Allardyce unhappy with Diouf treatment
The Senegalese frontman was substituted late on at the Reebok Stadium after playing a part in Nicolas Anelka’s 57th-minute winner.
But Allardyce was unhappy with the treatment he received from a Magpies defence with an average age of just over 20.
He said: “Diouf terrorised the opposition and got some very, very heavy challenges indeed that were not protected enough for such a quality player.
“We got the free-kicks, but there were far too many given against him. They tried physically to abuse him today and they did not get away with it. He did not react and he helped us win a very important game.”
Newcastle raced into an eighth-minute lead via Kieron Dyer’s second strike in as many games, and might have been further ahead before Bolton hit back.
Even then, they needed a helping hand, defender Peter Ramage heading past keeper Pavel Srnicek under pressure from Kevin Nolan 13 minutes before half-time. Anelka ultimately won it 12 minutes into the second half after Kevin Davies and then Diouf had helped on Ivan Campo’s long throw to leave the Bolton fans dreaming of Europe once again.
Allardyce said: “We have had a tremendous run of victories, but we had that little spell in the middle of it where we were playing some excellent stuff and ended up losing 1-0 instead of getting draws or victories.
“It was important today that the players reacted the right way when we went 1-0 down. A few games, we have done that and come storming back in the second half to take the victory.
“We are reaping the rewards of a goalscorer at long last and he (Anelka) popped up in the right area for a tap-in. We have not seen that type of goal from him yet. We have seen a lot of quality runs and skill and finishing. Today we saw a goalscorer’s goal when he popped up at the far post and tapped it in.
“He got us going even more again in the second half to keep pressing Newcastle and we could have had maybe a goal or two more, but we did not quite find the right final ball or the right shot.
“But it was a great victory having gone 1-0 down.”
Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder admitted defensive frailty, for the first time in weeks, had cost his side with 38-year-old keeper Pavel Srnicek, making his first start for more than nine years, at fault for the opening goal.
Roeder said: “It is stating the obvious, but the two goals we conceded were, by our standards of late, shockers. They were two woeful goals.
“Srnicek hardly had anything else to do of any consequence, so after Kieron scored, to concede that goal in the first half and not get in 1-0 up after for the first half-hour playing so well, was a huge disappointment.”
Roeder was unhappy that referee Howard Webb missed Nolan’s push on Ramage as he headed past Srnicek, but refused to apportion blame either to the official or individual players.
BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Meite, Faye, Ben Haim, Nolan, Campo, Speed, Diouf (Pedersen 90), Anelka, Davies.
NEWCASTLE: Srnicek, Edgar, Ramage, Taylor, Huntington, Dyer (Emre 55), Butt, Parker, Milner (Rossi 65), Sibierski, Martins.
Referee: H Webb (S Yorkshire).
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