Norwich v Horwich

[BWFC_Insane]

We were right in the game after an hour. Should have left well alone & taken a point. Keep the scoreboard ticking over, building the unbeaten run.

Confidence is a brittle thing when you're in our position - let's hope it's not gone again.

yeah... but let's not lose total perspective...

we were under the cosh before Moo went off and could easily have been 2 down before the interval...

we were also looking totally toothless up front.

I know it is a favourite explanation for all things bad - but taking Moo off was not the only thing wrong on Saturday..

for one thing - we were simply not as "up for it" as we were against arsenal (and don't forget - we could easily have been 4 down at half time against arsenal with Moo on the pitch..)

Bish, we were hanging in there with 5 across midfield and actually had for the first time, managed to exert some level of control.

The change was just mindblowingly stupid.

Davies could well have come on for Ngog, no issue there. But to take Muamba off for a striker and completely lose the control we'd finally managed was just ridiculous.

I did like the commentators surprise at Davies not throwing himself at a good ball across the box though...folk keep saying "crosses and early balls in suit Davies". They don't, because he's always flat footed, never on the move, and never attacks the ball well.

End of the day it was a horrific decision, on the back of many others made by our manager. All we can do is hope eventually someone manages to get through to him and that when they do its not too late.

yes it was stupid - I said so at the time and I still think so. BUT - do you REALLY think it was the only thing wrong with our performance on saturday? If so - I respectfully suggest you have lost the plot...

Of course not, but I don't think we played that badly, or had been unexpectedly poor. It was the sort of performance I'd expect us to make away from home to a mid table side, especially after the effort we put in mid-week.

I don't think we were going to do anything other at Norwich than grind out some sort of a result, probably a draw, and ride our luck a bit in the process. And we were doing absolutely fine at that, 10 minutes into the second half!

[Wandering Willy]

We've been on a relatively decent run. Dropped a point at Norwich - hopefully we learn from that and move on.

[Bruce Rioja]

Both Norwich goals came as a direct result of them anticipating and being first to the loose ball. I think we have about seven men in the box for their second. Wheater blocks the run of one of their guys - he's the only player to even lift a finger. Absolutely unacceptable!

[boltonboris]

When will we learn that 1 point is better than 0. We were comfortable, even on top, before the changes. Then it went to pot.

[Armchair Wanderer]

Not seen that much talk about the actual goals but to me Knight wasn't looking too clever.

In terms of formation, this game goes to show that OC can't wait to revert to 4-4-2. Post-match he was blaming the players for it not working. I can't comment on this game as I didn't see it, but from the OC-perspective I imagine he saw that 4-4-2 worked with Holden, so it should work with any midfielders.

[Hoboh]

Not seen that much talk about the actual goals but to me Knight wasn't looking too clever.

In terms of formation, this game goes to show that OC can't wait to revert to 4-4-2. Post-match he was blaming the players for it not working. I can't comment on this game as I didn't see it, but from the OC-perspective I imagine he saw that 4-4-2 worked with Holden, so it should work with any midfielders.

Owen Coyle has put me well back in the doubters camp, I actually think you sum it up quite well 4-5-1 under protest 4-4-2 the norm!

[thebish]

Both Norwich goals came as a direct result of them anticipating and being first to the loose ball. I think we have about seven men in the box for their second. Wheater blocks the run of one of their guys - he's the only player to even lift a finger. Absolutely unacceptable!

you've gone well off script, Bruce!! both goals were clearly simply down to Coyle taking Moo off!!

[Bruce Rioja]

Both Norwich goals came as a direct result of them anticipating and being first to the loose ball. I think we have about seven men in the box for their second. Wheater blocks the run of one of their guys - he's the only player to even lift a finger. Absolutely unacceptable!

you've gone well off script, Bruce!! both goals were clearly simply down to Coyle taking Moo off!!

Sorry. Self-flagellation with thorny branches is is, then!

[newboy]

I don't think any team teams play 4- 4- 2 in the prem now usually a fluid 4-3-3 reverting to a 4-5-1 when not on the ball ,4-4-2 is to rigid a formation and if the whole team is not up to speed on the day the inevitable happens. Chopping and changing the formation causes confusion, tactically I think Coyle has a lot to learn I don't think what he sees in his mind actually equates to what's actually happening on the pitch .We are in the bottom 3 for a reason as much as Coyle would like it to be the free flowing total football that he dreams of we are not that good, it's all about grinding out results. If that's boring scrappy football and it doesn't sit him then tough go and manage Barca.

[Tals-biggest-fan]

The thing with the 4-5-1 formation is that it only really works when you have a consistent goal scorer in the side (e.g adebayor for Spurs) or when you have goal scoring midfielders, even though we play better under 4-5-1 we hadn't scored many since going to the tactic, So I don't blame Owen for trying to bring on another striker but I blame him for who he subbed for Davies

[newboy]

The thing with the 4-5-1 formation is that it only really works when you have a consistent goal scorer in the side (e.g adebayor for Spurs) or when you have goal scoring midfielders, even though we play better under 4-5-1 we hadn't scored many since going to the tactic, So I don't blame Owen for trying to bring on another striker but I blame him for who he subbed for Davies

I think we're basically in agreement if he feels a need to tinker or change his options he should leave the spine of the team as it is meaning the back four and the two central midfielder's RC and Moo and shuffle his attacking quartet.

[BWFC_Insane]

The thing with the 4-5-1 formation is that it only really works when you have a consistent goal scorer in the side (e.g adebayor for Spurs) or when you have goal scoring midfielders, even though we play better under 4-5-1 we hadn't scored many since going to the tactic, So I don't blame Owen for trying to bring on another striker but I blame him for who he subbed for Davies

Why did we need to try and force a goal though at 0-0 away from home?

I could see it were we playing Wigan at home (even then he needs to keep midfield strong defensively), but away at Norwich? 0-0 was our result, they're the ones who should have felt the need to force it.

[Loyal White]

I don't think any team teams play 4- 4- 2 in the prem now usually a fluid 4-3-3 reverting to a 4-5-1 when not on the ball ,4-4-2 is to rigid a formation and if the whole team is not up to speed on the day the inevitable happens. Chopping and changing the formation causes confusion, tactically I think Coyle has a lot to learn I don't think what he sees in his mind actually equates to what's actually happening on the pitch .We are in the bottom 3 for a reason as much as Coyle would like it to be the free flowing total football that he dreams of we are not that good, it's all about grinding out results. If that's boring scrappy football and it doesn't sit him then tough go and manage Barca.

Newcastle play it with great success, Scum normally play a variation of 4-4-2, Spurs play it every now and again, Sunderland do, it's one of the various formations Daglish likes to play, Everton, Stoke, West Brom... We even played it pretty successfully until Christmas last year

4-4-2 isn't the problem, it's the fact we don't have the players to play it without Holden and Muamba in midfield - two energetic box-to-box midfielders which compensates for the lack of bodies in there.

As much as I love NRC - he isn't Muamba/Holden and doesn't have the energy to play it and Mark Davies is wasted playing that deep...

[BWFC_Insane]

I don't think any team teams play 4- 4- 2 in the prem now usually a fluid 4-3-3 reverting to a 4-5-1 when not on the ball ,4-4-2 is to rigid a formation and if the whole team is not up to speed on the day the inevitable happens. Chopping and changing the formation causes confusion, tactically I think Coyle has a lot to learn I don't think what he sees in his mind actually equates to what's actually happening on the pitch .We are in the bottom 3 for a reason as much as Coyle would like it to be the free flowing total football that he dreams of we are not that good, it's all about grinding out results. If that's boring scrappy football and it doesn't sit him then tough go and manage Barca.

Newcastle play it with great success, Scum normally play a variation of 4-4-2, Spurs play it every now and again, Sunderland do, it's one of the various formations Daglish likes to play, Everton, Stoke, West Brom... We even played it pretty successfully until Christmas last year

4-4-2 isn't the problem, it's the fact we don't have the players to play it without Holden and Muamba in midfield - two energetic box-to-box midfielders which compensates for the lack of bodies in there.

As much as I love NRC - he isn't Muamba/Holden and doesn't have the energy to play it and Mark Davies is wasted playing that deep...

And our 4-5-1 completely battered their 4-4-2 at the Reebok.

Agree with the other stuff you say, though I think there are more issues with 4-4-2 for us than the midfield.

Last season Elmander did shedloads of running up front to help make the system work. Taylor gave us the option of playing a more narrow, hard working type to tie up one wing and protect the full back. KD was still mobile enough to be a threat early doors at least....

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Odd fact: we had the weekend's highest percentage of passes in the opposition half (as a percentage of our total passes). So we took the game to 'em.

Sadly, we also had by far the lowest pass completion in our own half.

[elfil76]

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wa ... ue_impact/

Petrov - take note of the gloves.