Promotion is still our aim, says defender Alex Baptiste

PROMOTION is still the target for Alex Baptiste despite Wanderers’ poor start to the season.

Despite being 12 points off the play-offs and 18 away from the top two, the versatile defender insists the dressing room has not given up on playing Premier League football next season.

Wanderers finally chalked up a first victory of the campaign at Birmingham as the players broke off for the international break, but Baptiste admits hopes of catching up with the leading pack do hinge on building upon that result.

The former Blackpool man is confident that with Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town visiting the Reebok in the next two weekends, momentum is with the Whites.

“We’ve got two home games coming up now and we haven’t won one this season,” he told The Bolton News.

“That has got to change.

“Our main aim is to get promoted. That hasn’t changed in my mind.

“I look at the table and we’re not a million miles away, even though we haven’t played well for the majority of the first two months. I think things are turning now.

“These two home games will be a good test for where we are right now and if we want to be moving up the table they are games we have got to start winning.”

Baptiste has been moved from pillar to post since his arrival in the summer, filling in all the defensive positions.

Though the 27-year-old would prefer to be playing in the centre of the back four he has no qualms over featuring on the left because of the form of current partnership Matt Mills and Tim Ream.

“The two centre halves have been different class,” he said.

“Tim has been man of the match in the last three or four games for me, whether he’s been playing at centre-midfield or centre-half.

“Millsy has come in and been very vocal. He’s organised a lot of stuff at the back and maybe we have needed that.

“That clean sheet against Blackpool was a massive lift for the lads at the back and then against Birmingham they didn’t really have a lot to deal with until Nikola Zigic came on.

“Zat Knight came on and was absolutely brilliant – he led the line superbly.”

Skipper Knight received a ringing endorsement from manager Dougie Freedman last week despite dropping out of the first team plans.

And Baptiste says his team-mate continues to set an example – not least with his second-half appearance off the bench at St Andrew’s last weekend.

“He’s great for the team,” he said.

“The first game when he wasn’t playing he went round the whole dressing room before the game and had a word.

“He speaks to people individually, he’s the first person there in training and he’s a good role model for anyone as captain.

“He puts his work in and you only have to see the difference he made when he came on against Birmingham to show what it means to him.”

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Realistically? Not unless we go on a great run again and that's hard to imagine after one win in which we were lucky not to concede a late equaliser from a nailed-on penalty.
But it's good that they have a positive attitude and we have been a little better going forward and less suicidal at the back recently so with so many games to go it's not beyond the realms of possibility as unlikely as it may be.
A few more wins and consistent performances might lend some credence to this, so it's a bit premature IMO.
Lose the next one and their fragile confidence will be shattered again.

Nothing likes setting your sights high.

Reebok Trotter wrote:Nothing likes setting your sights high.

Agreed RT - but they already did that at the beginning of the season and look where that got us.

There's still 105 points available. Win against Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich then it's onwards and upwards.

Yes, one win against a struggling team is definitely proof that we will be challenging QPR within a few months.

Natasha Whittam wrote:Yes, one win against a struggling team is definitely proof that we will be challenging QPR within a few months.

We are a struggling team ourselves, but hopefully one that is starting to move in the right direction.
A win or two against anyone will at least mean that we go into games with a positive attitude - and that should improve our chances of further success.

We haven't got the players to pull back an 18 point gap, both in terms of quality and heart.

better to set your sights low.

"our aim is to be relegated"

Exactly, anything better than that is a bonus.

I don't remember anyone thinking we could make a run at it last season (myself included). But we did and should really have made the play offs.

This season will be even harder as the quality is better and we've had a disastrous start. Let's get on a winning run first and then take a look at it.

Hard to be positive at the moment but a couple of wins against two teams we should beat at home would be a good start. Winning is infectious as we found last season even if we were more than a little fortunate in many of those games. I think there's some promise lately with Ream and Mills seeming to form a partnership at the back and Beckford off the mark. With the possibility of Holden and mini Davvo being back early next year the season's not over yet so fingers crossed this is the start.

Natasha Whittam wrote:Exactly, anything better than that is a bonus.

I see your trying to stay positive there Natasha!

Organisation has definitely improved in the last two matches, and we look more like the side from the back end of last season. Whether it's really a corner turned remains to be seen.

Dougie won't be taking us up. If his brains were dynamite he woudn't have enough to blow his hat off.

boltonbonce wrote:Dougie won't be taking us up. If his brains were dynamite he woudn't have enough to blow his hat off.

I think he's a smart cookie. Stubborn f***** though, which can sometimes be a bad thing like when he was insisting we played narrow to try to shore up the defence (only to get murdered on the wings) and sticking with it until we hit rock bottom.
Still, he's smart enough to drop the captain,tweak the system and bring in loanees to do a job so at least he is open to ideas to get us out of a rocky patch.
Time will tell if cuts the mustard as a lot is riding on player development.

wanderlust wrote:
I think he's a smart cookie

That made me laugh out loud.

I want to come and work for you, because if your definition of a "smart cookie" is the worst start to a season in 100 years then I reckon I could make you a lot of money.

Mathematically we can still win the league out right ...... is that positive enough for you?

Yes.Positively ludicrous.