By Andy taylor.
On Saturday evening there will be a full bloodied match being played in the cold at the Reebok Stadium. Manchester United make the short trip down the M61 to their smaller neighbours to play a match that always brings the odd surprise.
Bolton always seem to raise their game against the champions and the visit of Manchester United is one of the few occasions that the Reebok is filled to the rafters. With players like Kevin Davies who is a commanding player in the opposition penalty area, and can hold the ball up as well as Mark Hughes used to do for The Reds, he is surely going to give Vidic and Ferdinand a few problems.
Although the results have been inconsistent since Owen Coyle came back to the club, Bolton are starting to find a rhythm again and there is no way that Sir Alex Ferguson will be taking the game lightly. Even though most Manchester United fans will probably see this as a nailed on three points I won’t be as sure. A few years ago I worked in the hotel built onto the side of the Reebok where the players used to come for their pre-match meals. They were playing away at Old Trafford and Kevin Nolan came up for seconds. Being a happy United fan I told Kev that he would never score if he kept stuffing his face. Low and behold he scored a belting twenty yard drive to win the game. I never made the same mistake again.
Manchester United are an in-form team and Owen Coyle has Bolton playing attractive football. Don’t forget they are still the same physical no-nonsense players that won’t shirk away from a challenge; he’s teaching the boxers how to ballet.
Wayne Rooney will be as hungry as ever; he’s targeting Ronaldo’s 42 goal haul from last year to cement himself as the worlds best player. It’s down to the business end of the season now, with seven games to go and the World Cup looming large on the horizon. Players have points to prove and places on the plane to try and book. Ask any player and he’d rather be going to South Africa for the biggest tournament in the world rather than the Costa Del Sol with his wife, or somebody else’s wife if you’re a Chelsea defender.
So bring on the good old Lancashire derby and show the world that up north we can put on a rite good game.
Will Man Utd manage to seal 3 points against Bolton? Or will Bolton dent their title bid? Please leave your comments below…..
