My thanks to Owen Coyle

The week after the Wembley debacle - which incidentally scarred my kids for life - we beat Arsenal, thereby ending their title aspirations. 1-0 Tamir Cohen at the death. Not so much tappy tappy since then, just not effective in front of goal and too soft at the back.

Hipster_Nebula wrote: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.

I agree, this 'nothing but long ball' myth attached to Big Sam is totally overstated, as it is with a few other managers as well to be honest.

I remember one particular game against Everton at home where we passed it all over the place and I've never seen us dominate another team like we did that day.

Many times, I've read/heard "Bolton fans drove Megson out because he didn't play pretty football, yet they loved Big Sam!"
There was a huge difference in entertainment levels between the two, and not just in the sense that Allardyce's way was miles more effective. We played some thoroughly exciting stuff under BSA.
I also don't like this idea that Coyle was brought to the club to play pretty football. Megson had to go because the results weren't good enough taking into account the resources he had. The fact that the football was...is there even a word to describe it...bad was just a factor that added to what would already have been a frustrating time to be a Bolton fan.
I choose not to discount Coyle the lack of funds and injuries to key player he's suffered in terms of the lack of success he has brought to the club, but in terms of comparing him to Megson as many inevitably do, the reality remains that Megson had twice the financial resources and was fortunate in terms of player fitness. Can you imagine the impact of Kevin Davies and Matt Taylor (arguably the most important players of 08/09) picking up season-long injuries?

Coyle opted to play a style of football that only suited three or four of our players. He apparently thought that the style of play was more important than the players available. It is really one of two things: chose a style of play that you like and then get players to suit that system OR chose a system that suits the players available. He chose to use a style suited to using wingers - CYL, Petrov & Wylde then decided to bugger off with them and used Mavies and Eagles on the wings instead. The Holden Excuse™ does not hold water because a) He had transfer windows he could have used to get a replacement in and b) Nobody knows if he would have played him anyway. On the bright side, Coyle's appointment was a breath of fresh air after the doom and gloom that was Megson. Some very attractive football and smart goals followed but it all went south after Fergie instructed Johnny Evans to maim Stu Holden. He should not have allowed our fortunes to go south with the loss of any one player and I shudder to think what he would have done if SKD had suffered a similar injury. I am grateful for the good times but I am happy that he has left. The continued decline has been more than we could be reasonably expected to bear. For the last time I will say "Coyle Out!!".

Keegan... ive been trying to say the same kind of thing all bloody thread.

You're welcome!

Wanderlust, you are talking absolute nonsense. We had a chance of winning games? What the heck? I have never seen a Bolton team so easy to beat than the team's under Owen Coyle. I don't think I ever remember seeing us getting battered so badly as last season. We were just absolutely terrible.

But I do agree with wanting to wish Owen Coyle all the best. He tried his best, he wanted to succeed, he came to us when he was a god at Burnley. It didn't work out, that's football.