Before Stoke scored and Howard Webb

[ratters]

Lets get some perspective on a disastrous day. Owen is right, we were on top until Stoke scored, with their first attack and from a pass from Robbo.
Before that Huth had strangled Kev in the box under Webb's nose with no penalty. 1-0 to Bolton at that stage would have completely changed the game. Also Jones was backing into our defenders all the time and usually being given the free kick from Webb.
This gave Stoke momentum which allowed them to control the game.
What was inexcusable was our capitulation after the second goal. OK, selection was wrong and nobody ever picked up the second ball. Stoke played like Bolton under Sam but we should have expected that.
Moving on, we are 8th, have a good manager, who will get good players in. We have something to build on so lets look forward to next season.

[seanworth]

I was quite happy how we started. Surprised even, as I was sceptical that Elmander would enjoy the same success as against a 4-3-3 West Ham. After the first goal, which was totally against the run of play we lost a bit, then after the second goal it just continued on a downhill spiral. Klasnic was poor but he was one of the reasons we got as far as we did. The defenders just looked shell shocked. Still it was a great ride until we ran out of track.

[Raven]

Of course its all the refs fault, did he tell us to give in, tell them to show no committment and that they did not really have to try, we were never on top was about even then they scored and we then carried on going from bad to worse.

[Il Pirate]

Couldn't see it from where I was in real time, but on the highlights, it's a clear stonewall penalty against Davo. Webb stood 9 feet away with a clear uninterupted view. He feckin' bottled it. That said, I still think we'd have struggled if it had been given/scored.

[Prufrock]

Aye, there's that nagging what if. It's about four penalties. I still think they'd have had too much though. But maybe an early goal for us would have done what the early three did for them.....

[boltonboris]

We'll never know what being awarded an early penalty would've done for us, but with the way our players bottled this game, I've no confidence we'd have scored it.. Which would have just been like conceding.

[Lofthouse Lower]

Been saying it for years - Howard Webb is shite.

Though I recently discovered it was he who sent off Akin Bulent vs Bury....

[hi there, i'm chris]

I've been told by someone who is most definitely in the know that he's best mates with the head of officials, one Mike Riley.

Says it all really.

[BWFC_Insane]

That was the first time we've lost in a game Webb was reffing for about 3 years. He's a tit Webb but I don't think he's been particularly bad for us down the years.

It looked a penalty on Davies but I don't remember much complaint from the players and I can't bare to watch it again to confirm that!

An early goal for us may well have changed what happened completely, probably would have.

Like the way people say the Stoke opener was "completely against the run of play" though, we'd only had 10 minutes and they'd had a corner and a shot from Jones (albeit over the bar) in that time. Yes we were marginally the better side but the game hadn't developed any kind of pattern yet. It sure had by the time Huth's went in!

[Zulus Thousand of em]

I've been told by someone who is most definitely in the know that he's best mates with the head of officials, one Mike Riley.

Says it all really.

I'm not sure it says anything.

[hi there, i'm chris]

I've been told by someone who is most definitely in the know that he's best mates with the head of officials, one Mike Riley.

Says it all really.

I'm not sure it says anything.

Really? You don't think there's a slight chance that Mr Webb could be influenced by the guy who, based on the matches he had with us, hated us?

[Choppers]

LOL, no.

[Zulus Thousand of em]

I've been told by someone who is most definitely in the know that he's best mates with the head of officials, one Mike Riley.

Says it all really.

I'm not sure it says anything.

Really? You don't think there's a slight chance that Mr Webb could be influenced by the guy who, based on the matches he had with us, hated us?

No, based on my view that your conviction that Riley hated us is a flight of fancy.

[hi there, i'm chris]

Did you not see the games he refereed us?!

[a1]

that fecking everton freekick made me hope he gets cock cancer

[Zulus Thousand of em]

Did you not see the games he refereed us?!

Yes I did, most of them anyway.

It's just the concept of the pair of them sitting down over their skinny lattes and shortbreads to discuss stitching us up that I find a tad difficult to take on board.

Still, the internet's a good place for a conspiracy theory. No matter how far-fetched.

[Lofthouse Lower]

It's not just a good place, it's the PERFECT place

[ohjimmyjimmy]

Does make you wonder though why the world cup final refereee no less, can stand a few feet unobscured from an attempted strangulation on Kevin Davies and decide it was merely handbags, or 6 of one, or some other shite...anyhoo, i guess its more that hes a crap ref and a tosser as opposed to anti-bolton.

[hi there, i'm chris]

Did you not see the games he refereed us?!

Yes I did, most of them anyway.

It's just the concept of the pair of them sitting down over their skinny lattes and shortbreads to discuss stitching us up that I find a tad difficult to take on board.

Still, the internet's a good place for a conspiracy theory. No matter how far-fetched.

Haha, imagine them sitting there, pen and paper, planning the best way to screw us

Obviously I'm not saying it's going that far, but the person I know (just fyi, you would know him too if I told you who it was, not that I'm going to ) has told me they're best mates, therefore I don't think Webb being slightly influenced by Riley isn't too far fetched, since this guy has also told me referee's can be biased, despite being as professional as they can be.

[Gary the Enfield]

Did you not see the games he refereed us?!

Yes I did, most of them anyway.

It's just the concept of the pair of them sitting down over their skinny lattes and shortbreads to discuss stitching us up that I find a tad difficult to take on board.

Still, the internet's a good place for a conspiracy theory. No matter how far-fetched.

Haha, imagine them sitting there, pen and paper, planning the best way to screw us

Obviously I'm not saying it's going that far, but the person I know (just fyi, you would know him too if I told you who it was, not that I'm going to ) has told me they're best mates, therefore I don't think Webb being slightly influenced by Riley isn't too far fetched, since this guy has also told me referee's can be biased, despite being as professional as they can be.

So, are you trying to say it was a poor refereeing display that we saw on Sunday? Because if you are then you clearly saw a different game to me.

Howard Webb was but a bit part player in that F*cking shambles.