Things took a turn for the worse for Bolton last night with both West Ham and Wolves winning. The club now lie second from bottom of the Premier League two points from safety, which highlights how bad the failure to beat a heavily depleted Fulham side was.
There`s a double irony here. Under Gary Megson, a defensive minded manager, the Whites couldn`t keep a clean sheet. With Owen Coyle at the helm, the team look toothless up front. The absence of Ivan Klasnic is a big factor, but the inability to deliver a telling final pass is just as much to blame.
Megson`s Bolton were a collection of individuals rather than a team. Coyle has made little progress in that respect. While Jack Wilshere and Vladimir Weiss are fine young prospects, they both lack end product, at least on the showings so far. One has to wonder if Phil Gartside`s decision to hold onto the Ginger One for so long, depriving his successor of time to look for a striker or an experienced midfielder will be telling.
The matches at Wigan and Blackburn now take on extra significance. Emerging from those two without adding to the points tally is not an option. After that there`s Wolves, West Ham, Sunderland and Wigan at home to come. Half a dozen games to turn things round.
If the bottom three at the end of the season is the same as now (and there are valid reasons for thinking that it will be) then Owen Coyle will have the dubious distinction of having managed two relegated clubs in the same season. It`s time to repay the faith in him that`s been shown so far.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering about the picture, it’s just a reminder of when good things used to happen at the Reebok.
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