Bolton have been busy bees in the loan market. Have they satisfied your craving for recruits? Or have they loaned for the sake of it?
Bolton Wanderers` recruiting team has been busy this week. The same recruiting team have been battered on social media this week, also.
After signing Neil Danns on Thursday from Leicester City for three months, the Whites today announced the further loan signings of Kevin McNaughton from Cardiff City and Liam Feeney from Millwall, for durations of one month and three months respectively.
Although uninspiring names on paper, Dougie claims the three new arrivals are just the type of characters the team needs to kick-start Bolton`s season.
I hope Freedman`s right and the new recruits fill the rest of the team with confidence and enthusiasm, because what I`ve read on fan-sites, they certainly aren`t filling fans with confidence or enthusiasm. On the contrary? they`re spitting venom.
I don`t share their sentiments. I don`t share them entirely, but I do share their frustration. The outspoken Wanderers` ‘fans` are writing off the players before they`ve kicked a ball for the Whites. They deserve a shot at Bolton, of course they do. But the social media bunch- who have a right to their own opinion- aren`t exactly condemning the players before a ball`s been kicked. There`s over 25 years of professional football clocked-up by the three new-boys. What we`ve seem of the three to-date is pretty much as good as it`s ever going to get and they certainly haven`t ripped up any trees.
While other Championship clubs are signing loan players to improve their squads- recruiting hungry, young, Premier League players to score them goals or prevent the net from rustling- Bolton are recruiting fringe players from Championship clubs to cover players who arguably shouldn`t be in the team to begin with.
McNaughton- the only loan-in from the top-flight- has had the most successful career to date, leading Cardiff to promotion last season. But we only have the versatile right-back for 28 days. Is this an experimental recruitment rather than a inspirational one? Rumours are circulating that our stubborn manager may be on the verge of admitting he got it wrong with bringing Baptiste to the club to play in his unfavoured position of right-back. If this is the case, Baptiste will shift to the centre of defence with McNaughton slotting in at right-back? has to be worth a shot, surely.
The question then will surface: which central-defender will make way for Baptiste?
I need to stop now, the excitement is overwhelming.