This was better. Better, as ‘Allo ‘Allo was better than Terry and June but still a long way from Fawlty Towers. Still, as Gary Megson is so fond of telling us, it isn’t a level playing field, we are one of the have-nots trying to compete with the Big Four, Five or however many billionaire fuelled clubs there are this season. Accepting these constraints, we made a fair stab at competing and might, but for some eccentric refereeing, have won.
Those who read my report on the Sunderland game won’t be surprised to hear that I wasn’t optimistic before the kick-off. The good news of Robinson’s relegation to the bench was balanced by the bad news that Mark Davies had not recovered from the injury he picked up at Tranmere during the week. His replacement was Tamir Cohen in the following starting eleven: Jussi; Ricketts, Cahill, Knight, Samuel; Kevin Davies, Sean Davis, Muamba, Cohen, Taylor; Elmander. No problems about identifying the formation (although it was too difficult for Match of the Day), it was a very definite 4-5-1, or rather a 4-4-1 with Muamba detailed to trail Steven Gerrard all over the park.
Unsurprisingly, the visitors made the early running. Torres looked particularly dangerous; his close control at speed is frightening. Gerrard, on the other hand, was not in the game, due to the close marking by Muamba. It was clear that the plan was all about frustrating Liverpool; as an attacking unit, we were limited to hopeful balls in the general direction of Elmander. If we did make a break, the player with the ball had to wait until support arrived. Although we did well to deal with the relentless pressure and constantly harassed the man with the ball, the thought that Liverpool would score sooner or later, persisted.
However, after half an hour the negative strategy seemed justified. Taylor delivered a teasing free kick, which Torres was happy to head over his own bar and from the resulting corner, we scored. Elmander headed Taylor’s excellent delivery back from the far post, Knight missed his kick, but Kevin Davies prodded the ball home while the Liverpool defence stood and watched. The North stand erupted and the Reebok sprang to life. It seemed I hadn’t been the only one approaching the game with some trepidation, but now all negative thoughts were abolished.
We were soon forced back on defence and Knight had to produce a magnificent tackle to prevent Torres racing clear on goal. From the consequent corner, the clearance fell to Johnson. The England full back cut inside Cohen and finding himself unchallenged, placed a firm left-foot shot between Jussi and the near post. It was a ‘where did that come from’ type of goal. There seemed to be no great danger but the lack of challenge was fatal.
Undeterred, Wanderers kept plugging away and might have regained the lead but for a superb save by Reina. This came after Lucas had wrestled Taylor to the floor on the edge of the box. The Bolton man took the kick himself and his shot was heading for the top corner when the Liverpool keeper got a fingertip to it. Just before half time, Lucas was involved in another incident, which, though innocuous at the time, was to become very significant as the game progressed. He was advancing down the left wing when challenged by Sean Davis. It was hardly a tackle but the Liverpool man went to ground and Mr Wiley awarded a free kick. Davis kicked the ball away, I suspect in frustration at the poor decision, but he was booked for his indiscretion.
So, at half time we were level. Liverpool had had the majority of possession but their goalkeeper had made the most telling save of the forty-five minutes. Was this the same Bolton team that had been so abject against the lesser opposition offered by Sunderland and had let Hull record their first win of 2009?
And what an opening to the second half. Muamba was still keeping shackles on Gerrard and we were closing down with renewed vigour. Even better, after seven minutes we were back in front. Kevin Davies had taken over the lone striker role and he headed a long punt from Jussi into space. Cohen was forward in support and he gleefully hit a fierce shot past the helpless Reina. At this stage, we were holding our own and there seemed a chance that we might win the game. The players looked like they knew what they had to do and the neutering of Gerrard was crucial. Then fate, or skulduggery, intervened. Lucas was galloping towards our goal pursued by Sean Davis. The Bolton man accidentally caught Lucas’s heel and the Liverpool player went down. Mr Wiley judged it to be worth another yellow card, two yellows, no matter how unjustly awarded, equal one red, and Davis was off. Only strong restraint by Muamba prevented the expellant from thumping Lucas before he left.
We had a situation that needed strong leadership. It wasn’t forthcoming, either on the field or from the bench. We descended into shambles and Liverpool were rampant. We were lucky they only scored one during this spell, for Gerrard, now freed from his keeper, almost broke the cross bar with a thunderous shot. The goal was scored by Torres who swept between several white shirts and side footed the ball past Jussi.
Thereafter it was only a matter of time before Liverpool scored again. Only heroic defending and a great bit of goalkeeping prevented a rout. It became clear what an excellent job Muamba had done as now the Liverpool captain was running the game. Basham and Steinsson joined the fray and we held on just long enough to raise the supporters’ hopes of a point. Then the Reds took yet another corner, the ball came out to, yes, you’ve guessed it, Gerrard, and, inevitably, he scored. That was that, there was no way back with ten men, and the game fizzled out.
Was the sending off crucial? Undoubtedly, as it resulted in the freeing of the clamps from the man who was the principal influence on the game for the final forty minutes. Was the sending off unfair? Again, undoubtedly. Whilst I can’t quarrel with the first booking for kicking the ball away, it came after a very dubious free kick. The second booking was a nonsense. Would we have won if Davis hadn’t been dismissed? Ah well, to that I can only say perhaps. Certainly, we would have had a better chance, but we were under the cosh for most of the game.
On the whole the defence stood up well to the pounding. Samuel was immeasurably better than Robinson, who we must assume joined us to make Jlloyd look good. It was noticeable that the full backs curbed their attacking instincts and rarely ventured beyond the halfway line. In the centre of defence, Knight and Cahill looked more like an effective pairing. However, each Liverpool goal had as much to do with defensive error as with attacking brilliance.
In front of the defence, Muamba had a wonderfully effective fifty minutes, even though he hardly made contact with the ball during this period. After the sending off, he was less successful and his clumsiness in the tackle earned a stern lecture from Mr. Wiley. Cohen was a surprise, an energetic ball winner who covered acres of ground and took his goal in excellent fashion. He was floored by a Gerrard pile driver but he soon bounced up to re-join the fray. Even at his age, I would have been in bed for a fortnight after such a blow. Sean Davis did little to distinguish himself other than the events that led to his dismissal. None of the midfield players looked remotely as if they could control the game as the Liverpool captain did in the second half. The acres of space between our two banks of defence and the lone striker meant that whenever the ball was cleared, it was a Liverpool player that picked it up.
Taylor’s best moments were from dead ball kicks and Kevin Davies was as wholehearted as ever. He deserved his goal. Elmander continues to look like a decent player whose talents are out of synch with Bolton’s style of play. Davies is as good as anyone in the Premier League at playing the lone striker role. There was some merit in playing him wide to allow a goal scorer of Anelka’s class to flourish; it makes no sense to play him there to accommodate Elmander.
In his post match comments, Megson had much to say about gamesmanship. I had sympathy with his feelings about Lucas, whose antics and incessant badgering of the referee were in the Craig Bellamy class. However I was surprised that the manager, who has constantly praised the honesty of his players, now seemed to be advocating more dishonesty. He would have done better to have kept his head and quickly reorganised after Davis’s dismissal, rather than waiting until Liverpool had scored.
I opened by saying that this was better. But we still lost and we have no points. To say we are in crisis after three games appears hyperbolic. However, if we also consider the end of last season, it isn’t. Sammy Lee was sacked after being manager of Bolton Wanderers for fourteen games. His record was Won 3, Lost 7, Drawn 4, Win % 21.43. Gary Megson’s record over the last fourteen Premier League matches is Won 1, Lost 8, Drawn 5, Win % 7.14. Lee had fourteen games to sort out the mess left by Allardyce; Megson has had almost two seasons to sort out the mess left by Lee. None of the players he brought in during the current transfer window look likely to make any significant difference and the end of the window is nigh. We are in crisis.
