sport

MEGSON: NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Megson - looking for home comforts.

Bolton manager Gary Megson is determined to make the Reebok Stadium a tough place to come and restore the Trotters to being the "winning club" they were under Sam Allardyce.

Wanderers face another of the newly-promoted clubs, West Brom, on Saturday having already beaten Stoke 3-1 - a result which gained added credibility when the Potters subsequently beat Aston Villa seven days later.

Last season Bolton won seven and lost seven of their 19 home league games and Megson believes better will be required if the club are not merely to survive in the league.

"Home form is key every season - if you struggle with that you are struggling, full stop," he said.

"But we got a good result against Stoke and it looked an even better result seven days later when they beat Aston Villa.

"There were a lot of things we did well in that game and a lot of things we did well at Newcastle and against Northampton but we lost those games.

"We've got to get this club into a winning football club - it hasn't been for about two years and we have got to start changing that very quickly."

West Brom have gained plaudits for their short passing game, quite a contrast from Stoke's more direct approach - but Megson believes there could be some similarities between Saturday's game and the opening day of the season.

"Albion have got their own way of playing, Stoke have got theirs and we've got ours and it would be a boring world if everybody played in the same manner," he said.

"But what won't change is that the away end will be full, the enthusiasm and desire that a new club to the Premier League brings will be the same as against Stoke and I also hope that the result will be the same."

Bolton will have to do without £11million striker Johan Elmander, who suffered a hamstring injury at Newcastle last week and is set to be out for at least another two or three weeks, while Matt Taylor has a broken toe and will be out for five to six weeks.

Defender Gary Cahill is suspended for three games after his sending-off in the Carling Cup defeat against Northampton in midweek while midfielder Kevin Nolan and striker Kevin Davies - both substitutes against the Cobblers - are expected to return to the starting line-up against the Baggies.