The Delusions Of An Ageing Football Fan

As the Bolton squad arrive back from their holidays, freshly tanned and relaxed near to a state of presumable comatose, the training and preparations for the new season get under way. All those hours spent idly sipping Chateau Lafite on a beach in Spain come at a price, and both the hefty price tag and extra pounds gained during the process now sit uncomfortably with the players as they are thrust back into the world of rigorous training and fitness exercises. The hard work starts here, and shame on any player whose over exuberance is apparent come the start of the season.

And so I think to myself, how fit am I, really? If I was to take up the same ethic of exercise and get myself into shape for the new season, perhaps I could be on par with some of the big names we see every week! If even one of these players has lapsed over the course of their holiday, gone on a vacation of such monumental self indulgence that you could look at the man and think, "good lord, it's Paul Robinson's older, fatter brother" then surely I, a person of relative youth, could easily work to attain the same level of fitness that this player (lets call him, Paul X) will reach by the start of the new campaign. Right? RIGHT?! Surely, the chance still remains that a manager, ever desperate to build numbers in a squad run on a shoe string budget, will glance into the stands, see a young fan, kitted and ready for action and think "HIM! He is the answer to my prayers, get that lad signed up"...

Thinking about this question was a real wake up call, and it brought sharply into focus the ever diminishing possibility that I will some day become a professional football player. At the tender age of nineteen, the illusion is shattered. With the likes of Josh McEachran and Jack Wilshere already lighting up the premier league, I may as well hang up my boots, oh how I resent them! Them, and their superior footballing skills and fitness... it could have been me.

One player that I will be looking forward to watching next season however is Bolton's own Danny Ward, looking to do what I never could, and break into the first team at the age of just nineteen. Coyle will be using the pre-season tour of America to assess if he is ready to make the leap or whether another loan spell would be beneficial to help hone his skills.

And this brings us neatly into the section of my rant regarding the new look squad for next season. I've been putting off writing about the here-say and speculation over the last month or so, partly because I had other things to do and partly because it's hard to write about something that's being covered from every possible media angle and that is (in-fact) spectacularly misleading or simply untrue. But one thing we can rest assured on is that Darren Pratley is now a Wanderer, and my warmest welcome is extended to him. We'd been linked with him for a while and so, like any semi-reliable football blogger, I had been keeping an open eye on his performances with Swansea during the play-offs. I reckon it looks as though we've gone and gotten ourselves quite a player in the form of the twenty six year old midfielder. I'm sure any old clown with an internet connection has seen his impressive strike against Forest from inside his own half by now, but bare in mind that when Taylor arrived at the club we all expected to be treated to the kind of mouth watering long range efforts that he'd made his own whilst playing for Portsmouth, and we've yet really to see that magic left foot fly. The one thing I think we can expect from Pratley is a player who fits into a hole not unlike the one left by the departure of Kevin Nolan all those years ago, an incendiary bomb of energy just looking for a place to go off.

So, with my dream of being plucked from the Wednesday 6-a-side Manchester leagues, laying, in no uncertain terms, tattered on the floor, I will look hopefully on to the new season. Taking a leaf out of Kev's book I too am placing faith in our brave and fearless leader to bring about the changes and put together a team over the coming months that can really shake things up in the premier league once again... And at any rate, Andre Villas-Boas was the ripe old age of twenty one by the time he was coaching the British Virgin Isles, so time is on my side once again.

Relax, Regroup, Rebuild

The season finally drew to a close yesterday and now begins the time to look back at the season and pick the good moments from the bad. The defeat against Manchester City to make it five games lost on the bounce is certainly amongst the latter. Coyle remarked after the game that the players had been "running on empty" for the last few weeks, with a small squad this is hardly surprising and I'm sure that over the summer this is one of the areas that will be addressed. Perhaps most grateful of all for the break will be Chung-Yong Lee who will finally be able to put his feet up after more than a year of continuous football.

Despite having little left in the tank we provided an entertaining end to the season, the first half was fought evenly by both teams and but for the ball ricocheting of Joleon Lescott's face it would have ended level at half time. To cut a long and boring second half short, we ran completely out of gas, stuttered to a halt and broke down. Dzeko provided City with a second goal after some generous defending from the usual suspects at the back, Sturridge saw red late on, and there was a lap of 'appreciation' (interestingly no longer referred to as the lap of honour, I can't imagine why) that encapsulated the 'please can we just go home now' attitude that we've all been suffering for the last few weeks. As it turned out, this was the 'last chance to see' moment for the long serving Ricardo Gardner, after the semi-shock announcement that he would not be offered a new contract (but more on this later).

I was surprised to see that Elmander started the game, for some time we've known that he won't be featuring in the new look squad next season, so I found it hard to see what point there was in playing him. He was only ever going to receive a hostile reception (after all, boo's are heard louder than cheers) and this was the sort of game that I thought the youngster Vela might really benefit from getting some game time in, showing his face to the crowd and representing the youth-centric future that Coyle envisages for the club. To Elmander's credit, he went out in the manner that Bolton fans will (hopefully) remember him for; working tirelessly, selfless in a team effort and not being shy about throwing his weight around when the cause needed.

It's going to be an interesting summer, with the money that will come from the inevitable sale of Gary Cahill we will be able to invest in greater numbers for the squad, money might come in other areas too such as the sale of Ali Al-Habsi who has a taste for first team football and won't come back to sit on our bench any more. The wages freed up from Elmander will (according to Coyle) provide an opportunity to invest in younger players and the fact that Cohen has also been released (along with Samuel, Blake and Joey'O) mean that Bolton will probably become a hotspot of transfer gossip and rumours over the coming months.

During the match at the weekend I tried to count how many of that team I believed would feature for us next season, and the depressing answer was four; Jussi, Knight, Lee and Taylor. Of the team that we were able to field against the billionaires down the road, only four were (in my opinion) good enough to survive the summer... lets hope Eddie Davies has his cheque book ready. Coyle, surely will be relishing the opportunity to finally be able to put his own stamp on a team, bring in the players he wants and not have to work with the hand-me-downs from another manager (this is, after all, supposedly why he left Burnley... to pursue his aim of building a team of his own vision).

So, exciting times ahead. But with the excitement comes apprehension of knowing that we will be sailing in uncharted waters. The long standing bastions of 'Bolton Wanderers-ness' may be gone in as little as three months as players that have weathered every imaginable storm, every high and low now recognise that the end may soon be in sight for time as ever presents in this changing Bolton squad.

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It would be impossible to give the man of the match accolade to anyone other than Ricardo Gardner, an icon of Bolton Wanderers who now goes the way of Campo, Okocha, Djorkaeff, Hierro, Stelios and many other greats. I really thought he'd done enough to remain at the club for another year at least, but I suppose he now goes out on top (like van der Sar at United) and I can only wish him well and thank him for the great service and memories he has given every Bolton fan over the years.

Roll On Summertime

The short trip to Blackpool at the weekend was one of many conclusions;

1) We need a new defence

2) Our away record is woeful

3) Blackpool is the land that time left behind

Another defeat away from home and our season has well and truly burnt out, unrecognisable from the roaring flame that lit up the premier league in the lead up to December, the fire is now dwindling and in need of fresh timber to spark the blaze once again... of course, in this metaphor the "timber" is 'a fresh squad'. There's no doubt that the injury to Stuart Holden ended our season prematurely (thank you very much, Jonny Evans), and the bare bones squad that we have been fielding for the last month or so just hasn't looked good enough.

So it was always going to be a difficult game against a talented Blackpool team, who needed the win to keep their chances of survival alive. We've seen all season that with their philosophy of 'attack, attack, attack' they have caused problems for teams with even the strongest of defences, so our best chance at taking anything from the game was to try and match them, which proved to be an entertaining, although ultimately fruitless afternoon at the seaside.

We started well enough, looking positive and dominant we nicked the first goal with a rare opportunistic strike from the Captain. But on a day that Jaaskelainen may wish to forget, Blackpool quickly levelled the score, DJ Campbell lobbing the keeper who should have dealt with the threat better. Maybe this is being unnecessarily harsh on the goalkeeper who was less at fault than the right back, Steinsson didn't look particularly fit in my opinion and was run ragged by the Blackpool front line all afternoon.

The game continued in this 'back and forth' motion and we did well to equalise twice after Blackpool stepped up the pressure, knowing that a victory on home soil was vital. Taylor played well again, as did surprise package Ricardo Gardner, a man intent on getting his hands on another contract with the club. After recent injury troubles, most thought they had seen the last of the Jamaican, but these last couple of games have shown just how versatile he really is, spreading the ball around from the centre of midfield like he'd been running the show for years. I really hope that he gets that new contract, he has been a player of immense value to us over his long career as a Wanderer and to see him go would be a real shame.

The point I made to open with was that the main lingering aspects from the trip to the seaside was just what a dump Blackpool is. It's an assault on all the senses with it's intrusive tat and harsh sea wind forcing the its innumerable stenches into the nose. The town might have been abandoned in the fifties, and it's policing attitude toward the away fans reflects this. I'd never been at a game before with such an imposing and threatening police presence, it's not even as though there's any particular rivalry between the two clubs, very strange.

Anyway, final game of the season at the weekend. A Manchester City team who still need to secure that 3rd place to make sure they have an easy route to the Champions League and the recent euphoria of the FA Cup win... and us, trying to stop the rot after four consecutive defeats.

Man of the match against Blackpool? Probably give it to Kevin Davies, heard some fans coming out of the ground winging and moaning that "the big lump" up front hasn't been dropped yet. But I'm really not sure how much more he could have done against Blackpool to show he still posses a threat, a well taken goal and clever link up play with Lee and Sturridge for most of the game meant that he probably had one of his best games for a while. There might be calls over summer for a new captain to be appointed at the helm, but I think Davies can still do a job in our team.

Another Year, Another Shirt

Here it is. Reebok's latest effort.

After the initial shock of thinking, "oh my god, this is the fugliest damn shirt I've ever seen", I've sort of gained another perspective on things. At least we have the type of shirt design that lends itself to wacky and creative designs rather than the formulaic stripes that some teams have to suffer through, year after boring year.

It's a bit Star Trek-ish and unnecessarily busy, but at least it's distinctly different to anything we've had before. And who knows, maybe this will be the kit that sparks the memories of one of greatest years in the premier league history for Bolton Wanderers.

Initial responses to the design have been mixed as they usually are when a new kit is announced. This seasons was probably the most widely accepted of recent years, probably because it's quite inoffensive with nothing too crazy going on with bar-codes or anything (seriously, what was that all about?!)

As a fan I found that this seasons replica kits were a pain in the arse to wear because of how billowy the sleeves are... but that's probably to do with the fact that I'm not a professional athlete with guns to fill the sleeves in. Anyway, I'll buy it, as I have done with nearly all the others. No, the biggest problem I usually face when buying the kit is deciding the name to have on the back, and after making the fatal mistake of going for the roaring success that was Mustapha Riga three years ago, I now mainly stick to the big guns, a la Davies, Cahill and Gardner.

We're Off To The Seaside...

... But I think the players are already there. Yes, It's that time of the season again, the time when every body just wishes it would all be over and we can start again fresh. What started to seem like a magnificent season only four or five months ago, is starting to feel like we've taken one too many blows to knock us off our feet; the injuries, the recent poor form, the realisation that our squad may well be picked apart over the summer, and the FA Cup semi-final... Oh the FA Cup semi-final, how you haunt us so.

At the weekend we witnessed the epitome of 'end of season lacklustre-ness', a dreadfully slow game with a disappointing outcome, the likes of which I genuinely couldn't see coming (damn my youthful optimism).We kicked off against Sunderland and two hours later I realised only twenty minutes had passed us by, neither team could seem to carve out many chances, and of the two teams (both decimated by injuries), we looked like the only ones capable of taking a chance if one came our way. Taylor had a good chance early on but was thwarted by an impressive Mignolet, Sturridge had an uncharacteristically mediocre game that showed us all just how we will suffer when the time comes for him to show Torres where the net is, back at Chelsea. The diminutive duo Stephane Sessegnon and El Mohamady where kept quiet under the looming shadows of Cahill and Knight for most of the game and so no real goal threat came from either. No, it was Old Father Time himself that broke down our defence (after so many fouls in the Sunderland penalty box the linesman could have opened up a chicken coop), the ball was played straight down the field and although it looked off-side at the time, replays show that one of ours was actually playing him on, any guesses who...? That's right! It was, of course, Paul 'El Libero' Robinson, who then stopped and called for the off-side instead of pumping those crazy legs back to the goal to defend against Zenden who calmly rounded Jussi and slotted the ball home. One minute before half time, brilliant.

The second half started better with Gardner coming on for Muamba, our one remaining creative talent in the midfield with Mavies and Holden out, just what the doctor ordered. For a while it looked like the change had made some difference, the game was more fluid, less passes going astray and the Jamaicans influence looked to be swinging the match our way. But for Mignolet I am sure we could have taken something from the game. It took Coyle seventy five minutes to decide to bring on Klasnic, seventy five minutes to long if the stats are anything to go by (Klasnic has now scored the same amount of goals as he has had starts in the premier league, twelve), and sure enough, the goal machine did what he does best... score, obviously. The Sunderland fans were quiet, the Bolton fans woke up... just in time to see the substitute Muntari take a stroll through our defence and slide the ball across the face of goal for Knight to fumble over the line. Summing up perfectly the last couple of weeks, we left the stadium with nothing but fond anticipation of the summer break.

There is still time though, time to end the season on a high. The trip down to the seaside on Saturday will give us a huge chance to do this; to beat Blackpool, a team fighting tooth and nail to keep it's premier league hopes alive would be quite an achievement (although personally, I'd sure like to see Blackpool beat the drop, they add a bit of colour to the league, one might say).

Man of the match against Sunderland? The sponsors gave it Cahill, but there is something in me that feels the need to disagree with whatever they say, so I'll give it Taylor again, it could have been Gardner though. Taylor looked like the only one out on the pitch that didn't have his head on a sandy white beach somewhere, he seems to be playing like a man who knows his place is never safe and this suits him, it gives him the edge over Petrov in this respect and I think he genuinely enjoys the playing time.

Heurelho Gomes...

I feel so fortunate that for as long as I can remember we have never had to ask the question, "what are we going to do about that clown in goal?"

Jaaskelainen has become an icon of the premier league during the fourteen years he has been between the posts for Bolton, a symbol of consistency, reliability and unquestionable skill. He has always been regarded as one of the top, top goalkeepers in the league. But now, he's coming to a stage in his career where his position is actually under some threat, new territory for a man who has had such a firm hold on his first team status for over a decade. The dilemma that Bolton face now is a tricky one, should we gamble on a fresh young talent, or stick with the mighty Finn, what to do, what to do? Such a crisis!

... No, of course it's not. For a real goalkeeping nightmare look to Tottenham and a certain Heurelho Gomes. Seriously, how is that guy still playing for them!? He is a walking disaster zone, search YouTube for five minutes and you come away staggered by the amount of high profile mistakes from this calamitous clown. Brought to light more recently by the 'was it/wasn't it' fiasco in the Spurs - Chelsea game at the weekend where Lampard's shot was fumbled with spectacular butter-fingeredness by Gomes appearing to cross the line (when actually the whole of the ball hadn't gone over, come on guys, sort it out, technology, now! ... but I digress). They say a good goalkeeper earns his team around ten points a year, I can only imagine the kinds of things Spurs would be accomplishing if they had a goalkeeper with even some basic level of competence. And, I know, people are always telling me, "but Gomes is still one of the best shot stoppers in the league", if you had a striker who could glide through the midfield, rip apart a defence like an angry child with a wet paper bag, and round the keeper into an open net... only to spoon the ball wide from two yards out, he's a crap striker! In the same vein, Gomes is still a poor choice of goalkeeper even if he makes a string of diving, one handed saves to try and make up for his mistakes.

Defences panic when they don't know what they're going to get from a keeper, will he come out, will he stay on his line? Will he catch it, will he fumble it into his own net? But it's not just Tottenham that have problems like this, Arsenal famously struggle in the goalkeeping department (although, this Szczesny looks like he might do a decent job), and what about United! They go through phases of having world class keepers only for them to retire, leaving them with clowns like Barthez. With the announcement that Edwin Van Der Sar will be playing his last game this season, United have stepped up the hunt for an accomplished replacement once again. These are top clubs, and we, a minnow of the premier league, have never really shed any sweat on the issue. So whatever happens at Bolton in the summer, whether Jussi steps aside to make way for Bogdan, or he ups his game now that the real competition has arrived, or the tempting third prospect of Ali Al-Habsi, I rest easily knowing that the future of goalkeeping at Bolton is (at least for now) in good hands.

My Neck Hurts...

... and it's in no small part because of the game of 'hoofball' that went down at Ewood Park earlier today. I understand completely that Blackburn are fighting for their premier league lives, and good luck to them (more local derbies, northern dominant league and all that jazz), but the way we got dragged into their game was a little disappointing.

The bells of change rung out before the kick-off and we saw Bogdan come in to replace Jussi, who had been really quiet impressive during our last outing at Fulham so why the change came now I really can't say. Gardner, Cohen, Taylor and Rodrigo made up the midfield and when I say midfield, I mean the part of the team that spent the most time starring up into the clear, blue Lancashire skies. Rodrigo showed us all exactly why it was that he hadn't featured more this season and the only thing worse than his performance was the fact that nearly all of the people around me where calling him "Mourinho"! *

Wheater was playing at right back in the absence of Steinsson, and to be fair to him it was clearly an uncomfortable position for him, but he too was less than convincing. As for the goal, the aforementioned Mourinho gave it away cheaply around our box and the make shift defence just sort of stood off Olsen and give him an invitation to shoot, which he took... and scored.

We then spent the rest of the match looking devoid of inspiration or craft, no Sturridge to help us out this time. Davies always fails to perform against Rovers and once again he lacked control, finesse and all the other qualities that he possessed earlier in the season that meant he earned his first call up for the national squad months previously. In short, Blackburn were scrapping tooth and nail for the chance (nay, the privilege) to play us again next season, we just looked like we didn't want to break a tooth or nail so close to jetting off for the summer holidays. I fear that our season will now just fizzle out as it so often does.

There were (as Sammy Lee would say) 'positives', Ricardo Gardner for example. Although we all know by now that the centre of the pitch is not the place that does him justice, it was nice to see him back and playing for us again... oh, that's about it for the positives. Bogdan looked pretty accomplished too I suppose.

Man of the match? Well, actually I'm going to give this to Taylor. I was thinking about this earlier and of all the fringe players that have been shut out of the squad over the season, non have shown more determination to fight for a place than Matty, and seeing as the rest were sub par today, he picks up my acclaim.

*Not quiet as bad as the last time I was at Ewood Park and the guy in front of me spent the entire game screaming at a certain "John Elmander" to shift his lazy so and so.

We ❤ Muamba

The guy who sits a couple of rows behind me at the match is always on a real downer about Fabrice Muamba, and I thought, what with my new found export of opinions, that I would defend our young midfield wrecking ball.

I love watching Muamba play, he has a style that I can honestly say I have never seen the likes of in my days as a Wanderer. When he was but a rising star, striding through the Arsenal academy, people often likened him to Vieira, a commanding presence in midfield, breaker down of play and spreader of the ball (well, two out of three ain't bad). While it's true that his passing leaves the purest within us all with our head in our hands, that, quiet simply, isn't his game! I will stress this again, we are under no pretence that we have Xavi Alonso treading the turf at the Reebok, passing is just not part of the rough around the edges package that is Fabrice Muamba!

I like to envisage Muamba as like water, he flows through the game, helping out the defence and linking up with the attack, and (as apt as my metaphor is) he extinguishes the bright flames of the top clubs. I remember last season against Liverpool, it was Muamba's job to shadow Gerrard and for 80 or so minutes our defence wouldn't have been able to pick Stevie out of a line up, so little was he seen threatening (then we had to go and lose a man and Muamba's duties were split as we tried in vain to contain 11 of Liverpools pre-breakdown stars against our 10 men). He completely neutralises whichever player he is given to mark, this is a talent that is often invaluable to us when we take on the bigger clubs and also allows our midfield maestros, Holden, Davies and Lee to really shine and show off their attacking prowess and flair.

It is no small mystery why Muamba was ever present last season and was voted player of the year in his first season with us! He is quiet simply, immense. A young, English talent that (for a change) bigger clubs aren't trying to steal away from us and (at the risk of blowing his cover altogether) I would suggest that he, along with others in the Bolton mainframe, will have a big part to play in the future of English football.

So there, the guy that sits behind us! Next time you're crying into to your hot-dog at the start of the match when his name is announced in the starting 11, and next time you're pleading with Coyle to switch him for Davies after 15 minutes of the game gone, give a thought for the role he plays in the bigger picture of our style of football, our unsung hero, Fabrice Muamba.

Nothing Beats Leaving It Late

Phenomenal. With minutes left on the clock, the seldom seen Tamir Cohen puts Arsenals title hopes to bed, turns out the lights and closes the door for another year.

Before the match I'm sure I wasn't the only Wanderers fan who died a little inside when hearing that Robbo had retained his place ahead of Marcos Alonso, and the only changes to discern today's team from 'that game' a week ago was to bring back the goal machine up front and give Petrov a well earned kick up the arse by replacing him with Matty Taylor. But the men in white played the kind of football we have become so accustomed to seeing at the Reebok, artful, flowing and pacey. Colin Murray had expressed before kick off how for any reporter, Bolton against Arsenal was a golden chance to watch some real quality football, and he wasn't wrong. Danny Sturridge and Lee were a constant source of trickery and for the first half Bolton smothered Arsenal, pressing whenever they were in possession, and as a result the Gunners never really started. A half hearted appeal for a penalty from a Taylor challenge on Walcott was really the only chance they had of forging an opening in the first 45 minutes.

How we would have coped if the Vela deal had gone through and we never signed Sturridge in January I don't know (especially since Vela headed for West Brom and promptly flat lined in terms of goal threat). He is a player born to score goals, sublime or scrappy, we'll take whatever we can get but today's was certainly the latter. A corner (won from good link up play between Lee and Sturridge) whipped in for Cahill to head at goal, cleared of the line only to cross the line when Sturridge met it for his seventh goal of the season.

The second half started so well, a penalty in the first minutes, Davies with his 100% record from the spot, what could go wrong? The tamest of penalties, saved by Szczesny, then gave Arsenal momentum. It was possibly the worst thing for us, Davies seemed to spend the rest of the game lamenting the miss and Arsenal quickly went on to equalise and the Reebok had that feeling around it once again. But even Wenger's wet blankets couldn't put out a Bolton team on fire at home this season, we weathered the storm; Knight and Cahill looking immense, heading, kicking and charging down anything coming their way.

If we were going to win it, it looked like it would be from the break. Late on, the tireless front line earned the corner, cue substitute Tamir Cohen to rap up all three points. What followed was a touching and thoughtful tribute to his father and ex-Liverpool defender, the late Avi Cohen who had passed away in December of last year, taking his shirt off to reveal the tribute and picking a yellow card in the process.*

For me the man of the match has to be Zat Knight, whilst Cohen could have picked up my so widely sought after accolade for his monumental impact after such a difficult season, it was Knight who was at the heart of our 'you shall not pass' attitude that ultimately picked us up the points. Kudos.

This meant we had to throw away the consolation pizza of course (optimistic, ain't I)... luckily, we had the celebration pizza to hand.

*Aren't these rules getting ridiculous? The 'no taking your shirt off rule' was introduced to prevent players enticing the crowds, how would that get anybody riled up? Ludicrous.

Beginning At The End

Well, what better way to start up a Bolton Wanderers Blog than six games from the end of the season? To be perfectly honest it was the display at Wembley that has spurred this latest vent of my Bolton Wanderers musings, having taken the trip down south only to see the whites limp apologetically against a rampant Stoke City side I thought I might as well start up my site with a review of the performance.

Had Charlie Sheen been born a Wanderer and not the self proclaimed rock-star from Mars that he is, he might have described the Trotters as being like "droopy eyed, armless children" and far from being the nightmare that haunts every West Ham fan's dreams, we seemed to transform into a team unrecognisable from the one week before, no cutting edge, no bite, no chance. From the start it was evident that Stoke were better prepared, they were brimming with confidence and seemed at home in the magnificent Wembley stadium (a trait that the more established and recurring teams in FA Cup success enjoy), and to say that they bullied us off the ball or out muscled us would be an injustice to the impressive football the Potters unleashed. But were they 'five goals good'? No, we were 'five goals bad'.

Robbo, making the kind of mistakes we all wished were behind him after improving infinitely since the arrival of Coyle, looked like he was running with concrete boots. After gifting the first goal to Stoke he continued the game like a man desperate to make up for his mistake, only to further expose the holes in his game; namely, poor positional sense, lack of pace and a flair for the reckless challenge. From a personal point of view this hurt me like a trademark Robbo body slam, I like him, he has exactly the no-nonsense, hard hitting style that epitomised the Bolton Wanderers of years gone by, and in a changing team that has ditched the brutality for artistry I think that Robbo is a necessary link to remind us we are Bolton... not Arsenal. This is not to say that he isn't capable of the great football we all expect now, he is, a talented footballer who can link up well in attacks Robbo is a variable box of tricks. But having seen Alonso, so impressive in his last two games, I could not help but feel a little disappointed that Coyle would opt for a regular rather than a youngster in red hot form.

Anyway, the blame can't be placed on one man's shoulder, it was a team effort after all. But from the usually excellent Cahill, to the constantly inspirational captain Davies, we just didn't perform and both Cahill and Davies having perhaps their worst games of the season really took the wind out of our sails. Two more goals, Huth with a defenders volley (in off the shin) and Jones pouncing on further defensive mistakes meant that the game was over at half time. The guy sitting three rows in-front of me, apoplectic that the rest of us refused to share his belief that a Lazarus style comeback was on the cards fell to his chair like the fourth goal was a bullet through his chest and we all knew that once again the big occasion had cast an impenetrable shadow over the Wanderers.

But that team, the team that was flattened into the Wembley soil by a red and white striped bulldozer was, after all, the same team that took us to there in the first place. It would be too easy to let that one result ruin a great cup run and a fantastic season, a season that has seen Bolton shake the critics by the shoulders and make them recognise our quality, a season where two Bolton players have featured for the national team and a season that has six games left to play, and everything to play for.

Match prediction for Saturday? Bolton 3-2 winners, Sturridge continuing his hot vein of form and notching two goals and winning a penalty for Kev to convert and banish some of his Wembley demons.