Not going to be the most entertaining game, I don't think.

We need to keep the ball, otherwise Blackburn will just launch it into our area time after time and it will get too much to defend.

Most of all we need to compete. We need our midfield to get in their faces, stop that long ball, stop crosses getting into the box and get at them. This enforces my team selection. Muamba has to play.

Jussi

Steinsson
Cahill
Knight
Alonso

Eagles
Muamba
Mavies
NRC
Petrov

Klasnic

Eagles, Petrov and Mavies have to get up and support Klasnic. Those players need to get close to him, if we launch it long all the time Samba and whoever else will beat Klasnic in the air all the time.

Petrov and Eagles need to offer width. Get the ball into the box, put them under pressure.

I imagine Coyle won't play 451 and he will play KD. Which is a shame, but all the same, the players need to be up for this. There is nowhere to hide now. Get at them, get back to the basics of working hard, pressing hard and getting that all important 2nd ball.

To be honest it could go either way we are both that bad at the minute.
I have a feeling that Santa Kean will give you an early Christmas present though.

If I had to pick a starting 11 for tomorrow I would go for: -

.......Jussi....

Gretar.......Cahill.......Wheater......Alonso..

Eagles.......Muamba......M.Davies....Petrov

..............Tuncay........

...........Klasnic........

We need everyone to a man to really step up in this game, a win would give us a real boost and going into 2 winnable home games could really save our season to some extent.

I fear that we will allow pedersen too much time on the ball to ping the ball into the box for Yakubu and they will undo us at corners and free kicks.

Think this'll be the draw we've not had for about a year.

I only say this as both teams like the opposition to score. We HAVE to strike first. So I'd go 4,2,3,1 attacking but with a nod to defensive responsibility.

Stat time: Blackburn have had the most pointless long balls into nobody than anyone else in the league. Which sort of goes against why the Venky boys sacked Big Sam really.

We need a leader on the pitch aaron. We need a player that knows what playing for Bolton really means. SKD has to play in this one. Its going to be ugly and we need players with fight and guile.

We don't have any leaders JAH, if the manager can't get the respect from the players what have the likes of Davies and NRC got.

The players were smiling when walking off the pitch on saturday, that is unacceptable when your bottom of the league.

Agreed it is unacceptable for the players to be walking off smiling after another toothless display.

One positive that came out of the Fulham game was the second half performance. We got 45 minutes out of them without conceding!

My team would have to include a leader and if that means giving NRC the vice captain armband and dropping SKD then so be it.

-----------------------JJ
Gretar-------Cahill-----Wheater------Alonso
Eagles------NRC-------Mavies-------Petrov
---------------------Tuncay
-------------------------------Klasnic

4-4-2(4-4-1-1) attacking and 4-5-1 when we don't have possession.

Please can someone confirm if Wheater is still suspended or not?

Think he is still suspended.

He got 4 games after being sent off against Everton so I am sure he is back for tomorrow.

He is definatly up for selction next week.

No I am wrong, his last game is tomorrow.

nothing as worked up till now,what do you all think about same team as second half againts fulham except n'gog who i.m.o. didnt do well,and playing Petrov up front with klasnic he can shoot,he is creative i know he wont track back much,what do you think

i think wheaters back against b/burn

If we want the best from N'gog we really need him to have a run of games in my opinion.

If we stopped launching it down his throaght like he is a french kevin davies and played it to his feet then I am sure we would get more success.

If it were a running race I would put N'gog in, but its football and he looks almost as light weight as Bambi at Barnsley, but I think that Bambi has a better scoring rate than N'Gog now.

I'm with GD playing the same team that finished against Fulham, but I really don't think that SKD can lead the line anymore and a change (out of sheer desperation) is required.

I would truly like to see Klas and Tuncay play. They obv get on ok, so why not try it? N'gog is not a player imo that I even want to see on our bench at mo let alone on the pitch.

I've checked on fantasy football and Wheats is suspended until 26th December

sorry wheater out till boxing day match against newcastle

I do think N'gog is a decent player but the fact we only seemed to go in for him when we couldn't sign Cameron jerome probably says a lot about how desperate Coyle was to bring in antother striker.

dont mind giving tuncay a run, but in the situation we are in i would rather see a squad player fighting for us than a loan player,but we do need somthing different,and we have very few to choose from

We all debated that choice to death and I have to admit out of the two I would've gone for N'Gog as well. He is obviously just content to just sit on the bench like at Liverpool, because he is doing the exact same and we are all saying the same things as the scousers. He doesn't seem to want to take the opportunity he has and I think the problem is between his ears.

We have to accept that even when we set up defensively not to concede we still concede, so only way to win is to go gung ho and score more than them.

It has to be quick tempo and if SKD starts we have to pummel them with cross after cross from the wings. If we can get the first goal, the game will be ours. It all hinges on that first goal.

I do think N'gog is a decent player but the fact we only seemed to go in for him when we couldn't sign Cameron jerome probably says a lot about how desperate Coyle was to bring in antother striker.

--

We were never in for Jerome, Gartside came out and said we weren't interested in him.

^^^^plus he was injured at the time anyway

Wheater IS out - boo and hiss. But I'll defend Zat Knight on the laughing & joking at full time situation. He was chatting & catching up with his old team mates. If he was chuckling away to himself then that's another matter entirely. Ask yourself this what would you do if you went back to the place you spent some years and met up with old mates again? Probably the same.

He was chatting & catching up with his old team mates

---

That was my take on it at the time. He did spend 8 years there & I doubt protocol allows for a bit of a natter before or after a match.

Any way, who do we start tomorrow night?

My guess is that it will be a new combination of 11 players that we haven't tried yet this season.

I was ready to lambast Zat Knight for smiling at the final whistle on Saturday, but then I heard he didn't attend the players Christmas do in Dublin earlier in the week, because of recent results.

Oh and this would be my XI tomorrow:

--------------------------- Jaaskelainen-----------------------------
Steinsson ------Knight-----------Cahill------------------Alonso

Mark Davies----Muamba------Reo Coker-----------Petrov

-------------------Eagles (in the hole)

------------------------------------Klasnic

Subs
Bogdan, Robinson, Boyata, Pratley, Tuncay, K Davies, Ngog