Megson ponders change of style

31 July 2009 10:13
Megson's success in keeping the Trotters up in the past two campaigns was founded on the direct, physical approach that harvested so much success under Sam Allardyce. The appointment of Megson in October 2007 was greeted with widespread disapproval by the Bolton public but he overcame all the odds - and the January transfer window sale of Nicolas Anelka - to keep them up. Ditto last season: captain Kevin Nolan was sold to Newcastle, a key relegation rival, in January and the Trotters' top-flight status looked precarious. Yet once again Megson came out smelling of roses as Bolton survived with something to spare. His acquisition of Gary Cahill and Matty Taylor proved particularly shrewd, even if doubts persist over the wisdom of paying big money for Sweden striker Johan Elmander. But while Bolton stayed up, attendances were down. Reebok regulars accepted such methodical football when their team were upsetting the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal on a regular basis and even threatening to break into the top four under Allardyce. But it became a bit of a turn-off last season when Megson's side spent the campaign languishing in the lower reaches of the table, without ever being in any real danger of going down. Now, the former West Brom boss has vowed to discard that physical, direct style of play in favour of something far more pure. He said: "I would like to change the style that we play as I felt that was one of the reasons the club struggled last season. "We had to take it back a little bit, get the results at times and not play in the way we would have liked. "There were some really good performances, but some really dour, grinding performances where we've got results. "But it was all about getting those results." Kevin Davies, who generally made life difficult for opposition defenders last season and weighed in with several crucial goals, should again provide a focal point. But Megson wants the likes of Taylor, Mark Davies, Fabrice Muamba and new recruit Sean Davis to express themselves. The arrival of Davis, on a free transfer from Portsmouth, will give the Trotters added steel in the middle of the park. Davis has a wealth of Premier League experience having accumulated nearly 200 top-flight appearances with Fulham, Tottenham and Portsmouth. He is also a former England Under-21 international, earning 12 caps between 2000 and 2002. Megson said: "We are delighted to have signed such an experienced Premier League footballer in Sean Davis. "Sean made 40 appearances last season for Portsmouth and he will strengthen our midfield. "We wanted to bring him to the Reebok in January but our bid of £3.5million was turned down by Portsmouth, who didn't want him to leave." While the likes of Leeds, Norwich, Charlton and Southampton have slid out of the Premier League and all the way down to League One, Bolton have become an established top-flight outfit. This season will be the unfashionable Lancashire outfit's ninth successive year in the top tier. Yet Megson's relationship with the club's supporters remains a tense one. Megson added: "We used fewer players last season than anybody in the Premier League and finished just below mid-table, which deserves fantastic credit. "We are now looking to improve on that. I find it (criticism from fans) really strange and I do not like it. "Things happened before I even walked through the door. "There will have been six clubs relegated in that time and Bolton have not been one of them. "Under me this club got a lot further than ever before in Europe (quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup). "We went to Bayern Munich with the reserves and got a draw there. We also beat Atletico Madrid with the reserves. "We stayed up and made a profit. We are here again and looking to go forward."

Source: Team_Talk