Bolton vs Chelsea

[BWFC_Wyles]

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

It was reminiscent of Pennant at Wembley. Horrendous to watch.

[clapton is god]

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

It was reminiscent of Pennant at Wembley. Horrendous to watch.

And at that moment, as he was running at us, he was faced with a flat-back nine. Reminiscent of M.... no, I can't even say it.

[boltonboris]

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...

If the fella could actually, ya know.. Hit the back of the net when 4 yards out with only a covering defender there, we wouldn't need to be talking about it.

It was a lazy finish to go with his lazy chipped effort. All the time in the world and he tries to be Eric Cantona

[TANGODANCER]

Might just be worth pointing out that despite the attentions of Terry and co, KD had a better game than he's admittedly had of late. No, he shouldn't be automatic selection and neither should anybody else, but he got the flick-ons in, controlled the ball quite well and made a few telling passes, oh, and scored a goal that was disallowed when all the angled replays showed it over the line. Sun ratings had N'gog top with Davies and Gardner joint second.

This "find a victim" hysterical stuff is getting a bit carried away with itself. We got a hammering because the defence was crap, nothing else. There was some decent football played in parts and we had chances. Five soft goals conceeded made us look rubbish, not the football.

[CAPSLOCK]

We got a hammering because the defence was crap, nothing else

You don't actually believe this, do you?

Y'know, really, actually, believe it

[BWFC_Insane]

We got a hammering because the defence was crap, nothing else

You don't actually believe this, do you?

Y'know, really, actually, believe it

He's right though that we didn't lost yesterday cos Davies missed a sitter.

To be fair to Davies, he did look better yesterday.

And for a change, actually interested.

[CAPSLOCK]

Think I said as much

A decent day for Davies yesterday and a role I'd be happy to see reprised

Didn't see his miss though, so can only imagine it was one of his regular touch of a rapist moments

My gripe is with the view that all our problems are down to the defence


Its the goalkeeper, the defence, the manager, the midfield, the coaches

Its just a complete and utter shambles

And y'know what, I'd love us to get 12 from the next 6 and maybe we will, but ffs, it'll be papering over some seismic cracks

[hisroyalgingerness]

Davo's "miss" was a delightful 20 yard chip-pass back to the keeper

[Verbal]

Davo's "miss" was a delightful 20 yard chip-pass back to the keeper

what about the t'other one?

[boltonboris]

Davo's "miss" was a delightful 20 yard chip-pass back to the keeper

what about the t'other one?

Wasn't really a miss as much, because it crossed the line. However he was 4 yards out (maximum) and he hit it with such feebleness, that the defender managed to cover about 8 yards to kick it away by the time it got a centimetre behind the line.

Feckin' superb defending though

[Wandering Willy]

I don't get angry much but for the first time since Megson's McCanngate I was not happy when I saw the team sheet with what I thought was going to be a 4-4-2 with KD and Ngog up top. Obviously not the case when we kicked off with KD taking up the RW position. He seemed to have a "good" first half with some decent touches and passes but it's clear he was given a lot of space. He is, however, totally devoid of pace and not suited to the RW position and for me should not start at all.

On the other wing Petrov was subject some vile abuse from some of the crowd which I found astonishing considering the product we were getting on the other side. Granted he seemed to go through a period where his passes were amiss but he worked his arse off yesterday and there are others on the pitch who could do with putting in the same effort. The boo boys have their new target so that's that.

Shocking marking by Steinsson for the first and we really need to get to grips with the game from the kickoff and concentrate - Arsenal's first goal came straight after the restart last week undoing the good effort from the first half. A couple of howlers from Bogdan and after half an hour we're down 4-0. Heads could have dropped then but I thought we did well to keep going and showed some better effort.

The change at half time was surprising for me as I thought Robbo was having a mare. Nevertheless, Knight came on and had his best 45 minutes of the season and Boyata seems to be a much better RB than CB. Ship steadied somewhat and we moved the ball a lot better particularly in the period after our goal. Unlucky not to be awarded a second and Eagles seemed lively and has a decent shot in his locker.

I'm not writing Bogdan off just yet. Tough game for him to come into and the worst possible start for his confidence conceding after 90 seconds, but the howlers are nothing we haven't seen from the number one keeper on a consistent basis recently. Bogdan has done well in the past covering for Jussi and kept a clean sheet at Villa. If OC has confidence in him I'd be tempted to start him at Wigan to get him back on the horse.

Been a horrendous start for us, but I've seen some signs of decent football in the side albeit few and fair between. We are keeping the ball down much more and are a better side when we do. The gulf between us and the top sides is ever increasing but we've enough there to give the rest a challenge. Time for players and fans alike to dig deep.

[Prufrock]

Fook me that were shite weren't it?! Took Ms Prufrock to her first Bolton game, whoops.

Should put to bed the Jussi 'debate'. I'm not ready to write Bogdan off full-stop, we've seen flashes of ability before, but any talk of him as number one keeper needs ditching. Mentally not ready. He should have been ready and raring to prove his point and cement that place, and instead he just looked, so, so nervous, even before the two absolute howlers. Still sees himself as the number two, and until he is ready to push for that place, Jussi, rightfully, number one.

David Luiz running 60 yards utterly unchallenged was an absolute fecking shambles. And he did it at least four times. The 'organisation' was a fecking joke. Those slagging NRC off this season, seriously, what the feck, best player by an absolute fecking mile, like, not even close, but even he was poor first half yesterday. The shape wasn't too bad, and I thought SKD had his best game for a long while. He wasn't there to beat Cole in a foot race, but was there to win headers, and he did that. Was also nice to see him using some fecking thought for once and getting at Luiz and Cole and avoiding Terry. I'd be dropping him at the moment, because his confidence looks shot and I think he, and the crowd, need him out of the limelight for a bit. He has never been convincing with the ball at his feet but fook me that attempted shot was the man whose confidence is shot. Is odd though, because confidence never seemed a particular problem with him. Not sure about blaming him for the second one, mainly because it went in, and I thought clearly, and in real time he seemed to hit it fairly well. Just seemed an unbelievable clearance at the time. Even if he didn't. Who was it, Ivanovic?

Robinson was shite yesterday, as was Steinsson. Though that first half was utter, utter wank. Why the feck is Ricardo Gardner starting in central midfield? For a start he isn't half the midfielder Fabrice (what has he done wrong) is, before we get on to him being, certainly at the moment, a massive improvement on Robinson. He seemed tasked with man marking Mata first half, who was playing on their left wing, so leaving a HUUUUUGE gap for Luiz to stroll into. Also, I don't get this Petrov business. In fairness to him, he is trying to track back, he deserves stick for his effort a lot less this season than he did last, but then he can't get himself dropped for fan favourite Taylor to get himself back in folks' affections this year. Unfortunately he is shit at any defending. The thing I don't get though, is what he is supposedly offering going forwards? Set pieces aside, how many goals have we scored from this potent attacking force? His set piece delivery has been good, and fair play for the bottle against Norwich, but if all we want him for is set pieces and penalties then we as well have kept Taylor! I'm not for binning Petrov completely, although I would short term whilst we get some solidarity, but this idea he can be excused not defending because he is a creative genius is just a load of bollocks.

N'Gog, hmmmm. Looks very promising. Tidy outside the box, quick feet, mobile, positive. Still, one header against Norwich aside, not looked like scoring, but certainly seems the best of our front lot at the moment. Could be the partner Klasnic needs, and of the other three, he is the one I'd be picking right now. Yon Frenchman our best player until bizarrely withdrawn, did NOT understand that at all.

Not convinced by Tuncay, not at all. Not even convinced Coyle actually wanted him. Will see. Still plenty of time.

[Worthy4England]

Agree with much of that Pru, although Peter Schmeichal (?) would probably look a bit fooking shakey behind our defence at the minute.

N'Gog. Not sure about him at the minute (without being negative), but like Pratley, Eagles and Tuncay, I'm not sure what exactly they do at the minute.

Petrov, I've been very critical of, but I think he's really trying this season. Opta has him on 64 crosses. That's 10 per game - maybe someone needs to get on the end of them?

[Wandering Willy]

I suspect that NGog was tiring and rather than risk a strain OC pulled him. At 5-1 not a big deal and gives Tuncay a run.

[BWFC_Insane]

Pretty good summary there Pru. I don't think Petrov is excused from defending because he's an attacking genius, but I think people recognise he's basically our only attacking force that looks even half like creating a chance, or going past his man.

[Armchair Wanderer]

Petrov, I've been very critical of, but I think he's really trying this season. Opta has him on 64 crosses. That's 10 per game - maybe someone needs to get on the end of them?

Boyata Boyata!!

If we win at Wigan I'll be convinced that this was just down to playing the big boys and Norwich. If we lose at Wigan I'll be worried.

[Prufrock]

His effort has been a lot better this year, yet he still can't defend. That, and we aren't scoring from any of this attacking work. It might be that we don't have the players that are going to attack crosses, I don't think we do, but event though it might not be his fault, all this attacking work is getting us nowhere, and he still can't defend.

[BWFC_Insane]

His effort has been a lot better this year, yet he still can't defend. That, and we aren't scoring from any of this attacking work. It might be that we don't have the players that are going to attack crosses, I don't think we do, but event though it might not be his fault, all this attacking work is getting us nowhere, and he still can't defend.

Ermm did he not get an assist yesterday?

Fact is take Petrov out and we have a slow, ponderous midfield with no creativity or spark whatsoever. What we need to do is for Robinson to start doing what he's paid to do instead of running away from the ball every time a winger or striker playing out wide comes near him.

[Tombwfc]

Since the opening day we've scored 7 goals in the games Petrov has played in (which is all of them bar Villa in the cup). He's scored two, has three assists and was directly involved in Klasnic's goal at Liverpool.

No-one slated him more than me last season, and he can't defend, but he is delivering (moreso than anyone else anyway) going forward. If Reo-Coker, who doesn't stop us conceding and is incapable of attacking, is our player of the season (by a mile), then why is it so bad for Petrov to be incapable of defending given he sets up or scores nearly all of our goals?

He's not fantastic by any means, but with Lee out he's just about all we've got.

[Prufrock]

Aye, from a set piece. Might as well have kept Taylor, who can defend. Yes he is positive, but, in open play, that isn't getting as anywhere, and as such, I don't see how his place can be justified given how exposed he leaves Robinson. Yes, Robinson has been poor recently, but if Gardner isn't playing there, he is our best LB. So somehow we have to make that work. Clearly Petrov in front of Robinson doesn't work. I'm not talking about binning him off completely, but at the moment his leaving of Robinson exposed, who can't cope with it, isn't worth two assists from open play.