[Archived] Match Report: Blackburn Rovers 0 - 0 Bolton Wanderers

[Kamy100]

Friday 28^th August 2015 – Football League Championship

Blackburn Rovers 0 v 0 Bolton Wanderers

Blackburn Rovers (0) 0

David Raya; Adam Henley, Shane Duffy, Grant Hanley, Tommy Spurr; Craig Conway, Jason Lowe, Corry Evans (Danny Guthrie 68), Ben Marshall (Fodé Koita 59); Jordan Rhodes, Nathan Delfouneso (Modou Barrow 78).

Subs not used: Jason Steele (gk), Matt Kilgallon, Marcus Olsson, Tom Lawrence.

Manager: Gary Bowyer

Bolton Wanderers (0) 0

Ben Amos; Lawrie Wilson, Dorian Dervite (sent off 93), Prince Desire-Gouano, Dean Moxey; Liam Feeney, Neil Danns, Mark Davies, Wellington Silva (Emile Heskey 79); Zach Clough, Gary Madine.

Subs not used: Ross Fitzsimons (gk), Josh Vela, Jay Spearing, Jose Casado, Stephen Dobbie, Alex Finney.

Manager: Neil Lennon

Referee: Mr. P. Tierney

Bookings: Blackburn Rovers – Shane Duffy, Corry Evans, Grant Hanley

Bolton Wanderers – Dean Moxey, Wellington Silva, Mark Davies, Neil Danns, Dorian Dervite

Sending off: Bolton Wanderers – Dorian Dervite

Attendance: 14,632

The financial realities of life outside the Premier League have, to all intents and purposes, crippled both of these clubs to the point where it’s hard to see how either will be restored to their former glories for years to come. Both are hamstrung by debt on a gigantic scale, both are shopping in the bargain bin of football’s pound shop and both are likely to be embroiled in a battle for survival in more ways than one. The fact that less than 15,000 turned up on a pleasant, late summer’s evening suggests that many supporters of both clubs have grown weary with it all and have had enough. Those who did turn up were treated to a spectacle in which there was plenty of effort but precious little in the way of genuine quality between two teams who look destined for a season in mid-table at best or avoiding being dragged into a relegation dogfight at worst.

After last week’s narrow defeat at Brighton, Gary Bowyer made a number of changes to the starting eleven. A late injury in training robbed him of Hope Akpan but Jordan Rhodes returned after his recent injury problems. Adam Henley, Jason Lowe and Corry Evans were also recalled whilst Tom Lawrence, Danny Guthrie and Fodé Koita all dropped to the bench.

Like last week at Brighton, the Rovers started brightly and as early as the second minute a Tommy Spurr free-kick found the head of Shane Duffy who rose above the defenders but headed over.

Ben Marshall then tried to find Jordan Rhodes with a long diagonal ball but misjudged the pass which went straight into the arms of Ben Amos.

On eleven minutes Spurr’s long throw was cleared as far as Craig Conway who whipped the ball back into the area where Duffy headed wide.

Another Conway corner caused Bolton problems and when the ball came out to Marshall his shot was blocked by Prince.

At this point the visitors had barely been able to get out of their own half but on the quarter hour mark they had two shouts for a penalty which the referee waved away. Firstly a tackle by Duffy on Zach Clough saw the Bolton man go down but bounce back up fairly quickly to retain possession. The ball was then only partially cleared and when Mark Davies picked it up and charged into the area he seemed to fall rather easily over the leg of Conway. Both were close calls but on this occasion the Rovers were given the benefit of the doubt.

On twenty-one minutes Jason Lowe was caught into possession by Clough and the ball was fed out to Liam Feeney on the right wing. He whipped in a dangerous cross which forced Duffy to throw himself at the ball to head away for a corner.

The Rovers responded with a long free-kick from David Raya which was headed on by Nathan Delfouneso into the area but, sadly, the ball wouldn’t fall for Rhodes and the danger was cleared.

However, a minute later Delfouneso found Conway and from his cross Rhodes got in front of the defender at the near post but headed wide. Conway then delivered another cross which just evaded but Rhodes and Marshall as the Rovers continued to press Bolton back.

Just past the half-hour mark Rhodes ought to have done better when an excellent cross from Marshall saw the Scottish international climb above two defenders but although he met the ball cleanly he couldn’t get it on target and headed wide.

Wellington Silva was then booked for a wild kick at Adam Henley which some referees might well have seen as a red card offence.

Delfouneso made an excellent run down the right, cut inside and tried to curl a shot into the far top corner but the ball flew well wide. With men waiting in the area, better placed, for the cross it was a very poor piece of decision making on the former Villa man’s part.

Bolton too, suffered from poor decision making when Gary Madine suddenly found himself free on the right of the Rovers’ area but opted to pull the ball back – to no-one as it turned out – rather than going for goal.

In many ways the first half merely reflected the lack of confidence that both teams showed whenever they got near goal.

Two minutes into the second half and Marshall had another effort blocked from the edge of the penalty area and then Duffy sent another effort over the bar when presented with a heading chance which again, ought to have found the target.

On one of the visitors rare excursions into the Rovers half, Davies pulled the ball back for Dean Moxey to hit a carefully placed shot which might have caused problems for Raya but for a deflection which took it away for a corner.

Has the half developed the visitors started to come into the game far more as an attacking force and Moxey again escaped the clutches of Lowe before he fired wide.

The Rovers might well have taken the lead on sixty-nine minutes when Conway’s corner was met by Spurr and his goalbound header was cleared off the line by Davies. The ball fell kindly for Fodé Koita – who had replaced Marshall – but he pulled his shot well wide when he really ought to have found the net.

Koita then headed a Conway corner well over the bar but did better when he laid off a ball from Henley into the path of Conway who raced into the area before Moxey was able to get in a challenge and knock the ball away for yet another corner.

The Rovers had struggled to create much and Bowyer had reacted during the half with changes to try to provide more spark in attack.

On eighty-six minutes the Rovers had the ball in the net but it was rightly ruled out for offside. A long ball from Raya was headed down by Koita to Guthrie and he, in turn, fed Conway on the right. Conway’s cross fell between Rhodes and a defender before it broke to Koita who swept it into the net from an offside position.

A minute later and it was the visitors who were left to rue a missed opportunity when Raya could only palm a dangerous cross into the path of Emile Heskey. The Bolton man wasted no time in getting away a shot which appeared goal bound until Duffy made an excellent clearance from on the line.

In truth the game had been a niggling affair from the start and with cards being shown freely by Mr. Tierney it came as no surprise when a red card was finally shown after ninety-three minutes. Dorian Dervite came through the back of Modou Barrow and the referee showed a second yellow and then a red to the Bolton centre-back.

So after five games, both teams remain winless and, in truth, the nerves were clearly on show in both camps. Too many needless fouls, too many ‘safe’ passes and a distinct lack of a cutting edge in both teams. Perhaps under the circumstances, not losing after such a poor start to the campaign was vital for both managers. Nonetheless, if this season is not to mirror the 1970-71 campaign, when both clubs plunged into the Third Division for the first time in their history, certain issues to be added in the Rovers camp.

Defensively, whilst there are signs of improvement between Grant Hanley and Shane Duffy, the continually exclusion of Marcus Olsson seems to have robbed the team of extra pace down the left. Tommy Spurr is clearly included for his ability with a long throw but defensively he has looked for from sound thus far.

However, it is in midfield that the real issues seem to rest. In pre-season Lee Williamson was the pick of the midfielders but has hardly had a look in since. Clearly with the arrival of Danny Guthrie and Hope Akpan that is understandable. However, with Guthrie on the bench and Akpan out injured it was a surprise that Williamson didn’t make it to the bench. The pairing of Jason Lowe and Corry Evans offered nothing to the team as an attacking force and, to put it bluntly, Lowe has been simply shocking this season. Quite what he brings to the team at the moment is a mystery that clearly only the manager and coaching staff know the answer to. We are not blessed with creative talent in this area of the field, although Akpan looks by far and away the best of the bunch.

Craig Conway was the standout performer on the night, as he has been in virtually every game so far this season. Sadly, Ben Marshall continues to struggle to find the form he showed during the early part of last season.

With midfield misfiring it is difficult for the front men to make much impact. Nathan Delfouneso works hard and carries the ball forward but at the moment has a tendency to overdo things. Jordan Rhodes looks rusty, as one would expect, but needs far better service than was on show in this game. Fodé Koita has raw potential but is a long way from the finished article.

The international break gives the manager and the coaching staff the opportunity to try to bed all the new arrivals in and hopefully decide on a settled formation and settled starting eleven.

Whilst it is still very early days the fact remains that three points from a possible fifteen is hardly the sort of start that is going to inspire confidence. September and October bring a particularly difficult run of fixtures which will no doubt go some way to not only define the season but also the future of the manager.

[JAL]

If a team can't score a single goal over a one and half hour period why should the lack of supporters be mentioned.

[Tom]

The honesty about Lowe from someone who has previously been a fan of his is very welcome.

Hopefully the manager can see what is blindingly obvious.

[DE.]

Probably the least optimistic match report yet, though I'm not surprised even Parson seems to be having the positivity sapped out of him by Bowyer's boys.

Two away matches after the international break and we're going to need to win one of them, or the next home game could be quite grim for Mr Bowyer. Personally I can't see us beating Fulham or QPR, but something has to change soon if Gary is going to turn it around.

[tomphil]

Bang on the money that match report. A copy of it needs posting to the coaching staff.

[JBiz]

Had no idea hope was injured just before. Still haven't seen him play yet!

[den]

Thanks Parson. Can't argue with any of that.

[Stuart]

A fair report. We need to cause an upset somewhere soon before we are needing snookers.

Lack of organisation seems to be our biggest issue at the moment.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

The honesty about Lowe from someone who has previously been a fan of his is very welcome.

Hopefully the manager can see what is blindingly obvious.

I have long supported Lowe to - but this season his performances have been poor. Again another excellent report from PB

[1864roverite]

Aside of being absolutely tactic less, the game alone sums up Bowyer as a whole.

We needed pace - it was on the bench.

We needed drive - it was on the bench.

Rhodes needs a big man alongside him - he was on the bench.

Marshall needs someone to challenge his spot - he was on the bench.

Bowyers persistence in Lowe is inexplicable. He is useless, he cant shoot cant head cant tackle BUT he can pass backwards, just what we need when we have two central defensive midfielders and not one of the with an ounce of a threat going forward between them.

I have no more faith in Bowyer, its time for a change. Another HUGE 2 points dropped. 3 out of 15 is certain relegation form and its a mile and half away from even troubling the top 10.

BOWYER OUT NOW before it is too late.

[oldjamfan1]

Many thanks for taking the time and trouble to do the match report again Parson. Surprised you didn't mention the absolute rollicking that Duffy dished out to Lowe in the second half. It seemed to go on for about 90 seconds and rumour has it, it continued in the tunnel and dressing room area after the game. Moving the game to Friday night robbed me of the chance to get to Ewood, so perhaps it was an incident only noticeable if you were watching on telly.

[LDRover]

Excellent report Parson, totally agree with all you have written. It's also very telling that you have blasted Lowe as you are probably the most level headed contributor on this MB. Maybe the supposed 'haters' have a point after all.

[BigJackWalker]

Top report I hardly post but this game really sums up Bowyer he had options too change the game and go on the front foot but just played it safe. Jason Lowe is an absolute joke he can't pass he can't shoot he has no vision and is terrible in possession, I really rated him when he was first played in right back all them years ago personally I think he could do a better job there and maybe start putting in some acceptable performances because unlike the attributes you need to be a good midfielder he does have good energy levels and has pace but he would still need too learn how to tackle