It has been another tough weekend for Bolton Wanderers as the club and the fans face up to the thought of being involved in a relegation battle this term. Following an uninspired 3-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, they now lie 19th having scored just nine points so far this season. And now we are in December, there is the horrible possibility of Owen Coyle’s men sitting bottom of the pile on Christmas Day, a fate that has consigned so many to the drop.

Having made the perfect start to the season by beating QPR 4-0, their next three league games against Man City, United and Liverpool were hardly games that they would have expected to win but since then, other than the 5-0 retribution served to Stoke City, defeats against Sunderland, Swansea and West Brom have shown that there is a problem that needs sorting.

Phil Gartside has argued that while the side’s fortunes have not been great, the club has suffered a huge slice of bad luck with injuries and suspensions. It is hard to disagree with him on the injury front, with Tyrone Mears and Lee Chung-Yong suffering broken legs just days apart during pre-season to join Stuart Holden on the long-term injury list at the Reebok. There are also full-backs Sam Ricketts, Ricardo Gardner and Joe Riley, all of which could be used to sure up the leaky defence or provide options but are instead on the sidelines along with tough-tackling Sean Davis. All of these players could help fix the problems but many of them won’t be back until it is perhaps too late to salvage the season which leaves everybody associated with the Trotters cursing their luck.

However, Gartside’s bemoaning of the suspensions is less justified. Five red cards in 14 games is not a record for any team to be proud of and it is causing problems for the small squad but only Gary Cahill’s dismissal on Saturday can be questioned. David Wheater’s sending off against Everton in the previous game for an ugly tackle was deserved, as was the red card he received for tugging back Theo Walcott at the Emirates. Similarly, Ricardo Gardner can have no complaints about his sending off for two yellow cards against Swansea and neither can Ivan Klasnic, headbutting Norwich’s Marc Tierney in a moment of stupidity.

Additionally, the old saying ‘it’s harder to play against 10 than 11’ still applies when the team is not at the top of the league. There are more problems affecting the Trotters and they are growing ever larger.

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At the end of last season, Johan Elmander and Matt Taylor made their moves away from the Reebok while Daniel Sturridge inevitably returned to Chelsea having impressed during his loan spell. These players were replaced poorly, David N’Gog being the best buy but the £4.5 million fee plus wages have not yet been repaid and Tuncay and Darren Pratley coming in as two “cost-effective” solutions to the problem.

Meanwhile, rather than building a fresh team to go again, the club spent most of their time trying to hold onto Gary Cahill, a leading star who can walk away for free this summer. Arsenal were the side that seemed most interested during August but their £6 million offer was labelled derisory, although in hindsight it may have been a good deal.

Cahill is undoubtedly worth more but for a player that wants to leave the club and could now go for nothing, it was a moment of greed that could haunt them. If the offer had been accepted, it would have meant losing a great defender but the money could have been used to replace him and the other departed players to deepen the squad numbers and stop them from being caught short by injuries.

On the pitch, Coyle has tried to reinvent the club by throwing away the old, long ball tactics that worked well under Sam Allardyce in favour of an easy-to-watch style. But against Everton he resorted back to the old routine, lumping balls up to Kevin Davies, who looks a shadow of his former self, and it suggests that the manager has no idea how to change it around. When he tries his own masterplan, players no longer press the opposition and have lost their bite in the tackle. Others such as Gretar Steinsson and Martin Petrov seemed to be happy to take home their huge wage packets, sauntering around the pitch and almost refusing to get involved when the club needs them most.

The midfield appears unimaginative apart from Chris Eagles, who has impressed but can’t get very far when those around him are struggling for form. They are under confident and unlike in years before, the grit and determination which would pull them through is lacking.

Owen Coyle is a fans’ favourite as a player for Bolton and was a popular choice as manager. He still has the backing of most supporters even though they are currently sat in the Premier League departure lounge. Between now and Christmas the Trotters face Aston Villa, Fulham and an all-important local derby against Blackburn Rovers. If the team doesn’t improve during those matches and pick up a healthy chunk of points it could be curtains for the boss and a not-so-merry festive period at the Reebok.

Can Coyle save Bolton from the drop? Comment below or tell me on Twitter @jrobbins1991.

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