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21 September 1997
Issue 849


Bolton at pains to show off status
By Alyson Rudd


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   Bolton (0) 0 Man Utd (0) 0
   
   ON THE outskirts of Bolton you would never have guessed it, but
   this is FIFA's Fair Play weekend. FIFA might like to consider that
   formalising an attitude they would hope is ever present is bound to
   fall foul of a jinx, and so it proved at the Reebok Stadium, where the
   players found themselves sucked along by an intense atmosphere and the
   notion of fair play was hardly uppermost in their thoughts.
   
   There were few dangerous tackles. It was more a case of verbal spite
   and petty shove. There was so much off-the-ball skulduggery that much
   of the first half bore more resemblance to a bitter council meeting
   than an actual football match - and at one point, it looked as if more
   than just two players would be dismissed from the action.
   
   It was no coincidence this game finished goalless - the players simply
   did not give themselves the full 90 minutes in which to create one. In
   the event, both Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United should be
   reasonably content with a point. United fared poorly last season in
   those Premiership games which followed their European exploits and
   Bolton have to know they can hold the champions at home if they are to
   survive in the Premiership.
   
   While United had the midweek distraction of the Champions' League,
   Bolton were in Coca-Cola Cup action against Leyton Orient with one eye
   on this match against "the cultural and economic phenomenon that is
   Man United" - at least, that is how the club programme described Alex
   Ferguson's side. The hyperbole was appropriate; United did humiliate
   Bolton 6-0 on their last meeting on home ground in the Premiership 18
   months ago.
   
   But that was in the humble environs of Burnden Park. Bolton now
   operate out of what, by comparison, is virtually the Empire State
   Building. The Reebok Stadium is, like all other modern football
   constructions, lacking in soul, but it is hugely aspirational and its
   very existence seems to imply Bolton will avoid relegation this season
   regardless of what happens out on the pitch.
   
   Latest on-the-field developments for Colin Todd's team included two
   debuts: Mike Whitlow signed from Leicester City and Mark Fish's
   paperwork was finally completed. The South African defender once
   looked on the verge of signing for United but developed his craft in
   Serie A instead.
   
   Todd paid Lazio £2 million for him and it was immediately obvious why.
   The tall, tanned centre-half strolled about the Bolton penalty area as
   if it was his personal property and was keener than anyone to dash
   upfield when Bolton attacked on the break. On 25 minutes, he was
   presented with his first real chance of scoring on his debut but
   headed Scott Sellars' corner-kick wide of goal.
   
   Bolton were fashioning the more clear-cut chances and Per Frandsens
   was unlucky to see his free-kick from 25 yards out clip the crossbar.
   
   But, slowly, off-the-ball incidents threatened to undermine the
   contest and in the 33rd minute, both Nathan Blake and Gary Pallister
   were shown the red card by referee Paul Burkin.
   
   On the face of it, Pallister appeared unlucky; Blake had first tripped
   and then pushed Pallister, but Burkin had to impose some sense of the
   serious nature of the mounting aggression as practically every player
   joined in a huddle of hostility.
   
   Following a confrontation between Jamie Pollock and Nicky Butt, Durkin
   opted not to caution them. But both Todd and Ferguson were anxiously
   treading the sideline.
   
   Chances toward the end of the first half dwindled for both sides as
   Burkin was forced to intervene in various petty altercations.
   
   The tensions simmered after the interval and Andy Cole was fortunate
   not to be sent off. After having been cautioned for a foul on
   Frandsen, he engaged in a two-footed retaliation on Whitlow. Paul
   Scholes might have done better with two shots but they landed
   comfortably within the reach of Keith Branagan, and Peter Schmeichel,
   too, was hardly forced to call on his full repertoire of athleticism.
   
   With both sides down to 10 men, there was extra space but little of
   invention was being done with it.
   _________________________________________________________________
   
   Bolton (0) 0 Man Utd (0) 0

   Bolton: Branagan, Frandsen, Taggart, Pollock, Sellars (Beardsley 66),
   Blake, McGinlay, Thompson, Bergsson, Fish, Whitlow. Subs Not Used:
   Johansen, Ward, Todd, McAnespie. Sent Off: Blake (34). Booked:
   Frandsen, Bergsson.

   Man Utd: Schmeichel, G. Neville, Irwin, Pallister, Beckham, Butt,
   Cole, Poborsky (P. Neville 55), Keane, Scholes (Solskjaer 55), Berg.
   Subs Not Used: McClair, Van Der Gouw, Thornley. Sent Off: Pallister
   (34). Booked: Beckham, Irwin, Cole, P. Neville.
   Att: 25,000
   Ref: P A Durkin (Portland).
   _________________________________________________________________

     Top two draw, Leicester into top three
     
     (adds details, quotes)
     By Mitch Phillips
     LONDON, Sept 20 (Reuter) - Top two Manchester United and Blackburn
     both drew 0-0 in the English premier league on Saturday and with
     Chelsea and Arsenal meeting on Sunday it was Leicester City who
     claimed a rare share of the limelight by beating Leeds 1-0 away to
     move into third place.

     United were held to a goalless draw at Bolton and, on FIFA's
     designated world Fair Play Day, had England defender Gary Pallister
     sent off along with Bolton's Welsh international striker Nathan
     Blake for fighting in the first half.

     In the corresponding fixture two seasons ago Bolton lost 6-0 en
     route to relegation but manager Colin Todd says the club has come a
     long way since then. "We are far better equipped to handled the
     premiership now," said Todd. "These players have ability and I'm
     disappointed we couldn't score today."

     The double sending-off came after 34 minutes of a generally even
     game when the two big men scuffled off the ball following one of
     several heavy challenges.

     Todd did not try to defend Blake, saying: "If a player raises his
     hands then the referee has to take the necessary action."

     Blackburn also ended the day with 10 men after French defender
     Patrick Valery was red carded 10 minutes from time at Tottenham --
     the only moment of interest in dull encounter

     United top the table on 17 points, with Blackburn second on 14,
     ahead of Leicester on goal difference. Arsenal and Chelsea both
     have 12 points.

     Leicester, who performed admirably in their midweek 2-1 defeat at
     Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Cup, fully deserved their win at Leeds.
     The only goal came via the head of skipper Steve Walsh in the 32nd
     minute and will have delighted manager Martin O'Neill who insists
     his main ambition for the season is to avoid relegation.

     Newcastle, who did even better in midweek, beating Barcelona 3-2 in
     the Champions' League, looked to their defenders to hold off a
     rampant West Ham and claim a 1-0 win in London.

     The defence, and particularly goalkeeper Shay Given, were on top
     form either side of John Barnes' vintage 20 metre curler in the
     45th minute as Newcastle claimed their third win in four games.
     Italian Francesco Baiano put Derby ahead at Villa Park but two
     goals in two minutes -- from Dwight Yorke and Julian Joachim --
     turned things round and continued Villa's recovery.

     Everton claimed their second win of the season, 4-2 over Barnsley,
     with two from Gary Speed, and one each for debutant Danny
     Cadamarteri and John Ostler.

     At Selhurst Park the landlords gave the tenants a lesson as Crystal
     Palace beat Wimbledon 1-0 with a goal by Italian Attilio Lombardo
     10 minutes from time while Southampton had the better of things
     against Liverpool at the Dell but stay bottom after a 1-1 draw.

     German target man Karlheinz Riedle headed Liverpool ahead against
     the run of play after 37 minutes.

     But Southampton, who welcomed back broken arm victim Matt Le
     Tissier for his first game of the season, levelled with a great
     individual goal by 20-year-old Kevin Davies moments after the
     break.

     The day's other game between Sheffield Wednesday against Coventry
     at Hillsborough ended goalless.
   _________________________________________________________________

        Bolton Wanderers 0 Manchester United 0 

  THE NEIGHBOURS fell out in Greater Manchester
  yesterday, a fractious local derby of low quality notable
  mainly for the banishment of Gary Pallister and Nathan Blake
  after an ill-tempered scuffle in the first half. Apart from the
  two red cards, there were half a dozen bookings, a couple of
  them harsh, in a match which had its violent spells but was
  never X-certificate. 

  The referee, Paul Durkin, has now sent off two players and
  booked 24 in his four games this season ­ figures which
  probably say more about his fussy style than the character of
  Premier League football. 

  Pallister, dismissed for the first time in eight years as a United
  player, can count himself unlucky, having done no more than
  push Blake, who retaliated by swinging a punch. The England
  defender is now due to serve an automatic suspension when
  the decisive World Cup qualifier is played in Rome on
  October 11, which would leave Glenn Hoddle to choose
  between example and expediency. If good sense prevails,
  Hoddle and his FA employers will study the Match Of The
  Day video and Pallister will be picked and cleared. 

  Alex Ferguson had it right when he said: "The referee told us
  he sent Pally off for raising his hand but I'm sure he didn't and
  I'm confident TV will exonerate him." 

  It was a disappointing match which failed to live up to a
  promising start. Fast, furious and frenetic, it was typical
  local-derby fare. The locals may have loved the passion and
  competitiveness but neutrals were left crying out for some
  foot-on-the-ball composure. We looked to David Beckham
  to provide it, but the England tyro seemed to be operating on
  the shortest fuse of all ­ in scary rather than sporty mode. 

  Just as disappointing, though hardly unexpected these days,
  was Andy Cole's finishing ­ not so much hit and miss as miss,
  miss and miss again ­ which cost United maximum points. Ole
  Gunnar Solskjaer, fit again, will surely be promoted from the
  bench against Chelsea on Wednesday night. Teddy
  Sheringham, recovered from cracked ribs, should be his
  partner. 

  When these two sides met at Burnden Park two seasons ago
  United won 6-0, but Bolton have improved at the trot in the
  interim and were never going to be embarrassed this time. 

  Their progress is reflected in Mark Fish, their new £2m
  recruit from Lazio, who made a highly promising debut in
  central defence. In geographical terms, it was as good as a
  home game for the champions. In reality, it was anything but.
  Bolton's support, like their team, is on the up and up, and a
  platoon or two from United's red army must have thought
  they were at Rorke's Drift. 

  Fish surfaced early, heading upstream at pace, all the way
  into the United penalty area, with Blake in close support. The
  crowd roared their approval of the South African's
  enterprising start, and were given much more to admire. 

  The new man ventured forward at every opportunity, yet still
  applied himself to his defensive duties with due diligence. It
  was an encouraging beginning. 

  Bolton, full of vim and vigour, should have been ahead after
  10 minutes when Peter Schmeichel dropped a Scott Sellars
  corner, but Jamie Pollock shot negligently wide at the near
  post. Fish dispossessed Nicky Butt in the act of shooting,
  Cole failed to find Paul Scholes when he was well placed,
  then Per Frandsen, who was Bolton's best player, threatened
  to unhinge the crossbar from 25 yards with a siege-gun free
  kick. 

  Nip and tuck, ebb and flow, it seemed to be bubbling nicely
  when it boiled over after 34 minutes and the recipe was
  spoiled. 

  Pallister was running the ball out of defence when Blake
  clipped his ankle. The centre-half reacted with a push which
  brought a punch from Blake, who had to go. Pallister was
  harshly dealt with. 

  What followed was, however, instantly forgettable. United
  made good the loss of Pallister with no great difficulty,
  moving Gary Neville in to a central defensive role and
  bringing his brother, Phil, off the substitutes' bench into the
  left-back position. 

  Bolton, however, had no adequate replacement for Blake,
  their principal goalscorer, and the game was there for the
  Premier League leaders to win. 

  That they failed to do so was largely down to Cole's
  shortcomings in front of goal. He should have scored when
  Branagan clawed out Beckham's inswinging corner from
  under his crossbar, but was unable to clear his six-yard box.
  Cole reached the loose ball just ahead of the goalkeeper but
  managed only to prod it against the post. 

  When Cole failed to hit the target yet again, just before the
  end, not even Ferguson seemed surprised. 
   _________________________________________________________________

Sunday, September 21 1997

Referee Paul Durkin has agreed to look again at the incident which resulted in
Gary Pallister getting sent off for the first time in nine years as a United
player.

Manager Alex Ferguson revealed later that the Dorset official had agreed to
consult a television replay of the 34th-minute flashpoint which ended with both
Pallister and Bolton striker Nathan Blake being shown the red card.

'The referee told him he was sending him off for raising his fists but we'll
see what the television shows. I think that's important,' said the United boss.

'The referee said he would look at the situation again so that's in ourfavour.
He certainly didn't raise his fists. But we'll wait and see.'

Colin Todd conceded that Blake deserved to go. 'When somebody raises their hand
they deserve to get sent off. That's the law of the game and that's what
happened.

'This was a derby game with a lot of passion and I thought the referee handled
it well.'

The Bolton manager felt the sendings off took the shine off his team's
performance. 'I am delighted with our performance today. The players deserve a
lot of credit because no doubt people expected United to come here and win.'

Ferguson made no attempt to hide his anger at Pallister's dismissal and that
vehemence may not have been misplaced because the defender's 'crime' may have
been merely to defend himself. The incident began when he got himself into, and
out of, a sticky situation with the Bolton striker snapping at his heels.


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