WHAT a difference a year makes.

Wanderers had twice as many points at this stage of last season and were sitting pretty in 10th.

The table makes far less impressive reading at the moment with Owen Coyle’s men second bottom having taken six points from a possible 30.

Talk was of Europe rather than of relegation but an abysmal run of results has left everyone at the Reebok scratching their heads, with Coyle, his players and Wanderers supporters wondering where it has all gone wrong.

The Bolton News has picked out seven areas that have contributed to their fall from grace:

No defence

IF Alan Hansen is to be believed, everything comes down to being solid at the back and, looking at Wanderers’ form, it is difficult to argue.

Coyle’s side possess the league’s leakiest defence – indeed no other club have ever conceded 27 goals in their opening 10 Premier League games ever.

Cahill, an outstanding talent and an England defender, is struggling while the problems at full back are there for all to see.

In contrast, Cahill and Zat Knight were a rock at the heart of the defence last year, with Paul Robinson and Gretar Steinsson solid if unspectacular on either flank as the team only conceded 14, including four at Arsenal, from their first 10 outings.

No Holden back

It is difficult to state how much Bolton miss Stuart Holden in the centre of midfield.

Wanderers’ dip in form can arguably been traced back to Old Trafford on March 19 when Jonny Evans’s x-rated lunge left the influential American with a serious knee injury.

That left Holden sidelined for six months and, after making a superb comeback against Aston Villa in the Carling Cup in September, a routine check up revealed cartilage damage and a further six months in the stands.

Superb on the ball, defensively sound and industrious, Holden is the complete midfielder and Nigel Reo-Coker, Mark Davies, Fabrice Muamba and Darren Pratley have been unable to fill the void left by him.

Goal-den boy

Wanderers have been left without a goal threat.

Johan Elmander was in red-hot form this time last year as the Swede terrorised defences across the country before handing over the mantle to the prolific Daniel Sturridge for the second part of the season.

New signing David Ngog has shown in fleeting glimpses his potential following his summer move from Liverpool, but one goal from nine appearances tells its own story.

Talisman Kevin Davies, at 34 and with just one goal, has found himself in and out of the team, as have Ivan Klasnic (three) and Tuncay (one).

Drawing comfort

Bolton seem to have lost the ability to draw games.

The old adage of if you don’t win a game then don’t lose it appears to have gone out of the window at the Reebok, with the club equalling a Premier League record after going 20 games without a stalemate.

In the opening 10 matches, Wanderers have won two and lost eight. Compare this to last season when Wanderers drew six times, winning twice and losing twice.

Quite apart from an extra six points that equates to, the ability not to get beat instils confidence and resilience, commodities which are both in short supply at present.

Loan rangers

After the success of Jack Wilshere and Daniel Sturridge, loan stars, as yet, don’t appear to come in threes.

Coyle pulled off a masterstroke in bringing Arsenal’s Wilshere to the club in his first season – and even managed to surpass that with Sturridge after the Chelsea striker bagged eight goals in 12 games.

But neither Dedryck Boyata or Gael Kakuta have been able to make a similar impact.

Defender Boyata has returned to Manchester City with an ankle injury while midfielder Kakuta has yet to start a Premier League match.

Home truths

Home is where the hurt is for Wanderers.

Five defeats in a row on their own turf – more than they lost in the whole of last season – has been one of the major reasons behind the club’s plight.

Coyle had made the Reebok into a fortress, with notable scalps including Tottenham, Arsenal, Newcastle and Aston Villa, as well as drawing with Manchester United.

Fast forward to this campaign and Bolton have been thumped by United and Chelsea, as well as being beaten by Manchester City and, more significantly, Norwich and Sunderland.

Sore point

Long-term injuries to Holden, Chung-Yong Lee, Tyrone Mears and Sam Ricketts have had a devastating impact on the squad, with Boyata the latest to be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Last year Coyle had no injury worries and, more importantly, a settled side – a significant contributor to Wanderers’s success.

In the first 10 fixtures in 2010, the Bolton boss made just seven changes, three of which were enforced after Jussi Jaaskelainen was sent off against Birmingham.

In stark contrast, Coyle has chopped and changed his starting line-up this season as he looks to find a winning formula; with some arguing he still does not know his strongest team.