Hello all. Welcome to the new era of Vital Bolton.
Before I get onto all that, I would like to thank Quentin X for all the hard work he has put into this site. His humorous and honest tales of being a Bolton fan over the last few years are a massive part of why I wanted to blog in the first place. I have been privileged with becoming the editor, and hope to continue to run it with the same values and community that my predecessor has built.
So, to the Millwall game. The reverse fixture was the final straw for Owen Coyle, and whilst there has been some improvement since, we are nowhere closer to where we want to be. Where we expect to be. Let’s face it; it’s not our year. We’re going to lose people in the summer, and we’ve already lost Petrov, so some serious rebuilding is in order. I hope I’m wrong, but I just don’t see how Craig Davies fits into that; a stop-gap measure at most.
Anyway, enough with all the pessimism. Despite their relatively good season, we should beat these in our playground every day of the week.
Vital Quotes:
Douglas thinks I’m wrong. “Millwall are a very difficult side to beat. Kenny Jackett is a manager who demands hard work and his teams to show spirit and fight for each other.
“They`ve caught out a lot of teams this year because people have possibly taken them a bit lightly. They don`t necessarily have the biggest names on paper, but they have got a really good team and we`re going to have to be at it from the word go.
Bolton Wanderers Team News:
Holden and Vela are not yet ready for first team action, whilst Wheater and Mark Davies are further back on the road to recovery. Craig Davies is facing a late fitness test, but I’ll imagine once he’s had the chance to ‘chill on Sunday’ he’ll be ready for our trip to Sunderland.
Player to watch: Marvin Sordell
Marvin had a very impressive return to the first team last week in the FA Cup, enough to show that he is worthy of another shot in the league. His partnership with N’Gog was impressive, especially on the counter, and I would like to see him given a chance at some point today.
Millwall Team News:
According to the Beeb, Liam Feeney (hamstring) and Chris Taylor (knee), as well as striker Andy Keogh (broken toe) and defender Paul Robinson (pelvis) are all out. Not that Paul Robinson. Or that Paul Robinson.
Player to watch: Chris Wood
Wood has been banging them for Millwall this season. I’ve seen bits of him before, and he looks like the sort of striker that Zat Knight has nightmares about. A competent one.
Match Facts & Stats
Despite us being an all-round superior football club, Millwall are beating us on a head-to-head, with 16 victories to our 14.
Match Prediction:
I’m going to go with a Quentin prediction – a 2-0 win.
Next Fixtures:
Up to the Stadium of Light to get absolutely mortal like. Howay the Wanderers!