Bolton 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday

The 29-year-old frontman hit his second goal in as many games for the Whites with a sublime finish from inside the penalty area as Dougie Freedman’s men made it four unbeaten in the Championship.

Speaking after the final whistle, Beckford admitted he would trade his first goal as a Bolton player at the Reebok Stadium for maximum points.

“It was a hard earned point but we are disappointed we didn’t get all three,” admitted the former Everton and Leeds man.

“Obviously when Sheffield Wednesday had a man sent off we started dominating the game again.

“We were unfortunate not to put away one of the chances that we created late in the second half but that is how the game goes sometimes. We have to brush ourselves down and look at is as four games now undefeated. We now have to push on.

“We have great character and when situations are going against us and when we are under pressure all the boys dig deep and work together. It was unfortunate that we conceded but we worked hard.

“It is always nice to score but I would always give away the goal in place of three points but a point this afternoon could be vital at the end of the season.

“Sheffield Wednesday are a very physical side and they work hard. They get forward in numbers but going back to the mentality of the players that we have got here, we didn’t crumble and we stayed strong.” 

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I think one of the issues is that no matter what tactics he adopts the opposition seem to find a way to nullify it quickly.
Like today he seems to have told Feeney and Eagles to stay wide -and all that happened was that the full backs stated tight to them. Feeney didn't do much - and Eagles did less. He seemed to be sulking at one stage. Perhaps his number is now up.
Bogdan hit it long- their central defenders( big lads) just dominated the long ball every time. We had big spaces in midfield because Spearing and Medo seem unwilling to run with the ball -so their midfielders played some good incisive football in the middle of the park.
Our tactics are too obvious.
He's got to learn to change tactics as soon as the opposition have them sussed. When did they change today?- only when Lee came on ((and was our best player) and they had their guy sent off.
Call me a clown if you want  but I think we have the players to do well in this league- but Dougie must learn to switch tactics again and again during matches - we are so easy to read and therefore so easy to play against

What do people expect really?

Coyle left Freedman with Knight, Wheater and Mills in front of the keeper - non of whom I'd particularly like if I was the keeper, to be trusting taking the ball away from the penalty box area.  Ream is a ball player though.

Even if you realeased the ball via the full backs, sooner or later they will need to be able to trust the centre backs to pass it to.

Ok, only Mills in the team right now but that's only happened during the last few games, so maybe we can at long last move away from Coyle's hoof ball defence but another big thing that worries me if we go down this path is Bogdan's decision making and coming out to the end of his area and beyond when sometimes required when building from the back goes wrong.

Anybody see him running after the ball miles outside his area in the last game or so - wtf was that all about?

Perhaps Dougies thinking is that he wants the ball away and as fast as possible from his defenders and keeper - and if so who can blame him really!

Sluffy,,
But it doesn't work- and we saw that by the bucket full today again. Boot it long to Beckford who can't jump. Their central defenders win it in the air every time and simply head it forward- and the balls in front of our two deep midfields - the problem starts again.
Playing it short to any of the back four- or back six if you include the deep midfielders at least gives us possession. At the minute we don't keep possession any where near long enough. With SKD it worked because he thugged the ball off defenders . This pair of lightweights( pace, Nat) can't do it- but we keep on hoofing it.
The outcome of this will be a disaster. 15,000 people in the stands can se it. Why can't the genius who manages the team not see it?

I accept that Rammy but what I'm trying to say is that there isn't much point playing it short from the keeper if the person receiving the ball is uncomfortable with it.

Yes I know these are professional footballers who are paid over ten grand a week and should know how to pass and move in to space to make themselves available for a pass but the truth is that some of them simply can't do it.

Knight and Wheater shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a ball and I think Mills may be in the same category too.

What's the point in building a short game if the center backs fuck up in front of goal?

Coyle left the structure of the team badly lacking through his transfers (anyone else noticed he's not doing as well as expected at Wigan - his star signing Holt is already been dropped to the bench - 3 year contract on big money at 33 (I think) remember!).  Coyle clearly wanted big lumbering hoof ball center backs and you can't just suddenly turn them into ball playing bring it up from the back type footballers.

Horses for courses and all that.

Sounds appalling to me- to have a defence (including reserves) who can't hold and pass the ball.
 Defenders who can't control and pass. Forwards who can't trap and turn- or win the ball in the air.
In the immortal words of Corporal Fraser, 'we're doomed, we're doomed'
We must be in a very dark place now

The thing to me is that Coyle left us so fucked up and with many poor players (Knight, Ngog, Mears, etc, etc) tied to the club on big wages, that any manager let alone Freedman simply had no room to move.

We had a crap defense, an 'iffy' keeper, no goal scorers, light weight non defending wingers and our best players were those we got on loan - how the hell do you fix all that at one go - the question really was why was it allowed to get so bad in the first place.

Freedman clearly hasn't been given funds this season - it was only when Holden got injured once again that he was allowed to get Spearing - and when our crap start reached epic proportions he was allowed to finally get a few loans in.

We desperately need a left back so that Baptiste can partner Mills and let Ream go into the midfield where he's been a revelation this season.

Clearly Eagles and or Lee need to go and we have to bring in some midfielders who can put a shift in and solidify in front of the full backs.

All in all its a disaster that Coyle left behind him and bluntly we are fucked until we can eventually sort out his mess and that is going to take time whilst the shit players like Knight and Ngog play out their contracts and we can move Lee, Eagles and even Mills and Ream on and replace them with cheaper and better.

My biggest concern about Freedman is that he made Knight captain and gave Wheater a 3 year contract - clearly is judgement is serious flawed and that is an alarming thing to have in any manager.

No doubt Sluffy that Coyle left us with some pretty poor players but IMO they were poor for the premier league but at this level, if they gave 100% in most games would look pretty good in the championship IMO.

Some of the players like Eagles and Lee still think they should be playing in the prem so they don't put as effort in but all in all Coyle and Freedman simply can't get the best out of the set of players they have had to work with. 

If you gave this squad to a good championship manager I would almost guarantee you we would be round the play offs.

Not defending anybody here, BUT Aaron we gave this squad to Freedman and he got us around the play offs ? So does that mean he is a good championship manager ?
Who says he wont repeat granted it sucks right know.

I agree with Doffcocker to an extent (forgive me, Lord). I don't think we have a team to challenge for promotion, but if we played to our strengths we wouldn't be towards the bottom.

For a start, we are effectively playing a back 6. I can understand playing two holding midfielders away at QPR or Leicester, but at home to a team who haven't won all season it's overkill.

Dougie needs to bring Ream out of defence and play him in midfield. He is the only player in the whole squad who can pass a football. Medo needs dropping, he is ultra shit and can't pass or control a ball.

When Ream plays he gives the central defenders an option, and then looks to bring the forwards or wingers into play. Right now it's either pass to Spearing or Medo who will just pass sideways or to the opposition, or hump it long.

Pratley was a passenger at Birmingham and Eagles was a passenger today so we were effectively playing 4-4-1 - so surely it's time to try two strikers up top.

wessy wrote:Not defending anybody here, BUT Aaron we gave this squad to Freedman and he got us around the play offs ? So does that mean he is a good championship manager ?
Who says he wont repeat granted it sucks right know.

The league was unbelievably open last season.
People are very quick to praise Dougie for taking us from 20th to 7th, but it wouldn't ordinarily have been possible.

Did you know that the gap between the play offs and the relegation zone was just 14 points last season? The year before it was 35.

There's no doubt he's made improvements here and there but there's only so much one can use that three month period last season in Dougie's defence.

Total shambles today I thought. We were really lucky to get a draw. No cohesion in our play and we looked all over the place. Loads of people say to me there's no passion or effort but I'm not so sure about that myself. Dougie's ridiculously over-cautious tactics are beginning to really annoy me. The two holding midfield players for me just isn't working. Spearing and Medo are both doing the same job and neither is getting forward enough. Beckford on his own up top is just not working and he gets next to no support. The only time we looked vaguely threatening today was when we went two up top after N'gog came on. We were playing Sheffield Wednesday at home for fvcks sake.
After backing Eagles on here all week he had an absolute mare of a match but I still wouldn't have taken him off as he's more likely to score a goal out of nothing than anybody else, and we were definitely creating nothing all afternoon.
I'd feel a bit better about Dougie if he'd come out and say words to the effect that, fair enough,we were absolute dogsh1t today, but the fact that he thinks things are going according to plan and that we were unlucky not to win just makes me despair and lose any confidence I ever had in him.

Freedman is still living off last years "success" with us. But for that he would be long gone now.

The problem with allowing last season to influence us is that 20th to 7th sounds good, but really it wasn't. Yes we jumped a few places quicker than anyone expected but just remember how many points we picked up when really we should have lost. We got lucky with an unbelievable amount of good fortune where teams seemed to be hitting the post and bar two, three and four times in a game. And up the other end we had a defender who popped up and scored a hatful to spare our blushes.

Freedman wasn't the cause of other teams hitting the post. His tactics didn't help us in that respect. We scraped some points together and climbed the league, and for Doug it made his record look good.

And he is still living off that! I want him to be good. He talks some sense etc but the way we play sometimes is just dire.

Reading the negative reviews from the game makes me really wonder what game freedman is watching. He thinks our midfield is decent and our approach play and creativity are very good.

So all our fans seem to think our play is rubbish and hoof ball, manager thinks its perfect. He ain't got any plans to change it. Its gonna stay the same.

Biggie wrote:Reading the negative reviews from the game makes me really wonder what game freedman is watching. He thinks our midfield is decent and our approach play and creativity are very good.

So all our fans seem to think our play is rubbish and hoof ball, manager thinks its perfect. He ain't got any plans to change it. Its gonna stay the same.

People have the same arguments about Dougie's interviews week in week out on here.
I agree with the people that say we don't need a manager that's gonna call the players not fit to burn, but he doesn't have to make out that we look like fucking Spain either. That does him no favours in terms of the fans.

I said on this site last season that Freedman is one of the worst managers BWFC have had for a long time and was roundly ridiculed for it.

One of his failings I think, is not a footballing issue but more a personal attitude. He seems arrogant and stubborn and doesn't appear to acknowledge that he has made mistakes and is willing to learn and change things.
I've never met Dougie and I could be completely wrong, I don't know but that is how he comes across.

chipbutty wrote:I said on this site last season that Freedman is one of the worst managers BWFC have had for a long time and was roundly ridiculed for it.

One of his failings I think, is not a footballing issue but more a personal attitude. He seems arrogant and stubborn and doesn't appear to acknowledge that he has made mistakes and is willing to learn and change things.
I've never met Dougie and I could be completely wrong, I don't know but that is how he comes across.

I don't think you are wrong Chip either on Freedman's attitude or ability, of which he has little. He's just a Coyle mk2 and Wigan are finding that out now too. Coyle learned nothing from his failures at both Burnley and here and still lives in his fantasy world that it wasn't his fault.

Freedman is exactly the same, totally in a world of his own where all the mistakes are down to other people. He has the same ability as Coyle to turn good players into poor ones as we are seeing every week and won't take any responsibility for it. Sadly Gartside hasn't the balls to do what needs to be done so I'm afraid it's just more of the same going forward. Eventually he'll have to act but it's the damage done until then that worries me. Those parachute payments are almost through so what happens then is anybody's guess. Didn't need to have happened just all self inflicted by the fat controller. 

The crux of the matter is we simply have too many players who aren't comfortable on the ball.

Take Medo for example, he needs at least 3 touches to control any sort of pass - on at least 4 occasions yesterday we had potential break aways only for Medo to fuck it up by mis-controlling the ball or taking too long to do it.

Compare that to their number 6 who was playing in a similar position to Medo but literally ran the midfield until he got sent off. It took him one touch to control the ball and then one touch to pass it, or he was comfortable in his own ability to hold onto the ball until he found a player in space.

Can someone please explain to me how a professional footballer playing near the top of his profession can't control a ball or hold onto it for more than 2 seconds? And can someone please explain why we have so many of these players.

Yes, Dougie is a shite manager who over complicates things and often picks ridiculous teams and formations - but it's the players out there on the pitch, not the manager, and if they can't even control a football and then pass it 10 yards it doesn't matter what tactics we use, we are always going to be shit.

Natasha Whittam wrote:The crux of the matter is we simply have too many players who aren't comfortable on the ball.

Take Medo for example, he needs at least 3 touches to control any sort of pass - on at least 4 occasions yesterday we had potential break aways only for Medo to fuck it up by mis-controlling the ball or taking too long to do it.

Compare that to their number 6 who was playing in a similar position to Medo but literally ran the midfield until he got sent off. It took him one touch to control the ball and then one touch to pass it, or he was comfortable in his own ability to hold onto the ball until he found a player in space.

Can someone please explain to me how a professional footballer playing near the top of his profession can't control a ball or hold onto it for more than 2 seconds? And can someone please explain why we have so many of these players.

Yes, Dougie is a shite manager who over complicates things and often picks ridiculous teams and formations - but it's the players out there on the pitch, not the manager, and if they can't even control a football and then pass it 10 yards it doesn't matter what tactics we use, we are always going to be shit.

Get the highlights of Man City yesterday to show how this is done.  Aguero and Silva linking up time and time again with wonderful passes.  Maybe Medo needs to watch how the big boys get it done.  Simply wonderful football when it is done right.