BACK IN JANUARY we tracked what people had been saying about Tim Ream. Given all that has transpired since then, we’re back to check in with the Bolton Wanderers defender.

On a club level, the story is still strikingly similar. With debts of more than £160 million, Bolton remains on its knees financially and, if recent reports are true, club owner Eddie Davies is ready to sell, with Thai businessmen linked with a takeover this week.

Also, just like last time, league victories are currently proving difficult to come by for the Trotters, a club that has won just three out of a possible 15 games so far this term.

Despite all of this, the last 10 months have been mostly positive for Ream—at least on a personal level. The St. Louis-born player has gone from being on the fringes of the Bolton XI, to a first-team regular, to being named Player of the Season in 2013-14 by fans and club alike.

The 27-year-old has even played his way back onto Jurgen Klinsmann’s radar, with three appearances for the U.S. in post-World Cup friendlies.

Following our previous look at Ream in On the Record, he went on to play in 22 straight games for Bolton, clocking up a full 90 in all but one game as the season played out.

In February 2014, then-manager Dougie Freedman told The Bolton News:

“If I could have more Tim Reams I’d get them in right now, no doubt about it. Is he a natural left back? Nope. But he’s doing a job for the team. The way football is right now you need players who can fill in more than one role and Tim is one of those players. We need more like him.”

With Ream being utilized as a fullback, Bolton finished 2013-14 with just one defeat in its final 10 games and ended the campaign in 14th place.

Not only did Ream’s season end on a high with with a Player of the Season award, but there were also rumors suggesting that he could make Klinsmann’s selection to go to the World Cup.

Think we're sleeping on Tim Ream for #USMNT. Starting every game for Bolton, has played CB, LB, CDM, CM. Recently linked with West Brom

— Seth Vertelney (@svertgoalcom) April 14, 2014

As JustWandering typed on the Bolton fan forum Burnden Aces on May 1, “Tim Ream will make the 30 man pre world cup camp roster for the US this week, with an outside chance to make the final 23 and go to Brazil. Never thought I would say that after seeing him play against Ecuador three years ago, nor during his first year and a half in a Bolton shirt.”

TJ added, “Ream has been tremendous, whatever has been asked of him, and it has been a lot, he has been consistently excellent.”

Rusty McHayes: “I don't begrudge Ream the award but he never really convinces me when at center back, far too light weight for the role and never seems to dominate his opponent. He's done well at left back though, considering it’s not his position.”

Tim Ream will be the best U.S. player not to make the #USMNT WC roster. But that's ok. #AskAlexi

— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) May 6, 2014

Six days after the Championship season ended, Ream was back in the U.S., training with his former side, the New York Red Bulls, in a bid to make Klinsmann’s preliminary World Cup roster.

So Tim Ream trains with #NYRB even though his (player of the year) season with Bolton is over. 5 days before #USMNT camp. Interesting.

— LeanderLastNameNoFit (@LeanderOnFOX) May 9, 2014

As Ream told MLSSoccer.com, “Whether I’m in or out, at this point, it’s not up to me anymore. You’re always thinking about games coming up, and whether they be friendlies or qualifiers—now you have the camp and then the World Cup—obviously it’s on your mind. But again, I tried not to think about it much. You just play your game and hopefully everything else takes care of itself.”

U.S. fan Jonathan Grady responded to Ream’s interview with, “He needs to be in the 30 man at least in my opinion. So versatile and coming off a great season, silly not to give him a long look.”

Apart from watching from the bench during an August 2013 friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina and a call-up for a training camp in March 2014 (one that Ream turned down due to the birth of his first child), his last international outing was in 2011, in a friendly against Ecuador.

After failing to make it into Klinsmann’s World Cup plans, Ream told ESPNFC.com, “I was a little disappointed not to be called into the pre-[World Cup] camp, but it didn't come as a total shock that I wasn't invited."

However, Ream’s first cap in three years was not far off. The defender was selected for the U.S.’s first game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup cycle—a friendly against the Czech Republic, with further outings against Ecuador and Honduras to follow.

“It’s good,” Ream told USSoccer.com on October 8. “It’s always a nice change of pace to come in with the team and staff, and see the same guys that you were with the last time around, and continue to build that camaraderie and that understanding with each other. It’s always a fun time and a hard-working time when you come in here.”

Awesome to see Tim Ream on the field for the United States.

— The Yanks Are Coming (@YanksAreComing) October 11, 2014

Back on the domestic front, Ream put pen to paper on a new three-year deal at the Macron Stadium over the summer.

It's official: Bolton sign American Tim Ream to a new 3 year contract. The club keeps its player of the year http://t.co/B5S8h7I0V2

— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) July 6, 2014

“Funny how a player can go from zero to hero in the space of a season, many would have happily shown him the door last summer,” commented OneAndOnly on July 7 on the Burnden Aces fan forum.

Azreal88 added, “It took Ream time to adapt to the physicality of the Championship, but that experience has improved him as a player. He already had the technical ability to be a good distributer at the back, but now he can mix it up a bit as well. Re-signing him is, as everyone already knows, a big deal.”

On August 4, Ream reflected on his early days in England, telling The Bolton News:

I’ll be the first to admit that I struggled to play in the Championship at first. It’s a different animal to the Premiership, which in turn is completely different to playing in MLS.

It’s all about adjusting and how quickly you can do it and obviously I didn’t do it fast enough. But I got there eventually. The first season was definitely a struggle and I can say that with a smile now sitting here, but it’s funny how quickly things can change.

Ream played eight 90-minute games in a row this season, before being benched for Bolton’s tie against Derby County on September 27.

The club took two draws, one win, and eight defeats from its opening 11 fixtures, which ultimately saw manager Freedman heading for the exits.

As Ream told The Bolton News on October 5: “I think me and the guys in the dressing room have let him and the staff down. It’s on us to a certain extent. A lot of us will feel we’ve been giving the best, and maybe they have, but from a professional standpoint you can always do better. There’s always something you can improve on. I don’t think we’ve all done that consistently enough. We have let them down.”

Since Neil Lennon took charge at Bolton, the side have won two and lost two, with Ream getting time as a substitute against Birmingham City and Charlton Athletic and playing a full 90 minutes against both Brentford and Norwich City—operating as a left back in all four fixtures.

Chances to climb the table beckon, with Cardiff City—which struggles away from home—on the docket today. Following that, Bolton will host Wigan, which has just one win from its last 10, before taking a trip to bottom-dwelling Blackpool on November 22.

“It’s just a matter of getting our heads down," Ream told The Bolton News, "and getting ourselves out of this situation.”

Laura Greene is a frequent ASN contributor. If you'd like to see a particular U.S. player receive the On the Record treatment, tell her on Twitter or in the Comments section below.