Bolton Wanderers

Neil Lennon’s arrival at the Macron Stadium in October was meant to herald a new era for the beleaguered Lancashire club.

After years of gradual decline compounded by relegation in 2012, the hiring of the Northern Irishman represented for many fans the most promising managerial development since Sam Allardyce’s reign at the club.

However, despite moments of encouragement, the former Celtic boss’ time in charge has been a little anticlimactic—not that has had anything to do with his ability.

Lennon arrived with the club at the bottom of the table, and while he has been able to guide Bolton to the heights of 19th since, the club’s form has come in fits and starts rather than in a concerted period of improvement. Four defeats in the last five games has the Trotters once again looking worriedly over their shoulders at the chasing pack.

Lennon’s appointment came as a surprise to many. Given his achievements at Celtic, few would have reckoned he would end his self-imposed sabbatical from the game with a club languishing in the relegation zone of England’s second tier.

Once again, it appeared that the club’s facilities and general culture were, as they were with predecessor Dougie Freedman, one of the chief reasons for his decision to join.

Some fans even dared to speculate that Lennon’s arrival may had been predicated on the promise of loosening the purse strings at the club. Freedman had to deal with immense financial constraints, and the summer of 2013 was dominated by a protracted transfer saga for Jay Spearing as Wanderers desperately scrounged together his eventual £1 million fee.

The club has a debt to the tune of more than £160 million, and barring a takeover, it’s difficult to see any way of eroding the number without returning to the Premier League.

So it was an atmosphere of cautious optimism which greeted Lennon upon his arrival, and despite his combative reputation, he reciprocated. During various enthusiastic press conferences, he heaped praise on the club and the squad that he found under his charge.

One player he singled out was Lee Chung-Yong, saying “his heart skipped a beat” when he first saw him in training, per the club's official Twitter account. At that stage, he would have been hopeful that Lee would come to define his first months at the club. In a way, he has—although not in the way Lennon would have wanted.

Having set his manager’s heart aflutter just weeks before, Lee signed for Crystal Palace for a reported fee of £1 million, according to the Daily Mail’s Richard Arrowsmith. It was a sorry reminder of Bolton’s crippling financial state.

In turn, Lennon’s biggest signings were veterans Emile Heskey and Eidur Gudjohnsen, who have been as effective as is fair to expect from a cumulatively 73-year-old strike partnership.

Saturday saw Lennon’s men subjected to a chastening 4-1 defeat at Freedman’s relatively monied Nottingham Forest team. For all the hope that he’s brought to the club, the sad truth is that it will only get you so far in the modern game.

Emile Heskey is a well-travelled man. 

The 36-year-old striker/cult hero made an English comeback on Boxing Day with Bolton Wanderers after spending two years with the Newcastle Jets in the A-League. 

To the delight of pretty much everyone, the beloved figure came on as a substitute with his side trailing 1-0 to Blackburn Rovers. 

Not long after, they led 2-1 and went on to capture all three points. Heskey equalised and assisted on the winner. 

To no one's surprise, the Heskey memes immediately followed: 

45' Bolton 0 - 1 Blackburn 46' Heskey Comes on 59' Heskey Goal 1-1 62' Bolton 2 - 1 Blackburn pic.twitter.com/RmGAq4bGDX

— UK Banter (@UKBanter) December 26, 2014

[Twitter]

Dougie Freedman's time in charge of Bolton has followed an undeniable, stark trajectory. Having begun so promisingly—taking the club from the lower reaches of the league to within one win of the play-offs in his first season—Bolton fans have watched in dismay as the team has faltered badly since then.

Occasional games—such as the 5-1 drubbing of Leeds at Elland Road last season—have provided chinks of light that have proved ultimately as frustrating as they have promising. After the 4-0 defeat to struggling Fulham, in which Wanderers failed to register a single attempt on target, it appears the Scot's time may be at an end, regardless of what happens in their home fixture against Bournemouth.

However, Trotters fans assuming a new manager will usher in a new dawn for the club are in for a very rude awakening. True, Freedman has made tactical errors, such as his use of a 4-5-1 system with strikers such as Joe Mason, who simply cannot be expected to play the physical target man role.

However, he has performed admirably in other areas. He has had virtually no funds at all to work with, and the club's finances are in such a perilous state that he has been operating almost solely with loans on a one-in, one-out basis for the last year. Given such constraints, he has done well to keep a relatively strong squad together, albeit one lacking consistency due to the reliance on the temporary recruits.

The team's spirit has only recently appeared to be waning, again a not insignificant achievement given the high personnel turnover and the uncertainty all the players must be facing about their future.

While it's not unreasonable to expect that a new manager may be able to inject a bit of motivation into the squad and bring in a new tactical outlook, laying all the team's failings at Freedman's door is a gross misrepresentation of the situation. After all, he enjoyed a significant honeymoon period before the realities of the club's limitations became fully apparent.

As thoughts turn to Freedman’s replacement, expectations must be tempered. The football world is now only too aware of Bolton’s financial situation, and few managers will be willing to work for such limited wages, either for themselves or for their transfer budget. Former player and academy director Jimmy Phillips is currently the frontrunner for the job, and it’s unlikely that Bolton will able to attract anyone more qualified. Phillips’ only managerial experience was a brief spell as caretaker before Freedman took over.

Bolton are at a pivotal point in their 137-year history. Regardless of what they do about Freedman, the lack of funds and the precipitously dropping quality of the squad means that no matter who the manager is, barring a huge achievement, they will remain in the Championship or fall further down the leagues

They must decide whether to stick with this current state of affairs or twist; go for broke, attempt to bring in some external financing (possibly by owner Eddie Davis selling the club), and start spending again. The rewards could be great, the pitfalls considerably worse, with the club already in a black hole of debt.

It’s an unenviable decision for the board to make, and whichever way they go, it’s tough to see a real light at the end of the tunnel.

When Bolton announced a statement would arrive today regarding Fabrice Muamba's future, we dared to dream his miracle was about to multiply.

Muamba had already survived 78 minutes without a heartbeat. With fight like that, why shouldn't we expect him to continue his remarkable recovery all the way back onto the pitch?

Had it happened that way, it would have been the greatest sporting comeback of them all—a tale ripped from the pages of a Rocky script they thought too fantastical to use. "Muamba back from the dead," would almost certainly have been among the headlines.

But, alas, life—like football—rarely goes the way of Hollywood movies.

On advice from expert cardiologists, Muamba has made the only decision he could have made. He's announced his retirement from professional football, aged just 24, and will now live the rest of his life wondering what could have been.

This, as per his official statement:

Football has been my life since I was a teenage boy and it has given me so many opportunities.

Above all else, I love the game and count myself very lucky to have been able to play at the highest level.

While the news is devastating, I have much to be thankful for. I thank God that I am alive and I pay tribute once again to the members of the medical team who never gave up on me.

It's with great sadness we will never see Muamba mature as a footballer. We'll never know if he could have elevated to the senior England team, or made his way to a club side competing in the Champions League and in the hunt for trophies.

His career was full of possibilities, and now it's over.

What we do know, however, is that the lessons learned from both Muamba's sudden cardiac arrest at White Hart Lane and the response to it, will almost certainly save lives.

All we can hope is there's at least a modicum of comfort for Muamba in that—in knowing that his misfortune can serve to educate the medical community and inform the public that heart problems are not the reserve of overweight, heavy smokers in their advanced years.

His plight has, without question, made a difference.

"Incidents and events shape policy, shape developments, shape progress," said Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore (BBC) in the days after Muamba's collapse.

"Following the sudden cardiac arrest suffered by Fabrice Muamba we hope to shine new light on the condition and improve public awareness of heart rhythm disorders," said a spokesperson for Arrhythmia Alliance, per the Stratford Observer.

Muamba's legacy will extend far beyond medical science.

The courage, humility and dignity he's shown in recovery has served as an inspiration to everybody following his story and delivered some much-needed perspective to a sport that frequently gets lost in its own importance.

KEEP SMILING PEOPLE

— fabrice muamba (@fmuamba) August 13, 2012

Muamba has also succeeded in bringing the football community together.

Tottenham and Bolton fans turned up that day in March hoping to see their team through to the next round of the FA Cup. They left praying for the life of a 23-year-old man in his prime, and with their allegiances thrown aside in an instant.

Fans from other teams were soon laying flowers at the Reebok Stadium, and Muamba's condition became a universal cause to unite the warring factions of the global game.

For a brief moment in time, the football family became as one. It's just a shame it took a near-tragedy for it to happen.

If Muamba's plight has taught us anything, it's that life is too short for it to be anything other than united. We owe it to Fabrice Muamba to carry that sentiment forward in his retirement, in the game he loves.

Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba has wisely decided to end his football career for health reasons.

The decision comes five months after Muamba nearly lost his life when he had a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup match against Tottenham in March.

Muamba was taken to a hospital where doctors miraculously saved his life after his heart had stopped beating for 78 minutes.

His decision was announced on the club's official web site on Wednesday, where Muamba spoke about his retirement.

“Since suffering my heart attack and being discharged from hospital, I have remained utterly positive in the belief I could one day resume my playing career and play for Bolton Wanderers once again.

“As part of my on-going recovery, last week I travelled to Belgium to seek further medical advice from a leading cardiologist.

“But the news I received was obviously not what I had hoped it would be and it means I am now announcing my retirement from professional football.

He ended his statement by saying:

“I thank God that I am alive and I pay tribute once again to the members of the medical team who never gave up on me. 

“I would also like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my career, and the Bolton fans who have been incredible. 

“I am blessed to have the support of my family and friends at this time.”

While this is a sad moment for the club and Muamba, the important thing is that he can live the rest of his life with his family and friends, knowing that he did accomplish his goal of being a professional footballer.

The risk of having more health problems on the pitch just isn't worth it. Muamba is just 24 years old and has much of his life left to live.

Hopefully, he stays connected to football in England because he is such a wonderful person and an inspiration to many.

Muamba arrived at Bolton in 2008 from Birmingham City, and started 118 Premier League games for the club.

Bolton start their Championship campaign on Saturday versus Burnley at Turf Moor. The club's first home match at the Reebok Stadium is three days later against Derby County.

Follow @NicholasGoss35

With the relegation of Bolton Wanderers on Sunday from the Premier League to the Championship, it leaves plenty of talented players in limbo on whether they should stay with the club or move on to greener pastures.

Two specific players involved in the relegation are American defender Tim Ream and midfielder Stuart Holden.

Both players came to the club from MLS, Ream from the New York Red Bulls and Holden from the Houston Dynamo, and they have been solid players in the squad since their transfers across the pond.

However, the two players also have a different role on the United States national team. Ream is still trying to break into the squad as a consistent member. On the other hand, Holden was a fixture in the center of midfield under former manager Bob Bradley, but he has not played under current manager Jurgen Klinsmann because of an ACL injury.

The two also should have different career paths going forward.

Ream should stay with the club as he is only 24 years old, and a full year playing in the Championship would not be a bad thing for the defender's development.

With center back being a position where the United States will need players in the next few years with captain Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu now in their thirties, a season of development for Ream may not be a bad thing.

Ream's competition at the position includes a plethora of players who still play in MLS, with Clarence Goodson being the only center back playing overseas with Brondby in Denmark.

The 26-year-old Holden faces some stiffer competition from players his age, and playing top-flight football is his only choice to get back into the American squad once he is healthy.

Holden was named Bolton's Player of the Year for the 2010-11 season and has proven that he can play in the Premier League, but the question every one will have is how he will come back from his injury.

The midfielder should be ready to play during the preseason, but he will need some time to get back into the swing of things.

A stay at Bolton would not be the worst thing, as Holden would be inserted into the first team and get playing time, but he will not be in the spotlight as much by playing in the second tier of English football.

A move to one of the promoted clubs, Reading or Southampton, may present a good opportunity for Holden, but he may have to wait until January to transfer away from Bolton due to his injury problems over the past year.

Regardless of where these two Americans end up next season, one thing is for sure: Relegation to the Championship is one of the worst things that could happen to both Ream and Holden at this point in their careers.

It could have ended very differently, but Bolton Wanderers' apparent resignation to being relegated from the Premier League with still some time left on the clock pretty much sums up why the English league will be better off without the Trotters as it vies for the largely-subjective title of best league in the world.

At halftime on the final day of the 2011-12 season, Bolton were headed for safety.

Having recovered from being a goal down against Stoke City to leading 2-1, albeit courtesy of two very lucky goals, the Trotters were 17th and ahead of QPR, who trailed to Manchester City.

Come the 80th minute, though, Bolton had conceded a penalty—and the goal which resulted from it—and QPR had turned the match around to lead 2-1, leaving Bolton back in the drop zone and facing relegation, even if they went on and scored a late winner themselves.

It was then, when all seemed lost, that the Trotters fatally allowed their heads to drop and their minds to accept relegation as fact.

At the Etihad Stadium, QPR conceded twice in injury time and lost the game.

Bolton were therefore relegated by a single point—and would have stayed up at the expense of QPR had they managed to rouse themselves and go on to snatch victory and glory at the last, as did Manchester City.

But instead, they barely threatened a Stoke side with nothing to play for but pride.

Bolton will give a heart-wrenching story of atrocious refereeing decisions having cost them their place in next season's Premier League—and to be fair, the first goal was clearly a foul on the goalkeeper Adam Bogdan, while the penalty was debatable at best—but Bolton have had more than their fair share of good fortune from the officials this season.

Who can forget Clint Hill's "ghost goal," the header which was several yards over the line against Bolton but wasn't seen or given by any of the officials?

It was not this game which saw Bolton get relegated.

The league season is 38 games long, and as the old adage goes, you get what you deserve at the end of it.

Four home wins at the Reebok Stadium all season long tells its own story, as does their dreadful tally of 77 goals conceded—only Blackburn and Wolves conceded more.

Manager Owen Coyle and Bolton in general have suffered from injuries this season, notably to Chung-Yong Lee and Stuart Holden, but they inadequately replaced the goals they lost from Daniel Sturridge and Johan Elmander last season with David Ngog and, in the January transfer window, young former Watford forward Marvin Sordell.

That their top two scorers for the season, Ivan Klasnic (9) and Kevin Davies (7) failed to reach double figures in all competitions combined speaks volumes for the lack of goal threat Bolton possessed, and neither of them were even in the first team picture for large spells of the season.

Adam Bogdan replaced veteran goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen as first-choice stopper, and while he possesses some promise, he is also painfully raw in some situations.

Gary Cahill's exit was not properly prepared for, and though he had a poor first half a season by his own high standards, Bolton never had a quality partner for him in defence and his replacement, Tim Ream, has been mediocre at best.

Owen Coyle was vaunted as a possible Liverpool target a year-and-a-half ago, but Bolton have endured such a miserable run of form since the turn of the year from 2009 to 2010 that it is hard to see where he goes from here with Bolton.

Let's put it into context: On New Year's Day, 2011, Bolton Wanderers lay in seventh place in the Premiership. They had won seven games from 21 and were 10 points clear of the drop zone, with some in the media eyeing them up for a Europa League challenge.

They finished the season 14th, having won just an additional five games over the rest of the season.

In the 14-month spell between January 2010 and now, Owen Coyle has guided Bolton to a mere 15 victories from 55 matches, racking up less than an average of one point-per-game in that time.

Where does Coyle go?

Surely the more pertinent question should be, will Bolton even want him to remain in place?

The Trotters, like local rivals Blackburn perhaps, have some big decisions to make this summer about planning for a quick return to the Premier League.

They are a decent-sized club, have been well-run for some years while in an eight-year spell in the Premier League and have a very good stadium.

But they have not shown themselves to be Premier League quality this season—and until that changes, there are plenty of other teams that England's top flight will welcome with open arms to replace them.

Follow @karlmatchett