retired_embartl

Enjoyable tale so far But what a bizarre table :o

retired_jgirl87

There are a few teams in strange positions, BoN - Southampton, Fulham and Manchester United in particular.

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I’ve just got to have a gripe about those people who criticise Big Sam Allardyce’s preference for a 4-5-1 formation. Honestly, it’s just the same as Chelsea are playing under Jose Mourinho and you don’t hear them getting labelled as dull and boring. What with Stelios Giannakopoulos and Ricardo Gardner pushing forward just like Robben and Duff do, and Jay Jay Okocha doing a far better job of attacking from midfield than Lampard, it really is the same thing from the two teams. One thing is for sure – it will all be too much for Portsmouth on Saturday.

Saturday 4th December 2004:

Bolton v Portsmouth – Reebok Stadium, Bolton

We charged straight onto the offensive against Portsmouth with Jay Jay Okocha and Kevin Nolan both firing in early shots that just skimmed over the cross bar. It was Tal Ben-Haim who made the opening goal, interchanging passes with Gary Speed before crossing for Nolan to ghost in at the near post and head past Hislop after 15 minutes. Just a few minutes later and Speed burst forward from the midfield before sliding the ball sideways to an accompanying runner. It was Okocha who took up the pass and he strode into the area to drill a low shot past Hislop. Bolton were now 2-0 up after just 19 minutes – who said we couldn’t play attractive attacking football? The only Pompey player who was troubling us was Kamara. He’d already had a couple of shots that went wide before he was the recipient of a fine though-ball from Cisse. Kamara cut in from the right side to collect the pass and then delicately chip the ball over the advancing Jaaskelainen. It was now 2-1 after 34 minutes and the brakes had been put on our attacking charge.

It was Stelios Giannakopoulos who looked to have the best chance at the start of the second half. A flowing move that had involved Speed at several points ended with the Greek winger having the space and time to line up a shot. Giannakopoulos struck it powerfully, but it crashed against the far post and rebounded to safety. When Ricardo Gardner dragged another good chance wide of the Portsmouth goal after 63 minutes, I started to worry. I could see that our 2-1 lead wasn’t very safe and I think that the players felt just as nervous as well. Taylor and Faye cut the right side of our defence to pieces in the 74th minute and set up Stefanovic for a crisp low shot which Jaaskelainen did well to smother when it came through a pack of players. My nerves weren’t helped by the efforts of Diouf and Nolan with 10 minutes to go when they both decided to hammer shots into the body of Hislop after finding themselves one-on-one with the Portsmouth keeper. Thankfully N’Gotty and Rowe were on top of their games in the final few minutes as those two defenders snuffed out a couple of very promising Pompey raids. In the end our two early goals had been enough to see off the visitors, even though they had managed to score one of their own. I’d be happy to take a 2-1 win like that every match, but I’m not sure how my ticker would handle the strain.

Bolton 2 Nolan 15, Okocha 19
Portsmouth 1 Kamara 34

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, N’Gotty, Jaidi (Laville), Rowe, Ben-Haim (Davies), Giannakopoulos (Diouf), Nolan, Okocha, Speed, Gardner, Pedersen.

Portsmouth: Hislop, Primus, Stefanovic, Short, Bosvelt (Duffy), Faye, Cisse, Berger, Mezague (Taylor), Kamara, Lua Lua (Swayne).

My MOM: Gary Speed once again proved what an astute purchase he was by Big Sam and why Newcastle were crazy to let him go.

I’m enjoying: Wearing my super-cool “Jay Jay” sunglasses. Lovely!!

I’m annoyed: About what British Rail charges me to travel to Bolton from London. Daylight robbery!!


Next up: Bolton v West Brom – Reebok Stadium, Bolton

retired_rainmaker

This really is an amazing story. Best I've read in a long while. Well, I've only read a couple since returning, but still

I do hope you'll get your sorry ass back to Spurs though

Keep it coming

retired_jgirl87

Thanks Harleqin :thup:

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Phone calls from my brother have been few and far between recently, but I got one during the week. He’s adopted a sarcastic tone of voice when he rings me now. Hello mate, who are we supporting this week? he starts off with. Bolton, I reply and I am rewarded with a guffaw. I then have to listen to him rabbiting on about how Chelsea is miles better than anyone else in the Premier League. Fourteen games unbeaten this season with a 10-4-0 record and we’re about to add to that with our traditional victory at White Hart Lane against Spurs on Sunday, so he tells me. Just keep an eye over your shoulder for Bolton, I warn him. We’ll knock over West Brom on Saturday, no problems, then we’ll be right on your arse, I continue. He lets out a hearty laugh and says At least you get right behind your club, mate, no matter who they are. But Bolton? C’mon, you really are losing it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – he’s a cócky little shît!!

Saturday 11th December 2004:

Bolton v West Brom – Reebok Stadium, Bolton

This was quite definitely the poorest game in terms of goal-scoring chances that I have attended so far this season. There was nothing of note in the first half hour and that part of the match was only enlivened by the skilful wing play of Ricardo Gardner. He roamed up and down the left wing like he owned that side of the pitch. Goodness knows what Haas – the West Brom right-sided wing-back – was doing because he was nowhere to be seen near Gardner at any time. The Jamaican produced some fine passes and some delightful crosses that his team-mates didn’t always use to their best advantage. Kevin Davies wasted a glorious headed opportunity after 29 minutes when he skyed his attempt from Gardner’s cross. When Stelios Giannakopoulos saw his free-kick deflected away for a corner in the 32nd minute, it was Gardner who went over to the right side to take an in-swinger. The ball was floated in and Kevin Nolan rose high to send a looping header into the top corner over the flat-footed Kanu who was guarding the near post. Having gone 1-0 down, West Brom responded with their first (and only) chance of the match. Gaardsoe’s long ball fell kindly at the feet of Dobie, but the striker hit his shot straight at Jaaskelainen from 12 yards.

The second half was a carbon copy of the first. Nothing of note occurred until the 72nd minute, apart from the sensible substitution of the hapless Haas with new boy Contra. The Romanian international found Gardner just as difficult to track and was unable to stop the wing-back from providing Jay Jay Okocha with a pass that the Nigerian crashed against the West Brom post. A couple of minutes later and another in-swinging Gardner corner from the right led to the second goal. Okocha’s header was scrambled off the line by Contra and the clearance went as far as the dee on the edge of the penalty area. Lurking there was Ivan Campo and the Spaniard volleyed the ball through a crowd of players and off Johnsen’s body to make it 2-0. After that the only chance was a Les Ferdinand header that found the side-netting with 5 minutes to go. Well, we got the three points and there were a couple of goals, but it certainly wasn’t the type of match you’d want to go to every week. Still though, Bolton are 6th after this match and our star is on the rise.

Bolton 2 Nolan 32, Ivan Campo 75
West Brom 0

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, N’Gotty, Laville, Ben-Haim (Ivan Campo), Gillan (Rowe), Giannakopoulos, Nolan, Okocha, Speed, Gardner, Davies (Ferdinand).

West Brom: Johnsen, Haas (Contra), Gaardsoe, Moore, Scimeca, Clement, Koumas, Farinos, Johnson, Kanu (Gera), Dobie (Earnshaw).

My MOM: Ricardo Gardner was twice as good as anyone else on the pitch today and gave two opponents the run-around.

Can we play against #1: West Brom every week. It’s a guaranteed 3 points!!

Can we play against #2: Kanu every week. Apparently he used to be good!!


Next up: Manchester United v Bolton – Old Trafford, Manchester

retired_greenhaml

KUTGW spav - Come on Bolton not losing to Man Utd....!

retired_Gentle Lady

I'm liking this story: WOnder who'll you be by the end???

BTW, if you do this again, you should be able to end up changing division as well as team through FA Cup, League Cup etc. You would start as a giant like Liverpool and end up with a bunch of nobodies like Hartlepool (sorry to offend both you Hartlepool fans)

retired_jgirl87

Cheers Living_Legend and beanochris. :thup:

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I was chatting on an internet forum during the week as I have found myself doing in recent times since I have been following the Trotters. I was actually on the official Bolton Wanderers web-site and I got talking to a fellow with the username of Tal Ben-Haim. Now I’m sorry to say this, but for a so-called Bolton fan, he had a pretty pïss-poor attitude to following the club. I remembered him from a few weeks earlier when he had been cautioning over-confidence before our home game with Portsmouth. We’d won that game 2-1 and had played some brilliant football in the first half, but he still wasn’t convinced that we had the team to challenge for a place in Europe next season. Anyway, I was on-line again on Thursday evening and Tal Ben-Haim logs in and off he goes again on his “oh dear, oh me, oh my” spiel, this time because we are playing away at Manchester United on Sunday. I tell you, I couldn’t stomach the weak bugger’s ramblings any more. I gave him a right serve, telling him in no uncertain terms how he wasn’t a true Bolton fan and how he needed to be more parochial like me. My language got a bit too colourful in the end and the moderator ended up suspending me for two weeks. Still I’m glad that stupid sod got a cuff around the ears from a true Bolton fan.

Sunday 19th December 2004:

Manchester United v Bolton – Old Trafford, Manchester

Going to Old Trafford is always a daunting occasion, but we’ve had some good results there in recent times and our current form is excellent. El-Hadji Diouf was playing up front today and he won us a free-kick in the opening minute. Stelios Giannakopoulos curled it around the wall and Howard was lucky to get a hand to it and parry it at the last moment. After 4 minutes Manchester United sprung a classic counter-attack on us and Gary Neville sent Smith on the chase for a long pass. Smith reached it just as it made the bye-line and he hit a first-time cross to the far post where Giggs was unmarked and he volleyed it past Jussi Jaaskelainen to make it 1-0. When Kleberson sent in a wickedly curling shot 5 minutes later that Jaaskelainen brilliantly turned away for a corner, I was starting to worry for our chances. However Gary Speed and Kevin Nolan started to get a grip in midfield and that got Jay Jay Okocha seeing a bit more of the ball, so my panic subsided. Indeed, we nearly had an equaliser in the 30th minute when a great passing move through midfield saw Diouf sent free through the middle. The Senegalese forward isn’t the most clinical of finishers and this time he dragged his shot well wide of Howard’s goal. Ricardo Gardner showed Diouf how to get a shot on target when he broke in from the left after 35 minutes, but Howard got a lucky foot to the shot to deflect it away via the post. As half-time approached I felt that we had definitely dragged ourselves back into the game, but Kleberson gave us a warning of United’s power when he headed a Giggs corner flush against the cross bar a minute before the break.

Diouf definitely didn’t have his shooting boots with him today as he blasted Okocha’s pass over the cross bar from 12 yards early in the second half. Giannakopoulos showed Diouf how to keep your shots low when he broke into the box from the right after 55 minutes, but Howard was having a blinder by now and he saved well low to his right. Diouf paid for his profligacy in front of goal when he was replaced by Henrik Pedersen soon after. Our defence was playing quite well and we had kept United to only a couple of long range efforts throughout the majority of the second half. The arrival of Keane for Kleberson gave United some new vigour and the Irishman’s 20 yard shot after 73 minutes sent Jaaskelainen scampering across his goal to bundle it away for a corner. Keane had reinvigorated the Manchester United attack and his work sent Giggs away after 83 minutes. United had players lining up in the middle for the cross and Giggs picked out Scholes who thumped a header against the post before Rooney nudged the rebound straight back into Jaaskelainen’s arms. As time ran away from us, United did enough to preserve their 1-0 lead and they ended up taking all three points on offer.

As the crowd poured out of Old Trafford I stayed behind and savoured the sweet taste of victory in the Theatre Of Dreams. It was such an intoxicating feeling to know that I was a supporter of such a feared and respected team as Manchester United. And like all good United fans do, I then made my way to the club shop to spend my hard-earned readies on yet another piece of merchandise – in this case, a new club jersey emblazoned with number eleven and the name of Ryan Giggs.

Manchester United 1 Giggs 4
Bolton 0

Manchester United: Howard, Neville.P, Brown, Ferdinand, Heinze (O’Shea), Fletcher, Scholes, Kleberson (Keane), Giggs, Smith (Cristiano Ronaldo), Rooney.

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, N’Gotty, Ivan Campo (Rowe), Laville (Jaidi), Ben-Haim, Giannakopoulos, Nolan, Okocha, Speed, Gardner, Diouf (Pedersen).

My MOM: Ryan Giggs, just ahead of Tim Howard, as the evergreen winger showed that he still has many years at the top in him.

Tourism note #1: Visit Manchester – the city is far more delightful than London. Enjoyable!!

Tourism note #2: Visit Manchester – the people are so friendly and easygoing. Pleasurable!!


Next up: West Brom v Manchester United – The Hawthorns, West Bromwich

retired_jgirl87

Looking back over the season to date, I realised that tonight’s match against West Brom would be the fourth time that I had seen them perform so far. In each of the previous three games they had struck me as being one of the poorest teams that had ever been in the Premier League. Yet when I look at the table I see them sitting in 15th place and holding a decent lead of 5 points over the first of the four teams below them. Someone isn’t obviously taking advantage of West Brom’s ineptness. Well, it doesn’t matter too much to me because there is no way that the mighty Manchester United will drop any points against Albion. If they do (and that is nigh on impossible, believe me), then you’ll be seeing my bum as I do a lap around The Hawthorns.

Wednesday 22nd December 2004:

West Brom v Manchester United – The Hawthorns, West Bromwich

I was a bit disappointed when I saw that my favourite player Ryan Giggs wasn’t in the starting line-up today. But that disappointment was short-lived when I saw the way that the team tore into West Brom. Roy Keane headed just over in the 4th minute and Kleberson stung Johnsen’s hands with a vicious shot after 5 minutes as we quickly set up camp in the West Brom half. In the 7th minute Gabriel Heinze took a quick throw that found Kleberson in space and the Brazilian sent a precise cross into the box for Keane to head home at the near post and put us 1-0 up. After Cristiano Ronaldo had terrorised the West Brom left and set up Rooney for a chance that went just wide, the Portuguese winger swapped over to attack the right side of our opponent’s defence. He’d only been over there for a few minutes when he produced some lovely trickery to set up Louis Saha for a chance. Saha took the pass down and chipped a brilliant effort over Johnsen from the edge of the area to make it 2-0 after 24 minutes. The chances dropped away for a while after that and there was just a wildly dipping free-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo that brushed the post after 41 minutes to show for our continued dominance of the first half.

Giggs came on for Heinze at half-time and Quinton Fortune slotted into the left-back position to allow the Welshman to take up his normal role. We seemed to lack a cutting edge in the second half and the chances of our two-goal lead being extended didn’t look too likely. That said there was still no way that Wes Brom was going to get back into the match. We just shut them right out. Giggs did set up one decent chance with a lovely cross which Keane met with a diving header, but the skipper’s effort went inches wide of the post. Late on Cristiano Ronaldo bought a good save out of Johnsen with another free-kick, but I was resigning myself to having just a 2-0 win to celebrate. Another free-kick was won in injury-time as Rooney was fouled 25 yards out from goal. West Brom were slowly getting their wall together when the referee indicated that the free-kick could be taken. It was Rio Ferdinand of all people who stepped up and he sublimely curled the ball around the wall and into the top corner leaving Johnsen grasping at thin air. It was a cracking way for the defender to notch his first-ever goal for the Red Devils and it gave the final result a much more definitive look. A 3-0 win was no more than we deserved.

West Brom 0
Manchester United 3 Keane 7, Saha 24, Ferdinand 90

West Brom: Johnsen, Haas, Purse, Gaardsoe, Wallwork (Robinson), Sakiri, Johnson, Farinos (Greening), Koumas, Kanu, Hulse (Earnshaw).

Manchester United: Howard, Neville.G, Brown (O’Shea), Ferdinand, Heinze (Giggs), Cristiano Ronaldo, Keane, Kleberson, Fortune, Rooney, Saha (Scholes).

My MOM: Roy Keane was at his snarling and inspirational best as he protected the defence, dominated the midfield and was prominent in attack.

High-point: Rio Ferdinand’s free-kick would have put United’s former free-kick maestro David Beckham to shame. Fabulous!!

Low-point: Only seeing Giggsy get half a game. Come on Sir Alex!!


Next up: Manchester United v Charlton – Old Trafford, Manchester

retired_goddess

c'mon spav. Dont give up on this one i love it.

retired_jgirl87

No problems, stebs. I've just been working on my Lincoln story recently, but I will get some updates on this one soon. I'm currently at Manchester United as you know, so that's no place for a Chelsea fan to leave a story hanging, is it? :p