My overview of the opening day clash at Turf Moor
So, were you happy with the away point at Turf Moor on Saturday? No, I didn`t mention the performance, I asked about the result. Were you satisfied coming away from Burnley with a share of the spoils?
If you weren`t happy with a draw on the opening day of the new Championship season, you didn`t watch the game.
Now, I know a lot of Bolton fans believed our players put out an abject performance; some of our lads didn`t show up, or if they did, wish they hadn`t. If you feel that way, you are completely justified in your beliefs. You`d be correct in saying that the majority of the Wanderers` line-up were below-par. A couple of the starting eleven you could even argue were woeful. But let me ask you this: with all the possession the Clarets enjoyed, for all their supposed ‘dominance` they exuded on us and the way our defence shook at times, did you feel the Whites` team looked overawed? As a supporter, did you think Burnley were going to win the game? OK, you may have thought they could nick it in the dying moments, but you could say that of any game or any team where the scores are level.
I didn`t feel that way at all. I wasn`t scared Burnley would snatch the 3-points. On the contrary, I thought the Wanderers were going to steal the win. Yes, Burnley did a lot of running the wings with the ball, they closed us down in unison and they regularly interrupted our groove. But Bolton Wanderers had the quality players; they just didn`t display it enough.
You may think that`s how I always feel. I`m one of them supporters who always believe his team will prevail, regardless of how the game has flowed. Blind optimism in the face of oblivious adversity? Wrong, I`m a pessimist during the game. I`m an optimist throughout the week, but during the 90 minutes, I`m constantly waiting for a stumble, a stray back-pass and inevitably, a conceded goal. But on Saturday, I didn`t feel that way.
Burnley made the pitch very small for us and opened it up when they attacked. Their wing-backs were a constant threat, with Trippier`s Premier League standard crosses evading the Claret forwards on numerous occasions. They almost seemed to be watching the crosses coming in from the right-back and thinking, wow, that was a good cross, wasn`t expecting that? The home team did a lot of huffing and puffing, but as soon as we reverted them to throwing looping balls into the box- which our defenders gobbled up constantly- and long-range efforts, they shut-up-shop first, fearing a Wanderers` sting in the tail.
It nearly happened.
Now, to the definite negative: A chain is only as strong as its weakest link? Step forward Keith Andrews. I hear some of you shouting defender names; I`ll get to them in a minute. Keith Andrews was involved with most of our passing/attacking build-up play and was the breakdown of such build-up play on numerous occasions. When the midfielder did emerge from the shadows, a stray pass- much to the frustration of the rest of the Whites` players- wasn`t far away.
The sooner Blackpool takes him, or Spearing- please God, I don`t ask for much- is recruited, Andrews will be a liability. I`ve watched the match back and please don`t lump the rest of the team`s performances in with Andrews` display. I hate to single people out, but Keith broke down passing-moves? a lot… fact
Defence, oh our defence. How, what, why? Was it Knight? Was it Wheater? Was it both of them? Was it our full-backs? Look, in and around the box, when a ball was crossed, we gobbled-up every header. There`s no problem there. But on the ground we were run ragged at times at the back. Maybe as games go on, they will gel better as a unit, but at the moment, they don`t fill me with confidence. After the next two home games, we`ll have a better idea of whom or what is needed. My guess is Craig Dawson`s name is going to be mentioned a lot.
Coming away from Turf Moor with a point- especially on the opening game of the season, when the locals are energized- is no mean feat. Cardiff, Watford and Nottingham Forest all had 1-1 results at Burnley last season. Playoff Champs, Crystal Palace were beaten 1-0. Bolton Wanderers never got out of second gear on Saturday and when they looked like doing, stalled. So, showing a point after such a display and thinking we could have pinched it at the end, will fill the players with disappointment. But not the same disappointment they felt 12 months ago? a completely different disappointment. A disappointment hopefully next time will be extinguished by taking the three-points. Three-points when the one-point looks more likely, when last year a defeat was the norm. A disappointment our team controls and not a disappointment which consumes; a disappointment that ignites motivation, not a disappointment that compounds demoralisation. A disappointment Cardiff City managed to recognize, absorb and ultimately dispel, to take home the spoils last season, time and time again.
It`s the football equivalent of turning water into wine.