Bolton Wanderers v Sheffield Wednesday: Immediate Reaction

Truth is, I am not angry.  Some people are angry.  Some supporters are frustrated.  I can understand that.  But I am actually satisfied with today's result.  We have to do better, of course.  We have to start getting wins, of course.  But we are never going to get results if the defense is crap.  And the defense has been crap for a long time.  Getting a clean sheet today, especially considering the attacking talent Sheffield Wednesday have, is a good step.

I was a little skeptical when Dougie Freedman announced his starting XI today.  The back four was very mixed-and-matched.  Dean Moxey has been injured for most of his Bolton Wanderers career.  Tim Ream was playing out of position.  Dorian Dervite is an unknown quantity, and Matt Mills only seems to be as good as his partner, whomever that partner may be.

Don't misunderstand me, it wasn't a great performance.  I am not at all happy with the performance.  We were poor going forward.  There is no evidence that Joe Mason can be effective as a lone striker.  And Wednesday had us on the back foot for most of the match.  They did score one goal, which was disallowed, they squandered several great chances, and they created over 20 shots on goal.  But Bolton held on.  Somehow, some way, we held on and kept a clean sheet.

Maybe I am grasping at straws.  I heard that a couple times on Twitter today, and I will not argue.  But at this point the team is broken, and if we are going to fix it, it needs to be done one step at a time.  And no matter how much supporters scream about a 20-goal-a-season striker, or a creative midfielder, or playing two up front, the first step is the back four.  The defense has to be fixed first, then we can work on everything else.