Megson : Europe Would Have Relegated Us

Bolton manager Gary Megson has once again attempted to explain why he sent out a team at Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Cup that consisted of reserves, youth team players and a couple of cleaners from the Reebok Stadium.

"I really do think, and it`s just an opinion, that if we`d have carried on in Europe, I`m not sure we`d still be in the Premiership," said the ginger genius.

"I found it really strange that the criticism I supposedly got against Lisbon didn`t come when we played Belgrade, because that team was weaker, the one in Munich was weaker but because we got decent results everything in the garden is rosy."

Fans who travelled to Lisbon may think, and it`s just an opinion, that having spent time and money getting there they`re entitled to see a club that`s at least trying to stay in the competition. Those who witnessed the dismal performance at Wigan might surmise (another opinion) that the players who were left behind had spent the previous few days in the pub.

Whether Bolton would have beaten Lisbon is debateable, but as one point was taken from the next fifteen after that game, it`s difficult to make the case that resting so many players was beneficial. Ultimately, the Whites stayed up, but if there hadn`t been such a collapse in morale after the Lisbon debacle, safety might have been assured earlier. That`s just an opinion.

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.