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REFLECTION was the order of the day this weekend as Phil Parkinson and his Wanderers squad digested the lowest moment of the season.
A 4-0 defeat at Hull City leaves the Whites entrenched in the bottom three for the entire international break, adding to the unease already felt around the Macron because of the ongoing ownership battle.
Parkinson took his share of the blame. His second-half switch to a back four may have been an exercise in damage limitation but potentially opened his eyes to how his side can avoid shipping goals with the same alarming regularity as they have done in the last few weeks.
The Wanderers boss also conceded the one change he made on the night – replacing Darren Pratley for Will Buckley – may have been an error.
“That’s one I look at myself for because I played him again after Tuesday,” he told The Bolton News. “I went through with the lads some of the things we need to do better but I also have to look at myself. I am very self-critical and maybe, given the ground Will covered on Tuesday night, I should have put him on the bench and brought him on.”
Parkinson had been considering switching to a 4-5-1 formation until the midweek win over Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup. With such a short turnaround to the next game, it was considered sensible to stick, rather than twist.
The manager continues to doubt whether he has the right players to suit the system but may be better stocked after the international break when Sammy Ameobi, David Wheater will be fit again. He may also be able to count on some new signings but whether they come off will depend entirely on the volatile boardroom situation and whether Ken Anderson, consortia local or international, get their way and assume control.
As things stand, a conclusion looks a long shot. But explaining his decision to stick with a back three in Humberside, Parkinson said he felt his hand was forced by the players available.
“We played 3-5-2 on Tuesday, before that we were thinking of changing it for Hull but it was a case of having the right personnel for what we’d like to go to,” he said.
“We stuck with it and tried to get Will Buckley’s legs in there, to break like he did against Sheffield Wednesday.
“Second half was damage limitation. It was a case of filling spaces around the pitch because we were getting exposed. We went 4-5-1 and did a lot better. You have to give the lads credit because they were up against a rampant team at times but we know that as a whole it wasn’t good enough.
“Individuals in the team, me as a manager, the staff – we all need to look at ourselves in the mirror.”
Parkinson added his thanks to the 1,072 Bolton fans who made the trip to Hull on Friday night.
“The only people who came out of it with any credit was the supporters,” he said. “I have got thank them and apologise because no-one like to see their team getting beat like that. They stayed with us and I thank them for that. We have to find a way of staying in games and we will do.”
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/15498170.Parkinson_shares_blame_for_Hull_City_defeat_and_admits____39_I_shouldn__39_t_have_played_Buckley__39_/
A 4-0 defeat at Hull City leaves the Whites entrenched in the bottom three for the entire international break, adding to the unease already felt around the Macron because of the ongoing ownership battle.
Parkinson took his share of the blame. His second-half switch to a back four may have been an exercise in damage limitation but potentially opened his eyes to how his side can avoid shipping goals with the same alarming regularity as they have done in the last few weeks.
The Wanderers boss also conceded the one change he made on the night – replacing Darren Pratley for Will Buckley – may have been an error.
“That’s one I look at myself for because I played him again after Tuesday,” he told The Bolton News. “I went through with the lads some of the things we need to do better but I also have to look at myself. I am very self-critical and maybe, given the ground Will covered on Tuesday night, I should have put him on the bench and brought him on.”
Parkinson had been considering switching to a 4-5-1 formation until the midweek win over Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup. With such a short turnaround to the next game, it was considered sensible to stick, rather than twist.
The manager continues to doubt whether he has the right players to suit the system but may be better stocked after the international break when Sammy Ameobi, David Wheater will be fit again. He may also be able to count on some new signings but whether they come off will depend entirely on the volatile boardroom situation and whether Ken Anderson, consortia local or international, get their way and assume control.
As things stand, a conclusion looks a long shot. But explaining his decision to stick with a back three in Humberside, Parkinson said he felt his hand was forced by the players available.
“We played 3-5-2 on Tuesday, before that we were thinking of changing it for Hull but it was a case of having the right personnel for what we’d like to go to,” he said.
“We stuck with it and tried to get Will Buckley’s legs in there, to break like he did against Sheffield Wednesday.
“Second half was damage limitation. It was a case of filling spaces around the pitch because we were getting exposed. We went 4-5-1 and did a lot better. You have to give the lads credit because they were up against a rampant team at times but we know that as a whole it wasn’t good enough.
“Individuals in the team, me as a manager, the staff – we all need to look at ourselves in the mirror.”
Parkinson added his thanks to the 1,072 Bolton fans who made the trip to Hull on Friday night.
“The only people who came out of it with any credit was the supporters,” he said. “I have got thank them and apologise because no-one like to see their team getting beat like that. They stayed with us and I thank them for that. We have to find a way of staying in games and we will do.”
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/15498170.Parkinson_shares_blame_for_Hull_City_defeat_and_admits____39_I_shouldn__39_t_have_played_Buckley__39_/
