Bolton v Charlton: Immediate Reaction

I love Bolton Wanderers, I really do, but if they keep playing like this, I might go crazy.

Each and every match, at least in my opinion, follows some schedule now. 30 minutes left? Eh, maybe it's time for some substitutions soon. We could be down by 6 and Dougie Freedman would probably stick to his routine and if that doesn't worry you, I don't know what will.

When I said we needed consistency, when we ALL said we needed consistency, I'm pretty sure no one meant to stick to a time schedule for each game. We wanted consistent preparation, consistent playing, consistent shots on goal, even. But handling each and every match the same way just leaves us running around for 90 minutes, conceding first and spending forever trying to come back.

Today against Charlton Athletic FC was no different. Yann Kermorgant put Charlton ahead early when our defense looked anything but alive. Kevin McNaughton managed to equalize right before the half, but that was the end of any action worth mentioning. The second half was much like the first, Andy Lonergan making save after save, both sides unable to make anything happen as free-kicks and corners went without results. Not even substitutes Mark Davies, Jermaine Beckford and Rob Hall could offer a bit of a boost.

I can't even decide what made me cringe more: the fact that the ever-consistent defense led by Matt Mills and Tim Ream were, for lack of better words, not consistent, the fact that it takes us at least 30 minutes to get started (at home!), or even the fact that we never have any shots on goal.

But maybe, it's the fact that week in and week out, we never seem to learn our lesson. It's the same mistakes over and over for Bolton, and while I still trust Dougie enough, I can't help but wonder why for every step forward we take, we go two back?