Two games into Douglas Freedman's tenure and we have added 4 points to our tally. This is in keeping with the target initially set by Chairman Philip Gartside at the start of the season. This is sadly no longer enough to get the team promoted because the team had that quite forgettable start to the season when they managed 15 points from 13 games. The manager has, quite unsurprisingly, chosen to focus on a porous defense line in an effort to stop the steady flood of goals that firstly pulled us unceremoniously out of the Barclays Premier league, then into the nether reaches of the npower Championship where we languish today.
What has been something of a surprise, however, is that Mr. Freedman has largely chosen to use the same players that were on the pitch when all of this bad patch took place. Our talisman and captain, Kevin Davies, has been battling defenders and 'flicking on' long balls for all he is worth - although there are those who might suggest that his worth has been badly diminished recently - and Zatiyah
Knight has been restored from the virtual purgatory he found himself in, under the distinguished patronage of the glee-some threesome.
Martin Petrov has returned to the reckoning and has been putting himself about, but where does one begin with Marvin Sordell? The Forgotten Man' has seen the cold shoulder he suffers from at Bolton, extend to the England U-21 setup where he has ostensibly been replaced by, wait for it, Bolton's on-loan Arsenal striker, Benik Afobe. Afobe had been the preferred choice instead of Sordell in the
Coyle Administration and that has continued so far, under the new regime. The only hint of light at the end of the tunnel has been a seat alongside the pitch instead of his usual seat in the stands. He must, at this point, be longing for his freedom.
It is interesting to note the 'return' of David Ngog. While it may be too soon to say, I'll go ahead and say it anyway - Ngog has looked like a new man. In his Cardiff cameo, he earned us a penalty, scored twice, had one of them wrongfully disallowed, comitted two bookable offences and was sent off. Most fans will agree that was the liveliest 30 minutes they have seen from the former Liverpool man since he swapped the famous red shirt for the famous white one.
It is standard practice for a new manager to take an under-performing team apart in analysis and start to fix the existing problems from the back. Our clean sheet was not pretty, but I never look a gift horse in the mouth. Next on the managers' agenda seems to be the midfield. He has brought in Canaries midfielder Jacob Butterfield on a month's loan - which, for the optimists among us, suggests that when this loan expires, we may well see the return of (drumroll please!) Stuart Holden after his long injury layoff.
Say what you like about supporting Bolton Wanderers, but it is never boring. Mr. Freedman has said he would be "shocked if the same team started three games in a row", but so far both his starting teams have had a striking similarity. Our talisman and captain was subbed off for Ngog in the Cardiff game, but Ngog's suspension saw Davies keep his place in the team for the full ninety minutes against Leicester City. It will be interesting to see the lineup and tactics employed for the Blackpool game and I look forward to seeing how it all pans out as we go riding on the Freedway of Championship football.
Written By Keegan
What has been something of a surprise, however, is that Mr. Freedman has largely chosen to use the same players that were on the pitch when all of this bad patch took place. Our talisman and captain, Kevin Davies, has been battling defenders and 'flicking on' long balls for all he is worth - although there are those who might suggest that his worth has been badly diminished recently - and Zatiyah
Knight has been restored from the virtual purgatory he found himself in, under the distinguished patronage of the glee-some threesome.
Martin Petrov has returned to the reckoning and has been putting himself about, but where does one begin with Marvin Sordell? The Forgotten Man' has seen the cold shoulder he suffers from at Bolton, extend to the England U-21 setup where he has ostensibly been replaced by, wait for it, Bolton's on-loan Arsenal striker, Benik Afobe. Afobe had been the preferred choice instead of Sordell in the
Coyle Administration and that has continued so far, under the new regime. The only hint of light at the end of the tunnel has been a seat alongside the pitch instead of his usual seat in the stands. He must, at this point, be longing for his freedom.
It is interesting to note the 'return' of David Ngog. While it may be too soon to say, I'll go ahead and say it anyway - Ngog has looked like a new man. In his Cardiff cameo, he earned us a penalty, scored twice, had one of them wrongfully disallowed, comitted two bookable offences and was sent off. Most fans will agree that was the liveliest 30 minutes they have seen from the former Liverpool man since he swapped the famous red shirt for the famous white one.
It is standard practice for a new manager to take an under-performing team apart in analysis and start to fix the existing problems from the back. Our clean sheet was not pretty, but I never look a gift horse in the mouth. Next on the managers' agenda seems to be the midfield. He has brought in Canaries midfielder Jacob Butterfield on a month's loan - which, for the optimists among us, suggests that when this loan expires, we may well see the return of (drumroll please!) Stuart Holden after his long injury layoff.
Say what you like about supporting Bolton Wanderers, but it is never boring. Mr. Freedman has said he would be "shocked if the same team started three games in a row", but so far both his starting teams have had a striking similarity. Our talisman and captain was subbed off for Ngog in the Cardiff game, but Ngog's suspension saw Davies keep his place in the team for the full ninety minutes against Leicester City. It will be interesting to see the lineup and tactics employed for the Blackpool game and I look forward to seeing how it all pans out as we go riding on the Freedway of Championship football.
Written By Keegan
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