[Archived] Bolton (Home) Preview

[bellamy11]

christ, things are looking bad for them if he's signed caldwell! i cannot think of a worse centre back in the premier league.

I assume he means Cahill. Philip's dustbin lid memory letting him down there.

[robbo_rovers]

At the end of the day, a few weeks ago we would have loved to have won ugly, due to the fact we couldn't win whatsoever! Seems a bit of overeacting on here to be honest.

[Hughesy]

It's ugly football.....It's survival football.....It's effective football......Full stop.

Compared to what at Bolton & Burnley? Sh!te football?!

[nicko]

At the end of the day, a few weeks ago we would have loved to have won ugly, due to the fact we couldn't win whatsoever! Seems a bit of overeacting on here to be honest.

In one.

Compared to what at Bolton & Burnley? Sh!te football?!

Bolton have played well against the 'footballing' sides lately. They need to get the claws out for the six-pointers.

Burnley can survive if they win their home games.

Both will stay up.

[rovers1995]

Both will stay up.

Big statement Nicko, who do you think will go down

[Boz]

Both will stay up.

You might end up choking on your words.

I look forward to that.

[S15]

Both will stay up.

You're off your tits Nixon.

[nicko]

Big statement Nicko, who do you think will go down

Burnley will win three or four home games. Bolton should do the same.

Hull look a poor team to me, Wigan have lost their way entirely but have some talent, Wolves are scrappers.

So if you ask me to choose two to go it would be Hull and [sadly] Wigan.

Portsmouth are down already obviously.

[PAFELL]

Can I suggest you read the report again? Your manager has shrewdly employed a tactic that has worked before and is clearly working again. The players are now 'buying into it' as is shown by the fact the season has turned around.

Four home wins in a row against the kind of teams you can impose yourselves on has turned it round.

I am not interest in 'image' as I prefer reality.

The reality is you have stayed up again.

End of.

Let the TV clowns go on about their tactics and their pet teams. It doesn't matter.

You can't say that Rovers play attractive football because they don't. They don't have the players to do that. So they play in a way that gets results. It's the way of the world.

It's the same with Stoke, only they are better at it because they have been doing it longer. Second season up and they are safe.

The bottom line is there are a lot of weak sides in the Premier and you have got safe by doing what you do best for just a handful of games. It's worked.

With respect, Terry's long ball was fantastic and landed at the full back's toe.

You did something similar against Hull - when Olsson did just as well - and, as I recall, were praised for it in my report.

The tactics for the first 40 minutes yesterday were designed to do something and worked.

I'll say it again...there is nothing wrong with ugly if it is successful.

I cannot fault you on the use of the word ugly. I think it is a matter of interpretation / meaning of the word for soem people. It would be nice to see good attractive football played by rovers. But until they can afford to buy the players that can play that way, ugly, battling/ survival football we have to put up with. If it keeps Rovers in the prem, so be it.

At one stage this season I wanted Sam out as it appeared that he had lost the dressing room. When that happens, no manager can survive for long. But now I am prepared to allow Sam to continue with what he has started. It looks like the players are now behind Sam and are listenning to what he wants and playing the way he wants. Maybe the players, like the supporters don't like the style, but like the fact it works. For Rovers these days that is what matters.

The football Rovers play is ugly, but effective - after all can any of us describe it as the opposite of ugly - beautiful or pretty or stylish.

There have been times this season when the team has put some good move together, but it is in spells only. The players at Rovers cannot do it for the whole game. If they tried to do so they would be battered by most teams in the prem.

[JAL]

Burnley will win three or four home games. Bolton should do the same.

Hull look a poor team to me, Wigan have lost their way entirely but have some talent, Wolves are scrappers.

So if you ask me to choose two to go it would be Hull and [sadly] Wigan.

Portsmouth are down already obviously.

Hull looked stronger than Bolton at Ewood nicko, if they can get Bullard back then I wouldnt like to condem them just yet.

[nicko]

Hull looked stronger than Bolton at Ewood nicko, if they can get Bullard back then I wouldnt like to condem them just yet.

Key word, but...

Trouble is Hull can't outplay anyone or bully anyone.

There is a very ordinary, limited bunch down at the bottom this season. But some of them are capable of good days.

[Exiled_Rover]

You're off your tits Nixon.

You owe me a new computer screen. This one now has coffee all over it!

[S15]

Bet you never thought a Mellison post would make ya laugh, did ya?

[thenodrog]

Nicko, fact is the write up is a good one, so many reporters fill their accounts with such drivel, whereas your effort does contain a good balance about both sides, and a nice mix of (mostly accurate) fact and sentiment, such as mentioning Givet's first goal at Ewood etc.

I HAVE read the article but you make a relevant point, many people don't necessarily choose to, or have the time to, and words such as "Ugly" and "Nasty" are ones that quickly jump out and are remembered for all the wrong reasons.

I agree with your standpoint from your last post, about what you were trying to say, but unfortunately media muppets like Lawrenson relish this sort of stuff and it comes back to haunt us. That I think is the point most of us are trying to make.

I have written Rovers articles myself and you are always in a no-win situation, I accept that, and it is also good of you to enter into dialogue about it as many others, including myself, wouldn't necessarily. This isn't a witch hunt, at least not from me, but such articles spark responses, which surely is what the author wants?

Decent write up from a guy who knows Rovers are more than just some team from "oop North" that make up the numbers, but unfortunate choice of words sums it up from me.

It's a case of 'chuck enough mud and some will stick'. Alternatively supplying the bullets for others to fire.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Sorry to keep banging on about it but when your pass completion rate rarely gets above 60% and you're usually in the bottom two for passing success it hardly makes for compelling watching. Some of us lucky ones can remember the Douglas/Clayton teams, they were a joy to watch.

[thenodrog]

Sorry to keep banging on about it but when your pass completion rate rarely gets above 60% and you're usually in the bottom two for passing success it hardly makes for compelling watching. Some of us lucky ones can remember the Douglas/Clayton teams, they were a joy to watch.

Misty eyed nostalgia or what? We were far from being a joy to watch in 65/66. We got the lowest points total ever for the top division.

[Fife Rover]

Misty eyed nostalgia or what? We were far from being a joy to watch in 65/66. We got the lowest points total ever for the top division.

Have you forgotten the reason why Theno? All the other teams had played around a quarter of the season before we were allowed to kick a ball. Talk about coming from behind. It was like giving all the other runners in a 440 yds race a 100 yds start on you.

[Ozz]

If the snow had carried on, and the pitch markings been lost, would it have been abandoned?

Clare has some better photos of it.

[den]

If the snow had carried on, and the pitch markings been lost, would it have been abandoned?

Clare has some better photos of it.

I'm sure I remember games where the groundstaff had to come out during a game, to sweep snow from the pitch markings.

Anyone else?

[Ozz]

Nah that was the half time Curling tournaments they used to have Den

[JAL]

If the snow had carried on, and the pitch markings been lost, would it have been abandoned?

Answer to that Ozzie is YES, how can you play a game if you cant see the markings .

[RovertheHill]

Burnley will win three or four home games. Bolton should do the same.

Hull look a poor team to me, Wigan have lost their way entirely but have some talent, Wolves are scrappers.

So if you ask me to choose two to go it would be Hull and [sadly] Wigan.

Portsmouth are down already obviously.

Hull and Burnley for me. Burnley's next 3 home games are their only realistically winnable games...

[philipl]

I'm sure I remember games where the groundstaff had to come out during a game, to sweep snow from the pitch markings.

Anyone else?

Cannot remember which season or games but I've seen that happen at half time.

As for teams going down, if Burnley win their winnable home games coming up they get up to 32 points by early April. However, I don't see them winning all of them as I think the other clubs down the wrong end will just have a bit too much for them in one or two of those games. And if they don't get past the 30 point mark quickly, they have a grim end of season run of fixtures facing them.

With the way Sunderland are flandering, I wouldn't rule them out. Their next few fixtures are not pretty either.

[Exiled_Rover]

If the snow had carried on, and the pitch markings been lost, would it have been abandoned?

Clare has some better photos of it.

Forgotten how impressive a stadium we have. Sitting in the Jack Walker Stand I never see it from that angle.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Misty eyed nostalgia or what? We were far from being a joy to watch in 65/66. We got the lowest points total ever for the top division.

Not really, Dougie missed most of that season with injury and for us he was irreplaceable. Prior to that on our day we were a goal scoring machine. In 1963-64 Pickering and McEvoy scored EIGHT hat-tricks between them in league and cup. Any body like to tell me how long ago our last hat-trick was , I've forgotten.