Bolton Wanderers had survived in the Championship for two seasons, including a strong top half finish in 2023/24. But finances were a still major issue, with two years remaining on the £500,000 monthly director's loan repayments.
Life in Turkey had gotten off to a flyer, with Vladimir Latunov's third club in three seasons sitting top of the Turkish Super League heading into 2023. But things were about to get interesting with key players running out of contract and on the move.
Bolton Wanderers were once again performing well above expectations in their second season in the Championship, sitting nicely in the upper mid-table as 2024 approached. But the most pleasing thing about the club's progress is the number of homegrown players starring in the first-team.
Vladimir Latunov indulged his jubilant Legia Warszawa players in copious bottles of vodka as the squad raucously celebrated becoming the most successful club in Polish history. But the elation would soon end as the Russian manager's achievements didn't go unnoticed.
Bolton Wanderers had their goalkeeper to thank for keeping them in the Championship for a second season and building on that relative success was going to be hard work. Finances had improved slightly but the club is still losing money, with three years remaining on £500,000 monthly loan repayments.
The winter break in Poland's Ekstraklasa gave Vladimir Latunov and his in-form Legia Warszawa players a chance to reflect on their strong start to season two of the Soviet Surge. After 19 games of the 34-game season, Legia were unbeaten and 13 points clear at the top.
Bolton Wanderers had made a surprisingly decent start to life in the SkyBet Championship in 2022/23. The red hot relegation favourites were sitting firmly in mid-table at the start of November, some seven points clear of the drop zone after 18 games.
After winning the Polish FA Cup for the first time in Zaglebie Lubin's history and a terrible conclusion to the league campaign, Russian manager Valdimir Lutunov swiftly jumped ship when rivals Legia Warszawa came calling.
Bolton Wanderers had a day to remember at Wembley as a win over local rivals Rochdale catapulted the club up to The Championship on the back of two consecutive promotions.
The long, cold Winter break in Poland gave me time to get over the wrath I felt towards Nicklas Bendtner. However, it came too late to stop me unleashing that fury upon some of his high-earning former Zaglebie Lubin teammates.
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