Remarkable Recovery
Euro 2008 was a hugely enjoyable tournament on a number of levels. Viewers across the globe were spoilt with a month of delightful, positive football. Spain were indisputably the best team on show, and deserved winner of their first major championship in 34 years. However, a personal highlight was the re-emergence of Croatian striker Ivan Klasnic, after he had spent most of 2007 recovering from 2 kidney transplants. It is a tribute to his strength of character and determination that he is playing the game at the highest level, and this summer moved to Premier League Bolton Wanderers. Since promotion in 2001, Bolton have searched Europe and beyond for firepower, with varying levels of success. The Hamburg-born striker will hope to enjoy a more successful tenure in gainful employment at the Reebok Stadium then these forwards endured:
Salva Ballesta: The Pichichi winner in 2000 with lowly Racing Santander, Salva won La Liga in 2002 with Rafael Benitez’s Valencia. After the success of German Fredi Bobic’s loan spell the previous spring, the Spanish international was hoping for a spell in England to revive his career. Instead, he managed just 1 start in the Premier League, a 70 minute outing at Anfield, and left very quietly indeed. Such was his impact; I almost forgot to include him in this feature.
Jardel : Portly
Mario Jardel: The explosive Brazilian forward had a goal-scoring record in the late 90s that was the envy of Europe. His 125 league games for Porto saw him plunder 130 goals, with his 2001/02 campaign at Sporting Lisbon showed statistics of 42 goals in 30 games. A 2-time European Golden Boot winner, he arrived at the Reebok looking decidedly portly and struggled to keep his weight down. He spent just 5 months in the North-West, making 7 substitute appearances in the league before being shipped out to Italian side Ancona. He impact in Italy was similarly minimal. Despite his outstanding strike-rate, he appeared only 7 times for his country. In recent years, the all the familiar demons of alcohol and drugs further accelerated his unfortunate decline. Sam Allardyce’s £1.5 million gamble backfired horrendously on him.
Javi Moreno: Another loanee from La Liga, Moreno was brought in as a replacement for the departing Jardel in January 2004. His heroics for lowly Alves in their stunning run to the 2001 Uefa Cup final earned him a big money move to AC Milan and international honours with Spain. 2 goals in that final give Liverpool the fright of their lives, but the Reds prevailed. After that night in Dortmund, it was all downhill for the striker as he flopped at the San Siro and at Atletico Madrid. Things were no better at Bolton, where he appeared 8 times in the Premier League, 7 times from the bench. Allardyce used Moreno as a last throw of the dice in the 2004 League Cup Final defeat by Middlesboro, but all the Valencia striker had to show for his time in England was another loser’s medal.
Les Ferdinand: Pace, power, raw strength and an eye for goal were all attributes one would associate with Sir Les. Unfortunately by the time he approached his 39th year, his powers were eroded considerably by age. This didn’t stop Bolton snapping him up on a free transfer in the summer of 2004. His main contribution was to score a tap-in after a hilarious mix-up between Tim Howard and Mikel Silvestre against Manchester United, but left for Reading just after Christmas in early 2005.
Jared Borgetti: Signed in July 2005, Borgetti became the first Mexican to play in the Premier League. His superb aerial ability seemed to make him an ideal candidate to fit into Bolton’s very direct style of play. Despite managed to score 7 goals spread across 4 different competitions, it was felt that that at 32 years of age, his best years were behind him. Often games would pass him by, and he struggled to adapt to the pace of the Premier League. However, he will go down in history as the first Bolton player to score a goal in European competition. Perhaps a move to England earlier in his career might have brought greater rewards, and showcased his undoubted talents to a broader audience. This goal against Italy in the 2002 World Cup is just a hint of what he was capable of.
Matt Jansen: So far this century, there have been a number of footballer’s careers that have been interrupted by a lack of focus, a fondness for the ladies, substance abuse and brushes with the authorities. However, in Jansen’s case it was an unfortunate motorbike accident whilst holidaying in Rome in 2002. He was lucky to be alive, but subsequently struggled to get his career back on track, understandably so after such a traumatic incident. Bolton signed him on a free transfer in early 2006, but the forward made little impact. His 29 minute cameo against Liverpool in April 2006 was the last time Jansen took part in a league match. Now still only 32, he is playing in the NPL Division 1 North for Leigh Genesis F.C. Jansen is an example of how delicate a professional footballer’s career is.
Grzegorz Rasiak: Despite his status as a lofty target man, the Polish international’s arrival at the Reebok raised a number of eyebrows when he joined from Championship side Southampton in January 2008. The idea was for him to replace the departing Nicolas Anelka, but it did not work out as planned. His 7 game spell saw him unleash 3 efforts on goal, and wore the number 47 shirt, the highest shirt number seen in the Premier League since squad numbers were used in 1993. That was until Nicolas Bendtnar stole his thunder with his number 52 jersey.
Heidar Helguson: The Icelandic international joined from Fulham in 2007 for £1.5 million. Again, his physical presence and all-action approach seemed to make him an ideal signing for the Trotters. However injury and a change of manager meant he was not as used as much as he would have liked and was shipped off to QPR permanently in January of this year.
Smolarek in happier times
Euzebiusz Smolarek: This versatile attacker arrived with quite a pedigree. He has a strike-rate of almost a goal every other game for Poland, and had a successful spell at Borussia Dortmund, scoring 25 goals in 81 Bundesliga games. However, he was a passenger in most of his rare appearances in white and could not make any impression whatsoever in the Premier League. He is currently a free agent, but still Bolton remain untempted to take him back to the Reebok.
Unfortunately for Klasnic, the thread seems to be continuing. His 86th minute winner against Everton won Bolton the 3 points a fortnight ago, and he was rewarded with a Carling Cup start against Chelsea. This is the last sighting of the Croatian international and with Bolton hovering just a point above the relegation zone, it’s hard to see Gary Megson adapting his system to try and include Klasnic. He is certainly a player that does his best work inside the penalty area, but he lacks Kevin Davies, or Johan Elmander’s physical presence. The signs are ominous, but Klasnic has come out of more taunting situations than this in his life. This is a challenge he will relish.
