Nolan: Players to blame
22 Oct 2007 - 08:23:33
Bolton Wanderers captain Kevin Nolan has called on the club's players to step up to the plate to try and stave off the threat of relegation from the Premier League.
A 2-0 defeat at Arsenal left the Trotters propping up the table, with Nolan accepting the he and his team-mates must buck their ideas up.
He said: "Of course we take full responsibility. It's not about anybody else.
"We go out on to the pitch and if we don't perform then it's the manager who gets the sack - the chairman can't sack 22 players and replace them in four days like you can with a new manager.
"Now it's about us now getting together, sticking together and having the guts to do it.
"We have to realise that it was always going to be difficult to step into Sam Allardyce's shoes. It's probably the toughest job outside the top four.
"The success Sam had at Bolton on a limited budget makes it hard for anyone to follow. Sammy Lee felt he could do it, but the board felt he could no longer do it.
"But we want to prove it's about us as well as Sam Allardyce. It's about this team and the new manager who comes in, proving everyone wrong and climbing up the table.
"We are working hard, we are doing our best and we know it's going to turn for us sooner rather than later."