The Turning Point of the Season
Posted by Ratbert in Bolton | 19 April 2006
I thought that losing 4-3 at Middlesbrough might be a major landmark in the outcome of the season. With the prospect of honours-chasing Man U, Liverpool and Chelsea up next, not to mention relegation-haunted Birmingham, a point, or three points, were crucial at the Riverside at a time when 'boro were spluttering. Instead we threw away a first-class comeback that, had we seen it through, would have kept the momentum going through a tough patch.
Five defeats later, and the season's almost in tatters. Though we've only dropped two places in the table, the likes of Newcastle - utter crap most of the season - and Wigan (for the Lord Almighty's sake!) have leapfrogged us, whilst Blackburn - the true thug and no skill Premiership outfit, sorry mass media critics - consolidate a UEFA place we had sat pretty in until a few short weeks ago. Sorry to sound churlish, but none of these teams have really got anything extra we haven't, and Bolton haven't suddenly been shown up as the Championship crap many think we are overnight.
So what's gone wrong? Well I've discussed that enough in the last few weeks - tiredness, over-reliance on the one-dimensional Davies - but at least at West Brom I saw a bit of a turning point. The lads were nervous, as Nolan's last minute Crazylegs Crane impersonation proved - but there was a more positive attitude, greater composure, and a real willingness to do something than in the flat games of late. The problem remained the final third of the pitch - little or no creativity or invention, Stelios played a lot freer but lost direction the closer he got to goal.
Then there's Ricardo Vaz Te. Did you know his name means 'Bambi' in English? Trying to run, skidding and splaying his bandy legs around, the lad has plenty positive thoughts but needs a quiet word in the lughole. "That big rectangle with a net is called a goal" Greater smoothing off of the edges will work wonders over the summer I expect. As for Borgetti, the new mantra is, "why leave our only natural goalscorer on the bench?" Well, that's because he does bog all except hang around the box, and you can't have him and Davies doing that. The Mexican is this year's Fredi Bobic; all the fans love him, yet he's managed to hypnotise them into thinking he's a star of the team. He 'aint. Sorry and all that.
Finally for this missive, the enigma that is El Hadji Diouf. Now Sam says, basically, that he's turned into a right workshy fop since his hernia started playing up and makes little or no effort in training, hence his recent absences from action. Whether or not this is an OTT reaction to just leaving him to get on with it or not, I don't know, but if that's Sam's view, so be it. A committed (to football, not an institution) Diouf can turn games, cause havoc, and add the crucial pace and goalscoring opportunities lacking at present. If this kick up the posterior has come at the right time, then top six might just be on again.
We're better than we think, honest.
