Bolton have been relegated to the Championship this season after 17 years in the top flight, ending up in 18th position. The Trotters struggled at the wrong end of the table for most of the campaign and couldn't muster a late fightback to escape the jaws of the trap door in the end. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Owen Coyle, who was deprived of key players such as Chung Yung Lee and Stuart Holden by injury for nearly the whole of the season. The Scot, who had come over from Burnley in January of last season, brought in Tyrone Mears, Chris Eagles, Nigel Reo Coker, Darren Pratley and Tuncay in the summer to beef up his squad and make up for the departures of Elmander, Sturridge and Taylor. The Trotters started well with a 4-0 win away at QPR but soon headed to the bottom of the pile with four consecutive defeats. Coyle started out with a two pronged attack of Klasnic and Kevin Davies, supported by Eagles and Petrov in offensive midfield and Fabrice Muamba in the deep role. In defence, the Scot could rely on the talented Cahill alongside Zat Knight in the centre while Robinson and Steinsson were favourites at full backs at the start of the campaign. The Trotters were unable to emerge from the bottom four in the first half of the season due mainly to poor home form. They had to wait till early November to celebrate their first win in front of their fans against Stoke, one of only four in the whole season. They fared rather better on their travels but their defence remained suspect, particularly after the protracted departure of Gary Cahill to pastures new in January. Coyle brought in American defender Tim Ream to make up for Cahill while David Wheater relegated at Zat Knight to the bench. Upfront, goals remained in short supply throughout the season. Ivan Klasnic ended up top scorer for the club with seven goals though he was never a regular starter. Meanwhile Kevin Davies, in spite of his unerring commitment to the cause, struggled to find the net till the late stages. Coyle brought in Japanese starlet Ryo Miyaichi on loan from Arsenal, along with David Ngog from Liverpool, in January, which did improve Bolton going forward but not really in terms of goals scored. The Trotters remained in contention in the FA Cup till Easter when they were knocked out by Spurs. This game, which had to be replayed, was marked by the serious cardiac arrest that struck Fabrice Muamba four minutes from half time. The midfielder recovered enough to cheer on his teammates at the end of the season but that wasn't enough to inspire Bolton, who, in spite of being in a good position to beat the drop with a few games to go, couldn't win the games they had to to do so. They now return to the Championship.
