Bolton News

Bolton Wanderers: Same Old Same Old. Again.

|
Image for Bolton Wanderers: Same Old Same Old. Again.

The passing of Dennis Stevens plus more.

Evening all. Apologies for no article yesterday. I had that thing that is ‘going around’ and Al couldn’t fill in. I was well Crook. As they say in Australia and has nothing to do with a former Stoke City player who is now a BBC pundit and disappears up his own arse every Saturday afternoon.

However, as a special treat, you now have me from here to Christmas. As the actress said to the bishop.

We start with the news that another member of the 1958 FA Cup winning team has sadly passed away. Dennis Stevens was 79 and had been ill for a long time. According to the Everton website. Nothing on the Bolton one as I write, which is nearly five o’clock.

Stevens played nearly 300 games for Bolton before moving to Everton and winning the league championship with them in 1963. He also played for Oldham and Tranmere. What makes his performance in the Cup Final more telling is that he was the cousin of Duncan Edwards who had died earlier that year in the Munich Air Disaster. Another link between the clubs and another thing for those idiots who sing ‘Munich Reject’ at former Stretford players to think about. If they do, indeed, have the capacity to think.

His death leaves five remaining members of that team from 1958. May he RIP.

Elswhere, SKD and David N’Gog have told us things that we have heard before. First SKD says:

We have been improving and we do have to keep our form. We`ve had two good back-to-back performances and it`s important we carry that on.’

Before N’Gog chips in with:

In this league it is really tight. There are a lot of teams in the same area, so of course, we still believe in it (promotion). It won`t be easy and we have to be prepared but we are confident we can do it.’








THUMP

I’m awfully sorry, that was the sound of my head hitting my desk due to heard it all before narcolepsy. Not that this is in anyway blaming the players, but, as SKD himself says, we have all heard it before and the tune isn’t even changing anymore. At least they haven’t wheeled out Zat or Dazza Prazza to give us these soundbites.

Now, don’t ask me how they should present it. The club don’t pay me money to do that job. Although I’ll be open to offers after January 6th. But I bet you could look at any number of interviews from any number of players over any number of months and find them saying the same thing. Some may call it tedious. And I would go along with them.

Elsewhere, the battle for the heart of Stephen Warnock continues. His loan deal runs out after the Peterborough game and with the defence now down to the barest of the bare bones, he will be missed. Yesterday, we were ‘fighting’ to keep him at the club past Saturday but today appear to have given up that ghost and are now looking at him returning once Christmas is over.

In a sense, him missing three games isn’t that much of an issue. However, it is three games of a hectic schedule with most of the defence either locked up or dead. Sorry, that’s a 48 Hrs quote. Either injured or dead. Or with a suspension hanging over their head, like Zat Knight. What happens if Knight is suspended. Can anyone see SKD finally forced to revert to central defence. Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

No one can see injuries coming, but we certainly seem to be getting our share of them and the loans were supposed to mean that we weren’t in the position we find ourselves in. I don’t think this is necessarily a negative in Dougie’s column, but people did expect more loans in than actually arrived. If Knight picks up a booking on Saturday, we could be left with a very makeshift defence come Boxing Day.

Right, I’ll be back tomorrow with a Posh preview. Until then.

Share this article

From the North, In the North.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *