If it hadn't been for four atypical performances sandwiched between eight dreadful performances, it's possible that changes might have already been made. Whatever the opposite of a "blip" is, Bolton had one right after the commotion after the home draw with Stoke.
The 7 points earned from those games - Birmingham, Spurs, Man Utd and Everton - are now propping Bolton up.
Now that we are a third of the way through the season, can we start to draw some conclusions about where this team might be headed? During his second summer at the Reebok, Gary Megson signed two full-backs while failing to identify and secure any attacking talent beyond Lee Chung-Yong, who would have to be classified as "One For The Future”.
Already this team seems depleted and short of imagination. When Megson was forced to make changes after some concussive results, all he had to fall back on were older heads. Older and not necessarily any better.
And what about the manager? He's had two years now and has repeatedly reminded fans that when he arrived Bolton were in the bottom three. After two years, Bolton are still in the bottom three and any progress seems to be minimal.
While today's team was a patchwork of players signed by Allardyce, Sammy Lee and Megson, it was telling that five of the seven substitutes were Megson signings. In two years Megson has made more of an impact on the substitutes bench than he has on the starting eleven.
Everything about that performance hurts. Blackburn are not a great team, and they've struggled away from home since Big Sam arrived, yet today they looked comfortable and assured from start to finish. David Dunn is as good as any player not playing for the Big 4, and he was allowed to do as he pleased today.
Bolton's defending was brutal, their attacking was toothless and, as usual, they couldn't keep the ball to sufficiently confound the opposition. There are no positives. There are no chinks of light or silver linings.
December is coming, with six games in twenty-four days. It's not a good time to sack your manager, but then again, it's never a good time to sack your manager. It seems like some changes should be coming, but it's not obvious where they are coming from.
It's hard to believe that Eddie Davis can afford to be relegated. He's been very patient with Phil Gartside – a man who has only had to take two major decisions in his time at Bolton – and his man, Megson.
Gartside has a lot invested in Megson as far as the fans are concerned. Megson's career was stalled when Gartside reached down past other candidates to appoint him. There is a perception that Phil Gartside spends more time campaigning for the Barclays Mega League 1&2 than he does worrying about where Bolton are heading now. It's tough to see how he can remain if Megson is asked to move on.
Finally, best of luck to Big Sam, who achieved a minor miracle by establishing Bolton in the Premier League and then heading for Europe. Get well soon.
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