AS THEY LOOKED TOWARDS EACH other on the final whistle, the same question doubtless crossed the minds of Terry Venables and the home supporters: Why? A full-time career in television must appeal more and more to the manager with each week that passes, while regulars at Elland Road are growing convinced that the club would be better directed with an alternative at the helm.

Chants of “Venables out” rang around the ground after a shocking defeat, the fifth at home of the season, to the side previously bottom of the Barclaycard Premiership. Victories in the previous two fixtures had been banished from the memory of this vocal element. With pressure, too, on Peter Ridsdale to step down as chairman the club faces an anxious few weeks.

“We thought maybe after those wins we had turned the corner, but now we are back to square one,” Venables said, an assessment that will do nothing to rekindle optimism. “I didn’t think we lacked confidence, and we looked dangerous at times, but defensively we were not good enough.” He did not hide behind a string of injuries and the suspension to Lee Bowyer, which enabled him to field only four or five of his first-choice team.

Indeed, when Ridsdale — seeking re-election as a director at the end of the month — tried to show in the match programme how much Leeds have progressed since he took office, he could not have imagined the team being so depleted. True, the side for the final game of the pre-Ridsdale era in 1997 contained a few names best forgotten — Derek Lilley, Lee Sharpe and a non-vintage Ian Rush — but the same might be said five years hence of Stephen McPhail, Jacob Burns and Nick Barmby.

More pertinent is the fact that faded team sheets fail to record the form of those players at any particular time. History will be kind to Harry Kewell and probably to Mark Viduka. But at the moment neither is playing to anywhere approaching full potential.

Kewell, in particular, cut a distracted, pouting figure, arguing with McPhail over a misplaced pass in the first half and booked for dissent in the second. In other circumstances it might be nice to hear a whingeing Aussie. His clinical finish seven minutes from time — a goal that owed much to the persistence of Alan Smith — merely highlighted the paucity of his earlier contribution.

Bolton, with two points from their previous five matches, were good value for this success. The opening minutes saw them at their best and worst. Henrik Pedersen scored his first leagtue goal when he reached a pass by Youri Djorkaeff ahead of Teddy Lucic and shot beyond Paul Robinson crisply with his left foot. Play might have been stopped earlier for a thundering challenge by Burns on Kevin Nolan.

A gentler side of the Leeds midfield could be seen immediately from the kick-off as McPhail floated a beautiful pass inside Anthony Barness to find Kewell in space. Smith met the centre first-time with a finish of international pedigree, but the home side failed to capitalise on what must have been an enormous blow for Bolton.

It seemed that the best of the game had come at the start until a frantic period in the closing 12 minutes. First, Djorkaeff’s close control enabled him to scythe through the Leeds defence and, after Kewell’s equaliser, Michael Ricketts converted a penalty, having been brought down by Robinson.

Leeds were caught memorably as Bolton sealed the points. Ivan Campo broke, Stig Tofting crossed and Pedersen volleyed what, but for Thierry Henry’s effort on Saturday, would have been the goal of the weekend.

Leeds United (4-4-2): P Robinson 6 — G Kelly 5, J Woodgate 5, T Lucic 5 (sub: M Duberry 80min), J Wilcox 6 — N Barmby 5, J Burns 5, S McPhail 6 (sub: J Milner 67 4), H Kewell 5 — A Smith 7, M Viduka 5. Substitutes not used: N Martyn, M Bridges, F Richardson. Booked: Kewell.
NEXT: Tottenham (a). FORM: LWLDLD

Bolton Wanderers (3-4-1-2): J Jaaskelainen 6 — B N’Gotty 5 (sub: S Tofting 59 7), I Campo 5, A Barness 6 — B Mendy 6, P Frandsen 7, K Nolan 6 (sub: M Ricketts 76), S Charlton 6 — A Okocha 6 — Y Djorkaeff 6, H Pedersen 8. Substitutes not used: K Poole, D Holdsworth, J Smith.
NEXT: Chelsea (h). FORM: WDLDLL

Shots on target: (h) 3 (a) 7. Fouls: (h) 18 (a) 9. Offsides: (h) 2 (a) 6

Referee: A Wiley 8. Attendance: 36,627