Derby 0-0 Bolton

We're still below Derby. Freedman out.

Not many teams have won at Derby since McClaren took over. In the grand scheme of things we have to accept it as a good away point. Our recent results have given us higher hopes than our league position belies.

If you look at the current table, and especially the top six, a point a Derby is actually a plus!

On the downside.... why didn't we go for broke and stick with the team that has picked up nine points on the bounce? It's not as if we are going to make the play-offs or get relegated so why not just bloody go for it?

Keegan wrote:I'll take an ugly point, thank you. Certainly better than losing - Derby are third, after all.

An ugly point might have been a stonking great victory if we had given ourselves any chance, but as it was set up we didn't even want a win.

Boring game but a good point. I'd rather have come to watch us play 442 and be attacking but we could easily have lost the game against a good Derby side. 0-0's a good result providing he reverts to 442 at the weekend, at least then the plan is obvious.

I expect that before even the teams were announced most Bolton fans would have been happy with a point.

I expect that they aren't happy at seeing a changed side and ending up without a forward on the pitch when there's one on the bench.

I expect that when you've seen a team that has changed from the one that's steam rolled teams above you (potential play off contenders) when there aren't any new injuries in your side........... you think.... it's not as good a point as what it looks like on paper....... and what the effing hell are you doing Douglas.

Steve McLaren will be far more upset than Dougie at the result tonight. Not many teams in this league would have gone to Derby tonight full of the joys of spring.

It looks like we went to play for a point and that is disappointing but if you look at Derby and their home form then you have to see this result as a positive rather than a negative.

Three weeks ago everybody would have seen this game as a home banker. All of a sudden it's an away win for us!!!

Report: Derby 0-0 Bolton

IN BRIEF

Wanderers secured a hard earned point with a 0-0 draw against Derby County at the IPro Stadium on Tuesday evening.

A game which saw very few clear cut chances for either side, the Whites withstood a tirade of attacks from the Rams to ensure that they returned to BL6 with a share of the spoils.

TEAM NEWS

Dougie Freedman made two changes to the side which emerged victorious over Leeds on Saturday afternoon, with Alan Hutton and Andre Moritz coming into the starting line-up ahead of David Wheater and Joe Mason.

There was also a place amongst the substitutes for goalkeeper Arran Lee-Barrett, while Josh Vela was included in the matchday eighteen.

FIRST HALF

As the game got underway, it was clear to see that both sides were up for the fight with Craig Bryson proving himself a nuisance early on for the hosts while Jay Spearing saw his long range effort blocked and cleared away.

Having served a one-match ban in the Rams’ defeat to Millwall on Saturday, Chris Martin was involved in the thick of the action early on with the frontman narrowly failing to connect with a cross from the left flank.

Following a bright start to proceedings, Derby began to pepper the Bolton goal with pressure which included a tirade of corners that were dealt with admirably by the Whites’ defence.

The hosts looked set to break the deadlock in the 18th minute after a well-executed ball from Jamie Ward on the right hand side, but Adam Bogdan was out quickly to deny Martin from close range.

After withstanding a period of pressure from the Rams, Wanderers appeared to find a foothold in the game with Lukas Jutkiewicz causing problems for the home side in and order the penalty area.

No sooner had the Whites enjoyed a spell of possession however, Derby were back on the counter with Ward’s dangerous free-kick being parried away to safety by Bogdan with a number of home shirts lurking.

The iPro Stadium faithful clearly sensed a goal and were left calling for a penalty kick with half an hour gone as the ball appeared to hit Mark Davies on the arm, but referee Graham Scott was unmoved to the dismay of the County supporters.

Having notched in his last two outings, Moritz almost snatched the opening goal of the game in some style with 33 minutes on the clock as he unleashed from distance, but Lee Grant did well to deny him with a superb reflex save.

A thorn in Wanderers’ side throughout the game, Ward looked to have found the back of the net shortly before the break as he fired goalbound from a tight angle, but the winger’s effort skimmed inches wide of the upright with it seemingly destined for the top corner while Andre Wisdom flashed a shot just past the post on the stroke of half time.

SECOND HALF

Derby began the second period with similar vigour as they did the first, Ward’s lofted free-kick being headed narrowly over the crossbar inside the opening minutes of the half.

Ward again tried his luck from distance a matter of minutes later, but the Bolton keeper was equal to his vicious effort, parrying the ball about before Tim Ream scooped it away to safety.

Their dominance continued as the clock ran up to the hour mark, with Simon Dawkins’ run into the area and consequent cross somehow eluding the advancing Derby attack.

Wanderers did threaten on the counter attack as substitute Liam Trotter powered downfield before feeding Jutkiewicz, but the frontman failed to get any real power behind his effort which Lee Grant comfortably saved.

The introduction of Chung-Yong Lee with 26 minutes remaining almost had an instant impact as the Korean chased down a loose ball, but Grant was out quickly to punt the ball downfield and away from danger.

Bryson almost inadvertedly handed Wanderers the lead with 72 minutes gone as he attempted to clear his lines, but thankfully for the Derby man his header skimmed narrowly over the crossbar.

Neil Danns, a constant danger for the Whites all evening, ensured that the Derby goalkeeper was on his guard inside the final 15 minutes of the clash with a long range effort but his shot lacked the power needed to be any real threat.

With the clock running down, Chung-Yong Lee provided Jutkiewicz with a perfectly executed ball into the area, but the ball fell behind the striker meaning he was unable to anticipate the opportunity with Derby clearing away the danger.

Despite Wanderers having been forced deep into their own half for much of the second period, the visitors spurned a glorious opportunity with three minutes remaining as Jutkiewicz powered into the area before pulling the ball back for the advancing attack, but Grant somehow snatched the ball to safety.

With four minutes of added time indicated, the home side threw men forward in their numbers while Danns almost snatched the points with a shot which the Derby keeper initially spilled but the efforts were in vain as the game ended all square.

FULL TIME

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As I said before the game, I would have taken a point, but it's just the manner in which we scraped a point. Negative, boring football. We're not going down or up this season, so why Dougie has to be so negative I don't know?

Culcheth_White wrote:As I said before the game, I would have taken a point, but it's just the manner in which we scraped a point. Negative, boring football. We're not going down or up this season, so why Dougie has to be so negative I don't know?

That is what I was thinking. Why not go to Derby and try to shove it up them?

Reebok Trotter wrote:Steve McLaren will be far more upset than Dougie at the result tonight.

That is very true Reebok Trotter.

Although the Bolton fans who travelled to Derby tonight would have been more upset with the Bolton team sheet than McClaren would have.

Reebok Trotter wrote:

Culcheth_White wrote:As I said before the game, I would have taken a point, but it's just the manner in which we scraped a point. Negative, boring football. We're not going down or up this season, so why Dougie has to be so negative I don't know?

That is what I was thinking. Why not go to Derby and try to shove it up them?

Fecking hell RT, its football not a free for all shagging comp.

Agree with Biggie a defeat would not make much difference to this season going 4-4-2 ,diamond 2 up top whatever you will call it ,but basically Mason n Juke.On paper goalless draw at 3rd place team sounds good but why not keep with the formation that won 2-0 4-0 5-1 in the last 3 games using two forwards against supposedly a better team as they are placed 3rd.However they lost to Millwall,who lost tonight to Blackpool.The Championship is a strange Leauge as Millwall lost to Blackpool who had not won for 18 matches.So why did DF go one up top tonight.Why not see if 4-4-2 would have dismantled Derby.Like I said a loss isn't going to make much difference to this season next season is where we are looking at so why not try 4-4-2 against the 3rd place side.When did one up top actually win a game this year?It hasn't DF your a dick.FFS you win 5-1 at Leeds Mason has scored in the last three matches and we play one up top.DOH!

I still cant see a sensible reason for the 451 approach to the game tonight. DF will say it worked, we got a hard earned point to a team near the top. But who seriously would have benn disappointed to see us play 442, Mason and Juke up top - even if it backfired?

The reality is under most circumstances this is an excellent point, if we were pushing for promotion then i think the consensus  would be good point well won.

However we hit 5 on Saturday with 2 up front so it was disappointing to see one up front with nothing at stake, equally surprised to see Wheater left out.

In the whole scheme of things it continues the run at a very difficult venue, so hard to be to critical.
Listening GMR Zat had a very good game!! Funny old game aint it.

Resting Wheater and Mason whilst getting a point at a top side is a good result. But it was boring as shit to watch. That said it's Dougies job to get us as many points as possible, that's what he did tonight.

bwfc1874 wrote:That said it's Dougies job to get us as many points as possible, that's what he did tonight.

He didn't though.

It was possible to get three points tonight and he only got one.

Douglas has shot himself in the foot again.

Play the same side man! They are running around a pitch kicking a football, not going over the top at the Somme.

bwfc1874 wrote:Resting Wheater and Mason whilst getting a point at a top side is a good result. But it was boring as shit to watch. That said it's Dougies job to get us as many points as possible, that's what he did tonight.

 win gives THREE points so you're wrong mate, he didn't win as many points as possible. We only got one.  

That said before this match I stated I'd be happy with a point but I think the main beef tonight is NOT the result, it was the utter negativity and dire football coupled with Dougie backsliding into his already proven ineffective system. To be frank listening to the commentary we were rather lucky to keep a clean sheet and then when we had some chances to win the game against a clearly tired derby side we had NO forwards on the field, not even Moritz who I call a midfielder. 

I'm sorry but to play a match where you tinker with a system and lineup that has won three on the trot and won them handsomely is silly enough, to then remove ALL the strikers from the field is lunacy no matter how late in the day it might have been when Juke came off. 

Frankly Dougie showed he has learned nothing and does not intend to change his ways. I already want him out as you know but tonight just reinforced that belief. You cannot seriously tell me he got it right tonight because we had our backs to the wall from the off and very rarely looked as if we'd be any threat to them. When we did have the ball Juke was outnumbered and isolated because there was no one in support and then we even managed to take him off and effectively play 5-5-0. He's basically cocked up every single thing tonight and we are very lucky we got away with it. On another day Derby would have put four past us by half time. Thankfully Zat Knight had a mostly good game and Ream held up pretty well alongside him but this type of football is suicidal. We don't have the players to make it work, DF of all people should know that by now so why does he persist in reverting to it? Because he's too arrogant, too stubborn and too convinced only he knows what to do when it's clear he's now approaching being the only man who DOESN'T.

Sluffy wrote:I wouldn't be surprised to see changes to the team for tomorrows match - I think Wheater may be carrying a knock from Saturday for instance, if so I expect Hutton to play and Ream partner Knight at the back.

  

Sluffy wrote:

Sluffy wrote:I wouldn't be surprised to see changes to the team for tomorrows match - I think Wheater may be carrying a knock from Saturday for instance, if so I expect Hutton to play and Ream partner Knight at the back.

  

Managers are always selecting players carrying knocks for the bench to come on as a sub.

Well Douglas might.

As others have said ..... what's the point of a point?  A win would have put us all over the moon but the Doog has to go negative again. One striker.....no goals.
Obviously a good point if we were in with a playoff shot but this will grab mid table at best.  Shame after all the good work.