Bolton Wanderers

Bolton’s third consecutive Premier League season, 2003–04, saw them earn the club’s 
highest ever finish in the new top flight, eighth. Wanderers ended the campaign with a 
flourish and recorded the club’s best winning sequence since 1927–28 with their fifth win 
in a row coming with victory at Everton. Even losing the last game at home to Fulham 
couldn’t spoil The Trotter’s joy. For another inappropriately labelled ‘unfashionable’ club 
Bolton’s achievement in establishing Premiership credentials is more unique than 
unfashionable.

Having a sensible board of directors was a good start, as was investing in a ‘space-age’ 
home, the magnificent Reebok Stadium. That sensible board also made, possibly, it’s most 
sensible move, ever, when Sam Allardyce was appointed manager in October 1999, 17 
months after the club suffered it’s second relegation from the Premiership. Very shortly 
afterwards, with the security of a 10-year contract, and inside the first two years of that 
unprecedented mandate, Bolton were back in the Premier League, via the play-offs.

The first Premiership campaign, 1995–96, saw Wanderers lose 25 of their fixtures and win 
only eight. By the halfway stage they were bottom and, with the exception of a week in 
March, that’s where they stayed and were relegated. Although Bolton made an immediate 
return, as First Division champions the second Premiership campaign proved as fruitless as 
the first although they were relegated from a higher placing than in the first campaign. As 
in that campaign Bolton were long-term occupiers of a bottom three berth, from January 
1998 when the team was midway through a 12 game winless run. Victory in the penultimate 
game against Crystal Palace took Bolton out of trouble but a last-day defeat by Chelsea 
sent them back to Division One.

Wanderers returned to the Premiership after three seasons and despite only winning nine 
games, in the entire campaign, they proved hard to beat, as was underlined by 13 draws. 
Michael Ricketts was ‘on-fire’ that season and his 12 goals earned him an England cap, as 
a substitute against Holland. Bolton actually went top of the table after three wins in a 
four-game unbeaten start to the campaign and stayed in the top 10 until December. In 
that time they registered a superb win at Old Trafford, with Ricketts scoring the winner. 
Unfortunately the second half of the season, with one run of 12 games without a win, saw 
Bolton drop into the relegation zone. But Sam Allardyce rallied his side and shrewdly 
recruited Youri Djorkaeff. Despite his 34 years the French World Cup winner proved a class 
act and in the last 12 games he played that season Wanderers collected 12 precious points 
and he contributed four goals that helped secure safety by just four points.

Djorkaeff was just one of the ‘underachievers’ brought to the Reebok by Sam Allardyce 
whose ‘Lazarus’ touch not only revived failing careers but built Bolton’s survival on the 
quality of his imports, allied to his ability as a manager to get the best out of those he 
signed. And not all of his recruits were from overseas. Simon Charlton enjoyed a career 
resurgence after Sam rescued him from Birmingham reserves. Kevin Davies, once a record 
£7 million transfer, was a revelation after joining the club and Jay-Jay Okocha was going 
nowhere at Paris Saint Germain until Sam signed him in 2002 and he proved such a 
revelation that top European clubs came ‘sniffing’ as he came towards the end of his 
contract but Allardyce headed off any potential buyers by securing the Nigerian World Cup 
star on a new contract.

If a team survives a first season in the Premiership the second campaign always provides 
the acid test and for Bolton 2002–03 was a severe examination. Just two wins in the 
opening 12 games left Wanderers bottom until they thrashed Leeds to move up to 18th. 
Even then it was a struggle as the team found it hard to stay unbeaten for more than 
three successive games until, critically, the last nine fixtures. Then, after three consecutive 
victories, and a defeat by Chelsea, nine points were gathered in five unbeaten games and 
Bolton secured safety.

The highlight of the third consecutive Premiership campaign, apart from reaching the 
Carling Cup Final, was finishing eighth, after a few hiccups following their defeat in Cardiff 
by Middlesbrough. But even then Sam Allardyce was trying to strengthen and Rivaldo was 
a target but Bolton probably had a lucky escape when the Brazilian chose instead to join 
Celtic.

If Sam Allardyce can continue to pick up shrewd signings of quality players then Bolton 
could enjoy membership of the Premier League for some years to come.

Managers

Bruce Rioch          1992–1995

Roy McFarland       1995–1996

Colin Todd            1996–1999

Sam Allardyce        October 1999–