Yorkie

Good game from Bramble. His one good game in six or seven if the past five years are anything to go by.

Didn't look too convinced in my opinion. But he said that overall he was pleased with the performance, very unhappy about the goal conceded, and was disappointed by the sloppyness at times, not going to get complacent but pleased overall.

Nonsense. You want your goalscoring centre-forwrds to be greedy for crying out loud! I think it's great to see him so desperate to get his name on the scoresheet. It's not 'just' to get his name on the scoresheet - it's not 'just' that. He's the number 9 centre-forward and he is desperate to be top goalscorer, and justfiy his price tag - and so he should do. I'm fecking glad Shearer was greedy... I thought he had a poor game aswell, one of his worst this season without a doubt, but i can't agree with what you've said there for a second.

Tmonkey, Dave, agree wholeheartedly with both.

Aye that tickled me aswell.

Tonight merely confirmed it for me. Not a bad performance, not a bad one at all, but that wasn't Kieron Dyer. He had very little influence on the game, apart from a good run for the first goal, and there was NAFF ALL movement upfront. Movement that he would have been providing had he have been played up there. Of course, there was no alternative this evening but for him to play in centre-mid - but that is the only time in which he should be used there. When we're down to bare bones. He's a forward.

I thought Duff put in a very decent performance in the second half to be quite frank. Would like to see him release the ball earlier, his main and only flaw throughout the game, but he tore the right-back to pieces (granted, the opposition was abysmal), but it's definitely an improvement and it's nice to see his spark returning. This really should just kick him on, and with another good performance next week, hopefully things will start to snowball. Not particularly impressed with the dive, though. I don't think he needed to - because he would have scored anyway. It wasn't that tight an angle. But, atleast the fact that he was going to score, makes the goal actually justifable. Not impressed by the dive though.

Nobby's just come back from injury. He's had plenty of rest the 'od bugger.

If we were offered the chance to take Ben Haim on a free, and turned it down, Roeder and Shepherd would want killing - very, very painfully. Hence why they would, because they're not stupid (arguably). Very good defender, Ben Haim. Absolutely key player for Bolton over the past couple of years.

Yup.

He was great on the right-wing against Liverpool, though, Nobby, so i wouldn't be against having him start there in the return leg. I still believe that his delivery and passing ability is second to none - and i just want to see goals in the second leg. We really could destroy these mugs if we wanted to. I want to see another Ventspils (H) mentality, where we absolutely peppered their goal from start to finish, as we should do against shite part-timers. Only, score, this time...

Harper Solano --- Edgar --- Bramble --- Huntington Duff --- Parker --- Butt --- O'Brien Martins --- Luque Subs: Srnicek, Taylor, Babayaro, Milner, Pattison, Lua Lua, Carroll Why not? Just go for it. We're through.

I wanted to see Alan O'Brien... but Duff's got to play now. Would be stupid to not allow him to kick on from here.

I hope we start a couple of youngsters next week and go fucking hell for leather. And obliterate them.

Aye, Glenn not looking convinced tbh.

Nice change for a dive to be going our way.

No wonder they flogged him for £5m then. If Duff plays like that every single game, i'll be a very, very happy man.

SO insanely comfortable. We could have absolutely obliterated them if we wanted to. But that was the thing - we didn't want to. It was frustrating. Martins and Milner were shite. Special mentions to Duff and Bramble. Bramble was superb at the back and Duff was the winger we saw at Chelsea/Blackburn. For the first time all season, i was optimistic when he was on the ball. Harper - 6. Solano - 7. Taylor - 7. Bramble - 9. Babayaro - 6. Milner - 5. Butt - 6. Dyer - 6. Duff - 7. Martins - 6. Sibierski - 6.

I'll stick with 2-0.

Why? Name me a more in-form English right winger at this present time.

I thought he had a decent game against West Ham.

It was Keane that got sent off... Shearer's been sent off against Villa and against Charlton.

Ref elbowing Savage and Shearer sending consequently him off. If anyone has a video of that... would gladly appreciate it.

Is that Juninho in your avatar?

Ideally, i'd have liked us to beat Sporting Lisbon in the final. Or Partizan Belgrade. Or... I just want us to win it. I crave us to win this competition after the last two debarcles. Think i want it more than any other competition at the moment...