Bolton v Derby

[Worthy4England]

Team for me tomorrow would be
Bogdan
Mears Knight Mills Ricketts
Lee M Davies Andrews Petrov
Eagles
Sordell

For me thats still too weak. When we don't have the ball we're carrying Mark Davies, Petrov, Lee and Eagles.

Too lightweight.

For me this...

Bogdan
Mears Knight Mills Ricketts
Riley Vela Andrews Petrov
Pratley
Sordell

Lets be less powderpuff. Pratley can at least impose some physical presence. Back to basics. For me one winger and one grafter type on the other side is better balanced. Riley could do a job seeing as we don't have any grafting wide midfield players anymore.

I see what you're trying to do there, but I never really had Pratley down as a "tackler", I'm not sure about Vela, and Andrews on occasion looked a flipping liability on Saturday (although he was probably the only one tackling).

Not sure we could do much different than what you're suggesting though if we wanted to beef up the centre of MF, in the absence of some new faces. Maybe just the extra body would help.

It's fecking bizarre - we had Holden, Muamba and Reo Coker, and at the minute have none of them - and still bugger all in the DM department - unless you count Andrews and I'm not reet sure about him yet.

What's Gavin McCann up to?

[Norpig]

I was very optimistic going into the Burnley game, we were dire on Saturday.

OC Needs to change it if the same team trot out on Tuesday night, playing 4-4 bleeding 2 I think I will lose my mind.

SKD is not super anymore sad but true, his mind says yes his body says NO! He has to be dropped.

Eagles was by far our best performer pre season and cannot believe he did not start on Saturday.

Mavis looks disinterested until he wants to play give the you Vela a go or Pratley cannot be as annoymous as Mavis was on Saturday.

Ricketts is not a left back if OC does not think Alonso can hack it get rid and get someone in who can. Ricketts was poor at left back pre season and seemed to panic when on the ball at Burnley.

We need to go back to basics stop trying to play a 40 yard pass when a nice simple 10 yard pass is available. Derby are a very good Championship side who will pick us off is we play as badly as Saturday. Coyle needs to grow some gonands and make the decisions which is right for Bolton no matter how bad he looks.

My team for Tuesday would be;

Boggers
Mears - Ream - Knight - Alonso
Andrews
LCY - Pratley - Petrov
Eagles
Sordell

Sadly OC thinks more of his dwindling reputation than he does of Bolton, therefore, the same old kick and rush team will emerge instead of the young pass and move team we were promised!!

[BWFC_Insane]

Team for me tomorrow would be
Bogdan
Mears Knight Mills Ricketts
Lee M Davies Andrews Petrov
Eagles
Sordell

For me thats still too weak. When we don't have the ball we're carrying Mark Davies, Petrov, Lee and Eagles.

Too lightweight.

For me this...

Bogdan
Mears Knight Mills Ricketts
Riley Vela Andrews Petrov
Pratley
Sordell

Lets be less powderpuff. Pratley can at least impose some physical presence. Back to basics. For me one winger and one grafter type on the other side is better balanced. Riley could do a job seeing as we don't have any grafting wide midfield players anymore.

I see what you're trying to do there, but I never really had Pratley down as a "tackler", I'm not sure about Vela, and Andrews on occasion looked a flipping liability on Saturday (although he was probably the only one tackling).

Not sure we could do much different than what you're suggesting though if we wanted to beef up the centre of MF, in the absence of some new faces. Maybe just the extra body would help.

It's fecking bizarre - we had Holden, Muamba and Reo Coker, and at the minute have none of them - and still bugger all in the DM department - unless you count Andrews and I'm not reet sure about him yet.

What's Gavin McCann up to?

I put Pratley in behind Sordell. He did used to be a holding midfield player but I just think he could add some physical presence and athleticism to the midfield, in behind the striker.

Andrews and Vela, well, it'd be a gamble but for me better than someone who goes hiding.

I don't think we can carry two out and out wingers.

Probably the last "giant killing" win we had was Arsenal at home after Wembley. That day Taylor played on the left and was MoTM or close to it, by doubling up with Robinson, working the flank and tucking in to midfield when required. Lee and Petrov don't offer any of that protection. So we're vulnerable down both sides and too stretched.

[Worthy4England]

Team for me tomorrow would be
Bogdan
Mears Knight Mills Ricketts
Lee M Davies Andrews Petrov
Eagles
Sordell

For me thats still too weak. When we don't have the ball we're carrying Mark Davies, Petrov, Lee and Eagles.

Too lightweight.

For me this...

Bogdan
Mears Knight Mills Ricketts
Riley Vela Andrews Petrov
Pratley
Sordell

Lets be less powderpuff. Pratley can at least impose some physical presence. Back to basics. For me one winger and one grafter type on the other side is better balanced. Riley could do a job seeing as we don't have any grafting wide midfield players anymore.

I see what you're trying to do there, but I never really had Pratley down as a "tackler", I'm not sure about Vela, and Andrews on occasion looked a flipping liability on Saturday (although he was probably the only one tackling).

Not sure we could do much different than what you're suggesting though if we wanted to beef up the centre of MF, in the absence of some new faces. Maybe just the extra body would help.

It's fecking bizarre - we had Holden, Muamba and Reo Coker, and at the minute have none of them - and still bugger all in the DM department - unless you count Andrews and I'm not reet sure about him yet.

What's Gavin McCann up to?

I put Pratley in behind Sordell. He did used to be a holding midfield player but I just think he could add some physical presence and athleticism to the midfield, in behind the striker.

Andrews and Vela, well, it'd be a gamble but for me better than someone who goes hiding.

I don't think we can carry two out and out wingers.

Probably the last "giant killing" win we had was Arsenal at home after Wembley. That day Taylor played on the left and was MoTM or close to it, by doubling up with Robinson, working the flank and tucking in to midfield when required. Lee and Petrov don't offer any of that protection. So we're vulnerable down both sides and too stretched.

Don't disagree. Just our options look very limited. From the little I've seen of Andrews so far, he'd have been a distance in fourth after Holden, NRC and Muamba.

I've never actually seen Pratley do a 90 min tackling job and always had him on the same sort of tackling ability as Mavies - but Mavies was clearly a passenger on Saturday - there were a couple of times I had to check we'd picked him to start.

I think we can play two wingers, but probably at the expense of the central attacking midfielder, unless we have two very good DM's - which we don't.

I like the idea of two players for each position, but it'd help if we identified those positions we need and then get two of them.

[boltonboris]

i dont see how any of those translate into him being dropped!?

anyway, he wont make wholesale changes as he will look stupid, but if i could have one, it'd definitely be Mills in for the grim Reamer.

Just brings back memories of Muamba tweeting whenever he was dropped for no reason

[Ryan Jordan]

First Post.

See a lot of talk about pratley i dont really like him, opinion.

Lee should start, hes got some pace and we need that.

[Verbal]

Introduce yourself in the new members' forum Ryan Jordan! Welcome aboard.

I think people are trying to grasp at anything that fits.

[thebish]

the captain speaks...

Striker Davies said: "Some of the teams may look to us as a scalp. We've played in the Premier League for a long time and teams may raise their games.
Play media

"But we have to raise our game and, after Saturday's performance, we'll look to do that."

The one-time England international added: "It means a lot more hard work, scrapping for second balls and being a lot more physical all over the park."

errr.... why wait until the second game to raise your performance, work hard, scrap for second balls and be physical all over the park???

could you not just have done that in the first game???

[Ryan Jordan]

the captain speaks...

Striker Davies said: "Some of the teams may look to us as a scalp. We've played in the Premier League for a long time and teams may raise their games.
Play media

"But we have to raise our game and, after Saturday's performance, we'll look to do that."

The one-time England international added: "It means a lot more hard work, scrapping for second balls and being a lot more physical all over the park."

errr.... why wait until the second game to raise your performance, work hard, scrap for second balls and be physical all over the park???

could you not just have done that in the first game???

Agreed, why wait until the second game? could of done a lot more against 6 fingers.

[boltonboris]

After seeing some a couple of the shocking dives our captain attempted, I think he needs to look at himself in the mirror when it comes to being "physical"

[thebish]

After seeing some a couple of the shocking dives our captain attempted, I think he needs to look at himself in the mirror when it comes to being "physical"

indeed... he's been doing that for a while now..

I used to tell people that KD was as "honest" a player as you could get - he didn't dive and he didn't appeal redecoulously when he got knocked over.. he just got up, dusted himself off and got on with the game (perhaps with an eye to payback later in the game!)

those days are gone

[Verbal]

I believe the phrase is "using his experience"

[Bijou Bob]

I can't get to this one, so if anyone wants my ticket (pick up in Preston or Cleveleys) and they can get it back to me for Friday, PM me.

[Ianmooreslovechild]

I very much doubt that even Coyle would chuck Vela in in a two.

Why not? He seems happy enough to stick the invisible pieman in a two. Can Vela be less effective?

Youre right though Coyle wont pick a motivated keen youngster when he has an experienced unmotivated alternative available.

OCD ! It's deja vu

[BWFC_Insane]

Forget the dives, more concerned that Davies thought standing still and waiting for the ball to be lumped to him was acceptable. Twice it was played into feet, one time he put it straight out of play, the second gave it straight away.

Not once did he run a channel, close down a defender or look to turn his defender around!

[Ianmooreslovechild]

See the thing is people who know football can understand what KD brings to the game. He utilizes years of experience to appear to be static whereas actually mentally he is very mobile. He is thinking about all those pointless runs that would lead nowhere and choosing to conserve his energy for the post match pie run. He doesnt waste energy leaping for the ball against a taller centre half(what would be the point) and he's also using his experience to cut out all those pointless attempts on goal that would either miss the target or be saved. KD is a triumph of economy over profligacy. Watch and learn!

By remaining static he also provides a fixed marker and reference point for other players to work out where they are. Bogdan for example uses him to guage where the centre of his goal is. Without this stoic indomitable beacon the team would be truly lost.

[boltonboris]

Forget the dives, more concerned that Davies thought standing still and waiting for the ball to be lumped to him was acceptable. Twice it was played into feet, one time he put it straight out of play, the second gave it straight away.

Not once did he run a channel, close down a defender or look to turn his defender around!

He did attempt turning the ball around the corner at one stage when we actually played a series of succesful passes.... Davo turning it round a corner is akin to a 13 year old lads shot. It pinged off his shin about 18 yards to a centre back while Sordell looked at him like "What the f*ck was that?!"

I actually laughed. He's got the touch of dumbo on crack

[thebish]

See the thing is people who know football can understand what KD brings to the game. He utilizes years of experience to appear to be static

aye - he's got an extra 5yds of pace (what does that even mean??) in his head!

[BWFC_Insane]

See the thing is people who know football can understand what KD brings to the game. He utilizes years of experience to appear to be static

aye - he's got an extra 5yds of pace (what does that even mean??) in his head!

Sadly he also as BB said before, has an extra 50 yards of "punt" on every pass, in his feet!

[50sQuiff]

See the thing is people who know football can understand what KD brings to the game. He utilizes years of experience to appear to be static whereas actually mentally he is very mobile. He is thinking about all those pointless runs that would lead nowhere and choosing to conserve his energy for the post match pie run. He doesnt waste energy leaping for the ball against a taller centre half(what would be the point) and he's also using his experience to cut out all those pointless attempts on goal that would either miss the target or be saved. KD is a triumph of economy over profligacy. Watch and learn!

By remaining static he also provides a fixed marker and reference point for other players to work out where they are. Bogdan for example uses him to guage where the centre of his goal is. Without this stoic indomitable beacon the team would be truly lost.