[Archived] Bolton vs Rovers

[G Somerset Rover]

The negativity may have something to do with the 9 points in 10 games, or 1 point in 5 games that Appleton has accumulated T4E.

[T4E]

The negativity may have something to do with the 9 points in 10 games, or 1 point in 5 games that Appleton has accumulated T4E.

Absolutely - but it's in stark contrast to the positivity after the Arsenal game. Both are falsely extreme.

Appleton and Berg have both struggled with Kean's squad - but Appleton knows and is doing something about it. We aren't going up this season, so as long as we stay up we'll be in as good a position as most teams next season for a promotion push. The rest of the season is about Appleton finding out what he needs.

[Rover_Shaun]

Appletons inability to spot a player will scupper any promotion bid

[Rover_Shaun]

^^^^...You also thought the Venkys arriving was a good thing and rejoiced at the removal of Alllardyce. Like your yourself said, make enough predictions and some will come true!!!

At the time a takover was preferable to slowly being starved of cash.......sadly nobody knew the new owners were going to be as useless and penniless as they have proved to be

Removing Allardyce was fine by me as long as he we replaced by somoene better (there are plenty) but sadly that decision was fooked up too

Old ground we have covered so many times it's dull. IN THE NOW we are still saddled with incompetent owners and a clueless manager. As you were at Ewood these days it seems

[Blue n White Rover]

Appleton has come in and sorted out a lot of the problems at the club. He got his own backroom staff in and organised the mess left by his predecessors. It was never going to happen overnight. He needs time and he needs resources. This season just needs to finish ASAP so that we can concentrate on building a good side. I have every confidence in Appleton that he can do this.

The aim for this season should now be the FA Cup and try to win that. Nothing is impossible.

[Clitherover]

Quite a large proportion, for some baffling reason, thought Campbell was a good signing.

For all my alleged miserablenessv at least I can sleep at night knowing that I thought Campbell and Appleton were crap from the off and didn't change my mind like the wind changes direction

To be fair Campbell had just scored 10 goals in 17 games for Ipswich on loan in the same season. Are you really that baffled people thought he might have been a success here?

[Rover_Shaun]

Yes

[PAFELL]

Frankly we deserve that 94th minute goal against us for the fans being such utter tools.

Glad we have lost.

Sorry I cannot agree with that. If one or two individuals were behaving badly or chanting disgustings chants. Then those individuals are the ones who should be punished. They are the ones who are an embarrassment to the fan base as a whole. But to be glad Rovers lost because of a few idiots behaving like scum, is frankly wrong. I am never happy when Rovers lose.

If there were these chants, the whole fan base does not deserve to be tarnished with the way these few individuals behaved.

[JonnyBRFC]

Well, I enjoyed the hospitality at the Reebok last night, spoke to many interesting people, Muamba also made an appearance.

The game frankly, was shocking. Both sides were poor with chances at a premium. We hit the bar a few times, their keeper pulled off some great saves. BWFC had one off the line and a couple of saves from Kean.

The football, from both teams, was up in the air more than it was on the deck. So I would not say we are alone with the lack of creativity in our play.

In the last 5 minutes I fancied us to nick it, with Jones (who was very good, again) dinking one just over the bar. However a long ball forward and a lapse in concentration and Eagles was in.

Pedersen was awful throughout, though he did whip maybe 1 or 2 decent balls in. Stewart did nothing, him and Marcus Olsson were not on the same wave length and didn't link up well. Best had a 10 minute appearance and looked good - won most his headers, but didn't have long enough to impact the game. I also think Jason Lowe offers very little for the team, though we have no one else to play there. I think when our injured players return - Kaz, King & Martin Olsson we should be in better stead.

Overall a draw would of been a fair result and the Bolton fans in the suite afterwards seem to agree. The performance was a massive improvement of that against Peterborough, though that wasn't difficult.

Hopefully we can carry the performance into Millwall and get a good result and that brings us onto the derby..

Oh and heard no chants regarding Muamba whats so ever, he got a standing ovation from both sets of fans at half time, not only that this fixture, but the same fixture last season.

[rovers11]

Obviously gutted by conceding a goal in literally the last second last night. Same happened against Brighton at Ewood a few weeks back where we lost the victory in literally the last few seconds.

It sounded like we defended pretty well last night with the back 5 all playing well. Marcus Olsson sounded like a good game at left back.

It's in midfield where it all breaks down. Just cannot hold onto possession and that is down to a lack of quality in there. Jones was the only one who seemed capable of doing that last night. Pedersen just loses possession all of the time, Stewart sounded ok when he was running at people but didn't really contribute much, and Lowe is full of energy but has no quality on the ball.

This results in our midfield being bypassed with long balls up the field which, ultimately, leads to us losing possession and on the backfoot again. Rhodes and Campbell's strengths are running behind defences and not winning headers and holding the ball up. Best sounded like he made a huge difference when he came on. We had some presence up front which worried the Bolton back line.

Still fully behind Appleton and believe he will sort us out. There's only so much he can do with our current crop of players. Lack of quality in key areas at the moment; that is down to injuries and from having Kean in charge for the past 2 years. We'll be a totally different team next year.

I strongly believe we are making progress despite the results not really improving. A proper coaching and recruitment team is in place for the 1st time in 2 and a bit years. It was never going to happen overnight and that has proven the case. Cannot see us getting relegated or even being close to being relegated. The bottom 3 would need to win 3 more games than us between now and the end of the season which I can't see happening with only 10/11 games to go. The law of averages would state that we'll at least get one more league victory so, realistically, the bottom teams would need to win 4 or 5 more games than us between now and the end of the season.

I don't think it's any coincidence that our league form has dropped since the fa cup either.

[Mike Graham]

Just seen the score, I cannot believe the idiot played Orr...wazzock!

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Incredible that the focus is on some supposed Muamba songs which nobody heard when the Bolton fans managed their 10th-20th year in a row of assaulting Rovers fans outside the ground. Granted it seemed tonight there was more giving as much as they got from our fans but that doesn't excuse the abhorrent behaviour of their thugs. Every single year it kicks off outside their ground and every single year its their fans moving round the stadium to confront ours. Its pretty obvious they see us as their grudge match, bunch of total morons in my opinion who could easily rival Burnley for their enthusiasm for violence.

Its just like the good 'owd days of the 80's on and off the field of play!

[cn174]

Just seen the score, I cannot believe the idiot played Orr...wazzock!

he didn't

[Mike Graham]

he didn't

Whoops...my apologies.

[Blue n White Rover]

Whoops...my apologies.

Blame Venky's

[AggyBlue]

The only good thing about last night was getting home before 10pm.

The crowd was good too, completely out sung the Notlob fans

Performance wise, we have too many players that just don't offer enough, too many player that just aren't good enough

[TBTF]

The only good thing about last night was getting home before 10pm.

The crowd was good too, completely out sung the Notlob fans

Performance wise, we have too many players that just don't offer enough, too many player that just aren't good enough

And more than a few who don't care enough!!

[den]

The only good thing about last night was getting home before 10pm.

The crowd was good too, completely out sung the Notlob fans

Performance wise, we have too many players that just don't offer enough, too many player that just aren't good enough

11 O'clock here Aggy.

Agree about the lack of quality, but I did see a different Rovers to the recent one. At least we weren't overrun in the midfield. I thought it was a battling performance - lead by Jones. He's a good player and one that leads by example. To be fair to the players for once, their approach to the game, I thought, was spot on. But they are only as good as they are. The ten minutes of Rhodes and Best was interesting. Rhodes might just have found the type of partner that he needs.

[Hanks]

A dozen of us went and we all thought it was a far better performance than of late, as did others who went and met up with after in the pub. I didn't hear any of the alleged Muamba chants but then again I was at the game not sat behind some computer in Malta or wherever. There was however a lot of young rovers fans worse the wear for drink with coins and seats appear to being thrown by a minority of both sets of fans.After the game outside the ground it was like a throw back to the seventies with horses charging into the crowd to break up trouble.

[scotty_beam_me_up]

Appletons inability to spot a player will scupper any promotion bid

I don't agree with this. I think the players brought in have been a success to varying degrees. DJ Campbell hasn't worked out yet but it's still early. It's a very bad time to bring in players as you're relying on players out of contract or not needed by other clubs.

He needs a summer window before you can make that judgement.

Just seen the goal again and I might be nit picking but Pedersons lack of desire to win the header cost us dearly. He's probably better than other options in midfield but can't help thinking this will be his last season at Ewood

[rog of the rovers]

Thought it was a turgid affair, for those that didn't go, it was very similar to the recent Leeds game. Very little in the way of quality, just two workmanlike teams cancelling each other out. This season really can't end quick enough, massive summer coming up for Appleton to sign/sell players and to implement a philosophy that will get us promoted.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Appletons inability to spot a player will scupper any promotion bid

I'll leave my decision on this until he has had a proper period of which to assess the squad and have time to have a more considered approach to replacements. Lets be honest - he came into a mess in terms of the make up of the squad - it was never going to be sorted over night.

Also - re DJ - over a goal ever other game for Ipswich - wanted by second in the table Hull - and I know loads of Blackpool fans that would have had him back at Bloomfield Rd. IMO he was a good call by Appleton - just hasn't worked out, not all transfers do,

[riverside returns]

I have just seen the goal and agree that Pedersen was a little timid in his attempt to head the ball. What happened afterwards is symptomatic of our season in that we failed to win the second and third balls following that. One of the centre halves should have been straight through that ball once Pedersen lost his challenge. Danger nullified.

[Rover_Shaun]

I think the players brought in have been a success to varying degrees. DJ Campbell hasn't worked out yet

Huh?

[broadsword]

I

He needs a summer window before you can make that judgement.

People were saying similar things about Mr Kean.