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A young Derby County fan who had lingered near the dugout asking for autographs after the final whistle asked innocently of Phil Parkinson: “What’s it like being a manager?”
The Wanderers boss, who had only moments earlier been explaining his view on a crushing result, answered obligingly: “Great when you win, horrible when you get beat.”
Had Parkinson seen his team give Derby’s classy line-up a run for their money, defeat at Pride Park would have been easier to handle. Instead, Bolton had turned in a first-half of quite astonishing ineptitude, which leaves nothing but serious question marks against their Championship future.
Wanderers have not always been easy to watch this season, particularly away from home. But it is hard to recall a time since they bowed out of the Championship two years ago on that very ground that they have looked so passive, so submissive, so passionless.
At no point did the team look like one fighting for their lives, and one must ask the question why?
Ken Anderson’s public criticism of the Birmingham City defeat cannot possibly have helped preparations. The chairman’s words were most likely intended to gee-up players he felt were underperforming – and particularly those seeking to stay next season – yet the timing and tone was badly judged, and his statement was poorly received inside the camp.
Parkinson should also shoulder his portion of blame. Responding to last Tuesday’s result by changing his formation to 5-3-2 and bringing back Aaron Wilbraham, David Wheater, Antonee Robinson, Mark Little and Jem Karacan, the lack of direction and purpose in the team for the first 45 minutes was alarming, to say the very least.
By the time a double substitution was made at the interval – which also involved switching back to 4-2-3-1 – Derby were long gone, and declared once they were three goals to the good.
Formation and tactics had nothing whatsoever to do with the inept defending which gifted Alex Pearce and Matej Vydra the opening goals. They were the kind of rudimentary mistakes which have worryingly crept into Bolton’s game since the international break. And they are the kind which get teams relegated.
But the total lack of attacking threat, or intention to disrupt Derby’s game, does reflect badly on the manager and his coaching staff.
They will have heard the sarcastic chants emanating from the 650 travelling fans during the first 45 minutes; gallows humour in a situation which is no laughing matter. The same loyal supporters stuck around after the final whistle to acknowledge an improved second half – but they deserved more.
There are mitigating circumstances to suggest why Bolton, a team assembled at a total cost of £0 whose leading goal-scorer was sold on deadline day, should be beaten by a team with a wage bill of £34m and a net spend of about £20m in the last three years.
Most had written off Wanderers’ chances. After all, the club had won just one league game at Derby since 1965.
Regardless of criticism, the class gap, or history – what was served up at Pride Park was simply not good enough, and is impossible to defend.
The game was barely three minutes old when Reece Burke’s sloppy pass on half way set Matej Vydra racing in on goal. The Czech squared unselfishly for strike partner David Nugent but his shot was blocked well by Alnwick.
Derby kept the pressure on and moments later, Alex Pearce headed home Joe Ledley’s corner unchallenged to open the scoring.
While criticism continues to pour towards manager Parkinson from the supporters over the last couple of games, it is hard to see how he can legislate in a game plan for such simple errors.
The Whites’ failure to respond was another matter altogether. Willed on by a deep-lying defence, the home side stroked the ball around like a training session and could have doubled the lead when the excellent Andreas Weimann just failed to control a through ball from Ledley.
Again, the respite was temporary. This time, Wilbraham lost the ball on the right allowing Derby to surge into acres of open space in midfield, thread a pass through David Wheater and Mark Beevers, and after Nugent’s shot had been parried, Vydra stroked home his 20th of the season with all the time in the world.
Travelling fans could not believe the lifeless performance they were seeing. On one attack breaking down on the left they spontaneously burst into song: “That’s why we’re going down,” they chanted. And whether such songs were helpful or not, it was hard to disagree on the evidence being presented.
Parkinson ripped up his play-book and put Craig Noone and Sammy Ameobi on in the second half, which brought about an improvement – albeit against a side which went into cruise control after scoring a third. That came when Tom Lawrence skipped past Karl Henry in midfield and laced a right-footed drive which whistled past Ben Alnwick into the bottom corner.
Despite the assertions from Wanderers fans that “we’re gonna score in a minute” – the consolation, for that is all it would have been, never arrived.
Ameobi struck the outside of the post, Beevers had a header pushed on to the bar and David Wheater had a close range effort cleared off the line.
At no stage, however, did you truly believe a fightback was on. But if Parkinson is looking for any shred of positivity from the afternoon, Ameobi and Noone’s second half impact was it.
This is the worst possible part of the season for Wanderers to have hit a wall, yet that is exactly what appears to be happening.
Key players are making big mistakes. Others look to have run their race entirely. It all adds up to a worrying situation to which Parkinson has to find an answer.
For the first time since tidying that dreadful start the Whites don’t look up for the fight, or able to win it. Some will say it is natural selection for a team which has had minimal investment in comparison with its rivals, others will pin the blame solely on the manager. Either way he is correct, it is a horrible job, at times.
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The Wanderers boss, who had only moments earlier been explaining his view on a crushing result, answered obligingly: “Great when you win, horrible when you get beat.”
Had Parkinson seen his team give Derby’s classy line-up a run for their money, defeat at Pride Park would have been easier to handle. Instead, Bolton had turned in a first-half of quite astonishing ineptitude, which leaves nothing but serious question marks against their Championship future.
Wanderers have not always been easy to watch this season, particularly away from home. But it is hard to recall a time since they bowed out of the Championship two years ago on that very ground that they have looked so passive, so submissive, so passionless.
At no point did the team look like one fighting for their lives, and one must ask the question why?
Ken Anderson’s public criticism of the Birmingham City defeat cannot possibly have helped preparations. The chairman’s words were most likely intended to gee-up players he felt were underperforming – and particularly those seeking to stay next season – yet the timing and tone was badly judged, and his statement was poorly received inside the camp.
Parkinson should also shoulder his portion of blame. Responding to last Tuesday’s result by changing his formation to 5-3-2 and bringing back Aaron Wilbraham, David Wheater, Antonee Robinson, Mark Little and Jem Karacan, the lack of direction and purpose in the team for the first 45 minutes was alarming, to say the very least.
By the time a double substitution was made at the interval – which also involved switching back to 4-2-3-1 – Derby were long gone, and declared once they were three goals to the good.
Formation and tactics had nothing whatsoever to do with the inept defending which gifted Alex Pearce and Matej Vydra the opening goals. They were the kind of rudimentary mistakes which have worryingly crept into Bolton’s game since the international break. And they are the kind which get teams relegated.
But the total lack of attacking threat, or intention to disrupt Derby’s game, does reflect badly on the manager and his coaching staff.
They will have heard the sarcastic chants emanating from the 650 travelling fans during the first 45 minutes; gallows humour in a situation which is no laughing matter. The same loyal supporters stuck around after the final whistle to acknowledge an improved second half – but they deserved more.
There are mitigating circumstances to suggest why Bolton, a team assembled at a total cost of £0 whose leading goal-scorer was sold on deadline day, should be beaten by a team with a wage bill of £34m and a net spend of about £20m in the last three years.
Most had written off Wanderers’ chances. After all, the club had won just one league game at Derby since 1965.
Regardless of criticism, the class gap, or history – what was served up at Pride Park was simply not good enough, and is impossible to defend.
The game was barely three minutes old when Reece Burke’s sloppy pass on half way set Matej Vydra racing in on goal. The Czech squared unselfishly for strike partner David Nugent but his shot was blocked well by Alnwick.
Derby kept the pressure on and moments later, Alex Pearce headed home Joe Ledley’s corner unchallenged to open the scoring.
While criticism continues to pour towards manager Parkinson from the supporters over the last couple of games, it is hard to see how he can legislate in a game plan for such simple errors.
The Whites’ failure to respond was another matter altogether. Willed on by a deep-lying defence, the home side stroked the ball around like a training session and could have doubled the lead when the excellent Andreas Weimann just failed to control a through ball from Ledley.
Again, the respite was temporary. This time, Wilbraham lost the ball on the right allowing Derby to surge into acres of open space in midfield, thread a pass through David Wheater and Mark Beevers, and after Nugent’s shot had been parried, Vydra stroked home his 20th of the season with all the time in the world.
Travelling fans could not believe the lifeless performance they were seeing. On one attack breaking down on the left they spontaneously burst into song: “That’s why we’re going down,” they chanted. And whether such songs were helpful or not, it was hard to disagree on the evidence being presented.
Parkinson ripped up his play-book and put Craig Noone and Sammy Ameobi on in the second half, which brought about an improvement – albeit against a side which went into cruise control after scoring a third. That came when Tom Lawrence skipped past Karl Henry in midfield and laced a right-footed drive which whistled past Ben Alnwick into the bottom corner.
Despite the assertions from Wanderers fans that “we’re gonna score in a minute” – the consolation, for that is all it would have been, never arrived.
Ameobi struck the outside of the post, Beevers had a header pushed on to the bar and David Wheater had a close range effort cleared off the line.
At no stage, however, did you truly believe a fightback was on. But if Parkinson is looking for any shred of positivity from the afternoon, Ameobi and Noone’s second half impact was it.
This is the worst possible part of the season for Wanderers to have hit a wall, yet that is exactly what appears to be happening.
Key players are making big mistakes. Others look to have run their race entirely. It all adds up to a worrying situation to which Parkinson has to find an answer.
For the first time since tidying that dreadful start the Whites don’t look up for the fight, or able to win it. Some will say it is natural selection for a team which has had minimal investment in comparison with its rivals, others will pin the blame solely on the manager. Either way he is correct, it is a horrible job, at times.
Source
