Tom Jenkins on the players who need a big season
As we edge ever closer to Judgement Day (the Championship Kick-off) some of us will be feeling the nerves of anticipation that always greets the new season. This year, for me at least, the feeling is amplified by the fact we have no clue what the season holds for Bolton. It could be great or terrible and there`s no way to tell, such is the nature of a team with a patchwork squad containing some gems and some stop-gaps. Even though I am a nervous wreck about now, I take solace in the fact that some players in our squad will be feeling just the same, if not more scared, about 2015/16. For some of our stop-gaps it is more Judgement Season than just one day.
Neil Danns
This man was the original stop-gap. Coming in to spur a struggling team in October 2013 along with fellow loan signings Liam Feeney and Kevin McNaughton, Danns had an immediate impact by scoring on his second start against Birmingham City (our first win of the season). The loan spell, which was renewed in January, was incredibly successful with Danns proving to be a hardworking and galvanising midfielder with an eye for goal. Upon his signing on last summer permanently, Danns walked into the first team and remained there for the majority of the season, playing 39 times. Sadly he failed to impress as much and proved to be a frustrating figure among the fans. This was down to him regularly losing the ball, making poor passing choices and basically having little impact on matches. Many fans reading this now will probably think Danns is best out the door and, given our many viable options in midfield, I`m inclined to agree. His experience at this level is valuable to those like Josh Vela who are learning their trade, but maybe age has caught up with poor Neil. Early signs are he isn`t really in the manager`s plans and it will take a big year to prove he`s worth keeping on.
Dorian Dervite
I`ll admit it, I quite like Dervite. This may be met with shock by many of you reading this as some of his performances last year were abysmal to say the least. Only 5 minutes into his debut, for example, he missed a routine long ball allowing Watford to score their third on a forgettable opening day last year. He did, however, recover some form and until the New Year when, let`s be honest no player really played well, was one of our consistent performers and seemed to forge a good partnership with Matt Mills. The problem with Dervite is that he is slow and I worry when he`s on the ball. Players like Wheater and Ream inspire confidence which Dervite just doesn`t do and I think this is why he is an unpopular figure. Performances against Liverpool however would suggest that with the right partner (namely Wheater) Dervite can mix it with some of the best and with some encouragement could prove a good signing. Am I being deluded? Time will tell but nonetheless a big season is needed to win over his critics and earn a starting spot when our defenders aren`t injured.
Dean Moxey
Another whose first impression wasn`t great, Dean Moxey took only 15 seconds to have fans on his back when he played Troy Denney in with a stupid back pass on his debut. My father recalls this moment as ‘the end of the season` as this show of ineptitude would plague the Whites for the rest of the campaign. Over Moxey`s 20 appearances last year he did, ever so gradually, improve upon early horror shows but still didn`t look like the left-back to solve our positional woes. He looks set to start this season with that role set in stone as the only other challenger, back to back Player of the Year Tim Ream, looks set to play at centre half. This could be a perfect opportunity for Moxey to prove doubters wrong; it could also result in him worsening that impression. Who knows? Moxey has had years of experience at this level with Derby and Palace so should be able to handle it but he certainly couldn`t last year. Like the other two, it`s a big year for Deano and we need him to rise to the challenge, otherwise we could be exploited just as happened with Paul Robinson, and that got us relegated?