Bolton v Derby

[Mar]

Should be a straightforward decision for Owen Coyle this one. Early days and squad rotations a nice way of finding out what works and how prepared they are for the match.

I'd go for:

.............Bogdan
Mears...Knight.....Mills......Alonso
Chungy...Andrews...Pratley...Petrov
...............M.Davies.....................
..................Sordell.....................


That's as 4-4-2 as its gonna get for this game i'm afraid. I'm much happier seeing 4-5-1/4-3-3 performances but we're at home so 4-4-2 is a distinct possibility.

On the Burnley performance there's a few that need to up their game, Petrov for me isn't one of them, crossing the ball into the box hoping Kevin Davies will get onto the end of it isn't a good idea, that suggests tactics to me, have Sordell going forward instead of coming deep and perhaps we'll see some end product.

Btw, I wouldn't drop Ream as a result of his performance in the Burnley game, thats more giving Ream a rest and Mills a chance to shine to see who should play on Friday.

[boltonboris]

One thing that amazes me about us having a manager who was a striker.. The fact that you hadly EVER see our front men attacking the front post... It's pretty basic. If you're the only striker in the box and the wide man has it.. bend your run to the front stick.

[Mar]

One thing that amazes me about us having a manager who was a striker.. The fact that you hadly EVER see our front men attacking the front post... It's pretty basic. If you're the only striker in the box and the wide man has it.. bend your run to the front stick.

Maybe Coyle had it on instinct and is relying on others to know that instinct instead of dictating how they should approach the positions.

[BWFC_Insane]

One thing that amazes me about us having a manager who was a striker.. The fact that you hadly EVER see our front men attacking the front post... It's pretty basic. If you're the only striker in the box and the wide man has it.. bend your run to the front stick.

Let's be honest, we haven't had a striker do that for years consistently....it is frustrating.

[officer_dibble]

Klasnic anyone?

but yeah, annoying when petrov spanks the ball across...

[coffeymagic]

What you need to remember is that while Coyle was a striker he was a shit one.

His 'legend' status is there because the ones he did manage to grab were important ones but generally he missed a lot more than he scored.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Beginning to get proper nervous now. Weird. Doing a gig tonight but my mind will be at the Bok.

There would be no riots if Riley came in for Mears, Mills for Ream or Alonso for Ricketts; it's telling that Knight seems to have become the least droppable defender. Telling that we have squad options, but also showshowfarwe'vecomeTM. You shouldn't feel this desperate after one game, but as has been eloquently argued elsewhere, it's more than one game we've been doing badly. Momentum is a strong physical force and ours is unquestionably downward. Momentum is also one of the things that Coyle has harboured well in his managerial career, but he's yet to prove he can pull a club out of a tailspin.

I fear that in order to do so, Coyle has to do two things he has proven frequently unwilling to do. The first is drop the captain. It's notable that at Burnley KD was first to be subbed, along with Petrov; Sordell was given a full half-hour to create a partnership with Benik Afobe. However, I don't want those two to start up top, which brings me to the other thing Coyle may not have the brain or guts to face.

I'm at even greater risk than usual of boring people with repetition, but we need to change the system from 4-4-2. Coyle needs to realise that we don't have the structure or staff, particularly in central midfield, where Vela is too young and Pratley and Mavies too incomplete of skillset to carry the necessary workload. Far better to get an extra man in there. It's not defensive: both Swansea and Fulham played one up top on Saturday and scored five goals. It does give you flexibility, and not just from the start, when players can be told to be more attacking or defensive as the situation merits: it also allows you to change with circumstance, tightening up to defend a lead (fancy that) or changing if we're chasing the game. Once we went 2-0 down in a 4-4-2 at Burnley, Coyle was merely rearranging deckchairs.

I'm not even that bothered who plays in the midfield: we've got a lot of options. Any two of Vela, Pratley, Mavies and Eagles could join Andrews in the central three, while Eagles also offers an option wide right and Wylde could come in for Petrov wide left. I wouldn't make a boatload of changes, which might be seen as panic; maybe Mills for Ream at the back, and KD for either Pratley or Vela (even Eagles: Mavies would be less square-pegged in the 2 of a 4-2-3-1).

I'm not saying that 4-4-2 is finished on all occasions, or that the captain is. But if at 7pm I see evidence of either, I'll be disheartened; if I see both, I'll be despondent.

C'mon Trotters.

[Mar]

Lets not forget that this division should be a lot easier to win games in and once we start picking up a few then we won't have the same sort of negativity looming over the club and hopefully the togetherness will see us through into a good spot. At the moment we're very much unsure of where we stand in the league.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

They'll be running out of a newly-redecorated tunnel. Spot the odd player out.

[adamworthy2002]

Pratley will play.

[Lord Kangana]

That would make a nice change if he did.

[plymouth wanderer]

They'll be running out of a newly-redecorated tunnel. Spot the odd player out.

Yup Nat a real man

Will be turning in his grave of what we've become no fight no bottle

Sad

[Jez]

They'll be running out of a newly-redecorated tunnel. Spot the odd player out.

"We've put a picture of Mark with the ball in the tunnel so he will stop forgetting what hes out there to chase"

[Worthy4England]

Setting off for the first home game of the season shortly (not counting Barca B).

I have my bedsheet all neatly spelled.
I've warmed up the owd vocal chords for "You don't know what you're doin"

But they aren't going to be needed tonight, becuase tonight will be different. Underneath all those dead embers, a phoenix will rise valiantly and announce to the world that pre-season really wasn't important and was just about fitness and Burnley was just a sick aberration.

Tonight Bogdan's hardest task will be to swap ends at half time. Mears and Ricketts won't get back and defend, because they'll be punting ball after ball into the danger area for Sordell and Davo (or Afobe) to nonchalantly turn it across the line.

Knight and Ream will stop all ingressions the opposition's side of the half way line.

Andrews will win the ball back just outside Derby's pengy area and Mavies will wobble it forwards from there.

Petrov will have time to tie his shoelaces (as Ricketts bombs past him) and Eagles can fix his hair as Mears does the same.

It will be 5 or 6 at the end, and I'll wonder why I ever doubted...I'll sneak my bedsheet back out of the stand and hope no one notices.

COYWM.

[James B]

only 1 change. eagles in for petrov.

yep.

:/

[Little Green Man]

only 1 change. eagles in for petrov.

yep.

:/

And Mills in for Ream.

Local bedsheet manufacturers will be rubbing their hands.

[spikeykev]

Kevin Davies again seriously WTF, Coyle is a class A nice person

[bobo the clown]

only 1 change. eagles in for petrov.

yep.

:/

And Mills in for Ream.

Local bedsheet manufacturers will be rubbing their hands.

So that's 2 changes ... any more ?

If so can we say " ... amongst our changes are ..... " as per the Spanish Inquisition sketch ?

I need some lighter moments here.

[Little Green Man]

So that's 2 changes ... any more ?
.

Frayed knot...

Bogdan, Mears, Knight, Mills, Ricketts, Chung-Yong, M Davies, Andrews, Eagles, K Davies, Sordell

[Tals-biggest-fan]

Kevin Davies is clearly wanking Owen off during the week if he is still get picked depsite not one decent performance in the last 12-18 months