LASTSEASON
LEAGUEONE15thFACUPFirstRoundLEAGUECUP
SecondRoundTOPSCORERJonsonClarke-Harris(11)LASTSEASON
CHAMPIONSHIP 23rd FA CUP Fourth Round
LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Josh Magennis (7)FourFourTwo Season Preview 2019-20 61BOLTOn WAnDERERS BRISTOL ROVERS
SEASOn PREVIEW
FFTVERDICT
21ST FFT VERDICT
16TH
Bolton will start on minus points
and have already been raided for
their major assets, including Mark
Beevers, Sammy Ameobi and Luca
Connell. Pre-season kicked off with
only seven first-team players, and
there was scant optimism that any
quality replacements were coming.Promoting Graham Coughlan was
seemingly a smart move. Losing
James Clarke and Stuart Sinclair is
a blow, the influential duo joining
ex-Rovers gaffer Darrell Clarke at
Walsall, but Jonson Clarke-Harris
could provide more fireworks after
firing 11 goals in his last 15 games.The big talking point among the fans
mainly consists of fretting about the
survival of our proud football club, one
of the world’s oldest. With relegation,
financial meltdown, player strikes, fan
protest marches and some truly awful
football, last season was our worst in
living memory.
Save the date for Bolton vs Bury on
September 8 – a good old Lancashire
derby against black pudding-eating
rivals from up the road.
Our key player will be forward Josh
Magennis. He isn’t known as a prolific
scorer, but he’s combative and strong
in the air. He could be a real handful
in League One this season.
Our most underrated player is
attacking midfielder Erhun Oztumer.
‘Ozzy’ [below] was a threat at Walsall
but Phil Parkinson [above] hasn’t given
him much of an opportunity at Bolton.
He could shine in League One.
The best club social media account
is @bwfcbible on Instagram.The signature local dish is simply the
humble pastie. As Bolton fans love to
sing, mainly to taunt Wigan fans, “I’d
rather eat a pastie than a pie”.
The other recommendation for away
fans is – if it’s a nice summer’s day –
to hike up Rivington Pike, then enjoy
a real ale in one of our excellent pubs.
Defeat to the mighty Wanderers will
be more palatable after that.
Look out for 18-year-old Ronan Darcy,
who caught the eye on his Trotters
debut back in May.
The opposition player I secretly
admire is Jay Spearing at Blackpool.
I’d have him back in an instant.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that Parkinson should get plenty of
stick for his defensive style and tactical
choices, but conditions are so tough.
If he left, he should be replaced by
assistant academy director David Lee.
He was a Bolton midfield legend in
the 1990s and has done great things
with the youth squad.
We’ll finish 18th. We’re starting off
with a 12-point (or more) deduction;
however, I’m hopeful we can claw
back the deficit, survive and then be
promoted as champions a year later.The big talking point among the fans
is in what direction is the club going?
We are losing money every year and
there are no known plans for a new
ground, which is the biggest thing the
club needs in order to progress. The
lack of communication, coupled with
us losing a lot of money in the most
recent set of accounts, has concerned
supporters somewhat.
This season will be different because
we were doomed long before Graham
Coughlan [below] took charge as boss
last December, but by hook or by crook
he got us winning matches, and that’s
all that mattered. I’m excited to see
what he can do with his own squad.
Look out for Alfie Kilgour. The young
central defender did well on loan in
the Conference and got his break at
Rovers towards the end of last season.
Coughlan sees him as a future captain.
Our key player will be the guy who
singlehandedly kept us up after joining
in January: Jonson Clarke-Harris.Our most underrated player is Tony
Craig [above]. He isn’t trendy, because
he isn’t a ball-playing centre-half, but
he can read the game extremely well.
Our best and worst celebrity fans
are Ian Holloway, and Ian Holloway.
He’s probably our most famous fan,
but he doesn’t cover himself in glory
with some of the things he comes out
with in the media about other clubs.
The best Bristol Rovers social media
account is Twitter’s @GasCastPodcast.
The opposition player I secretly
admire is Aiden McGeady by a country
mile. It’s ridiculous that a player of
his quality is playing at this level.
The best away ground is Fratton Park,
even though we rarely do well there.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that many aren’t completely sold on
Coughlan, even though he performed
a minor miracle. I understand their
concerns as the football wasn’t pretty,
but he didn’t really have much choice.
I think that, with his own players, he
can make us a half-decent team.
If he left, he should be replaced by
an up-and-coming League Two boss
looking to prove themselves.
We’ll finish somewhere in the top 10.FAn FILE
NATHAN BEES
@nathbeesFAn FILE
THEO OGDEN
@Thogden