Bolton Wanderers - Midseason report
Thursday, 17 Jan 2008 12:33
Bolton - fan's 2007/08 end-of-season report
A look back over the first half of the 2007/08 season, and a look forward to what is still to come.
The season so far
The Trotters started the season as a team with expectations. After a good finish last season lead to a Uefa Cup place, we needed to start the season with a few points on the board.
However things started on a low note, losing at home to Newcastle who began the season with our old manager Sam Allardyce, leaving the fans a little sore. Things only got worse with defeat after defeat, home and away.
In October, after one of the worst starts to the season in ten years, we parted company with manager Sammy Lee, replacing him with Gary Megson.
Since Megson's arrival the team has enjoyed a new lease of life. Starting with a win against rivals Manchester United, the team has started to show some of the form of last season.
We have been able to get out of the relegation zone and have finished the first half of the season with a one-point cushion between us and the bottom three.
As a fan I feel the team has not performed as well as I would have hoped, but the poor start to the season and then the loss of a manager have all contributed to the overall performance.
For the second half of the season I would like to see Bolton move up the league and try to get a midtable finish. We need to have a good Uefa Cup run to boost confidence and hopefully bring in some much needed cash for some new players at the end of the season.
The new signings
During the pre-season transfer window Bolton brought in three new players – Jlloyd Samuel (defender), Gavin McCann (midfielder) and Zoltan Harsanyi (striker).
Samuel and McCann have settled in well and put in a few good performances, but the midfielder has only managed to hit the net once. Harsanyi, on the other hand, is still to set foot on the field but it had to have been difficult with the on-fire Nicolas Anelka scoring every other game. Maybe he will get more of a chance after the Frenchman's unfortunate departure for Chelsea.
In summary, the summer signings have been nothing to write home about yet, but with the departure of Tal Ben Haim, super-sub Henrik Pedersen and an ageing midfield it was important to bolster the squad.
Star man
Nicolas Anelka has been Bolton's player of the season so far, scoring a goal on average every second game.
Since arriving from Fenerbahce in 2006 for a club-record fee of £8 million he became the leading scorer. He kept scoring the goals which brought the team out of their early season slump, which included the only goal in the 1-0 derby victory over Manchester United.
The club has relied heavily on Anelka for a steady source of goals, and will struggle to maintain its league position if he is not replaced.
It is difficult to see a like-for-like replacement in the squad at the moment, so we will need to spend in January if we are to maintain our current position and not face a relegation battle.
Manager approval rating
Sammy Lee: 3/10
The first of Bolton's two managers this season, Sammy Lee, took over last season with two games to go following Big Sam's departure.
However it soon became clear that he wasn't really up to the job, changing the tactics too much, to the point where key players seemed unaware of what their roles actually were.
As a coach his skills are second to none, but as a Premier League manager he has much to learn.
Gary Megson: 7/10
Megson took over in October, and despite uncertainty about the appointment among the fans he has proven he can do the job.
He has taken the club from what seemed like a season of relegation scraps to a pre-Christmas position with a few points cushioning the team from the bottom three.
Still in with a shout in the Uefa Cup and big games coming up against some of the teams around us in the bottom half, it is important to keep getting points on the board.
We all look forward to seeing Megson's performance in the second half of the season and if he matches the impact he has made so far, expect survival at the very least.
January wish-list
Bolton need to bring in new blood to liven up the squad, this much is clear.
A bad start to the season resulted in a poor league position and the departure of Nicolas Anelka leaves a big hole up front, and the fans are wondering where goals may come from.
As well as the signing of Iceland international Gretar Steinsson, who will bolster the defence, Bolton need to bring in a striker with the ability to fit straight into the team and score goals.
I would like to see out-of-favour Tottenham man Jermain Defoe, or maybe someone in the mould of Marcus Bent brought in on loan.
Both players I believe could be solid replacements as they have proven abilities to put the ball in the back of the net - something that is well-known to keep teams in the Premier League.
Andrew Crow
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