Bolton 2-1 Wolves
Will the real Kenny Jackett please stand up?
The Kenny Jackett who transformed a club in a complete state, playing entertaining, fluid football with exciting young players, won League One at a stroll.
The Kenny Jackett who managed to get the same bunch of players to within a whisker of the play offs in their first season together in the Championship.
So far this season that man has gone.
Vanished without a trace replaced by someone forcing a nonsense system of play onto the players.
A man who sells a player who swept the board of player of the season awards last season for “football reasons”, stating his faith in the young deputies in the central defensive department.
Only for a week later, criticises play at times for being “naive”.
This is the tip of the Jackett iceberg right now though.
Signing an exciting young winger when we don’t play with wingers anymore, then leaving him on the bench for the entire game when we are crying out for inspiration is baffling in the extreme.
Yes i know I’ve rambled on so far and not mentioned the game itself but thats mainly because the performance was inept and clueless.
This is down to one man alone.
The switching of goalkeepers doesn’t help things and when Ikeme had kept 2 clean sheets for his country during the international break.
Surely that does his confidence the world of good.
The logical thing is to then play him and let him attone for his errors.
No, dropped to the bench again to be replaced by Martinez.
Now I have been one of the few supporters of Martinez. I think he will be an outstanding goalkeeper and he did put in a very good performance at the Reebok… sorry Macron stadium.
It is the thinking behind the decision that is baffling.
On the game itself, Wolves actually could have had 2 more penalties than they actually got with Afobe having his shirt pulled off his back in the first half and then Le Fondre late on appearing to be hacked down.
The story this time out though was silly errors at the back, making the aforementioned Stearman decision seem even more ridiculous.
The first goal for Bolton came from Hause and Golbourne failing to deal with a lofted ball between the 2 of them, leaving Feeney free to shoot low into the bottom corner.
The second came from a poor challenge by Ebanks-Landell inside the penalty area, diving into the challenge rather than staying on his feet. A blatant penalty.
Martinez was unlucky to not get a hand on the ball as he dived the right way but the penalty from Clough was perfectly placed in the bottom corner.
The Wolves penalty was equally as blatant as the Bolton one, Le Fondre on the receiving end this time.
Afobe took his penalty differently, choosing a staggered run up that left the keeper flat footed.
Wolves did have chances to get back in the game though.
Coady had a few shots straight at the keeper. Wallace put one glaring chance wide from just inside the box and Henry passed rather than take a shot himself in the dying minutes.
In truth it would have been daylight robbery had Wolves managed to get anything from the game.
Madine for Bolton in particular had two great chances himself, one put wide and a one on one brilliantly saved by Martinez spreading himself.
The lack of competitiveness in midfield was also glaringly obvious as it always is when we play 4 rather than 5.
Even more so when Edwards is asked to play centrally which he just cannot do.
It is so obvious we are crying out for a defensive midfielder to protect the back 4, be that Price or Saville.
If we go into the Brighton game playing a 4-4-2 or a variation of with these players in the engine room, we will be slaughtered.
Playing kids is admirable if there is no choice, but if it starts to be a preference then something is wrong.
And there is a lot wrong with Wolverhampton Wanderers right now.
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