went very wrong and I suspect that whilst Holden's injury was a big part of that, there is more to it. Some of which we probably will never know.....

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

We'd beaten Stoke before and since, so it's hardly the world's most preposterous hypothesis.

We were working – thriving – on narrow margins. With the odd exception we were never utterly dominating games so if our forwards didn't score, our midfield didn't tackle and our goalkeeper didn't save, we didn't win. Sounds obvious but it's true. For instance at Wembley, they had 10 shots on target to our 5 - better, but hardly by the bumming the scoreline dictates. *

We might have won at Wembley with Holden (injured) and Sturridge (cuptied). We'd won in previous rounds without Studge, but Stoke – another team who thrive on narrow margins, what with never having majority possession, instead utilising POMOs, direct balls, "percentage football" – took their early chances and we didn't.


*EDIT Similarly, in the now-mythical 5-1 win at home to Newcastle we had 8 shots on target to Newcastle's 2; we also completed fewer passes and had less possession. Hardly the Brazil 70 it's grown into legend as being...

[Lord Kangana]

Anyone who can't see the major impact that Holden's injury had on our team, both physically, pschologically and tactically (that is, "well it works if Holden runs round loads") is in denial.

[BWFC_Insane]

Anyone who can't see the major impact that Holden's injury had on our team, both physically, pschologically and tactically (that is, "well it works if Holden runs round loads") is in denial.

Indeed, are there any such people on here though?

[Prufrock]

There's a difference between being a big loss and meaning we have 'probably' won. It would almost certainly have been closer though

[Ianmooreslovechild]

Anyone who can't see the major impact that Holden's injury had on our team, both physically, pschologically and tactically (that is, "well it works if Holden runs round loads") is in denial.

Absolutely true. The problem has been that he was never replaced. The frustrating thing is that Holden actually wasnt an exceptioanl talent. He ran his socks off and always made himself available releasing the ball quickly and effectively. But really what he did was very simple knitted together defense midfield and attackplus was infectiously enthusiastic.

Most properly fit reasonably competent footballers should have the capacity to do the job he did. What is surprising is the managements total inability to find someone able to do the same job yet still continue to use a system that needed exactly that type of player to make it work

[Lord Kangana]

Indeed. Although I have to say he's not a ten-a-penny player.

[Ianmooreslovechild]

Indeed. Although I have to say he's not a ten-a-penny player.

No but it's surprising how few players there are who are just good athletes who do the simple things well and actually apply themselves as if they want to win.You'd think there'd be loads around.

[Lord Kangana]

I think he was after that with Keith Andrews. Time will tell.