Vital Reading season preview
Club: Bolton Wanderers
Founded: 1874
Nickname: The Trotters
Ground: Reebok Stadium (Capacity: 28,723)
When we face off: Sat 6th December (H), Tues 3rd March (A)
Last season finish: 14th – Championship
Manager: Dougie Freedman – The former striker is now into his fourth year in management, as he is looking to establish himself as one of the best young managers in the league. It’s fair to say he has done a steady job with Bolton, similarly with Palace too, despite having some doubts over his future last year, which wasn’t helped by a 7-1 thumping by us back in January. Freedman will be looking to add a promotion to his CV in the near future.
Key player: Jay Spearing – The former Liverpool midfielder was signed on a permanent at the start of last season, which was very popular with fans. He is a tenacious, box-to-box midfielder, very similar to Danny Williams in his determination and his energy.
Season Preview: Bolton were one of the promotion favourites last season, but failed to justify this tag, finishing in a disappointing mid table position. Their squad carried good experience with the likes of Zat Knight, Jermaine Beckford and Darren Pratley, but struggled to conjure any flair in the final third in games. If Freedman can make the right signings, Bolton could be in contention for a play-off spot.
