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!
Like this blog? Help spread the word: 
Preview: Bolton vs The side we created?
Friday, 07 November 08, 06:00 AM
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!
Like this blog? Help spread the word:
-
CamBWFC
Tauranga, NZ
Bolton Wanderers Blog
-
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!