It is Time

Site debutante writer Benoit Adolphe reckons that it’s just a matter of time before the Ginger One picks up his P45

It is a secret to no one that the gulf between the top teams and the rest is widening in the Premier League. Some teams can go out on a shopping spree and bring in the best that the continent has to offer, while others have to contend themselves with wheeling and dealing in order to put together a half decent team.

However, one thing that places all managers on a level playing field is their ability to make the best out of the resources that are at their disposal. The last time I checked, that was the reason they received their fat pay check at the end of the month. Maybe someone should send Gary Megson a copy of his job description.

Nobody realistically expects Bolton to win the league or challenge for the Champion League places. Even the most die-hard Bolton supporter would have to admit to that. But what a fan will not accept week in and week out is the incompetence and childishness shown by a manager who just doesn`t seem to have what it takes to manage a team at this level.

The inherent problem lies in the negative, bordering on victimhood mentality adopted by Megson. Bolton do not go into a game to win, but not to lose. It can be understood that a couple of weeks ago against Arsenal with a depleted squad and facing a herculean task, Megson decided to park the bus and play for a point. Once again the next week with Manchester United flying high and the squad still in bare bones mode, a tactical approach may have been called for. However, this was not the case in such a critical game against Blackburn which may end up to be decisive come May this year. Having found themselves 2-0 up in the first half mainly because of an abysmal Blackburn performance, Bolton decided to play all out defence and we all know the result of those actions. In the end Bolton were even lucky to snatch a point.

Let us now delve into the fundamentals of the matter. Football is about spirit and belief and I think you will all agree that Bolton players are full of these two attributes. But at the end of the day, the tactics of the manager define how this spirit and belief is played out and Megson is killing the spirit by creating a negative mind set. The results are there as evidence for all to see. But the question that must be asked is how long will this circus be allowed to continue?

This inherent negativity is the reason Megson has the names of teams like West Brom and Leicester on his cv and not Arsenal and Liverpool. Does the club want to settle for mediocrity? The Megson approach is what will make Bolton end up in 14-15th place in the league, when we all know that they have the potential to finish 7th-10th.

Football fans are patient, but when enough is enough then they start to speak out and this is what happened at the Blackburn game. But instead of reacting intelligently to the cries of the public, Megson showed his immaturity and ineptness by crying back like a five year old in a sand-pit. I can just imagine Miguel Veloso sitting in his home town watching the Bolton game and deciding on the spot that he will not join such a side. Then Megson is surprised not to be able to attract proper talent?

The question is no longer If Megson has to step down, but when he will do so. Bolton is worth much more than this and should not have to cope with such incompetence.