Bolton vs Chelsea

[BWFC_Insane]

At least with Megson, Big Sam when it was going wrong and even Sammy Lee, you could always see what they were trying to do. It might have been negative, it might have been completely naive, it might've just been to piss everybody off, but there was a rough idea of what they were going for.

With Owen at the minute, there's none of that. How can the side who started the game against Arsenal last week (albeit Wheater is suspended and Jussi injured) be the right XI then, but not today? Why are some players dropped at random (Mavies and Muamba in particular) while others contribute little every week and stay in the side?

That's not even starting on the complete lack of organisation, both defensively and even going forward. For all his faults, we're completely reliant on Petrov putting crosses in. There is nothing else.

It just smacks of complete desperation, and no doubt there will be another random rotation for the Wigan game. Cahill and Jussi will start, but who knows about the other 9, or what formation we'll try.

Aye completely agree, and he's playing the hokey cokey with some players like Knight!

In out, in out, shake it all about!

[lovethesmellofnapalm]

really really shocked at OC team selection today. 4-5-1 - good idea but with Davies wide right and Ricky playing centre mid- ffs how was that going to even come close to working? wtf is wrong with playing 2 holding midfielders?
was Muamba injured?

Robinson- an absolute joke
Petrov- ditto.
They are as bad as each other in my book.
One can point but cant defend - the other looks like he can play but cant be fecked.

Difficult selection for Coyle now against Wiggin- stick to the old guard -Davies, Steinsonn, Robinson etc and we will probably get humped.
pick a clearly not match sharp Tuncay and inexperienced/unproven Eagles/Pratley we will probably get humped.

so not looking too good really.....

[officer_dibble]

really really shocked at OC team selection today. 4-5-1 - good idea but with Davies wide right and Ricky playing centre mid- ffs how was that going to even come close to working? wtf is wrong with playing 2 holding midfielders?
was Muamba injured?

Muamba was sub, so no

Your right re Gardner, been bugging me over me tea...when did he become a centre mid? (he isnt)
why cant he play at left back, like at villa (our most recent clean sheet)?

Davies wide right was a fecking joke, against ashley cole? they could have nailed coles boots to the ground and he'd still beat Davies for pace

I smacked my head LL style and said 442 when i saw the team mind....I seriously think Davies nobbled Coyle this week and told Coyle he played wide right under BSA...problem with that was the last time he did that Coyle was probably still pulling a salary as a centre forward.

[Athers]

Just a quick point as we all know how crap that first half was and I'm sure it's been covered above.

I cannot believe how surprised our team (and therefore management) seemed to be that David Luiz likes to carry the ball out of defence. Do they watch Match of the Day? Never mind the scores of £thousands on that ProZone subscription.

It's not exactly a secret weapon and an unchecked marauding run from the back is the same bloody thing Phil Jones did to us - Luiz was allowed to do it 6 times in the first half hour and as a result scored 2 goals. No preparation for something as trademark as that worries me, sod going 'Toe to Toe'!

[CAPSLOCK]

I thought Kevin Davies had his best 45 minutes of the season today

No problem with him there at Wigan

Muamba for Gardner

I'm with Will...solidity

[lovethesmellofnapalm]

I thought Kevin Davies had his best 45 minutes of the season today

No problem with him there at Wigan

Muamba for Gardner

I'm with Will...solidity

and he'd probably do all right against Gary Caldwell.... but its a backward step.
N'Gog is the answer.

[hisroyalgingerness]

First or second half out of interest?

Thought they gave him loads of space in the first, and we were unlucky not to take advantage of it. If only we weren't leaking goals LRC at the other end

[Athers]

Did have to laugh at his Johan Cruyff-style attempted chip though. Come on Kev.

[CAPSLOCK]

I thought Kevin Davies had his best 45 minutes of the season today

No problem with him there at Wigan

Muamba for Gardner

I'm with Will...solidity

and he'd probably do all right against Gary Caldwell.... but its a backward step.
N'Gog is the answer.

NGog isn't the answer to who should play on the right of a 5

[lovethesmellofnapalm]

No Eagles plays there. Round pegs and all that

[Verbal]

The distance Luiz travelled for the fourth...blimey.

[Holden midfielder]

Until we get the left side sorted we are in big trouble, I don't care who we play Chelsea or Buxley School Boys.

Robbo is in over his head, he can scream and yell at whoever he wants but he gets beaten for pace and easily pulled out of position. How many times in the past 5 weeks have we seen the CB get pulled over to his side and the middle left wide open for a runner to exploit?

[William the White]

Until we get the left side sorted we are in big trouble, I don't care who we play Chelsea or Buxley School Boys.

Robbo is in over his head, he can scream and yell at whoever he wants but he gets beaten for pace and easily pulled out of position. How many times in the past 5 weeks have we seen the CB get pulled over to his side and the middle left wide open for a runner to exploit?

Why we need Gardner instead of Petrov in front of Robbo...

And there is no left back better than Robbo at the club and fit... So all the stuff about binning him is redundant...

I admit it's possible to imagine Gardner there... But you have Petrov in front of Gardner... Or Gardner in front of Robbo... I know which I choose... And the second half today showed what it might look like... Reassuring (it shouldn't have taken us gong 4-0 down to make that switch!)

[bobo the clown]

I am shell shocked by that first half. It's takem me this long to even open my laptop and I can't watch MotD.

Just a curiosity question .... did that Davies effort actually cross the line ? It seemed to for me. The lino was properly placed but made NO attempt to make a decision. He just doped there till the ref made a decision for him. Wrongly I think.

Not that it matters, overall, just fancied asking.

[William the White]

I am shell shocked by that first half. It's takem me this long to even open my laptop and I can't watch MotD.

Just a curiosity question .... did that Davies effort actually cross the line ? It seemed to for me. The lino was properly placed but made NO attempt to make a decision. He just doped there till the ref made a decision for him. Wrongly I think.

Not that it matters, overall, just fancied asking.

It was a goal...

[irie Cee Bee]

I am shell shocked by that first half. It's takem me this long to even open my laptop and I can't watch MotD.

Just a curiosity question .... did that Davies effort actually cross the line ? It seemed to for me. The lino was properly placed but made NO attempt to make a decision. He just doped there till the ref made a decision for him. Wrongly I think.

Not that it matters, overall, just fancied asking.

It matters to me because believe it or not. he is still in my fantasy team.

The nightmare (fixture list) is now over. Let the games begin.

[Holden midfielder]

Defo a goal, the announcers agreed on the Telly. I back OC 100% but I just can't understand the team selection or tactics. The manager's job is to get the players ready to play and more often than not we look lost and not ready in the first 45 minutes. When you do this against ManUre or Chelsea you get a hiding. Norwich fookin' City have played both of those two tough on the road and kept their honor whereas we have gotten a hiding on our home patch. This is not good enough. The problem with being a "players manager" is that unless you have the tactical acumen your message/ motivation will begin to ring hollow with professionals if your training is amateurish and you don't have a solid game plan. Could the the rumours or Chinese whispers be true? We don't prep for our opponent and just have a kick about?

[Vertigo]

I hear a lot of defence of Petrov being our only attacking option. The problem is, he had a 10 minute period in the second half where he could not find a teammate with a pass! Constantly lost possession for a good 10-15 minutes. If that isn't a good reason to sub then I don't know what is.

As much as I don't rate Muamba too highly, I think we need him back in the starting 11. He might not be the best on the ball, but he has a good work rate and he's good at shutting down the opposition.

As long as we can stop leaking goals, a bunch of 3 pointers aren't too far away.

[GrimReaper]

What worries me is our now lack of confidence, we really have been stitched up with these fixtures but after saying that the rot started last season not this, OK so the season starts at Wigan but if they happen to score first I can see the heads dropping, losing becomes a habit as much as a good winning run no matter who you are.
Oh and I would definatley play Muamba, He is damn good at what he does, he tackles and frustrates and gives 100% and you cant say that about many of our lads at the moment.

[boltonboris]

Amazing how many people think Gardner is a shit central midfielder despite being our best player yesterday. In fairness though, I do get that. Best left back at the club, he is.

Oh yeah, and if Boyata is a centre back by trade, he's not gonna makebtye grade anywhere. Decent full back, but a fookin nightmare in the middle. Knight proportions.