Bolton 0 Blackburn 2: Rovers end away day blues to boost absent Allardyce

23 November 2009 00:18
[LNB]Vital: David Dunn and Franco Di Santo celebrate Blackburn's opener[LNB]With Sam Allardyce being lauded as his side surged to victory while the opposing manager was booed and barracked, it could have been like old times at the Reebok Stadium.[LNB]There was a twist though. The cheers were an acknowledgement of Allardyce's achievements at the club he served superbly for 16 years as player and manager as the absent Blackburn boss prepares to have minor heart surgery on Friday. The jeers were a sign of relegation-threatened Bolton's plight and of Gary Megson's unpopularity.[LNB]That didn't stop the Bolton manager him wishing one of his predecessors at the Reebok well. 'I rang him this morning and had a good chat and of course our thoughts are with him and his family,' said Megson. 'Everyone at Bolton wishes him a speedy recovery and a return to full health.' [LNB]With Allardyce was confined to his house ahead of his operation on a coronary artery, his side ended a run of 10 successive away defeats in the Barclays Premier League at his spiritual home. David Dunn's glorious goal was followed by Sam Ricketts' ignominious own goal.[LNB]It delighted the former Bolton player in the dugout - not Allardyce, but his assistant Neil McDonald. He said: 'For a manager to not be there is quite strange but he should be back fighting fit very soon. Luckily they found out very quickly and it's a routine operation. [LNB]'The gameplan was set out on Friday by the manager, I spoke to him before the game, I spoke to him on Saturday evening and he spoke to the players on Saturday. We all knew what we had to do. [LNB]Close call: Gavin McCann clears Jason Roberts' effort off the line[LNB]'Hopefully we have put a smile on his face and taken away some of the stress from him. It gives him a chance to recover quicker.'[LNB]But Dunn joked: 'Maybe he could stay away a little bit more.' And captain Ryan Nelsen added: 'He's a big man and he must need a big ticker to keep him going. We wish him all the best and it will take quite a bit to knock down that old elephant.'[LNB]Woe: Sam Ricketts scored an own goal[LNB]Their concern for their manager was just as apparent as the gratitude of the Bolton fans who idolised Allardyce. Just as it used to, the Reebok reverberated to the sound of 'Big Sam's Super White Army' while the same supporters later told Megson: 'You don't know what you're doing.'[LNB]Allardyce's expertise was not in doubt. He changed tactics to include two strikers and they combined well for the opening goal, Franco di Santo picking out Jason Roberts, who found Dunn. The midfielder curled his first-time finish around Jussi Jaaskelainen.[LNB]Seconds earlier, Matt Taylor's free kick had deflected off Nelsen and on to the post at the other end. 'The first goal took the wind out of our sails,' Megson admitted.[LNB]Blackburn also had three efforts cleared off the line. First Gary Cahill hooked the ball away after Dunn had headed over Jaaskelainen. Then in the second half Gavin McCann brilliantly turned El Hadji Diouf's volley away before blocking Roberts' header.[LNB]But Bolton's miserable display was symbolised by Ricketts' laughable own goal. The right back attempted to cut out Brett Emerton's cross and only succeeded in heading past Jaaskelainen from fully 25 yards. 'It was comic cuts defending,' admitted Megson, but it summed up Bolton's day quite nicely. [LNB] PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE: All the action from Sunday's top flight clashesJack Rodwell will break through, Chelsea pip United for the title, City can crack big four and back Fernando Torres for top scorer - Premier League bosses' survey BOLTON WANDERERS

Source: Daily_Mail