Bolton Wanderers

Jussi Jaaskelainen (pictured here) is now a 12-season Bolton Wanderers veteran, but I'm going to look now at whether it will be one of his best, or one he would like to forget.

Bolton's new signings, mostly defensive additions, such as Paul Robinson, Sam Ricketts and Zat Knight haven't exactly lit any fires in their first showing against Sunderland, but I'm not going to spend my time criticizing the Sunderland game here since it wouldn't really be very effective. It's the rest of the team I'm more worried about.

Sean Davis is the only significant boost to a lacklustre midfield that really is missing some flair or verve. Ricardo Gardner's hamstring injury has been confirmed, which will see him miss three weeks of action. This is a huge blow considering his better end-of-season form. Again, not to critique the manager's selection at Sunderland, but having Gavin McCann and Fabrice Muamba, both defensive-minded midfielders, in the same team was not exactly a masterstroke, and I wonder if the fans would accept Kevin Nolan, were he to return to the Reebok?

In truth, we need some fresh faces, but we need an inspirational player to push the team forward in Nolan's mold, though perhaps with some better ball skills. Don't get me wrong, we're not going to have the next Steven Gerrard, but even Danny Guthrie, who was on loan at the Reebok would have been an improvement on the squad we have at the moment.

We really couldn't write a prognosis without analysing the state of the forward line. Davies and Elmander, both goalscorers in distant history, have not proven to score many goals for Bolton Wanderers, although last season was Davies' most prolific at Bolton. Could he raise the bar and score more goals? I'm thinking that Johan Elmander just needs a really good goal to lift the weight from his shoulders and give him a boost of confidence, although with that being very rare last season, it would be putting high expectations on someone virtually destined to disappoint in a white shirt.

So who could Bolton get to boost their attack? Having missed out on Darren Bent at a cut-price £5m, we've got a hold of a South-Korean winger named Chung-Yong Lee who seems to be an up-and-comer on the wing or up front. But in his first season, Bolton fans can't expect miracles. We could scour the big clubs for young strikers packed with potential, or we could find that star that has lost his "star-quality" like we did with Anelka, Djorkaeff, Okocha, and so many others. But I guess those days are in our past.

Maybe Bolton is destined for a tough season, but like many fans, I can't help wonder what an extra proven goalscorer would do for morale of the team, someone they know can hit them in without too much effort. Not Jardel, please.

I have avoided the question, but a lot of Bolton fans will be questioning Gary Megson's ability to steer the Bolton ship in to survival, and I can't help but question my loyalty to this man. I find his logical approach a little stubborn, but I can't help but feel bad for him, with the resources he works with.  

He made his intentions clear, that he wanted to improve the style of football, at the end of last season, and fair play to him for trying that. But, as he said himself, he needs to bring in extra quality for that to happen, and I don't think Bolton's money pot has anything left for that £6m striker or £5m midfield flair player.

To conclude, I think Bolton will struggle to meet expectations of improvement. But I don't see them falling to the bottom of the pile, either. Contrary to the pessimism of some Trotters fans, I still see light at the end of the tunnel, and we are just a couple of players away from a half decent side. But we really need to bounce back early on in the season, or we could find ourselves in the mire come Christmas.

In the 13th part of my "Three Transfers" series, I shall be taking a look at Bolton Wanderers, a club which has finished just about where everyone expected them to, well clear of the relegation zones, yet nowhere near European football.

To be fair, credit must be given to them for finishing above the likes of Sunderland and Newcastle, clubs that are run on much higher budgets.

The solid, uncompromising style of Megson and his charges, also mean that every visitor to the Reebok Stadium is not given an easy ride.

However, if they are to ensure that they stay well clear of relegation next season, signings are definitely going to be needed, and here's three they can consider.

CENTRAL MIDFIELDER

This is a crucial area to strengthen. Bolton might look well-stocked here, despite Kevin Nolan's departure.

They have Gavin McCann, Fabrice Muamba, Mark Davies, Tamir Cohen, Joey O'Brien and Chris Basham on their books, which means six players for three central midfield spots.

On close examination, however, none of the six players are attacking midfielders. They are more "graft" than "craft", and that explains why Bolton seem to lack the necessary flair to turn draws into wins.

Bolton fans will remember the good ol' days when a certain Jay Jay Okocha lit up the Premier League with his tricks, flicks and free-kicks. Strangely for a player bursting at the seams with flair, a good long throw was also part of his arsenal.

Back then, Bolton were always in the top half of the table. That was due not only to their defensive solidity, but also because they had a player capable of turning a match on its head in Okocha.

As such, having already achieved their initial aim of stability after appointing Megson, I feel the top priority in the summer is to sign a flair player who can light up a game with moments of brilliance.

These players don't come cheap, and those willing to come to Bolton are probably in short supply in Europe.

Therefore, my first recommendation for this position is a player who plies his trade in Egypt for Al-Ahly.

That man is none other than the Egyptian Zinedine Zidane, Mohamed Abou Trika.

Playing in the hole behind the strikers, Abou Trika is a tricky player who uses his vision to set chances up for his team-mates. He also times his runs into the box to perfection, popping up with crucial goals for both club and country.

He boasts an approximate one goal in three games for either club or country, and has big-match experience as well, having won the African Cup of Nations twice, and the FIFA Club World Cup once.

In my opinion, he has all the attributes necessary to be a hit in the Premier League, and even though he is 31 this year, noone would think it if they watched him play.

If Megson finds it tough to sign him due to interest from other clubs, then he could perhaps set his sights on bringing Aaron Ramsey in on loan from Arsenal from next season.

Ramsey has found first-team opportunities for Arsenal limited, and perhaps a loan move to another Premier League side would be beneficial for all parties involved.

Bolton will get a player who creates opportunities for others with his silky passing skills and occasional driving runs, and being schooled the Arsenal way, there is no doubt that he will help Bolton to retain the ball in the final third, an area where they often lack inspiration and guile to prise open the opposition's defence.

RIGHT-WINGER

For the longest time, Kevin Davies has been used as a right-winger by his managers at Bolton. While it is obviously not his favoured position, Davies has been a model professional, and has never moaned about being played there.

This season, however, should prompt his boss, Gary Megson to rethink the wisdom of leaving Davies out on the right. Davies has shown this season that there is more to his game than just winning headers and leaving defenders with bloodied noses.

He proved to his doubters that he can actually score goals, as he scored twelve this season, which is a good tally considering he doesn't operate as an out-and-out striker.

Johan Elmander, who was deployed as the lone striker for many games, finished the season with a measly five goals, not a good return at all, for someone who cost 11 million pounds.

As such, Kevin Davies should be given a chance in his favoured position next season, but for that to happen, Bolton have to sign a right-winger.

My top recommendation for Bolton is David Odonkor.

Once one of the brightest prospects in world football, the German winger has been affected by injuries for the past couple of years.

However, he remains a good player, and his pace is quite frightening. If Megson can get him to perform to the best of his abilities, then Bolton have themselves a fantastic player.

With Real Betis getting relegated to the second division in Spain, Odonkor may well jump at the opportunity to play in the English Premier League.

If the deal doesn't go through, Bolton could sign Gary O'Neil from Middlesbrough.

A hardworking player, with decent technique, O'Neil would fit in with the rest of the Bolton squad, who scrap for each other and generally put up a good fight every week, no matter who the opposition is.

He possesses a good cross as well, which is important, as that will play to Bolton's strength in the air.

With Middlesbrough down in the Championship, Bolton could nip in and steal O'Neil for a reasonable price, as they will be forced to sell their prized assets in a bid to keep afloat financially.

STRIKER

Bolton have had a fair few strikers over the past couple of seasons, but none has really convinced. This remains one of their problems, scoring goals, and if they had someone who could regularly knock in as many goals as Anelka once did for them, they would definitely be higher up the table.

Also, the current strikers are all big and strong, but not very good on the ball. The exception to the rule is Ricardo Vaz Te, but he's the sort of striker who needs ten chances to even get the ball anywhere near the goal. His record reads 6 goals in 72 appearances, which is a measly tally, even for any other outfield position.

As such, I think Bolton have to invest in a good striker with pace and skill to bring them back to the top half of the English Premier League, and I think their best option is to pull out all the stops in an attempt to get Ricardo Oliveira.

Having just been relegated with Real Betis, Bolton can possibly get him if they are willing to break the bank, and go on a charm offensive.

Skilful and explosive, Ricardo Oliveira is like a poor man's Robinho, and would certainly enhance Bolton's firepower.

If Oliveira proves a step too far for them, then Bolton could perhaps set their sights considerably lower on Kevin Doyle.

Doyle is much less skilful and also not as quick as Oliveira, but he is certainly a much more realistic target for a club like Bolton, and they would not have to break the bank to finance a move for him.

Stuck with Reading in the Championship, and having lost his long-time manager Steve Coppell, Doyle would probably welcome a move back to the Premier League, and I think he would fit in well with the rest of the team.

So there you have it, those are my recommendations for Bolton to sign in the summer. If they can pull off a few of the signings here, they will become a better, and perhaps, just perhaps, a more entertaining team. Neutrals like me can only hope the latter part comes true.

This article and more can also be found at thetipsters, a website set up by my friend Roland and I.

Gary Megson might not be the most popular Premiership manager, but it is difficult to criticise the job he has done at Bolton Wanderers.

Following in the footsteps of Sam Allardyce—no easy task, considering the results “Big Sam” engineered for the Trotters—the former West Brom and Nottingham Forest manager has carefully steered the squad to two safe mid-table Premiership finishes.

This season the club finished 13th, an improvement on last season’s 16th place effort. Considering the meagre budget Megson has had to work with, that is no mean feat.

While he might not have had much to spend, when he has he has invariably spent it wisely.

The £5m spent on Gary Cahill is a case in point.

The 23-year-old central defender has been arguably Bolton’s best performer this season, if not ever since arriving from Aston Villa in January 2008.

Finding opportunities frustratingly limited behind Martin Laursen and Curtis Davies, both Cahill and Villa manager Martin O’Neill were open to Gary Megson’s offer to take the former Burnley and Sheffield loanee to the Reebok Stadium.

In the reminder of the 2007-08 season, he slotted into the team admirably. After a great season for Bolton this term—his first full campaign with the club—the 6’2” defender has seen his efforts rewarded not only with the club’s player’s player of the year trophy, but also with a call-up to the full England squad, after Rio Ferdinand was forced to withdraw through injury.

“It's come so quickly that I haven't had time to take it all in,” Cahill told Bolton’s official website this week. “I'm just looking forward to going down there and doing my very best. I'm thankful that I have got the chance and I'm determined to take it with both hands.”

With West Ham’s Matthew Upson likely to fill Ferdinand’s starting role, the 23-year-old will probably have to be content with a place among the substitutes. However, with both Kazakhstan and Andorra expected to pose little threat to an England side in good form, Cahill might well get the opportunity to win his first cap at some point in either game.

The former U21 international, who has been in Fabio Capello’s provisional squads twice before but never made the final cut, believes international recognition would be the icing on a great season for him.

“I've had a good season and I've worked really hard,” he said. “It has just capped off a great year and to have the chance to play for your country is any footballer's dream.”

An England cap would only add to an already impressive resume. Imposing in the air, comfortable on the floor and, most impressively, almost immune to lapses in concentration, Arsene Wenger has been rumoured to have made enquiries about bringing the defender to the Emirates Stadium.

Megson, while worried, is unsurprised that his young charge is garnering such attention.

"I think he’s the best young centre-half in the country by an absolute street and I’ve been delighted with him again this year,” the Bolton manager said last week.

"I want to build the team around him for the next few seasons. I can understand why the big clubs are interested in him but it’s going to take an offer over and above what we received for Nicolas Anelka from Chelsea."

Bolton received around £15m for the Frenchman back in 2008 (part of which was spent on acquiring Cahill). In reality, however, a fee of around £12m is likely to prove very difficult for the club to resist.

With finances limited, Megson might begrudgingly accept that such a fee for one player would give him the scope to improve the team in a number of ways ahead of the new campaign.

An England cap might just justify a little inflation of Cahill’s asking price. But conversely, such international recognition might also convince the money-men behind interested parties that he really is the genuine article.

He might not make a move this summer, just as he might not win his first cap, but it looks certain that the young Englishman is destined for bigger and better things—internationally, and domestically.

Barney Corkhill's Unofficial World Club Championship (UWCC) saw another defence today as newly crowned champions Chelsea took on Bolton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea came into this match on the back of a remarkable 3-1 win at Anfield in mid-week, knowing that they must win to keep any hope of a title challenge alive.

Bolton, on the other hand, knew that they weren't safe from the threat of relegation yet, and were looking to build on their impressive 4-1 hammering of Middlesbrough last week.

Despite a spirited fightback, however, Bolton were unable to get anything from the match, as Guus Hiddink's Chelsea ran out 4-3 winners in a compelling game at Stamford Bridge.

Bolton started the better out of the two teams, with Matt Taylor coming close on two occasions. Chelsea responded with some chances of their own, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba in particular having good efforts denied by Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Chelsea were then denied what looked like a clear penalty when Ashley Cole was felled by Gretar Steinsson, before Michael Ballack saw his long range effort fly just over.

The German midfielder didn't have to wait too much longer to net his first Premier League goal of the season, however, as he and Salomon Kalou linked up to give Chelsea the lead.

Bolton responded with another near miss before half-time, with Kevin Davies going close this time.

The second half brought with it a flurry of goals, and there wasn't long to wait for the first. Didier Drogba took advantage of some clever play by Ballack to emphatically make it 2-0 to the home side.

Just 12 minutes later Steinsson was involved in another penalty incident, but this time referee Peter Walton pointed to the spot after Steinsson was adjudged to have handled the ball. Frank Lampard slotted the penalty away with typical aplomb to make it 3-0.

The game seemed as good as over when Drogba netted his second of the game just three minutes later, but then he and Lampard were taken off in order to preserve them for the midweek clash with Liverpool.

Less than five minutes after the change, Andrew O'Brien beat Petr Cech to make it 4-1, before Chris Basham made it 4-2, getting on the end of Kevin Davies' header four minutes after Bolton's first goal.

Another Kevin Davies header led to another goal less than five minutes later, as he flicked on Jaaskelainen's clearance, leaving Matt Taylor to nod the ball home.

In just eight minutes Bolton had hit three past Chelsea and they almost completed the most remarkable of comebacks late on with a chance for Gary Cahill, but his shot flew agonizingly wide of the post and Chelsea held out for a 4-3 win.

The match will worry Hiddink and Chelsea fans, as Bolton did exactly what Liverpool need to do on Tuesday - score three goals at Stamford Bridge. The ease with which Liverpool dispatched of Blackburn today, hitting four goals themselves in the process, will also worry the Chelsea faithful.

Frank Lampard's penalty was his second goal from the spot as UWCC champions, and his sixth goal overall, making him the top scorer in UWCC history.

The game was also the highest scoring game in UWCC history, topping Tottenham's 4-2 triumph over Liverpool back in November.

75 percent of people said that Bolton wouldn't be able to beat Chelsea so well done to the majority!

Chelsea's run

Liverpool 1-3 Chelsea (Chelsea become new champions)

Chelsea 4-3 Bolton Wanderers

(Click here to see the complete history of Barney Corkhill's Unofficial World Club Championship)

Chelsea's next defence comes on Tuesday night as they host Liverpool in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final. Can Liverpool become the first ever three-time winners of the UWCC title?!

Note: As usual, should Liverpool beat Chelsea, but lose the tie on aggregate, Liverpool will become champions. If Liverpool win 3-1, and the match goes to penalties, Liverpool will become champions, regardless of who wins the penalty shoot-out.

Basically, whoever wins the match in 90 minutes (or 120 if applicable) will win the UWCC title.

The last time Bolton faced Chelsea, things were slightly different for the boys in blue.

Phil Scolari was still in charge and there was already speculation he could be dismissed before the end of the season. It also seemed the players form was slightly shaky.

Anelka and Decon pulled off a 2-0 win for Chelsea.

But since that time, things have heated up immensely in the league.

The leaders in the league have been tested relentlesly since the beginning of March. This action will only spur what will be an exciting end to the league again this year.

Match Preview

For the Wanders, who saw off Middelsborough with a 4-1 thumping on the weekend, it is an uphill battle.

While there is no way for them to advance into the top four this season, they are striving to climb past their current 12th position in the league table.

The trip to Stamford Bridge will not likely see a similar result from the previous weekend. However, it is not altogether unlikely Bolton could score more this time round.

Though, they currently have some factors working against them.

Chelsea toppled the great fortress that is Anfeild on Wednesday night to increase their chances and advance in Europe.

Logically speaking, the team will still be riding an increased wave of emotion from their win. Chelsea will likely seek to continue their spot on form against Bolton.

Another factor going against Bolton is this game is a must win for Chelsea, who continue to watch their chances at a league victory slip away. Chelsea need to take maximum points in this game to keep their hope of domestic silverware alive.

It seems Bolton have nothing to lose nor gain from this match and that conservative tactics will minimize the impact Chelsea may have against them. All is not so simple, however. The Trotters run the risk of dropping to 15th if they lose to the Blues.

The Trotters last six games of the season may seem them taking nine of 18 possible points and if a timely injury or a suspension were to occur, they could see themselves straddling the relegation line by the end of the season.

Ultimately, Chelsea are the more likely side to win this match.

Chelsea 1-0 Bolton

Will 40 points be enough to stay in the Premier League this season? Are the three promoted clubs going straight back down? Will their caretaker managers be good enough to keep Newcastle and Pompey alive? 

This season is different enough from the “normal” pattern to make the League look very interesting for the neutrals and extremely nerve-wracking for the supporters of all but the top six clubs.

Bolton Wanderers look to have done enough to stay in the top flight for a ninth successive season, but talk of a top 10 finish is surely premature. The traditional measure of survival is reaching 40 points but, once in a while, this is not enough.

The 40 point model relies on the top four winning the majority of their games and drawing the rest. It also expects that one team will drop away so badly that everyone takes points off them. This year, however, the top four are not winning as many as usual and West Brom are hanging in there with a reasonable points total.

Bolton’s season has been sadly predictable in that they have failed to gain a single point from the top six clubs, but have done well against the rest.

With relatively easy games against Fulham, West Brom, and Middlesbrough coming up this month, Bolton should be able to reach 40 points by mid April and push on towards a top 10 finish with home games against Sunderland and Hull in the final stretch.

But who is going down?

For all but the most optimistic Baggies fans, West Brom must be favourites to finish at the bottom. Their 22 points from 28 games has rarely been enough to keep a team up.

Middlesbrough must still be optimistic on 26 points, but they will need at least four points from their next three games (Portsmouth, Stoke and Bolton) to stay in the hunt.

Above them, Blackburn remain stubbornly in the bottom three despite the boost they got from Sam Allardyce tightening up their defence. Portsmouth and Newcastle are struggling for points and confidence under their caretaker managers. Stoke are edging clear after four points from the last two games, and Spurs and Sunderland are slowly clawing their way out of danger.

Hull is the interesting one. After racing away at the start of the season—with some brave attacking gambles from their inspirational manager Phil Brown—their bubble burst and they have been drifting on something like half a point a game for several months. A week ago they looked odds on to drop into the bottom three, but a win at Fulham last week gave them renewed hope.

One useful indicator is goal difference. Teams with goal differences of much more than minus 25 don’t normally stay up and, on this basis, Stoke, Hull, or Portsmouth look the most likely to be joining Middlesbrough and West Brom in the drop.

But it’s all about confidence in the last two months of the season and any of the bottom 10 clubs could embark on a serious losing streak that would see them relegated.

Bolton’s destiny in their own hands and seven points from the next three games will probably see them coasting into a top 10 finish. But, should they lose one or more of the next three, they will be searching for winnable games and could easily spiral into the financial disaster that awaits the bottom three in next year’s Championship.

There is still everything to play for which, sadly, means that results will continue to count more than playing attractive football. The supporters of a majority of Premier League teams will continue to suffer boring, drab games, littered with errors and taught with tension, whilst newspapers columnists and neutrals will marvel at “the most exciting relegation fight for years.”

That’s not how it feels on the terraces.

It's that time of year again. As winter turns to spring, European football reaches the knockout stages and the Premier League enters the final 10 games of the season, the competition gets serious.

Many feel it's all over at the top, but in the relegation battle Bolton sit 11th, but only six points above the drop zone. It's a perfect example of the fight to avoid the drop this season, with lots of teams tightly packed together, where every match has something riding on it. 

What are Bolton's chances of avoiding the drop? The short answer is pretty good. Bookmakers SkyBet will give you odds of 12/1 of the Trotters avoiding the drop at the time of writing, longer than eight other clubs including all three North East clubs, Blackburn and West Brom.

Wanderers have encountered problems and successes this season. The first is one of some debate amongst fans and the media - manager Gary Megson. Megson took over in October 2007 and kept Bolton up that season, and has spearheaded an improved campaign this term.

But many fans are still unhappy about the quite negative style of play at times, the tactical retreats that result in games that should have won not being won, in addition to some, what appears to be, unsuccessfulsignings - Ariza Makukula anyone?

There have also been concerns about the centre of midfield, with little or no creativity. This has been remedied to some extent by the signing of Mark Davies in January, who has attacking potential for all to see.

However, there are bright sparks too. Kevin Davies' form this season has been arguably career-best. With 10 goals this season, he and Gabriel Agbonlahor of Aston Villa are the two top English goalscorers in the top flight, which has led Davies to get into Fabio Capello's provisional England squad.

The same accolade went to Gary Cahill, who some believe to be the top young defender in England. Matt Taylor, with his brilliant free-kicks and long shots, may also be considered for the national team in future.

Add this to other talent such as Gretar Steinsson, Juusi Jaaskelainen, Ricardo Gardner, and if he was to get fit Johan Elmander and this is a side that can finish in the top ten with a bit of luck.

Bolton are in a run of key games at the moment. The remaining games in March are Fulham at home and West Brom away, followed by a home game against 19th placed Middlesbrough on April 4. These are all winnable games, seven to nine points here will all but guarantee survival.

After that there will be some tricky ties, with the visit of Aston Villa, and trips to Chelsea and cash-loaded Manchester City, but with also games such as Hull at home in there, opportunities are still present.

I believe that Bolton will survive, and predict they will finish around 14th place.

My tips for the drop are West Brom, who try to play attractive football but are too often opened up in defence, Middlesbrough who have scored less goals than any other team in the division, despite the recent win over Liverpool, and Stoke, who are reliant on their very good home form as they have still yet to win away

When I was asked to submit some sort of analysis of Bolton Wanderers' season and their chances of survival in this tightest ever Premier League season, I had just been pained to see a scrappy, but typical salt-of-the-earth English scrap which ended with Bolton losing to Stoke City 2-0. 

So you would think pessimism would reign in this piece. But that would be an invalid assumption.

Bolton's Form

Despite being squashed away to Stoke this week, Bolton have still maintained decent form, especially at home. Along with Spurs, they have the best form in the bottom half of the table, winning three out of the last six games.

In fact, only West Ham, outside of the top three teams, can match that form, although admittedly Bolton need desperately to halt the slide in their upcoming game against table neighbours Fulham, who also found victory impossible to come by on Wednesday night.

Victory for Wanderers against Fulham may propel them to a lofty eighth place, although that depends on other teams. It will, however, move them above Fulham, who still have a game in hand.

Although, Fulham are not Wanderers' main concern, should they be looking down the table. Catchers-up like Spurs and Hull, who have both managed to pick up points this week, could easily take advantage should Bolton not manage to continue a rich vein of form.

But the Trotters can feel somewhat safe, knowing that all but one of the “unwinnable” games, such as Gary Megson believes they are, against the “top four” have already been and gone. So Chelsea apart, every game can be won in the run-in to the end of the season. 

The Run-In

Teams like West Brom, consigned by most to certain relegation, will put up a hard fight, as will Middlesbrough on their day. However, their day didn't come against Spurs and Whites fans will be hoping for similar luck at the Reebok Stadium in April against them.  

The Teesiders will unfortunately face a run of games, including Manchester United and Arsenal as well as a high-flying Aston Villa.

Hull City are also coming up to “squeaky bum time,” as Phil Brown calls it, with games against near neighbours Newcastle, Middlesbrough, and Sunderland leading up to a vicious run of games towards the end of the season including Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Man Utd on the final day.

Looking back on Bolton’s fixtures, only Man City, Chelsea, and Aston Villa out of the 10 teams left to play are above Bolton in the table, and so the players’ and manager’s assessment that Wanderers should be looking up the table, rather than below, are rather apt.

With the returning Johan Elmander likely to hit form after a comeback from injury, Kevin Davies relishing a return to goalscoring form alongside him, and rejuvenated wannabe international Matt Taylor swinging in free kicks and crosses for them both, who could bet against Bolton staying in mid-table mediocrity for the remainder of the season, I ask you?

Well, there may be one flaw (by no means am I being blind enough to suggest this is the only one)! Bolton's away form is nothing short of abysmal. To actually find an away win for Bolton, we would have to take ourselves all the way back to last year when they trounced Sunderland 4-1 to end Roy Keane’s reign as Sunderland boss.

The last point away from home was gained in a terrible giveaway against local “rivals” Blackburn Rovers at the end of January (Bolton drew 2-2 after surrendering a two-goal lead). 

So if we factor in this record, half of Bolton’s 10 remaining games are at home. Say Bolton win four out of the last five home games but none of their away games, this would leave us with 45 points, definitely safe from relegation in this close league table.

Hopefully, Bolton’s chances won’t be so slim, and the team can look up the table trying once again to reach the “Europa Cup” spots (formerly UEFA cup—changing next season), or at least finishing high enough to gain a substantial amount of prize money to better our chances of improving next season’s squad.

But we Bolton fans do live in a dream land!

If only Jay Jay Okocha and Youri Djorkaeff got in a time machine and showed us the magic again!

Back in reality, I think Bolton will survive. Their experience from last term should stand them in good stead, not to mention tremendous team spirit in adversity and decent home form, which will both count massively towards reaching the 40-point safety threshold that many think will mean safety.

Whether that will be enough in this close-run season, I’m not too sure, but I definitely hope so.

Stoke City and Tony Pulis have received a magnificent boost in their fight for survival in the top flight of English football. After their woeful away form this season, they have been staring into the abyss at times with the prospect of championship football next season seeming quite likely.

But after a stirring fightback against Aston Villa at the weekend, they have now transferred the lift that resulted in getting all three points against a Bolton side that has been good value for their mid-table position so far this season.

James Beattie continues to show that he has the pedigree to be amongst the goal scorers in the top flight, and defy the pundits who labeled him as too old and a "championship" player.

The way the crowd reacted when he put the hosts ahead would have rivaled the roar that the Stoke faithful would have given their greatest ever player—Sir Stanley Matthews—many years ago.

Matthews would have smiled to see the devotion and vigor of the home fans.

Pulis' sides are always well organized, but at times this season they have come up against opposition who have that little bit of quality that they seem to lack on occasion.

Today, however, this was not the case, as the hosts came out with the intention of playing to their strengths and the crowd were treated to a match that displayed good old-fashioned, rough and tumble, in your face English football.

Beattie's goal came after he was quick to react to a headed through ball from Glen Whelan following a poor clearing header from Bolton's Andy O'Brien in the 14th minute.

Bolton fought hard to get back into the match, but were kept at bay by rearguard action that would not have gone astray at Dunkirk.

Stoke goalkeeper Sorenson provided his players with a display between the posts that sends confidence throughout the side. This confidence led to the goal that effectively won the home side the points.

Ricardo Fuller again proved to be an extremely handy substitute, as he set up the equalizer against Villa.

Glen Whelan was again instrumental in the goal after a partially cleared Delap throw in came to him, and his well taken 25-yard strike was only parried by Jaaskelainen for Fuller to smash in the rebound from 10 yards out in the 73rd minute.

Whelan is proving that those who were writing him off earlier this season were well and truly wrong, with strong stand-out performances in today's and the weekend fightback versus Villa.

Stoke should have realistically had a couple more, as Ibrahima Sonko hit the bar with a header and Liam Lawrence forced another fine save from Jaaskelainen.

Bolton, though, is always a tough prospect for any side as they have shown many times already this season. Bolton sits mid-table still, but Megson would have definitely favoured today's tie for a point and will be looking over his shoulder anxiously.

In fact Stoke City's 2-0 victory means the potters went one better against Bolton than both Manchester United and Arsenal were able too. It's a relatively meaningless fact, but an interesting little tidbit for those out there hoping that they are present when the final points are tallied this season.

Stoke has really sent a warning out to those sides struggling around them that they are going to be right there until the last blast on the whistle in the last game.

With results like this, they might just prove strong enough to keep their heads above the water for long enough to be picked up by the life raft that is premiership survival.