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Though Wanderers are already on the long march to relegation, one player has something important to prove at Bristol City this weekend.
Zach Clough, who turned down a lucrative move to Ashton Gate in January, is likely to face the most hostile crowd in his young career this Saturday.
Though the rejection of a £2million deal sparked celebration among the Whites fans who had been resigned to losing their prized asset to pay the bills, the animosity among followers of the Robins was clear to see.
And that bitterness was stoked further when Clough spoke to The Bolton News last month to elaborate on his reasons for turning down the move.
“When the bid was put in, I found out about 10pm the night before we played Eastleigh,” he said.
“I phoned my dad and he started laughing. He said ‘no chance’. And that was it.
“I wanted to show respect to Bristol City and it was great that they wanted me.
“But we made the decision 10 seconds after the offer went in. I wouldn’t have changed my mind.
“We went down there, they are trying to improve, their new stadium looks quite good. But I didn’t think it was right for me at this stage of my career; it was a sideways move.
“I think Bolton is a bigger club than Bristol City at the end of the day.”
Such was the reaction in the South West the local newspaper carried a poll this week asking fans if the club got a better deal in loaning Middlesbrough’s Lee Tomlin instead.
Steve Cotterill – the man who tried to sign Clough – was sacked a matter of days later and replaced by ex-Oldham Athletic boss Lee Johnson.
And the Robins have certainly enjoyed an upturn in form of late, with 16 points from the last nine games lifting them out of the bottom three.
But this weekend will not simply be about tuning out the inevitable boos for Clough, it is also a chance for him to get his Wanderers career back on an upward trajectory.
Since his wonder-goal against QPR the diminutive front man has struggled for form, seemingly shouldering the burden of Wanderer’ troubles more than most.
Before his departure on Tuesday Neil Lennon had voiced his own concerns about Clough’s performances.
“Zach, for whatever reason, has not been at the level over the last few games that he was before, for whatever reason, I don’t know,” said the Northern Irishman.
One reason may be the position he was playing. Clough has toggled between his natural number-10 role, as a centre-forward alongside the pacier Liam Feeney and as a lone striker.
In the last three games he has conceded possession more often than any other Wanderers player and seen roughly the same amount of the ball in each game. But the yardstick by which Lennon was probably judging Clough was his attempts at goal.
Gilt-edged chances fell the youngster’s way against Preston and Ipswich, while at Leeds he managed just a solitary shot.
If Clough’s confidence has been hit then there may be no better man to revive him than academy boss Jimmy Phillips, who was placed in temporary charge on Tuesday after Lennon’s departure.
Phillips has monitored the Denton youngster’s progress closer than most as he travelled through the youth ranks from the age of eight.
The appointment of Phillips suggests Wanderers’ new owners want to examine exactly which youngsters should form the spine of their rebuilding plans, which look almost certain to happen in League One.
Whether Clough, Josh Vela or Rob Holding feel dropping a division is right for their career at present remains to be seen. It is unlikely they will be pressured into leaving as they appeared to be in January.
Clough’s decision to stay and fight was embraced by Wanderers fans in January but ultimately has not gone the way anyone planned.
After the first significant disappointment of a promising career – he now needs to show that same battling attitude at Ashton Gate on Saturday to show it was only a bump in the road.
Source
Zach Clough, who turned down a lucrative move to Ashton Gate in January, is likely to face the most hostile crowd in his young career this Saturday.
Though the rejection of a £2million deal sparked celebration among the Whites fans who had been resigned to losing their prized asset to pay the bills, the animosity among followers of the Robins was clear to see.
And that bitterness was stoked further when Clough spoke to The Bolton News last month to elaborate on his reasons for turning down the move.
“When the bid was put in, I found out about 10pm the night before we played Eastleigh,” he said.
“I phoned my dad and he started laughing. He said ‘no chance’. And that was it.
“I wanted to show respect to Bristol City and it was great that they wanted me.
“But we made the decision 10 seconds after the offer went in. I wouldn’t have changed my mind.
“We went down there, they are trying to improve, their new stadium looks quite good. But I didn’t think it was right for me at this stage of my career; it was a sideways move.
“I think Bolton is a bigger club than Bristol City at the end of the day.”
Such was the reaction in the South West the local newspaper carried a poll this week asking fans if the club got a better deal in loaning Middlesbrough’s Lee Tomlin instead.
Steve Cotterill – the man who tried to sign Clough – was sacked a matter of days later and replaced by ex-Oldham Athletic boss Lee Johnson.
And the Robins have certainly enjoyed an upturn in form of late, with 16 points from the last nine games lifting them out of the bottom three.
But this weekend will not simply be about tuning out the inevitable boos for Clough, it is also a chance for him to get his Wanderers career back on an upward trajectory.
Since his wonder-goal against QPR the diminutive front man has struggled for form, seemingly shouldering the burden of Wanderer’ troubles more than most.
Before his departure on Tuesday Neil Lennon had voiced his own concerns about Clough’s performances.
“Zach, for whatever reason, has not been at the level over the last few games that he was before, for whatever reason, I don’t know,” said the Northern Irishman.
One reason may be the position he was playing. Clough has toggled between his natural number-10 role, as a centre-forward alongside the pacier Liam Feeney and as a lone striker.
In the last three games he has conceded possession more often than any other Wanderers player and seen roughly the same amount of the ball in each game. But the yardstick by which Lennon was probably judging Clough was his attempts at goal.
Gilt-edged chances fell the youngster’s way against Preston and Ipswich, while at Leeds he managed just a solitary shot.
If Clough’s confidence has been hit then there may be no better man to revive him than academy boss Jimmy Phillips, who was placed in temporary charge on Tuesday after Lennon’s departure.
Phillips has monitored the Denton youngster’s progress closer than most as he travelled through the youth ranks from the age of eight.
The appointment of Phillips suggests Wanderers’ new owners want to examine exactly which youngsters should form the spine of their rebuilding plans, which look almost certain to happen in League One.
Whether Clough, Josh Vela or Rob Holding feel dropping a division is right for their career at present remains to be seen. It is unlikely they will be pressured into leaving as they appeared to be in January.
Clough’s decision to stay and fight was embraced by Wanderers fans in January but ultimately has not gone the way anyone planned.
After the first significant disappointment of a promising career – he now needs to show that same battling attitude at Ashton Gate on Saturday to show it was only a bump in the road.
Source