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For some, it was the moment Wanderers’ season all went wrong.
Keith Hill’s Impossible Dream looked within reach as Bolton beat MK Dons to overturn their 12-point penalty for going into administration in November, travelling to the Crown Ground the following weekend with a huge support in high spirit.
What followed was then, and remains now, an embarrassing blot on an ignominious campaign.
Daryl Murphy’s early goal put the Whites ahead but after Josh Earl was sent off in the 14th minute Stanley simply tore Hill’s side to shreds.
The 7-1 scoreline will go down in folklore as one of the true low points in Bolton’s history. And for Hill, the performance still casts a shadow on Saturday’s game.
“You can’t get away from it – it was probably my worst moment as a manager in football,” he told The Bolton News.
“The previous games and performances hadn’t in any way shape or form led me to believe that was coming around the corner. To be part of it when we’d been 1-0 up, the sending off changed the psychology and emotions of the team. We became victims that day.
“I hope we manage ourselves better, have the self-composure. In all honesty the scoreline could have been more that day and it wasn’t a true reflection of the work we’d all done prior to that game and since that game.”
In a week where Hill’s position as manager has come under some scrutiny, the manager himself has said his plan to implement a long-term vision at Bolton has not changed.
Wanderers have lost five on the spin and should that become half a dozen on Saturday evening the undercurrent of dissatisfaction among supporters is only like to intensify.
Hill’s own comments have also come under the microscope in recent weeks but the manager has defended his policy of speaking his mind.
“We are leading towards success, there’s no question about that. My problem is I am too honest, and honesty offends,” he said.
“Back in the day when I was being brought up they said ‘be honest, trust people,’ but if you trust people with honesty now it is seen as an insult.
“We are definitely building and there’s going to be massive success at this football club. You have to see beyond and through the results at this moment in time. But, for me, that was always the case – that isn’t me making an excuse. I fully expected to have to go through the hard miles and sacrifice on my personal CV to get the glory.
“The glory is next season and making sure there is an infrastructure for future successes. We are part-building that now.”
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Keith Hill’s Impossible Dream looked within reach as Bolton beat MK Dons to overturn their 12-point penalty for going into administration in November, travelling to the Crown Ground the following weekend with a huge support in high spirit.
What followed was then, and remains now, an embarrassing blot on an ignominious campaign.
Daryl Murphy’s early goal put the Whites ahead but after Josh Earl was sent off in the 14th minute Stanley simply tore Hill’s side to shreds.
The 7-1 scoreline will go down in folklore as one of the true low points in Bolton’s history. And for Hill, the performance still casts a shadow on Saturday’s game.
“You can’t get away from it – it was probably my worst moment as a manager in football,” he told The Bolton News.
“The previous games and performances hadn’t in any way shape or form led me to believe that was coming around the corner. To be part of it when we’d been 1-0 up, the sending off changed the psychology and emotions of the team. We became victims that day.
“I hope we manage ourselves better, have the self-composure. In all honesty the scoreline could have been more that day and it wasn’t a true reflection of the work we’d all done prior to that game and since that game.”
In a week where Hill’s position as manager has come under some scrutiny, the manager himself has said his plan to implement a long-term vision at Bolton has not changed.
Wanderers have lost five on the spin and should that become half a dozen on Saturday evening the undercurrent of dissatisfaction among supporters is only like to intensify.
Hill’s own comments have also come under the microscope in recent weeks but the manager has defended his policy of speaking his mind.
“We are leading towards success, there’s no question about that. My problem is I am too honest, and honesty offends,” he said.
“Back in the day when I was being brought up they said ‘be honest, trust people,’ but if you trust people with honesty now it is seen as an insult.
“We are definitely building and there’s going to be massive success at this football club. You have to see beyond and through the results at this moment in time. But, for me, that was always the case – that isn’t me making an excuse. I fully expected to have to go through the hard miles and sacrifice on my personal CV to get the glory.
“The glory is next season and making sure there is an infrastructure for future successes. We are part-building that now.”
Source