BREAKING DUCK NETS ADAM CHICKEN DINNER
He has to win his next two matches to keep disillusioned Stoke fans off his back.
If Rowett’s men lose at home to level-pegging Bristol City tomorrow and encounter FA Cup grief at Shrewsbury on Saturday, the axe could well be poised.
Stoke’s 2,100-strong following at Bolton booed their own side after just 20 minutes on Saturday and chanted: “Gary Rowett, your football is s--t.”
Rowett admitted his side were ineffective in the final third and only saved from an embarrassing defeat by inform England keeper Jack Butland. His two top-draw saves from Christian Doidge then Mark Beevers gave stuttering Stoke a point.
Skipper Ryan Shawcross pointed out that Bolton had tried to “suffocate us”, but added: “It’s up to us to overcome that.” He acknowledged that players had heard the boos and said: “That’s football. They pay their money. Whether or not it helps us is a different matter.”
Academy product Tom Edwards, 19, said: “The team had ticked off in their mind that it was a game we could win. We’re very disappointed we couldn’t pull it off.”
Stoke are seven points behind-sixth spot Derby, paying the price for too many draws in their last dozen games.
The former Derby and Birmingham boss admitted: “I live or die by results and we are not getting them.” He claimed he had no problem with fans criticising him, but that it was “not helpful” when they booed their own team.
And he added: “The hard work and effort was there, just the quality to finish was missing. We are not picking the right
cross or the right pass in the final third, even though we had most of the possession. We need more energy.”
Whether Rowett gets the chance to bring in new additions and shift some out, time and results will tell. He wants to sign Benik Afobe from Wolves for around £12million, but will that satisfy fans who saw the loan player under-perform at Bolton? If the pressure is on at Stoke, it is easing at Bolton, who stuck resolutely to their game plan to stifle the Potters and try to catch them out on the break. Cash-strapped Bolton face a big task at revived Hull tomorrow, but boss Phil Parkinson revealed: “I have had a chat with our chairman Ken Anderson and we will try to freshen things up in the transfer window if we can.” 86th-minute header was his first goal since signing from Ipswich during the summer.
Johnson promised Webster (right) a meal at Nando’s if he broke his duck. And the defender said: “The gaffer has been going on for a while about getting a goal. He said he would take me out if I scored, so I am looking forward to that.” Johnson claimed reverse psychology lay behind Webster’s winner.
He said: “I told Adam he would never get a goal in a million years. My old man Gary once promised to bare his backside in a shop window if one of his players scored. I didn’t go that far, but I do owe Adam a Nando’s.” The result was tough on Rotherham who defended manfully after having full-back Billy Jones and midfielder Richie Towell sent off in the second half.
Millers boss Paul Warne said: “I am not the sort of manager who blames defeats on referees. Both lads have apologised and I was proud of my players.”