Sheff Utd 2-0 Bolton

MartinBWFC wrote:

Jack Russell wrote:If I was in Parkinson's shoes I would keep some dignity by walking away, I would not want to be associated with that cockney criminal who is killing our club, if he has any aspirations of managing another team he should go now, money is not everything, I am sure he has a healthy bank account ?
and it is obvious that he is punching well above his weight.

He's hardly punching is he? it's more like whimpering away our championship status.

Report: Sheffield United 2-0 Bolton Wanderers

Second-half goals from David McGoldrick and Billy Sharp ensured the points went to Sheffield United at a bitterly cold Bramall Lane.

Wanderers looked in good shape after a solid first 45 minutes which saw them enjoy plenty of possession.

But decisive strikes from the Blades frontmen saw Wanderers taste defeat on their travels.

Team News

Phil Parkinson made two changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Reading at the University of Bolton Stadium on Tuesday evening. New signing Callum Connolly made his debut in place of Pawel Olkowski who missed out through injury, while Josh Vela returned to the starting XI at the expense of Craig Noone who was named among the substitutes.

First Half

Wanderers rode some early pressure from the hosts but soon got into their stride, particularly in midfield, where they started to get a foothold.

They won an early corner when O’Neil’s cross, intended for Donaldson at the near post, was cleared, but Connell’s set piece was over hit and it went out for a goal kick.

Matthews came off his line sharply to deny Bill Sharp from bearing in on goal after the Blades striker sprang into action after a ball from the left headed his way.

The hosts followed this up with three successive corners before the referee Keith Stroud blew up for a foul to give Wanderers some respite.

A block from Wheater in his own six-yard box prevented a powerful Stevens strike from testing Matthews in the Wanderers goal.

The game was played largely in the middle of the park with Wanderers enjoying plenty of possession and looked to break up play as quickly as possible when their opponents had the ball.

Wanderers were unfortunate not to have been awarded a corner when Connolly’s low long-distance shot appeared to deflect of a Blades’ defender’s boot.

David McGoldrick saw his powerful drive come off a Wanderers defender to earn his side a corner, but the visitors cleared their lines relatively easy.

United were ending the half strongly and Fleck saw a firmly hit effort canon off O’Neil for another Blades corner.

Wheater was on hand to break another attack from the hosts, this time diverting McGoldrick’s reverse pass behind for a corner.

Second Half

Wanderers had a bright start to the second half and enjoyed two successive corners to keep the Blades on their toes.

Donaldson had a strong chance to put Wanderers in front when he leapt to get his head on Connell’s perfectly weighted pass, but he was unable to get enough power to steer the ball beyond Henderson.

The hosts found themselves in front on 56 minutes through McGoldrick who struck the ball into an empty net when Sharp burst into the box after shaking off the attention of Hobbs with Matthews already committed.

Some lovely play on the right hand side involving Lowe saw Vela charge into the box and laying on the ball for Ameobi but he was crowded out before he could guide his shot on goal.

Parkinson made his first change with twenty minutes remaining when he brought on Magennis for Vela.

Connolly had a good chance to net an equaliser after being played in by Taylor but the on-loan midfielder placed his shot over Henderson’s bar.

Sharp doubled the Blades lead after 73 minutes when he was the first to get to Norwood’s excellent free-kick. The striker powered in a header from close range leaving Matthews with no chance.

Full Time

Bolton Wanderers: Matthews, Taylor, Lowe, Vela (Magennis 69), Donaldson, Ameobi, Hobbs, Connolly, O’Neill, Wheater (C), Connell

Subs Not Used: Buckley, Noone, Murphy, Wilson, B. Williams, Grounds.

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He’s obviously incentivised to stay

MartinBWFC wrote:

Jack Russell wrote:If I was in Parkinson's shoes I would keep some dignity by walking away, I would not want to be associated with that cockney criminal who is killing our club, if he has any aspirations of managing another team he should go now, money is not everything, I am sure he has a healthy bank account ?
and it is obvious that he is punching well above his weight.

He's hardly punching is he? it's more like whimpering away our championship status.

Whether you approve of the footballing style in which he has done it, what he's achieved at Bolton on paper is excellent and if he kept us up again it would be phenomenal. I don't think he can be blamed for not walking away, we're not exactly 10 points adrift, even if that's where it's looking like we'll ultimately be.

I don't blame anyone for wanting Parky to just do one, the football is depressing, the mentality is Megson-esque, it's like watching paint dry going to the games at the minute and has been from day one.

What makes me laugh though is people thinking we're well positioned to attract someone with the capacity to take this squad full of past its, cast-offs, and kids, and get it competing in a league where the average club is spending £10m+ a season.

We're used to seeing new managers coming in and making a big difference at least for a couple of months. Maybe now's the time to accept that this team is just a pile of turds that ain't gonna get polished, whether it's Mark Warburton or Jurgen Klopp.

doffcocker wrote:
Whether you approve of the footballing style in which he has done it, what he's achieved at Bolton on paper is excellent and if he kept us up again it would be phenomenal. I don't think he can be blamed for not walking away, we're not exactly 10 points adrift, even if that's where it's looking like we'll ultimately be.

I don't blame anyone for wanting Parky to just do one, the football is depressing, the mentality is Megson-esque, it's like watching paint dry going to the games at the minute and has been from day one.

What makes me laugh though is people thinking we're well positioned to attract someone with the capacity to take this squad full of past its, cast-offs, and kids, and get it competing in a league where the average club is spending £10m+ a season.

We're used to seeing new managers coming in and making a big difference at least for a couple of months. Maybe now's the time to accept that this team is just a pile of turds that ain't gonna get polished, whether it's Mark Warburton or Jurgen Klopp.

What a load of bollocks, this squad is filled with mostly Championship, Premier league players, so listening to your rhetoric these players have suddenly become shite, this squad if utilised correctly should and probably would climb the league.

Stick with this goon and I'd be very surprised to see us getting anything more than 8 points between now and May, there's still a lot of points to play for, but we're not going to get them from a manager that the ideal game is 0-0, the man is a dinosaur in tactical terms, so to say any new manager couldn't get a tune out of this squad, well I'll go back to my original comment, what a load of bollocks.

The question could be posed as how the squad has changed from the first few weeks when we were top six to the remainder of the season when we would be bottom.  Without doubt, this squad should be doing better.

Hahahahaha. I stopped reading after he said this squad is full of championship/prem players

Brilliant. Which players are Prem quality then Martin?

MartinBWFC wrote:

doffcocker wrote:
Whether you approve of the footballing style in which he has done it, what he's achieved at Bolton on paper is excellent and if he kept us up again it would be phenomenal. I don't think he can be blamed for not walking away, we're not exactly 10 points adrift, even if that's where it's looking like we'll ultimately be.

I don't blame anyone for wanting Parky to just do one, the football is depressing, the mentality is Megson-esque, it's like watching paint dry going to the games at the minute and has been from day one.

What makes me laugh though is people thinking we're well positioned to attract someone with the capacity to take this squad full of past its, cast-offs, and kids, and get it competing in a league where the average club is spending £10m+ a season.

We're used to seeing new managers coming in and making a big difference at least for a couple of months. Maybe now's the time to accept that this team is just a pile of turds that ain't gonna get polished, whether it's Mark Warburton or Jurgen Klopp.

What a load of bollocks, this squad is filled with mostly Championship, Premier league players, so listening to your rhetoric these players have suddenly become shite, this squad if utilised correctly should and probably would climb the league.

Stick with this goon and I'd be very surprised to see us getting anything more than 8 points between now and May, there's still a lot of points to play for, but we're not going to get them from a manager that the ideal game is 0-0, the man is a dinosaur in tactical terms, so to say any new manager couldn't get a tune out of this squad, well I'll go back to my original comment, what a load of bollocks.

Martin I can't believe you still have the cheek to spout your hypocritical nonsense on here, your outrageously fickle, temperamental ways have been exposed before.

I probably shouldn't waste my energy with you, but just for the fun of it I will. I want to examine your claim that this squad is "filled with mostly Championship, Premier League players". I don't actually know what this means but for argument sake what I'm going assume is you think this squad is awash with players of a Championship/PL quality.

Let's have a look through yesterday's starting line up:

Matthews - PL matches played 0, Championship matches played 5
Lowe - Released by his last two Championship clubs
Wheater - Considerable Championship experience, debatable Championship quality. Played great in League One granted.
Taylor - Has had some success at this level many moons ago, but again, released by his last 3 Championship clubs.
Hobbs - Again, some success but ultimately, let go by his last two/three Championship clubs.
Callum Connolly - Not a bad signing, but can't expect much from a 21 year old who to date has only played on loan at a handful of other lower Championship clubs.
Connell - Great potential but he's 17 at the end of the day.
O'Neill - Can't fault his commitment and fitness for a 35 year old but his last FIVE Championship clubs didn't want him.
Vela - Struggled with fitness and consistency at this level for years.
Ameobi - See Vela.
Donaldson - Turns 35 next week, let go by Birmingham, then Bristol, now he's our star striker.

It's one thing saying this squad has got enough quality, I just think a lot of people say it without meaning it, or perhaps they don't look deep enough into it.

doffcocker wrote:What makes me laugh though is people thinking we're well positioned to attract someone with the capacity to take this squad full of past its, cast-offs, and kids, and get it competing in a league where the average club is spending £10m+ a season.

I don't think any Bolton fan expects to win the league, but anyone who thinks this squad is playing to its full potential is a giant bellend.

doffcocker wrote:
Whether you approve of the footballing style in which he has done it, what he's achieved at Bolton on paper is excellent and if he kept us up again it would be phenomenal. I don't think he can be blamed for not walking away, we're not exactly 10 points adrift, even if that's where it's looking like we'll ultimately be.

I don't blame anyone for wanting Parky to just do one, the football is depressing, the mentality is Megson-esque, it's like watching paint dry going to the games at the minute and has been from day one.

What makes me laugh though is people thinking we're well positioned to attract someone with the capacity to take this squad full of past its, cast-offs, and kids, and get it competing in a league where the average club is spending £10m+ a season.

We're used to seeing new managers coming in and making a big difference at least for a couple of months. Maybe now's the time to accept that this team is just a pile of turds that ain't gonna get polished, whether it's Mark Warburton or Jurgen Klopp.

What a load of bollocks, this squad is filled with mostly Championship, Premier league players, so listening to your rhetoric these players have suddenly become shite, this squad if utilised correctly should and probably would climb the league.

Stick with this goon and I'd be very surprised to see us getting anything more than 8 points between now and May, there's still a lot of points to play for, but we're not going to get them from a manager that the ideal game is 0-0, the man is a dinosaur in tactical terms, so to say any new manager couldn't get a tune out of this squad, well I'll go back to my original comment, what a load of bollocks.

Martin I can't believe you still have the cheek to spout your hypocritical nonsense on here, your outrageously fickle, temperamental ways have been exposed before.

I probably shouldn't waste my energy with you, but just for the fun of it I will. I want to examine your claim that this squad is "filled with mostly Championship, Premier League players". I don't actually know what this means but for argument sake what I'm going assume is you think this squad is awash with players of a Championship/PL quality.

Let's have a look through yesterday's starting line up:

Matthews - PL matches played 0, Championship matches played 5
Lowe - Released by his last two Championship clubs
Wheater - Considerable Championship experience, debatable Championship quality. Played great in League One granted.
Taylor - Has had some success at this level many moons ago, but again, released by his last 3 Championship clubs.
Hobbs - Again, some success but ultimately, let go by his last two/three Championship clubs.
Callum Connolly - Not a bad signing, but can't expect much from a 21 year old who to date has only played on loan at a handful of other lower Championship clubs.
Connell - Great potential but he's 17 at the end of the day.
O'Neill - Can't fault his commitment and fitness for a 35 year old but his last FIVE Championship clubs didn't want him.
Vela - Struggled with fitness and consistency at this level for years.
Ameobi - See Vela.
Donaldson - Turns 35 next week, let go by Birmingham, then Bristol, now he's our star striker.

It's one thing saying this squad has got enough quality, I just think a lot of people say it without meaning it, or perhaps they don't look deep enough into it.

Ok we'll agree to disagree, but I will bet that as soon as Parkinson is binned results will improve dramatically.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

doffcocker wrote:What makes me laugh though is people thinking we're well positioned to attract someone with the capacity to take this squad full of past its, cast-offs, and kids, and get it competing in a league where the average club is spending £10m+ a season.

I don't think any Bolton fan expects to win the league, but anyone who thinks this squad is playing to its full potential is a giant bellend.

Hi. I was just waiting for you to pop up with some bullshit.

I'm gonna take your point. I think it's reasonable enough to imagine a new manager coming in and for at least a few matches, a handful of players perform at a slightly less shit level than they currently are doing.

Here's the question, is it sustainable? How many times have we seen a new manager come in, get a seemingly useless set of players putting 110% in, and picking up some points. Said manager gets his arsed kissed for a while, but before long we're back to square one, and nobody wants to admit that ultimately it boils down to us not having the financial backing, and we start looking for somebody else.

doffcocker wrote:Hi. I was just waiting for you to pop up with some bullshit.

I'm gonna take your point. I think it's reasonable enough to imagine a new manager coming in and for at least a few matches, a handful of players perform at a slightly less shit level than they currently are doing.

That may happen, or a new manager might win every game. That's the beauty of football, no one knows - especially not a gobshite like you.

All I ask for is a manager that has his team on the front foot, and actually gets players in who fit into his style of play.

How many of Parky's signings have been regulars since day one? Only Ameobi & Lowe from yesterdays 18 fall into that category. Parky seems to recruit them, talk them up, then leave them out.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

doffcocker wrote:Hi. I was just waiting for you to pop up with some bullshit.

I'm gonna take your point. I think it's reasonable enough to imagine a new manager coming in and for at least a few matches, a handful of players perform at a slightly less shit level than they currently are doing.

That may happen, or a new manager might win every game. That's the beauty of football, no one knows - especially not a gobshite like you.

All I ask for is a manager that has his team on the front foot, and actually gets players in who fit into his style of play.

How many of Parky's signings have been regulars since day one?  Only Ameobi & Lowe from yesterdays 18 fall into that category. Parky seems to recruit them, talk them up, then leave them out.

I agree.  How many play on the same side of the field week after week?

observer wrote:

Natasha Whittam wrote:

doffcocker wrote:Hi. I was just waiting for you to pop up with some bullshit.

I'm gonna take your point. I think it's reasonable enough to imagine a new manager coming in and for at least a few matches, a handful of players perform at a slightly less shit level than they currently are doing.

That may happen, or a new manager might win every game. That's the beauty of football, no one knows - especially not a gobshite like you.

All I ask for is a manager that has his team on the front foot, and actually gets players in who fit into his style of play.

How many of Parky's signings have been regulars since day one?  Only Ameobi & Lowe from yesterdays 18 fall into that category. Parky seems to recruit them, talk them up, then leave them out.

I agree.  How many play on the same side of the field week after week?

Who cares?

Don't get me wrong I have slated previous managers for tinkering unnecessarily.

But in the past we've had players who actually had the potential to really influence matches.

At the minute, all we've got is a group of equally uninspiring footballers, except maybe Ameobi who has his limitations.

I mean, does anybody really care if he plays O'Neill as opposed to Murphy, for example? Neither are match winners, neither are absolute liabilities. They are quite equally substandard.

doffcocker wrote:
Who cares?

Don't get me wrong I have slated previous managers for tinkering unnecessarily.

But in the past we've had players who actually had the potential to really influence matches.

At the minute, all we've got is a group of equally uninspiring footballers, except maybe Ameobi who has his limitations.

I mean, does anybody really care if he plays O'Neill as opposed to Murphy, for example? Neither are match winners, neither are absolute liabilities. They are quite equally substandard.

You missed the point by a country mile, as usual.

It isn't about his scattergun approach to team selection (although that's annoying), it's about the standard of player he signs.

Yes, it's difficult to make good signings in the free transfer/loan market but has he made more than one decent signing since he came to the club?

Natasha Whittam wrote:

doffcocker wrote:What makes me laugh though is people thinking we're well positioned to attract someone with the capacity to take this squad full of past its, cast-offs, and kids, and get it competing in a league where the average club is spending £10m+ a season.

I don't think any Bolton fan expects to win the league, but anyone who thinks this squad is playing to its full potential is a giant bellend.

Even if this squad is underperforming, it’s not by much. Going down regardless because the players aren’t good enough