Bury 0-2 Bolton - Match Report Post #83

Boggersbelief wrote:Fantastic performance. The defence - rock solid. The high pressing, very impressive, it's the kinda game Barcelona play. If only we had a bit more quality up top to take advantage of the bang average teams in this league, we'd walk this division.

I agree. This team is looking more organised than anything we've seen for years. The work rate and pressing was impressive and the defence looks rock solid , especially with Spearing and Derik protecting them. The team kept a great shape and defended from the front as a team. It all seemed to be turning to shit by the time we lost against Oxford but fair play to Parky, he's turned it around. Very good performance.

The thing that encouraged me as much as anything was that we carried on trying to score instead of sitting back on the lead. We had more chances at 2-0 than they did, suddenly the 1 goal victories are becoming 2-0 and I genuinely think someone is going to get dicked soon, I was worried when we dropped off because we looked clueless but he's turned it around big time so well done to him.
The old adage of start by getting your defence right and then the rest will come is working a treat.
Interesting stat after bury went second a few weeks ago, they are now three points closer to the relegation zone than they are to us.

Am i glad i went to this game! The atmosphere in the away end was electric and even Bury selling me a a ticket for a seat that didn't exist didn't spoil it.

We looked solid at the back and yes the 2 penalties looked soft on the telly (at the time they looked cast iron penalties) but we thoroughly deserved the 3 points

How pathetic is Bury's home crowd as well by the way? Never heard a peep out of them all night

Norpig wrote:How pathetic is Bury's home crowd as well by the way? Never heard a peep out of them all night

They were scared of letting on they were bury fans because they were outnumbered in there, praise the lord for open sale tickets with no ID checks

I was really impressed last night, I know that given the difference in budgets we should be beating 'teams like Bury' but it's been a while since we actually looked good enough to do so. PP deserves a lot of credit for finding a formation that works with these players and for putting together a very solid back 4.  I thought Bury would come out flying but we set the tempo with our pressing, very encouraging.

Things are falling into place now and with the return of Clayton and Pratley not too far away, we will go on to win this league

People are getting carried away.

Yes, the defence looks good but we are still pretty awful at the other end. We won because the ref had a nightmare, both were dives and everyone knows it.

Take the dodgy penalties out of the game and did we ever look like scoring - again Clough had one to beat on the line (and it wasn't even the keeper!) and he still couldn't finish. Madine and Proctor are just fucking terrible players.

Credit to Parkinson for finally realising that Trotter has no place in this team (although you do wonder why it took him 10 games), but until he sorts out the attack we won't win anything.

Boggersbelief wrote:Things are falling into place now and with the return of Clayton and Pratley not too far away, we will go on to win this league

Unless Pratley finds that energy he had back int day, he'll struggle to get back in the side. Thorpe (once fit) and Derik are both playing well in an improving midfield.

Once match fit, Clayton should replace Madine, who, since he came back in the side has been disappointing.

Natasha Whittam wrote:People are getting carried away.

Yes, the defence looks good but we are still pretty awful at the other end. We won because the ref had a nightmare, both were dives and everyone knows it.

Take the dodgy penalties out of the game and did we ever look like scoring - again Clough had one to beat on the line (and it wasn't even the keeper!) and he still couldn't finish. Madine and Proctor are just fucking terrible players.

Credit to Parkinson for finally realising that Trotter has no place in this team (although you do wonder why it took him 10 games), but until he sorts out the attack we won't win anything.

Bollocks

Boggersbelief wrote:

Natasha Whittam wrote:People are getting carried away.

Yes, the defence looks good but we are still pretty awful at the other end. We won because the ref had a nightmare, both were dives and everyone knows it.

Take the dodgy penalties out of the game and did we ever look like scoring - again Clough had one to beat on the line (and it wasn't even the keeper!) and he still couldn't finish. Madine and Proctor are just fucking terrible players.

Credit to Parkinson for finally realising that Trotter has no place in this team (although you do wonder why it took him 10 games), but until he sorts out the attack we won't win anything.

Bollocks

What? All of it? When it comes to Madine and Proctor I think (s)he makes a valid point. All they do is keep a defender occupied.

We had 7 shots on goal last night 4 of which were saved so things are clearly improving in that area and that is 2 goals for the last 3 games, the defence is sorted now so he has focused on further up the field and the big difference as Nat rightly says is that Trotter has been dropped.
Spearing is the man who makes it tick but Vela has improved immeasurably since Trotter was dropped too.
Clough being back and seemingly full of confidence along with an improving Ameobi means we are starting to have some threat upfront and Madines hard work paves the way for the others.
Hopefully this is not a false dawn like the first 4 games and we have discovered what it takes to win this division.

Nat does have a point tbf. I remember thinking the same thing last night. Clough should have buried that chance no problem and quite how Proctor's missed that sitter I'll never know. Ameobi's nearly hit the corner flag from the middle of the box with another but the fact is that we are improving massively. Sooner or later you would think that at least some of those chances will go in. Madine did ok last night I thought. He didn't let their defence settle and won the majority of headers against them. There's more to an attacker than just scoring goals and he played that SKD role ok imo, not as good as SKD obviously, but he certainly put in a shift.

Madine put himself about last night and was a handful but i don't remember him having a clear cut chance, that is the one area we still need to improve to get out of this division

i'm thinking of emailing Bury and asking for a refund on my ticket as the seat they sold me didn't exist, the fact everyone stood up the whole game is immaterial 

They offered me a seat in the west stand with the home fans (me and a chap with his little boy, what a great idea that would have been) but they just gave up after a while and i watched the whole game from the steps

I didn't go last night pig, was there a lot of Bolton fans in the Bury ends

Natasha Whittam wrote:People are getting carried away.

Yes, the defence looks good but we are still pretty awful at the other end. We won because the ref had a nightmare, both were dives and everyone knows it.

Take the dodgy penalties out of the game and did we ever look like scoring - again Clough had one to beat on the line (and it wasn't even the keeper!) and he still couldn't finish. Madine and Proctor are just fucking terrible players.

Credit to Parkinson for finally realising that Trotter has no place in this team (although you do wonder why it took him 10 games), but until he sorts out the attack we won't win anything.

I broadly agree with this - there was both good and bad in last night's performance. Loved the performance and the result but the manner in which we achieved it was a bit cringeworthy. The core of the team (Beevers Wheater Spearing Derik & Vela) looked solid and not without quality but the full backs weren't great, especially Taylor who was given the run around by Ismail and Niall Maher. I still think Maher is better than what we have despite being naive when Clough conned the ref for the first pen. The forward line needs money that we haven't  got spending on it although I thought Clough did well to "win" the pens and Ameobi really does bring something different (albeit random) when he's not gasping for breath. He has such a big stride, his dribbling is like push-and-run and that will beat a lot of defenders at this level. Credit to Madine for his workrate too, but when you put it all together we're just not very potent up top.
Have to be delighted with the result that keeps us in touching distance of the mighty Scunny and the born again Blades who have a game in hand on us so it's another potential banana skin negotiated and despite our current shortcomings, Parky seems to have got the team playing well enough to be in or around the promotion places if all goes well. Not sure if Odemwingie would be the answer to our attacking problems or not, but there are other areas we need to improve on if we are to be more dominant but we can't really complain if it doesn't happen given our financial position.
All things considered I wouldn't have expected us to be where we are a few months back.

We played well, with a limited ability team. Having said that, there is plenty of scope to improve, and I think they are on their way in this respect. The first penalty wasn't, and the second was very soft. Take those away, and we have almost nothing up front. Madine worked well, but he's employed to finish, not give the defence 'something to worry about'. 
Clough isn't as sharp as he thinks he is, but getting better. Hopefully, the Sky Motm award will spur him on, rather than let him think he's made it, and sits back.

Boggersbelief wrote:
Bollocks

So Madine & Proctor are brilliant and Trotter should be in the team?

Think before you post Boggers, you've already embarrassed yourself enough this week.

If you take the penalties away, we didn't look like scoring? Yes we did Nat

Ameobe opened then up early on. Clough had two scoring chances, square it to Vela and it's in.

Proctor missed a sitter after a good move.  If you say our finishing was not up to scratch then fair enough but we did make plenty of chances.

Not long ago PP was a bellend we couldn't defend and all his signings were pants.

Well 5 games without conceding, 28 points, second in the table, despite all the problems, seems he knows what he is doing after all.

We are playing extremely well without the ball, closing down and keeping it tight, we need to improve our passing but lets enjoy this good spell.

wessy wrote:If you take the penalties away, we didn't look like scoring? Yes we did Nat

Ameobe opened then up early on. Clough had two scoring chances, square it to Vela and it's in.

Proctor missed a sitter after a good move.  If you say our finishing was not up to scratch then fair enough but we did make plenty of chances.

Not long ago PP was a bellend we couldn't defend and all his signings were pants.

Well 5 games without conceding, 28 points, second in the table, despite all the problems, seems he knows what he is doing after all.

We are playing extremely well without the ball, closing down and keeping it tight, we need to improve our passing but lets enjoy this good spell.

I think thats nats point wessy.  We had chances and no one to put them away as our forward line is shite.  Cant argue with that.