New Year tends to be about kicking old habits – but Neil Danns is hoping Wanderers have picked one up with an FA Cup win against Blackpool.
Consistency was a major issue for Dougie Freedman’s side through the festive period, the highlight of which was undoubtedly the midfielder’s winning strike against Barnsley on Boxing Day.
After a spell in limbo at his parent club Leicester City, Danns returned in style for last weekend’s third-round victory at the Reebok.
And while a fourth-round tie against Cardiff City lies in wait later in the month, the 31-year-old is hoping for more of the same when Nottingham Forest come to town tomorrow.
“We know the league is the main priority but when you get a win like that in the cup it can give you some confidence to go on,” he told The Bolton News. “It would be nice to think we can get into the winning habit.
“We need to take that result and start climbing the table but I think we can have motivation in both competitions. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.
“When we get out on the pitch against Forest we’ll want to win, no different to Blackpool.
“It will be tough because they are going well and Billy (Davies) is doing an excellent job but then you tend to say every single game in this division is tough.”
The question on many fans’ lips is will Freedman stick with a 4-4-2 formation that paired David Ngog and Jermaine Beckford together for the first time since the start of November?
Danns is relieved not to have to make that particular decision – but agrees that the experiment to go on the attack worked a treat against the Seasiders.
“That’s not my headache,” he said. “But credit to the strikers for playing well and getting the goals. You have to have different tactics to approach different games, though.”
Ngog’s scoring form has taken some by surprise – such has been his inconsistency in a Wanderers shirt during an indifferent spell at the Reebok.
But not so Danns, who says he struggles to find a bad word to say about the Frenchman since he has been at the club. “You’re probably asking the wrong person because I’ve only started three games with David and he’s scored in two of them,” Danns said. “Maybe I’m the lucky charm.?
“He scores goals for fun in training too, so I have only really seen the positives.”
Consistency was a major issue for Dougie Freedman’s side through the festive period, the highlight of which was undoubtedly the midfielder’s winning strike against Barnsley on Boxing Day.
After a spell in limbo at his parent club Leicester City, Danns returned in style for last weekend’s third-round victory at the Reebok.
And while a fourth-round tie against Cardiff City lies in wait later in the month, the 31-year-old is hoping for more of the same when Nottingham Forest come to town tomorrow.
“We know the league is the main priority but when you get a win like that in the cup it can give you some confidence to go on,” he told The Bolton News. “It would be nice to think we can get into the winning habit.
“We need to take that result and start climbing the table but I think we can have motivation in both competitions. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.
“When we get out on the pitch against Forest we’ll want to win, no different to Blackpool.
“It will be tough because they are going well and Billy (Davies) is doing an excellent job but then you tend to say every single game in this division is tough.”
The question on many fans’ lips is will Freedman stick with a 4-4-2 formation that paired David Ngog and Jermaine Beckford together for the first time since the start of November?
Danns is relieved not to have to make that particular decision – but agrees that the experiment to go on the attack worked a treat against the Seasiders.
“That’s not my headache,” he said. “But credit to the strikers for playing well and getting the goals. You have to have different tactics to approach different games, though.”
Ngog’s scoring form has taken some by surprise – such has been his inconsistency in a Wanderers shirt during an indifferent spell at the Reebok.
But not so Danns, who says he struggles to find a bad word to say about the Frenchman since he has been at the club. “You’re probably asking the wrong person because I’ve only started three games with David and he’s scored in two of them,” Danns said. “Maybe I’m the lucky charm.?
“He scores goals for fun in training too, so I have only really seen the positives.”
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