Bolton Wanderers’ poor form has upset not only fans but also former player Fabrice Muamba following their 1-0 home defeat to Huddersfield Town on Tuesday.
Oliver Norwood’s second half strike was enough to condemn Dougie Freedman’s side to back-to-back defeats and drag them four points closer to the relegation zone.
The defeat also means Bolton have only won one league game at the Reebok this season, much to the frustration of the fans and ex-Trotter Muamba who have used Twitter to air their opinions.
“It seems any team can beat Bolton, there are too many average players in the team,” said Muamba.
He was asked by one fan whether he would come back to the club but he responded with: “I love the fans but some people in the boardroom are a bunch of idiots.”
The England under-21 international was forced to retire in August 2012 after he suffered a near fatal heart attack in Bolton’s FA Cup match with Tottenham Hotspur earlier that year and now appears as a pundit on BT Sport and ITV.
Muamba wasn’t alone in venting his fury over under-performing Bolton.
One fan Lee Chadwick said: “I think it’s the worst Bolton team in 20 years no passion whatsoever Fabrice. We need a new chairman & manager.”
Freedman defended his side but could not hide his disappointment at the Trotters seventh defeat of the season.
“Obviously I am disappointed because the players have been fantastic during the last eight games to get themselves in a decent position, so to see it slip away tonight is disappointing,” Freedman told Bolton’s website.
Striker Jermaine Beckford came under particular criticism after he missed a one-on-one chance in the closing minutes to add to his penalty miss on Saturday and supporter Stu Janson questioned whether Beckford was good enough to lead the Trotters line.
“Well at the end of the day if he isn’t good enough for Leicester how is he suddenly good enough for us?”
Beckford has only scored five goals in 18 league appearances since moving from Leicester and Bolton have only managed 17 league goals this season.
Freedman praised the fans for their loyalty and agreed Bolton need to start taking their chances, starting with Saturday’s clash with Doncaster.
“I felt that the performance could be better, but we’ve got to take our opportunities at this level.
“There is a good spirit and I was very happy with the fans – I know they’re disappointed and frustrated because they pay good money, but I felt that they were behind the team.
“They tried to spur their team on, but it just wasn’t to be, we’re in this business though, and we’ve got to pick ourselves to go again and this spirit allows that.”
Muamba later apologised for his strong views, tweeting: “Didn’t mean to upset anyone last night. I’m just passionate about the club and want them to do well!”
Image courtesy of Absolute Radio via YouTube, with thanks.
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