Hello fellow Wanderers.

I need help with a bit of an obscure question...

Two players, Warwick Rimmer and Paul Jones, both played for BWFC between 1970-1974. I have two old men arguing over whether they ever played together as a centre back pairing or not; can anyone remember???

I didn't see the Whites till '78 so I only remember Paul Jones. He was a bit good though, eh?

Cheers all

I refer you to "Paul Jones slags Defence" thread on this very website [not sure how to quote on one thread from another but I'll give it a go]

Oops: this is quoted from mullayo

Bolton Wanderers legend Paul Jones unimpressed by modern-day defending

12:40pm Monday 8th June 2009
By Marc Iles »


WHEN you can count on 600-plus games in the Football League and have been described as the best centre-half never to have played for England, then your opinion on modern-day defenders carries a certain cache.

So when Burden Park legend Paul Jones tells you that some of today’s multi-millionaires have lost the ability to defend, the statement is hardly an idle one.

But that is exactly what Wanderers’ cultured hero of the 1970s claims is happening in the modern game, with managers under pressure to put more of a tactical emphasis on attack.

“The overall standard of defending in the Premier League leaves something to be desired, and I am not the only one to think that,” said the 56-year-old, who scored 43 goals in 506 games for the Whites between 1971 and 1983.

“I’ve never known a period in top soccer where there are so many full-backs, even with the top clubs, who can’t defend.

“To be fair to the lads themselves, their job is made harder because all anyone in the game wants them to do is go forward. I think it does more harm than good.”

Jones recently completed a coaching stint in the Hunan Province of China but is now back home in England and looking to get back involved in the game.

He counts Paul McGrath as the best defender of the last three decades but also credits Nemanja Vidic, Jamie Carragher, John Terry and Richard Dunne as some of those defenders who still keep the torch shining brightly.

But Jones still believes Burnden team-mates Warwick Rimmer and Tony Dunne could teach today’s breed a thing or two about how to keep a clean sheet.

“We could have teamed up to write the definitive book on defending,” he said. “It would have deserved a worldwide circulation.

“Tony and Warwick could have written a defender’s bible.

“They would impress on you that a defender had to be the calmest man on the pitch — no panic, no running around like a headless chicken as you see nowadays.

“You can only provide the leadership your team needs by keeping calm and both Warwick and Tony were oceans of calm when I played in the side with them.”

Jones earned hero status in his 13 seasons at Burnden Park during the 1970s and 1980s, gaining a reputation as one of the best footballing centre-backs of his era.

He helped Wanderers from the old Third Division into the First Division and was selected by Don Revie in an England squad, only to be cruelly overlooked for a place in the team.

His near-miss on the international front is a stigma that has followed Cheshire-born Jones since he finally hung up his playing boots professionally in 1990, although he insists that no bitterness remains on his part.

“What do the experts know?” he said. “After all, the best player I ever associated with was Frank Worthington and he never got the full credit of a cap in his days with Wanderers. He only got eight caps when he was with Leicester City.

“Frank was the greatest in the minds of so many players of his era. For my money, he would put all of today’s superstars in the shade, including Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Jones is not dismissive of today’s talent, and admits there are a few players in the high-paced Premier League that he would not like to come up against.

“The defenders union say that Tim Cahill at Everton is one of the biggest pains in the backside to play against,” he said. “He sneaks in to score out of nothing.

“Carlos Tevez is a non-stop torment, in fact you’d need an extra lung to play against him.

“Aside from them, Fernando Torres is also impressive and I have never seen anything like Wayne Rooney and the goals he gets.”

Jones’s interview was reproduced with the permission of the PFA website.

Well he was certainly right that [quote] Carlos Tevez is a non-stop torment [unquote]

but this from the hoss's mouth would answer your question: You can only provide the leadership your team needs by keeping calm and both Warwick and Tony were oceans of calm when I played in the side with them

They were both in the 1970/71 squad, as evidenced by the team photo here...

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/bob.dunning/bolton.htm

I didn't start watching t'Wanderers until late 70's, but I'd be surprised if they never played in the same side...

Can't say for certain (yet) but here is a quote from Paul Jones in GimmeFootball.com

http://web.archive.org/web/200906181627 ... ton-legend

Q: You certainly played with some great players in that period?
A: There's no doubt about that. The best player I was ever associated with was Frank Worthington in that period and if he was playing today he would have put people like Ronaldo and all the current superstar strikers in the shade. As a centre half it was just a delight to play with and learn so much from such as Warwick Rimmer and Tony Dunne who taught me so much. Warwick was my ‘dad’ in the Wanderers side.

Of course he may have been talking about training.

Just got the complete record out and they did indeed seem to have a quite a lot of games together and im presuming they were both in central defense as Jones wore the 5 shirt and Warwick wore the 6. Also a few games together with Jones wearing 5 and Warwick wearing 4.

Didn't Rimmer end up owning a snooker club with Roy Greaves?

I recall Warwick as a full-back. Despite the above numbers. But yes, they did play together.

(great servant who sullied his reputation by taking work with Trashmere ... until v recently he worked with their youth players. OK, he originates from the Wirral, but it's barely an excuse)

Dunno about that but he part owned Warrick Rimmer Autos (I think the clue is in the name) on Viola Street until it moved over to just off Deane Road in partnership with my good friend Frank Woods, ex Mayor of Blackrod, who died a few years back at the wheel of his recovery truck.

In Astley Bridge - bloody hell, I'd forgotten that. Didn't know that Blackrod had ever had it's own Mayor, how long ago was that (sorry to learn of your loss though, Fella).

Greaves definitely owned a snooker club up Deane with another ex-player and I'd bet money that it was Rimmer. Greaves also went on to own Moteraze on Manny Road with BSA.

He did indeed have a snooker club, somewhere at the back of Settle Street, Great Lever I think it was. It burnt down in ahem, 'mysterious circumstances' round about 1987.

Hi & sorry to hijack this thread with my 1st post..

In the famous 1971 League Cup win v Citeh (gary jones hat trick), the traffic up manchester rd (towards moses gate) was so backed up Warwick dumped his car & legged it to Burnden park. I know as we & a lot of others did the same.
I'm sure Rimmer partnered John Hulme in the centre of defence that night, so he must have partnered Paul Jones also during the period as both Hulme & Jones were injury prone.

Cheers
Kas (USA)

The mayorship was way back http://www.boltonsmayors.org.uk/woods-f.html

Wasn't Monteraze Roy Greaves in partnership with Peter Nicholson? I'm probably wrong but maybe half the team from that era were involved in it.

I saw Peter (from a distance) at a sportsman's do last Friday.

What was the place in Farnworth headed up by ex players

Former fire station

Pretty sure it was BSA. Nicholson was a salesman at Summit Windows when, as an 18 year old, I worked in their promotions department.
My best mate used to play for Park Utd with Greaves and Nicholson. He maintains that Greaves played at such a superior level that the rest of them struggled to keep up with what he was doing, whereas Nicholson, even at that level, was fecking shit.

Peter Nich once told me that he'd never been the best player in his team, at any level, not even at school. However, he listened, behaved, trained, worked hard and kept going.

That was why, despite us buying full-back after full-back he always fought his way back into the team.

He also once, at Astley Bridge cricket club, explained to me what I should ensure I & my date should be doing to each other later that evening. Indeed, he went so far as to say that should I not he would very likely proceed to do this himself.

It was OK, coz I did !!

He would do said act to you or her??

You know, Andy, I always took it that he meant her.

However, now you've put a doubt in my mind.