| A dodgy decision (no change
there) and a couple of clangers dropped in defence condemned Spurs to a
loss here that they should not have suffered, if their play had been
anything to go by.
The game ebbed and flowed in the first
half with neither side seriously testing the keepers. Most of
Bolton's efforts came from set pieces and Spurs created some good
openings, but failed to make the most of them.
With Keane and Kanoute starting up front,
with Mido and Defoe on the bench, it looked a fairly attacking pick by
Jol, with a solid midfield to back up the forwards.
Kanoute engineered an early shot that was
probably our best chance of the half, but from the edge of the box,
Fredi hit the ball wide of the goal. Kanoute seemed to be the
focus of the Spurs attacks and he got in front of Jaaskelainen, but
couldn't get his header on target and it flew over the top and then
smashed a volley over a few minutes later.
Bolton's tactics were to get the ball
near the box and get a corner, throw-in or free-kick. A few blocks
from Carrick, Edman and Brown stopped shots reaching Robinson and when
the ball did get that far, then the Spurs keeper was equal to it.
Nolan's volley bounced in front of Robbo, but he held it well and a
couple of weak headers did not trouble him.
Tottenham's breaks were rapid, but not
incisive enough and you could see why Reid had been signed, to give
Spurs a more creative outlet. The side had done well in the half,
but the incident where Anthony Gardner needed treatment tended to take
the steam out of the match, leading to a flattening out of action from
both sides.
Bolton's first attack of the half lead to
a melee in the goalmouth, which ended with the referee's whistle, with
all the players expecting a Spurs free-kick. Instead the match
official indicated that the ball had been stopped by an arm and gave a
penalty to the home side. Once that happened, it was obvious that
the goal would come and Diouf hit the spot-kick high into the net.
There was a query over a block by the
wall at a Kanoute free-kick when it looked suspiciously like an arm
stopped the ball in the Bolton box. Was it as much a penalty
as the one that was given ? No, said the ref. From a loose
ball that arose out of the subsequent play, Michael Brown struck a fine
shot that the Bolton goalie tipped over and then when play switched to
the other end, Campo let fly and Robinson was relieved to see the ball
go wide. Kelly got played in on the right and fired in a fierce
drive, but it was pushed round the post by Jaaskelainen.
Defoe's entry for Edman made a tactical
swap with Atouba going into the left back slot, and Keane and Davies
switching positions in midfield. The move paid dividends for
Jol. Taking a free-kick easily, a clearance from Robinson to
Keane saw the Irishman play in Defoe and the striker's 20 yard shot got
through the keeper's leggy dive to equalise. His predatory instincts
have proved so valuable for Spurs that his value is inestimable.
But the value of Fredi's contribution
became questionable. Having been booked with Ledley for arguing
with the ref for the penalty they should have had, he then went in late
on Barness to get another yellow and a red to go with it. It was
the last thing Tottenham needed with just having got back in the game.
Nolan volleyed a shot just wide after
chesting the ball down and a late goal cost Spurs dearly. A mess
up between Gardner and Robinson caused all sorts of panic and the
defender's toe saw a corner given to the home side. From that Ben
Haim rose at the back post to power in a header through a ruck of
players and despite a brave attempt to get it off the line, the ball
went in. The Diouf set up Davies to side-foot in at the far post
when Atouba was exposed and at 3-1, the team were dispirited and out of
it.
The lack of the eleventh man cost Spurs a
point at least and the defensive errors played into the hands of
Bolton. The ref's decisions didn't help, but the way that Spurs
are shipping goals and to teams they should be getting something from is
a big worry. The game at home to Portsmouth on Saturday suddenly
becomes crucial to any hopes Spurs have of finishing top eight this
season and I suspect that the management will put out quite a different
team to face Pompey.
MEHSTG TOP MAN : - SIMON DAVIES
|
Bolton Wanderers
(Away)
