Will Bolton Win The Championship

There is a definite air among Bolton Wanderers fans that we are going straight back up at the first time of asking. But are we really?

There are some good teams in the Championship and some big spenders. I would class us as neither. Yes we were well established in the Premier League for a while but that doesn't mean we are good enough to leap right back up.

The Championship is probably more our REAL level and this season is going to be tough, very tough. Top six would be a good season in my opinion.

Most relegated teams go into the next season with an expectation that they will bounce back - most don't. Should we really be so optimistic about our chances? I don't think our performances last season showed enough to believe we can do it!

Cast your vote. (not doing it as a poll - write your answer as a reply)

Auto Promotion?
Play off's and promotion.
Play off's and lose.
Mid table.
Bottom three?

Not a chance of winning the league. Mid-table is the best we can hope for under Coyle.

I am expecting automatic promotion. We stunk up the Premier league due to an unprecedented number of injuries (Chungy, Holden, Mears) and shit performances (Robinson, Zatiyah). Robbo is no more and Zat has competition and there might be more before we kick off against Burnley. We will have at least 2 of 3 injured players back and our midfield is stronger than it was last season with Andrews and Wylde joining the ranks. I daresay the squad we have right now would not have been relegated from the Premiership and if we manage to sign "The Rock" and another forward (one who will actually score if that's not too much to ask) I not only expect to gain automatic promotion, but the Championship trophy.

I have to agree with Nat. People who think we are going to win the Championship are kidding themselves.

I've promised to give Coyle 10 games before I start commenting on his performance and I will try to stay optimistic but we simply don't have a title winning squad.

No chance at all with the present manager. More chance with megson thats how much i rate coyle.

I've got us down as the "new middlesborough" personally.

You know flatter to deceive, might knock on the door early on but fall away, will be brilliant one week, utterly shite the next.

I suspect we'll be in the 8th to 14th range. But anythings possible.

We are better than at least 20 other teams in the Championship, with a good manager we would walk the league. With Coyle I say we will finish top six.

Iv'e just had a look at our odds with the bookies and we are currently 7-1 to win it.

OneOinCoyle wrote:We are better than at least 20 other teams in the Championship, with a good manager we would walk the league. With Coyle I say we will finish top six.

I tend to agree with this line of thinking BUT I'm not confident that we would definitely even make the top six / play offs.

I hope I'm proved wrong but we really shouldn't have got relegated last season - we did of course - and we really should be top six this - but I don't think we will if we have another full season under Coyle.

No, Blackburn will.

Blackburn have spent some money so Keane better pull his finger out. Now he has Shabby Singh as his right hand man it will probably end in tears.

Keane has bought wisely, as I knew he would. Without the pressure from the fans he has gone about his business with great skill. Championship sewn up by March methinks.

We play you lot at the Reebok on the 5th March so let's wait and see.

Keane may have bought wisely but you can't make a chicken salad out of chicken shit.

It's criminal that we were allowed to get relegated after 10 years but Coyle managed it and he's very lucky in my opinion to still be there with the chance to put it right. I don't know what the players think about his managerial attributes but I'm yet to be convinced. I sincerely hope he surprises me.

To be in with any chance we need to hit the ground running and the first few games will be crucial, none more so than Burnley away first off - a big game for Owen to show if he's made of the right stuff or the shite stuff. If we struggle a bit at the start, I've no confidence whatsoever in his ability to turn things round - he couldn't do it last year that's for sure.

There's no doubt we still have some good quality players in the squad but a lot of them need to learn how to fight and battle for the cause.

I reckon he has ten games to show us what he is made of. Season ticket sales have been positive so if things don't work out there can be no excuses. The fans will soon lose patience if things don't go well from the off.

No.

Holden, CYL and MDavies aside, we have in my opinion a side that definitely won't take the Championship by storm, and there isn't even any certainties with those players - nobody knows what's going on with Holden, CYL could fail to find form after a year out and MDavies is hot and cold.
I have a positive feeling about N'gog and Sordell, but Coyle isn't going to be a devil and drop Davies in favour of somebody younger, fitter and quicker...certainly not straight away.
I think people are optimistic about us because Coyle has taken clubs up before. Well, Gary Megson has too.

As Biggie points out there are clubs good enough to go up this season - much as usual for the Championship. And also agree with Nat, is that at best we are mid-table fodder. Coyle, yes partly his fault, as he seems to know his Championship players but I fear that they are not good enough to help with promotion, or even if we did to stay there - could mean the return of the yo-yo years!

If Holden and Lee come back, stay fit and recapture the form we've seen them produce then I'd be confident of going up (not necessarily as champions though).

Lee may well do, but I feel Holden is the most important player for us considering Coyle's insistence on playing 4-4-2. Unfortunately with our shit medical team and the length of time he's had out I'm sceptical Holden's return will ever come.

That leaves us with Keith Andrews, Mark Davies and possibly this Cisse in the centre of midfield. Davies is crap when played in this position and neither Cisse nor Andrews give me cause to be overly confident (granted I'm speculating). N'gog and Sordell isn't the strongest strike force in the world (unless N'gog comes good in the championship) and our full backs were an embarrassment last season. I do think a Ream, Mills partnership at centre back will be successful though.

So in short no we won't be champions, depending on Holden we may go up, but without him and with Coyle it will be tough.

If Holden doesn't get fit, I'd play 4-2-3-1 as it suits the players we have perfectly, Ricketts Ream Mills Riley Cisse Andrews Petrov/Wylde M.Davies/Eagles CYL Sordell/Ngog. Coyle however will play 4-4-2 and it will be more of the same crap.

Never have i heard such a pessamistic bunch in all my days.Wanderers to win the Leauge even under the fool who got us relegated.Mark my words on the 18/7/2012 we will be back in the premiership by May 2013.Last year wehad Knight playing regular.This season barring a injury catastrophe he will only get to warm the bench and play in the capital one cup.Mills,Andrews,Wylde,Sordell should strengthen the squad plus CYL and Holden will be back.We should have stayed up if it wasn,t for Crouch conning the referee at Stoke.

Born to be a wanderer wrote:Never have i heard such a pessamistic bunch in all my days.Wanderers to win the Leauge even under the fool who got us relegated.Mark my words on the 18/7/2012 we will be back in the premiership by May 2013.Last year wehad Knight playing regular.This season barring a injury catastrophe he will only get to warm the bench and play in the capital one cup.Mills,Andrews,Wylde,Sordell should strengthen the squad plus CYL and Holden will be back.We should have stayed up if it wasn,t for Crouch conning the referee at Stoke.

We didn't get relegated because of Crouch or Zat Knight, in the long run Coyle's formations, tactics, substitutions and poor signings cost us numerous points over the season. We have to hope he's learnt something, but so far there's been no evidence to suggest he has (penultimate game of the season WBA 2-1 up under pressure, puts Lee on instead of a midfielder?) My biggest worry is that he lost the dressing room last season, and hasn't managed to get it back. If the players think it will be a walk in the park come Burnley on the opening day we're going to get battered. People underestimate the championship.