15 January 1981 - El Hadji Starts His Pilgrimage

On 15 January 1981, Senegalese striker El Hadji Diouf was born in Dakar. A talented but controversial player, he has spent time with several different clubs across France, England, and Scotland.

He began his professional career with Sochaux in 1998, followed by quick moves to Rennes (1999-2000), and Lens (2000-02). At the latter, he scored 18 goals in 54 league appearances, which--combined with a strong showing for Senegal at the 2002 World Cup in which he helped the team to a quarterfinal berth--attracted the interest of Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier, who signed him that summer for £10 million.

Diouf failed to recapture his previous form and his time at Anfield was overshadowed by a March 2003 UEFA Cup incident in which he spat at a Celtic supporter. At the end of the 2003-04 season--in which Diouf failed to score a single goal--Liverpool sent him on loan to Bolton. There, he began scoring goals again and Bolton made the move permanent in 2005.

After four seasons with Bolton, he moved again, spending time with Sunderland (2008-09) and Blackburn Rovers (2009-11). But his scoring touch deserted him again and he spent the last half of the 2010-11 season on loan in Scotland with Rangers. All along the way, he developed a reputation for being hotheaded, with frequent bookings.

He moved back to England in the summer of 2011 to play for Doncaster Rovers, then joined Leeds United in 2012 after Doncaster's season ended in relegation. He last played for Malaysian club Sabah FA before retiring in 2015.

23 April 1904 - Manchester City Turns Silver

On 23 April 1904, Manchester City won their first major trophy, beating Bolton in the FA Cup final. But it was not without controversy.

Manchester City were making their first appearance in the final, while Bolton had been there before, losing to Notts County 4-1 in 1894. But City were the favorites for the 1904 clash, as they were sitting at the top of the First Division table, while Bolton occupied the seventh position in Division Two.

Over 60,000 people filled the stands at London's Crystal Palace for the match and watched as the two teams played a balanced game for the first twenty minutes. But in the 23rd minute, City forward Billy Meredith (pictured) collected a pass from his teammate George Livingstone and beat Bolton keeper Dai Davies with a dribble to put the ball into an open net. Some commentators later claimed that Meredith had been offside, but the goal stood and turned out to be the difference on the day.

Bolton enjoyed the better part of possession throughout the second half, but could not get the ball past City keeper Jack Hillman and lost, 1-0.

City nearly completed the double, but lost 1-0 at Everton two days later to finish as runners-up in the league to Sheffield Wednesday. 

16 April 1905 - Liverpool Runs The Table

On 16 April 1905, Liverpool secured their second league title. It was the first time in league history that a newly-promoted team won the top flight.

Liverpool won their first league title in 1901, but three seasons later, they finished the season as the seventeenth-placed team out of eighteen and were relegated to the Second Division. But they returned at the first opportunity and were back in the top flight for the 1904-05 season.

Their return started poorly, with three losses in their first three matches. They turned things around quickly, however, winning twelve of their next fifteen to reach the top of the table by mid-December. Their good form continued into the second half of the season, with Preston North End in hot pursuit.

At the start of the day on 16 April, Preston were five points back with three games left to play. Liverpool were away to Bolton, where they lost 3-2. But fortunately for them, Preston also lost, falling 2-0 at Sunderland. That result put the title out of Preston's reach and made Liverpool the champions.

8 September 1969 - Wales Adds Some Speed

On 8 September 1969, former Welsh national team captain and manager Gary Speed was born in Mancot, Wales. With 85 appearances for the national team, he remains the most-capped outfield player for Wales and the second most-capped player overall.

In 1990, while playing for Leeds United, Speed earned his first cap in friendly against Costa Rica, which Wales won 1-0. He retired from international play after a 3-2 loss to Poland in an October 2004 World Cup qualifier. It was his 85th cap, just seven shy of goalkeeper Neville Southall's all-time record, but ten more than the next highest outfield player, striker Dean Saunders.

He continued his club career for another six years, with spells at Everton (1996-98), Newcastle (1998-2004), Bolton (2004-08), and Sheffield United (2008-10). He moved directly into coaching with Sheffield United, taking over as manager in August 2010.

Although he had signed a three-year contract with Sheffield United, Wales lured him away in December 2010. He remained in charge of the national team until his death by hanging in November 2011. Although the event was self-inflicted, it has not been officially ruled a suicide, as the coroner could not determine whether Speed had intended to kill himself.

2 May 1953 - They Could Have Just Called It The Stanley Final

On 2 May 1953, Blackpool rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat Bolton 4-3 in the FA Cup Final. Although Blackpool forward Stan Mortensen scored a hat-trick, the match is nicknamed "the Matthews Final" after his teammate, winger Stanley Matthews, who inspired the comeback.

The two teams had split their meetings in the league that season, with both teams winning at home to set up the decider in the Final. It was Blackpool's third trip to the Final after losing their first two, while Bolton had already won it three times.

Playing before a crowd of 100,000 at Wembley, Bolton's Nat Lofthouse put his team ahead in only the second minute with a speculative shot from outside the box that bounced through the arms of keeper George Farm. Mortensen equalized in the 35th minute, but goals from Bobby Langton (40') and Eric Bell (55') made it look like Bolton's cup to lose.

But thirteen minutes later, the 38-year old Matthews blew through the Bolton back line and cross the ball in for a Mortensen header. In the 89th minute, Mortensen equalized with a free kick to complete his hat-trick. Blackpool controlled the ball for the remaining time, with Matthews befuddling the defense with clever dribbling and speed (though it certainly helped that two Bolton players were playing injured for the last 20 minutes). In the second minute of stoppage time, he provided another cross in from the right that was headed in by left winger Bill Perry for the win.

It was Blackpool's first major silverware and the only major club trophy won by Matthews in his 33-year career.

28 April 1923 - Behold A Pale Horse

On 28 April 1923, Bolton Wanderers and West Ham met in the FA Cup Final. It was the first event ever held at the original Wembley Stadium.

The stadium had been built over the course of the previous year at a cost of £750,000 and was ready for business just four days prior to the Final. Approximately 300,000 people turned up for the match, far in excess of the stadium's capacity of 127,000.

Spectators spilled out of the terraces and onto the pitch before the match, requiring mounted police to clear the field for the game. The day's iconic image shows constable George Scorey on a grey horse parting a sea of supporters. His horse, Billie, appeared white on film, giving rise to the match's nickname as the White Horse Final.

The match itself was anticlimactic. Bolton went ahead in the second minute with a goal from forward David Jack. Jack's shot hit a spectator who was standing against the net, knocking him unconscious. Bolton forward Jack Smith doubled their lead in the 53rd minute and Wanderers held on for a comfortable 2-0 victory.

29 February 2004 - Boro Does The Job

On 29 February 2004, two quick goals lifted Middlesbrough to their first major honor, beating Bolton in the League Cup final.

Founded in 1876, Boro had come close to a trophy a few years earlier, reaching both the FA Cup and League Cup finals in 1997, then returning to the League Cup final in 1998. In their first League Cup final, they led Leicester City 1-0 deep into extra time, but conceded a goal in the 118th minute to force a replay which Leicester won, 1-0.

Bolton, meanwhile, had won a slew of FA Cups (1923, 1926, 1929, 1958), but had reached the League Cup final only once before, losing 2-1 to Liverpool in 1995.

The teams met at Cardiff's Millenium Stadium, where many of the official 72,634 attendees missed the opening goal. In just the second minute, while they were still making their way to their seats, Boro midfielder Boudewijn Zenden fired a ball across the goal. It was met by his teammate, forward Joseph-Désiré Job (pictured, left), who turned it into the net to put Boro up 1-0.

Five minutes later, Zenden doubled the lead with a penalty kick after Bolton center back Emerson Thome fouled Job in the box. Even though Bolton pulled one back with a strike from Kevin Davies in the 21st minute, they could not get an equalizer past Middlesbrough keeper Marl Schwarzer and the match ended as a 1-2 Boro victory.

At the time, Job's goal was the quickest in League Cup history, but that record was later beaten by John Arne Riise, who netted for Liverpool in the first minute the next year.

12 January 2008 - Enough Clubs To Fill A Golf Bag

On 12 January 2008, Nicolas Anelka debuted for Chelsea, his eighth club in 14 years.

His appearance that day against Tottenham was a surprise, even to manager Avram Grant. The forward had signed for Chelsea just the day before and he had not even participated in a training session. But an injury to Claudio Pizarro forced Grant to bring Anelka on in the 58th minute with the Blues up 1-0. Although he didn't score, he quickly made an impact, hitting the bar once and forcing a difficult save from the Spurs keeper as Chelsea won 2-0.

Chelsea had paid £15 million to Bolton for the French forward. Combined with the fees paid for previous transfers, Anelka's various clubs had paid a total of £84.8 million for him, an amount that made him the world's most expensive footballer at the time. In addition to Bolton (2006-08), Anelka had played for PSG (1994-97, 2000-02), Arsenal (1997-99), Real Madrid (1999-2000), Liverpool (2002), Manchester City (2002-04), and Fenerbahçe (2004-06).

Anelka scored only 2 goals for Chelsea in that first season, but bagged a league-best 19 in his second season. He scored 59 across all competitions before leaving the club in 2012.

24 August 1949 - Welcome Back, United

On 24 August 1949, Manchester United returned to Old Trafford, playing a League fixture there for the first time in over ten years.

Old Trafford, nicknamed the "Theatre of Dreams," has served as United's home ground since 1910. But after the 1938-39 season, the FA suspended League play for the duration of World War II, with United's last match before the break being a 2-0 win over Liverpool.

During the war, German bombing runs twice hit Old Trafford, rendering it unusable. As described by a report in the Telegraph, "The spectacular main grandstand lay in ruins, what was left of the vast, sweeping terracing was overgrown with weeds, a thorny 6ft high bush had sprouted in the middle of the scorched pitch, a couple of threadbare Nissen huts served as dressing rooms and offices, and the 'training pitch' was a levelled-off area of rubble behind the Stretford End; the 'Theatre of Dreams' was a landscape of nightmares."

When League play resumed in 1946, United were still in the process of rebuilding the stadium (see photo). For the next three seasons, they played their home matches at Maine Road, the home of rivals Manchester City (£5,000 a year plus a take of the gate). By the start of the 1949-50 season, the stadium was not fully rebuilt, but was ready for play and 41,748 people showed up to watch United defeat Bolton 3-0.

21 August 1965 - He Looks Pretty Tall But His Heels Are High

On 21 August 1965, Charlton Athletic midfielder Keith Peacock became the Football League's first-ever substitute when he entered their match against Bolton in the 11th minute. Unfortunately for Peacock, he replaced Charlton's injured goalkeeper and Charlton lost 4-2.

For most if its existence, the League did not allow substitutions under any circumstances. But they decided for the 1965-66 season to allow a single substitution for injuries only. Charlton opened that season in Division Two away at Bolton and lost starting goalkeeper Mike Rose to an injury after only 11 minutes. Newly-appointed manager Bob Stokoe sent Peacock in and moved left back John Hewie into goal. Unfortunately for Charlton, the move did not prevent Bolton from winning by the score of 4-2.

After two seasons, the League again changed the substitution rule to allow switches for tactical reasons as well as injuries.

11 May 1985 - The Valley Parade Fire

On 11 May 1985, Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium caught fire during their last match of the season, killing 56 spectators and injuring 265 others.

The day started triumphantly for Bradford City. They had secured the Division Three title five days earlier with a 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers, so the League presented the trophy to the club before their match, played against Lincoln City. The presentation brought 11,076 people out to see the match, almost double the season average of 6,610.

People in the crowd noticed the first signs of fire under the main stand about five minutes before the break. Later reports described it as a "glowing light," possibly from a dropped match or cigarette that landed on trash and debris that had collected under the stand. The fire spread quickly across the wooden stand and roof, so that, within four minutes, the entire stand was engulfed in flame.

The roof dropped burning timbers and other material onto the crowd, some of whom tried to escape through the back of the stand, while other rushed onto the pitch, helped by police officers and Bradford City striker John Hawley, who climbed into the burning stand to help rescue a stranded supporter. Of the 56 people who died, several succumbed to smoke inhalation, while others were crushed in the panic or were burned. One of the fatalities was 86-year old Sam Firth, a former chairman of the club.

Sadly, prior to the fire, several people had warned the club about the need to replace the wooden stand and roof and to clear the debris from under the stand, but Bradford City had been slow to implement renovations. But having secured promotion, they had just ordered a new steel roof and concrete terracing that would have minimized any damage.

The stadium re-opened in December 1986 and remains home to Bradford City.

19 March 2008 - Better Than Best

On 19 March 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo scored both goals in Manchester United's 2-0 win to pass George Best on the club's ranking for most goals in a single season.

The match was Ronaldo's first as captain, in the absence of regular skippers Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, and Rio Ferdinand, and he responded to the challenge well. His first goal came in just the ninth minute as he volleyed a corner kick past Bolton keeper Ali Al Habsi and his second followed just eleven minutes later. After being fouled by Bolton's Abdoulaye Méité in the 20th minute, Ronaldo delivered a stunningly precise free kick that easily beat Al Habsi.

That second goal was Ronaldo's 33rd goal of the season in all competitions, surpassing Best's best tally of 32, set in 1967-68. He finished the year with a total of 42, only four behind Denis Law's club record of 46 in 1963-64.

The win put United three points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table, where they would remain for the rest of the season to claim their 18th league title.

8 September 1888 - And We're Off!

On 8 September 1888, Bolton's Kenny Davenport scored the Football League's first goal when he found the net in the second minute of their opening-day match against Derby County.

It was one of five matches played on opening day of the League's first season. And despite Davenport's heroics (he later scored a second goal), Bolton fell 6-3 in what turned out to be the highest-scoring match of the day. Elsewhere, Everton beat Accrington 2-1, Preston North End beat Burnley 5-2, Stoke lost 0-2 to West Brom, and Wolverhampton drew with 1-1 Aston Villa. 

For a while, people believed that Villa's Gershom Cox got the League's first goal when he found his own net in the 30th minute, but subsequent research into the start times for the various matches gave the honor to Davenport.

13 October 1928 - Jack Doesn't Come For Jack

On 13 October 1928, Arsenal set a world transfer fee record when they signed forward David Jack from Bolton for £10,890.

Jack had been with Bolton for eight years, scoring 144 goals in 295 league appearances and winning the FA Cup in 1923 and 1926 (he scored the winner in the latter). But by 1928, the team had become strapped for cash and were looking to sell. Arsenal, meanwhile, were in the market to replace forward Charlie Buchan, who had retired at the end of the previous season.

When Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman first approached Bolton, they agreed to the transfer for a fee of £13,000—which would have doubled the record at the time, set when Sunderland bought Bob Kelly from Burnley for £6,500 in 1925. According to club legend, Chapman met with Bolton representatives in a London restaurant, where he instructed the bartender to secretly leave the alcohol out of his drinks. While the others at the meeting proceeded to get drunk, Chapman remained sober and used the advantage to negotiate the purchase price down, though it still set a new world record.

Jack remained with Arsenal for six seasons, scoring 113 goals in 181 league appearances and winning the club's first FA Cup in 1930. In the 1930-31 season, he scored 31 goals to help the club to their first league title, then won additional league titles with them in 1933 and 1934 before retiring at the end of the 1933-34 season.

[For more about the transfer, including different stories about the negotiation, visit http://www.blog.woolwicharsenal.co.uk/archives/4770.]

15 January 1981 - El Hadji Starts His Pilgrimage

On 15 January 1981, Senegalese striker El Hadji Diouf was born in Dakar. A talented but controversial player, he has spent time with nine different clubs across France, England, and Scotland.

He began his professional career with Sochaux in 1998, followed by quick moves to Rennes (1999-2000), and Lens (2000-02). At the latter, he scored 18 goals in 54 league appearances, which--combined with a strong showing for Senegal at the 2002 World Cup in which he helped the team to a quarterfinal berth--attracted the interest of Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier, who signed him that summer for £10 million.

Diouf failed to recapture his previous form and his time at Anfield was overshadowed by a March 2003 UEFA Cup incident in which he spat at a Celtic supporter. At the end of the 2003-04 season--in which Diouf failed to score a single goal--Liverpool sent him on loan to Bolton. There, he began scoring goals again and Bolton made the move permanent in 2005.

After four seasons with Bolton, he moved again, spending time with Sunderland (2008-09) and Blackburn Rovers (2009-11). But his scoring touch deserted him again and he spent the last half of the 2010-11 season on loan in Scotland with Rangers. All along the way, he developed a reputation for being hotheaded, with frequent bookings.

He moved back to England in the summer of 2011 to play for Doncaster Rovers, then joined Leed United in 2012 after Doncaster's season ended in relegation.

23 April 1904 - Manchester City Turns Silver

On 23 April 1904, Manchester City won their first major trophy, beating Bolton in the FA Cup final. But it was not without controversy.

Manchester City were making their first appearance in the final, while Bolton had been there before, losing to Notts County 4-1 in 1894. But City were the favorites for the 1904 clash, as they were sitting at the top of the First Division table, while Bolton occupied the seventh position in Division Two.

Over 60,000 people filled the stands at London's Crystal Palace for the match and watched as the two teams played a balanced game for the first twenty minutes. But in the 23rd minute, City forward Billy Meredith (pictured) collected a pass from his teammate George Livingstone and beat Bolton keeper Dai Davies with a dribble to put the ball into an open net. Some commentators later claimed that Meredith had been offside, but the goal stood and turned out to be the difference on the day.

Bolton enjoyed the better part of possession throughout the second half, but could not get the ball past City keeper Jack Hillman and lost, 1-0.

City nearly completed the double, but lost 1-0 at Everton two days later to finish as runners-up in the league to Sheffield Wednesday. They have since won two league titles and four more FA Cups, most recently in 2011.

16 April 1905 - Liverpool Runs The Table

On 16 April 1905, Liverpool secured their second league title. It was the first time in league history that a newly-promoted team won the top flight.

Liverpool won their first league title in 1901, but three seasons later, they finished the season as the seventeenth-placed team out of eighteen and were relegated to the Second Division. But they returned at the first opportunity and were back in the top flight for the 1904-05 season.

Their return started poorly, with three losses in their first three matches. They turned things around quickly, however, winning twelve of their next fifteen to reach the top of the table by mid-December. Their good form continued into the second half of the season, with Preston North End in hot pursuit.

At the start of the day on 16 April, Preston were five points back with three games left to play. Liverpool were away to Bolton, where they lost 3-2. But fortunately for them, Preston also lost, falling 2-0 at Sunderland. That result put the title out of Preston's reach and made Liverpool the champions.

8 April 1898 - The Blades Cut Bolton Down For The Title

On 8 April 1898, Sheffield United won the league with a win over Bolton. It was the start of the Blades' most successful period, followed by two FA Cups.

Founded in 1889, United had finished as league runners-up to Aston Villa in 1897. Determined to improve their position, the club announced at the start of the 1897-98 season that they were gunning for the title. And they got off to a great start, going undefeated in their first fourteen matches, winning eight.

They had claimed the top spot early in that run, but faltered in December, losing two of their next three to drop in second. They rallied on New Year's Day, moving back to the top with the first of six straight wins. They remained there for the rest of the season, despite going winless for a string of four matches in February and March.

On 8 April, they were at Bolton and started the day three points clear of Sunderland, who had three games left to play. United went on to beat Bolton 0-1, while Sunderland lost 1-0 to Bury. The combination secured the title for the Blades with one game left to play.

They went on to win the FA Cup the following year, then again in 1902 (after finishing as runners-up in 1901). The 1898 championship, however, remains their only league title.

29 February 2004 - Boro Does The Job

On 29 February 2004, two quick goals lifted Middlesbrough to their first major honor, beating Bolton in the League Cup final.

Founded in 1876, Boro had come close to a trophy a few years earlier, reaching both the FA Cup and League Cup finals in 1997, then returning to the League Cup final in 1998. In their first League Cup final, they led Leicester City 1-0 deep into extra time, but conceded a goal in the 118th minute to force a replay which Leicester won, 1-0.

Bolton, meanwhile, had won a slew of FA Cups (1923, 1926, 1929, 1958), but had reached the League Cup final only once before, losing 2-1 to Liverpool in 1995.

The teams met at Cardiff's Millenium Stadium, where many of the official 72,634 attendees missed the opening goal. In just the second minute, while they were still making their way to their seats, Boro midfielder Boudewijn Zenden fired a ball across the goal. It was met by his teammate, forward Joseph-Désiré Job (pictured, left), who turned it into the net to put Boro up 1-0.

Five minutes later, Zenden doubled the lead with a penalty kick after Bolton center back Emerson Thome fouled Job in the box. Even though Bolton pulled one back with a strike from Kevin Davies in the 21st minute, they could not get an equalizer past Middlesbrough keeper Marl Schwarzer and the match ended as a 1-2 Boro victory.

At the time, Job's goal was the quickest in League Cup history, but that record was later beaten by John Arne Riise, who netted for Liverpool in the first minute the next year.

8 September 1969 - Wales Adds Some Speed

On 8 September 1969, former Welsh national team captain and current manager Gary Speed was born in Mancot, Wales. With 85 appearances for the national team, he remains the most-capped outfield player for Wales and the second most-capped player overall.

In 1990, while playing for Leeds United, Speed earned his first cap in friendly against Costa Rica, which Wales won 1-0. He retired from international play after a 3-2 loss to Poland in an October 2004 World Cup qualifier. It was his 85th cap, just seven shy of goalkeeper Neville Southall's all-time record, but ten more than the next highest outfield player, striker Dean Saunders.

He continued his club career for another six years, with spells at Everton (1996-98), Newcastle (1998-2004), Bolton (2004-08), and Sheffield United (2008-10). He moved directly into coaching with Sheffield United, taking over as manager in August 2010.

Although he had signed a three-year contract with Sheffield United, Wales lured him away in December 2010. Since then, he has guided the Dragons to a record of 2 wins and 5 losses, including a close 1-0 defeat to England at Wembley earlier this week.

[Update: Speed died in November 2011, reportedly by suicide, though the coroner could not determine whether he had intended to kill himself.]