Bolton boss wants more from attackers after Pompey defeat

Keith Hill turned the spotlight on his attack after watching Wanderers fail to put stuttering Portsmouth to the sword.

Things seemed to be going Bolton’s way at Fratton Park when home fans turned on manager Kenny Jackett at half time, after which Pompey striker Brett Pitman missed a penalty.

Hill was left to regret his side’s own profligacy, however, as Pitman’s 66th minute header sealed the points and left him asking questions of his front men.

Wanderers have made visible defensive improvement since Hill’s arrival but he is eager to see the balance redressed.

“We can’t wait around,” he told The Bolton News. “Waters work in restaurants. I don’t wait for anything – I go and get it.

“Is there a striker out there? Is there a striker in our club who can score those goals? I think in Daryl Murphy we’ve got someone who can get in the end of crosses but we need to get him up to speed without killing him.

“I expect goals from Will Buckley, Dennis Politic, Thibaud Verlinden and from midfield. They have got to start doing it.

“We have flipped now. We’re not bad defensively, not bad. We have played against one of the Kings of Saville Row there, and I know people will say they have been struggling but the players they recruited are just misfiring.

“I believe we’re nearly there on one side of things but now we’ve got to convince them it’s not a 20-yard run, it’s a two-yard run. They will get there, or else otherwise I’ll end up playing.”

Defeat on the south coast leaves a yawning 18-point gap between Wanderers and safety but Hill refuses to believe the task of securing League One football this season is an impossible one.

“This is one of the best experiences I have ever had as a manager,” he said. “I have been very fortunate in 12 years not to have a relegation on my CV even though statistically we were expected to. This one, I don’t expect us to get relegated, regardless of points deductions, or the fact we’ve not won in four since we have been at the club.

“So long as there’s a pulse beating in my body I’ll fight it on behalf of those supporters who have come all the way down to Portsmouth.”

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Have to say that whilst I admire Hill's enthusiasm and think he'll do a decent job for us in the short term, he is one hell of an optimist to say:

“I have been very fortunate in 12 years not to have a relegation on my CV even though statistically we were expected to. This one, I don’t expect us to get relegated, regardless of points deductions, or the fact we’ve not won in four since we have been at the club."

Is he not aware of the fact that we might be getting a further points deduction? And that even without that we are already 19 points from safety?

There have been some "great escapes" in the past, but if it happens, this one will top the lot.

I totally understand that he needs to fire up the players but equally he needs to take care in terms of managing the expectations of the fans otherwise the amazing atmosphere he bangs on about will soon disappear.