NEW season, new players, same old rubbish from Rodney Marsh. The Sky TV pundit is tipping Wanderers for a season of strife, just as he has every year since they joined the Premiership.

And every year they have delighted in making him eat his words. Will he ever learn?

Marsh has never questioned Sam Allardyce's ability to manage or motivate - hailing him as "manager of the year" for guiding Wanderers to a 44-year high last season - but he has questioned the quality of his teams.

Now, on the eve of a new season, he says the Whites are the Premiership equivalent of the wild west's Over The Hill Gang.

"You don't need to be a genius to see that Michael Bridges, Les Ferdinand, Gary Speed and Fernando Hierro have all seen better days and I worry that Sam may have gone too far this time," Marsh told the Sky Sports website.

"Just how many games will Ferdinand play?

"Will Speed reproduce his Newcastle form, and just how will Hierro, who has never been the quickest, cope with the pace of the Premiership?

"A few old heads with some young legs is the right blend, but I just look at the Bolton squad and wonder if there are too many players whose hearts and heads may be willing, but their legs might not be up to it.

"Sam will make sure he does his preparation right and get the best out of them, but I just fear that this could be the season that the Bolton oldies do actually go over the hill."

Allardyce, who has grown tired of Marsh's snipings, has a mountain of data to refute claims that Speed is too old at 34 and is not expecting Hierro (36) or Ferdinand (37) to play in every game.

He does, however, see all his signings making an impact and, with Ferdinand standing by if Kevin Davies does not fully recover from a recent operation on a mouth abscess, he will be happy to ask the Premiership's oldest outfield player to lead the line in tomorrow's Reebok opener against Charlton

"Hopefully, Les can give us what he gave Leicester last season," the manager said. "Twelve goals in 28 games would be the best return for us since Michael Ricketts was here and would be a major part in us doing better this season."

Ricardo Gardner has been cleared to face Charlton after Jamaica agreed to let him delay his departure for next Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against the USA.

Jussi Jaaskelainen is in the Finland squad for their World Cup qualifier in Romania while Speed captains Wales in a friendly in Latvia.