Great Match!

Shame about the result.  Bolton lost, yes, but they did present themselves in an admirable manner, particularly in the last 30 minutes.

And no, I do not know what the hell Jussi Jaaskelainen was doing on the Silva goal.  Sometimes a goalkeeper, no matter how reliable, just has a howler.  Normally I don't talk about fashion on the blog, but the new home keeper's shirt is just atrocious.  Hot pink?  What is this, a Poison concert in 1987?

For me, the most impressive performance was that of Martin Petrov.  That was why we signed him.  When he is fit and on form, he is still one of the best wingers in the league.  Now, he is not going to be that good, especially for 90 minutes, in all 38 league matches this season.  But if he can keep putting in those types of crosses fairly consistently, he is going to create a lot of goals for us.  His accuracy of passing, combined with Ivan Klasnic's finishing skills, will create a lot of goals for Bolton Wanderers this season.

Next is a Carling Cup match with Macclesfield, followed by a visit to "high-flying" Liverpool.  Given the lack of squad depth at Bolton, it will be interesting to see if Owen Coyle presents an opportunity to some of our really young players Wednesday, or mostly sticks to the first team.

What a Start!!!

As I wrote yesterday, Gary Cahill is top class.  Owen Coyle says he wants to offer him a new contract, and that negotiations are ongoing.  The next few weeks will show whether the Scot is being sincere, or trying to drive up the price (A frugal Scotsman, what a shock).

That said, QPR did create some chances, and Bolton will need to tighten up the defending a bit, as much as is possible when carrying the useless sack of meat that is Paul Robinson up and down the pitch.  I saw two weaknesses yesterday, and Robinson was definitely one of them.  He just provides very little going forward, and is a train wreck defensively.  Just about every threat comes from his side.  And the attacks in the middle have every space, because Cahill and Zat Knight shift to their left to cover for Robinson.  Getting beat and then fouling (pictured, right) seems to be the only task Robinson is capable of completing.

Great Result yesterday, but please Owen, drop Paul Robinson!

The second problem, there is no pace in our strikeforce, none.  Robbie Blake is still on his way to the other end of the pitch.  Ivan Klasnic is a great finisher, as he showed yesterday, but he needs someone with pace to play off of.  And Kevin Davies needs to be dropped.  The ratio of balls won to possessions given away plus fouls conceded has swung decisively into our opponents favor.  I would bring Tuncay into the starting XI short-term, but long term we need a pacy striker with an eye for goal to partner Klasnic.

Bolton's Starting XI vs. Queen's Park Rangers

And so it begins...

Owen Coyle's first line-up is posted, and there is no doubt the manager has been hamstrung by injuries to Stuart Holden, Lee Chung-yong, Sam Ricketts, and Tyrone Mears.  Tuncay will not be available as his work permit has not cleared.  Now I don't know Coyle's plans, but for me, all 5 of those players would be starting if they were fit.  So here is a look at what the gaffer has conjured up with our remaining squad players;

Bolton Wanderers v Stoke City

The team lists are out, and it is Ivan Klasnic partnering Kevin Davies up top.

Johann Elmander returns to central midfield, where he was so impressive last weekend.

Paul Robinson is back, and after two weeks on the sub's bench to avoid suspension, I am sure he will be overly anxious to kick somebody.  Will be a shocker if he doesn't get a yellow card in the opening fifteen minutes.

Stoke's back four looks to be lacking pace, the best way forward might be to get Lee Chung-yong or Martin Petrov in behind.  Stoke have Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant on either side.  I think we will see a lot of diagonal balls early (from both sides) to try to bring the wingers into the game.  That is where both clubs are strongest today.

Kickoff is less than a half hour away.  Wembley is rocking.  It is going to be epic.  Cummon Bolton!!!!!!

Starting XI v Wolves

Johann Elmander and Matt Taylor have both been under the weather this week, yet have made it onto the team sheet.  I am not a big fan of this.

If a player is trying to recover from an ankle sprain or something like that, OK, a trainer can put him through a fitness test and say he is able to play.  But a stomach bug or cold just saps stamina.  Starting two players who will probably have to be subbed, especially as Taylor and Elmander both run miles, really handcuffs Owen Coyle's ability to change things around during the match.

Most important, we have ready-made replacements for both these players.  Martin Petrov is fit again and can easily slot back in on the left side.  Ivan Klasnic has scored a couple goals recently and can certainly come in for Elmander, although to be fair, he will probably have to be taken off as well.  The wild card in all this is Rodrigo Moreno.  I would have loved to have seen the electric young Spaniard playing up top alongside Kevin Davies.  Finally, someone with pace to run onto all the flicks from Davies winning headers.

At the very least, I would like to see Moreno come on at half time, no matter the score.

Ivan Klasnic

In a bit of disturbing off the pitch news, Croatian international Ivan Klasnic was apparently retained by the Greater Manchester Police and questioned regarding the alleged rape of a 17-year-old woman in Manchester City Centre.

Rape is a disgraceful action, and if Klasnic is guilty he should certainly spend a long period of time, if not the rest of his life, in prison.  At the very least, and this is before any confirmed information has been revealed, Klasnic is guilty of stunningly bad judgement.  Being alone with a 17-year-old girl at 4 AM is not a good idea in general, and really cannot lead to anything good.

Jim Brown is a former American football player, now in his 60's, who often counsels young athletes, particularly African-Americans from the inner city.  One of the first things he tells them is that between midnight and 6 AM, nothing good ever happens to a public figure, and if they stay home during this period of time, they are unlikely to have any off the field problems.  Footballers would be wise to follow this advice as well.

Bolton v Stoke City

Many people are blaming the referee for Ivan Klasnic's eventful yet brief appearance on Saturday, particularly his flurry of yellow cards and resulting dismissal.  But I really don't see that the referee did anything wrong.  Klasnic (pictured, left) probably should have been sent off for grabbing a Stoke player by the throat before his first yellow.  He was out of control and has only himself to blame.

But back to the football itself.  This was a great game to watch, open and attacking on both sides.  And Bolton were able to grab all three points at the end following Klasnic's superb finish.  I suspect this may be the Croatian hitman's best role, that of a super sub in the final half hour or so.  In all honesty, I would rather see Kevin Davies make way for Klasnic at about the 70 minute mark, but we are unlikely to see a Johann Elmander and Klasnic partnership anytime soon.

Carling Cup - Burnley v. Bolton Wanderers

The home supporters will have nothing better to do than shout obscenities at Owen Coyle, but I don't think that will really have any bearing on the match itself.  I think Brian Laws will play his entire first team, as his aforementioned supporters will be baying for blood.  Owen Coyle, on the other hand, will send out what is essentially a B team for this one.  The thing is, I like our B team.

Adam Bogdan will continue in goal, and the lad has shown definite potential, it will be no surprise if he is our number one keeper in a few years.

Due to injuries and suspensions, the back-line will be very similar to what we will see against Manchester United in the league on Sunday.  Gretar Steinsson at right-back, as usual, a partnership of Zat Knight and Sam Ricketts in the middle, and the one change, Marcus Alonso  at left back.  All eyes will be on Alonso, as many in the Bolton universe would like to see him replace Paul Robinson in the first team, and the sooner the better.

The midfield is where we will see some big changes.  We know that Mark Davies and Matt Taylor will start, and it is very likely Tamir Cohen will be in the first eleven as well.  And given the players available to Coyle, I think he will play a 4-2-3-1.

Carling Cup - Southampton vs Bolton

Bolton are through to the third round of the league cup after beating League One side Southampton 1-0. Ivan Klasnic (pictured) scored the goal for Bolton, who were not really recognizable from the team that beat West Ham on Saturday. Owen Coyle made nine changes, keeping only captain Kevin Davies and Zat Knight in the starting XI.

There were two notable debuts for the Wanderers. 21-year-old Hungarian goalkeeper Adam Bogdan has been with the club for several years made his first senior appearance in place of Jussi Jaaskelainen, who received a well-deserved rest after his heroics at Upton Park. But the player everyone who supports Bolton wanted to see was Marcos Alonso, the 18-year-old product of real Madrid's academy who made his Wanderers debut at left back.

The consensus seems to be that Alonso is an attack-minded fullback, and that it will take some time for him to acclimatize to his new country, as well as adapt to the Premier League style of play. Many thought he lacked positional sense against the Saints, but that may be more due to youthful exuberance than anything else. Bolton's current left back, Paul Robinson, is a hard worker, but very limited technically as well as athletically, and quite honestly, he is a red card waiting to happen who is lucky when a match passes without him conceding a penalty. My best estimate is that Alonso will win the starting job by Christmas. His presence and attacking flare will give Wanderers a whole new dimension on the left wing, and make it much more difficult for clubs to focus on Martin Petrov, as they have the last two weeks.

Ivan Klasnic

This Croatian hit-man is in some ways a poor man's Dimitar Berbatov. I think he runs and presses a bit more than the Bulgarian, but no one is going to mistake him for Carlos Tevez. But he scores goals. He is a finisher. And the Bolton Wanderers have nine other players on the field to run around a lot. Just a few more goals from Klasnic in those games where Kevin Davies and Johann Elmander missed absolute sitters from 3 yards out and Bolton would be tenth instead of fifteenth in the table right now.

What I am trying to say is, "Sign him!" Klasnic is on loan for the season from Nantes in France's 2nd division, and Bolton has the first option to buy him this summer for £1.4 million. Owen Coyle needs to complete this deal. Unless he has £25 million to spend and can afford to buy a more complete striker, Klasnic is needed at the Reebok. He has scored 7 goals in 11 Premier League starts. Kevin Davies has started 36 league matches and scored 6 goals. Elmander has started 15 league games and scored 3 goals.

Some may want to sign a bigger name striker, but who? Who will sign with Bolton that we can afford? Dave Kitson? David Nugent? Steven Fletcher?

I haven't heard many other names, and none of the names I have heard excite me. It has to be Klasnic. Sign him up Owen!

Tottenham Hotspur v Bolton Wanderers

Spurs have everything to play for (As in the brave new world of the Premier League, 4th place is everything) and Wanderers have nothing to play for (Hard to see the lads getting fired up to finish 14th as opposed to 16th).

This match could go one of two ways. Spurs could start like a house on fire and quickly establish their dominance against an indifferent Bolton team already thinking about summer holidays, or a loose and confident Bolton squad freed from the pressure of a relegation fight could spring a surprise. The former is far more likely. And the home team almost always wins this match-up.

Last week Owen Coyle gave Ivan Klasnic and Vladimir Weiss a chance to show what they can do. They responded by leading the team to a 2-0 halftime lead. The lead did not last, but it seems likely that those 2 players will get another chance from the beginning. I'd like to see some other fringe players given the opportunity to show what they can do in these final few matches.

I think this may be a very exciting, very attacking game. I am going for a 2-2 draw.

Chelsea v Bolton Wanderers

The Wanderers make the long journey down to London Tuesday, and the chances of them coming back in a good mood seem slim. Chelsea are at the top of the league, 1 point clear of Manchester United and 3 points ahead of Arsenal, and judging by their current form they have no intention of relinquishing that position. Bolton, on the other hand, have lost 3 in a row and only remain 5 points clear of the relegation zone because of other club's terrible form.

If I were Owen Coyle, I would use this match to experiment a bit. Bolton have not scored in (I believe) 8 of their last 11 league matches. It is time to try something new. We are likely to get anything from this match, so why not go for it. Put on a show, attack, attack, attack, and see what happens. To be fair, the problem has not been creating chances really, but putting the chances created on target. Here are some suggestions;

Attack wide with the fullbacks: Chelsea play very narrow through the midfield, and this is an area where they can be exploited, but Paul Robinson cannot be involved. I would play Gretar Steinnson at right-back and Sam Ricketts at left-back. They can both get forward, and there will be space to put balls into the box.

Ivan Klasnic. He is the only forward that we have who makes you feel like he is going to score every time he touches the ball. I think he could play off Elmander quite well, but Coyle, much like his predecessors, would sooner drink hot piss than drop Kevin Davies, so that will not happen, but I can live with Klasnic and Davies up top.

Move Jack Wilshere inside. Everyone keeps saying he will move inside eventually, just do it now. It worked when we did it with Stuart Holden, and I think Wilshere is a similar player. He will see more of the ball, and it will allow us to get some legitimate pace wide in the person of Vladimir Weiss. It is a very young, very attacking midfield, but I like it. Why not give it a try, we have nothing to lose.

Bolton Wanderers v Aston Villa

This was a tough loss to take at home for Bolton. Neither side played especially well, but I actually thought Bolton edged it on overall play. The difference was simply a moment of brilliance from Ashley Young. And the Wanderers just don't have a player who can finish like that.

There are several players on Bolton, such as Lee Chung-Yong and Jack Wilshere, who are very good on the ball. Ivan Klasnic is a great finisher, but he is a poacher. What Bolton don't have is a player who is going to create his own shot out of nothing and put it in the back of the net. I think that type of player should be the number 1 target for Owen Coyle in the summer.

Bolton Wanderers v Wigan Athletic

It's another relegation 6 pointer for Bolton as they host a Wigan side who are loaded with confidence after defeating Liverpool on Monday. Bolton have had to make some changes as Sam Ricketts is suspended.

Andy O'Brien (a disaster waiting to happen) comes into central defense, which does not bode well for the Wanderers.

Tamir Cohen returns from suspension and steps right into central midfield. Cohen has been solid, if unspectacular, this season. A large part of the support has not taken to him, but Bolton's best performances this season have come with him on the pitch.

Johann Elmander has been playing quite well, but still has struggled to find the back of the net, his fine strike for Sweden notwithstanding, and if he misses another tap-in this week the predictable groans and Ivan Klasnic chants from the moodier amongst the supporters will only serve to sap his confidence even further.

Speaking of moody, winger Vladimir Weiss is one again starting from the bench, which the 20-year-old will be unhappy about. I would like to see both he and Mustapha Riga get a solid chance to show what they can do, but injuries and red cards the past few weeks have prevented it.

As for relegation, Burnley and Wolves also face each other today, and they will be even more desperate than Wigan and Bolton for 3 points. We could see both these matches drawn, which is fairly common for these high pressure encounters, but if Wigan or Bolton manage to take all 3 points they will go a long way towards securing top flight football for next season. For me, the traditional 40 point threshold will put a club 13th or 14th in the table at the end of this season. A win for Bolton would give them 32 points, and while they should't pack up their boots and go on holiday if that happens, 32 points may keep you up this season.

West Ham United vs. Bolton Wanderers

This is a big match between two teams trying to pull away from the relegation battle and settle into mid-table mediocrity. West Ham currently sit 13th with 27 points and goal differential of -8. Bolton are 15th with 26 points and a -19 goal differential. Hull City and Burnley play Everton and Arsenal this weekend, so it is a good opportunity for the Wanderers or the Hammers to put some distance between themselves and the bottom 3.

It will be interesting to see what team Owen Coyle picks, especially in the central attacking positions. Of course Kevin Davies will start at forward, and I would expect to see Lee Chung-Yong and Jack Wilshere on the wings. But Stuart Holden and Mark Davies are both unavailable because of injury, and Tamir Cohen seems to have fallen out of favor. That leaves Matt Taylor, who has been in poor form most of the season, or Vladimir Weiss, who really doesn't look to be capable of playing in the center of midfield.

I think most Wanderers supporters would like to see Wilshere moved into the middle with Weiss on the wing. I don't know if Coyle will do that away from home, we might see the return of Ricardo Gardner.

The other questions is who will partner Davies up front. Ivan Klasnic has returned from injury, but Elmander has continued to start, and he scored an outstanding goal for Sweden Wednesday. I am very much looking forward to seeing the team sheet tomorrow morning.