February 26th 2005

Newcastle-online caught up with Mark Hayes, the Editor of a Bolton fans site Bolton Wanderers Mad to get his views on Sunday's match at St. James' Park, NUFC, football, Bolton and more. This is what he had to say...

Q: Sam Allardyce was offered the Newcastle job and turned it down, was he foolish or wise considering the trouble Graeme Souness has had?

I know the Newcastle job was something which Sam considered very seriously, but ultimately his heart is with Bolton and I think his aim was to finish the job which he had started here. I think only time will tell whether or not he made the right decision but I felt that for him it was a case of better the devil you know. At Bolton he is idolised even through the bad times, had things gone wrong at Newcastle then I doubt they would have been as patient with him being an outsider.

Q: As a football fan in general I no longer look upon Bolton as relegation candidates but as a top 10 Premiership side, capable of challenging for a UEFA Cup spot (this season anyway). How does that make you feel as a Bolton fan that others now see your club in such light?

It's quite flattering that yourself and other rival supporters have noted down Bolton's achievements over the past few seasons. I have followed Bolton through both good and bad times over the course of two decades and I have to say that never in a million years did I imagine that we would move to such heights so quickly so it's nice that other clubs are giving Bolton a lot more respect for what they have done.

Q: Big Sam seems to have had no money to spend, yet he keeps producing teams that win matches, does it bother you that he hasn't had any money? Would you like Phil Gartside to open up the purse strings?

The money aspect of things does bother me because Sam will not be able to work under such financial restraints forever. During the last transfer window we saw how competitive it has become to acquire the bargain buys and I think that is a sign that investment will need to be made especially if Bolton are to progress into the European competitions.

Q: Bolton seem to string lots of results together, then hit a bad patch where they can't win a match. Why is that?

Earlier on in the season we got slightly complacent with our position in the league and I think our form over Christmas was the wake up call that was needed to get us back performing back to our best. We lost all of our games throughout December and a bit of the work ethic we are so renowned for disappeared for a few weeks. Every team has a bad patch but it seems as if ours came at one of the busiest times of the season.

Q: Many, Souness included, has had a dig at the tactics and style of play Bolton have employed, especially this season, does this bother you?

No not really, Graeme is entitled to his opinion but any team will perform to their strengths to win a game of football and as Bolton have a lot of strong, physical players in their line up they often rely on set pieces as a good form of attack.

Q: Gary Speed is a big hero of mine and was a great servant of Newcastle United, how has he settled in and how good (or bad) has he played for Bolton this season? What impact/influence has he had on the team? Are Bolton better for his signing?

Gary has done very well since moving to Bolton and certainly defies his veteran status. Many people would expect a 35-year old to slow things down a bit but Gary is one of the best athletes at the club and shows no signs of packing in. He covers every blade of grass and is very vocal but I think his experience of the big games has been the most crucial part of his success here. During the bad run he was one of the players who kept his head and refused to let the situation take over his ability.

Q: How would you describe the way Bolton play and what are your key strengths and major weaknesses?

We have been changing the system from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 dependant on how the game has been progressing. Since the turn of the year we have started to pass the ball about a lot more and used less of the long ball tactics. We are still a very physical side, strong on set pieces and very compact defensively but our weakness is in midfield as we seem to lack a combative type of player who can break up opposition attacks.

Q: Bolton beat Newcastle 2-1 at the Reebok and usually do well against us, can you pick up a win at St. James' Park?

We haven't won at St James Park since October 1959 so it's been a long time, some would say long overdue.We have played well on Tyneside in the past but not got the result to show for the performance but given the form we are in at the moment it is not impossible but we know that we have will have to work hard to get a result against a Newcastle team who have done well at home over the last couple of months .

Q: Who will be the danger men for both teams in your eyes?

Bolton's man on form at the moment is El-Hadji Diouf. He seems to have added that extra spark to our forward line and seems to be playing with a lot more confidence than he had during his days at Liverpool. Kevin Davies, Jay-Jay Okocha and Kevin Nolan are also a danger but Nolan will unfortunately be missing for this one because of a suspension.

Newcastle will rely heavily on the goalscoring threat of Alan Shearer and Patrick Kluivert, both of whom I feel are established strikers at this level. Having said that I think the midfield is also strong when you consider that there is the right balance of offensive and defensive players in there such as Jermaine Jenas, Laurent Robert, Amdy Faye and Nicky Butt.

Q: Which one Newcastle player (if any) would you most like to see in a Bolton strip?

I would like to see Alan Shearer here without question, Newcastle may have put the emphasis on bringing younger players to the club over the last couple of seasons but Shearer has remained up there with the best. He gives his all for Newcastle United and is still very much a threat in front of goal.

Q: What are Bolton's aims for this season?

The main aim now is to get in Europe whether it be through the League or in the FA Cup. Sam has emphasised that he wants the team to focus on the cup first and foremost which is quite a surprise to me given our performances away from the league competition in recent seasons.

Q: Can Bolton bridge the gap from a mid-table Premiership side to a genuine challenger to the top 6 and if so, what needs done to get there?

I think investment will be the key if Bolton are to sustain their place amongst the top six. Many clubs have sat in the top six places in one season and then struggled to maintain that consistency in the next season so to bring players in with that extra bit of quality will make all the difference.

Q: Looking in on the outside, what do you make of Craig Bellamy's actions of late?

No matter what discrepancies he had with his manager he should have kept his mouth shut to the media. Craig must have known that going on national television and criticising his manager would have brought repercussions with regards to his future at Newcastle. We all know managers fall out with their players from time to time, but it wasn't just Graeme Souness who Craig fell out with, I believe he has also had a number of run ins with Sir Bobby Robson so that wouldn't have gone down well in this latest incident.

Q: What are your thoughts on Newcastle fans and our City?

I have actually visited the city a few times before and the main area in the city centre is something to be proud of. I know the Quay Side has gone under a lot of redevelopment in recent years and looks very smart. The Toon Army are a very passionate bunch and no matter what happens they always turn out in force to support their club. They always come across as one big family.

Q: Where will Bolton finish in the League?

Hopefully we will end up in one of the European positions but if that is unattainable then any improvement on last year's 8th placed finish would be considered satisfactory.

Q: Finally, your prediction for the match?

St. James' Park is always a hard place for us to get a result so I'm going to sit on the fence a little bit and say it will end all square at 1-1.