2005–06 Bolton Wanderers F.C. season

The 2005–06 season was the 128th season in Bolton Wanderers F.C.'s existence and their fifth consecutive year in the top-flight. This article covers the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006.

Bolton Wanderers

2005–06 season
Chairman	Phil Gartside
Manager	Sam Allardyce
Stadium	Reebok Stadium
FA Premier League	8th
FA Cup	5th round
League Cup	5th round
UEFA Cup	Round of 32
Top goalscorer	League: Stelios Giannakopoulos Kevin Nolan (9) All: Stelios Giannakopoulos (12)
Highest home attendance	27,718 (vs. Manchester United, 1 April 2006)
Lowest home attendance	10,927 (vs. West Ham United, 26 October 2005)
Average home league attendance	25,265
Home colours Away colours
← 2004–05 2006–07 →

Having finished sixth the previous season, Bolton had qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history.

Season summary

In June 2005, Allardyce's assistant Phil Brown, left Bolton to take up the challenge of managing Derby County^[1] and he was replaced by coach Sammy Lee.

Off the field, with Bolton looking to get into Europe for the second successive season, Allardyce was being linked with the England manager's job.^[2] He was interviewed for the England manager vacancy during the Spring, though the news broke that the FA wanted Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari. In the end it came down to Allardyce or Steve McClaren. Between the middle of March and the beginning of April with rumours surrounding Allardyce in terms of taking the England job, Bolton's form hit an unexpected slump with five successive defeats seeing the side slide to eighth.

First-team squad

Squad at end of season^[3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  OMA Ali Al Habsi 2 DF  ENG Nicky Hunt 4 MF  ENG Kevin Nolan (captain from November) 5 DF  FRA Bruno Ngotty 6 MF  WAL Gary Speed 7 MF  GRE Stelios Giannakopoulos 8 MF  ESP Iván Campo 9 FW  DEN Henrik Pedersen 10 MF  NGA Jay-Jay Okocha (captain until November) 11 DF  JAM Ricardo Gardner 12 GK  ENG Ian Walker 14 FW  ENG Kevin Davies 15 DF  TUN Radhi Jaïdi 16 MF  JPN Hidetoshi Nakata

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 FW  ENG Matt Jansen 18 FW  MEX Jared Borgetti 20 FW  POR Ricardo Vaz Tê 21 FW  SEN El Hadji Diouf 22 GK  FIN Jussi Jääskeläinen 24 MF  IRL Joey O'Brien 25 DF  SEN Abdoulaye Faye 26 DF  ISR Tal Ben Haim 32 DF  POL Jarosław Fojut 33 FW  USA Johann Smith 39 MF  SEN Khalilou Fadiga 42 MF  ENG Robert Sissons 43 GK  ENG Sam Ashton

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 DF  FRA Martin Djetou (released)

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 MF  FRA Fabrice Fernandes (released)

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 27 FW  FRA Bédi Buval 29 MF  ESP Óscar Pérez 30 GK  ENG Chris Howarth

No. Pos. Nation Player 31 MF  ENG James Sinclair 35 MF  AUS Scott Jamieson

Competitions

Premier League

Final league table

Main article: 2005–06 FA Premier League

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
6	Blackburn Rovers	38	19	6	13	51	42	+9	63	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a]
7	Newcastle United	38	17	7	14	47	42	+5	58	Qualification for the Intertoto Cup third round
8	Bolton Wanderers	38	15	11	12	49	41	+8	56
9	West Ham United	38	16	7	15	52	55	−3	55	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[b]
10	Wigan Athletic	38	15	6	17	45	52	−7	51

Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:

1. Since Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their place in the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners passed down to the league and was awarded to Blackburn Rovers as the highest-placed team not already qualified for European competitions.
2. Since Liverpool had already qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup berth as the FA Cup winners went to West Ham, who were the FA Cup runners-up.

Results by matchday

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H
Result	D	L	W	W	D	W	W	L	L	W	W	W	L	L	W	D	W	D	L	D	D	W	D	D	D	W	L	W	W	L	L	L	L	D	W	L	D	W
Position	8	13	7	5	5	4	4	5	7	7	7	4	5	7	6	5	5	5	7	8	8	8	8	8	8	6	8	7	7	7	7	7	8	9	8	8	8	8

Source: Statto.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Aston Villa v Bolton Wanderers

13 August 2005	Aston Villa	2–2	Bolton Wanderers	Villa Park
15:00	Phillips 4' Davis 9'	Report	Davies 6' Campo 8'	Attendance: 33,263 Referee: Mike Riley

Bolton Wanderers v Everton

21 August 2005	Bolton Wanderers	0–1	Everton	Reebok Stadium
13:30		Report	Bent 52'	Attendance: 25,608 Referee: Alan Wiley

Bolton Wanderers v Newcastle United

24 August 2005	Bolton Wanderers	2–0	Newcastle United	Reebok Stadium
20:00	Diouf 37' Stelios 50'	Report		Attendance: 25,904 Referee: Steve Tanner

West Ham United v Bolton Wanderers

27 August 2005	West Ham United	1–2	Bolton Wanderers	Boleyn Ground
15:00	Sheringham 90' (pen.)	Report	Nolan 59' Campo 85'	Attendance: 25,904 Referee: Phil Dowd

Bolton Wanderers v Blackburn Rovers

11 September 2005	Bolton Wanderers	0–0	Blackburn Rovers	Reebok Stadium
16:00		Report		Attendance: 24,405 Referee: Graham Poll

Manchester City v Bolton Wanderers

18 September 2005	Manchester City	0–1	Bolton Wanderers	City of Manchester Stadium
16:00		Report	Speed 90' (pen.)	Attendance: 43,137 Referee: Andy D'Urso

Bolton Wanderers v Portsmouth

24 September 2005	Bolton Wanderers	1–0	Portsmouth	Reebok Stadium
17:15	Nolan 25'	Report		Attendance: 23,134 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Wigan Athletic v Bolton Wanderers

2 October 2005	Wigan Athletic	2–1	Bolton Wanderers	JJB Stadium
13:00	Camara 48' McCulloch 63'	Report	Jaïdi 68'	Attendance: 20,553 Referee: Alan Wiley

Chelsea v Bolton Wanderers

15 October 2005	Chelsea	5–1	Bolton Wanderers	Stamford Bridge
15:00	Drogba 52', 61' Lampard 55', 59' Guðjohnsen 74'	Report	Stelios 5'	Attendance: 41,775 Referee: Rob Styles

Bolton Wanderers v West Bromwich Albion

23 October 2005	Bolton Wanderers	2–0	West Bromwich Albion	Reebok Stadium
15:00	Nakata 81' Nolan 90'	Report		Attendance: 24,151 Referee: Rob Styles

Charlton Athletic v Bolton Wanderers

29 October 2005	Charlton Athletic	0–1	Bolton Wanderers	The Valley
15:00		Report	Nolan 72'	Attendance: 26,175 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Bolton Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur

7 November 2005	Bolton Wanderers	1–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Reebok Stadium
20:00	Nolan 32'	Report		Attendance: 26,634 Referee: Howard Webb

Fulham v Bolton Wanderers

27 November 2005	Fulham	2–1	Bolton Wanderers	Craven Cottage
14:00	McBride 4' 18'	Report	Legwinski 90+2' (o.g.)	Attendance: 19,768 Referee: Graham Poll

Bolton Wanderers v Arsenal

3 December 2005	Bolton Wanderers	2–0	Arsenal	Reebok Stadium
15:00	Faye 20' Stelios 32'	Report		Attendance: 26,792 Referee: Howard Webb

Bolton Wanderers v Aston Villa

10 December 2005	Bolton Wanderers	1–1	Aston Villa	Reebok Stadium
15:00	Diouf 82'	Report	Ángel 88'	Attendance: 23,646 Referee: Phil Dowd

Everton v Bolton Wanderers

17 December 2005	Everton	0–4	Bolton Wanderers	Goodison Park
15:00		Report	Davies 32' Stelios 75', 80' Speed 79' (pen.)	Attendance: 34,500 Referee: Alan Wiley

Sunderland v Bolton Wanderers

26 December 2005	Sunderland	0–0	Bolton Wanderers	Stadium of Light
15:00		Report		Attendance: 32,232 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Manchester United v Bolton Wanderers

31 December 2005	Manchester United	4–1	Bolton Wanderers	Old Trafford
15:00	Ngotty 8' (o.g.) Saha 44' Ronaldo 68', 90+1'	Report	Speed 33'	Attendance: 67,858 Referee: Steve Bennett

Bolton Wanderers v Liverpool

2 January 2006	Bolton Wanderers	2–2	Liverpool	Reebok Stadium
15:00	Jaïdi 10' Diouf 71'		Gerrard 67' (pen.) García 82'	Attendance: 27,604 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Blackburn Rovers v Bolton Wanderers

14 January 2006	Blackburn Rovers	0–0	Bolton Wanderers	Ewood Park
17:45				Attendance: 18,180 Referee: Mike Riley

Bolton Wanderers v Manchester City

21 January 2006	Bolton Wanderers	2–0	Manchester City	Reebok Stadium
15:00	Borgetti 37' Nolan 41'			Attendance: 26,466 Referee: Rob Styles

Portsmouth v Bolton Wanderers

1 February 2006	Portsmouth	1–1	Bolton Wanderers	Fratton Park
19:45	Karadas 86'		Fadiga 69'	Attendance: 19,128 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

Bolton Wanderers v Wigan Athletic

4 February 2006	Bolton Wanderers	1–1	Wigan Athletic	Reebok Stadium
15:00	Stelios 63'		Johansson 77'	Attendance: 25,854 Referee: Steve Bennett

Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers

11 February 2006	Arsenal	1–1	Bolton Wanderers	Highbury Stadium
15:00	Gilberto 90+3'		Nolan 12'	Attendance: 38,193 Referee: Howard Webb

Bolton Wanderers v Fulham

26 February 2006	Bolton Wanderers	2–1	Fulham	Reebok Stadium
15:00	Helguson 45+1' (o.g.) Nolan 68'		Helguson 22'	Attendance: 23,104 Referee: Phil Dowd

Newcastle United v Bolton Wanderers

4 March 2006	Newcastle United	3–1	Bolton Wanderers	St James' Park
15:00	Solano 34' Shearer 45' Ameobi 70'		Davies 72'	Attendance: 52,012 Referee: Alan Wiley

Bolton Wanderers v West Ham United

11 March 2006	Bolton Wanderers	4–1	West Ham United	Reebok Stadium
15:00	Stelios 12', 33' Speed 45+2' Pedersen 81'		Sheringham 79'	Attendance: 24,461 Referee: Mike Dean

Bolton Wanderers v Sunderland

18 March 2006	Bolton Wanderers	2–0	Sunderland	Reebok Stadium
15:00	Davies 47' Nolan 85'			Attendance: 23,568 Referee: Phil Dowd

Middlesbrough v Bolton Wanderers

26 March 2006	Middlesbrough	4–3	Bolton Wanderers	Riverside Stadium
13:30	Hasselbaink 8' (pen.), 47' Viduka 30' Parnaby 90+2'		Stelios 3' Okocha 58' Jaïdi 81'	Attendance: 25,971 Referee: Howard Webb

Bolton Wanderers v Manchester United

1 April 2006	Bolton Wanderers	1–2	Manchester United	Reebok Stadium
15:00	Davies 26'		Saha 33' Van Nistelrooy 79'	Attendance: 27,718 Referee: Alan Wiley

Birmingham City v Bolton Wanderers

4 April 2006	Birmingham City	1–0	Bolton Wanderers	St Andrew's
19:45	Jarošík 37'			Attendance: 26,493 Referee: Chris Foy

Liverpool v Bolton Wanderers

9 April 2006	Liverpool	1–0	Bolton Wanderers	Anfield
14:00	Fowler 45+2'			Attendance: 44,194 Referee: Rob Styles

Bolton Wanderers v Chelsea

15 April 2006	Bolton Wanderers	0–2	Chelsea	Reebok Stadium
12:45			Terry 44' Lampard 59'	Attendance: 27,266 Referee: Phil Dowd

West Bromwich Albion v Bolton Wanderers

17 April 2006	West Bromwich Albion	0–0	Bolton Wanderers	The Hawthorns
20:00				Attendance: 23,181 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

Bolton Wanderers v Charlton Athletic

22 April 2006	Bolton Wanderers	4–1	Charlton Athletic	Reebok Stadium
15:00	Vaz Tê 14' Davies 21', 89' Borgetti 89'		Bent 76' (pen.)	Attendance: 24,713 Referee: Uriah Rennie

Tottenham Hotspur v Bolton Wanderers

30 April 2006	Tottenham Hotspur	1–0	Bolton Wanderers	White Hart Lane
16:00	Lennon 60'			Attendance: 36,179 Referee: Alan Wiley

Bolton Wanderers v Middlesbrough

3 May 2006	Bolton Wanderers	1–1	Middlesbrough	Reebok Stadium
20:00	Vaz Tê 51'	Report	Johnson 47'	Attendance: 22,733 Referee: Howard Webb

Bolton Wanderers v Birmingham City

7 May 2006	Bolton Wanderers	1–0	Birmingham City	Reebok Stadium
15:00	Vaz Tê 65'	Report		Attendance: 26,275 Referee: Steve Bennett

FA Cup

Watford v Bolton Wanderers

7 January 2006 Third round	Watford	0–3	Bolton Wanderers	Vicarage Road
15:00		Report	Borgetti 10' Stelios 34' Vaz Tê 73'	Attendance: 13,239 Referee: Uriah Rennie

Bolton Wanderers v Arsenal

28 January 2006 Fourth round	Bolton Wanderers	1–0	Arsenal	Reebok Stadium
17:40	Stelios 84'	Report		Attendance: 13,326 Referee: Mike Dean

Bolton Wanderers v West Ham United

18 February 2006 Fifth round	Bolton Wanderers	0–0	West Ham United	Reebok Stadium
15:00		Report		Attendance: 17,120 Referee: Chris Foy

West Ham United v Bolton Wanderers

15 March 2006 Fifth round replay	West Ham United	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Bolton Wanderers	Boleyn Ground
20:05	Jääskeläinen 10' (o.g.) Harewood 96'	Report	Davies 31'	Attendance: 24,685 (400 away) Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Football League Cup

Bolton Wanderers v West Ham United

26 October 2005 Third round	Bolton Wanderers	1–0	West Ham United	Reebok Stadium
20:00	Borgetti 64'	Report		Attendance: 10,927 Referee: Andre Marriner

Bolton Wanderers v Leicester City

30 November 2005 Fourth round	Bolton Wanderers	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Leicester City	Reebok Stadium
20:00	Borgetti 104' Vaz Tê 106'	Report	Williams 110'	Attendance: 13,067 Referee: Steve Bennett

Wigan Athletic v Bolton Wanderers

20 December 2005 Fifth round	Wigan Athletic	2–0	Bolton Wanderers	JJB Stadium
19:45	Roberts 40', 45+3'	Report		Attendance: 13,401 Referee: Mike Dean

UEFA Cup

First round

Bolton Wanderers v Lokomotiv Plovdiv

15 September 2005 First round, first leg	Bolton Wanderers	2–1	Lokomotiv Plovdiv	Reebok Stadium
20:10	Diouf 72' Borgetti 90'	Report	Jančevski 28'	Attendance: 19,723 Referee: Darko Ceferin

Lokomotiv Plovdiv v Bolton Wanderers

29 September 2005 First round, second leg	Lokomotiv Plovdiv	1–2	Bolton Wanderers	Stadium Lokomotiv
17:55	Iliev 51'	Report	Tunchev 79' (o.g.) Nolan 86'	Attendance: 14,000 (2,000 away) Referee: Jouni Hyytia

Group stage

Table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		SEV	ZEN	BOL	BJK	VIT
1	Sevilla	4	2	1	1	8	4	+4	7	Advance to knockout stage		—	—	—	3–0	3–1
2	Zenit Saint Petersburg	4	2	1	1	5	4	+1	7			2–1	—	—	—	2–1
3	Bolton Wanderers	4	1	3	0	4	3	+1	6			1–1	1–0	—	—	—
4	Beşiktaş	4	1	2	1	5	6	−1	5			—	1–1	1–1	—	—
5	Vitória de Guimarães	4	0	1	3	4	9	−5	1			—	—	1–1	1–3	—

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Matches

Beşiktaş v Bolton Wanderers

20 October 2005	Beşiktaş	1–1	Bolton Wanderers	Inonu Stadium
19:45	Aílton 7'	Report	Borgetti 29'	Attendance: 17,027 (300 away) Referee: Ruud Bossen

Bolton Wanderers v Zenit St. Petersburg

3 November 2005	Bolton Wanderers	1–0	Zenit St. Petersburg	Reebok Stadium
20:00	Nolan 24'	Report		Attendance: 15,905 Referee: Matteo Trefoloni

Guimarães v Bolton Wanderers

24 November 2005	Guimarães	1–1	Bolton Wanderers	Estádio D. Afonso Henriques
20:00	Saganowski 86'	Report	Vaz Tê 88'	Attendance: 20,000 (3,000 away) Referee: Laurent Duhamel

Bolton Wanderers v Sevilla

14 December 2005	Bolton Wanderers	1–1	Sevilla	Reebok Stadium
19:45	Ngotty 65'	Report	Adriano 74'	Attendance: 15,623 Referee: Michael Weiner

Knockout stage

Bolton Wanderers v Marseille

15 February 2006 Round of 32, first leg	Bolton Wanderers	0–0	Marseille	Reebok Stadium
19:45				Attendance: 19,288 Referee: Olegário Benquerença

Marseille v Bolton Wanderers

23 February 2006 Round of 32, second leg	Marseille	2–1 (2–1 agg.)	Bolton Wanderers	Stade Vélodrome
19:45	Ribéry 45+2' Ben Haim 68' (o.g.)		Stelios 25'	Referee: Massimo Busacca

Statistics

Appearances

Bolton used a total of 26 players during the season.

P	Player	Position	PL	FAC	LC	UC	Total
1	Jussi Jääskeläinen	Goalkeeper	38 0(0)	03 0(0)	02 0(0)	05 0(1)	48 0(0)
2	Tal Ben Haim	Defender	33 0(3)	04 0(0)	03 0(0)	07 0(0)	47 0(3)
3	Kevin Davies	Forward	37 0(0)	03 0(0)	02 0(0)	04 0(1)	46 0(1)
4	Kevin Nolan	Midfielder	36 0(1)	03 0(0)	02 0(0)	04 0(3)	45 0(4)
5	Stelios Giannakopoulos	Midfielder	29 0(6)	04 0(0)	02 0(0)	06 0(0)	41 0(6)
6	Ricardo Gardner	Defender/Midfielder	28 0(3)	04 0(0)	03 0(0)	06 0(1)	41 0(4)
7	Gary Speed	Midfielder	30 0(2)	02 0(0)	02 0(0)	02 0(3)	36 0(5)
8	Bruno Ngotty	Defender	28 0(2)	02 0(0)	00 0(1)	06 0(1)	36 0(4)
9	Abdoulaye Faye	Defender/Midfielder	23 0(4)	01 0(0)	02 0(0)	07 0(0)	33 0(4)
10	Joey O'Brien	Defender/Midfielder	22 0(1)	03 0(0)	02 0(0)	06 0(0)	33 0(1)
11	Jay-Jay Okocha	Midfielder	19 0(9)	03 0(0)	01 0(1)	06 0(1)	29 (11)
12	Hidetoshi Nakata	Midfielder	15 0(7)	03 0(0)	02 0(0)	05 0(1)	20 0(2)
13	Radhi Jaïdi	Defender	16 0(1)	02 0(1)	03 0(0)	03 0(0)	19 0(2)
14	El Hadji Diouf	Forward	17 0(4)	00 0(0)	00 0(1)	04 0(2)	19 0(0)
15	Henrik Pedersen	Forward	16 0(6)	00 0(1)	00 0(1)	02 0(1)	18 0(9)
16	Nicky Hunt	Defender	12 0(8)	01 0(1)	01 0(0)	02 0(0)	16 0(9)
17	Jared Borgetti	Forward	05 (15)	02 0(2)	01 0(1)	04 0(3)	12 (21)
18	Khalilou Fadiga	Midfield	05 0(3)	01 0(0)	01 0(1)	02 0(0)	10 0(4)
19	Iván Campo	Defender/Midfielder	07 0(7)	01 0(0)	00 0(1)	01 0(0)	09 0(8)
20	Ricardo Vaz Tê	Forward	06 (16)	01 0(3)	01 0(1)	00 0(4)	08 (24)
21	Ian Walker	Goalkeeper	00 0(0)	01 0(0)	01 0(0)	03 0(0)	05 0(0)
22	Matt Jansen	Forward	03 0(3)	00 0(1)	00 0(0)	00 0(0)	03 0(4)
23	Fabrice Fernandes	Midfielder	00 0(1)	00 0(0)	01 0(0)	02 0(1)	03 0(2)
24	Martin Djetou	Defender	01 0(2)	00 0(0)	01 0(1)	00 0(0)	02 0(3)
25	Jarosław Fojut	Defender	00 0(1)	00 0(1)	00 0(0)	00 0(0)	00 0(2)
26	Sam Ashton	Goalkeeper	00 0(0)	00 0(1)	00 0(0)	00 0(0)	00 0(1)

Top scorers

P	Player	Position	PL	FAC	LC	UC	Total
1	Stelios Giannakopoulos	Midfielder	9	2	0	1	12
2	Kevin Nolan	Midfielder	9	0	0	2	11
3	Kevin Davies	Striker	7	1	0	0	8
4	Jared Borgetti	Striker	2	1	2	2	7
5	Ricardo Vaz Tê	Striker	3	1	1	1	6