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A famous pundit once said “you’ll win nothing with kids” but it’s the younger generation of Wanderers who are giving fans hope at the moment.
If it can go wrong, it has gone wrong at the Macron Stadium this season. Whether it’s battles in the boardroom, under-achievement on the pitch, or muck-raking in the tabloids, no-one seems to have a good word to say about what it going on at Bolton.
The notable exceptions, however, come in the shape of players whose fresh-faced exuberance seems to cut through the doom and gloom.
Up front, Zach Clough’s double against Fulham on Saturday announced his return from injury in no uncertain terms. The striker’s rise to prominence has been the most positive story to come out of 2015 for the Whites and he remains the club’s most saleable asset.
In midfield Josh Vela’s goal against Charlton Athletic a week ago was masked slightly by worry over a second-half knee injury. That problem thankfully looks temporary and the academy graduate is due back for the Boxing Day clash with Rotherham United to reclaim his spot.
At the back Wanderers fans have received a pleasant surprise in the shape of Rob Holding.
After being thrust into a tactical nightmare at Middlesbrough earlier in the season the 21-year-old was relegated back into the development squad ranks to recover.
When he emerged to play in a back three against Cardiff City a fortnight ago there was another sharp intake of breath – but he emerged from a disappointing defeat with credit and then showed versatility against Charlton to play as a full-back with no discernible drop in quality.
Holding had been given a big push from Under-21 level and the faith of Iain Brunskill and Co has been rewarded, with the likes of Derik Osede and Dorian Dervite spending the last few games frozen out.
The question on many fans’ lips is now: Why stop there?
Although question marks hang over Lennon’s position, the club itself will have to plan for two scenarios in 2016.
Administration has been played down by the manager on the advice of Trevor Birch and now looks a less likely course of action but relegation would trigger the same drastic rethink.
Only one third of clubs who have occupied one of the bottom three positions in the Championship at Christmas have escaped the drop in the last 10 years.
Wanderers have been heavily criticised for failing to plan for the future when they dropped out of the Premier League, and though the club’s ownership situation makes any sort of forecasting more difficult, it would be nice to think some thought has been given to what would happen in League One.
The Academy could hold the key. Criticised and ignored by previous regimes, one of Lennon’s biggest achievements has been to repair the relationship between the two arms of the football club. As cost effective footballers go, there is nothing better than creating your own.
Jamie Thomas and Alex Samizadeh have attracted attention, just as Clough did a few years ago, for their goal-scoring exploits at youth level.
But Kaiyne Woolery’s raw pace and direction have put the former Tamworth winger out ahead, and he seems the youngster most likely to next make the first team leap, having had two tastes of action from the bench already.
Defenders Alex Finney and Quade Taylor have also sampled the senior level but currently sit just behind Holding in the pecking order.
The best case scenario and one that Lennon and his side have certainly not given up on is that the fight against relegation is successful.
Again the ownership issue comes into focus. If money is made available for signings then there would be less pressure on the manager to push younger players through. Wanderers’ unworkable business model has been well documented, however, and something surely has to change in the future.
It seems only logical that Wanderers have to start using their academy more efficiently and that the path trod by Holding, Vela and Clough will be followed by more young players sooner rather than later. But then you might also argue that logic really hasn’t come into play for some time.
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If it can go wrong, it has gone wrong at the Macron Stadium this season. Whether it’s battles in the boardroom, under-achievement on the pitch, or muck-raking in the tabloids, no-one seems to have a good word to say about what it going on at Bolton.
The notable exceptions, however, come in the shape of players whose fresh-faced exuberance seems to cut through the doom and gloom.
Up front, Zach Clough’s double against Fulham on Saturday announced his return from injury in no uncertain terms. The striker’s rise to prominence has been the most positive story to come out of 2015 for the Whites and he remains the club’s most saleable asset.
In midfield Josh Vela’s goal against Charlton Athletic a week ago was masked slightly by worry over a second-half knee injury. That problem thankfully looks temporary and the academy graduate is due back for the Boxing Day clash with Rotherham United to reclaim his spot.
At the back Wanderers fans have received a pleasant surprise in the shape of Rob Holding.
After being thrust into a tactical nightmare at Middlesbrough earlier in the season the 21-year-old was relegated back into the development squad ranks to recover.
When he emerged to play in a back three against Cardiff City a fortnight ago there was another sharp intake of breath – but he emerged from a disappointing defeat with credit and then showed versatility against Charlton to play as a full-back with no discernible drop in quality.
Holding had been given a big push from Under-21 level and the faith of Iain Brunskill and Co has been rewarded, with the likes of Derik Osede and Dorian Dervite spending the last few games frozen out.
The question on many fans’ lips is now: Why stop there?
Although question marks hang over Lennon’s position, the club itself will have to plan for two scenarios in 2016.
Administration has been played down by the manager on the advice of Trevor Birch and now looks a less likely course of action but relegation would trigger the same drastic rethink.
Only one third of clubs who have occupied one of the bottom three positions in the Championship at Christmas have escaped the drop in the last 10 years.
Wanderers have been heavily criticised for failing to plan for the future when they dropped out of the Premier League, and though the club’s ownership situation makes any sort of forecasting more difficult, it would be nice to think some thought has been given to what would happen in League One.
The Academy could hold the key. Criticised and ignored by previous regimes, one of Lennon’s biggest achievements has been to repair the relationship between the two arms of the football club. As cost effective footballers go, there is nothing better than creating your own.
Jamie Thomas and Alex Samizadeh have attracted attention, just as Clough did a few years ago, for their goal-scoring exploits at youth level.
But Kaiyne Woolery’s raw pace and direction have put the former Tamworth winger out ahead, and he seems the youngster most likely to next make the first team leap, having had two tastes of action from the bench already.
Defenders Alex Finney and Quade Taylor have also sampled the senior level but currently sit just behind Holding in the pecking order.
The best case scenario and one that Lennon and his side have certainly not given up on is that the fight against relegation is successful.
Again the ownership issue comes into focus. If money is made available for signings then there would be less pressure on the manager to push younger players through. Wanderers’ unworkable business model has been well documented, however, and something surely has to change in the future.
It seems only logical that Wanderers have to start using their academy more efficiently and that the path trod by Holding, Vela and Clough will be followed by more young players sooner rather than later. But then you might also argue that logic really hasn’t come into play for some time.
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