You Wanted Change - Well You Got It & I Hope You’re Pleased With Yourselves

Bolton Wanderers lost to Middlesbrough by three goals to nowt earlier - despite playing fairly well in parts.

Previous defeats have been followed by the usual cacophony of online experts who claimed that the side who earned promotion on the last day of last season was perfectly good enough, and that it was only a couple of minor tweaks - in personnel and formation - needed to spark our season into life.

Well, I hope you’re happy. Phil Parkinson went ahead and changed the formation. Oh and he also changed the goalkeeper, the left back, the centre back, the centre midfield, the left wing back (stay with me), the left winger, one of our strikers and then also went on and changed the right back at half time.

A change of formation seemed sensible and even rational - nobody asked for so many changes all across the pitch. No wonder we had occasions when we played like a bunch of strangers.

I can handle us not being good enough - that much was obvious to everyone with half a brain before the season began, but what we must insist upon is 100% effort. It’s the only way that lower league players can make a stand in the higher league.

Tuesday is huge. We need improvement.