They won't be smiling tonight... we hope.

Starting Lineups
Bolton Wanderers: Bogdan, Riley, Wheater, Knight, Alonso, Eagles, Petrov, M Davies, Pratley, Tuncay, Blake
Macclesfield Town: Veiga, Tremarco, Kay, Brown, Chalmers, Draper, Sinclair, Diagne, Brisley, Wedgbury, Hewitt

Cards on the table, we couldn’t watch the match as there was no stream. So instead of our usual match report, we’re going to bring you a brief summary and then a selection of tweets from Wanderers who were at the match and therefore could see it. Probably. This may sound lazy, but trust me, those screen shots took a long time to take.

Unsurprisingly, Coyle fielded a quite experimental line up, over the course of the game giving 3 reserve players their debut and even gifting right back Joe Riley a start. A certain Tuncay Sanli also made his debut, finally being available after what seemed like never ending work permit issues. In spite of this, Bolton got off to a bad start when Emile Sinclair rounded rookie keeper Adam Bogdan and put the ball in the back of the net. Bolton came close to equalising numerous times, however it was not to be until the second half, when our Turkish Delight Tuncay evened things up. He also feed the ball to Petrov in the 73rd minute to seal the deal, putting Bolton in the hat for the next round.

And now, to hear from you…

The obligatory Owen Coyle photo

The cup season is upon us once again as Bolton Wanderers open the Carling Cup against Macclesfield Town at the Reebok. The Silkmen of League Two downed Hull City by a score of 2-0 to reach the second round. Bolton will look to do better than they did last year when they were ousted by Burnley in the third round.

Expect a number of new faces in the side as Bolton are expected to win by a healthy margin. Adam Blakeman was on the bench in the City match but wasn’t allowed the chance to make an appearance while other youngsters like Joe Riley and Mark Connolly could see time on the pitch. Two players who came on as substitutes against Manchester City but didn’t get the start they would have liked but could do well for themselves in this match are Darren Pratley and Mark Davies while Tuncay could be handed a Bolton Wanderers debut as news broke via his personal twitter account today that he was handed a work permit.

Bolton have only faced Macclesfield Town twice in their history and both of those fixtures came in the 2000 League Cup. Bolton were dumped out then in the first round by an aggregate score of 3-2 over the first tie and the replay. Expect the Trotters to score a few and get back to their winning ways.

Our Bolton Wanderers skipper

It’s that time of the year again when the doubters come out and accuse Kevin Davies of being old, fat, slow, or past it. A scathing blog post emerged this morning with claims written by an idiot who quite clearly knows nothing about our beloved Bolton Wanderers. If you’re interested in reading that post, you’re on your own to find it as I won’t even justify it by linking to them. I mean seriously, the title of aforementioned blog post is neither punctuated correctly, capitalized properly, and makes nearly zero grammatical sense.

The fact of the matter is (and we’ve gone into this on many occasions before) that Kevin Davies is not an out-and-out goalscorer. His best seasons in terms of finding the back of the net came in 2008/2009 where he scored 12 times in all competitions but with all of his goals coming in the Premier League. Before that, Kev’s highest total was also 12 on two separate occasions. One coming with Chesterfield in the 3rd Division in 1994/1995 (11 league goals, one in the league cup) and again with Southampton in 1997/1998 (9 league goals, 3 in the league cup).

Super Kevin Davies’ game isn’t that of a goal poacher that will ride the offside line in order to tap in a cross or collect a deflection for the easy score. While he’s more than capable of doing those things, it is not Davo’s primary goal. He is a distributor of the ball in the final third, something that Bolton terribly need. In two matches thus far this season, the forward has tallied an assist and a goal while last season he assisted seven times, making him directly responsible for 17 goals in 2010/2011.

One of our Twitter followers and massive Bolton supporter, Matthew Rowland, commented (quite correctly) that the Trotters can not afford a (proven) goalscorer who can add 20 or more goals to the side every season. This leads Owen Coyle to gamble on young but inexpensive talent like your Jack Wilshere, Daniel Sturridge, and (hopefully) David Ngog.

A pacy young forward could easily run onto one of Super Kev’s flicked-on balls into the box and coolly finish. In all competitions last year, Bolton had goals from 16 different players, a feat that rivals Arsenal, Chelsea, City, and United while besting Liverpool. While yes, a proven goalscorer would be fantastic, it’s not something that Bolton can afford and do not necessarily need if they will get similar production from the squad this season. So far in 2011/2012, Bolton have seen 4 different players score. A great start, that.

And then we get to the non-goalscoring part of Kevin Davies’ role on the field. Watch him over the course of a game, does he stop running or going in hard? Hell, it barely looks like he gets tired during the 90 minutes. It’s common knowledge that SKD gives and takes a beating on the field while he’s chasing down balls, going for every aerial challenge that comes his way, and making much needed tackles, even if they are only 8 seconds into the game.

People oversimplify Kevin’s game into something that it’s not. The critics argue that he’s a thug and doesn’t score enough goals but I hope that I’ve been able to convince you that Kevin Davies’ presence on the field and importance to the squad is so much more than that. He’s our captain and one of, if not the most, hard working footballers in the game but at the same time one of the nicest guys off the pitch. Stand behind him.

Super Kevin Davies heads the ball home for Bolton's second goal of the day

Starting Lineups
Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Knight, Robinson, Eagles, Muamba, Reo-Coker, Petrov, K Davies, Klasnic
Manchester City: Hart, Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Milner, Dzeko, Kolarov, Aguero, Barry, Silva, Y Toure

Match highlights and a full write-up after the jump

Match Summary
Two sides battling for a chance to reclaim the top spot from Wolves who, at the moment, sit top of the Premier League. The City side, spurred forward by new signing Aguero’s performance against Swansea. Bolton, still without an actual striker and actual winger, looked to have a long day against the side from across town.

It didn’t start well for the Whites as David Silva had a go from the top of the box. What looked an easy stop didn’t turn out to be the piece of cake it should have been. Jaaskelainen misjudged the knuckle on the ball and it hit off of his right hand and into the back of the net.

City then doubled Bolton’s trouble with what was a fantastic strike by Gareth Barry of all people. In the 37th minute, he got the ball at the top of the box and pulled out a top shelf strike into the upper right corner. Jussi got a hand on it but the stop attempt was not nearly strong enough. 2-0.

Right before the break, Bolton managed to pull one back through Ivan Klasnic. Petrov settled the ball on the wing and played it into the box. Klasnic’s run saw him get the ball at the near post where his first time attempt found the back of the net past a helpless Joe Hart.

Right after the halftime break, Manchester City managed to restore their two goal lead. Edin Dzeko, who had been commanding on the right side of the side of the field throughout the match, took the ball center. His shot from a tight angle once again found the back of the net.

The men in white once again showed their “never say die” attitude once again as Kevin Davies struck for the first time in his career against Manchester City. Martin Petrov provided his second assist of the day from a long free kick that found the skipper’s head. Super Kev then flicked it on with his head into the far side of the net past a sprawling Hart. 3-2.

The match ended with a Bolton loss but truth be told, it wasn’t one to be upset about. This Manchester City side is on a different level and has the potential to run rings around just about any team in the Premier League. A one goal loss to a team that can win the league is not that bad. Mark Davies was a breath of fresh air in the midfield and deserves to start. We need his creativity right from the off. A pacy striker would have done us a world of good but that will come sooner or later.

Scoring Summary
Bolton Wanderers:
Ivan Klasnic – 39′
Kevin Davies – 63′

Manchester City
David Silva – 26′
Gareth Barry – 37′
Edin Dzeko – 47′

But this is a Bolton team that rather likes to score. Despite several pundits saying they weren’t sure where the goals would come from, the team that had a very successful preseason seemed to translate that into the Premiership. There is no doubt that with the exit of Elmander, Ivan Klasnic would have to step up, but after his extremely fruitful preseason and a goal on opening day, he looks to be attempting to fill this hole. This is basically the same Wanderers team as last season, but it does have a wonderful coach in Owen Coyle, who is used to making do with what he has.

This does look to be one of the tastiest fixtures of the weekend. While neither side is exactly established as a top team, both seem to be approaching this season with nice, attacking football. Coyle himself said

“We will show Manchester City the respect they deserve, but is this a game we can win? Yes, of course, but we will need to be at our maximum.”

Fingers crossed that Bolton at at their “maximum” and this should be a good show. Come on you White Men!

Work permit or not, he can train with the lads

Because he’s definitely not at the Reebok. It turns out that our poor Turkish delight (yes, I will continue calling him that) is still in Dusseldorf attempting to work out his permit. I originally read that the paperwork would go through Tuesday, but it now appears that Tuncay just had his appointment on Tuesday and that “it is normally a four or five day turnaround with the embassy”. This is rather frustrating news for all concerned, and I know that I’m not the only one who was looking forward to seeing his debut against Manchester City.

Coyle said on the matter:

“Everything is clear with the FA and we are just waiting for the work permit… If he gets his work permit then he is fit and available to be a part of the squad. If not then unfortunately he will miss out and we will have to wait until next week. Hopefully it will be sorted out today. We just have to be patient.”

I am very bad at being patient, especially considering our relative inactivity in the transfer market. Tuncay himself has said “I cannot wait to get started.” Well dear, you will have to wait a little bit longer it seems. I’m sure that when things do go through, he will tweet about it, so go follow him. And while you’re at it, give us a follow too!

Ally is not havin' it

Well, I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that we are actually making bids on real, live players who might consider playing for Bolton. The bad news is that we’re getting rejected. Ally McCoist, manager of Glasgow Rangers has confirmed that Bolton made a £400k bid for 20 year old Gregg Wylde. Wylde is a left sided midfielder and can also play at left back. While I have not seen him play, I do think that is an area of weakness for us, as both Petrov and Robinson leave something to be desired and who knows where Alonso will be in 6 months. Unfortunately, it was not to be, and McCoist has said “any further bids we receive for Gregg will not be welcomed either.”

I’m not too gutted about this, partially because I don’t know much about him and I think that spelling his first name with 3 g’s is silly. Regardless, this is a step in the right direction. When making transfers, I would much rather be getting young, exciting but unproven prospects, than players heading toward the end of their careers like we’ve been doing lately. Gary Cahill is an excellent example of this approach working, and it’s fitting that he has come full circle and is now expected to be one of the biggest transfer moves ever leaving Bolton. Let’s hope that OC has more transfer tricks up his sleeve, as our squad desperately needs it.

Not something you'll see often, Bolton Wanderers are top of the table!

Starting Lineups
Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Knight, Robinson, Eagles, Muamba, Reo-Coker, Petrov, K Davies, Klasnic
Queens Park Rangers: Kenny, Hill, Derry, Hall, Gabbidon, Taarabt, Dyer, Campbell, Bothroyd, Faurlin, Smith

Match Summary
The new season for Bolton Wanderers started at Loftus Road as the Wanderers faced QPR at the start of the new campaign. Bolton needed the full three points from this match to not only end the losing streak that ended the 2010/2011 season but also to gain some confidence before facing the onslaught of Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United in quick succession. Owen Coyle handed Bolton debuts to Nigel Reo-Coker and Chris Eagles to start the season.

QPR began their offensive early where just after the one minute mark, Adel Taraabt played a ball into the center of the box that made its way to DJ Campbell (who gave the Wanderers plenty of trouble while at Blackpool) who put it into the back of the net. Luckily, he was very clearly offside. QPR then had another chance 14 minutes into proceedings where the first chance was picked out by Steinsson. His half clearance wasn’t good enough and Bothroyd fired one on target that surely would have gone in had it not been for Gretar’s head getting in the way.

Goal! Gary Cahill – 45′+2
Then, two minutes into first half stoppage time, something out of nothing from Gary Cahill. A phenomenal strike, hands down one of the best you’ll see from a center back put the Trotters up 1-0. Chris Eagles had control off the ball on the wing and did well to find Gary Cahill alone at the top of the box. With acres of space, Gaz put it on his right foot. The ball was always curling away as a helpless Paddy Kenny dove with despair but couldn’t do a thing as the ball found the top corner at the far post.

Just like that, 2-0 to the mighty Bolton Wanderers.Kevin Davies won a free kick at the edge of the box. Chris Eagles stood over the ball and called Martin Petrov over to hold the ball in place for him. Eagles shot deflected off of the edge of the wall and ran past everyone in the box. Well, almost everyone. Danny Gabbidon managed to get a foot on it to find the back of his own net.

Ivan Klasnic decided to join the party next as he got hold of the ball in the box. With Petrov alone to his left, Klasnic decided to take the shot himself. The ball deflected just enough off of Orr to go over the helpless Paddy Kenny to make it 3-0.

And then there were four as Fabrice Muamba made his presence known. Good control from Ivan Klasnic in the box saw him provide a great ball dead center. Fab’s brilliant run put him into space and he fired the ball past the keeper for a scoreline of 4-0.

What looked a bleak showing until Gary Cahill’s opening stunner quickly turned into delight as the Bolton Wanderers side that came out in the second half was brimming with confidence and oozing class. The best start to the season in a while and with our league losing streak broken while Bolton temporarily sit top of the table, Trotters fans have much to be happy about.

Queens Park Rangers v Bolton Wanderers by prestinosk

Scoring Summary
Bolton Wanderers
Gary Cahill – 45′+2
Danny Gabbidon (OG) – 67′
Ivan Klasnic – 70′
Fabrice Muamba – 79′

“I know what it’s like bringing a team up from the Championship. You’re up there with the big boys and you want to send out a statement that you intend to stay there… The fans are up for it, the players are up for it”

It is clearly a fixture that’s being taken seriously by the club, and with good reason. QPR have managed a thrifty summer, but have done well for themselves. Jay Bothroyd, Kieran Dyer, Danny Gabbidon, and Brian Murphy have all come to Loftus Road on frees, while the club parted with just £1.25mil for relegated Blackpool’s goal machine DJ Campbell. This last player is familiar with scoring against the Trotters, having gotten a brace in Blackpool’s 4-3 win last season. QPR have also managed to hold on to their midfield cracker, Adel Taarabt. Neil Warnock only has 2 injuries (Rob Hulse, Jamie Mackie) to hinder his selection, and should field a side ready to go out and play.

Bolton on the other hand have a plethora of injuries, and knowing our luck will probably pick up more in warm up tomorrow. The loss of Chung-Yong Lee is a huge blow to the side, and I can’t be alone in my doubts of Chris Eagles’ ability to fill the hole left by the Korean. We now have many options in the central midfield (Mark Davies, Darren Pratley, Fabrice Muamba, Nigel Reo-Coker) but it’s still unclear who makes up the best pairing. The rest of the squad provides a frightening lack of options, as the summer failed to shore up a lot of the weaknesses. Petrov remains the only option on the left wing, and is far from ideal, while the forward pairing of Kevin Davies and Ivan Klasnic is not exactly confidence inspiring.

We’ve had a fairly successful preseason, with 6 wins and 2 losses, but the competition provided by the Premiership, even the newly promoted teams, may prove a bit of a shock. The team should carry the confidence from preseason without letting it turn into cockiness. Coyle said “our focus on delivering what quality we have and we know if we do that, we have enough to achieve a positive result,” and I believe that. With the tough run coming up after this, it’s important that we get off to a good start. If we go to Loftus Road and play our game, we can do that. Come on you white men!.