Roeder rues defensive lapses

NEWCASTLE boss Glenn Roeder was left to rue more reckless defending as his side once again threw away a lead to lose at home.

The Magpies left the pitch at half-time 1-0 ahead through Shola Ameobi’s 19th-minute penalty and good value for it after out-playing Bolton.

However, two moments of madness allowed first Nicolas Anelka and then Kevin Davies to serve the ball up on a plate for El-Hadji Diouf to claim the points as the home side capitulated horribly.

Roeder, who has seen his side take the lead in all four Barclays Premiership home games so far this season yet collect just four points, admitted his players only had themselves too blame.

Afterwards, he blasted: “It is unacceptable. This is the fourth time this year we have scored first and although we won the opening game against Wigan, we have only taken a point in the others.

“Against Fulham, we conceded two extremely poor goals and you have to say the same today. It was a mad two minutes which cost us very dearly. I am concerned and the players are concerned. We had a long talk after the game in the dressing room and they are equally disappointed with what happened out there in that couple of minutes as I am.”

Perhaps significantly, a crowd of just 48,145 watched the game, only the second time fewer than 50,000 have attended a league match at St James’ Park since it was extended.

With Fenerbahce due on Tyneside in the UEFA Cup on Thursday night and a tricky derby trip to Middlesbrough to come next weekend, yesterday’s outcome could hardly have been less welcome.

Roeder said: “It was going fine until they equalised. We were playing a team that is flying high near the top of the table and it was nearly one-way traffic in the first half.

“I thought we were excellent. If young Ramage takes a golden opportunity to put us 2-0 in front, we would have been a lot more confident going in at half-time to close the game out and take three points.”

Bolton boss Sam Allardyce was understandably delighted with the way his side responded after a woeful first 45 minutes.

He said: “It is a measure of how far we have come this season. The only way Newcastle found an opportunity to score a goal was by what could be deemed as a dubious penalty and probably one more chance after that which was put over the bar.

“And that was with us playing well below par in the first half. We decided to drop off, but we did not decide to actually close down when we did drop off, and that caused us quite a few problems.

“In the second half, we changed it around and we said we were going to squeeze from the front.

“The players needed to up the tempo, they needed to put the back four of Newcastle under a lot more pressure and it worked an absolute treat.

“It pulled us back from 1-0 down to win the game comfortably 2-1. I am just so pleased for the lads because that first-half performance looked like the two weeks off was the worst thing that could happen to us.

“But we turned it around with a terrific performance in the second 45 minutes and won a game away from home having come back from 1-0 down, and that is a very, very difficult thing to do indeed.

“It has given us three wins on the trot – three wins on the trot on Sky. I am just wishing they were at Blackburn Rovers next week, but I do not think I can persuade them to do that.”

Opta Fact: This was the first time Bolton had conceded a first-half goal this season.

Opta Fact: Newcastle have not kept a clean sheet at home in the Premiership this season.

NEWCASTLE: Harper, Carr, Moore, Bramble, Ramage, Solano (N’Zogbia 67), Parker, Emre (Rossi 84), Duff, Ameobi, Martins.

BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Meite, Faye, Ben Haim, Nolan, Campo, Speed, Davies, Anelka, Diouf (Giannakopoulos 87).

Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).