(QP)R We Gonna Pick Up Our First Win Of The Season?

[TKIZ!]

The defence-first formation played reasonably well. What upsets me is that we stuck with it – for half the time remaining after the goal – because we simply weren't offering enough going forward.

Here's a little empathetic trick I often try. For the purposes of balance, I try to imagine I'm a fan of the opposite team and suss how worried I'd be when Bolton are coming forward, or how confident I'd be of breaking down Bolton's defence. If you do that properly, and not just to confirm your own beliefs (positive or negative), you can get a much better grip on how the game is going. And by that rationale, the first half went well for Bolton, because our defence looked organised - but more importantly because Beckford made Dunne look twice as vulnerable to pace as Ings did to Wheater at Burnley. His snatched finish was poor but every fan in the away end must have panicked when they saw the difference in pace.

So did we utilise that? Did we try to get Becks one on one with the old man again? No. At one point I was screaming at Chungy to slip Beckford through, only to watch him bumble down a cul-de-sac and lose the ball. Beckford is beginning to look worryingly short of confidence (as does the manager, team, fans and club), but he's also beginning to look lost alone up front because he's not getting the service.

I like Chungy – he's willing, has a good touch and has contributed to some fine team moves – but he has nowhere near enough widescreen vision to be our only creative outlet (bar the semi-mythical trequartista Ngog). Eagles can't come back quick enough - but I also insist that Freedman should have changed the system earlier. Post-match quarterbacking can never be proven wrong but I said on here during the game that I'd have brought Moritz on for Wheater within five minutes of going behind.

I fear that a part of Dougie didn't want to do that because he feared a 0-3 on his own patch. His first two subs were virtually like-for-like - the pleasingly busy Cravies for Beckford, then Moritz for Ngog - so the sad truth is that for 72 minutes we played 7 essentially defensive outfielders. (Medo and Spearing try, with the former threatening a goal and the latter trying to drive us on, but they're just not creative players.) QPR didn't look like scoring two, but we didn't look much like scoring one - because we didn't have enough people on the pitch capable of making it happen.

I'm intrigued by what shape and players he'll pick at Tranmere, a team in awful form. Given a choice, he'd probably take a 1-0 win now, but this club needs a shot in the arm.

Also agree on chungy was more like his old self today just missing that bit of cofidence

Would love to see the stats for how many time he got himself on the ball (DSB)

Sorry mate, I don't have access to Champo stats. Mind you, they must exist somewhere on the web because Opta now cover Champo to same depth as Premier League, etc. Might be worth a look around the internet... not that I feel up for that at the moment, having worked most of the weekend on the corner of it I'm responsible for...

Well put DSB, very insightful. Hadn't thought about it like that

Here is what DF has said today:
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wa ... s/10634098._/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

[Beefheart]

OK here are my thoughts:

1) Chungy - I liked him in a central position. I'm confident he'll get there soon.

2) The formation - Didn't like it. Medo and Spearing were having to go a long way to close down their wide men and it left our fullbacks in a lot of one on one situations.

I think we have an awful lot of options in a 4-2-3-1. There's Eagles, Chungy, Hall, Ngog, Moritz, Pratley and when fit Mavies who can play as part of the 3. I did like Ream in midfield, but it's not exactly an area of the pitch where we are lacking.

3) I like the look of the new signings.

4) I'm confident it'll all work out.

5) I see the booing still hasn't gone out of fashion.

[a1]

^^ dunno what that portugese hipster sounding word next to ngog's name is .. do you think these foriegners use "brick shit house" when describing some big midfielder ?

" heth heth heth heth heth heth , chris waddle, heth heth heth heth heth heth, tommy gravesen -bald mental nutcase, butros butros gali "

playing an attacking midfielder might help.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

A1: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=trequartista" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Worthy4England]

A1: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=trequartista" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think a1 has a fair point though.

[Lord Kangana]

Here is what DF has said today:
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wa ... s/10634098._/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Touch of the Sammy Lee's there. Its not like we're in the Prem and facing an opening of free-spending Champions League teams, is it?

[Bruce Rioja]

Worst start in a decade?

What about this one?


Queens Park Rangers 0 - 4 Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers 2 - 3 Manchester City
Liverpool 3 - 1 Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers0 - 5 Manchester United
Bolton Wanderers 1 - 2 Norwich City
Arsenal 3 - 0 Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers 1 - 5 Chelsea

[a1]

*shouts "fck you owen coyle" into the air in the faint hope that he hears me*

[Beefheart]

Worst start in a decade?

What about this one?


Queens Park Rangers 0 - 4 Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers 2 - 3 Manchester City
Liverpool 3 - 1 Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers0 - 5 Manchester United
Bolton Wanderers 1 - 2 Norwich City
Arsenal 3 - 0 Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers 1 - 5 Chelsea

Well, after 4 games we had 3 points. We have 2 points after 4 games.

[Bruce Rioja]

Worst start in a decade?

What about this one?


Queens Park Rangers 0 - 4 Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers 2 - 3 Manchester City
Liverpool 3 - 1 Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers0 - 5 Manchester United
Bolton Wanderers 1 - 2 Norwich City
Arsenal 3 - 0 Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers 1 - 5 Chelsea

Well, after 4 games we had 3 points. We have 2 points after 4 games.

True, but if we're still on two after seven, then we can start on about 'worst start', I'd say.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

A1: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=trequartista" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think a1 has a fair point though.

Which one?

[Enoch]

For the purposes of balance,

It'll never catch on.

Polarisation is where it's at, are yer for or agin'?

What I've seen of the past five games we look a bit like my old lawnmower; I know it can cut the grass just dandy, but unless I can get a spark from somewhere the f*cking thing's going down the tip.

[Tombwfc]

I think QPR showed us a lot of respect by opting for solidity with Gary O'Neill in rather than going for it with Junior Hoilett (or maybe he was just injured/sold, because he wasn't on the bench). I think they'd have been happy to take a point, but just happened to score along the way.

I thought we looked solid, without ever seriously looking threatening. I notice Lee is BWFCI's new 'Worst thing ever', but I thought he played quite well. He's always only ever been the Korean Stelios, even pre-leg break, so he's never going to rip teams to shreds. He worked hard and showed some touches of quality though that, especially in the first half, were seriously lacking elsewhere.

Did he create much? No, but we fielded 8 players who aren't expected to contribute going forward, plus Beckford who doesn't contribute to anything anywhere. That leaves Chungy and Ngog, who is in and out of games at the best of times, to make things happen.

I thought Ream looked ok, but it is the easiest position to play when nobody holds you directly responsible for us conceding, and nobody expects you to create anything going forward. And there's three of you.

I suppose it does beg the question, if Tim Ream is competent in that position, was spending £2m on Jay Spearing the best possible use of those funds, given the issues we have elsewhere?

[TANGODANCER]

Interesting to see the press acknowleging Ream's contribution. He made Championship team of the week.

[a1]

interesting if it can persuade (sp?) someone to buy him so mr freedman can get a mark davies replacement in (not a gets pissed too and also injures himself replacement)

dont like this 7 defenders business, i can see why, coz i could see why when megson had to do it, but he shouldnt leave it too long , else that twitter place'll be full of "i dont go anymore, i stopped going when allardyce were still there, and i wont start going again ever, but i hope they lose so that that ginger bastard fcks off and i can go to the match again" style posts.

.. good job its august.

I suppose it does beg the question, if Tim Ream is competent in that position, was spending £2m on Jay Spearing the best possible use of those funds, given the issues we have elsewhere?

yes. he's after not playing timothy at all, and playing either medo or spearing there, with a forward thinking one that he doesnt have yet.

[plymouth wanderer]

interesting if it can persuade (sp?) someone to buy him so mr freedman can get a mark davies replacement in (not a gets pissed too and also injures himself replacement)

dont like this 7 defenders business, i can see why, coz i could see why when megson had to do it, but he shouldnt leave it too long , else that twitter place'll be full of "i dont go anymore, i stopped going when allardyce were still there, and i wont start going again ever, but i hope they lose so that that ginger bastard fcks off and i can go to the match again" style posts.

.. good job its august.

[a1]

you dont think he's looking at spearing-medo-markdaviesalike ?

coz i do.

he's gonna try shoving out tim by making him look ok to the likes of middlesboro, and getting one in that shoots a few times.

carnt have saturday played out over 30 odd weeks. for many reasons. jesus christ.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

It's an interesting theory, putting him in the shop window. If Ream gets sold this week some will ask why, given he's just had the best game of his Bolton career...

It's entirely possible, if not probable, that DF wants to play a midfield three of Spedo (Spearing/Medo) +AN Other more forward-thinking player - Eagles, Mavies, Moritz, Pratley even. Trouble with that theory is that he had options to do so - Moritz might not have lasted the 90, but Hall would've.

Seems to me that on Saturday DF wanted to invert his midfield triangle by replacing the "attacking midfielder" (as you don't like the word trequartista) with a defensive one. Makes sense when your defence is slow as shit, and Ream played well, but once we went behind we had very very little chance of getting level with that line-up.

[Bruce Rioja]

once we went behind we had very very little chance of getting level with that line-up.

As I said on Saturday, for me, Dougie's masked slipped. I said to the poor sod that has to sit next to me once a fortnight that if we go one down then we need to change the formation immediately, and as you've pointed out it took DF half the remaining time before he made the change - thus eventually leading to the embarrassing desperation of us seeing Zat Knight up top.

[BWFC_Insane]

Simple answer is we can't start Ream, Spearing and Medo all together without a genuine creator in Eagles or M Davies in front of them, or some real width in the side.

In the end the subs were forced on DF. Ream went off injured as did Ngog. Well Ngog signalled to the bench that he needed to come off at least. Beckford was so fed up and having zero impact.

So even had Dougie changes it immediately after they scored we could have been down to 10 men had he not taken Ream or Ngog off at that stage. And to be fair to Ream he was likely to stay on based on the performance.

DF got the initial selection wrong. I think the shape was fine but we could have incorporated a more dynamic player in the side like Hall instead of one of the more defensive three.