New Bolton boss Gary Megson admits he is "not Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho" - but insists he can be proud of his record in management.
Megson was officially unveiled at the Reebok Stadium on Friday afternoon and will take charge of the team for the first time against Aston Villa on Sunday.
And the former Leicester boss got a taste of what to expect from the Trotters fans before Thursday's UEFA Cup match with Braga, which ended in a disappointing 1-1 draw.
Megson went outside the stadium before the match to front up to some of those angered at his appointment.
He said: "I thought I would have a chat and see what's what. So I spoke to a few supporters. I am not Alex Ferguson, I am not Jose Mourinho. The red carpet is not going to be rolled out straight away. But I would like to think I have heart, desire and enthusiasm. I went out to tell them all of those things. I am honest, I work hard and give it everything I have got. I say what I think and that can upset people."
Megson is proud of his record as a manager even though former European Cup winners Nottingham Forest were relegated to the third tier for the first time under his stewardship.
"I want to prove myself everywhere I go," he said. "My record, although never in the upper echelons of the Premier League, has been at some very good clubs. All of them are better than when I joined and that includes Forest. As for this being my last chance, I was asked the same question at Leicester. But you never know what is around the corner."
Megson has confirmed that Archie Knox will remain on the coaching staff, adding: "I do not want to make massive changes, certainly not straight away."
27 October 2007
The football agent Mark Curtis, who was appointed as a "headhunter" by Bolton Wanderers and charged with finding them a new manager, has denied having a conflict of interest in that he represents Gary Megson, the successful candidate, reports The Guardian.
"I am not Gary Megson's agent," Curtis said. "I know that Gary took another agent into Bolton with him [to negotiate his contract] this morning. I think he used Mickey Walsh, who he has known for 10 years."
Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside issued a statement on Bolton's website spelling out Curtis's role, in which he stressed that Curtis did not act as the agent of "anyone on our target list".
On Tuesday Graeme Souness said he had withdrawn from the race to succeed Lee because he "could not believe" Curtis was involved in the recruitment process and had sat in when Gartside interviewed him for the post last week.
Curtis, speaking from abroad, said: "I came in at Leicester to help Gary as a friend with the contract negotiations after they had approached Gary and offered him the job."
27 October 2007
Who has the loudest fans in the Premier League?
Decibel meter readings taken across home matches for all Premier League teams during August and September, showed that the loudest home crowd was Sunderland.
Average peak volume of the Sunderland crowd at home reaching 129.2 decibels & 150; louder than a rock concert (115 decibels) and almost as loud as an air raid siren/military jet (130 decibels).
As a volume of 110-115 decibels can cause hearing damage after just 15 minutes, football fans are being advised to wear ear protection if they want to hear the referees whistle clearly across their supporting career.
The findings are especially embarrassing for Arsenal and Manchester United, whose grounds dwarf the 49,000-seater Sunderland home ground by 11,000 and 21,000 seats respectively.
Quietest home fans were Fulham who could only muster an average maximum volume of 115.4 decibels at home.
And although not the loudest, Everton fans proved that they have the stamina to keep it up all match. Their chants were the most frequent (one every three minutes on average) and longest (52 seconds each on average) of all teams studied.
The ear-bending research was commissioned by 118118 who are searching for the best and loudest football chants in the country.
NOISE LEAGUE TABLE:
Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester City
Aston Villa
Everton
Chelsea
Middlesbrough
Derby County
Newcastle United
West Ham
Birmingham City
Arsenal
Portsmouth
Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers
Liverpool
Manchester United
Wigan Athletic
Reading
Fulham
26 October 2007
Bolton chairman Phil Gartside insists new manager Gary Megson will have the full support of the dressing room.
Megson has signed a two-and-a-half year deal after controversially leaving Leicester just six weeks into the role.
Sammy Lee's successor watched the 1-1 UEFA Cup draw with Braga anfd will take charge of the team for the first time on Sunday when they face Aston Villa.
While many Bolton supporters are questioning the appointment, Gartside believes Megson can lift the players - and the club off the foot of the table.
He said: "We have made decisive decisions over the past few weeks and this is one of them. It is not about me, Gary Megson or any other individual. It is all about Bolton surviving in the Premier League. We have to be fully focused on the task ahead to make sure we achieve immediate success. I have spoken to the staff and the players and we are all committed to getting behind Gary and turning our fortunes around."
Gartside added: "We feel Gary is the right man to take Bolton forward. We have been able to interview a number of quality candidates and after due consideration decided to offer him the post. I have paid particular attention to his career and he has demonstrated to me he is prepared to roll his sleeves up. He has the right temperament for a battle, which this season is undoubtedly going to be."
Bolton had to settle for a point after El-Hadji Diouf stepped off the bench to put the home team in front in their first game in the group stages.
But the Portuguese side responded and substitute Jailson grabbed the equaliser with four minutes to go with a looping header.
25 October 2007
Zat Knight looks set to keep his place against Bolton after Martin O'Neill refused to blame him for the Manchester United defeat.
The Villa defender was not at his best as United ran out 4-1 winners at Villa Park last Saturday and was certainly at fault when Wayne Rooney nipped in to score the crucial equaliser.
However, O'Neill is refusing to blame his young defender and look certain to keep the faith for the trip to the Reebok Stadium this Sunday.
"Everyone will come in for criticism at certain stages," O'Neill revealed.
"I'm not going to go down the route of singling out any players. Everyone has a responsibility, every time you step on the pitch. In every Premier League game you play, you have a chance of doing well or playing poorly."
25 October 2007
Coventry manager Iain Dowie is the early favourite to succeed Gary Megson as Leicester boss, who is poised to join Bolton.
Megson's shock departure was confirmed on Wednesday evening, after Foxes chairman Milan Mandaric reluctantly allowed him to speak to the Premier League club.
Now Leicester will have to find their third manager of the season, and their fifth boss in six months, with Dowie being linked as the man who could fill the hot seat.
Reports claim the former Crystal Palace boss is getting frustrated with life with the Sky Blues, who had a transfer embargo slapped on them earlier this week.
Former Leicester defender and Blackpool boss Simon Grayson, ex-Wigan manager Paul Jewell and England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce have also been mentioned as possible candidates.
25 October 2007
Gary Megson looks set to fill Bolton's vacant managerial position after parting company with Leicester.
The 48 year-old had only been at the Walkers stadium for six weeks.
Foxes chairman Milan Mandaric eventually bowed to Megson's wishes to open talks with Bolton after twice rejecting approaches from the club.
23 October 2007
Goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen is determined to fight for his place at Aston Villa despite admitting he has slipped to third in the pecking order.
The Denmark international suffered a knee injury during the club's pre-season trip to North America and has seen loan signing Scott Carson take over as No.1 with Stuart Taylor acting as his deputy.
But Carson's red card in the 4-1 defeat by Manchester United means he will be suspended for Sunday's Premier League trip to Bolton, throwing the door open for Taylor and Sorensen to replace him.
And the former Sunderland keeper proved his worth with a clean sheet for the reserves as Villa's second string cruised to a 6-0 victory over Chelsea.
Sorensen told the Birmingham Mail: "This is a massive challenge for me now. I'm third in the pecking order, so there's a fair way to go. But I'm a professional. I'll get my head down, work hard and see where that takes me. A lot of things can happen and I have to make sure I prepare as well as I can. If I'm needed, I'll be there. I've said all along that I am here to fight for my place. I will do my absolute best and I think anyone who sees me in training can see that."
And Sorensen is more than happy to turn out for the reserves as it helps keep him fit and provides important match practice should he be called upon by manager Martin O'Neill.
He added: "Anything can happen in football. You just have to be patient and wait for your chance. I'll see what happens. I'm training full pelt and I've been doing that for quite a while now. So, I'll do anything to impress and hopefully I can force my way back in. Playing for the reserves gives me the chance to get back out there, to get my bearings, make a few saves and get important match practice."
Striker Marlon Harewood grabbed a hat-trick for the reserves as he continues to press for a first-team return while Patrik Berger was also back in action after injury.
23 October 2007
Jens Lehmann has warned Arsene Wenger not to "humiliate" him for too long by leaving him out of the Arsenal side.
The Gunners boss failed to include Lehmann in his squad for Saturday's Premier League clash with Bolton, sticking with Manuel Almunia and naming Lukasz Fabianski on the bench.
The German keeper has not played for the Premier League leaders since August despite fully recovering from Achilles and elbow injuries.
"It's possible that some day I'll feel like talking about the whole issue," Lehmann told German TV channel Premiere.
"But at the moment I'm just swallowing it all as part of the humiliation. That's something one has to take in. But I think and this is aimed at my dear manager - one shouldn't humiliate players for too long. I'm an Arsenal player and I won't just fade away quietly."
Last week Wenger admitted Lehmann, a member of Arsenal's title winning side of 2004, was no longer the first choice keeper at the Emirates saying that he had three "world class" goalkeepers to pick from.
Lehmann added: "Wenger spoke of three world class goalkeepers. One of them must be me. The other two have proved their class by winning titles? If I think about that, I can't recall any. I'm convinced that I'll be playing again. Almunia has not yet showed that he can win matches for us. I've experienced this situation before and know what the others are expecting from the goalkeeper. I can't imagine he'll be able to handle that."
22 October 2007
Newcastle United manager Sam Allardyce has revealed that he is bracing himself for the African Nations Cup, and may be forced into activity in the January transfer window.
The Magpies are likely to be without the services of skipper Geremi, defenders Habib Beye and Abdoulaye Faye and striker Obafemi Martins due to the African Nations Cup after Christmas.
Although Allardyce won't be alone in losing players to the competition, he admits he'll have to do some business in January to plug the gap.
He said: "I lose four, but most of the country loses a similar amount these days. I think there's only Manchester United who do not have an African Nations player playing. Most of the other teams do. It's a difficult period. The January window is something for me to talk about with Chris (Mort), the chairman, and try to plan for that as soon as we can and see what comes about."
The former Bolton man would rather not have to make any purchases in the mid-season transfer window, a system that he believes needs reviewing.
He said: "It's always difficult in January to buy players because you need a settling-in period and if you buy somebody in January, it would have to be instant. They would have to have an instant impact on the side, and that can sometimes be extremely difficult for the new player to that, and he can be judged very quickly if he does not live up to the expectation, and suffer because of that. That's why the system is flawed. I have said it since day one, and I have not changed my mind. It would be nice if somebody reviewed it and changed it, but I don't think they will."
