| LEAGUE:
16th |
| FA
CUP: fourth |
| WORTHINGTON
CUP: fifth round |
| PREDICTION:
bright start, winter struggle, survival |
| TITLE
ODDS: 500-1 |
| OFFICIAL
WEBSITE: www.bwfc.co.uk |
Key man: Michael
Ricketts
Stunned the Premiership courtesy of outstanding goals at,
among other venues, Old Trafford last term. But although
Ricketts finished the season with a highly respectable tally
of 13 Premiership goals, his form tailed off after a
disappointing 45 minutes in an England shirt against Holland
Coach: Sam Allardyce
Forget the old-school look, big Sam may be Peter Reid’s
favourite drinking buddy but he is a thoroughly modern
manager, well versed in the nuances of sports psychology and
far from averse to conducting transfer business on his
laptop. The capture of Jay Jay Okocha typifies the bold
approach of a man who worked wonders to keep Wanderers in
the Premiership last season
| Full
squad |
|
Goalkeepers
1 Steve Banks
22 Jussi Jaaskelainen
30 Kevin Poole, Sebastien Chabbaret |
Midfielders
7 Bo Hansen
8 Per Frandsen
11 Ricardo Gardner
14 Gareth Farrelly
15 Kevin Nolan
20 Nicky Southall
27 Gerald Forschelet
28 Jermaine Johnson
29 Stig Tofting
32 Jeff Smith
33 Ryan Baldacchino
39 Ciaran Ryan
46 Cleveland Taylor, Akin Bulent, Jay Jay Okocha |
Defenders
2 Bruno N’Gotty
3 Mike Whitlow
4 Gudni Bergsson
5 Colin Hendry
6 Paul Warhurst
24 Anthony Barness
25 Simon Charlton
26 Leam Richardson
37 Nicky Hunt
41 Alan O’Hare, Bernard Mendy |
Forwards
9 Henrik Pedersen
10 Dean Holdsworth
13 Youri Djorkaeff
17 Michael Ricketts
19 David Norris
40 Chris Downey, Delroy Facey |
Strongest XI
Nationalities
England (16) France (5) Denmark (4) Ireland (3) Jamaica (2)
Iceland (1) Scotland (1) Finland (1) Italy (1) US (1)
Nigeria (1) Turkey (1) Total 37
Players in
Jay Jay Okocha, Delroy Facey, Bernard Mendy, Akin
Bulent, Sebastien Chabbaret, Alan O’Hare
Players out
Dean Holden, Rod Wallace
Instant expert
Ground Reebok Stadium, Burnden Way, Lostock,
Bolton, BL6 6JW
Telephone 01204 673 673
Capacity 27,800
Shirt sponsor Reebok
Ticket office 01204 673 601
Can I get a ticket? Adult tickets cost £20
to £27. Priority to club members
How to get there Take train from Bolton
station to Horwich Parkway
Club call 09068 121164
Club shop 01204 673 650
New boy: Jay Jay
Okocha
The Nigeria captain and midfield inspiration, now
28, brings flair, technical ability and experience to the
side. He arrives from Paris St Germain with an eye for a
defence-splitting pass that promises to bring the best out
of Michael Ricketts
Money talk
Top earners Djorkaeff £25,000, Bulent £24,000,
Ricketts £20,000
Total wage bill
£7.55m (estimated)
Only West Bromwich Albion have a lower wage bill,
but with a turnover of £10.67m — only the 18th highest in
the Premiership — continued caution with finances is
paramount
Where are they now?
Neil Whatmore The former striker who scored 102
goals in 262 games for Bolton is a school caretaker in
Mansfield
