Rams to the slaughter?

[Jakerbeef]

Maybe. If we've binned Knight off.

Baby steps.

[Lord Kangana]

If we fail to win tomorrow it's our worst start since 1902.

Dougie Freedman record breaker.

Is this official?

Its fairly damning if so. We could argue around the houses about ifs and buts, but, tellingly, this most certainly isn't the worst squad I've seen in my lifetime.

[CrazyHorse]

I went through every season back from '63 in my dinnertime yesterday, and the last time we didn't win a game in the first seven was 1902. Plus the beeb is saying something similar too...

• Bolton have made their worst start to a league season in 50 years, and defeat against Derby would see them on their lowest equivalent points total since starting the 1902/03 top-flight season with seven straight defeats.

So yeah.

[bobo the clown]

Did we get promoted in 1902/3 ??

[Lord Kangana]

So definitively the worst start at this level ever then? (Or, question, when was the second division created?)

[CrazyHorse]

Did we get promoted in 1902/3 ??

Dunno.
But apparently the Ye Olde Bedsheete Shoppe did a roaring trade that year though.

[Lord Kangana]

It was a top flight season. It'd have been a special season indeed if we'd have managed that.

[Jez]

Still that's what happens when you give someone with only five minutes managerial experience themselves the job of sorting out Owen Coyle's mess. He desperately signs 300 strikers and gives Zat Knight a promotion. That's the sort of thing a nine year old boy would do on football manager.

In that five minutes he took a side destined for relegation and built a squad that went on to be promoted, he also took us from 16th to within goal difference of the play-offs. He was the messiah to some last season and now we're in september and people want him chucked out?

He's earned time, tonights result wasnt great but it was a small step.

[LeverEnd]

Tonight was a lot better than I expected, but we still have a long way to go to be even a solid mid-table side which is very disappointing.
Derby were awful in that second half and we should have taken the momentum of the equaliser and beaten them, but our forwards play with fear and indecision, and out defence is still nothing like a tight unit.
My assessment of the team would be as follows:

Boggers 5 One very good save but indecisive at times, poor communication and a couple of spills he got away with
Baptiste 5 Positional sense an absolute joke. looks nothing like a full-back to me. Good goal again though.
Tierney 7 Lacking in quality at times but got forward defended ok and looks like he wants to win
Wheater 6 Slow and immobile but competed

[Whookam]

Still that's what happens when you give someone with only five minutes managerial experience themselves the job of sorting out Owen Coyle's mess. He desperately signs 300 strikers and gives Zat Knight a promotion. That's the sort of thing a nine year old boy would do on football manager.

In that five minutes he took a side destined for relegation and built a squad that went on to be promoted, he also took us from 16th to within goal difference of the play-offs. He was the messiah to some last season and now we're in september and people want him chucked out?

He's earned time, tonights result wasnt great but it was a small step.

What do you think is an acceptable points total after 10 games?

[LeverEnd]

Tonight was a lot better than I expected, but we still have a long way to go to be even a solid mid-table side which is very disappointing.
Derby were awful in that second half and we should have taken the momentum of the equaliser and beaten them, but our forwards play with fear and indecision, and out defence is still nothing like a tight unit.
My assessment of the team would be as follows:

Boggers 5 One very good save but indecisive at times, poor communication and a couple of spills he got away with
Baptiste 5 Positional sense an absolute joke. looks nothing like a full-back to me. Good goal again though.
Tierney 7 Lacking in quality at times but got forward defended ok and looks like he wants to win
Wheater 6 Slow and immobile but competed OK
Mills 6 solid but just lacking in skill or viison.Solid will do me though
Ream 7 Not as influential this time but played well again, nice driving run for 2nd goal.
Spearing 7 Not at his best but tough tackling and committed. looks like a captain
Lee 7 Worked hard, some nice touched, but still a bit shy going forward
Hall 5 Showed very little other than a tendency to dive. Missing for long periods.
Eagles 8 Played well, MOM and tried to make things happen. Didn't always work but cracking goal
Beckford 2 Absolutely atrocious. Lazy, crap touch, can't head, can't beat a man. What a joke.

[Jez]

Still that's what happens when you give someone with only five minutes managerial experience themselves the job of sorting out Owen Coyle's mess. He desperately signs 300 strikers and gives Zat Knight a promotion. That's the sort of thing a nine year old boy would do on football manager.

In that five minutes he took a side destined for relegation and built a squad that went on to be promoted, he also took us from 16th to within goal difference of the play-offs. He was the messiah to some last season and now we're in september and people want him chucked out?

He's earned time, tonights result wasnt great but it was a small step.

What do you think is an acceptable points total after 10 games?

Nothing that Dougie can achieve. I'm not defending the start the team has made, its a total disaster and nowhere close to being good enough. I just think that knee-jerk sackings are a bad reaction and dougie deserves a lot more time than 10 games, thats less than a quarter of the season.

Besides, we cant afford to pay loanee wages, where is the money to pay off dougie coming from?

[Tombwfc]

Tonight was an improvement, but we're talking about an improvement on a side that had just lost four on the bounce. We were always going to improve to some extent. We are still a million miles away from being playoff contenders.

We now would have to win the next three consecutive games to better the points total that got Owen Coyle sacked, while we already need over 1.8 points per game to scrape a playoff spot.

[SmokinFrazier]

Something needs to change quickly. We've dropped far too many points this season already and the gap between us and the other playoff contenders is growing at a worrying rate. Derby should be getting beaten soundly by us, so whilst a draw is an improvement, it's still a long, long way away from what should be happening. I have a feeling that by the time Freedman is sacked, the only goal will be to avoid relegation. By the time everyone else has played their 7th game, we could be 11 points away from the playoffs with no sign of a turnaround.

[TANGODANCER]

Derby should be getting beaten soundly by us, so whilst a draw is an improvement, it's still a long, long way away from what should be happening.

Based on what exactly, club name? Tranmere didn't get beaten soundly by us, Blackburn certainly didnt. Oh,we haven't won a game yet out of seven played! Face it, winning at all will be a relief never mind winning soundly. What exactly defines what should be happening?

[Bruce Rioja]

I went through every season back from '63 in my dinnertime yesterday, and the last time we didn't win a game in the first seven was 1902. Plus the beeb is saying something similar too...

• Bolton have made their worst start to a league season in 50 years, and defeat against Derby would see them on their lowest equivalent points total since starting the 1902/03 top-flight season with seven straight defeats.

So yeah.

So not yeah. We didn't lose.

[wanderers_on_tour]

Was Craig Davies injured for this one?

Although he's technically not the greatest I really like the guy and hope he gets a fair crack if Beckford isn't putting a shift in as is the word from tonight.

[TANGODANCER]

I went through every season back from '63 in my dinnertime yesterday, and the last time we didn't win a game in the first seven was 1902. Plus the beeb is saying something similar too...

• Bolton have made their worst start to a league season in 50 years, and defeat against Derby would see them on their lowest equivalent points total since starting the 1902/03 top-flight season with seven straight defeats.

So yeah.

So not yeah. We didn't lose.

Did you get there Bruce? What's your take on tonight?

[LeverEnd]

Something needs to change quickly. We've dropped far too many points this season already and the gap between us and the other playoff contenders is growing at a worrying rate. Derby should be getting beaten soundly by us, so whilst a draw is an improvement, it's still a long, long way away from what should be happening. I have a feeling that by the time Freedman is sacked, the only goal will be to avoid relegation. By the time everyone else has played their 7th game, we could be 11 points away from the playoffs with no sign of a turnaround.

I think the playoffs are so unlikely as to be not worth thinking about. On form this season it's Derby who should be beating us, but they were there for the taking in that 2nd half and we just didn't do enough.
It just comes down to whether we can afford to get a decent manager in, and whether a different manager would get something more out of these players. I expect there are a fair few who could, but can we attract/afford them? I've lost faith in Dougie but think we should only sack him if he's lost the players and we're in serious danger of going down. Simply because I don't think it will make much difference.
Yes we have players with big reputations and lots of caps, but I think they are on the slide and have little left to offer in many cases. Jobbing pros picking up a wage.

[William the White]

The first half was even - we score two from outside the box - they score two from two yards says something... like spectacular goals are great, but comparatively rare... Little gimmes a la McGinlay are truly precious...

The second half was dull, dull, dull... Was horrible rreally...

Spearing, Ream and CYL deserve credit for tonight... Eagles huge, huge credit for the first half... I haven't the slightest idea what is going on with Beckford... launching balls to him like we did with SKD is stupid, but that doesn't stop us doing it... But he isn't making runs, he isn't showing daring, mobility, desire... I haven't the slightest idea what he is supposed to be as a striker... A mystery inside a puzzle...

Mills is not exactly great...

We could have lost, we could have won... But at home against Derby County? I'd have expected the three points before the season started - now I really don't expect anything very much... Except tedium in the second half...