Bolton v Millwall....match thread

Just read on BN comments that someone noticed that Connor Hall and Jeff King did not appear for the U23's this afternoon when they were beaten 3-0 by Charlton (I cannot find the teamsheet anywhere). Could this possibly mean that Parky will actually give them a go?  Has he actually grown some or has Ken put his foot down?  Hopefully they will both be given more than the customary pathetic 4 minutes.

 He says some odd things "Whatever system we play, whatever way we play – long ball, short ball, whatever, I am not bothered. I just want to see more resilience.”  Also "Asked whether the players shared his belief that the club could avoid the drop", he added: "You’ll have to ask them".   Anyone else think he may have "lost the dressing room"?

Anyone have any concrete news on Morais?  Someone on the BN comments said he got a thigh injury at Leeds.  I would love to see him, Ameobi, Little, Robinson, Clough and Alfie in the team with King  and Hall.

Pedro, you asked about Morais, saw him outside the ground before last Tuesdays match at about 19.50 with his tracksuit on, he was walking away from the main entrance.

Well for probably the first time ever I am not looking forward to a match.

It is shocking that everything that has happened has got me to this state!

I said to my brother after the Villa game, when we went home delighted, that we have a team that is very capable of losing the last 8 games of the season and they are doing their best to fulfil that prophesy.

Onto the match – surely surely Millwall must lose a game sometime.

I can’t see a change in our approach so it will be safety first and hope to grab a goal and hang on – which we have managed to do a few times this season.

I also see Barnsley winning at Ipswich tonight as Ipswich are on their holidays aren’t they.

We have an excellent record at home to Millwall so here’s hoping but they ruined my 21st birthday many many years ago when it was Bolton 0 Millwall 4 so they owe me big time.

After my depressing moan above, let’s hope I am totally wrong and we pull off a win to keep us going.

All I keep hearing is how we need a crowd behind us. Goals will do it!

45 mins otherwise I really think Parky will be gone. I'd really have to hope so.

Well, unfortunately the wifi worked pefectly, unlike the wanderers. There are so many things to say about another abject performance. But I think my feelings boil down to a couple of simple questions.

Were Millwall’s players so much better than ours. I think the answer is no. I didn’t see any great skill or real inventiveness from them. As individuals, they were pretty pedestrian

Were Millwall a better team? Undoubtedly yes. They had a plan, they played for each other, they knew what to do in certain situations, they worked together and could rely on one another. Could the same be said for us? Emphatically not. No team plan or shape or idea what to do in certain situations. Just individual good and poor play usually ending with a hit and hope.

Now the big question. Who’s responsible for that?

I’ll leave you to fill in the answer and what should happen next!

Thanks in no part to the other desperate teams around us in giving Phil a helping hand as we are somehow, by unbelievable luck, no worse off.

He’s making Phil Neal look good is Parkinson

Another totally depressing relegation-bound performance.

The manager is now just picking names out of a hat for the starting line up.

5 changes on Saturday and 6 this time. Last week against Birmingham, the 2 full backs Flanagan and Taylor were dreadful and were deservedly dropped for Saturday’s game. So lo and behold he brings them both back in.
Why do we play 2 defensive central midfielders in a match that we have to win?

Yet again, a totally negative approach to a match we needed to win.


As against Birmingham, we pushed and harried for 20 minutes or so but that was it.

We immediately looked dodgy at the back from the start. A terrible midfield slip after only 3 minutes sent Gregory clear and thankfully he slipped when he should have scored. Millwall left their main man Morison on the bench and played Elliot, the former Wimbledon man, and he terrorised both Wheater and Beevers. He won practically every high ball and, Mr Parkinson please note, headed on to a supporting player or even players to threaten us.

Millwall had obviously done their homework and picked up on our lack of pace at the back and their speedy players slaughtered every one of the back 4. Taylor was totally embarrassed for pace on numerous occasions.

We had one scramble in their goalmouth when Noone couldn’t force the ball in and Henry had a shot straight at the keeper which he managed to let slip but, of course, no one anywhere near to pick up on it. le Fondre had one break when he got clear but was caught by a fast Millwall defender when he hesitated.

The inevitable happened. A simple move down the left, a neat centre in and as a defence we froze. Not one defender or keeper attacked the ball and Elliott had an easy header to put Millwall ahead.

We all knew we had lost at that stage.

Second half brought no change. What happens in the dressing room at half time because no tactics are changed?

There is nothing to say about the second half.

Morais and Clough came on. Clough got plonked on the left wing – a total waste.

We had a few scrambles until the farce that finished the game.

We won a free kick on the right. Wheater, Beevers and Derik all went up. Morais then floated the ball over the top of everyone and the ball drifted out towards the touchline. Clough challenged for it but Millwall’s right back got to it first. No danger? Well there was. Instead of basically hoofing it upfield a la Bolton, he ran with it. He outpaced Clough and ran and ran. He ran the whole length of the pitch; reached the penalty area and squared the ball to the centre where there were 2 Millwall men who had outpaced our complete team for a simple tap in. A woeful goal to concede.

And that was it. We just gave up again.


This was dreadful. Millwall, albeit on a good run, were not particularly outstanding but they passed the ball to Blue shirts and went forward instead of our dreadful backward passing hoofball football.

Our manager has totally failed to work out a system where we can play with Le Fondre up front. We have absolutely no support for him. We play 2 wingers who play so deep that they are never involved in the penalty area. We have 2 full backs who rarely venture forward.

We play a system whereby we give the opposition the ball, hope to keep a clean sheet and then grab a goal somehow. Well, it doesn’t work.


We will play the same on Saturday at Barnsley which could be the final nail in our coffin.


As I said in an earlier post – for first time ever in my footballing life, I do not looking forward to going to a match.



Alnwick - 4 Yet again, didn’t have a great deal to. One good save in second half. Not sure if he can be blamed for 1st goal. Distribution was slow and awful.

Flanagan - 2 Why was he picked? Never ventured forward at all. Contributed nothing to the game.

Wheater - 2 Outjumped endlessly by Millwall’s reserve striker. Terrible.

Beevers - 2 Same as Wheater, outjumped by Elliott and turned so many times by nippy forwards. What has happened to his heading? Instead of strong defensive headers, he now jumps and heads the ball less than 10 yards back into the air and into danger.

Taylor - 2 Amazed that he was picked. So slow it was embarrassing. Caught out by a simple throw in in the first half when he was left for dead.

Henry - 3 He has gone as far as I am concerned. Other than a first half shot, I cannot think of anything he gave to the game.

Derik - 2 Another defensive player picked for midfield. Just no contribution at all.

Pratley - 3 Ran around, fouled continually. Deserved to be booked on numerous occasions. Played in Vela’s “No 10” position and did nothing.

Ameobi - 4 The only one with a bit of skill but created nothing from it apart from one 25 yard shot which the goalie tried to drop into the net. He really is giving us nothing these days.

Noone - 4 A few crosses into the box for our one-man attack. A few dreadful corners straight into goalies hands.

Le Fondre - 4 Worked tirelessly. Got no service. Messed up his one and only reasonable chance. Must be so disillusioned playing in such a negative set up.

Morais - 3 So disappointing when he came on. His centres were poor and his dreadful free kick led to Millwall’s break for the 2nd goal.

Vela - 2 Did anyone notice that he was on?

Clough - 3 Brought on and then played in the Armstrong role as a left winger. Crazy decision by the manager.

Manager - 0 I cannot think of one positive thing to say about him. Strange team selection. Unable to bring any change after 15 minutes half time (what is said in the dressing room?). Unable to motivate from the side.