Post Match Musings, & Match Day Preview
Posted by Ratbert in Bolton, West Ham | 14 March 2006
Bolton 4-1 West Ham (Saturday 11 March); FA Cup 5th Round Replay (Upton Park, Wednesday 15, 8.05pm – on Match of the Day Live, BBC1)
4-1. Who’d have thought that? I couldn’t believe it when we went 3-0 up at half-time. My mind went back to 1997, when Bolton played Swindon at this time of year, namely my birthday, and won 7-0 or something like that (the infamous match where the Swindon commentator was in floods of tears as yet another goal went in). I was hoping for 5-1 by the end, but I won’t be greedy, there’s another game against the Hammers on Wednesday night that could finish that job off… one hopes.
Certainly the FA Cup replay will be an interesting game, and one where all the pressure will be on the home side; West Ham will either have to deliver a backlash against Saturday’s drubbing, or cower shellshocked in front of their bogey team. Bolton has nothing to lose now of course, and complacency is the Whites’ only enemy on this occasion. Pardew – unusually gracious in defeat and who gets my support on the Arsenal issue (IMO Wenger doesn’t rate English players, but that’s another story) – will not make the team selection mistakes he made on Saturday, and the return of Ashton up front is likely.
Bolton look likely to name Diouf, N’Gotty and Faye in the squad, though it’s likely only Bruno will start, as Jay Jay seems to be a man reborn in the midfield holding role. Diouf could come on second half, depending on how the game is going. Either way, he could turn it – if fit.
Prediction: restoring pride will be the name of the game for the Hammers, but Bolton will be confident. I’ll go for a 1-1 draw with Bolton edging the penalty shoot-out…
Footnote: traditional Bolton-bashers Football 365 are slowly being won over to us. Read all about our newest fans here.
