Common Denominators....Versus Norwich City at the Unibol, Sat. 16th Feb, 3 O' clock

[Bruce Rioja]

No Bolton player completed more passes than Norwich’s Mo Leitner (39) in 90 minutes in today’s game..

Leitner was on the field for 10 minutes.

Utterly out-thought, out-manoeuvred and out-played. However, our season isn't won or lost against the likes of Norwich and Leeds.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

No Bolton player completed more passes than Norwich’s Mo Leitner (39) in 90 minutes in today’s game..

Leitner was on the field for 10 minutes.

For the record, per WhoScored, that tweet wasn't true - Murphy and Lowe completed more than Mo. But yes, it says something rather frightening.

Or, looked at the other way, something promising about potential. Last season we beat Norwich at home and held them away; this term they've been exemplary. Things can change for the better as well as worse.

[Jugs]

How we could have done with an easier game to follow the Birmingham win to allow us the chance to gather a bit of momentum. Norwich and Leeds are literally the two teams we would have preferred to have avoided.

[TANGODANCER]

How we could have done with an easier game to follow the Birmingham win to allow us the chance to gather a bit of momentum. Norwich and Leeds are literally the two teams we would have preferred to have avoided.

Whilst accepting and agreeing with that Jugs, that were a few things we could have done to lose by an odd goal, maybe two, and not seem so inadequate. Playing the offside trap was one. Wheater, Beavers and Jason Lowe are decent players with the ball coming at them. With players (or a foot race) against the likes of Pukki and co doing it, it was suicidal. We looked silly, the space we gave them and paid the price in spades. Apart from our front men not getting support (nothing new there), their defensive tactics were to attack any one of ours going for otr getting the ball, mob handed. We still operate the hold-off, almost man for man marking tactic and against clever ball players that's looking poor too. In reality, we were never at the races and whilst not the best we're at least better than that. Nobody will acept any blame, using the "poor old no money Bolton" excuse, but really it's the plan or lack of that's the problem. Just what sort of homework Parky does I can't begin to imagine.

[bristol_Wanderer3]

This must have been one of the most one-sided games ever in the Championship. A fair scoreline would've been somewhere between 0-8 and 0-10. Matthews had a wonderful game.

And the Preston game also should've been 0-5 or 0-6.

We are getting smashed to pieces at home by teams with quick attacking players, and who can move the ball well enough to get into passing positions 30-50 yards out. As long as mid table Brentford have taken their foot of the gas in late April, we shouldn't have too many more of those kind of teams left, thankfully.

[TANGODANCER]

Maybe we should try a bit more of this..?

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... er-united/

[Bruce Rioja]

Just watched the highlights again. Their second goal is a work of beauty. I'm not sure any side in our division could've lived with Norwich on Saturday.

[BWFC_Insane]

Just watched the highlights again. Their second goal is a work of beauty. I'm not sure any side in our division could've lived with Norwich on Saturday.

I think that is broadly right. But few would have made it quite so easy at times. I don't know if its general lack of fight, togetherness or a lack of a goalscorer that makes everything a struggle but generally I suspect a mix of the three.

We were outclassed last season and even outfought at times but at no point did I think they'd given up totally, even in the worst of runs.....this season - I just feel that since mid-September the mood altered....and the early spirit and run for each other togetherness dripped away.

[Bruce Rioja]

Just watched the highlights again. Their second goal is a work of beauty. I'm not sure any side in our division could've lived with Norwich on Saturday.

I think that is broadly right. But few would have made it quite so easy at times. I don't know if its general lack of fight, togetherness or a lack of a goalscorer that makes everything a struggle but generally I suspect a mix of the three.

We were outclassed last season and even outfought at times but at no point did I think they'd given up totally, even in the worst of runs.....this season - I just feel that since mid-September the mood altered....and the early spirit and run for each other togetherness dripped away.

Definitely agree with that last part. I'm watching players who don't want the ball, who are looking at the floor when our keeper's got hold of it and who are hiding at throw-ins. I can live with a lack of ability, but not a lack of effort.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

We were outclassed last season and even outfought at times but at no point did I think they'd given up totally, even in the worst of runs.....this season - I just feel that since mid-September the mood altered....and the early spirit and run for each other togetherness dripped away.

Definitely agree with that last part. I'm watching players who don't want the ball, who are looking at the floor when our keeper's got hold of it and who are hiding at throw-ins. I can live with a lack of ability, but not a lack of effort.

Question: Is 'effort' quite the right word? It sounds like it's more about confidence, or more bluntly, balls. If players are going hiding it's not always because they're lazy - for instance, they might run their arse off to defend; the examples you give are in possession rather than out of it - it's often the related but separate problem of fearing failure. Hence the thrill of Luca - someone saying "give me the ball, I'll have a go". He hasn't yet been battered down by life's vicissitudes. To chime back in on the consensus, that's something which can only be fixed by management (and fortune).

[officer_dibble]

1 booking probably tells a story as well - we should have been rattling the sheep botherers with challenges, not standing and clappingg. The club is rotten to the core!

[TANGODANCER]

Rotherham, Reading ( who play each other Saturday and a draw would be our best option) and even Ipswich, (away to Wigan,) all have bearings on our immediate future. If we should lose then a win for either of the first two can see them climb away. Not the best scenario.

[Enoch]

If players are going hiding it's not always because they're lazy...

...it's often the related but separate problem of fearing failure.

Fancy I've seen plenty of lads shrink once they've been harangued by the Reebok, Macron, University of Bolton Stadium faithful for a few weeks.

[BWFC_Insane]

We were outclassed last season and even outfought at times but at no point did I think they'd given up totally, even in the worst of runs.....this season - I just feel that since mid-September the mood altered....and the early spirit and run for each other togetherness dripped away.

Definitely agree with that last part. I'm watching players who don't want the ball, who are looking at the floor when our keeper's got hold of it and who are hiding at throw-ins. I can live with a lack of ability, but not a lack of effort.

Question: Is 'effort' quite the right word? It sounds like it's more about confidence, or more bluntly, balls. If players are going hiding it's not always because they're lazy - for instance, they might run their arse off to defend; the examples you give are in possession rather than out of it - it's often the related but separate problem of fearing failure. Hence the thrill of Luca - someone saying "give me the ball, I'll have a go". He hasn't yet been battered down by life's vicissitudes. To chime back in on the consensus, that's something which can only be fixed by management (and fortune).

I don't think we've got a load of rotten eggs who can't be bothered. I think its been the situation round the club and perhaps a lack of leaders on the pitch to bring the group together. Last season there was a feeling of "we're not good enough but we'll scrap through adversity" 20 goals from 2 strikers clearly helped that belief....

This season I just get the feeling that as much as they try and raise themselves they can't help shake the "resigned" feeling and a lot of the time they are ultimately going through the motions.

[TANGODANCER]

One of my favourite films is "The Big Country". I think about it every time I see the spaces behind our defence.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

we should have been rattling the sheep botherers with challenges

Sheep? Norwich? Methinks you've muddled your regional 'bestiality' and 'incest' stereotypes, Dibs...

I don't think we've got a load of rotten eggs who can't be bothered. I think its been the situation round the club and perhaps a lack of leaders on the pitch to bring the group together. Last season there was a feeling of "we're not good enough but we'll scrap through adversity" 20 goals from 2 strikers clearly helped that belief....

This season I just get the feeling that as much as they try and raise themselves they can't help shake the "resigned" feeling and a lot of the time they are ultimately going through the motions.

Agreed. Much as he annoyed me by being a walking yellow card, I can't help thinking we've missed Karl Henry this year. Maybe even, God forbid, Pru's favourite Pratley - awful footballer, but he seemed very popular with team-mates, and we've certainly got worse without him.

Christ, that it should come to this.

[Prufrock]

Good lord no!

The problem is the top end of the pitch. All the spirit in the world disappears if all your work goes unrewarded because you can't score goals. It's exhausting to keep playing ok, staying in games and then coming away with nothing because of one mistake.

[BWFC_Insane]

Good lord no!

The problem is the top end of the pitch. All the spirit in the world disappears if all your work goes unrewarded because you can't score goals. It's exhausting to keep playing ok, staying in games and then coming away with nothing because of one mistake.

I think its partly that. But defensively we're worse than last season. And even when we struggled for goals last season we were often hard to break down. I go to games now thinking "when the opposition score we're doomed" not "if".

[Lost Leopard Spot]

We're doomed.
I keep reading the BN expecting to see Ameobi, Alnwick, and Vela have broken away and formed the Bolton Independent Wanderers FC

[Jugs]

I think everyone has finally realised that, despite all the hype and conjecture at the start of the season, this squad is actually worse than last years, and that letting a certain striker go and not playing to his strengths (rather than trying to get him to play to PP's tactical 'strengths') was a huge mistake.

However, while I bemoaned the lack of firepower at the end of August, and while the writing seems to be on the wall atm, and while Parky frustrates the living crap out of me at times, I'm still hoping against hope that we pull off one final escape act, stay up, get taken over, install a new manager for next season - and march onwards

As such, I'm going to get behind the team and - begrudgingly - the manager from now till the end of the season (unless he does something to really piss me off again lol) and let's hope we pull it off.