STIG Tofting believes Wanderers have what it takes to beat the drop.

The experienced Denmark international says the collective spirit of the team, which he witnessed first hand when he made his impressive debut in Saturday's 1-0 victory over West Ham, can keep them in the Premiership.

"I am very optimistic about the situation at Bolton," said the £250,000 bargain buy from Hamburg. "My first impression of the club is that there are no so-called stars. They are all hard-working and seem to be a good team.

"The way they played and fought against West Ham should keep us in the Premier League. It is going to be a difficult task but if we can continue with the same spirit we will succeed."

Tofting will win his 35th cap in a friendly international in Saudi Arabia tonight before returning to Denmark for a break after a headspinning week.

Last Wednesday he played for SV Hamburg in their 2-2 draw in Kaiserslautern then accompanied Sam Allardyce on a flight to Manchester the following morning to complete the formalities of his transfer; an hour after making his debut on Saturday he was back on a flight to Frankfurt then on to Hamburg, where on Sunday he tied up the loose ends at his rented apartment before driving to his home in Aarhus, Denmark.

On Monday he joined his international team-mates on their flight from Copenhagen to Riyadh to prepare for tonight's game.

In the early hours of tomorrow morning he will take a flight from Riyadh to Copenhagen, via Frankfurt and is due back in Bolton next Tuesday, grateful for having no game this weekend. "I'm looking forward to the break," he said