ADAM Bogdan has been passed fit to challenge Andy Lonergan for the number one jersey at Ipswich tomorrow – but Dougie Freedman insists he has not got a “big decision” to make.
As The Bolton News reported earlier this week, the Hungary international has emerged ahead of scheduled following a groin injury that threatened to keep him out for a month.
That means he is back in contention to face the Tractor Boys, but with Lonergan having kept an impressive two clean sheets in his absence, Freedman would appear to be facing a quandary.
If that is the case, it does not appear to be affecting the manager, who insists he will be using the same scientific and meticulous method to choose between his goalkeepers as he would any other position on the pitch.
“It’s not a big decision (recalling Bogdan). Decisions have to be made for the best of the team,” he said. “Everyone is pushing everyone. Everyone is setting higher standards. It is an easy decision not a hard one.”
Such is the analysis of each player during a weekday at Euxton that even the number of hours he has slept could have a bearing on his place in the team.
That could go some way to explaining the relative lack of starts for Craig Davies – a new father – in recent weeks.
Freedman is intent on keeping his players at their peak in the crucial final stretch of the campaign, even if he has to make decisions that prove unpopular with the supporters.
“I would never pick a side just because it won last Saturday,” he said. “That has given us that momentum.
“We communicate to the players, they tell us how they feel. If they are sleeping right, if there is muscle soreness; you put that all into the pot and if you can see someone has got good scores and they are training well, it’s up to me to make decisions from that “You are never out of the team. I am going to pick a team to beat Ipswich after looking at all the bits of information.
“We need to get more balance in the squad to give us different options.
“But if you train properly and act responsibly around the place then you will get a chance of playing if I feel it is the right team.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article