Wanted : The Bolton Spirit of ’95

Bolton face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday knowing that anything less than a win will virtually consign them to relegation.

With twelve games still to play that might sound like an overly dramatic statement, but after a sequence of four fixtures against relegation rivals, the Whites have Everton, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea to come. Three points against Wolves and Wigan at home is an absolute minimum.

The euphoria surrounding the departure of Gary Megson was short lived with the paucity of the squad he assembled becoming clear. A small; belligerent bunch of Megsonista`s are now claiming, ludicrously, that the Ginger One`s services should have been retained. At least they provide some comic relief.

The failure to secure a win against a makeshift Fulham side was bad, but other than that the results have been much as expected. Picking up more points at Wigan and Blackburn would have been handy, but given the record in recent years against those clubs, it was erring on the side of optimism expecting to do so.

The troubling thing is the manner of the last two defeats. Both Blackburn and Spurs scored convincing victories, without playing well themselves. On both occasions there was a lack of fight in Owen Coyle`s side.

There is bad blood between Bolton and Wolves, with the play off match at Burnden Park between the sides in 1995 still a sore point amongst the Molineux faithful. What Bolton fans would give for John McGinlay now, someone who was quite prepared to thump the opposition players if necessary. McGinlay should have been sent off after getting involved in a fist fight, but went on to score the decisive goal in extra time that night.

Coyle could do worse than show his squad a video of that game (one in which he played) as a demonstration of what happens when a team plays as if it matters. That`s a concept that seems alien at present.

Got Something to Say?

Then say it in the Vital Bolton forum! Guaranteed to be a bicker-free zone where all opinions are welcome. To visit the message board click here (you’ll be able to see video of that game in 1995 too.) In order to post you will need to register, which is completely free of charge. Do that by clicking here.