Bolton 1 Stoke 1: Megson is crying out for a 'Kevin Nolan' in the dressing room

21 September 2009 02:51
Seconds after the droll admission that Bolton are not Real Madrid, Gary Megson declared that his team have as much to learn from a man who left the Reebok Stadium and was promptly relegated. Similarities with the galacticos begin and end with an all-white kit, but Megson is keener to invoke the spirit of his former captain Kevin Nolan. The image of Megson barking orders from the touchline is familiar, but the Bolton boss wants his players to be as vocal as Nolan was before his January move to Newcastle. 'We're not Real Madrid,' said Megson. 'We huffed and puffed.' But they did not scream and shout enough for his liking. 'We have got to get more drive,' he said. 'When Kevin Nolan left he hadn't got a goal for ages, he wasn't in the right condition. He should have been but he wasn't. But in that dressing room, he wouldn't let anyone slack. 'Compared to a thousand words from any member of staff, one from a team-mate has a lot more clout. All the good teams have got somebody in their ranks along those lines. It's something we need. Some of our players have got to have the confidence to make demands of others, even if they're not playing well themselves.' For Megson, the problem is what is not being said. For his players, the trouble is what they do hear from a negative crowd. Bolton were booed off at half-time and defender Gary Cahill said: 'It's weird. I try to block it out but some of the players find it hard when there's stuff like that going on off the pitch. We definitely heard it today.' Bolton, who went a goal down to Dave Kitson's composed finish, salvaged a point when Matt Taylor converted the penalty awarded when Danny Collins tripped Sam Ricketts. It earned Megson a vote of confidence from his old friend Tony Pulis, if not the Bolton fans. MATCH STATS BOLTON WANDERERS (4-5-1): Jaaskelainen 6; Ricketts 6, Cahill 7, Knight 6, Samuel 5; Steinsson 5 (Gardner 46min, 7), McCann 6, Muamba 5 (Klasnic 46, 6), Cohen 5, Taylor 7; Davies 6. Booked: Davies, Samuel. STOKE CITY (4-4-2): Sorensen 6; Huth 6, Shawcross 6, Faye 7, Collins 5; Delap 6, Whelan 7, Whitehead 6, Etherington 6 (Lawrence 63, 5); Fuller 6 (Beattie 89), Kitson 7 (Pugh 78, 5). Booked: Fuller, Whitehead. Man of the match: Dave Kitson. Referee: Mark Clattenburg. The Stoke manager said: 'I'll be very, very surprised if they are down there at the end of the season. I just hope the directors and the chairman give him support because he's done a smashing job.' Taylor's 89th-minute equaliser came seven days after Chelsea's injury-time winner against Stoke and goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen said: 'We've dropped points in the last two games and we can't afford that.'

Source: Daily_Mail