Bolton got back from a relatively successful pre-season tour America but got a bit of a wakeup call when playing Oldham Athletic, the League 1 side coming out 3-0 winners at home with young striker Tom Eaves scoring all three goals.

Bolton are currently on a pre-season tour of the USA and beat the Charlotte Eagles 3-0, with goals from Gary Cahill, Johan Elmander and new signing Martin Petrov (not Mustapha Riga as the report says). Highlights (from the local viewpoint) are here.

In the final game of the season at the Reebok yesterday, Bolton beat Birmingham City 2-1 in a game that was entertaining, given it had next to nothing resting on it. Kevin Davies opened the scoring with a header before Ivan Klasnic finished cooly after being set up by Vladimir Weiss. James McFaden scored for Birmingham after Jussi Jaaskelainen had saved Benitez’s penalty and the first rebound by Bowyer, onlyo to see the Scot finally bundkle the ball over the line.

The goals are here.

Yes, but quite a goal. Tom Huddlestone put a thunderous 20-yard shot right in the ‘postage stamp’ spot of Jussi Jaaskelainen’s goal leaving the Finn no chance of saving it, meaning Spurs beat Bolton 1-0 at White Hart Lane. Bolton played better than last week (in so far as they looked like they cared) and now face a final game at the Reebok against Birmingham, who will remain in the same league position regardless of the result of the match and can’t make Europe. So it’s probably likely to be a fairly good natured kickabout, you’d have thought.

Wow, there’s a mixed metaphor. Bolton needed to beat last placed, already relegated, in administration Portsmouth at home to be certain of avoiding relegation and took a 2-0 lead with goals inside 2 minutes on the half hour from Klasnic and Davies and were much the better side. However they then pretty much took their foot off the pedal in the second half and Dindane (playing after getting an agreement by Lens to waive an extra fee Portsmouth would be forced to pay if he did so) pulled two goals back to ensure the points were shared. Bolton are probably still safe and will become certainly so should Burnley fail to beat Liverpool this afternoon but the second half performance by the Wanderers was complacent and, frankly, not really acceptable or professional.

Tip of the hat however must got to the very few Portsmouth fans who turned up :-

It takes a dedicated fan to travel a heck of a long way to support a club that is in the kind of mess Pompey are in, especially when they’re probably having to save up a lump of money to pay for an FA Cup final ticket.

The goals are here

Bolton scored a vital away win against Stoke yesterday. If I’m not mistaken, it may be the first time they’ve come from behind to win this season. About time...

Anyway. Dave Kitson scored first for Stoke in the first half in which Bolton played 4-51 and were by all reports rubbish. They swapped to 4-4-2 (with Klasnic coming on for Ricketts) after half time and were much improved but were still losing the game until Matty Taylor popped up with two goals in the last five minutes to turn the game around. That’s more end product in 5 minutes than he’s had all season so far...

This win puts Bolton on 35 points, 7 points above the relegation places with three games to play, although Hull in 18th do still have 4 games remaining. Quite a lot of reports are assuming that will be enough to keep Bolton in the Premier League but I think at least another draw (and if possible a win) from those last three games is required. Next up at the Reebok are already relegated but FA Cup Final bound Portsmouth...

Bolton put in what I’d describe as a gutsy performance away against Chelsea last night but still came away without any points, as ex-Wanderer Nicolas Anelka scored the only goal just before half time. Bolton had two apparent claims for a penalty not given - the first in the first half when the ball struck Didier Drogba’s hand when jumping for a header with Kevin Davies. which I admit I didn’t see at the time, and another in the second half when John Terry blocked Chung Lee’s cross with his upper arm. The linesman subsequently gestured that he believed the ball hit Terry’s chest but if he honestly thought that he’s got some very odd ideas about how human anatomy is arranged.

Anyway, a performance of character if not reward which suggests there are points to be gained in matches against teams that aren’t at the very top of the table. Possibly enough to pull Bolton clear of the relegation struggle with time to spare, who knows.

A fine finish by Ashley Young, curled into the side netting form the corner of the area giving Jussi Jaaskelainen no chance, was the difference between Wanderers and Villa on Saturday. Otherwise it was a pretty even game but not in any sense a memorable one. Once the Chelsea game is out of the way next weekend Wanderers can look to get the 3 or so points that will probably be enough to guarantee Premiership football next season.

Bolton lost 4-0 to Manchester United at the Reebok on Saturday evening. This of itself is no surprise as it happens often enough but the manner of the defeat does require some comment. The game was relatively even until Jlloyd Samuel scored an own goal just before half time - a pretty bizarre one as well, a quality finish into the opposite corner of the goal when under no real pressure. The Wanderers further dug a hole for themselves when Jaaskelainen palmed a relatively straightforward shot straight to Dimitar Berbatov inside the box, leaving the United striker a tap in to score.

The last two goals were less obviously helped by Wanderers but both were scored from close range in the centre of the goal and it strikes me that Gary Cahill, back in after not playing competitive football for three months due to a blood clot, may not have been the best person to leave on the pitch for 90 minutes and both goals came from his ‘area’. I was also somewhat perplexed that neither Mustapha Riga or Vladimir Weiss got a turn off the bench, given United’s known vulnerability to pace when Rio Ferdinand is missing, as he was on Saturday night.

Anyway, it’s done now I suppose. Before they shot themselves in the foot there was definitely enough evidence to suggest Bolton can get something from the game next weekend.

Bolton lost 2-0 at the weekend to Everton. However the game was relatively close (and 0-0) until Gretar Steinsson was sent off for impeding Ayegbeni when the referee judged he was through on goal - a decision I think was harsh given the footage I have seen of the incident. Not only were Bolton reduced to 10 men but Mikel Arteta scored from the resulting free kick, meaning Bolton were doubly punished. The game remained in the balance until Peinaar scored a second for the toffees in the 89th minute.

This game begins a run of hard fixtures for the Wanderers, as they play the next four games against top sides (with Everton currently in 8th, they play half the top 8 inside a month...) so it’s probably going to be a while before Bolton put more points on the board and their Premiership status will remain in the balance right up to the end of the season.

I picked a heck of a week to be away. Last Tuesday, Bolton went to the Stadium of Light, played like a bunch of chimps and got beaten 4-0. Sunderland scored after less than a minute and Darren Bent scored a hat-trick. Then on Saturday they played Wigan at the Reebok, Wigan played like a bunch of chimps and Bolton won 4-0. Adding to the strangeness of scoring 4 goals at home (hasn’t happened in years) we also had Johan Elmander scoring his first league goal in months, Fabrice Muamba scoring his first goal for Bolton ever, Kevin Davies scoring the first penalty he’s ever taken in a professional game and Matt Taylor scoring with his first touch of the ball after coming on as a sub. Quite.. strange.

The goals are here.

Or back to back wins, if you want to look at it like that. Bolton beat west Ham 2-1 away yesterday with Kevin Davies scoring after 10 minutes with a powerful header and then Jack Wilshere scoring his first goal for Bolton (and maybe his first league goal, not sure) after good work from Davies allowed Tamir Cohen to set him up for a volley. Cohen was later sent off for two yellow cards, the second of which was a silly booking and you’d think Owen Coyle would have made sure he knew it. That allowed West Ham back into the game. Diamanti scored a fine goal for them with two minutes left and both sides hit the woodwork in injury time. Overall though a good performance from the Wanderers and signs of progress continue under Owen Coyle. Bolton are now 13th, five points clear of the relegation zone.

the goals are here.

Bolton lost 2-0 away at The City Of Manchester Stadium last night. A first half penalty scored by Tevez and a second half volley by Adebayor were the goals but the game was actually a story of two young player’s debuts - Jack Wilshere played well for Bolton but Adam Johnson, signed from Middlesbrough for £7 million took the Man of the Match award for his performance on the wing for City.

Despite the defeat Bolton played well enough and made several chances, as well as having two decent calls for penalties of their own. I don’t think anyone expected Bolton to get much out of the two games agains Arsenal and this game but once the cup game against Spurs is out of the way, the Wanderers have a string of games in which they might expect to pick up points. However the most immediate problem is finding a solution for the loss of Cahill. With Andy O’Brien also not available, Bolton played last night with three full backs in defence - Gretar Steinsson and Paul Robinson in their traditional roles, while Sam Ricketts deputised in the middle.

Bolton drew 0-0 at the Reebok on Saturday against Fulham. It was quite surprising to see Fulham (who admittedly were short on strikers) come and effectively play for a 0-0. They didn’t actually manage a shot on target in the whole 90 minutes. Mind you, if they came for a 0-0 they succeeded. They shouldn’t have though - in the last 10 minutes Johan Elmander missed a gilt edged chance and Kevin Davies put the ball in the net, only to see his header ruled out for an offence that only referee Mark Clattenburg saw. And even after many TV replays and analysis by several sets of commentators and pundits, still nobody other than Mark Clattenburg has seen.

Bolton lost 2-0 away at Liverpool yesterday, a somewhat unlucky result as it happens. Both Liverpool’s goals took deflections which left Jaaskelainen unable to save them, the second of such degree that it’s been recorded as a kevin Davies own goal. Highlight for Bolton fans was probably Lee’s run from the half way line into the penalty area, however his shot was blocked on the line. After a pretty awful set of fixtures in January, Bolton have a much more reasonable February. A chance for Owen Coyle to show if he’s made the right decision and I suppose for Bolton to see if they have too...

Bolton beat Burnley 1-0 at the Reebok on Tuesday night in a game where the atmosphere could be described as ‘belligerent’. The Burnley fans made their opinion of Owen Coyle quite clear, although their team couldn’t manage the win that would have cheered them so much. Chung Yong Lee scored the only goal of the game.

Bolton beat Sheffield United 2-0 yesterday in the FA Cup 4th Round. Second half goals from Steinsson and Elmander settled things. Wanderers will play Spurs or Leeds at the Reebok over the weekend of the 13th & 14th of February in the 5th .

I’ve also uploaded the goals from the Arsenal game in the week, along with some footage of Gallas’s tackle on Mark Davies. Gallas will face no respective action from the FA because referee Alan Wiley reported he had seen the incident and decided to take no action as he considered it a ‘coming together of players’ and not a foul tackle (the FA can only act on incidents that aren’t in the referee’s report). I may not agree with Alex Ferguson about Wiley’s physical fitness but that kind of statement seems to me to certainly cast doubts over his suitability to referee at the top level.

Movies are here.

It certainly isn’t boring so far. Bolton played Arsenal again last night and again lost, this time 4-2. It was no straightforward victory however, as Bolton took a 2-0 lead through Gary Cahill and Matt Taylor in the first half only for Arsenal to pull one back just before half time then take the game in the second half. Arsenal’s equaliser is very controversial as William Gallas wasn’t penalised for a very severe challenge on Mark Davies in the build up. Davies was taken off on a stretcher.

Overall, Arsenal’s better finishing brought them victory but it was an entertaining and competitive game, marred by Gallas’s lunge.

Due to lack of time before then I’ll probably be uploading the moves from this game along with any from the game at the weekend.

‘Managerless’ Bolton go through to the 4th round of the FA Cup after beating Lincoln City 4-0 at the Reebok, keeping their first clean sheet of the season in the process. With all due respect to Lincoln, given their relative resources that’s pretty much just ‘job done’.

Also the goals from the Hull game are now available here. Goals from the cup game should be available soon.

Bolton drew 1-1 away at Burnley on Boxing Day, which given Burnley’s home form is probably a pretty decent result. Matt Taylor opened the scoring with a direct free kick in the first half and David Nugent scored for Burnley in the second half, after which Bolton were under pressure but managed to hang on.

Goal is here.

Can anyone remember the last time Bolton scored 3 goals two games running? Well it’s happened now. Bolton beat West Ham United 3-1 at a chilly Reebok stadium last night. After a goalless first half, Chung Yong Lee opened the scoring finishing off a nice move. That was equalised by Diamanti before Robert Green dropped the ball at the feet of Ivan Klasnic. It really was an awful error. Gary Cahill scored a header from a corner late on to make the game safe.

Due to a very busy schedule this week (hey, time of year) I’m not going to get a chance to do the goal movies for this until the weekend. Given we don’t play Wigan until Monday night, I don’t think there’s much hurry.

Note : The goals have now been uploaded here.

Bolton put in an abject display on Sunday afternoon to lose 2-0 at home to Blackburn. Dunne scored on the break in the first half after a Taylor free kick had been deflected onto the bar and the second goal came due to a bizarre mixup between Sam Ricketts and Jussi Jaaskelainen - Ricketts headed the ball back to Jaaskelainen from outside the area, only to miss the goalkeeper (who had come out to try to claim a ball he frankly didn’t need to) and head the ball straight into his own net.

Despite pretty much a complete lack of creativity and threat up front, no ability to retain possession and a pass accuracy that would shame a conference side, Gary Megson’s main concern is apparently that his team didn’t run around enough. Between that and Phil Gartside giving an interview the Bolton News saying ‘now is not the time to panic’ - which almost certainly means people are panicing behind the scenes - it would not be beyond reason to describe the club as being in total disarray.

Bolton Megson's team selections and results seem to have reverted to the standard of the beginning of the season. With Jlloyd Samuel suspended, Paul Robinson came back in at full back in a pretty woeful defensive display (not that most of it was his fault, all the defense had a shocker). Bolton lost 5-1 at Villa Park and at least three goals were at least contributed to by bad play by our back line. I won't list all the scorers but it is worth noting Johan Elmander scored his first goal in... well, ages. A tap in from about 3 feet out after Cahill's effort came back off the post. At the other end, John Carew had an absolute blinder of a game. A defensive disaster and an opposition striker having his best game all season, not a good combination for us then.

The goal is here.

Bolton won an exciting game (there's something I wasn't expecting to write earlier in the season) on Sunday, beating Everton 3-2 at The Reebok. Lee and Cahill scored early for Wanderers before a cracker from Saha and Fallaini goal brought the Toffees back into it. Ivan Klasnic scored his first goal in ther 86th minute to give Bolton the points.

Goals are here.

So Bolton played Manchester United at Old Trafford.. and lost. That bit's probably predictable. The game was anything but predictable. The goals were an early own goal by Knight (not really his fault) and a goal fron Valencia to put United 2-0 at half time but Bolton hit back in the second half, pinned the champions back and scored when Matt Taylor got on the end of Kevin Davies's cross. Bolton also had a goal disallowed (I haven't had a chance to check how good a decision it was) and for the last 10 minutes or so had all 11 United players virtually back inside their area. The game ended with United frantically playing out time near a corner flag, something you don't often see them needing to do.

So, a loss, but not in any sense a dispiriting one. Bolton largely picked up with the beter style of play they had going before the international break and looked a very good side overall. Plenty of cause for continuing optimism.

Taylor's goal is here.

The new Wanderers seem to be getting a bit of luck into the bargain. Bolton beat Biringham 2-1 away at the weekend. Tamir Cohen opened the scoring early for Wanderers but Kevin Phillips (on as a sub) equalised for Birmingham with 6 minutes to go. Although that appeared to be enough for a share of the points, Matt Taylor crashed a free kick against the post and Chung-Yong Lee was fastest to react and kept a very cool head to score the winner.

Goals are here.

A full strength Bolton side - the only change from Saturday being Samuel in for Robinson - struggled to beat League 1 side Tranmere Rovers in the second round of the Carlin Cup tonight. Wanderers went through 1-0 away from home, the goal scored by Mark Davis in the 40th minute. The only (and I mean only) other item of interest was that ex Wanderer Michael Ricketts came on as a sub for Tranmere.

I don’t think there are any highlights on TV of the game, so it’s unlikely I’ll be able to find any footage of the goal to upload.

Bolton changed Gavin McCann (rumoured to be on his way to Portsmouth) for Mark Davis for the away game at Hull City. And played very well. Until Hull scored, after which point we were rubbish again. And lost 1-0. That being Hull’s first win in 2009.

The bare fact is Bolton are third from bottom on goal difference. I have no doubt whatsoever that if we actually had played Arsenal in the week, instead of the game being postponed, we’d have got a fearful hammering and would now be rock bottom. The new defense that all our money has gone on doesn’t work and worse than that has caused our two most consistent (if limited) player to be dropped. We are completely lacking in creativity and have two strikers who at their best will never be prolific and right now couldn’t hit a barn door with a shotgun.

There is a week until the transfer window closes. If we go into September with the same forward line and midfield we’re playing now, I hold out little hope for more than a season of desperate scrabbling to avoid relegation. I hold out no hope at all that Gary Megson will relent and do what is obviously required to stabilise our defense i.e. drop at least one of our new signings until they’ve had a chance to get to know each other.

It’s simply not good enough.

I can’t imagine a much worse start than conceding a goal from a straightforward set piece inside 5 minutes of the start of the season. Yet Bolton did just that when Darren Bent headed past Jussi Jaaskelainen with the game hardly started.Things didn’t get much better after that with the Fin saving Bolton from a hiding with two excellent saves. The only light in the tunnel was a Gary Cahill header just before half time that brought an equally fine save from Sunderland goalkeeper Martin Furlop.
The second half improved somewhat, with Chung-Yong Lee coming on to join the other debutants Simon Davis, Zat Knight, Paul Robinson and Sam Ricketts. To be hoenst with you, the performance in general but one of the new boys really impressed, nor suggested any real improvement over the players they replaced. Gavin McCann also looked completely out of his depth playing right wing. Davis also forced a great save from Furlop in injury time, but the bald fact is Wanderers didn’t play well enough to deserve a point against Sunderland.
While individual player should take responsibility for doing their jobs properly Gary Megson must also take some of the blame for putting so many new players into the team at once - our defensive co-ordination was frankly non-existent. A bad show for everyone and something that will surely do nothing to swell a very thin looking crowd at the Reebok.