A Win Away? Millwall / Friday 19th

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Statto reporting for duty!

I don't want to be a killjoy but we have to maintain this ppg rate until the end of the season just to sneak the last playoff place so talk of automatic promotion is a tad on the optimistic side.

Sadly, you're right. 2ppg was the requirement at the start of Lennon's reign, working on the thumb-rule that 6th place usually gathers 75 points. Moreover, the 6th-place pace is slightly hotter this year than at any time over the last decade: after 22 games Watford are on 38. After a similar number of games in previous seasons the sixth-placed teams were on (going backwards) 35, 37, 35, 34, 34, 34, 35, 36, 32 & 36.

Oh well - all we can do is keep winning games and see what happens. And it helps when we keep clean sheets. Speaking of which...

4 consecutive clean sheets. Anyone know the last time we managed that?

I can't find a site that allows for easy checking of league and cup results together, but Statto.com is useful for checking runs in the league...

And the answer is: October 2006. Beat Watford at home 1-0 - I seem to recall that being a late Speedo goal? - then drew 0-0 at home with Boro. Then we won 1-0 at Pompey - was that the night after the Allardyce Panorama that made CAPS lose his caps? - then beat Liverpool 2-0 at home. (We then won at Newcastle 2-1 and Blackburn 2-0 so we were on quite the roll.)

We also go four consecutive league clean sheets in November 2003 (Spurs away 1-0, Southampton home 0-0, Leeds away 2-0, Everton home 2-0).

Between Dec 12th 2000 and Jan 20th 2001, bolstered by Colin Hendry, we kept six clean sheets in seven, the exception being the only game I went to (West Brom at home, lost 0-1). It was also the fourth game of the seven so it doesn't match this run.

Phil Neal got four clean sheets in a row in 1990/91; we also went four unscathed in Apr/May 1983, at the very end of the 1969/70 season, in October 1959, in both April and September 1934, and in Apr/May 1925.

Then the site went down, but I'd got as far back as 1914 and as far as my boggly eyes can tell Bolton haven't kept five consecutive clean sheets in the league since the First World War... if ever.

[Enoch]

We were better than them, though they weren't up to much. Pratley was the best player on the pitch over 90 minutes by some way. Shittu was their best player. Gudjohnson was very nearly ordinary, he still has the knack of being unhurried but rarely got involved and product wasn't there; we looked a better side after Trotter replaced him. Without looking particularly threatening Hall played as well as I've seen, he looked more use down the middle than out wide. Devete and Mills look ok next to one another, Devete brings some order to the defence. Vela may have found a niche, defends ok and adds a bit going forward.

We were a shambles for the first 20 minutes, it looked as though Lee was trying to sweep in front of the back four, but no one had told the rest what the plan was. We improved once he got out of the way.

Company was good, beer was good. Good day out.

[William the White]

Statto reporting for duty!

I don't want to be a killjoy but we have to maintain this ppg rate until the end of the season just to sneak the last playoff place so talk of automatic promotion is a tad on the optimistic side.

Sadly, you're right. 2ppg was the requirement at the start of Lennon's reign, working on the thumb-rule that 6th place usually gathers 75 points. Moreover, the 6th-place pace is slightly hotter this year than at any time over the last decade: after 22 games Watford are on 38. After a similar number of games in previous seasons the sixth-placed teams were on (going backwards) 35, 37, 35, 34, 34, 34, 35, 36, 32 & 36.

Oh well - all we can do is keep winning games and see what happens. And it helps when we keep clean sheets. Speaking of which...

4 consecutive clean sheets. Anyone know the last time we managed that?

I can't find a site that allows for easy checking of league and cup results together, but Statto.com is useful for checking runs in the league...

And the answer is: October 2006. Beat Watford at home 1-0 - I seem to recall that being a late Speedo goal? - then drew 0-0 at home with Boro. Then we won 1-0 at Pompey - was that the night after the Allardyce Panorama that made CAPS lose his caps? - then beat Liverpool 2-0 at home. (We then won at Newcastle 2-1 and Blackburn 2-0 so we were on quite the roll.)

We also go four consecutive league clean sheets in November 2003 (Spurs away 1-0, Southampton home 0-0, Leeds away 2-0, Everton home 2-0).

Between Dec 12th 2000 and Jan 20th 2001, bolstered by Colin Hendry, we kept six clean sheets in seven, the exception being the only game I went to (West Brom at home, lost 0-1). It was also the fourth game of the seven so it doesn't match this run.

Phil Neal got four clean sheets in a row in 1990/91; we also went four unscathed in Apr/May 1983, at the very end of the 1969/70 season, in October 1959, in both April and September 1934, and in Apr/May 1925.

Then the site went down, but I'd got as far back as 1914 and as far as my boggly eyes can tell Bolton haven't kept five consecutive clean sheets in the league since the First World War... if ever.

Do you by any chance know what has happened to Nigel Sheppard's brilliant Bolton stats site? It seems to have disappeared, and was a great research site (and argument settler!).

I miss it!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Will, all I can find is a few forum posts asking where it's gone. Pity.

[Beefheart]

Cheers DSB. Thought it might have been Big Sam era.

[thebish]

so - nobody who went has anything at all to report about how Eidur looked?

[Bijou Bob]

so - nobody who went has anything at all to report about how Eidur looked?

His blonde locks were ruffled by a slight breeze, his shorts a little too tight, his eyes sparkled blue, shimmering in the floodlights, blazing with a newly found passion for an old, old flame......

Will that do?

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

so - nobody who went has anything at all to report about how Eidur looked?

He looked quite good on the ball - his touch and his passing were tidy.

He wasn't really all that involved though because he was playing in a withdrawn position off... well, nobody actually!

So... he was not wasteful when he had it, but it was probably no coincidence that we only started to open them up when he was subbed on the hour and another person who could run came one.

Still, an unexpected treat to see him back in the shirt and not looking conspicuously off the pace of out of place. I think he'll make a decent contribution between now and the end of the season.

[TKIZ!]

so - nobody who went has anything at all to report about how Eidur looked?

His blonde locks were ruffled by a slight breeze, his shorts a little too tight, his eyes sparkled blue, shimmering in the floodlights, blazing with a newly found passion for an old, old flame......

Will that do?

Ohhh, I've gone all faint

[thebish]

so - nobody who went has anything at all to report about how Eidur looked?

His blonde locks were ruffled by a slight breeze, his shorts a little too tight, his eyes sparkled blue, shimmering in the floodlights, blazing with a newly found passion for an old, old flame......

Will that do?

epic!

[thebish]

so - nobody who went has anything at all to report about how Eidur looked?

He looked quite good on the ball - his touch and his passing were tidy.

He wasn't really all that involved though because he was playing in a withdrawn position off... well, nobody actually!

So... he was not wasteful when he had it, but it was probably no coincidence that we only started to open them up when he was subbed on the hour and another person who could run came one.

Still, an unexpected treat to see him back in the shirt and not looking conspicuously off the pace of out of place. I think he'll make a decent contribution between now and the end of the season.

cheers!

[twilight]

so - nobody who went has anything at all to report about how Eidur looked?

His blonde locks were ruffled by a slight breeze, his shorts a little too tight, his eyes sparkled blue, shimmering in the floodlights, blazing with a newly found passion for an old, old flame......

Will that do?[/quote

very nice description Bob!!

[thebish]

We were better than them, though they weren't up to much. Pratley was the best player on the pitch over 90 minutes by some way. Shittu was their best player. Gudjohnson was very nearly ordinary, he still has the knack of being unhurried but rarely got involved and product wasn't there; we looked a better side after Trotter replaced him. Without looking particularly threatening Hall played as well as I've seen, he looked more use down the middle than out wide. Devete and Mills look ok next to one another, Devete brings some order to the defence. Vela may have found a niche, defends ok and adds a bit going forward.

We were a shambles for the first 20 minutes, it looked as though Lee was trying to sweep in front of the back four, but no one had told the rest what the plan was. We improved once he got out of the way.

Company was good, beer was good. Good day out.

heretic! was there ever such a damning critique than that the team looked better when Trotter replaced him??? (loosely translated as - a wardrobe on casters is better then Eidur!)

[Enoch]

we looked a better side after Trotter replaced him.

heretic! was there ever such a damning critique than that the team looked better when Trotter replaced him??? (loosely translated as - a wardrobe on casters is better then Eidur!)

Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.

it was probably no coincidence that we only started to open them up when he was subbed on the hour and another person who could run came one.

I don't even think I'm alone on this.



Do your lot still burn heretics?

[Bruno3]

We were better than them, though they weren't up to much. Pratley was the best player on the pitch over 90 minutes by some way. Shittu was their best player. Gudjohnson was very nearly ordinary, he still has the knack of being unhurried but rarely got involved and product wasn't there; we looked a better side after Trotter replaced him. Without looking particularly threatening Hall played as well as I've seen, he looked more use down the middle than out wide. Devete and Mills look ok next to one another, Devete brings some order to the defence. Vela may have found a niche, defends ok and adds a bit going forward.

We were a shambles for the first 20 minutes, it looked as though Lee was trying to sweep in front of the back four, but no one had told the rest what the plan was. We improved once he got out of the way.

Company was good, beer was good. Good day out.

Abdoulaye's twin - what have you got to say now????

[Enoch]

we looked a better side after Trotter replaced him.

Abdoulaye's twin - what have you got to say now????

"Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible."

Simply telling it how it was.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

We were better than them, though they weren't up to much. Pratley was the best player on the pitch over 90 minutes by some way. Shittu was their best player. Gudjohnson was very nearly ordinary, he still has the knack of being unhurried but rarely got involved and product wasn't there; we looked a better side after Trotter replaced him. Without looking particularly threatening Hall played as well as I've seen, he looked more use down the middle than out wide. Devete and Mills look ok next to one another, Devete brings some order to the defence. Vela may have found a niche, defends ok and adds a bit going forward.

We were a shambles for the first 20 minutes, it looked as though Lee was trying to sweep in front of the back four, but no one had told the rest what the plan was. We improved once he got out of the way.

Company was good, beer was good. Good day out.

Abdoulaye's twin - what have you got to say now????

Why are you asking me?

[thebish]

Do your lot still burn heretics?

my lot never did - but I'm beginning to think we made a mistake!

[Bruno3]

We were better than them, though they weren't up to much. Pratley was the best player on the pitch over 90 minutes by some way. Shittu was their best player. Gudjohnson was very nearly ordinary, he still has the knack of being unhurried but rarely got involved and product wasn't there; we looked a better side after Trotter replaced him. Without looking particularly threatening Hall played as well as I've seen, he looked more use down the middle than out wide. Devete and Mills look ok next to one another, Devete brings some order to the defence. Vela may have found a niche, defends ok and adds a bit going forward.

We were a shambles for the first 20 minutes, it looked as though Lee was trying to sweep in front of the back four, but no one had told the rest what the plan was. We improved once he got out of the way.

Company was good, beer was good. Good day out.

Abdoulaye's twin - what have you got to say now????

Why are you asking me?

Just because on some other thread which I can't find now from last week I suggested putting Trotter up front and you found it hilarious. My memory isn't what it was (and it was never great) so if I've confused you with somebody else I'm sorry

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Just because on some other thread which I can't find now from last week I suggested putting Trotter up front and you found it hilarious. My memory isn't what it was (and it was never great) so if I've confused you with somebody else I'm sorry

Aaahhh, I have a vague memory of it. My memory is also not what it was

Anyway, from what it sounds, it sounds like my playing with no strikers suggestion was taken and proven a good one