Gary Madine ' Was One of the Best I've Played With'

[Forever Blue]

Karl Henry: GaryMadine 'One of the Best I've Played With'


Friday May 22, 2020 |


By Chris Mann



Karl Henry: Bolton Mentality Was 'Tough to Take'


Karl Henry believes the sale of Gary Madine to Cardiff City in January 2018 served as a realisation of just how bad Bolton's financial struggles had become.

Arguably in the form of his career, Madine had struck 10 times for Wanderers in the opening half of the 2017/18 campaign before moving to South Wales for a reported £6million on the final day of the transfer window.

He would help steer the Bluebirds towards Premier League promotion while the Trotters ultimately escaped relegation without him on the final day - a task Henry says would have been made all the easier had Phil Parkinson been allowed to keep hold of his key asset.

"Of all the players, Gary Madine is one of the best strikers I've played with," Henry told the Lion of Vienna Suite podcast. "I loved playing with Gary Madine.

"This is when I realised how bad the financial situation was - I've never known a team who is bottom of the league sell their top goalscorer and main focal point.

"Our whole game was based around Gary Madine, I think that was clear for everybody to see.

"He was brilliant. As a player, to have someone like that in your team was unbelievable.

"He would bring balls down on his chest that defenders were trying to head. He was so strong and I loved playing with him.

"He was a brilliant player for us and I think had we kept him for the whole season (2017/18), it would without doubt have been a much more comfortable campaign.

"For us to have lost him and still do the job. Fair play to the lads who came in - Adam Le Fondre and Aaron Wilbraham - I thought they did fantastically well."