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As the Championship’s lowest-scoring club Wanderers have clearly got some remedial work to do if they aim to climb out of the bottom three.
Phil Parkinson’s side has scored just 15 times this season, and more than half of those goals were racked up by September 1.
Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to league leaders Leeds United provided a window into Bolton’s issues, particularly in front of their own supporters. Though defensively resilient – the Whites have, for example, conceded fewer goals than third-placed West Brom - a lack of end result has made them difficult to watch at times since their return to the second tier.
In isolation, the result would be no cause for concern. Leeds have been praised for their attacking possession-based football under Marcelo Bielsa but what often goes unreported is that the Yorkshiremen give little away. Just nine shots have been landed on the Leeds goal in their previous five outings, meaning Wanderers are in good company in finding them a tough nut to crack.
The creative block is not a new phenomenon at Bolton, however, and the cause seems to divide opinion on the terraces. Some believe a genuine lack of quality in the attacking positions is to blame for the shortage of goals and opportunities, others pinning blame on Parkinson’s conservative tactical approach.
Official stats from the Leeds game did not count Jack Hobbs’s late header, blocked by Barry Douglas, as a shot on target, therefore it became the first occasion in 2018 that Wanderers failed to do so at home.
On their travels, they failed to trouble Ipswich Town’s keeper, Dean Gerken, in a forgettable goalless draw at Portman Road in September. They also drew a blank in four away games in the second half of last season at Burton Albion, Birmingham City, Norwich City and Cardiff City.
In total only Ipswich (200) have taken fewer shots on goal than Wanderers (214), and the struggling Tractor Boys are also the only team in the division to trail in shots on target – 58 compared to 51.
But the correlation between shots on goal/target and points is not as straightforward as you might think.
This weekend’s trip to Brentford throws up an interesting statistical anomaly in that the Londoners have actually put more shots on target (122) than any other club in the Championship. Only Leeds United can better their overall number of efforts on goal (322) yet the Bees will start just four points and four places ahead of Bolton at kick-off.
Brentford have scored 33 goals, 13 of which have come from Frenchman Neal Maupay, and also enjoyed more possession than anyone else, with the exception of Leeds, which indicates Wanderers could have another afternoon of hard chasing ahead.
Championship-wide the correlation between total shots, or shots on target and points is positive, as you would expect, but by no means definitive.
Bristol City are another side who produce plenty of opportunities but fail to translate them into points, while Tony Pulis’s Middlesbrough, following hot on the heels of Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City last season, seem to favour quality over quantity.
In complete contrast to last season, Wanderers have taken more points away from home. And that has also shown in an improvement on their strike rate.
At home they average 10.5 shots at goal, 2.36 on target, whereas on the road they manage a slightly more efficient 9.72 shots per game, 3.36 on target. Neither can be exactly explained as free-flowing but at least add weight to the theory that Parkinson’s preferred 4-2-3-1 works better away from home.
More damning is the fact that Wanderers' trio of central strikers, Josh Magennis, Clayton Donaldson and Christian Doidge share just one goal between them in the last 15 games.
This, if nothing else, could give Phil Parkinson and Ken Anderson some food for thought going into the January transfer window.
Source
Phil Parkinson’s side has scored just 15 times this season, and more than half of those goals were racked up by September 1.
Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to league leaders Leeds United provided a window into Bolton’s issues, particularly in front of their own supporters. Though defensively resilient – the Whites have, for example, conceded fewer goals than third-placed West Brom - a lack of end result has made them difficult to watch at times since their return to the second tier.
In isolation, the result would be no cause for concern. Leeds have been praised for their attacking possession-based football under Marcelo Bielsa but what often goes unreported is that the Yorkshiremen give little away. Just nine shots have been landed on the Leeds goal in their previous five outings, meaning Wanderers are in good company in finding them a tough nut to crack.
The creative block is not a new phenomenon at Bolton, however, and the cause seems to divide opinion on the terraces. Some believe a genuine lack of quality in the attacking positions is to blame for the shortage of goals and opportunities, others pinning blame on Parkinson’s conservative tactical approach.
Official stats from the Leeds game did not count Jack Hobbs’s late header, blocked by Barry Douglas, as a shot on target, therefore it became the first occasion in 2018 that Wanderers failed to do so at home.
On their travels, they failed to trouble Ipswich Town’s keeper, Dean Gerken, in a forgettable goalless draw at Portman Road in September. They also drew a blank in four away games in the second half of last season at Burton Albion, Birmingham City, Norwich City and Cardiff City.
In total only Ipswich (200) have taken fewer shots on goal than Wanderers (214), and the struggling Tractor Boys are also the only team in the division to trail in shots on target – 58 compared to 51.
But the correlation between shots on goal/target and points is not as straightforward as you might think.
This weekend’s trip to Brentford throws up an interesting statistical anomaly in that the Londoners have actually put more shots on target (122) than any other club in the Championship. Only Leeds United can better their overall number of efforts on goal (322) yet the Bees will start just four points and four places ahead of Bolton at kick-off.
Brentford have scored 33 goals, 13 of which have come from Frenchman Neal Maupay, and also enjoyed more possession than anyone else, with the exception of Leeds, which indicates Wanderers could have another afternoon of hard chasing ahead.
Championship-wide the correlation between total shots, or shots on target and points is positive, as you would expect, but by no means definitive.
Bristol City are another side who produce plenty of opportunities but fail to translate them into points, while Tony Pulis’s Middlesbrough, following hot on the heels of Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City last season, seem to favour quality over quantity.
In complete contrast to last season, Wanderers have taken more points away from home. And that has also shown in an improvement on their strike rate.
At home they average 10.5 shots at goal, 2.36 on target, whereas on the road they manage a slightly more efficient 9.72 shots per game, 3.36 on target. Neither can be exactly explained as free-flowing but at least add weight to the theory that Parkinson’s preferred 4-2-3-1 works better away from home.
More damning is the fact that Wanderers' trio of central strikers, Josh Magennis, Clayton Donaldson and Christian Doidge share just one goal between them in the last 15 games.
This, if nothing else, could give Phil Parkinson and Ken Anderson some food for thought going into the January transfer window.
Source