Sad Wanderers made to pay

These are difficult times for the Burnden bosses as they strive to support and strengthen their survival squad with, as chairman Gordon Hargreaves says, "the Premiership clock ticking".

There are those who have questioned the viability of a joint management team but at least there are two pairs of broad shoulders to carry the burden of responsibility and, as at Maine Road on Saturday, two broad backs to take the criticism. Todd made it clear, as he conducted the inquest into the derby defeat, that they are in it together as equal partners. Consequently he shared the criticism of travelling Bolton fans who launched an attack on McFarland of the mocking kind normally reserved for the opposition striker who has just fluffed a scoring chance.

But he refused to condemn the supporters, understanding their frustrations and recognising the deep sense of derby disappointment.

"Our fans have been superb," Todd said, "It's not easy for us and it's not easy for them. They've had three years of winning football and they have come to expect better than they are getting at the moment.

"But this is going to be a difficult season. We always said it would be and they've got to bear with us. We will turn the corner but it will take a lot of hard work."

No-one can be under any illusions that Wanderers have a major task on their hands to avoid dropping straight back into the Endsleigh League. With almost a third of the season gone, their results and their performances justify their rating as relegation favourites. Victory over Arsenal five days earlier had to be viewed as a false dawn after Nicky Summerbee's 12th minute goal secured City's first win of the season.

Never has Blue Moon been sung with such relief. The Maine Road faithful hadn't had a Premiership goal to celebrate since the opening day of the season and the City strikers hadn't managed a league goal anywhere for seven weeks.

Barren runs have to end some time, of course. But why against Wanderers?

Todd pulled no punches as he blamed his own players' lack of derby desire until they were given a no-holds-barred half-time tongue lashing.

"As one of the players said at the end, we lost the game in the first half. We were very poor in the first 45 minutes and were very fortunate to come in just 1-0 down at half time," the manager frankly admitted.

"We certainly weren't fired up for a local derby. For some reason we didn't have the passion we had against Arsenal. You need passion and desire to win tackles and win games and that was definitely lacking in the first half. "We showed commitment in the second and had chances to retrieve something. But we need that for 90 minutes. "If we are to survive in the Premier League we have to get something out of games like these."

Such is City's plight that they remain firmly rooted to the foot of the table, two places and still three points adrift of Wanderers. They remain a club in crisis and their prospects are no less daunting. Yet they were allowed to impose themselves and, as the minutes ticked by, made to look an accomplished, confident side.

Bolton's own Garry Flitcroft and the Georgian, Georgi Kinkladze, were able to forget their fitness problems as they enjoyed the most comfortable afternoon they have spent together in the City midfield - until Todd and McFarland substituted Mark Patterson for Mixu Paatelainen and made a tactical switch that was a clear admission that their original game plan wasn't working.

Instead of being over-run in midfield, they suddenly had enough bodies to crowd out the Blues' playmakers and were able to make a game of it. There was commitment in the tackle and more urgency about their game, making Alan Ball's pulse race as each second ticked by. Yet Wanderers still don't have it right. Whatever system they adopt, be it 4-4-2, 5-3-2 or any variation on either theme, if players are not performing well enough they will not get results. And too many players are simply not performing.

A team which built its reputation and won promotion as effective advocates of the 'pass and move' philosophy, is committing Premiership suicide by constantly wasting possession and failing to make its presence count where it matters.

One of Ball's throwaway lines summed up the situation. "They had a bit more possession in the second half but not a lot of threat!"

City's German keeper Eike Immel had only two major worries. He saved a near-certain equaliser from John McGinlay in the 23rd minute after Kit Symons slipped and was relieved early in the second half when David Lee clipped a weak shot straight into his arms after Patterson and Sasa Curcic finally managed to by-pass the commanding Keith Curle. The Yugoslav gave another encouraging performance and, it has to be said, seemed as likely as anyone to conjure up an equaliser. Hence the supporters' anger and denunciation of the management when he was replaced by Fabian de Freitas nine minutes from time.

"When you're losing you'll try anything," Todd explained after Wanderers used three substitutes for the first time ever. "We threw the dice but it wasn't to be.

"But you substitute players for a reason and we feel the Yugoslav needs to adapt to the system we play."

On reflection, however, the £1.5 million man's value to the survival mission has to be recognised and Todd has since said he has no intention of making a habit of the No 4 card being waved.

Curcic's problem is only a case of adjustment. Similar can be said of Steve McAnespie, who is still finding his feet after seven games. He won't want reminding of the skinning he took from Niall Quinn at the start of the move that saw Kinkladze set up Summerbee for the winning strike or the roasting he took from Patterson for failing to exploit a yawning gap on the right when City were at their most vulnerable. More worrying is the form of established players, whose confidence is suffering. Alan Thompson had a better second half on Saturday but is still long overdue a performance to match his reputation while Lee once again failed to deliver the telling cross.

The jury is also out on whether Alan Stubbs is suited to the midfield role in a standard 4-4-2 formation. His defensive qualities are vital when he sits just in front of the back four but Flitcroft and Kinkladze both exposed gaps when they ran, unchecked, from deep midfield positions.

Wanderers continue to rely on the linchpins of their defence - the steady Chris Fairclough, the inspirational Gudni Bergsson and the outstanding Keith Branagan, who made stunning saves from Kinkladze and Steve Lomas.

Overworked in the first half, they kept things relatively safe in the second and laid the foundation for a possible second half rescue mission. However, such was the quality of football in front of them that neither a Nat Lofthouse nor a Wyn Davies - star strikers from a glorious past who were saluted before the game - would have saved the day.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.