Enjoy it while it lasts, fatty. You'll soon be under pressure again

What to do with Owen Coyle?  Give him more time. Find him help. Get rid.  There is no general consensus.  If it’s the latter option, then Coyle could have no complaints. Six points from nine games is only one more than Sammy Lee got, prior to his sacking in 2007 and three wins (and twelve defeats) in fifteen league outings since the debacle at Wembley is unacceptable by any standards.

There’s also an unpleasing symmetry that has emerged.  Last season Bolton had the worst away record in the four divisions.  Now they have the poorest home results.

Criticism of the Whites boss should be tempered.  Losing the two best players in Stuart Holden and Lee Chung-Yong from a squad that was ordinary in the first place, would be a crushing blow to anyone in that situation.  In addition, his net spend in the transfer market over two seasons has been more or less nil, with Bolton so hamstrung for cash. But the lack of progress in rectifying what are glaring faults can not be ignored.

In Lee’s brief tenure, much attention was drawn to a desire to play more open football.  The reality was that his failures came because of an inability to field a team capable of defending.  With a back four containing Gerald Cid and Jlloyd Samuel at his most clueless, that was always a doomed venture.

The current side’s main problems lie further forward in midfield.  For much of the time there isn’t one.  The tendency to abandon that area when under pressure and camp out on the eighteen yard line is always costly.  It gives better teams space to involve the wingers and stretch the back line, whilst more basic opposition can launch hopeful punts into the penalty area, knowing that there will be no one to contest the ball when it comes back – a fact that isn’t lost on Gary Cahill.

“When you are under pressure, there is only so much you can head out and defend. It is difficult because I was out there thinking, ‘Why are we under so much pressure?’ We were defending all the time,” he pondered after Saturday’s game.

Coyle may need to guard his nether regions more often if the rot continues.

Too many of the personnel deployed in the centre of the park are not up to the job.  Chris Eagles continues to demonstrate that effort is no substitute for ability, whilst Darren Pratley has shown why he played just one game at Premier League level before signing for Bolton at the age of twenty-six.  Nigel Reo-Coker puts a ‘shift in’ to quote a certain departed  ginger person, but he’s invariably half a second behind the pace of the game and can’t turn defence into attack.  Martin Petrov isn’t a luxury that can be afforded.

Up front, David N’Gog has struggled, although it’s early to judge the former Liverpool man.  He shows neat touches of skill and can hold the ball up, but he’s not blessed with great pace and doesn’t look capable of fashioning chances for himself, an essential requirement, given the creation free zone behind him.  He needs a strike partner.  One that isn’t Kevin Davies.

Another worrying factor is that Coyle appears to have lost the ability to influence his players.  When a manager is reduced to using the press to put a rocket up his staff, it’s desperation time.

“There was a host of players who missed out from last week that who had four or five chances to claim that jersey,” he told the Bolton News prior to the latest capitulation.

“I don’t put players out of the team, players performances put them out of the team. If you play well, you will stay in the team, it’s very simple.”

It’s reminiscent of ex-Hull manager Phil Brown lecturing his under performers in the penalty area at Manchester City.  That was the beginning of the end for him too.

Should Coyle stay or go?  It goes against the grain with this fan to advocate a move that would bring yet more instability.  Football history shows quite clearly that teams who change manager on a frequent basis underachieve.  Yet he seems out of ideas, and out of his depth.

Sacking the manager now would be pointless.  It would lead to one of the duffers recruited from Burnley taking charge.  But the search for the next man must begin.

There are several unemployed candidates who would be keen on a return to the Premier League.  Graeme Souness, David O’Leary, Steve McClaren, Gordon Strachan to name just a few.  All should be avoided.  There are reasons why they haven’t got a job.

Let's hope Phil isn't ringing one of his agent friends.

But there is one exception and that is Mark Hughes.  Not in a permanent capacity, his ambitions go beyond a club like Bolton – but in a caretaker role.  It would be a no lose situation for him as the Wanderers are already a basket case.   Avoid relegation and he’d look like a genius.

That would leave time to look for a man who can build a foundation for the future and be appointed at the end of the season.  One thing is clear.  Chairman Phil Gartside must never be involved in the selection of a Bolton manager again.  He has now appointed three of them without due process.  It’s not the sort of thing you should do on a whim.

- Richard McCormick

TweetFollow @RMc2407

Would you buy a second hand car off these boys?

Aspirations have changed at Bolton since the dark days of Gary Megson. The arrival of Owen Coyle followed by our impressive start to the season had the more optimistic of us counting air miles and dusting off our Bulgarian phrase-books. Even when European qualification had passed us by – embarrassingly so in the cup – a top half finish was still on the cards right up to the end of the season.

Never mind. Coyle’s inherited Megson’s bunch of cloggers. Once he’s had the summer to make serious changes, we’ll be back to chasing Europe again. Surely relegation battles are a thing of the past? Aren’t they?

Maybe not. Our form after Christmas was relegation-standard, and the end of the season – five defeats on the bounce – was abysmal. It wouldn’t be the first time poor form at the end of one season has carried over to the next. Add to that our tough start to the season and it wouldn’t be a great surprise to see us rock-bottom after the first seven games. We’ll have easier runs to follow, but everything looks that bit tougher if you’re sat at the bottom and confidence may have taken a bit of a battering.

So how relevant is end-of-season form to performance in next campaign? Let’s hope the answer is ‘not very’. Only two previous premier league teams have ever lost their last five matches: Sunderland in 2003 and Derby in 2008. Both teams finished bottom and were relegated. Sunderland set a record low points tally of nineteen. Derby set a new one with eleven. We are therefore proud holders of another record – the only premier league side to have lost their last five games without being relegated.

So are we realistic relegation candidates, and if so who else is? Maybe recent history can give us some pointers.

Teams relegated from the premier league over the last ten years generally fit into one or more of the following categories:

1. Newly promoted

The omens aren't good, Neil

The most obvious category. Thirteen of the last thirty relegated sides were newly promoted, and not since the class of 2001 – Bolton, Blackburn, and Fulham, who are all still there – have all three promoted sides stayed up. Looking on the bright side, it’s 1998 since all three promoted teams were relegated (Bolton, Barnsley, and Crystal Palace), so maybe at least one will survive?

Candidates: QPR, Norwich, Swansea

2. Narrowly avoided relegation
Five of the last ten years’ relegated sides – including each of the last two years – finished in 17th place the previous year, so history suggests there’s a 50:50 chance Wolves will be in the mix next season.
For the record those relegated sides were Derby, Sunderland, West Brom, Hull and West Ham, and those that have survived were Fulham, Wigan, Portsmouth, Everton, and Bolton.

Although no team finishing 16th has been relegated the next year, the closeness of this year’s relegation scrap suggests that the other last day survivors, Wigan and Blackburn, could also be in the mix.
Candidates: Wolves.
Possible: Wigan, Blackburn

3. Second season
Five of the 30 slots have gone to teams ‘enjoying’ their second season in the top flight. In the case of West Brom and Hull, they had also narrowly avoided relegation the previous season, but the other three – Ipswich, Reading, and Birmingham – had finished in the top half.

Newcastle and West Brom are the two clubs facing their second season. West Brom have steadied the ship under Roy Hodgson and will be targeting mid-table at least. Of the two, Newcastle would be the more likely candidates for me, but only because of indications of internal problems and my belief that Pardew is a poor manager, although they should have the finances to build a decent side after the sale of Andy Carroll.

Candidates: Newcastle and West Brom.

4. Finished the previous season badly
Accounts for six of the thirty relegation slots in the last ten years. Two of these were teams that had also narrowly avoided relegation, but the other four all finished comfortably mid-table, albeit in poor form, reminiscent of this year’s Bolton.

Leicester finished the 2000/01 season with nine defeats in their last ten and dropping from 4th to 13th in the process. They carried this form into the new season, getting thumped by newly promoted Bolton in their first game of the new campaign, losing seven of their first ten games, and being rooted to the foot of the table for most of the season.

Southampton finished 12th in 2004 but with only two points from their last five games. Again, this carried over to the new campaign, with them winning only one of their first twelve and ultimately finishing bottom.

Charlton finished the 2005/06 season in 12th place despite four defeats in their last five then started the next season with seven defeats and only one win in their first ten games, ultimately finishing 19th.

Birmingham’s impressive 2009/10 season saw them defy expectations and claim a top ten place, but also saw them win only one of their last ten games. Whilst the following year started with a four-game unbeaten run, they only managed one win in the first eight, and ultimately a poor end to a topsy-turvy season saw them relegated on the last day.

In four of the last ten seasons, one of the relegated teams have had the worst form of any surviving team in the last five games of the previous campaign. Obviously this also means that the other six teams that finished bottom of the form guide survived, including Everton in 2004 and Man City in 2007 who went on to enjoy top half finishes the following year.

Remember, though, that losing your last five games is unprecedented for any surviving club, so Bolton are in uncharted territory. We managed less than a point a game since Christmas (only Blackpool and West Ham had worse records) and with our diabolical away record, a tricky start at newly promoted QPR (reminiscent of Leicester in 2002) closely followed by games against five of last season’s top six and things could look bleak by mid-October.

Last season’s only other premier league ‘survivor’ with less than a point per game in their last five was Arsenal, who are clearly in no danger of relegation.

Candidates: Bolton

5. Other factors
This category covers other potential ‘warning signs’: financial troubles, loss of a long-term manager, change of ownership, daft managerial sackings and disastrous appointments.

Many of the teams already mentioned also fit into this category. Leicester had recently lost Martin O’Neill. Charlton had lost Curbishley and followed up with three managers the following year. Southampton lost Strachan and appointed Sturrock (briefly) then Wigley (laughably), and so on.

Only six of our thirty relegated teams do not fit into at least one of the categories above. Two of these – Leeds in 2004 and Portsmouth in 2010 – were victims of financial meltdown, as the consequences of overspending took them from European qualification to relegation in short time.

Another – Newcastle – had recently changed ownership, and were going through their Laurel and Hardy phase as new owner Mike Ashley was demonstrating why he should never have been allowed anywhere near a professional football club. There were already murmurings of discontent before Keegan walked out at the start of their relegation season.

Barring sudden loss of interest from the Arabs / Russians / Americans, there are a couple of potential candidates from this category.

Blackburn’s recent change of ownership coupled with the appointment of an inexperienced manager probably put them at the top of the list.

Bet you daren't appoint ... him!

Mike Ashley still should be allowed nowhere near a football club, and Newcastle’s sacking of Hughton and appointment of Pardew seems a bit of an odd one. Again there are murmurings from within the club, and the sale of your captain and main goal threat to a championship club doesn’t bode well, so let’s add them too.

Aston Villa’s appointment of McLeish is the most head-scratchingly daft for a while, but they have too much money and (currently) too good a squad to be genuine candidates.

Candidates: Blackburn, Newcastle.

That leaves only three clubs out of the last thirty relegated that were relegated without any of the ‘warning signs’ listed above, which suggests that if you’re an established premier league club not mentioned thus far, you’re probably safe..

Summary: put your money on …
It’s difficult to look beyond the three promoted sides, and likely that at least a couple will be in the mix. Other prime candidates for me would be; Blackburn due to their potential for off-field turmoil with the new owners and because they narrowly avoided relegation this year, Newcastle due to Mike Ashley, Alan Pardew, and second season syndrome, Wolves simply because the worst placed survivor tends to have an even chance of going down, and finally Bolton due to our poor form at the end of last season and our difficult schedule at the start of this one, but mainly so I don’t jinx us by saying we’ll be safe.

To narrow it down further, I’d expect Wolves to build on their survival in the last two seasons and Bolton to have too much pedigree, too solid a set-up and too good a manager to be in the mix after Christmas.

So perm any three from Norwich, QPR, Swansea, Newcastle, and Blackburn.

There you go – the three relegated teams will definitely come out of that bunch. Probably.

- Wakey

The campaign has ended with a small black cloud hanging over the Reebok and a genuine fear amongst fans of what might happen next time around, after five defeats on the bounce and a disastrous last day that saw the club drop five places in the Premiership and lose over £4 million in bonuses.

Martin Petrov finishes off Spurs, eight seconds after the ball had been on the edge of Bolton's penalty area.

It seems a long time ago that the Whites were sweeping aside Spurs, Wolves and Newcastle in quick succession with the sort of pass and move football that supporters had been longing to see. The roar of anticipation as the side broke from defence hadn’t been heard since the promotion season of 1997.

There were special goals too, the result of both individual and collective brilliance. Johan Elmander’s triple turn on a sixpence at Wolves that left four defenders needing to have their internal organs unplaited;  Stuart Holden finishing off a move involving twelve passes in the same game; Mark Davies starting and finishing a move that saw a late equaliser against Blackpool;  Elmander skipping around Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul to complete a passing sequence that started on the half-way line;  Holden’s half volley at home to Blackburn that put a stop to Sam Allardyce’s victory jig on the touchline, and his managerial tenure at that club.

Lee heads the winner at Birmingham. It was going to be our year.

The FA Cup run was long overdue and much appreciated, even if it did end in disaster.  Beating three Premier League teams away from the Reebok is no mean feat, and victory at Birmingham City was the best away day Wanderers fans had had in years.

After beating Newcastle, there was a slump in form and another, more significant one, in the final games.  In both cases, Stuart Holden’s absence was the key factor.  The American’s astute reading of the game and his ability in recovering possession after his colleagues had lost it, covered up a major problem with Bolton’s midfield organisation.   There wasn’t any.

Failing to deprive the opposition of space in that vital area isn’t a luxury that any top flight side can afford, yet Owen Coyle didn’t come anywhere near to remedying the problem.  Coyle has a different idea of how football should be played than Sam Allardyce, but he could learn a thing or two in that respect, from the man who used to occupy his chair.

The manager’s persistence with Zat Knight at the expense of David Wheater was also a puzzle, as the new signing seemed to gel better with the rest of the defence.  One wondered if Knight had footage of the supposedly tee-total Scot doing unnatural things with the club mascot, whilst swigging from a bottle of Buckfast.

Oh no it wasn't.

After events of the last couple of months, the Bolton boss doesn’t quite have the God-like status he enjoyed before, with some wondering if he is too inflexible to be a truly great manager.  Time will tell no doubt, especially if he is afforded the funds to make the squad truly his own over the summer months.

The habit of gifting points to teams in desperate need of them was seriously irritating, the worst instance being the visit of Sunderland.  The Wearsiders hadn’t scored away from home since January when they arrived at the Reebok in May, and had no recognised strikers available.  So there was a grim inevitability about their 2-1 win, with Bolo Zenden running the show after stopping off for his pension on the way to the game.

Liverpool under Roy Hodgson were the worst they’d been for decades, yet secured two wins.  Chelsea were in dismal form on meeting the Whites but managed the same.  Relegation threatened Blackburn were grateful for the easy three points at Ewood Park after not winning for months, as were Blackpool at Bloomfield Road, although it wasn’t enough to save them.

Has there been progress overall?  It can be argued either way.  More points have been gained than last term, with fewer goals conceded and the highest number scored since Bolton returned to the Premier League in 2001.  Yet the finishing position is exactly the same as last year and one place lower than Gary Megson managed in his one full season.

There has been a glimpse of what Bolton Wanderers could be, tempered by harsh reality that comes from a squad lacking in depth.  The season may be over, but the next mission, one that involves building a side to compete at the top level for an eleventh straight year is already underway.

- Richard McCormick

Early in the second half, Kevin Davies clattered into Carlos Cuellar.  The challenge was late and badly timed, but without malice.  Imagine this happened at the Emirates Stadium:

The fouled player rolls around on the turf for ten minutes, clutching what he feels is the appropriate part of his anatomy, encouraged by the bitter sobs of hysterical outrage from fifty-odd thousand tearful home fans.

Post match, Arsene Wenger berates anyone foolish to hold a microphone within whining distance, demanding a life-time ban for Davies, Bolton’s expulsion from football, retrospective action by the Premier League going back five years and a government enquiry.

The internet explodes with pompous indignation as the writers of a thousand Arse blogs reiterate exactly the same sentiment.

Back at Villa Park, Cuellar got to his feet quickly, Davies apologised, the two shook hands, and the free kick was taken without fuss.  This is how real men play football.

Meanwhile at the Stadium of Light, Arsenal finished the game against Sunderland with ten men, after Alex Song had been deservedly sent off for a murderous, pre-meditated and cowardly body check on the diminutive Steed Malbranque.  This disgusting attack was as sick as it was revolting, and showed a callous disregard for the life of a fellow footballer.  Malbranque stayed overnight in hospital as a precaution and will require years of counselling to overcome post-traumatic stress after his hideous ordeal.

Psycho Song laughs at the injuries he's caused

Deportation to a desert island where cannibalism is still rife or extradition to a country which retains the death sentence would be a suitable punishment for Wenger’s psychopathic hit man.  Instead, he will serve a ludicrously lenient one match ban.

Hmm.  This mawkish over-reaction lark is quite fun, once you get started.  Maybe that’s why the Goons are so addicted to it.

There was an inevitability about the opening day defeat to Sunderland, which was far worse than the 1-0 score line suggested.  That Steve Bruce’s men won only once more on their travels said it all.

St Owen of Lostock Acknowledges the Throng

This time round there’s a quiet optimism and it’s all due to one man.  Owen Coyle arrived in January on a tidal wave of approval that’s yet to subside.   Where Megson was dull and uninspiring, Coyle has the energetic enthusiasm of a new puppy.  So much so, that you want to slap him sometimes.  Putting so much faith in a manager with precisely one year’s top flight experience might not be the wisest thing, but what the hell, football supporters need hope.

Not many clubs have splashed money about in the transfer window.  Bolton certainly haven’t.  That’s because they haven’t got any.   The much desired prolific goal scorer hasn’t arrived, but then only Nicolas Anelka and a pre-blubber Michael Ricketts, qualified for that description in the last decade, so it was always a forlorn hope.

Instead, there’s Robbie Blake, late of the unwashed hordes in Burnley.  Blake’s a capable operator. It’s just a pity he’s older than God.  But he may be a useful player to have on the bench, providing he doesn’t succumb to arthritis or senile dementia. Or have his zimmer frame nicked when the scallies from Liverpool come to visit.

Concessions have already been made to combat the advancing years.  Drinks bottles for the other players contain Lucozade, laced with electrolytes.  Robbie has Sanatogen in his.

Other than that, there’s Kevin Davies, who may feature less, and the almost always disappointing Johan Elmander.  At least Ivan Klasnic has returned – the best in the box poacher since Stelios.  Some athletes use the phrase ‘staying healthy’ in relation to avoiding injuries.  With Klasnic, it has an altogether more basic meaning.

Phil Gartside's Flatulence is Still Causing Problems

In defence, things look a tad worrying.   Marcos Alonso is unlikely to start in early season, so that leaves Paul Robinson at left-back.  The Angry Dwarf wasn’t the disaster that everyone feared he’d be, but he lacks pace and still has a tendency to tackle with the whole of his body, thereby removing himself from play.

On the other side of the pitch there is little to choose between Sam Ricketts and Gretar Steinsson.  Both look good going forward, but not so good at defending (ie their primary job function.)

It is to be hoped that Gary Cahill has fully recovered from losing a part of his skeleton and that he returns from the England camp unscathed and without having acquired John Terry’s taste for shagging anything with a pulse.

Then there’s Zat Knight.  All together now:

‘Big Titus Bramble.  You’re just a big Titus Bramble.’

It’s in the middle of the park where things look interesting.  Bolton have more midfielders than you can blow a Vuvuzela at.  The Whites were a disorganised mess in that area in Megson’s latter days.  Coyle improved things in that respect, but the downside was that the Whites created very few chances from January onward.

Can Bolton’s new man forge a cohesive unit from Fabrice Muamba, Sean Davis, Mark Davies, Joey O’Brien, Stuart Holden, Matt Taylor, Tamir Cohen, Martin Petrov, Lee Chung-Yong and Ricardo Gardner?

Resist the temptation to say ‘only he plays them all at the same time’.

The visit of Fulham isn’t an enticing one.  The Cottagers (they really need to do something about that nickname) arrive with a new and competent manager, and with tails still up after a splendid European run.  Bolton scored three consecutive home wins against them under Sam Allarydce, but other than that there have been two defeats and four draws, all of them 0-0, including last season’s result when Mark Clattenburg took his vendetta against Kevin Davies to new and ridiculous heights by disallowing a legitimate goal.

But enough of the naysaying.  It’s a new start and we’re feeling chipper.  Well, at least until September.

Manny Road gets ready for battle (Pic: Gidzy, some rights reserved)

The media are looking for a victim and the Bolton Wanderers boss might not get such an easy ride this season

Disclaimer: Before we get started, it’s worth pointing out that in preparation for writing this post Manny Road has kitted up in full body armour in anticipation of the backlash likely to come my way. Manny Road is well aware that it’s a marathon not a sprint, that it was only one game, and that but for the legs of Marton Fulop we might well have got a point against Sunderland on Saturday.

So what’s my point? Why is Manny Road stoking the fires of negativity after just one game?

The answer is that I’m not. I’m merely pointing out that others in the media are starting to sound a little less sympathetic towards Gary Megson, who I believe got a pretty easy ride in the press last season.

Here’s a rough sketch of the timeline of attitudes towards Megson during his time at Bolton Wanderers…

Phase 1: Bolton fans outraged by Megson’s appointment, the media – shocked that someone with his track record has been given another chance – are largely in agreement.
Phase 2: Megson keeps Bolton up, fans are still largely unsure but the media – probably just relieved that the lack of anything interesting happening at the Reebok means they don’t have to write about Bolton much anymore – think he’s done a great job.
Phase 3: Megson continues to keep Bolton on an even keel, the media still think he’s doing a great job and slag fans off for not supporting him.

But some of the reports over the weekend suggest we may now be entering a new phase, one in which the fans continue to be disillusioned with Megson (if you think it’s just me, see if you can find any optimism or positivity in reaction to Saturday’s result over on the BWFC Facebook page) and the media start to see our (well, some of us) point again.

Exhibit A: The Bolton News finally get round to pointing out how, despite slashing prices, the club can barely give season tickets away.

Exhibit B: Following on from Daniel Taylor’s pre-season mauling of Megson, The Guardian continues to stick the boot in in their Sunderland match report, saying Bolton were devoid of tactics, ‘insipid, pedestrian and uninspiring’, and that none of Megson’s summer signings made any kind of impact.

Megson got any easy ride from the media last season. There were enough managerial-merry-go-round type stories elsewhere (Newcastle, Tottenham, Portsmouth) to prevent the media from smelling blood at the Reebok. That meant that when the fans got on Megson’s back, it inspired sympathy for the Wanderers boss among the press rather than any kind of killer instinct.

But this season, with the usual candidates for implosion – Spurs, West Ham, Man City – all looking fairly well set, the press may need to seek its prey elsewhere. Newbies are the usual target, but Roberto Martinez (playing the kind of football Bolton fans can only dream of right now) got off to a flier with Wigan at Aston Villa, and most of the other teams of Bolton’s stature – Stoke, Hull, Wolves et al -are all still content enough in the ‘grateful just to be here’ stage of their Premier League lives to get rid of the managers that got them there just yet.

So far Phil Gartside has been able to stave off calls for Gary Megson’s head, but once the fans, media and bank manager (once he counts up those season ticket receipts) are in unison, the only thing that will save Megson is an above average run of results/league position over the next couple of months – and on Saturday’s evidence, it’s difficult to see how this season is going to be any different from last year’s stop-start campaign.

OK, Manny Road is braced… unleash your fury in the comments below…

Watch ‘highlights’ of Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Sunderland here

Here’s all the action from Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Sunderland, if you can bear it…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG11H1OQQ3A&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boltonhighlights.com%2Fvideo-highlights-bolton-wanderers-v-sunderland&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

P.S. If by the time you come to view this the video has been disabled, apologies.

If you’d like to vent your frustration, that’s what the comment box below is there for, don’t hesitate to use it…

Here’s how the various Bolton Wanderers message boards reacted to the goalless draw with Sunderland…

Positives
- “We have now secured our place in the Premier League for the ninth successive season, which you have to say is a fantastic achievement  however it has been done.”

- “Overall Gary Megson has done a good job and he deserves the chance to prove himself further next season” … “The board should back him with more money.”

- “The second half was marginally better thean the first… although that wasn’t difficult.”

- “Gary Cahill was man of the match yet again” … “Gavin McCann does a great job and does exactly what’s asked of him. It’s time he got some credit too.”

- “Riga and Mark Davies livened things up significantly. They should play every week.”

Negatives
- “We’ve seen some garbage this season but that was a very,very long 90 minutes… the club should start showing re-runs of old cup games on the big screen to keep the fans entertained while the match is on” … “It was as if the players had never met each other before” … “The team has about as much personality as Megson.”

- “We were awful. Sunderland would have won 3-0 if they could finish” … “This does not bode well for the entertainment value and attendances at the Reebok next season” … “Surely season ticket sales are going to be massively down” … “Watching us struggle at home against a team as bad as Sunderland really is the final straw.”

- “And Megson’s post-match comments didn’t help either.”

- “Johan Elmander is short on confidence and needs a goal but you have to question whether he’ll ever make the grade.”

- “Megson is obsessed with the idea of players who put a shift in, but that’s not enough” … “He shouldn’t be given the chance to waste more of our money on the likes of Elmander and Fabrice Muamba again this summer.”

- “It wouldn’t be a surprise if Hull outplay us next week too.”

Disagree? Have your say on the game in the comment box below…

Watch Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Sunderland video highlights here

Sources: The Bolton News, Burnden Aces, Rivals, Bolton Banter, BBC 606, Bolton Wanderers Mad, The Wanderer

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OK, so highlights might be a bit of a misleading term, but here’s some video of Bolton playing Sunderland anyway…

What were your views on Bolton v Sunderland? Have your say in the comment box below…

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After a fantastic 3-1 win over Middlesbrough a week earlier, Bolton travelled to Sunderland in November and went one better, producing one of the results of the season with a 4-1 win at the Stadium of Light.

Let’s hope for more of the same today…

Have your say on Bolton Wanderers v Sunderland in the comment box below…

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