BOLTON v THE PIE MEN

[The Axman]

Feel free Jafka.
This is one of those games where I wish I could be at the Bok. Reckon there will be a good atmosphere and I can see us pulling through. I suspect 0 0 after 70 mins, a couple of attacking subs(not for moo/NRC) late impetus and a 2 1 win with Sordell opening his account.

Ah well.you can always dream....

re NGog, I still think he is our only genuine contender for the one up top role. No he wont score many but its about keeping possession in the opposition half.NGog will generally have his back to goal and the onus is on Eagles/Mavis Petrov et al to get forward and have a crack.If Sordell can do the same job and score goals then great but we havent seen enough of him to know yet.
The striker in a 451 doesnt generally end up scoring many but is crucial in making the system work through movement hold up play and being the first line of defence all of which Ngog has done better than our other current strikers.

Beg to differ. Many teams, in the Premiership and elsewhere, where 4-5-1 is employed have the lone striker as their highest scorer.

And how much did those strikers cost?

Who have we got who could possibly play that role?

Davies, can't for 90 minutes.

Klasnic, can't full stop.

Sordell? Possibly, but he's only just arrived and to ask him to single handedly lead the line in a premiership relegation fight? Big ask.

NGog has done well, he keeps his place for me.

Fair enough, but if Bolton employ 451 with N'gog up front and not scoring and Wigan win, then I (me, personally) would like to see an entire reconsideration as to whether 451 is the way forward.

[Bruce Rioja]

N'Gog is, and I'm sure I'm not alone here, one of these players that I desperately want to see do well, but am not convinced that he ever will. He is though, as BWFCI attests, the best we have at this given moment!

[Bruce Rioja]

Fair enough, but if Bolton employ 451 with N'gog up front and not scoring and Wigan win, then I (me, personally) would like to see an entire reconsideration as to whether 451 is the way forward.

Well, I can bet you a Pound to a pinch of shit that 4-4-2 certainly wasn't!

[The Axman]

Fair enough, but if Bolton employ 451 with N'gog up front and not scoring and Wigan win, then I (me, personally) would like to see an entire reconsideration as to whether 451 is the way forward.

Well, I can bet you a Pound to a pinch of shit that 4-4-2 certainly wasn't!

I know. I'm thinking more 4-3-3

[Bruce Rioja]

Fair enough, but if Bolton employ 451 with N'gog up front and not scoring and Wigan win, then I (me, personally) would like to see an entire reconsideration as to whether 451 is the way forward.

Well, I can bet you a Pound to a pinch of shit that 4-4-2 certainly wasn't!

I know. I'm thinking more 4-3-3

Really? I don't think we have anything like the requisite mobility.

[Ianmooreslovechild]

Feel free Jafka.
This is one of those games where I wish I could be at the Bok. Reckon there will be a good atmosphere and I can see us pulling through. I suspect 0 0 after 70 mins, a couple of attacking subs(not for moo/NRC) late impetus and a 2 1 win with Sordell opening his account.

Ah well.you can always dream....

re NGog, I still think he is our only genuine contender for the one up top role. No he wont score many but its about keeping possession in the opposition half.NGog will generally have his back to goal and the onus is on Eagles/Mavis Petrov et al to get forward and have a crack.If Sordell can do the same job and score goals then great but we havent seen enough of him to know yet.
The striker in a 451 doesnt generally end up scoring many but is crucial in making the system work through movement hold up play and being the first line of defence all of which Ngog has done better than our other current strikers.

Beg to differ. Many teams, in the Premiership and elsewhere, where 4-5-1 is employed have the lone striker as their highest scorer.

And how much did those strikers cost?

Who have we got who could possibly play that role?

Davies, can't for 90 minutes.

Klasnic, can't full stop.

Sordell? Possibly, but he's only just arrived and to ask him to single handedly lead the line in a premiership relegation fight? Big ask.

NGog has done well, he keeps his place for me.

Fair enough, but if Bolton employ 451 with N'gog up front and not scoring and Wigan win, then I (me, personally) would like to see an entire reconsideration as to whether 451 is the way forward.

Depends on who is available. We spent half the season failing with 442 because in an open game our players would always be outscored and our midfield outplayed. Generally we are up against teams assmbled at a higher cost than ours so I'm happy to see us tough it out keeping it tight for 70 mins then upping the ante when it makes sense. Our circumstances are not unlike Ali v Foreman,the rumble in the jungle, loosen the ropes,let the opposition blow themselves out because we know they can outpunch us then have a crack late on. Wigan is ironically one of the few games where that may not apply.

nb isnt 451 a 433 anyway part time. A genuine 433 would be even worse than 442 as the reason 442 failed was that our midfield was constantly overrun

[The Axman]

But..., oh never mind. I'm beginning to argue a point I don't want to defend too resolutely. You know how it is, you make one observation that leads to another. But in conclusion, we've got a pretty shite bunch of players playing a very defensive formation when we need to be gathering points. I don't think draws are enough, wins are required, so you tell me how we no, actually, why doesn't OC tell us how he's going to do it?

[BWFC_Insane]

But..., oh never mind. I'm beginning to argue a point I don't want to defend too resolutely. You know how it is, you make one observation that leads to another. But in conclusion, we've got a pretty shite bunch of players playing a very defensive formation when we need to be gathering points. I don't think draws are enough, wins are required, so you tell me how we no, actually, why doesn't OC tell us how he's going to do it?

In our more attacking formation, we got neither draws nor losses.

IF we'd played 4-5-1 all season and turned just a few defeats into draws, and even one or two draws into wins we'd be well out of it.

I take your point, but equally or 4-5-1 beat Liverpool 3-1.

I'm really not sure what choice we have, we play the 4-5-1/4-3-3 or go back to the 4-4-2 that failed us miserably?

[Norpig]

I don't care what system we play we are a much better team than Wigin which we have shown once already this season (4-4-2). Lets just go out and beat the living daylights out of the pie eaters!!

[Ianmooreslovechild]

I don't care what system we play we are a much better team than Wigin which we have shown once already this season (4-4-2). Lets just go out and beat the living daylights out of the pie eaters!!

Indeed.

I know the point you are making axeman but I wouldnt say 451 is excessively defensive the way we are playing it. We do need points but I think we're more likely to get them by still being in a game at 70 mins and having 11 on the pitch.451 at least makes that more possible.I dont think we have the players available to make another system work.Sordell aside i dont see any promising strike partnerships and a central defence of Wheater/Knight has to be protected from players running at them.We dont have enough goalscorers in the squad to make high scoring open games winnable. I know Klasnic scored a few early season but I dont remember him celebrating much as they were generally consolation goals in heavy defeats.Until Holden/CYL are fit I dont see any alternative to 451

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Didn't realise Blackburn play QPR this weekend.. Makes this game even more important. If we lose we could be 3 points from 17th or end up bottom 2 if Blackburn win.

Furthermore, Wolves host West Brom from Sunday lunch. The bottom six are all squarin' up.

[TANGODANCER]

What's startlingly missing is our lack of goals. Formation, team selection or effort, none really matter against a result of scoring at least one more goal than any opposition. We can't call ourselves real Premier candidates by just hanging higher up coat tails than others. We need to estblish ourselves as being worthy of Premier League status and only results will do it. Now or never to man up and put the hammer down or our proud consecutive record goes down the pan. COME ON YOU WHITES, get in there.

[Armchair Wanderer]

Was happy this morning but you're all making me nervous.

[boltonboris]

4-5-1 means we should have more of the ball than in a 4-4-2. Which means we can attack more. We might not always have loads of players in the box, but as long as sparky get's up along side him, than with the ball, it'll be more like a 4-4-1-1 or even a 4-4-2

[The Axman]

Was happy this morning but you're all making me nervous.

Yes, don't worry about it. Just the most important game in Bolton's fight against relegation this season so far. But we'll win it easy.

After all, Wiggin are pish.

[The Axman]

4-5-1 means we should have more of the ball than in a 4-4-2. Which means we can attack more. We might not always have loads of players in the box, but as long as sparky get's up along side him, than with the ball, it'll be more like a 4-4-1-1 or even a 4-4-2

Circular logic there surely boltonboris?

[Armchair Wanderer]

Was happy this morning but you're all making me nervous.

Yes, don't worry about it. Just the most important game in Bolton's fight against relegation this season so far. But we'll win it easy.

After all, Wiggin are pish.

That's what I was thinking before all this 4-4-2 talk

[The Axman]

OK. What are the odds OC starts Ryo Miyaichi. I'm hearing rumours he will.

[Ianmooreslovechild]

I thought Petrov looked pretty sharp at Norwich tho I know others didnt. That said I'd be happy enough to see Miyaichi start. Petrov has often looked more useful coming on late with a point to prove.

[Barr Hill]

Rumours? Where from