Season 2011-12 Fan Articles

From my seat: Bolton (A)

By Ken   Buckley  ::  26/11/2011   26 Comments (»Last) The team news was texted through and it did not make pretty reading and the bench put a real dampener on.

Bare bones it was and I was left hoping that the form Bolton are in at present losing 5 of their last 6 home games would help. I then noticed we had parked at St Joseph's... so divine intervention was sought.

We started well and Coleman had a good run but ended up showing too much of the ball to the fullback on the by-line and the ball was swept from him. Then from a Baines free-kick a glancing Jags header was pushed away by the keeper. We then forced a couple of corners which resulted in scrambles and the ball being shuffled away by a desperate defence.

We had a comic moment at the other end which could have been disastrous when Klasnic was put in and Jags seemed to run away from him leaving him with the freedom of the box and time to crack a good shot in, which Howard did well to push away.

The game was now a bit ragged and Bolton having better possession but not getting very far when, out of nothing, Wheater took a heavy touch with the ball going to Bilyaletdinov and he tried to make up for his error by lunging in studs-up and Bilyaletdinov thrown up in the air. Straight red was ref Oliver?s verdict.

Maybe it would be our day as we had some 70-odd mins to go, 11 v 10... Then, up until half-time we pressed but it all seemed too frenetic and chances were snatched at rather than clinically dealt with.

Cahill was in the thick of things and had a header hit a defender and the keeper saved one after a good cross from Bilyaletdinov. Eagles had one saved by Howard before the keeper punched away a good shot from Klasnic.

You could be forgiven for not noticing it was 11 v 10 as the Blues were showing more anxiety in not converting chances rather than using good joined-up stuff to pull the opposition about; in this respect, only Baines, Fellaini and Osman seemed to grasp the meaning of 'play through them'. Bilyaletdinov was showing well going forward but everything he tried seemed to flounder at the edge of the box by desperate Bolton bodies sprawling to clear.

Half-time and the rain was of tropical proportions with the Blues damp in front of goal. Would we see a change? No was the answer.

Second half started and it looked as though the manager had reminded the players it was 11 v 10 and to remember the training ground routines that are supposed to prepare teams for this eventuality and it paid off with less than 5 mins gone when the switched-on trio got together and Osman fed the very impressive Baines on the left, his reaction was superb as he crossed first time and found Fellaini making the ground and poking home much to the delight of the sell-out away end.

Deadlock broken, something to hold on to... could we now go on and finish the job off in good style? Well... not quite. We did continue to do the pressing, none more than Baines marauding down the left and creating chances and causing havoc to the Bolton rearguard. Chances came but both Bilyaletdinov and Saha both shot straight at the keeper when better was expected.

Bolton broke when they could and no-one of a Blue persuasion could relax and so it was that we had a real scare when a through ball found Klasnic leaving our rearguard for dead and only the feet of Howard prevented 1-1. That was probably the best chance of the match and the last as far as the hosts were concerned.

We continued to press and both Saha and Cahill were wasteful... in fact, this was the game that Cahill had his very best chance to end his goal drought but, on the day, nothing went his way and he was guilty of some misses that the Cahill of yesteryear would have gobbled up.

Saha came into much the same category so on 75 mins Saha was replaced by Vellios and the Greek made his mark with some 10 mins to go when the excellent Baines again went on a surging run and crossed for Cahill at the far post who showed true striker's instincts by looking up and seeing Vellios at the far post and from a mid air position hooked the ball back across goal for the simplest of tap-ins. Now the away end was bouncing where it had been rather muted until that second went in and then it was all the songs, full pelt, with the Moyes song bringing a wave.

It was game over and we just had the regulation run-the-clock-down subs as Cahill gave way to Barkley just before the board went up and then Gueye for Bilyaletdinov after the board had been up. Final whistle 2-0 and a clean sheet; I think I will have a word with St Joseph before the next match. Even the rain stopped at the end of the game.

MotM ? Baines

Overall, a welcome three points from a game that only highlighted the things we already know about paper-thin squads and the urgent need for investment so that the team can have a rebalancing job that permits the right-shaped pegs in the right-shaped holes but that is for other people and future times. Considering today?s team, I thought we did at times try to retain the ball and play it a little but were too easily spooked into rash decisions with our best spell of ball retention saved for the run-the-clock-down period, it would have done credit to the very top teams.

Stoke next and that brings its own problems so the Finch Farm medics may have as big a say as the manager. See you there.
UP THE BLUES

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