Sammy Is Raring To Go

By Mark Heys
July 20 2005

Assistant manager Sammy Lee has praised the Bolton Wanderers players for sticking to their fitness programmes over the close season.

"There's no problems with these lads, There's no such thing as a close season now, just a season without games, it's still a training season and they have their programme when they go away so when they come back they're in good condition and I give full credit to the boys."

Lee says that the top priority in the season ahead has got to be the Premiership, but he is also looking forward to joining the club on their first ever venture into the UEFA Cup, something which he feels is a perfect reward for the work done over the past three or four years.

"We just have to try and take each game as it comes,

"I know it's an old cliché and obviously we hope to do well in the Premiership, but it's also an added attraction to play against different opposition, different cultures of football in the UEFA Cup.

"So it will be a little bit of experience for the players and a great reward for the players and what they have done over the last two, three, four seasons.

"But again, the Premiership is what we need to do well in and that will be very, very hard, but the UEFA Cup will be a nice added attraction.

"It will be good for Bolton Wanderers Football Club, getting that experience against different football cultures and building for the future."

The former Liverpool and Wanderers midfielder is currently over in Thailand preparing the squad for the game against Manchester City in the Asia Cup this afternoon.