WJ's Ratings: Blackman - Did ok. Had a spill that could have led to a goal, but saved by the Bolton striker's ineptitude. That makes it 1-1 with BPF for mistakes. Expect BPF to be between the sticks on Saturday. Shackleton - Excellent. Can't fault the wee man. Let down by Roberts, who didn't look too comfortable in his role, & seemed to forget that they should be working off each other. And yet Shackleton still managed to shine. Wonderfully dogged determination to go with his skill & energy. Jansson - Poor first half. Very rusty. Passing awful. Improved second half and made a couple of lifesaver interceptions. Managed to wait until about 75 minutes to have his injury moment. Seemed to be his hamstrings this time. Possibly genuine, but when it happens almost every match .... Ayling - Leader who led by example. Most impressive for someone who just doesn't play LCB. Pearce - More of the same. Most impressive. Being so young, I'm sure he's still got loads to learn, but it'll be stuff that I wasn't even aware of, no doubt. Phillips - One word. Awesome. Roberts - Disappointing. Disjointed. Somewhere else. Overawed perhaps? Not a contender on that performance. Baker - Sailed through the match. Involved in almost everything. I'm now a fan. Saiz - One word. Exciting. Harrison - Industrious & skilful. Usually in the right place at the right time. Not everything came off for him though. Worked really well with Pearce on the left, and Shackleton when he swapped wings for a spell. Bamford - Cracking first half. Faded in the second - by that I mean his sharpness, physically & mentally. His workrate was fine. Subs used: Klich - Lifted the pace of the game. Only one mistake, but recovered very determinedly. An impact sub that actually made an impact! Alioski - Was played on the right, and wasn't great, tbh. Wasn't rubbish either. But wasn't great. Roofe - Not enough time to make an impact. Didn't help that the team had tired into comparative disarray by the time he came on. So what did we learn tonight? * Definitely a game of two halves. First half was comparable to the first team. Second half, whilst the wheels may not have come off, they were close to it. Fatigue, physical & mental, played a big part, and allowed Bolton to dominate for longer spells than they should have. * Don't think anyone did well enough to force themselves into the first team. * Harrison might have given Bielsa a difficult decision to make had it not been for Alioski's excellent performances in the first 2 league games. * We are well covered for wing backs. Pearce & Shackleton are both ready for the first opportunity that presents itself. * We are definitely exposed to the long ball. We have Pontus to thank for an almost impossible interception, along the same lines as Cooper's against Stoke. * Whilst it might not have been a top performance, it's true to say that we created more chances in the first 15 mins than we did in an average 90 mins game last season. * Bolton's Oztumer was a stand-out for them, even without the goal. Tiny little guy too.
Thanks WJ, more interesting read than PH as ever! Your Pontus injury assessment made me smile, what is that all about? The guy must have more lives than a cat - the amount of times I’ve seen him shot by an invisible sniper is crazy! Seven different goal scorers in three competitive games is really encouraging. Being able to give Jansson, Harrison, Roberts, Bamford, Baker, Forshaw etc time to get properly fit and up to speed is a luxury we haven’t had for a while. 2 decent keepers is a world apart from last season. Shackleton - hugely encouraging, I just hope he is versatile enough not to have to rely on Ayling getting injured to get a game. Great to hear that Pearce is carrying on from where he left off, like Shackleton, I hope he gets games without the need for Douglas being injured. When you write that all down, it makes you realise it is a half decent squad we have! Can’t wait for Saturday now
I must admit, I didn’t see any of the game in the end but reading reports, I wonder if the performance in general has made up Bielsas mind as to any loan possibilities and which position
Agree with Jock Phillips was outstanding as he has been all season Bielsa knew the score from the start preferring KP to the inconsistent Vieira
Very good summary. Watching on my screen, Shackleton was stand out for me of the players brought in. Did Pearce get very badly caught for speed a couple of times? I thought he did, if so that’s a concern.
Think it includes all competitions so that may be where the confusion lies because in August 2007 Leeds lost 3-0 to Portsmouth in the League Cup
Morning all. I don't think enough credit is being to Bolton. They looked a better coached team than either Stoke or Derby. On this showing Phil Parkinson is a very decent coach.
Can't say I remember, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen! He definitely plays far forward, but I have to say that he has a fair old turn of speed about him. Second half he was on the opposite wing to me (I wish!), which I don't focus in on particularly well, so it might have been then. Wouldn't surprise me if he tired as he put in a right old shift.
You could make the Rotherham starting 11 mate once you learn how to do 1 sit-up because Warner needs players
