Match Day Thread Bolton

I'm beginning to think that maybe, for this crap division we should have hung onto Bobby Z, Dunne and Barton. They maybe getting old and slower but would put a shift in.

 

I don't think you can say the current lot aren't putting a shift in

 

I don't care if i'm right or wrong. it's no big deal. This isn't a life changing issue that was being discussed, it's football. Try to lighten up. Cheers.

 

Fulham away? lets not be too confident about Saturdays result because Bolton are rubbish and still managed to put 3 past us at home.

 

I don't put any of the poor results this season down to laziness. Just poor tactics and a dismal grasp of the basics at Fulham particularly.

Yeah the defence is still crap and he keeps sticking with his favourites to the detriment of the team but we scored four which is always an achievement

 

Had an amazing day a bloke at the club put on a few nice touches for my daughters birthday and apart from the first 10 minutes what a game to watch, I thought a few really stood out today and will just go into player ratings . Green 5 Ned 6 Hall 6 Angella 5 Konch 7 Henry (generous) 6 Tozser 6 Phillips 7 Chery 8 Fer 9 JET 8.

Fer for me was the MOM and showed his ability, quality touch, ready to take people on (not always successful) and always looking to get the ball forward. Chery was all over the pitch, scored a pearler and can't be faulted with effort. JET was excellent took his 2 goals well and was always offering himself as an option and wanting to take people on.

And then I hear the scum loose on the way home good stuff. Oh if anyone remembers 90s indie band Echobelly saw them Sunday night and Sonya is still amazing in every way

 

He sounds worth trying then. All I know of him recently is he scored a very good goal. Can he be recalled from loan? I hope both Perch and Ned can step up, but I worry especially about Ned as he seems especally to need to be self confident to play well, and he looks like he's lost it all again.

 

I think you're being generous with Henry, Tozser and Phillips. I was vocal in my support of Henry and Phillips last season but they've both been consistently poor this season. Henry always allowed Bolton too much space when they were moving forward. He was rarely in their face, even when they closed in on our penalty area and, if he did make one tackle all game, I certainly can't recall it. Add to that his woeful passing and you have a player who badly needs a rest on the bench to get his confidence back. I'd rate him a generous 4: our worst player.

Tozser's passing was almost as bad, salvaged to some degree by good set piece deliveries. He was our second worst player on the day. With both him and Henry mis-firing, we have no central midfield: it's not surprising that we ship goals and it IS surprising that we can score 4 with those two in the side.

Phillips was hardly in the game - anonymous, just like most games I've seen him this season. My seat was right behind him when he had that awful miss in the second half. He tried to bury it and screwed it badly wide with the goal at his mercy. He could, and should, have side footed it into the space available.

I had JET as MOTM ahead of the classy Fer because it's hard to argue with two goals, especially the second which was all of his own making and such a good strike. I believe Konchesky had his best game for us to date and Chery was also very good. His goal really was a peach (Taarabt-esque).

So, there were some promising performances. If we can just sort out our awful defence and central midfield we might start to climb the table. The latter should be easy, it's just a matter of selecting the right players from the existing squad (I'd now choose Faurlin and the fit again Sandro). Fixing the defence is a bit of mystery to me: as individuals, they're much better than the promotion side which had Orr, Gorkks, Connolly and Hill but as a unit they're far inferior. I'd probably stick with the same four and hope that, by playing a few games together, they develop some much needed co-ordination as a unit. Plus some decent cover from central midfield would undoubtedly help. There, I said all that without using the forbidden "gel" word.

 

...and on the positive side, we put 4 past them and got the three points. That's the main thing. You can only beat what's in front of you.

 

So maybe our new tictacs are ...if you score 3 we'll score 4.....not the best but certainly not the worst approach, we'll all be entertained, probably have a lot more grey hairs by the end of the season or in some cases none left at all.....I know that won't please everyone, but it will be one hell of a ride......The rollercoster keeps on rolling....

 

Totally with you that Henry is a problem but I wouldn't say he gives the ball away that much. He doesn't do anything but pass sideways or backwards and that's after dithering for a few touches. I haven't looked but I'd guess he's got quite good passing stats but you rightly point out he puts the defence under pressure. It's cos he kills forward momentum and then play a nothing pass. It may reach it's target but they can't do anything with it cos the opposition has had time to regroup.

 

Sorry I didn't phrase it perfectly. We seem to lose the ball a lot after he's just had it i.e. It tends to go to a player under pressure, normally a full-back or the other deep midfielder who's typically marked