Robbo, Sicknote, Marvo, Coyley, SKD, Warny and Eavesy all fit into our round up.
Wow. You go away for a day and the world and his mother talks. I must do it more often.
Lots of stuff to get through, so we’ll do one of those bullet point things, as I’m doing this during my lunch (we call it ‘refs’ like we’re all ex public schoolboys in the public sector) and the public won’t stand for me being a minute late.
EX PLAYERS
Both Paul ‘Robbo’ Robinson and Sean ‘Sicknote’ Davis have been in the news over the past couple of days. Robinson has signed a month long emergency contract with Birmingham as they have no fit defenders and, after defying the doctors for three years when it may have been easier to retire, Sean Davis has indeed retired.
Now, I’m not going to cast aspersions on anyone’s character here, but it does seem strange to me that Sicknote spent a great deal of the his Bolton career getting treatment and as soon as he can’t find anyone to sign him, retires. Yes, I know that knee injuries are tricky things, and that the Bolton doctors are only good at reviving people’s hearts, but surely someone could have told him this before this week and saved us, I don’t know, about a years wages?
As for Robbo’s ’emergency’ deal, there must be some kind of emergency if they have to resort to signing the Football League’s answer to Judge Dredd. He may be slow and cumbersome but he will take you out, no questions asked. Actually, that’s Ray Winstone. But you get the point. Thankfully, we have played Birmingham, so our players can pack away the extra shin pads.
MARVIN SORDELL WILL GET HIS CHANCE
So said the manager yesterday, as the continual non playing of the £3million invisible man causes consternation amongst (some) Bolton fans. Especially as the forward line have scored three goals this season and Sordell has one of them. He uses the fact that Jay Spearing was touch and go as the reason why he named four midfield players on the bench at Wednesday, but I just don’t buy it. Sordell is, according to the manager, the most natural goalscorer at the club. The strikers aren’t striking. Spearing’s injury needn’t have meant putting another midfield player on the bench, three is enough to cover the four positions. And we need goals if we are to climb the table, as relying on a defence that can’t stop conceding will not gain us promotion. Sorry, there’s something amiss there.
FORTRESS REEBOK
I think we have been here before, and often. The rallying cry since the lack of clean sheets began has been to make to Reebok into the fortress that it was under Allardyce and that Burnden was in days gone by.
‘We have shown at home, when we bring it all together, we can make the Reebok a real fortress.’
Can someone point me towards when that has happened, as the manager has said. Sure, in our history we have done that. However, one of the downsides of Owen Coyle’s managerial reign is that it has never been a fortress. It’s not in his make up. And it is for the club to prove that they want to make the stadium a fortress so that the fans can get behind them. Too often we have been let down. It is hard enough making it such a thing with 16,000 people there on the good days.
SKD WANTS RUTHLESSNESS
Again, we’ve been here before. The two games at the end of last season proved that this team has a soft centre. The falling apart against West Brom and the head dropping at Stoke showed that, when their backs are against a wall, this team pushes the wall back. Granted, the win at Wednesday is an instance of the team coming back in adversity. But they have done that before, at Everton last year in the most unfortunate of circumstances. I haven’t got an issue with the home form, we will win more than we lose. But the ‘ruthlessness’ needs to start coming away from home, and they were hanging on on Saturday, as they have done away from home for most of the past eighteen months. Walk the walk I say. Then we’ll see how ruthless you are.
WARNOCK WANTS GAMES
And he should damn well get them. Starting Saturday.
KNIGHT AND MILLS, YOUR FIRST CHOICE FOR DEFENSIVE PARTNERSHIPS
Strange that a defence that can’t keep a clean sheet should think that they are improving, but the general conscensus is that Zat Knight and Matt Mills are playing well together. Now, it’s not secret that I am not Zat Knight’s greatest fan, but even I have to admit that, from what I heard and saw, he played well on Saturday. If this means that they are getting better, then so be it. If they continue to play well, no one will be happier than me, although my membership to the Zat Knight fan club will forever be lost in the post.
TOM EAVES OUT ON LOAN
With the manager having problems fitting even Marvin Sordell into the match squad, little wonder that people like Tom Eaves and Michael O’Halloran aren’t getting a look in. A step down two divisions should do Eaves the world of good after a season of injury and give him the opportunity to score some goals. As long as it lasts longer than O’Halloran’s 10.2 seconds in Carlisle.
Right, that should give me just enough time to get this tuna fish and mayo down, washed down with a caffeine based drink. Will be back tomorrow with a Palace Preview, which sounds like a BBC documentary on Liz 2, but is, in fact, about the team from Sarf London.
Who’s the daddy?