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Yet another late, late show thwarted Wanderers on Saturday against Norwich City and assistant boss Johan Mjallby admits it is unexplainable why it keeps on happening.
Neil Lennon was again furious with his side’s stoppage-time slackness against the Canaries that inflicted a second home Championship defeat of his tenure – the other also by way of an added-time winner for Watford that broke hearts on Valentine’s Day.
And his right-hand man Mjallby takes it even more to heart as the man tasked with coaching the defensive unit at Wanderers.
Seven times in 10 weeks, the Whites have conceded in the 90th minute or later.
In that run of 16 matches, that sloppiness at the back late on has cost them a place in the FA Cup and nine league points.
And it is becoming more than an annoyance for Mjallby.
The former Swedish international defender told The Bolton News: “You take it personally as a former defender coaching that side of things. It is really hard to take.
“It is disappointing and we wish we could put the finger on why it is happening all the time.
“It is ridiculous really to have happened seven times in the last 10 weeks.
“We don’t like that we are throwing away points right, left and centre.
“We would actually be sitting on more or less 58 points if it wasn’t for all these late goals.
“You can maybe take it once or twice but now it is like a pattern.
“It is like the players get scared when they see the board go up for stoppage time.
“All these goals are a case of players not reacting to danger quickly enough.
“It is not really tactical why we are conceding goals in added time.
“Usually when other teams are trying to get a goal in added time it is more like they lump the ball up.
“Unfortunately we are failing to react to danger quickly enough and are not making the right decisions.
“You start racking your brain why it is happening.
“It is something that goes on 24/7 right now to try and find a reason why because it shouldn’t be like this.
"They should believe in themselves because it wasn't as though Norwich were pressurising us. I didn't see the goal coming.
"It is down to the players making the right decisions especially only when there are only a couple of minutes to go. They have got to react to danger.
"Cameron Jerome is very good in the air and you have got to expect your team mate maybe to lose a header. Then you have to cover for your team mate.”
Mjallby, like Lennon, believes it is a mental block with the backline and admits he never experienced such a bad run of conceding late on in his club career with the likes of Celtic and Levante in Spain.
It may be difficult to comprehend, but Mjallby thinks talking to the players and injecting confidence is the answer – though he says they have to take responsibility for their decision-making on the pitch.
That is something that the staff will have been looking to address again ahead of tonight’s visit of Charlton Athletic in a bid to stop the Addicks joining Wolves, Liverpool, Watford, Reading, Blackburn, Wigan and Norwich in profiting in the dying stages against Wanderers.
The 44-year old added: “Decision-making is always going to be the most important thing when you defend.
“It is not something you can really work on at the training ground – it something that has to be in you.
“It is something you learn at a very young age.
“It is heartbreaking and very frustrating for all of us and must be for the supporters as well.
“We are very angry that we are throwing away points like this because we want to finish the season very strongly and a point against Norwich would have been a good point.
“Right now we cannot put the finger on it but it seems to be a mental thing.
“They start to get shell-shocked when they see the board come up.
“The only thing you can do is speak to them and hope they take it on board when they go out on the pitch.”
Source
Neil Lennon was again furious with his side’s stoppage-time slackness against the Canaries that inflicted a second home Championship defeat of his tenure – the other also by way of an added-time winner for Watford that broke hearts on Valentine’s Day.
And his right-hand man Mjallby takes it even more to heart as the man tasked with coaching the defensive unit at Wanderers.
Seven times in 10 weeks, the Whites have conceded in the 90th minute or later.
In that run of 16 matches, that sloppiness at the back late on has cost them a place in the FA Cup and nine league points.
And it is becoming more than an annoyance for Mjallby.
The former Swedish international defender told The Bolton News: “You take it personally as a former defender coaching that side of things. It is really hard to take.
“It is disappointing and we wish we could put the finger on why it is happening all the time.
“It is ridiculous really to have happened seven times in the last 10 weeks.
“We don’t like that we are throwing away points right, left and centre.
“We would actually be sitting on more or less 58 points if it wasn’t for all these late goals.
“You can maybe take it once or twice but now it is like a pattern.
“It is like the players get scared when they see the board go up for stoppage time.
“All these goals are a case of players not reacting to danger quickly enough.
“It is not really tactical why we are conceding goals in added time.
“Usually when other teams are trying to get a goal in added time it is more like they lump the ball up.
“Unfortunately we are failing to react to danger quickly enough and are not making the right decisions.
“You start racking your brain why it is happening.
“It is something that goes on 24/7 right now to try and find a reason why because it shouldn’t be like this.
"They should believe in themselves because it wasn't as though Norwich were pressurising us. I didn't see the goal coming.
"It is down to the players making the right decisions especially only when there are only a couple of minutes to go. They have got to react to danger.
"Cameron Jerome is very good in the air and you have got to expect your team mate maybe to lose a header. Then you have to cover for your team mate.”
Mjallby, like Lennon, believes it is a mental block with the backline and admits he never experienced such a bad run of conceding late on in his club career with the likes of Celtic and Levante in Spain.
It may be difficult to comprehend, but Mjallby thinks talking to the players and injecting confidence is the answer – though he says they have to take responsibility for their decision-making on the pitch.
That is something that the staff will have been looking to address again ahead of tonight’s visit of Charlton Athletic in a bid to stop the Addicks joining Wolves, Liverpool, Watford, Reading, Blackburn, Wigan and Norwich in profiting in the dying stages against Wanderers.
The 44-year old added: “Decision-making is always going to be the most important thing when you defend.
“It is not something you can really work on at the training ground – it something that has to be in you.
“It is something you learn at a very young age.
“It is heartbreaking and very frustrating for all of us and must be for the supporters as well.
“We are very angry that we are throwing away points like this because we want to finish the season very strongly and a point against Norwich would have been a good point.
“Right now we cannot put the finger on it but it seems to be a mental thing.
“They start to get shell-shocked when they see the board come up.
“The only thing you can do is speak to them and hope they take it on board when they go out on the pitch.”
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