Back to back twice in one month?
Thursday, 27 November 08, 10:41 PM
Once Saturday comes around we are back up in the North East to take on Sunderland, Win that match and we will have won 4 from our last 5.
Im looking forward to this game now as i finally think Bolton may have gotten over there slump they have gone through over pretty much the last 22 months.
Whenever i see Bolton and "Away Day" in the same sentance i lower my expectations. We have been poor away from the Reebok over the last year and a half and only managed two wins in the league last year coming at Boro and relegated Reading. Already three away wins this year and i reckon we have finally got over our travel sickness, early days i know but thats not bad from 7 games.
Looking at the stats its obvious to see that Sunderland are struggling in front of there home fans. Only winning two league games at home and losing the last three. Two players i am nervous about seeing on the field is Djibril Cisse and our former El Hadji Diouf better know as Dioufy. Cisse has been causing a real problem for defences with his strength and pace, knocked a few in as well. As for Diouf, supersitions i know but ive just got a feeling he will haunt us with a goal, Only if he plays of course.
No major injury news to report down our end so im expecting an unchanged side to take the field with hopefully the same tactics, to go out there and play positive football and not sit back and try hold off the pressure. Last week we challenged Middlesbrough players, closed down passes and didnt just defend our goal box. Boro may have had an off day but surely some of that is down to our tiredless defending and constant pressing. I hope to see the same from the players again.
Prediction time and as i mentioned before im looking at this one in a much more positive way. 2-1 prediction our way and as i said yesterday if we can win i wouldnt bet against Megson picking up manager of the month.
Im looking forward to this game now as i finally think Bolton may have gotten over there slump they have gone through over pretty much the last 22 months.
Whenever i see Bolton and "Away Day" in the same sentance i lower my expectations. We have been poor away from the Reebok over the last year and a half and only managed two wins in the league last year coming at Boro and relegated Reading. Already three away wins this year and i reckon we have finally got over our travel sickness, early days i know but thats not bad from 7 games.
Looking at the stats its obvious to see that Sunderland are struggling in front of there home fans. Only winning two league games at home and losing the last three. Two players i am nervous about seeing on the field is Djibril Cisse and our former El Hadji Diouf better know as Dioufy. Cisse has been causing a real problem for defences with his strength and pace, knocked a few in as well. As for Diouf, supersitions i know but ive just got a feeling he will haunt us with a goal, Only if he plays of course.
No major injury news to report down our end so im expecting an unchanged side to take the field with hopefully the same tactics, to go out there and play positive football and not sit back and try hold off the pressure. Last week we challenged Middlesbrough players, closed down passes and didnt just defend our goal box. Boro may have had an off day but surely some of that is down to our tiredless defending and constant pressing. I hope to see the same from the players again.
Prediction time and as i mentioned before im looking at this one in a much more positive way. 2-1 prediction our way and as i said yesterday if we can win i wouldnt bet against Megson picking up manager of the month.
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Manager of the month. A real possibility?
Thursday, 27 November 08, 06:00 AM
Premier League Manager of the Month awarded to Gary Megson?
It might just be what were hearing if we are able to come away with three points from the Stadium of Light this weekend!
Over November we have managed to secure 3 wins out of 4 games, the only loss coming against Liverpool. A steady 2-0 win over Manchester City and following that up with a 1-0 win at Hull, our first back to back victories in months. 2-0 at Middlesbrough being the latest win and its got me thinking...
Megson might not actually be managing us today if this little run hadnt happened. Going back exactly one month we were sitting bottom of the table and Megson was reciving a fair bit of stick from the fans. We knew it must only be a couple of games until he got his marching orders from the club. I assume he is sleeping easier at night now
Right now i hold nothing against him and we could be looking at a Manager of the Month award to go with this much needed turn around in our season.
Other Possibilites...
Not as straight forward for Gary however, he faces competition for this award from a few other managers.
The obvious one being Harry Redknapp who in the month has turned Spurs around and got them out of the relegation zone, A lose at Fulham the only downer so far. Tony Pulis has always pushed Stoke up the table much like Megson has with us. Stoke have lost one game as well but that was a 5-0 drubbing at Old Trafford. As always there is a top four contender in the running, So i am putting down Phil Scolari on this one. Chelsea have won three and drawn one scoring ten goals in the process and conceding none which is a pretty solid effort you must admit.
Take your pick but fingers crossed for the Megster. Sunderland preview should be up tomorrow.
It might just be what were hearing if we are able to come away with three points from the Stadium of Light this weekend!
Over November we have managed to secure 3 wins out of 4 games, the only loss coming against Liverpool. A steady 2-0 win over Manchester City and following that up with a 1-0 win at Hull, our first back to back victories in months. 2-0 at Middlesbrough being the latest win and its got me thinking...
Megson might not actually be managing us today if this little run hadnt happened. Going back exactly one month we were sitting bottom of the table and Megson was reciving a fair bit of stick from the fans. We knew it must only be a couple of games until he got his marching orders from the club. I assume he is sleeping easier at night now
Right now i hold nothing against him and we could be looking at a Manager of the Month award to go with this much needed turn around in our season.
Other Possibilites...
Not as straight forward for Gary however, he faces competition for this award from a few other managers.
The obvious one being Harry Redknapp who in the month has turned Spurs around and got them out of the relegation zone, A lose at Fulham the only downer so far. Tony Pulis has always pushed Stoke up the table much like Megson has with us. Stoke have lost one game as well but that was a 5-0 drubbing at Old Trafford. As always there is a top four contender in the running, So i am putting down Phil Scolari on this one. Chelsea have won three and drawn one scoring ten goals in the process and conceding none which is a pretty solid effort you must admit.
Take your pick but fingers crossed for the Megster. Sunderland preview should be up tomorrow.
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3 Goals and 3 Points!
Sunday, 23 November 08, 03:05 AM
Now what Bolton side was that we saw yesterday? So confident in the way they were playing, passes going to feet, scoring three goals and all this away from home!
Going to an inform Middlesbrough i was thinking at best this was going to be a draw for us, over the last couple of months i have never looked at a match thinking that it will provide three points, were not that simple so when victorys like these pop up then it is always a nice touch.
Straight from the kick off we got right into things. Megson must have really pumped up the lads before the match and while most fans dont rate Gary for his line ups and tactics you have to give him praise when it comes to team talks.
Ten minutes into the match and we were 2 to the good, the first goal being supplied from a lofted Matthew Taylor freekick and headed in by Gretar Steinsson on the back post although it appears Kevin Davies has claimed it as it took the last knick off the back of his head. A little harsh maybe but apparently Gretar doesnt mind and with Davo going through a little goal drought i bet he was quick to claim it. Taylor then went on to add one for himself, a great first touch in the box set himself up to power the ball across Turnbull into the corner.
Halftime came around with the Middlesbrough fans restless which just made things better, i dont think it ever helps when the fans boo off there own players and it may have only been a small section but it certainly echoed around the ground!. Pogatetz pulled one back from close range for Boro with 13 minutes to go after we failed to clear our lines. In the end it didnt matter as we went straight down the other end and within a minute had restored our lead when scored Johan Elmander slotted the ball into the bottom corner with his left foot. Finally scoring his second goal for the club.
Three away wins so far, already more than we got last season in the league and things are starting to look up after we picked up three wins from our last four games.
No complaints at the moment and its starting to feel a lot better supporting the Whites, we aree starting to get the "Super" tag back.
Onwards and upwards you Superwhites!
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Count the misses!
Monday, 17 November 08, 08:31 PM
Ok not much time so here is a quick round up of the performance on the weekend against Liverpool.
First off, we should start by looking at the misses and there were plenty. Both sides were guilty of missing a couple of sitters and i can see Gardners "run around Reina and slip" being stuck in those Youtube comedy videos people make, all you can do now is laugh...i guess?
We have to take the blame for the ones we did concede though. Liverpool managed to have the time to play the ball around the park unchallenged until Fabio Aurelio picked out Kuyt in the box to make it 1-0. The second is a case of not clearing the lines. Andy O'Brien the guilty one, not getting his header away first of all and then failing to clear again after tackling Torres who won it straight back and took his time to pick out Gerrard who finally got on the scoresheet after missing his own sitter.
Overall our first half performance was just so negative, especially for a home match. We didnt seem to be in it at all and held off on the challenges, we didnt run and cover enough of the pitch and Liverpool dominated. Maybe we should have gone to the brake equal though after Rob Styles had another one of those controversial moments when he blew up right when Cahill headed home for a foul on Reina, im pretty sure thats what he gave it for anyway im really unsure as Nolan just stood his ground infront of him.
The second half performance was a lot better, the first 25 minutes we had more possession and should have put away at least one. Gardner was guilty of two misses but i still think he should be a starter each week. When he came on at halftime he just lifted our game giving us another attacking threat and troubled Carragher at times.
Middlesbrough away up next and that will be a tough one. If im correct in saying this i think we have only won 1 in the last 10(?) against them in all competitions. That one win did come end of last season however so maybe its time to turn that poor run around and win at the Riverside for the second season running.
First off, we should start by looking at the misses and there were plenty. Both sides were guilty of missing a couple of sitters and i can see Gardners "run around Reina and slip" being stuck in those Youtube comedy videos people make, all you can do now is laugh...i guess?
We have to take the blame for the ones we did concede though. Liverpool managed to have the time to play the ball around the park unchallenged until Fabio Aurelio picked out Kuyt in the box to make it 1-0. The second is a case of not clearing the lines. Andy O'Brien the guilty one, not getting his header away first of all and then failing to clear again after tackling Torres who won it straight back and took his time to pick out Gerrard who finally got on the scoresheet after missing his own sitter.
Overall our first half performance was just so negative, especially for a home match. We didnt seem to be in it at all and held off on the challenges, we didnt run and cover enough of the pitch and Liverpool dominated. Maybe we should have gone to the brake equal though after Rob Styles had another one of those controversial moments when he blew up right when Cahill headed home for a foul on Reina, im pretty sure thats what he gave it for anyway im really unsure as Nolan just stood his ground infront of him.
The second half performance was a lot better, the first 25 minutes we had more possession and should have put away at least one. Gardner was guilty of two misses but i still think he should be a starter each week. When he came on at halftime he just lifted our game giving us another attacking threat and troubled Carragher at times.
Middlesbrough away up next and that will be a tough one. If im correct in saying this i think we have only won 1 in the last 10(?) against them in all competitions. That one win did come end of last season however so maybe its time to turn that poor run around and win at the Riverside for the second season running.
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Preview: Wanderers vs The Scouse
Friday, 14 November 08, 06:30 PM
Early kick off on Saturday and despite being at home, its a really tough one!
Liverpool have been showing some form this season, they are starting to win some of those 'ugly games' and its no surprise they sit 2nd in the table. Torres is coming back to fitness and is expected to jump back into the starting 11 and his fellow striker Robbie Keane broke his Premier League duck last week scoring two against West Brom. After being beaten in the league cup midweek against Spurs, The Reds will want to get back to business in the league.
However its not only Liverpool in a confident mood, We've won our last two and sit up in 11th place, a bit of a change from two weeks ago when we were dead bottom!
One thing is for sure, we wont give Liverpool any time on the ball and pressure them as much as possible all over the pitch. We'll make things tough for them and compete for everything in a physical manner. Being infront of the Reebok faithful, the players will only want it more and i wouldnt put it past us to snatch a point, maybe optimistic? but if we look at the Liverpool of last season, these are the type of fixtures against the scrappy sides they struggled to finish off.
In the build up to this one Megson came out and said he was backing Liverpool to take the title this season. Personally i still think Chelsea will be too strong in the long run but if Liverpool come here and maul us ill have to think twice about that. If Rafa manages to stick a permant 11 together then they might have a chance.
Onto our line up now, and i cant see there being a change from the side that won at Hull. No need to change the players around and i imagine Megson will have the same out look. Tactic wise though, were going to have to make sure we dont sit too deep like we did at Hull. If Jaaskelainen didnt have a blinder last week we would have lost by a couple of goals and against a team with Liverpools talent we cant afford to make that mistake again. Our best chances are most likely going to come from set pieces, either that or crosses from the wing backs getting forward.
Elmander needs to get really stuck in this match, he is starting to get a bit of stick from the fans for his effort shown in the last handful of matches. Johan went through some matches pretty much unmentioned, but this would be a fixture that should inspire him to run his socks off. Our back four has been playing well together and are getting back to cover each other on the field. McCann has also been turning up the performances this season, killing off attacks and thats what we need him to do tomorrow. Not a player who gets forward that often from midfield and i wouldnt expect him to be turning up in the Liverpool box very often.
Prediction time, and being the Bolton fan i cant go and predict us to lose even if the odds are against us. Were at home so ill take 1-1 and we'll hang on for a point. If i had to choose a scorer it would be Elmander as he really needs the confident boost.
The round up will be a bit later than normal, as ill be spending the day in Auckland, off to the Under-17 Womens World Cup final tomorrow!
Liverpool have been showing some form this season, they are starting to win some of those 'ugly games' and its no surprise they sit 2nd in the table. Torres is coming back to fitness and is expected to jump back into the starting 11 and his fellow striker Robbie Keane broke his Premier League duck last week scoring two against West Brom. After being beaten in the league cup midweek against Spurs, The Reds will want to get back to business in the league.
However its not only Liverpool in a confident mood, We've won our last two and sit up in 11th place, a bit of a change from two weeks ago when we were dead bottom!
One thing is for sure, we wont give Liverpool any time on the ball and pressure them as much as possible all over the pitch. We'll make things tough for them and compete for everything in a physical manner. Being infront of the Reebok faithful, the players will only want it more and i wouldnt put it past us to snatch a point, maybe optimistic? but if we look at the Liverpool of last season, these are the type of fixtures against the scrappy sides they struggled to finish off.
In the build up to this one Megson came out and said he was backing Liverpool to take the title this season. Personally i still think Chelsea will be too strong in the long run but if Liverpool come here and maul us ill have to think twice about that. If Rafa manages to stick a permant 11 together then they might have a chance.
Onto our line up now, and i cant see there being a change from the side that won at Hull. No need to change the players around and i imagine Megson will have the same out look. Tactic wise though, were going to have to make sure we dont sit too deep like we did at Hull. If Jaaskelainen didnt have a blinder last week we would have lost by a couple of goals and against a team with Liverpools talent we cant afford to make that mistake again. Our best chances are most likely going to come from set pieces, either that or crosses from the wing backs getting forward.
Elmander needs to get really stuck in this match, he is starting to get a bit of stick from the fans for his effort shown in the last handful of matches. Johan went through some matches pretty much unmentioned, but this would be a fixture that should inspire him to run his socks off. Our back four has been playing well together and are getting back to cover each other on the field. McCann has also been turning up the performances this season, killing off attacks and thats what we need him to do tomorrow. Not a player who gets forward that often from midfield and i wouldnt expect him to be turning up in the Liverpool box very often.
Prediction time, and being the Bolton fan i cant go and predict us to lose even if the odds are against us. Were at home so ill take 1-1 and we'll hang on for a point. If i had to choose a scorer it would be Elmander as he really needs the confident boost.
The round up will be a bit later than normal, as ill be spending the day in Auckland, off to the Under-17 Womens World Cup final tomorrow!
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Johan Elmander, the thoughts so far?
Wednesday, 12 November 08, 02:21 AM
12 games into the season, nearly a third of the way through the season so i thought it was time to do a round up on our big summer signing Johan Elmander.
After making the perfect start scoring on his Bolton debut at home to Stoke things have just been on a drop for him. Being all the talk after the first game, Bolton fans couldnt wait to see there big money striker on the field again, although this time it was only to be for 15 minutes. Away to Newcastle, Elmander limped off the field after an earlier collision with Given and Coloccini.
The news was not good, it was revealed that Swedish striker would be out for upto 6 weeks with a hamstring problem.
Talk around the Reebok faithful was once again, "who can we rely on to score the goals?". n>
While Johan was out we scored 2 goals in 3 league games, so fans were optimistic when he returned to fitness for the Manchester United game at Old Trafford. He lasted 66 minutes before finally being replaced but looked lively. I wasnt too worried that he didnt score in that match, tough fixture and lacked game time so it was a good run out for him in the end. I had my fingers crossed we would see him score at West Ham anyway. After having the chances and troubling the Hammers defense a couple of times it was not to be. He seem isolated up front and after 73 minutes was replaced for Matthew Taylor who came on to score a 'typical Taylor thunderbolt goal'. Still no reason to complain as the work rate was there.
However the next three performances (Blackburn, Tottenham and Everton) lacked the sting he carried earlier in the season. Questions started to be raised on how much effort he was really putting in. Over those three fixtures we didnt score a goal and managed to get a point, A 0-0 draw out of a scrapy Blackburn match.
Elmander picked up an injury so missed our next home game against Manchester City, but was soon forgot about as we managed to pull all three points away from the Richest Club in the World. He
got over it during the week and was brough back into the side for the Hull match, but once again, he had one of those games were he was hardly mentioned.
Off form and not 100% fit its no surprise that Johan has been dropped from the Sweden side who play Holland in a friendly next week.
8 Appearences, 1 goal. It was never going to be fireworks straight away but i was hoping for a slightly better return. He still might be gelling with our style of play but Megson needs to make
sure he gets more stuck in and it can only be a matter of time before we see another goal. I personally would like to see him play off Davies more than just standing along side him. Making runs
forward for the flick on's instead of staying static, eventually one will drop into his feet after he gets use to Davies and visa-versa. After 24 games we will have a better opinion, but i know
i must give him time if i see an improvement in his work rate, if the efforts not there from him i wont be best pleased.
Fingers crossed he strikes this weekend, Liverpool at home and it would be a confidence booster if he was to score against the league leaders.
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Taylor the scorer but Jaaskelainen the Hero
Saturday, 08 November 08, 06:57 PM
Bolton Wanderers sealed back to back wins for the first time since April after Matthew Taylor found the net to secure a 1-0 win for the Whites which could be described as the old Bolton style
of ' An Ugly 3 Points'.
Much of the praise has to go in the direction of Jussi in goal though. Jaaskelainen made save after save to keep Hull City at bay and i wouldnt be surprised to see him in the team of the week
after that solid performance.
Hull City started the better side and in a dull first half seemed the more likely to find the back of the net after Marlon King hit the conjuction of the bar and post. Both sides would have got the boost of confidence from the managers at the brake, "You can win this" and just after the restart it was Matthew Taylor's half-volley finding its way through a congested goal box to trickle past Myhill and into the back of the net. Celebrations from the Bolton fans but that also kick started Hull. They bombared down onto the Bolton penalty box in hope of an equaliser but credit to our defense (and Jussi in goal) we managed to hold them off. Bolton also had a few chances to extend the lead as substitute Ebi Smolarek went on a run from halfway beating one player in the process and shooting just over the bar.
He came on with just over 10 minutes to go for a poor Johan Elmander. It might be early days but im yet to see whats so special about Johan and why we paid so much for him. In his first game of the season he ran his socks off and picked up a goal but ever since then he has just seemed lazy and dis-interested. Thinking back on it now, He was barely even mentioned in todays game against Hull.
In the post match interviews Hull manager Phil Brown hailed Jussi's performance as "world class'' after he helped condemn Browns side to a third successive defeat while Matthew Taylor stated he thought some of Jussi's saves were 'just plain ridiculous'.
Currently we have jumped out of the relegation zone to sit in 9th place, but after Sundays results we could drop a couple of places. Either way its just a good feeling to be out from below that
red line!
Now hopefully we can stay the right side of it!
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Preview: Bolton vs The side we created?
Friday, 07 November 08, 06:00 AM
...Yes thats what a couple of papers are going with, we helped shape the Hull of today.
Looking back at this side we had when Phil Brown was under Big Sams wing its easy to make a couple of key comparisions between the two sides.
The holding midfield role, We had Campo and Hull have got Boateng.
The playmaker, We had Jay Jay Okocha and the Tigers have Geovanni
and up front to bang them in we had Djorkaeff and Hull have got Marlon King.
Ok so comparing the sets of players i think its clear we had the better three but Hull have certainly taken on the role Big Sam had at Bolton and hats have to be taken off to Phil Brown for sticking to what he knows works. It may not be pretty but its grinding out the results that are needed.
Hull are flying high in 6th place and after there start to the season they will be targetting this one as a match they can pick up three points in. We must go there and keep our heads up and not be scared of the Tigers and there record. Wigan had a smash and grab at the KC Stadium going out 5-0 winners earlier and i dont see why we cant go there and win as well. Our away form this year has been all over the place. We've got an early away win under our belts but some of our performances on the road are best forgotten. It really will depend on the case of "picking up where we left off" after our impressive performance against Man City. Its just a shame we cant throw out the same Eleven again because thats what i would have done if i was Gary Megson. As i said in my previous post, Nolan will be out of this one and we will feel some effects playing wise.
Its not all bad news though as Johan Elmander is back to fitness along with Riga who limped off halfway through the last game against Manchester City. Ricardo Gardner will also be one who should be considered to start after his cracking Man of the Match off the bench performance against the richest club in the world. Ebi Smolarek has all been forgot at the moment but i would bring him up off the bench with 20 to go to run past tired Hull City defenders. Its hard on Ebi, he has featured in a few games against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United which wouldnt be the easiest start to a new league. Im interested to see Megson sort this one out but ive got a feeling he will set us up 451 despite the fans calls for a 442 formation. Its on the road so we always go lined up defensive and try and hold off the attacks.
Prediction time now and i reckon both sides will cancel each other out on the field and it'll finish in a 1-1 draw. I'm going with Elmander to score this week. Its about time he scored his second club goal and started to prove to me that we havnt been ripped off on him!
Onwards and upwards!
Looking back at this side we had when Phil Brown was under Big Sams wing its easy to make a couple of key comparisions between the two sides.
The holding midfield role, We had Campo and Hull have got Boateng.
The playmaker, We had Jay Jay Okocha and the Tigers have Geovanni
and up front to bang them in we had Djorkaeff and Hull have got Marlon King.
Ok so comparing the sets of players i think its clear we had the better three but Hull have certainly taken on the role Big Sam had at Bolton and hats have to be taken off to Phil Brown for sticking to what he knows works. It may not be pretty but its grinding out the results that are needed.
Hull are flying high in 6th place and after there start to the season they will be targetting this one as a match they can pick up three points in. We must go there and keep our heads up and not be scared of the Tigers and there record. Wigan had a smash and grab at the KC Stadium going out 5-0 winners earlier and i dont see why we cant go there and win as well. Our away form this year has been all over the place. We've got an early away win under our belts but some of our performances on the road are best forgotten. It really will depend on the case of "picking up where we left off" after our impressive performance against Man City. Its just a shame we cant throw out the same Eleven again because thats what i would have done if i was Gary Megson. As i said in my previous post, Nolan will be out of this one and we will feel some effects playing wise.
Its not all bad news though as Johan Elmander is back to fitness along with Riga who limped off halfway through the last game against Manchester City. Ricardo Gardner will also be one who should be considered to start after his cracking Man of the Match off the bench performance against the richest club in the world. Ebi Smolarek has all been forgot at the moment but i would bring him up off the bench with 20 to go to run past tired Hull City defenders. Its hard on Ebi, he has featured in a few games against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United which wouldnt be the easiest start to a new league. Im interested to see Megson sort this one out but ive got a feeling he will set us up 451 despite the fans calls for a 442 formation. Its on the road so we always go lined up defensive and try and hold off the attacks.
Prediction time now and i reckon both sides will cancel each other out on the field and it'll finish in a 1-1 draw. I'm going with Elmander to score this week. Its about time he scored his second club goal and started to prove to me that we havnt been ripped off on him!
Onwards and upwards!
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The Jamaican Way
Sunday, 02 November 08, 12:20 PM
Bolton climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone after beating Manchester City 2-0 at the Reebok Stadium...
And boy didnt we deserve it!
A cracking performance all round from the team but a bit of the credit will have to be pointed in the direction of our Jamacian left mid, Ricardo Gardner.
Coming on in the 43rd Minute for the injured Riga, Gardner played his socks off scoring one goal and setting up the other that Richard Dunne kindly tapped home for us.
I was very impressed with our midfield and the way we managed to close down Manchester City across the field letting them get nothing started. Robinho was all but kept to a hush apart from a couple of shots and Wright-Phillips was mentioned even less.
It seemed like it was going to be another one of those games, 0-0 and fulltime creeping closer with us having the possesion but not the clinical edge infront on goal. It looked even more like one of those days when Mike Riley turned down Matty Taylors penalty appeals after he appeared to be tipped over my Richard Dunne but Bolton showed real character and didnt slow up, which finally paid off in the end when Taylor won the ball off Robinho in midfield and started a Wanderers counter attack. The chance looked to have slipped when Muamba fell but he squeezed the ball away to Nolan who fired out to Steinsson on the right flank. The Right backs cross was a sitter along the deck and Gardner slammed it home off the underside of the bar.
With 15 minutes remaining it was just a case of holding the lead and when City threw to many men forward it was a ball down the line from Muamba for Gardner to chase that lead to our second. The man of the moment picked up the ball and drove into the goal box sliding a ball past Hart for Davies to tap in, unfortunatly for Davo the Manchester Captain Richard Dunne was there to beat him to finishing it but im sure you wont Davies complaining.
A great result and one that was needed lifting us up to 17th on goal difference and hopefully the Villa win at St James on Monday to keep us there.
Im sure Gary Megson will sleep easier tonight knowing that and i have to say he set up the team and tactics very well, We were not just sitting back and in the second half nearly all our players (Besides Jussi in Goal) entered the Manchester half at one time. We were passing the ball on the ground and actually getting it to feet and although Megson only made one sub when needed through injury, i dont think its something the fans will complain about this week.
We cant afford to take our foot off the gas now, we have set a standard and need to stick with it to stay up this season, thats all from me for now, im off out for breakfast to celebrate!
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The Brazilian Test
Saturday, 01 November 08, 01:21 AM
On Sunday afternoon Bolton Wanderers welcome the Brazilian flair of Manchester City to the Reebok Stadium with both teams in need of points.
We have dropped futhur into trouble after losing 1-0 at home to Everton Midweek while Citeh lost 2-0 to Middlesbrough at the Riverside. Most of Bolton fans are calling for Megson's head and there is rumors of a mini protest/boycott going around the whites fans. With the game live on telly on the Sunday im sure plenty of fans are planning to follow through with the boycott and watch the game from home.
3 points is in need for the Club and we need to make the most of our home games if we want to have any hope of staying up, which at this stage looks a shaky bet. However Manchester City's form has gone through a little dip of late, only winning one of there last five games in the league so there is certainly hope we could pull something off, thats if we can score of course.
Out of our 10 games this season we have only registered 8 goals, scoring in only 4 of them. Most of us were hoping that Johan would have settled by now and be banging them home but we are yet to see much come back from our record signing, only scoring once this season. Another one under pressure is Kevin Nolan, the captain has been the target of abuse for a number of weeks now and some are calling for him to be benched. Nobby scored in the Carling Cup loss to Northampton to notch up his 50th goal for the club but we are yet to see him register in the league. I have a sneaky feeling this will be his game to turn it around though and looking at Bet365 offer of 3.75 (11/4) for an any time goal i think its might be worth a bet.
As for our opponents, they are having no problem in hitting the back of the net. 23 times already this season and they sit top of the pile in goals scored. The threats are all over the park, Robinho and Jo up front and Ireland, Elano and Wright-Phillips in behind we will have to be on our guard and i wouldnt be surprised if McCann came back into the side after suspension as we revert back to our 451 formation and try and controll the middle of the park.
In this fixture last season it finished 0-0 and im pretty sure we wont see a repeat of that. Im only human so youll probably understand im not oozing with confidence over this one. I would take a score draw if offered now but i see Man City coming away from this one 2-1 winners, with the hope Nolan score's for us so i at least take some cash.
We have dropped futhur into trouble after losing 1-0 at home to Everton Midweek while Citeh lost 2-0 to Middlesbrough at the Riverside. Most of Bolton fans are calling for Megson's head and there is rumors of a mini protest/boycott going around the whites fans. With the game live on telly on the Sunday im sure plenty of fans are planning to follow through with the boycott and watch the game from home.
3 points is in need for the Club and we need to make the most of our home games if we want to have any hope of staying up, which at this stage looks a shaky bet. However Manchester City's form has gone through a little dip of late, only winning one of there last five games in the league so there is certainly hope we could pull something off, thats if we can score of course.
Out of our 10 games this season we have only registered 8 goals, scoring in only 4 of them. Most of us were hoping that Johan would have settled by now and be banging them home but we are yet to see much come back from our record signing, only scoring once this season. Another one under pressure is Kevin Nolan, the captain has been the target of abuse for a number of weeks now and some are calling for him to be benched. Nobby scored in the Carling Cup loss to Northampton to notch up his 50th goal for the club but we are yet to see him register in the league. I have a sneaky feeling this will be his game to turn it around though and looking at Bet365 offer of 3.75 (11/4) for an any time goal i think its might be worth a bet.
As for our opponents, they are having no problem in hitting the back of the net. 23 times already this season and they sit top of the pile in goals scored. The threats are all over the park, Robinho and Jo up front and Ireland, Elano and Wright-Phillips in behind we will have to be on our guard and i wouldnt be surprised if McCann came back into the side after suspension as we revert back to our 451 formation and try and controll the middle of the park.
In this fixture last season it finished 0-0 and im pretty sure we wont see a repeat of that. Im only human so youll probably understand im not oozing with confidence over this one. I would take a score draw if offered now but i see Man City coming away from this one 2-1 winners, with the hope Nolan score's for us so i at least take some cash.
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dave said:He went to a really bad team I say. He is not getting any passes when he is in ...
mogggg said:By the rules of the game Rob Styles got that call spot on. If the ball is not i...
On 3 Goals and 3 Points!