Last Year’s Record: 11 wins, 8 draws and 19 losses, -12 goal differential, which was good enough to put them 13th. They were tied on points with Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers, but the better goal differential moved them ahead. Bolton, as usual, piled up the majority of their league wins at the Reebok, posting a decent 7-5-7 record there, and being even on goals with 20 scored against 20 allowed.
Transfers (In): Sean Davis (Portsmouth – free), Paul Robinson (West Bromwich Albion – undisclosed), Zat Knight (Aston Villa – undisclosed), Samuel Ricketts (Hull City – undisclosed)
Transfers (Out): Blerim Dzemaili (Torino – undisclosed)
Season Outlook: In two seasons under the helm of Gary Megson, Bolton Wanderers have posted finishes of 16th and then 13th. Last season, the Trotters did post four more points than they had achieved the year before, so one can definitely see that they are making slow but steady progress. Megson has had two full transfer seasons to make alterations under Bolton’s meager budget allowances, and has bought within his limits. The three defenders he’s brought in this Summer are professional and experienced. Sean Davis is an underrated midfielder who adds to the toughness of the squad.
Bolton is a side that usually competes hard, especially at the Reebok. Kevin Davies is a solid goal-scoring option for them, pumping home 12 in the league last season, while midfielder Matty Taylor also got into double figures in the league with 10 tallies. Gary Megson, while not being the most popular or likeable manager, certainly knows how to shape his squad to fit both the payroll and the abilities of the side. After four straight seasons of top 10 finishes under Sam Allardyce, the team struggled to find it’s identity under Megson, but again, did make progress. This season, despite the lack of funds, I believe that Megson must continue to show improvement in the standings and make at least one Cup run. This side doesn’t have a lot of flair or verve, but they definitely compete hard.
October will be a telling early month in the season for this side, as they host Spurs, travel to Manchester United, and then host Everton and Chelsea. They follow up that run with a trip to Aston Villa, which may be the toughest run I’ve seen thus far. December is a month that they could make up some of the lost ground as the six fixtures see them traveling to Wolves, hosting Manchester City and West Ham, traveling to Wigan and Burnley and then hosting Hull City.
I believe that Bolton will continue to hover around mid-table, as they are a bit too professional and have a bit too much class up front to not score goals. The Reebok is always a difficult place to gain points, but Megson must not let the team get down on themselves if a bad run emerges in October. The league appears to have a lot of average-to-poor teams this season, and Bolton should stay up and relatively competitive once again.
Can they really expect to do well at home wearing this year’s embarassing kit?
Bolton is one of a handful of teams (Blackburn, Sunderland, and West Ham are in that group, too) that I have a hard time getting excited about one way or the other. With a really bad team, it’s fun to watch them struggle; it’s also fun to watch a team push towards relevancy. Bolton, like you said, is probably not going to struggle and is probably not going to contend for Europe; they’ll most likely finish right around where they did last season.
And I agree with Kevin: they’ve had the worst kits in the Premier League for two years running now. Pitiful.
I agree, though my teams would. Boring teams and they’re also teams that you know your team should beat, but they probably end up struggling to beat.
Maybe they’re just trying to ramp up sales for next seasons shirt though. Produce two crap shirts and then next season will be a nice simple white shirt with only a navy collar. It’d sell like crazy because everyone who held off buying the last two. Nah, next seasons shirt is going to look even worse.
I gotta say, as a graphic designer, that logo is pure FAIL.
You haven’t seen the shirts, have you? That logo is the best thing about Bolton’s aesthetics.
You’re absolutely right that Megson has sucked our identity out of us. The club is drifting and as you say, a decent cup run might be the only thing to give the fans a bit of excitement.
[...] Avoiding the Drop — Bolton “The three defenders he’s brought in this Summer are professional and experienced. Sean Davis is an underrated midfielder who adds to the toughness of the squad.” [...]