Bolton Dare to Dream — Part Eight: The Relegation Battle
So, here we are, in some difficult territory. For the first time in my managerial career, I’m left fighting against relegation with a Bolton team that I think has more than enough talent to stay up — but quite a few players have let me down this season and we all need to pull our weight. Here’s the fixture list.
Bit of a worry, isn’t it? A lot of top teams there, including Arsenal, runaway leaders Man United, Liverpool, and Tottenham, who are having a very good season and currently sit second. Let’s hope we can get some good points.
Finally, the bids are starting to come in for Jay Jay Okocha. Atletico Madrid offer £4.9m, but I negotiate them up to £5.5m because I’m sure they have more than enough. Wolfsburg also sling in a bid and now we’ve got a transfer story. Atleti, the money grubbing twats, decide not to take their interest any further, as do Wolfsburg. Apparently Dortmund are interested, so I can only hope they bid as well.
The first game of our run in is one of the toughest — away at Arsenal, who are chasing a Champions League slot. All I can do is send out my best team and hope they can get something out of it.
DO NOT SCRATCH YOUR EYES!! YOU ARE REALLY SEEING THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE THING RIGHT NOW!
How?! Geniunely, how have we managed that? One week, we can’t hit a barn door, the next, we go up to Highbury and take what might be our best win of the season! Weifeng opened the scoring with a great header from a Youri free-kick — his first goal for Bolton. Then three minutes later, Youri sends in another free kick and Andrielos volleys home to make it two. We contain the Arsenal attack brilliantly and Nkubi races clear in the second half to score our third. We’re back out of the bottom three — what a time to pull out this result.
I celebrate by penning a new one-year contract with David Ginola, whose current deal was running out in the summer. Though he’s not been as involved as last season, he’s been a crucial backup player and it’s worth having him around for another season.
Back on the Jay Jay Okocha transfer front, Newcastle make a derisory bid of £625k which I reject out of hand. Right now, though, my main focus is on our next game, at home to Wolves.
Once again, we follow up a great result with a disappointing one. Wolves go two up courtesy of goals from Kenny Miller and Dean Sturridge, then some great defence gets them the win even after a sublime goal from Tonton with twenty minutes to go. We’re back in 18th, two points from safety.
And of course, next up is Manchester United, eight points clear at the top of the league. Bak is injured so is replaced by Southall, Lucic returns to the team in place of Weifeng, and David Ginola joins Youri and Tonton in the midfield three as Johnson takes a seat on the bench.
(no lineup screenshot for this one)
This might sound unrealistic considering it’s Man United, but we were definitely robbed today. Referee Andy D’Urso turns down three separate penalty appeals against Nkubi, of which two at least should defintely have been given. A free kick from Bojan Djordjic is all that separates the two teams. Lunden goes off injured, which is just fantastic.
He’ll only miss our next game, fortunately, which is against Aston Villa. Okocha is his replacement, while Hysen returns after some time on the sidelines, coming in to replace Lucic. Bak returns to the DMC position after recovering from his injury.
In a tense first half, it’s the visitors who take the lead late on through a Dion Dublin header, but in a turn of events I’m more used to experiencing, they completely self-implode. In the space of five second-half minutes, Tonton scores after being set up by Ginola, Bosko Balaban is sent off for shoving Andrielos, and Youri scores a brilliant goal from 20 yards. That’s 2–1 to Bolton, and puts us level on points with 17th placed Middlesbrough with five games left.
I name an unchanged side for our next fixture against West Ham. Can we make it two wins on the bounce?
Yes we do — but by the skin of our teeth. Okocha finally gets on the scoresheet this season after seven minutes, and we look good value even after Jermaine Defoe levels in the second half. A good defensive effort from the Hammers looks to have frustrated us, though, only for Ginola to score a late winner in injury time and send the away fans wild.
I’ve also been keeping half an eye on the transfer market, and something caught my eye — a rumour that Sheffield Wednesday could make a £75,000 swoop for Chelsea keeper Rhys Evans. Evans is a great keeper on this game and can evolve into the regular number one for Chelsea and England in seasons to come, so it’s a surprise to see that they’re willing to let him go on the cheap. Curious, I put in a bid of £100k, and it’s accepted. Contract terms are agreed — a four-year deal on £1,000 a week — and just like that, we’ve got a 19-year old already in the England Under-21 squad on his way in the summer.
He’s impressed on loan at Scottish Premier League side Partick Thistle, who are bottom of the league but level on points with 11th-placed St Mirren. I see him surpassing Voulgaris as our number two as soon as next season. He’ll have some work to dislodge Jussi, though, especially since the Finn made it into the Premier League Select Team of the Season and earned an eighth Finland cap.
The next game is a big one — us v Middlesbrough, 16th vs 15th. This could be crucial in ensuring our Premier League status for next season. Lunden is fit again but it feels cruel to drop Okocha after he’s just scored, so I keep him in and put the Swede on the bench in place of Justin Walker.
Once again, Isaac Nkubi is our star. A fantastic individual effort gives us the lead after 50 minutes, and he’s not fazed when Paul Di Giacamo levels after 71, putting a few more efforts on target and bagging a crucial winner two minutes from time. That puts us up to the heights of 14th, and crucially hits the 40 point mark.
Our next game probably won’t be that easy, as we travel to White Hart Lane to face third-placed Spurs. An injury to Eldar rules him out so he’s replaced by Walker on the bench, with Lunden returning to the team as Okocha also takes a seat on the bench.
Now, I’m not going to say Spurs didn’t deserve this one, because they were very good, Ronald De Boer nabbed a well-earned brace and Jussi helped keep the score down, but Neil Sullivan made a stupid amount of saves and I felt we could have got at least one. Of course, Stig Tofting had to score, coming off the bench. But it’s not a major setback.
Everton lose their next game away to Leeds, and with that, we’re confirmed to be staying in the Prem for at least another season, so I can rotate for the final two games without fear. Thus, for our next game against Liverpool, Jamie Victory, Nicky Southall, Justin Walker, Jeff Smith, Eldar and Lee Chun-Soo all make a return.
A superb rearguard from Jussi limits the visitors to just one goal, a first half header from Abel Xavier, but we can’t find anything in response. Chun-Soo fails to impress and he’ll be out the door in the summer, I’ve decided. Great work from Duff and Victory, though — the latter seems determined to fight Kalogeras for the left-back spot.
For our final game of the season, against Fulham, I use as a chance to give those leaving the club a final run-out. Colin Hendry is definitely leaving as his contract is expiring, and I suspect he’ll probably retire. Ricardo Gardner is transfer listed and will be leaving as well. Jeff Smith is out of contract in the summer. Nicky Southall will be leaving as he’s well below the skills of Bak. The two biggest names, of course, are Jay Jay Okocha and Michael Ricketts, two legends of the game who’ve sadly been supplanted by the Swedish wonderkid Isaac Nkubi, who’s on the bench. Let’s give the fans something to cheer.
We don’t start off in optimal fashion, conceding after just eight minutes thanks to Muzzy Izzet — but then the man who’s delivered for us so often steps up again. Michael Ricketts levels after 15 minutes, heading home a Walker cross, then takes a pass from Okocha and gives us the lead after 38.
Watching on the sideline, I suddenly realise how much I’ve missed this. Ricketts in full flow is a delight to see, and despite his time on the sidelines has lost none of his edge. Okocha is going, Chun-Soo too. We’re going to need strikers, and I’ve been neglecting a legend. Those goals bring him to a tally of five in 16 appereances this season. Sure, we could make cash off him going, but why risk signing a dud? At half time, I confirm it. Michael Ricketts is being taken off the transfer list. He’s not leaving.
Buoyed, we head out and continue the job. Jeff Smith scores again, his second goal in four games this season, and continuing the theme of u-turning on my decisions, I offer him a year’s contract extension. After hyping up the climatic nature of this game, only four of the six players I mentioned are actually going to leave! Izzet nets a second goal, but it doesn’t spoil the party. Here’s to the legends that are leaving… and those that are staying! Michael, Jeff, I can’t wait for next season.
Mike Duff caps a great season by deservedly winning the Northern Irish Player of the Year award. Liverpool win the Champions League, beating Roma on penalties in the final. Man United comfortably won the league with four games to go, and there’s great news on the international front as Jonas Lunden is called up to the Sweden squad, with Nkubi and Hysen picked for the Under 21s. Jeff Smith pens his new deal — I don’t know how much he’ll play next season, but I want to give him more of a go. He’s not fantastic in all departments, but he’s only 22. There’s time for him to grow, and if he’s not great, he can leave next summer.
The transfer window opens, and just like that, Rhys Evans arrives at the club. Welcome our new number two. Antonis, you’re on the loan list.
Over the international break, Isaac Nkubi distinguishes himself, scoring a brace for a Sweden U21s side captained by Tobias Hysen. Evans makes his England U21s debut against Holland and keeps a clean sheet, while Eldar appears for Bosnia U21s as well, and Lunden makes his senior Sweden debut. Colin Hendry’s contract expires, and I release him into free agency. In a surprise move, Dinamo Kiev offer £3.4m for Lee Chun-Soo, so he’s off the books as well, and for a tidy profit. Good luck to both of them in their future footballing endeavours.
With that, we’re going to leave this part here. The season is over — it may have been a bit of a dud, but there were certainly positives to take, and next time, we’re going for another rebuild. Stay tuned!
