Kevin Nolan wants Bolton's midfielders to help carry the goalscoring burden this season.
Trotters ace calls for more goals from midfield
Kevin Nolan wants Bolton's midfielders to help carry the goalscoring burden at the Reebok Stadium this season.
The Trotters have moved quietly into the top half of the Premier League table on the back of four victories in their last five outings, and are determined to steer well clear of a relegation battle this term.
Nolan sees no reason why Gary Megson's men cannot continue to occupy the upper reaches of the English top flight, providing the club can produce goals from all areas of the field.
The combative midfielder has scored just once this season, in the Carling Cup, and believes more must be done to help relieve some of the pressure placed upon the strikers.
Successful
"The manager asked for goals from more people because all the pressure had been on Johan Elmander," Nolan told
The Bolton News.
"Kevin Davies has done that, Matty Taylor has done that, so it's about time myself, Gav McCann and Fabrice Muamba did it more often too.
"We have got goals from the defence, which we never had last year. This team has got goalscorers all over the pitch and that's something we had a few years ago when we were very successful under Sam Allardyce - and that's high praise.
"I'm having chances, which is good because if I wasn't, I'd have to change my game more. I like scoring goals and I will do that, no doubt about it. I'm sure Gav and Fabrice would say the same thing."
Qualities
Swedish striker Elmander had appeared to be struggling under the weight of expectation which accompanies the club's record signing.
However, three goals in his last two matches have helped to restore his confidence and silence the critics.
"I'm absolutely made up for Johan because he has come under a bit of stick while he was still trying to settle at the club," added Nolan.
"You can see in training he has got the qualities you need to score goals. And you saw his finishing is sharp from the goals he scored at Middlesbrough and Sunderland - even though I laid that second on a plate for him.
"A few years ago maybe I would have been a bit more greedy - but Johan was in a better place, and maybe an older and wiser Kevin Nolan is starting to learn that now."
