'Big crisis' for big Sam
Sam Allardyce admits he is facing the biggest test of his management skills in five years in charge of Bolton.
A superb volley from Blackburn striker Paul Dickov at the Reebok Stadium condemned Allardyce’s side to a sixth straight defeat.
Kevin Davies had Bolton’s best chance of an equaliser but could only flick a header wide in front of goal following a corner from El-Hadji Diouf deep into the second half.
Allardyce said: “I have not had anything as massive as this in my time here. We have very rarely gone on a three-game losing sequence, never mind six.
“The big crisis is not just the results and the inability to keep a clean sheet but that there is a severe lack of confidence running through the team.
“Every game is becoming increasingly difficult for us. We have to change that round by either drawing or winning. It is not about who we are playing now. It is about how we are playing.
“We just have to get back to basics and stick to what we know works. That will eventually produce us a result of some sort. It is our fault and our responsibility. We have got to work hard at making the right breaks for ourselves.”
Scotland striker Dickov eased Blackburn’s relegation worries with his seventh goal of the season.
Steven Reid chested the ball into his path and he delivered a stunning shot beyond the despairing arms of goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen in the sixth minute.
Substitute Jon Stead, who had replaced Jay Bothroyd after he suffered a recurrence of a thigh injury, came within inches of scoring his first goal of the season for Blackburn in the 35th minute.
He got away from his marker to get on the end of Reid’s cross only to see his header come back off the bar.
Bolton looked to have a chance of an equaliser on the stroke of half-time but Henrik Pedersen got only a slight touch to a teasing cross from Diouf.
After Davies’ miss for Bolton, Reid should have added a second on full-time but somehow steered a shot wide from close range after good work by Dickov and Stead.
Blackburn manager Mark Hughes was thrilled with the way his team went about their business.
“We deserved more than one goal considering the number of chances we created,” he said. “Paul has that ability to score goals from inside and outside the box. He harasses players and does not give the back four any time to settle.
“It was a great strike and he is having a fantastic season. However he will acknowledge the amount of work the rest of the team put in to protect that goal.
“He has got great enthusiasm, a great work ethic and drags other players along with him. That is going to be an important factor for us in the second half of the season.”
Stead is yet to score this season after his goals helped the club avoid relegation last time around.
Hughes is convinced the former Huddersfield striker will come good.
“It is typical of the season Stead is having that a textbook header should come back off the bar. He is working hard, though, and I am sure things will turn for him.
“I am just happy, however, to settle for a 1-0 win. I don’t want to be greedy. The players were excellent and stuck to their task. They were first class.”
