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"It's the most open Premier League in years" - everyone's saying it so it must be true. The top six has a familiar look to it though, except for the presence of Bolton. Wanderers were held 2-2 at home by Blackpool this weekend but given Blackpool's performances so far this season such a result no longer necessarily represents two points dropped.

Owen Coyle's side have been going about their business in efficient and consistent fashion, losing just twice, which is less than all the sides above them save Manchester United. In Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander they have a front pair that boasts 14 league goals already, a return most would have predicted for a season's work rather than 15 games worth.

So after a 14th place finish last term, Coyle seems to have turned muck into brass at the Reebok and you could get your hands on some of it as there are decent prices to be had in a number of markets. Odds of 1.73 for a top ten finish isn't bad; other clubs may seem more attractively priced and it's easy to succumb to the temptation of longer odds but Bolton's stats stack up very well. Whereas other teams' results have been up and down, their's haven't.

The Trotters have yet to lose consecutive games and their positions in the league tables of goals scored (fourth), goals conceded (eighth), home form (eighth) and away form (fourth) are very closely aligned to their actual league position. Despite this model consistency they remain unfancied at 5.0 for a top six finish with the likes of Aston Villa and Everton, who are respectively six and seven points behind them, preferred by punters who are living in the past.

One market where their form has been recognised is the Handicap win but 4.8 at +40 points is still a good price especially when Blackpool, West Brom, Wigan and Wolves are the only teams who are given more points with the last two already six and nine points back with handicaps taken into account.

Talisman is not the word most people would associate with Kevin Davies but he is undoubtedly Bolton's. The reaction to his England call up demonstrated how unfashionable he is, but at club level there are few more consistent performers and age is certainly proving no barrier. It's true that over the course of his career his name has never featured highly in the goalscoring charts but the 33-year-old has netted six times already and when you consider he's the first name on the manager's team sheet, is hardly ever injured (the last five league seasons have brought an average of 34.4 starts with the last two both boasting 37), and that he takes penalties, that fact could be about to change.

Leading overall goalscorer is too much of a stretch but leading English goalscorer isn't and 8.2 for him to be just that catches the eye. Darren Bent, Andy Carroll, Wayne Rooney, and Jermaine Defoe are all preferred currently but Rooney's problems on and off the pitch are well documented, Defoe's been injured and has yet to get off the mark, Bent has missed games for the first time in 18 months and Carroll, although he leads the way with a tally of eight, is a newcomer and his staying power over the course of a whole season in terms of form and fitness is unknown.


By Andrew Clarke

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