January and Clean Sheets

[BWFC_Insane]

Will we ever keep a clean sheet again?

Will we buy a defender or two to help out in January? Or will it be more strikers and attacking midfield players?

I can't help but think that we're so close to being really really solid to accompany our new found attacking finesse. But we're not quite there and concede to many goals, and we have the knack of being relatively solid then conceeding from nowhere. Sunderland being an example, Blacburn another. Saturday was a classic game where had we kept a clean sheet we'd probably have won the game in the last 20 minutes. Sunderland are a stodgy team who are very solid. Make them come out against you and I think we'd have had a reasonable chance on the break.

The more I think about it, the more I think Cahill wouldn't be as big a loss as people think if we found a centre back who is positionally more solid. I thought Bent and Gyan pulled him out of position far too often on Saturday. I don't think Cahill and Knight will ever be a solid partnership (they've had long enough and not looked solid yet) and I think the money from Cahill could buy us a new centre half, or even two with one being a good young 'un.

What do people think

[Lord Kangana]

Think?

This is a footballl forum, not a philosophy debate.

So I reckon we're fine. It'd be nice to keep a clean sheet, but we're set up to attack. And as it happens, that strategy has us in 7th at christmas with a plus goal difference - its 4 years since we were in this kind of position.

If we were a good few positions and a good few points worse off, like last year, then yes I would agree to it being a proirity. But at the moment we play with a certain freedom, in most games, and frankly we can take the risk. If we haven't garnered any more points by new year, I might be inclined to agree though.

[Lofthouse Lower]

Will we ever keep a clean sheet again?

Will we buy a defender or two to help out in January? Or will it be more strikers and attacking midfield players?

I can't help but think that we're so close to being really really solid to accompany our new found attacking finesse. But we're not quite there and concede to many goals, and we have the knack of being relatively solid then conceeding from nowhere. Sunderland being an example, Blacburn another. Saturday was a classic game where had we kept a clean sheet we'd probably have won the game in the last 20 minutes. Sunderland are a stodgy team who are very solid. Make them come out against you and I think we'd have had a reasonable chance on the break.

The more I think about it, the more I think Cahill wouldn't be as big a loss as people think if we found a centre back who is positionally more solid. I thought Bent and Gyan pulled him out of position far too often on Saturday. I don't think Cahill and Knight will ever be a solid partnership (they've had long enough and not looked solid yet) and I think the money from Cahill could buy us a new centre half, or even two with one being a good young 'un.

What do people think

Sell Cahill and Knight, and bring in two new 'uns. And a right back.

I have tried to ignore Knight's failings, his willingness to just hump it upfield, his lack of concentration and awareness etc, but I'm starting to think that he wants replacing too. Maybe it's just a knee-jerk reaction after Saturday, but I don't know.

Either way, the goalkeeper isn't the problem.

[BWFC_Insane]

Will we ever keep a clean sheet again?

Will we buy a defender or two to help out in January? Or will it be more strikers and attacking midfield players?

I can't help but think that we're so close to being really really solid to accompany our new found attacking finesse. But we're not quite there and concede to many goals, and we have the knack of being relatively solid then conceeding from nowhere. Sunderland being an example, Blacburn another. Saturday was a classic game where had we kept a clean sheet we'd probably have won the game in the last 20 minutes. Sunderland are a stodgy team who are very solid. Make them come out against you and I think we'd have had a reasonable chance on the break.

The more I think about it, the more I think Cahill wouldn't be as big a loss as people think if we found a centre back who is positionally more solid. I thought Bent and Gyan pulled him out of position far too often on Saturday. I don't think Cahill and Knight will ever be a solid partnership (they've had long enough and not looked solid yet) and I think the money from Cahill could buy us a new centre half, or even two with one being a good young 'un.

What do people think

Sell Cahill and Knight, and bring in two new 'uns. And a right back.

I have tried to ignore Knight's failings, his willingness to just hump it upfield, his lack of concentration and awareness etc, but I'm starting to think that he wants replacing too. Maybe it's just a knee-jerk reaction after Saturday, but I don't know.

Either way, the goalkeeper isn't the problem.

I don't think anyone ever suggested it was?

Oh and like you I'm coming round to thinking we need to replace Knight as well. Though I'd like to first see him with a different partner.

[Lofthouse Lower]

'Will we ever keep a clean sheet again' seemed to imply some Jussi-bashing, a not-unfair assumption methinks.

[BWFC_Insane]

'Will we ever keep a clean sheet again' seemed to imply some Jussi-bashing, a not-unfair assumption methinks.

Not at all on my part. I think he could have done better with Bents shot on Saturday, but Jussi is not the problem.

I don't mind that we concede more because as an attacking unit we're far better now and we're bound to be a bit more open.

But I think the back four makes so many errors and concedes what look like soft goals too often.

I think we'd get away with our fullbacks if our centre backs were more effective in partnership.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Cahill and Knight are near the top of the league for blocks and clearances. They do more than alright under the circumstances. We'll miss them when we go.

We could keep more clean sheets by adding a bit more defensive nous, perhaps replacing Elmo or Kev with say Gavin McCann.

Happy Christmas, Bolton fans; be careful what you ask Santa for.

[BWFC_Insane]

Cahill and Knight are near the top of the league for blocks and clearances. They do more than alright under the circumstances. We'll miss them when we go.

We could keep more clean sheets by adding a bit more defensive nous, perhaps replacing Elmo or Kev with say Gavin McCann.

Happy Christmas, Bolton fans; be careful what you ask Santa for.

Aye but I'm not asking for McCann to be plonked into midfield.

Perhaps Cahill and Knight are the best we can muster, but I can't help thinking a Bergsson/Whitlow partnership would keep more shut outs even with our new attacking outlook. Perhaps thats not the case. I don't know. A lot of the goals we seem to concede to appear entirely avoidable.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Perhaps Cahill and Knight are the best we can muster, but I can't help thinking a Bergsson/Whitlow partnership would keep more shut outs even with our new attacking outlook. Perhaps thats not the case. I don't know. A lot of the goals we seem to concede to appear entirely avoidable.

Did Bergsson and Whitlow ever play behind a four-man midfield for Allardyce?

How did Bergsson's experiences of playing behind a four-man midfield for Todd pan out?

We can't have everything. Cahill and Knight do very well considering the amount of pressure we invite by actuially, y'know, looking for goals. Even the full-backs surge forward. We could be looking much, much worse than we do. That is all.

[boltonboris]

Knight was horrible on Saturday. Cahill was constantly having to cover him and in effect was asked to do the work of 2 men. Knight does the most basic things wrong, doesn't hold the line, finds himself either too deep or too hight up, never in a good position.

His concentration levels are shocking. The way he just let Wellback in was terrible. He had absolutely no idea who or what was around him. Ricketss was culpable too, but not as much as Knight, who I thought had a torrid time all match.

[CAPSLOCK]

Two points...we could've conceded 3 or 4, easily

Our misses...Davies, early doors from Taylors pull back, Knight should've done better...then 15 sitters for Klasnic

We were clearly second best in a battle of 2 underperforming teams


re the goal - Bent deserves much more credit than he's getting...his touch and shot were excellent...any criticism of our keeper is bollocks...point blank volleys don't give the keeper any chance to react



Oh aye...we're a mid table team...we'll have good days, we'll have bad

I suspect we'll drop a few places in the coming weeks and finish 9-13

Perfectly acceptable

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Two points...we could've conceded 3 or 4, easily

Our misses...Davies, early doors from Taylors pull back, Knight should've done better...then 15 sitters for Klasnic

We were clearly second best in a battle of 2 underperforming teams


re the goal - Bent deserves much more credit than he's getting...his touch and shot were excellent...any criticism of our keeper is bollocks...point blank volleys don't give the keeper any chance to react



Oh aye...we're a mid table team...we'll have good days, we'll have bad

I suspect we'll drop a few places in the coming weeks and finish 9-13

Perfectly acceptable

Bolded point: of all matches, this was the one to raise a discrepancy; Craig Gordon's wonder save - I said on here immediately it was the best I've seen in a decade, and I stand by that – eventually proved the difference, notwithstanding some questionable refereeing (Sunlun's 4-3-3 would have folded like a cheap deckchair without their kicker-in-chief in the middle).

That said, I attach no blame to Jussi for the goal. In retrospect perhaps he flew a tad too far from his post but at the time he was brilliantly narrowing his angles in the manner of that purple-nosed Scandi who won rave reviews down the road for a horrid few years. Very unlucky that the striker intelligently hooked it back over him, and unlucky too that Knight was indeed ball-watching.

But perhaps like you say it's time more credit was given to the forwards. Bent was intelligent and Welbeck gambled. I wouldn't extrapolate that into Knight It Always Shite, because I've seen him save us on a few occasions, and but for Gordon's wonder-save he'd have been the hero up the other end.

Playing 4-4-2, and an attacking one at that with two wingers and two full-backs also encouraged to overlap, will always leave us in danger of conceding. Frankly I always expect us to concede, but these days maybe just one, while I'm always - what's that word? - confident that we'll score ourselves. We would have done but for a freakish reaction save, and we could have scored more than that but for an unusual lack of composure from Klasnic (and several unlucky bounces of the ball, &c).

Yes, we look like conceding, but we look more like scoring. I like that balance. That's why I've just shelled out on the ol' plastic to take a few family members down against West Brom. They actually want to go. Makes a nice change, that kind of thing.

[CAPSLOCK]

Instead of 'don't give' I'll offer 'shouldn't give'

Gordons was a great save, but it SHOULD have been a goal

[Armchair Wanderer]

It's been a joy to watch us at home this season. Even the goalless draw on the first game of the season was ok imho. Like OC said in one of the post-match interviews, everyone likes to see goals. People want wins aswell but I'd rather go for the win than set up defensively and hope for a draw.

[youwhat]

It's been a joy to watch us at home this season. Even the goalless draw on the first game of the season was ok imho. Like OC said in one of the post-match interviews, everyone likes to see goals. People want wins aswell but I'd rather go for the win than set up defensively and hope for a draw.

What was your excuse for the Blackburn game though? I watched it on TV and it was awful.

[BwfcDan]

It's been a joy to watch us at home this season. Even the goalless draw on the first game of the season was ok imho. Like OC said in one of the post-match interviews, everyone likes to see goals. People want wins aswell but I'd rather go for the win than set up defensively and hope for a draw.

What was your excuse for the Blackburn game though? I watched it on TV and it was awful.

Maybe because we were playing Big Sam's Blackburn,.. Le d*ckhead

[CAPSLOCK]

It's been a joy to watch us at home this season. Even the goalless draw on the first game of the season was ok imho. Like OC said in one of the post-match interviews, everyone likes to see goals. People want wins aswell but I'd rather go for the win than set up defensively and hope for a draw.

What was your excuse for the Blackburn game though? I watched it on TV and it was awful.

I've watched you recently against Everton, West Ham and us

You've stifled the life out of 2 games and should've lost the third, against Everton

[youwhat]

It's been a joy to watch us at home this season. Even the goalless draw on the first game of the season was ok imho. Like OC said in one of the post-match interviews, everyone likes to see goals. People want wins aswell but I'd rather go for the win than set up defensively and hope for a draw.

What was your excuse for the Blackburn game though? I watched it on TV and it was awful.

I've watched you recently against Everton, West Ham and us

You've stifled the life out of 2 games and should've lost the third, against Everton

Miss the Chelsea game did you?

[CAPSLOCK]

I did, yes

So, lets stick to the ones I saw

Off you go...........

[TKIZ!]

I had stuff to do that night, was it any good?