Finally, Megson out

[Pelham Boy]

Some interesting views on here. I'm no fan of Megson, but i have nothing against him either. I do believe though, that if he had stayed at Leicester we wouldn't have got relegated from the Championship, but like at Bolton the fans didn't want him in the first place and no tears were shed when he jumped ship.

Someone said that Bolton will stay up now he has gone, on the contrary i believe their best chance of staying up was to keep him.

[fatshaft]

Good piece from Jonathan Pearce today
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/bolton_wanderers/8435574.stm

The only surprise in Bolton's decision to sack Gary Megson as manager was that it took chairman Phil Gartside so long to sharpen his axe.

Megson has been a dead man walking since January, when he dubbed supporters "pathetic" after they had jeered him following the surrender of a two-goal lead in the local derby at Blackburn.

That result came after a run of four defeats in a row.

The chairman would have remembered the four defeats in five at the start of last season; the seven-match barren spell at the end of 2008/9; the two four -goal drubbings by Chelsea in October; the 5-1 humiliation at Villa in November; the defence's failure to keep a clean sheet this season and only three in 44 league games going back 13 months.

And most of all the fact that Megson lost twice the number of league games that he won in 2009.

 

But Gartside must take a long look at the way he has run the club over the past few years. Christmas 2006 is particularly significant.

Bolton went into the New Year third in the table, with Allardyce believing that further investment in the January transfer window would take Wanderers into the Champions League.

Gartside seemed to baulk at the idea. Unknown Slovakians Lubomir Michalik and Zoltan Harsanyi came in for nothing.

Journeyman David Thompson arrived for a nominal fee from Portsmouth. They played a total of 25 games for the club. The Champions League dream faded.

Allardyce's love for Bolton died with it. His ambitions were loftier than his chairman it seemed.

Critics of Gartside believe that he should have been bolder.

By accepting a mere place in the top 10, mediocrity was invited into a club that had shown such dogged hunger under Allardyce. Did the rot start there?

The appointment of Sammy Lee as manager following Allardyce's decision to leave was born out of romantic loyalty.

It was a mistake. The chairman has to take responsibility.

[fatshaft]

Seems another journo finding a bit of reality away from Megson worship http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mikenorrish/100004617/bolton-sacking-gary-megson-wasnt-fair-but-that-doesnt-make-it-wrong/

But to claim Bolton fans ‘turned on Megson’ would be to presume they ever wanted him in the first place. Megson’s appointment was always wildly unpopular. And nothing he’s done since that appointment has made them reconsider those first impressions.

“There has never been one occasion where we haven’t outworked the opposition,” said Megson yesterday, a boast which neatly sums up his attitude to the game, an attitude which antagonised Bolton fans (and most fans at clubs he’s managed).

Bolton hated seeing their forwards being taken off when they were winning games, and were mortified that he sent out a reserve side against Sporting Lisbon in the Uefa Cup. They didn’t want to be blamed, by Megson , for the club’s defeats. And in short, they didn’t want supporting Bolton to be such a joyless experience. Perhaps results will be worse without him, but from their point of view, nothing could be worse than the status quo.

So I’m not sure the outcry is justified. Megson will get another job, Bolton will get another manager. And that manager, through not being Gary Megson, will arrive on a wave of goodwill which, if he’s half-decent, will help him keep Bolton in the Premier League.

Far from “paying for their jeers with tears”, I rather suspect Bolton fans will enjoy the new year a lot more than they did this one.

[Junior Senior]

George Burley seen at the Reebok?

[The Baron]

Average manager, correctly sacked for me, will do well in the Championship.

[fatshaft]

It'll be a long time before Megson manages again, if ever.

With respect, and as someone with no love of Megson following a fairly dull spell in charge of my club, that is complete balderdash

He'll do well at a lot of clubs from Championship level down

Still waiting for him to be mentioned anywhere, oh hang on, he's now favourite for the Hull job, and the reaction to this news from the Tigers fans?

http://boards.footymad.net/forum.php?tno=297&fid=148&sty=2&act=1&mid=2122410571

 

[fatshaft]

I think they were going down either way and will still go down.

You still so confident?

[Josedinho]

He's still on gardening leave so it's no wonder his names not been linked with clubs since Reading, Preston and Wednesday jobs were all available and he couldn't take one of them because of the terms of his sacking from Bolton.

[fatshaft]

He's still on gardening leave so it's no wonder his names not been linked with clubs since Reading, Preston and Wednesday jobs were all available and he couldn't take one of them because of the terms of his sacking from Bolton.

The point being he wasn't even mentioned. He's still on gardening leave now, but he's favourite for the job. His gardening leave consists of a year's salary, paid on time, if he gets another job, he stops being paid by Bolton.

There is nothing at all to stop him from applying for positions, he even said on GOS that he hadn't been approached by anyone, and that after a couple of vacancies had already come along. He is not anyone's hot property.

[Josedinho]

Nothing apart from the fact he'd have to half his wages?
He was mentioned for all of the above jobs and i know he was contacted by Wednesday but it couldn't go anywhere because the terms of his sacking hadn't yet been agreed.
Maybe he's got a bit more class than to say he could have all 3 jobs and that their current managers were all 2nd choices?
Or we can carry on believing that the man Bolton paid £1mil for him after a couple of weeks at Leicester isn't wanted by anyone.

[fatshaft]

Nothing apart from the fact he'd have to half his wages?
He was mentioned for all of the above jobs and i know he was contacted by Wednesday but it couldn't go anywhere because the terms of his sacking hadn't yet been agreed.
Maybe he's got a bit more class than to say he could have all 3 jobs and that their current managers were all 2nd choices?
Or we can carry on believing that the man Bolton paid £1mil for him after a couple of weeks at Leicester isn't wanted by anyone.

Half his wages? He was on £300k a year at Bolton. I doubt here's many jobs in the top 2 english divions would pay him as badly.

[fatshaft]

It'll be a long time before Megson manages again, if ever.

With respect, and as someone with no love of Megson following a fairly dull spell in charge of my club, that is complete balderdash

He'll do well at a lot of clubs from Championship level down

Tighty is spot on, how much would you like to bet Megson is a manager again at a football league side in 2010.

Anyone seen where Megson's managing now, I must have missed it? 

[Longy]

Must have missed the bit, where you accepted my bet. All very well bumping threads, putting your money where you mouth is seems to be somewhat lacking.

[fatshaft]

Must have missed the bit, where you accepted my bet. All very well bumping threads, putting your money where you mouth is seems to be somewhat lacking.

LOL, thought that was a figure of speech, not an actual bet. I would have snapped your hand off.

[fatshaft]

Looks like no job in 2010 then?