Millwall 1-1 Bolton

Growler wrote:Better than losing but ultimately a disappointing day really.I can't see Ken having the heart to reappear and try and sell his £35 Wigan tickets.

Try all he wants, but no fuckers going to fork out £35 to watch that mind numbing shit Parkinson deems football.

Judging from the reports and fan accounts it sounds like it was another Parky defensive retreat in the second half.

It's amazing that after so long at the club he still thinks this team is capable of defending a 1-0 lead for over half the game.

Thought it was going to be a decent game in the first 20 minutes or so - Buckley skinned the full back a couple of times and should have had a pen (or so it looked from the stand) - after that it got scrappy. The players look bereft of confidence, giving the ball away far too often but for me the big issue is in midfield. Lowe was brilliant but he was doing the running of 2 men at times. Their number 6 had far too much time on the ball throughout and we need to press as a unit.

Up front Magennis looked injured to me, wasn’t running anywhere near hard enough. Donaldson little better when he came on, but no support at all.

Overall, two poor teams and a draw was a fair result for us (just) need to see more against Wigan.

T.R.O.Y wrote:Thought it was going to be a decent game in the first 20 minutes or so - Buckley skinned the full back a couple of times and should have had a pen (or so it looked from the stand) - after that it got scrappy. The players look bereft of confidence, giving the ball away far too often but for me the big issue is in midfield. Lowe was brilliant but he was doing the running of 2 men at times. Their number 6 had far too much time on the ball throughout and we need to press as a unit.

Up front Magennis looked injured to me, wasn’t running anywhere near hard enough. Donaldson little better when he came on, but no support at all.

Overall, two poor teams and a draw was a fair result for us (just) need to see more against Wigan.

Did we miss Oz?

Natasha Whittam wrote:

T.R.O.Y wrote:Thought it was going to be a decent game in the first 20 minutes or so - Buckley skinned the full back a couple of times and should have had a pen (or so it looked from the stand) - after that it got scrappy. The players look bereft of confidence, giving the ball away far too often but for me the big issue is in midfield. Lowe was brilliant but he was doing the running of 2 men at times. Their number 6 had far too much time on the ball throughout and we need to press as a unit.

Up front Magennis looked injured to me, wasn’t running anywhere near hard enough. Donaldson little better when he came on, but no support at all.

Overall, two poor teams and a draw was a fair result for us (just) need to see more against Wigan.

Did we miss Oz?

Here it is:  [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Natasha Whittam wrote:

T.R.O.Y wrote:Thought it was going to be a decent game in the first 20 minutes or so - Buckley skinned the full back a couple of times and should have had a pen (or so it looked from the stand) - after that it got scrappy. The players look bereft of confidence, giving the ball away far too often but for me the big issue is in midfield. Lowe was brilliant but he was doing the running of 2 men at times. Their number 6 had far too much time on the ball throughout and we need to press as a unit.

Up front Magennis looked injured to me, wasn’t running anywhere near hard enough. Donaldson little better when he came on, but no support at all.

Overall, two poor teams and a draw was a fair result for us (just) need to see more against Wigan.

Did we miss Oz?

I’m a big fan so yes I’d say so, needed someone to put their foot on the ball in midfield and while Wilson does a completely different job and put some good blocks in, neither he nor Williams did enough pressing. 

The lack of quality is scary though, I’m not sure any combination of our squad would have got a win today.

MartinBWFC wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Norpig wrote:How does Buckley get a game every week? Also where is he playing? One thing i do know though is its negative yet again.

433 away, not negative with these players IMO.

You can play whatever formation you want but if your manager says at HT when you are 1-0 up  well done lads great first half but this half lets sit back and defend the whole half then you know you're in deep trouble.

Doubt he did that.

Do you watch any of our games? We do it all the time and it has to come from the manager. Parkin even said it in a press conference a couple of weeks ago. He said we need to score the first goal then defend.

Whether Parky's instructions were to just defend after HT or not, that's exactly what we did. Millwall dominated the ball for almost the entire second half and fully deserved their point. I thought both teams looked very average in the first half but what I witnessed in the last 45 when encouraged Millwall to get at us was embarrassing.

Norpig wrote:Do you watch any of our games? We do it all the time and it has to come from the manager. Parkin even said it in a press conference a couple of weeks ago. He said we need to score the first goal then defend.

Most of them yes, and I was there yesterday. I’m sure Parky toldthem to keep it tight second half, which is fine Millwall creates few clear chances. 

The issue was our midfield being completely inept going forward. Williams, Ameobi and Noone (once Buckley went off) gave the ball away far too much and didn’t have the legs to break when we had possession. Ameobi in particular barely broke a jog, and if you’re away from home against a team who like to knock if about you need wingers to press the full backs and have them worried you’ll run in behind if they push on and leave space - we did neither.

Report: Millwall 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

Wanderers shared the spoils at The Den in the Sky Bet Championship after drawing 1-1 against Millwall. Mark Beevers gave the Whites the lead early in the first half, before Jiri Skalak equalised late in the second period.

Team News

Phil Parkinson made three changes from the starting eleven that lined up against Swansea City.

Mark Beevers replaced Jack Hobbs, with Marc Wilson and Josh Magennis coming in for Erhun Oztumer and Clayton Donaldson.

First Half

Wanderers looked to be hard done by on five minutes, as Will Buckley seemed to have been impeded by a Millwall defender but the referee waved away the protests.

The wide-man went close again, but his effort from close range was saved well by Jordan Archer.

The rebound from his effort came to Sammy Ameobi. The Nigerian found an perfectly weighted ball through to Jason Lowe, who fires from six yards but Archer pulled out a world class save from close distance.

Wanderers took the lead through former Lions defender Mark Beevers.

A fantastic delivery into the area from Joe Williams found the towering centre half lurking at the back post, who did the rest by nodding home from close distance.

Millwall nearly got back into the game prior to the half hour mark, as Shaun Williams took range from distance and narrowly missed the target.

In added time in first half, Wanderers produced some heroic defending as Ryan Leonard shot from just inside the area to force Alnwick into a save.

The rebound fell to the midfielder who fired at goal again, only to be deflected up in the air and cleared off the line by Mark Beevers. Wanderers putting their bodies on the line.

Second Half

Pawel Olkwoski produced a delightful cross into the area, finding Jason Lowe who tried to bend his effort into the bottom corner but Archer was equal to it, diving low to his right to deflect the ball away.

A Shane Ferguson cross found James Meredith for Millwall just past the hour mark, as his unleashed a long range effort that was blocked into the path of Lee Gregory.

The striker shot at goal but his effort was never beating Alnwick.

Ameobi had an long range effort with 18 minutes to go in the second period, but his effort flew wide of the target.

Millwall found a way back into it with eight minutes to go, as Jiri Skalak found the end of a Shane Ferguson cross and dispatched from 15 yards out, past a motionless Alnwick.

Ferguson nearly provided Lee Gregory with a Lions winner two minutes from time, as he whipped in a deliver that was glances on by the frontman to narrowly miss the frame of the goal.

Craig Noone went close in injury time, as a counter attack fell to the winger but his dipping shot was inches from nestling into the back of the net.

Full Time

Wanderers XI: Alnwick, Taylor, Lowe, Beevers, Ameobi, Buckley (Noone 70), Olkowski, Wilson, J. Williams, Magennis (Donaldson 45), Wheater (C).

Unused substitutes: Matthews, Vela, Doidge, Hobbs, Wildschut

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I watched it on ifollow……
The first 20 minutes we were playing football and were all over them. However as time went along we reverted to good ol hoof ball. The second half was two passes along the backline then hoof. We could not get out of our own half and sat back......then it was only a matter of time for the equalizer. Lucky to get out of there with a point IMO.

MartinBWFC wrote:Remember Coyle getting the boot after a Millwall defeat so could history repeat itself?

2-0 Millwall.

Presumably you’re delighted to come away with a draw after this prediction?