Bolton Preview

After breaking up a run of bad results with three hard fought points against Wolves, Everton travel to another team having a horrible season, Bolton Wanderers.

 

At this point it is obligatory to say 'yes it was over the line, but it was a foul on Southall and you had 36 other games to sort yourselves out, you bulbs'.

 

The arse seems to have completely fallen out of Owen Coyle's men this season. This looks to be a combination of a few things - they have been desperately unlucky with injuries to their best players, Stuart Holden and Chung-Yong Lee, but are also paying the price for over-reliance on 'babysitting' loans for the likes of Jack Wilshere and Daniel Sturridge in recent years. Those sort of loans, which David Moyes never seems to go for (the link to Lukaku this week was utterly absurd, given that he couldn't play for us this season anyway), undermine the idea of building a team, and certainly, without Sturridge, Bolton look like a much lesser threat.

 

That said, this game will be far from a walkover. Bolton are still big, tough and horrible and Everton, as Tim Howard has already anticipated in interviews this week, are in for a scrap. Sylvain Distin will surely come in if fit, and you get the feeling Moyes will want Jack Rodwell in there too to add more height and athleticism. If the Toffees can get their heads down and play their game, however, the game is there for the taking. Confidence should have been boosted by the Wolves result, if not the performance, and whoever plays in our midfield - Fellaini, Osman or Rodwell - should be able to get hold of Nigel Reo-Coker and Fabrice Muamba.

 

Another three points please, Everton.

 

Last 5 at Bolton:

 

Feb 2011: Bolton 2-0 Everton (FAPL) - Anything on Saturday has got to be better than this. Everton turn in 90 minutes of utter dross which Moyes describes as one of the worst of his time at the club. He's not wrong.

 

Oct 2009: Bolton 3-2 Everton (FAPL) - Fresh from a battering at Benfica, Everton are two down in no time but come back to level with crackers from Louis Saha and Marouane Fellaini. A couple of missed chances and some horrible defending later, however, and the Toffees dip to an Ivan Klasnic goal.

 

Oct 2008: Bolton 0-1 Everton (FAPL) - A truly awful game where absolutely nothing happens is settled by emerging cult hero Marouane Fellaini's injury time header. Christ it was cold that night.

 

Sept 2007: Bolton 1-2 Everton (FAPL) - Everton secure an early lead through new record signing Yakubu on debut, before Bolton equalise through a Nicolas Anelka howitzer. The returning Thomas Gravesen then takes centre stage, sticking a perfect corner onto the head of Joleon Lescott for a last minute decider, before going bonkers in front of the travelling Evertonians and lashing Lucozade bottles everywhere. Loon.

 

Apr 2007: Bolton 1-1 Everton (FAPL) - Everton continue their push for a UEFA Cup place as James Vaughan, playing the best football of his Everton career, scores an equaliser before, typically, rupturing an artery in a second half challenge.  

 

 

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