Ebi Smolarek Pissed Off At Bolton.

Bolton’s game against Manchester United yesterday was a great example of the position that Ebi Smolarek helds at the club. There is no better way of showing that you’re not needed than playing a guy signed just a day ago and giving a chance off the bench to an unexperienced rookie. Ebi Smolarek has enough of this treatment.

I read an interview with Ebi on Friday where he said that he was almost sure that he would start against ManUtd. Half of the Bolton’s squad are injured (including star striker Johan Elmander) so Ebi expected Kevin Davies to be the lone striker and himself playing on the right wing. Encouraged by all this I sat in front of the TV yesterday to learn something about Ebi’s form and then share it with you on this site. I was unpleasantly surprised when I saw Ariza Makukula in the starting lineup, a player that Bolton loaned out on Friday, a guy that wasn’t good enough to play regularly for Benfica Lisbon. Ebi, of course, started the game on the bench. After watching twenty minutes of mind-numbing long balls aimed at Makukula I decided to switch to Chelsea game. Bolton’s strategy is the worst that British football has to offer; just aimless kicking of the ball up the park and counting that a goal would be somehow scored in the progress. Is there a place for a player of Ebi’s posture? Not really, he’s not fast or strong enough to fit in Gary Megson’s tactical plans. Still, I decided to check the game from time to time and wait for Ebi to enter the pitch. When I learnt that an anonymous 19 year old Tope Obadeyi (a player who had played in Premiership twice before) came off the bench I knew that it’s the end of Ebi’s hopes to play against ManUtd. Maybe it was for the better, at least I saw Chelsea’s miraculous comeback against Stoke.

This was too much for Ebi, he finally learnt that bringing him to Reebok Stadium was accidental. This is what he said after the game: I’m furious that I didn’t enter the field at least for a minute. I can’t understand coach Megson, I don’t know why he treated me like that. I hoped that I’d play against Arsenal, but an ilness prevented me from doing that. Now I was healthy, I’ve trained normally with the team for the whole week. I was sure that, because of all the injury problems, there would be a place for me. The worst thing is that, while it was still 0-0, the coach brought in 19 year old Tope Obadeyi instead of me for the injured striker. A completely unexperienced player, who played twice in the Premiership in the last two years. This is hugely frustrating. I didn’t even speak to Megson after the game. I just packed my things and left. I don’t understand the manager, but his behavior says everything. I’m coming back to Santander in July and see what happens next.

There you have it, it’s the end of the career at Bolton for Ebi. Both sides are to blame; Bolton because they brought in a player who just doesn’t fit in their plans and Ebi because he was too stubborn to move to Toulouse in the summer, a club where they wanted him to be Elmander’s replacement. Ebi proved too weak both for Premiership and Primera Division, one can’t deny that. It’s time to realize that and come back to Germany, Holland or choose an offer from France or Portugal. The national team still needs Ebi, but it needs him playing week in week out, in good form and, generally, happy with life. Ebi was Polish fans’ hope of having a regularly scoring striker in Europe’s top leagues, a hope that wasn’t fulfilled. It’s time to move on for everybody.

Other news: Not all Poles in England had a bad weekend. Here’s Marek Saganowski’s comeback goal scored against Doncaster: