Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Bolton Wanderers

I'm going to stop torturing myself about love, romance and girls for a bit to write about the team I hate the most in the Premier League - Bolton Wanderers. I just despise for the way they seem to get victories against Arsenal out of nothing and the way they play is not very attractive to the eye.

Last season was a turning point. Even though they ended the season on a whimper, Bolton managed to gain an UEFA Cup spot. After three consecutive seasons in the top seven, Sam Allardyce realized he had taken the Wanderers as far as he could with their limited fan base and financial support. He knew if he wanted to win trophies and be truly respected as a manager, he needed to go to another club which could match his ambitions.

This left Bolton with Sammy Lee. Although he may be a good coach, having been at Liverpool and the English national team, this is his first time as manager. He has started his campaign well, getting rid of the excess weight in the squad and bringing in players he wants. The only thing that concerns me about Bolton is the lack of wingers. It seems that Lee will go for a 4-3-3 formation which Allardyce favoured and will also use the long ball technique, packing the midfield when they lose the ball.

Bolton fans have to reasonably expect that they won't finish seventh this season. A top half finish will be the best they can hope for. Maybe they can make up for it in the cup competitions this time around.

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