England

Tom Oldfield

Bolton boss Gary Megson has faced countless obstacles since taking charge at the Reebok Stadium – but he continues to keep the gathering critics at bay.

In truth, few managers can claim to have endured the degree of scepticism from pundits and their own supporters that Megson has experienced – and, distressingly, even fewer went on to turn the tide in their favour.

Bolton sit relatively comfortably in 12th at the time of writing, with a game in hand on some of those above them, but this does not tell the whole story of what has already been a rocky season for Megson in his battle to gain greater stability at the helm.

The campaign began in worrying fashion for the Trotters. An underwhelming set of results in their pre-season friendlies appeared a particularly bad omen when Bolton went on to lose their first three Premier League fixtures. They were not the only side to struggle in their opening exchanges, of course, but a dismal defeat at Hull underlined their problems, above all in front of goal.

Once again, the knives were being sharpened among some supporters and Megson’s position looked uncertain at best. But the third of those losses – at home to Liverpool – seemed to help the players turn the corner and Bolton have been on the rise ever since.

And Megson deserves a lot of credit for sticking to his guns and blocking out the calls for his head. He proved that he was not afraid to throw inexperienced faces into the first-team and blended them cleverly with the proven core. Israeli midfielder Tamir Cohen is one such player who has seized his chance with both hands. As the team gelled, Bolton finally began to rack up points.

They got back on track on the South Coast and the former West Brom and Nottingham Forest boss was visibly relieved to see Gary Cahill head the winner at beleaguered Portsmouth. Having led twice before allowing Pompey to recover, it took Cahill’s effort to snatch a 3-2 victory. Confidence soared and Megson managed his first smile in weeks.

The unbeaten run has now stretched to five games, largely thanks to the improved spirit within the side. If scoring late goals is a major indicator of a team’s character, Bolton are bang on track. An 89th minute penalty from Matt Taylor rescued a point against Stoke, Kevin Davies forced extra-time against West Ham in the Carling Cup with just four minutes to go while Chung-Yong Lee also chose the 86th minute to bag the winner at Birmingham. Spurs had to come back twice to secure a 2-2 draw at the Reebok. And so the hot streak goes on.

Within the space of a few weeks, Megson has morphed Bolton from a rather spineless outfit to a side oozing belief and ambition – and he must feel that a bit of praise would not go amiss.

The nagging concern will be that things can turn in the opposite direction again just as easily and, with a smallish squad, injuries could pop up to derail the Trotters’ season. Having hosted Tottenham, Megson must prepare his troops for a trip to Old Trafford to take on the champions followed by two clashes with Chelsea – one in the Carling Cup – later in the month. Throw in fixtures against Everton and Aston Villa and the next six weeks appear pretty treacherous.

You can be sure that Megson is not counting his chickens just yet, even if he is enjoying the brief respite that Bolton’s upturn in fortunes has earned him. The sad fact is that he will probably be fighting for his future once more in the near future. It is hard to know what the fans expect and the sooner they acknowledge that a top half finish is a big ask with the available resources, the better for everyone.

‘Under fire’ is a phrase used all too often when discussing Megson – almost irrespective of the team’s league standing – and it is one he must be sick of by now. The trouble is that a portion of Bolton fans have never really warmed to him or his style of play and, therefore, as soon as results start to go against him, the calls for his head begin again in earnest. He has seemingly tried to rally the home crowd to get them on side, yet these attempts have thus far been futile. Instead, he has developed a very thick skin.

Some might call it ‘fighting a losing battle’ but they underestimate Megson’s stomach for a scrap and his desire to see through his project at Bolton. After all, he took the club from a perilous position to one of increased comfort. The road ahead is bound to be rocky but if the Trotters boss can churn out enough wins in the build-up to Christmas, 2010 might turn out to be the stress-free year he deserves.

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