Roeder bemoans defensive lapses
Roeder faces a difficult season
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Sunday, 15, Oct 2006 07:59
Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has laid into his players following their 2-1 home defeat to Bolton, despite leading for the majority of the game.
The Magpies have only two league wins to their name this season, and the former West Ham manager believes that the players only have themselves to blame.
"We've shot ourselves in the foot. It wasn't what Bolton did, it is what we did to ourselves. The manner of the defeat concerns me greatly and was typical. It was unacceptable defending and it has to stop and stop quickly," he said.
But Roeder pledged to "get back on the training ground and work hard", although he said that certain first-team members' reputations were at stake.
He explained: "Individuals have to do their jobs but they also have to work as a unit and stop the opposition scoring."
Newcastle face a gruelling winter period owing to their participation in the Uefa Cup group stages, and Roeder is under no illusions as to the task facing his team.
"Over the next 11 weeks we will play a minimum of 19 games and we have to get back to winning," he added.
Bolton manager Sam Allardyce, meanwhile, was in buoyant mood after seeing a quick-fire brace from El-Hadji Diouf send his team into third spot in the Premiership.
"We won comfortably in the end and third place is the measure of our commitment and quality this year," he said.
Allardyce added: "We couldn't compete with Newcastle in the first half so I changed it and really wanted to squeeze them from the front. We wanted to shut down the back four, win the ball in midfield and it worked a treat."