Here Wycombe again. At home to the other Wanderers. V the high flyers, Friday 18th Apr, 3-0 Clock.

[TANGODANCER]

One we surely aren't expected to win (but might) even if we're over being punch drunk from our recent pasting. Even a win won't change things much, but might restore a bit of faith amongst the faithful. Best asking is show some fight and pride even losing, but everything's already been said, so let's take the initiative and fight on. Effectively, we beat ourselves last time out because we're never five goals worse then anybody. Lousy luck with the injuries, but rise up and fight back. COME ON WHITES.....

[Tails07]

If we have any desire left in the group to push for 6th this is our most likely playoff match opponent and the only one that hasn't done the double over us this season (Stockport, Charlton) so a chance to see if we can get over our demons and compete with League 1s surprise package this season.

[DJBlu]

We'll turn it on for this. Reading will lose to Lincoln and Orient to Barnsley. It will be a victory and we'll all be asking where the feck was this on Saturday and I'll be asking myself why I didn't put a bet on it.

[Mar]

We'll turn it on for this. Reading will lose to Lincoln and Orient to Barnsley. It will be a victory and we'll all be asking where the feck was this on Saturday and I'll be asking myself why I didn't put a bet on it.

We're consistently inconsistent. The only thing i'd be betting on as far as Bolton goes would be for us not to be hitting any kind of significant form. Can't bet on that though as far as i'm aware.

[boltonboris]

I’d like to think our players will react positively and look to right Saturdays wrongs, but I think it’s more likely we’ll see a sullen, sulky bunch who haven’t reacted well to criticism

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

I’d like to think our players will react positively and look to right Saturdays wrongs, but I think it’s more likely we’ll see a sullen, sulky bunch who haven’t reacted well to criticism

It happens with such regularity that even if they 'respond', it usually only last 1-2 matches at best and we end up back with this conversation again.

[Bertie Wooster]

I’d like to think our players will react positively and look to right Saturdays wrongs, but I think it’s more likely we’ll see a sullen, sulky bunch who haven’t reacted well to criticism

Agree with this.

Which of the current team / squad has the correct attitude, winning mentality, physicality, bottle & desire - players that when they come up against a physical team like Barnsley on Saturday, would give as much back and more and wouldn't take a backward step and would relish the battle - I can honestly only really come up with Dempsey, maybe Santos 18 months ago.

How many others would be of the Fairclough, Taggart, Sheridan, Pollock, Blake, McGinlay, Wheater type, players who would relish a battle and not go hiding & shrink.

The squad is so lacking in players with this type of character.

[irie Cee Bee]

The Board wanted "nice" players who would represent the community image that they sought. So we sought after and signed "nice guys". Interesting that the only person Bertie just singled out on our team with the character needed for battle is the one player in our team who got into problems with the law.

[TANGODANCER]

Football is but a game. It's usually the vanquished in any battle who are remembered and praised: the 600 in the valley of death, the three-hundred Spartans, the Christians in Rome's arenas, the Cathars and the millions of gravestones of the fallen around the world. Give it your best shot and be proud. Today's champions are tomorrow's foundation stones. The genuine winner is he man who shakes the hand of the loser.

Amen.

[Harry Genshaw]

I'll tip my hat to Wycombe. Always liked them since that emotional opening day fixture, even when some of Ainsworth's gamesmanship really grated in later fixtures. They've lost a couple of really good players and their manager mid season and yet are still up there, a thorn in Netflix's side.

As for us - the bag of bits (c/o Worthy) , where you never know what you're going to get but whatever it is, it won't be a clean sheet.

1-3 defeat.

[Armchair Wanderer]

The Board wanted "nice" players who would represent the community image that they sought. So we sought after and signed "nice guys". Interesting that the only person Bertie just singled out on our team with the character needed for battle is the one player in our team who got into problems with the law.

The full Barnsley match isn't on Wanderers TV (..yet?) but the tackle Dempsey got the yellow for was quite tasty. He seems like he's got some kind of pride or doesn't like to lose, at least.

You can say "nice", or you can say players who don't talk back and are just there to do what they're told. Which is great for the boss, easy life. But then, when the product ships, didn't anyone mention the gaping hole hole in the middle? Or, maybe they should do as they're told in the dressing room but maybe someone should be saying a few words on the pitch during a game? A lot of people I've worked with wanted me to be more of a follower, but if I blindly follow what some idiot is telling me I'm going to look like the idiot at the final whistle.

So, my question is... Are there any vocal players on the pitch when things aren't going well?

[BWFC_Insane]

The thing for me is Evatt had an obsession with style over results. This I think was because he wanted to accelerate his career via self promotion rather than actually achieving stuff. He believed getting Bolton into the championship would be easy enough and whilst still a rather modest achievement that if he did it whilst being hailed as lower league Pep he’d be able to pick up a better job.

Now what that has resulted in is a reflection in the team where to me it feels like we have a lot of players who equally are more interested in looking good, showing some made skillz off but not that keen on digging in when the chips are down. Keen maybe even the wrong word they just aren’t physically or mentally equipped to do so.

I think it’s predominantly a balance thing. Collins needs a kev Davies to play off. The midfield needs a Karl Henry. At the back they need a no nonsense leader. But priority has to be people who really want to win and don’t care too much how they do so.

Who is more effective the slightly rough and ready midfield player who puts themselves about gives a few handy kicks back when it’s tough and looks a bit uncomfortable on the ball - who also gets 8/9 league goals from midfield a season vs Sheehan who looks imperious on the ball makes more passes than anyone but struggles when a team sits on our midfield and doesn’t contribute too much in the way of goals?

I think when you boil football down it’s about what happens in either box. Every player has to either do a big job either protecting our box or threatening the other. By box I include the 20 yards or so round it. I think we have too many who look very good in the space between the two zones but contribute not too much in either box/zone. You can level that at a load of players. Santos who often looks imperious but might switch off once in our area and they score and basically cannot score in the opponents box in spite of his size. Sheehan as above. Thomason is another. Maybe even Morley. Tutu. On limited evidence Randall for sure. McAtee. Schon definitely. Maybe Cogley though defensively I think he generally offers enough.

Some of that I think is attitude. Morley under Schumacher and at Wycombe looked a different beast defensively. And can hit a shot. But some of it is I think the sorts we’ve tried to get. Evatt wouldn’t have signed a Ricketts. Or a Gareth Farelly. Or an Ian Marshall. The sorts of players who maybe don’t look like poundshop Xavi’s and are a bit ungainly but are massively effective in and around the boxes. And not limited by their stature. I keep coming back to the fact that diminutive midfield players need to offer something to compensate for a lack of physicality - and we keep finding out at this level that it’s hard to do so.

[Worthy4England]

The Board wanted "nice" players who would represent the community image that they sought. So we sought after and signed "nice guys". Interesting that the only person Bertie just singled out on our team with the character needed for battle is the one player in our team who got into problems with the law.

The full Barnsley match isn't on Wanderers TV (..yet?) but the tackle Dempsey got the yellow for was quite tasty. He seems like he's got some kind of pride or doesn't like to lose, at least.

You can say "nice", or you can say players who don't talk back and are just there to do what they're told. Which is great for the boss, easy life. But then, when the product ships, didn't anyone mention the gaping hole hole in the middle? Or, maybe they should do as they're told in the dressing room but maybe someone should be saying a few words on the pitch during a game? A lot of people I've worked with wanted me to be more of a follower, but if I blindly follow what some idiot is telling me I'm going to look like the idiot at the final whistle.

So, my question is... Are there any vocal players on the pitch when things aren't going well?

I think there's more than one element to this. On the vocal bit, not really and in some important places. This in previous times, when it's been discussed had been said to have been quite deliberate (I think ghost mentioned we had avoided "Roy Keane" types, to use an extreme example), so occasionally there's Thommo, who will say a few words, Big Ric didn't look ever comfortable addressing an audience, so what about the other "big players" - they're all in the same mode - I call it shrug mode - where players sorta shrug at each other to avoid having to say "That was not acceptable mate."

The other bit to it for me, are the amount of half assed tackles that go in, or tackles that should be made or that just aren't even attempted. This isn't asking players to be dirty, just that they do the basics at the right time flawlessly (I'll accept mistakes at reasonable attempts).

I have lost count the amount of times the last three years, we see the equivalent of the Alamo all free in our six yard area. Their second goal from the free kick, we have 8 for us vs 7 for them in our defensive line. When they play short, half our lot stand firm, holding their line and looking for the offside, Santos drops. Then on the side of the field where we had a 5-3 advantage, they have two players that would get to the ball in the box quicker than any of our 5 and we leave a man free in the middle - 6 yards out in acres of space. Too many not picking up runners and runs. The result lots of shrugging and quiet word across the box from Thommo to (I assume Santos). But it's a rinse and repeat event.

[TANGODANCER]

The thing for me is Evatt had an obsession with style over results. This I think was because he wanted to accelerate his career via self promotion rather than actually achieving stuff.

You've written the book on Evatt dislike, and made him a whipping boy, and it a convenient tool for all ills Insaney. Reality says injuries, lack of form, poor official decisions, financial worries and yes, in some cases, bad judgement. In short, the name of the game. Not a bad manager, just a bad luck season. Time to move on.

[BWFC_Insane]

The thing for me is Evatt had an obsession with style over results. This I think was because he wanted to accelerate his career via self promotion rather than actually achieving stuff.

You've written the book on Evatt dislike, and made him a whipping boy, and it a convenient tool for all ills Insaney. Reality says injuries, lack of form, poor official decisions, financial worries and yes, in some cases, bad judgement. In short, the name of the game. Not a bad manager, just a bad luck season. Time to move on.

He was a complete charlatan - who has left us in a much worse position than was necessary. We move on with a much better manager and hopefully the new DoF is also better.

But we have to accept that the inheritance is shocking - and deal with that.

[Prufrock]

I agree with most of what's above. Which is why I don't think we need to rip it up. But it needs a spine of bastards to set off the technical side. Give that balance.

[Worthy4England]

I agree with most of what's above. Which is why I don't think we need to rip it up. But it needs a spine of bastards to set off the technical side. Give that balance.

I like the spine of bastards approach.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

I'll say it before Insano gets in. 11 spines on the pitch is what I'll settle for

[Worthy4England]

That'll teach me - I've been gearing up for the Tuesday 7:45 kick-off. Should read shit.

[TANGODANCER]

That'll teach me - I've been gearing up for the Tuesday 7:45 kick-off. Should read shit.

Aye, seems forever. As a Catholic I'm not a believer in Good Friday fixtures, but Israel is two hours ahead of us in the time difference clock, so I suppose it's okay to watch and hope