PETER Taylor singled out Michael Ricketts as his the tormentor in chief of his devastated defence.

The shellshocked Leicester boss, who suffered the indignity of having Filbert Street fans calling for his head on the first day of the season, was impressed by the young Reebok striker's overall performance and not just the quality of the 32nd minute goal that knocked the stuffing out of his players.

"Bolton played 4-5-1 very effectively," Taylor said after the 5-0 hammering that saw Wanderers record their first league victory at Leicester for 41 years.

"Ricketts caused our two centre-halves too many problems.

"I don't really want to admire or comment on their finishing because it's our defending that concerns me ... the cross for the first goal should have been stopped. After that we struggled with everything that went into the box."

Taylor answered criticism of his decision to take off strikers Ade Akinbiyi and Dean Sturridge at half-time, explaining: "Being 4-0 up Bolton might have settled for it and played a bit deeper so I decided to put Big Matt (Elliott) up front and chase the game.

"I wanted us to push on to the halfway line and pick up the scraps from there but it didn't happen."

Echoing Sam Allardyce's thoughts, Taylor believes the seeds of Saturday's result were sown last season.

"To lose your first game 5-0 when you were expected to win it, was a major, major disappointment. Yes, I am shocked; shocked and disappointed.

"We could have scored early on but we conceded a goal and seemed to collapse. That was last season, this is a new season and we shouldn't have been as down and lacking in belief as that.

"Only Frank Sinclair and Muzzy Izzet came out of it with any credit.

"We got a bit of a pasting in the first half and at half time the game's as good as gone. But I told them I wanted them to get something out of the second half.

"I wanted them to feel better in themselves with their second half performance but I'm not convinced that happened.

"People didn't show enough to want the ball and the hunger to get the result.

"Dennis Wise had a very difficult debut, largely because of the way we collapsed after the first goal.

"The game changed when that first goal went in."