Bolton H preview

We are off the bottom. If we are that hard to beat at home and everyone thinks we're playing hopelessly then Hurst must be some kind of footballing mastermind.

 

That was particularly poor,like the second half against Brentford had never happened.We lacked any sort of urgency or cutting edge.The only (very scant) positive is the clean sheet but that's really not saying much against an equally ineffectual Wanderers side.Oh dear really not looking good.

Edit.I see we've climbed one place,if we can do that every nine games we'll be safe

 

I really think people overestimate the quality of the Championship. Teams that are actually good run away with the promotion places and the ones that are absolutely terrible tend to be stranded by the Spring. There is never that much to choose between everyone else. One more goal here or there and we'd be in the top half despite mixed performances. I can't remember a Mick McCarthy side perform over an entire 90 minutes or dominate a game. For the most part it was a good half hour spell here or there that would win a game.

 

What have the Hull and Bolton keepers in common ? They both could have pitched a deck chair when playing us, and today we had an extra man for most of the game.
There's no goal threat from us, there's the tedium of endless long high balls played in the direction of our lone striker whilst surrounded by giants, under hit or over hit passes going to the opposition or into touch, and no creativity and imagination going forward.
In defence we look fairly solid but so we should when playing poor understrength sides but the real concern is the lack of quality all over the park, but I suppose we shouldn't be surprised with so many lower league players in the side.
Worrying times.

 

See

 

We are definitely making progress.

We just need a win (which will come) and then some momentum so the players can enjoy their football.

They are under immense pressure every time they go out now, but a single win will solve that.

We can't say every single week that the opposition is / was poor. If they don't play well against us then that's because we're making it hard for them.

That's 10 tight games that we haven't been outplayed in once including 5 top half sides in the Championship plus Aston Villa.

 

Just got back from the game & have a couple of views. Why play Pennington at rb? Donacien has to play and my own preference would be to drop Chambers. No leadership from him today and although not my favourite player, Skuse was much more of a leader today & at least tried to influence the game at the start of the 2nd half. Not sure what the fuss is about Edun, he runs around a lot but is not going to play a killer pass. Nolan was simply awful today, no idea how he was kept on for the whole game. We seem to have 1 plan, get the ball to Edwards and hope he can produce some magic. I would still give Hurst time as there is no instant solution but 1 thing I would say is that I don’t believe that our own youngsters (dozzell, Downes etc) are any worse than the players in the 1st 11 and if picked, the supporters are more likely to give them full support

 

Hurst is in a panic. He can't figure out what to do so he keeps changing it around every game, not a sign of somebody that has confidence in what he's doing.

When we looked like we had a playing style in those early few matches it started with Bart. He was releasing the ball early and to feet. In contrast, Gerken won't command his box or his defenders. He has lead in his boots that not only contributes to him being as slow as a snail but helps him hoof the ball out of play as a default strategy. Really poor 'keeper in everything except shot stopping.

The back line has barely lined up the same in any match so far this season and we have used far too many players already to get any consistency in any area of the pitch. The only players that look like they can handle a possession based game are the ones we bought from the lower leagues!

Gerken - useless
Pennington - shoe horned in, decent CB but not who I want to see at RB
Nsiala - ok
Chambers - did ok today, helped Gerken out when he wouldn't come for a ball
Knudsen - meh
Ward - **** me, what is he supposed to be because an attacking player he is not
Nolan - tries to make things happen but not enough movement or runners to play balls to
Skuse - helped break play up today but worthless in an attacking sense
Chalobah - really don't see what he does that makes him a regular starter. Surely one of our own could make just as many mistakes per game
Edwards - Our only attacking outlet today
Jackson - full of running and movement but no support

Today was poor from the manager and the players. I'm getting the feeling that some players are not buying into Hurst's training methods of fitness over technique.

 

Where's the progress yorkie?

 

Everything that people were moaning about a few weeks ago - goals from set pieces, our striker not having scored a league goal.

Today we got our first clean sheet of the season and Jackson almost certainly scores his second goal of the week had he not been hauled down.

If we are really that poor and matching all but the top sides then when we start scoring goals we are obviously going to go on a run that will take us into the play offs.

You can't have it both ways. If we are really that poor then so is everyone else.

 

You really think we've progressed? I find that hard to believe in the matches I've seen.

 

Yes absolutely. We are second bottom because it's 3 points for a win and we haven't got that odd goal in a game. We were crap under McCarthy and I have seen some spells of better football this season than last as well as some dire spells.

I'm not a fan of the system we play but I prefer the personnel we have now to the end of last season.

 

Poor result against a team we should have killed off, considering they had a man sent off. We lacked a cutting edge throughout. Pains me to say it, but this was not the result or performance we were looking for today.

I am genuinely concerned about our future.

 

If you were at the game today Nuggets I think you would agree that it's difficult to see progress, poor opposition, a player advantage for the majority of the game, and only 2 on target goal attempts both from free kicks 1 easily saved 1 and good save, so poor up front and not getting any better.

 

I was there fieldmarshall, I’ve been to all home games this season (with the exception of Brentford, as I can’t do midweek games due to location, but I watched on Sky) and the Bolton match was the worst I’ve seen us this season. Players look devoid of initiative or confidence. Two defenders going for the same ball leading to misplaced clearances and headers. Players often failing to find one another with simple, short passes. Defenders lumping it aimlessly up field.

Pennington is not a right back. Knudsen had no attacking intent. Nsiala does not seem capable of taking a touch, he just heads it upfield. Skuse cannot play a simple effing pass forwards! Nolan was bad, so bad my Bolton mate who was in the away end said they were all laughing at him, wanting him to shoot from range all game. Edwards completely nullified. Ward ineffective. Only positives I can think of is Edun, when he came on, Chambers defensive performance, and the logic of Hurst’s substitutions. That excludes Walters introduction, who the North Stand called for, but looked half fit. Ten minutes later, and he hobbles off (no subs to replace him, so 10 vs 10). Just a poor game to attend. We’ve lost our top five top scorers last season and that match against Bolton clearly underlined our attacking deficiencies.

 

Did you go to the match yorkie?

 

Clearly, we are all very disappointed with so many aspects. From what I have seen and heard:

• Very few positives to take
• Donacien should have been RB
• No pressing or flow of passes
• No pressing up
• Little confidence or ambition
• Wrong decision re Walters
• No attack-minded performance
• A dearth of any shooting power
• Feeble distribution
• Too many chop & changes - players dont know each other, football fluency is all about forming partnerships
• Not using our talented youth
• Wrong players shipped out on loan
• Hurst out of his depth

And I for one still dont understand why Bart - the top keeper in this league last year - is still benched. Much of the pattern of the game used to stem from him.

I admit to being worried too now. Confidence is key, and while one of us know the real mood in the camp or Hurst's player relations, it cannot be good.
Yes, we have managed to hold our end up with the league's best teams, but equally we have failed to put to the sword 2-3 of the weakest ones.

Halloween is my benchmark & Judgement day - will it be full of horrors & nightmares & ghouls, or all smiles and handshakes at Portman Road?

 

Rumours are widespread that he has lost the dressing room already!!!

 

No, I was working - but I’ve seen everything else apart from the Exeter and Norwich games either at the ground or on Sky / iFollow.

I don’t doubt that we were poor on the ball and lacking in attack, I’ve seen it for the majority of some of the other games so I don’t really understand why everyone is so shocked and appalled.

We have also seen some occasional brilliant football when we play high tempo and press, so the players are capable of it.

We have a psychological problem running through the side when we have possession and particularly when we get to the opposition box. I think Hurst has caused it to some extent by playing too deep in early games.

But I am not overly concerned because we are not getting beat 2 or 3 every game, far from it the games have all been very tight despite our shortcomings.

 

This is where the owner really doesn’t help matters. He should be coming out publicly to back the manager at this point.