On the Comeback Trail.......Typical Bolton!!

My sincere apologies for missing out on what can turn out to be the most interesting and crucial fortnights in Bolton's defence of their premiership survival battle because of my week-long visit to Saurav Ganguly's Calcutta.....As I had said before; the two away games, first at Middlesborough and then at the White Hart Lane against a determined Spurs side were gonna be the most tricky and crucial and Bolton desperately needed to eke out points to stay afloat!
And people, it gives me immense pleasure to say that Bolton not only managed to hold their own in these two games, but got a booty of 4 pts, with every point earned at this stage of the season worth its weight in gold, or whatever is costlier! The win against Boro and the subsequent draw at Spurs couldn't have come at a better time and it augurs well as an intensely close relegation battle (with 2 teams out of the 15th to 19th set to go down) goes into the last two Saturday's of the season.......
It was not only about the points but the manner in which they came was thrilling!People who witnessed the first half at Boro refused to give Bolton a hint of a chance in the game coz of their insipid display. But it was the typical grit, the defensive stubbornness, the hard-tackling abilities and the tactful use of set-pieces which is so typically Bolton that saved the day for them. It finally came down a set-piece goal from veteran Gavin McCann in the 55th min to take Bolton into the lead. From there on, they managed to keep the Boro attack at bay to carve out a crucial away win......
Moving on to a typically scratchy game at Spurs, it was an inspirational Stellios goal which put Bolton into the lead in the 46th, and had it ended at that Bolton would have been well on its way, but Spurs came back strongly and ended the game 1-1. With Birmingham managing a 2-2 draw with Liverpool and Reading a 0-0 with Wigan, the relegation battle remains that much more intense. What with Fulham, trailing 0-2 halftime at Man City and their season on the line, returned to take the game 3-2, it seems nobody at the bottom is ready to give an inch away!!
Just a snapshot of whats the exact scene like:- Boro 15th (36), Bolton 16th (33), Reading 17th (33), Birmingham City 18th (32), Fulham 19th (30)....I have hardly seen it get any closer in earlier seasons and though I am enjoying it I would like Bolton to seal the next game against Sunderland at home and guarantee another season at the top! Leaving it to the final day of the season at Stamford Bridge against a raging Chelsea side suddenly looking good for a double doesn't seem to be a very heartening prospect!

Aston Villa 4-0 Bolton!! Already relegated?

When a club is going through tough times, it needs the men who matter to sit up, take notice and act in order to save it the blushes. As a Wanderers fan, I would take this opportunity to list down the men who matter for the club and what they were doing when Bolton, on the evening of 5th of April, took on a brilliant Villa side and was mauled 4-0.
Sam Allardyce:- Former Manager and messaih, we would have loved to have him in the Bolton box and not at ESPN studios where he was busy analysing their loss.Alas!
Nikolas Anelka:- The man of the season for Bolton, the savior for most part of the campaign, his transfer to Chelsea couldnt have come at more wrong a time.
Kevin Nolan:- The captain and the young leader, you would want the impact players to be present at this ever crucial time and injuries to him as well as to Ivan Campo have hit the campaign hard.
With the scenario looking as bleak as this, it wasnt a surprise that Bolton couldnt even manage a point away at Villa, though the margin of the loss did come as a shocker. With this kind of a line-up and form, I dont think theres a need for the fans to even turn up at the Reebok, as relegation seems to be a foregone conclusion.
What I feel was the only takeaway from the weekend was the fact that both Fulham and Birmingham lost, thus keeping Bolton firmly rooted at No.18 and still 4 points away from safety, no more no less as compared to last week. Ironic as it may seem, the only way for Bolton to stay up seems to be 3 other teams deciding on getting relegated.
What Bolton needs though is the likes of Nolan, Jaaskalainnen and Campo to come back quickly and take charge of the situation to rally the youngsters around them. And this needs to happen in quick time, coz every weekend from now on has the potential to decide the final outcome!!