Bolton build up – a fan’s view

Bolton – regular European football, a club on the up & then Big Sam goes. Have the wheels fallen off or is this just a natural lull with the good times lurking round the corner?

The bad times started way before Allardyce left. Four wins in his last 15 games and all those against opposition in the bottom six. We were also leaking two goals a game. The match at your place last season was typical. The game was over before the half hour mark. It`s a source of great pride that we had four top eight finishes with a fraction of resources of clubs around us, but looking at it realistically the good times are gone. Clubs with new owners are splashing the cash and others are behaving irresponsibly, and have already spent more than they`ll get from the new TV deal. We`re owned by Eddie Davies, a local lad made good. We can`t complain about the money he`s put into the club, but he`s no Abramovich.

I can barely bring myself to ask, but what do you think of your new manager, Megson?

When a new manager arrives there`s always a period where you hope he`ll be good. With Megson you already know he`s rubbish. He`s been appointed to save Bolton fans time.

How do you rate the chairman & board?

On the whole they`ve done a good job. When the current board took over, we were a mid-table division one side with massive debts. Now we`ve had two UEFA qualifications in three years. However over the past few months there have been signs that Phil Gartside`s losing the plot. Everyone`s got a sell by date. Maybe he`s reached his.

How will Bolton get on this season?

I`m resigned to relegation. There are just too many things to fix. The only thing may save us is that there are quite a few poor clubs down in the relegation zone as well.

Did Sammy Lee stand a chance?

No. There were fans who weren`t prepared to give him a chance and that seems to have applied to the players as well. The funny thing is, he`d correctly identified all the faults but couldn`t fix them without full backing. I`ve never seen any manager subjected to such spite. There are some players and fans who need to have a long, hard look at themselves.

Who should we watch out for?

El Hadji Diouf. Unplayable on his day.

If you could have any West Ham player, which one would you opt for?

For all the money you`ve spent there`s no one who stands out. I`d take Mark Noble. The combined ages of three of our midfielders runs into three figures. We need a bit of young blood in that department.

Prediction for Sunday

We might sneak a draw. It won’t be pretty.

With thanks to Richard McCormick of Vital Bolton.