"Ask not for Whom the bell tolls" Home to Fleetwood. Tues, 12th Nov. 19-45.

[Worthy4England]

Did they all still have last week's shits?

...

Not a game to apply the word "vintage" to.

[Mar]

Opposition view - nail on head.

He's not wrong. Seems like it's either that or us on our pomp. Hardly surprising the opinion is that we are far removed from what we were doing previously.

Collins looked somewhat embarrassed to celebrate that winner tonight. Bit of a joke all round this competition at times. I know it was a tap in and that plays into it, but we can't even enjoy that performance even when we win.

[The_Gun]

Promising performance from the lad, Sonny, amongst the Ganges of crap about him. Theoretically (because Evatt wouldn’t) what would it take to register him—does anybody know? Because that midfield is a problem and Matete should have played himself out of contention.

He’s 19, so doesn’t need to be registered. I also don’t think he showed quite enough to be in the picture for the first team just yet, but I’d certainly say he’s ready for a loan in the National League.

[truewhite15]

I was sat dead centre behind the goal. For those playing Dibble's game.

Sonny Sharples had a decent game. Good to have another midfield back-up option. I thought Collins looked far more like his old self - I wonder whether he's felt shackled to an unfamiliar position recently. He certainly seemed to enjoy the freer role tonight; though some may question whether that was actually an Evatt tactic, or whether Collins just sacked it off..

Everyone else, file in the "poor to middling" drawer. So many times our strikers made runs, looking for balls over the top, only to be ignored by our risk-averse defenders. The fact that said defenders have totally forgotten how to defend is another negative mark in their book. Williams and JDC both were really poor too, both going forwards and at the back.

Interesting to note in the total lack of din Baxter's reaction to Williams's and Johnston's attempt to pass the ball out when under pressure. Nathan's eventual panicked clearance was followed by quite the verbal volley.

Overall, not a game that'll have anyone resubscribing to Plan Evatt.

[officer_dibble]

I was wrong TW!
Who was doing the talking at the back - Jones or Johnston?

That Fleetwood lad on the tweet I quoted watches a lot of football - he’s not quite NTT20 but he’s nearer them than say Thogden. I think he’s spot on - we’re slower and predictable going forward, and defensively static. Allowances for no Santos and Gethin Jones in there. Interesting that Stockport will be Ricardos sole outing in 3(?) weeks thanks to being rested in the cups. Wonder if Evatt will complain about lack of match practice.

I’ve seen plenty of questions about what training we do - Evatts press conference was online and he said he can’t be all the training. Who is doing it / what happened to the “root and branch” review? Something not very right.

[Mar]

I was very surprised that we only saw one sub today and no Southwood.

Would've thought that Matheson would've been an ideal sub for JDC. Thankfully JDC got the assist, but you'd've thought it would've been good to get some minutes in for the likes of Matheson, Inwood, Lewis and Andreucci.

[The_Gun]

I was wrong TW!
Who was doing the talking at the back - Jones or Johnston?

That Fleetwood lad on the tweet I quoted watches a lot of football - he’s not quite NTT20 but he’s nearer them than say Thogden. I think he’s spot on - we’re slower and predictable going forward, and defensively static. Allowances for no Santos and Gethin Jones in there. Interesting that Stockport will be Ricardos sole outing in 3(?) weeks thanks to being rested in the cups. Wonder if Evatt will complain about lack of match practice.

I’ve seen plenty of questions about what training we do - Evatts press conference was online and he said he can’t be all the training. Who is doing it / what happened to the “root and branch” review? Something not very right.

Gethin Jones was in there.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Given internationals and injuries is was as strong as we could go bar Santos, wasn't it? And scraped past a half-changed fourth-tier side. I think the bunting can stay where it is for now.

[officer_dibble]

I was wrong TW!
Who was doing the talking at the back - Jones or Johnston?

That Fleetwood lad on the tweet I quoted watches a lot of football - he’s not quite NTT20 but he’s nearer them than say Thogden. I think he’s spot on - we’re slower and predictable going forward, and defensively static. Allowances for no Santos and Gethin Jones in there. Interesting that Stockport will be Ricardos sole outing in 3(?) weeks thanks to being rested in the cups. Wonder if Evatt will complain about lack of match practice.

I’ve seen plenty of questions about what training we do - Evatts press conference was online and he said he can’t be all the training. Who is doing it / what happened to the “root and branch” review? Something not very right.

Gethin Jones was in there.

Correct! Maybe I meant tutu.

Mar - Southwood is away on international duty.

[DJBlu]

Given internationals and injuries is was as strong as we could go bar Santos, wasn't it? And scraped past a half-changed fourth-tier side. I think the bunting can stay where it is for now.

I'd say he's punished a few for Saturday and if there was no Internationals I would gamble the same 11 would be in there. I'm hoping Santos isn't injured. I get the use the B team angle but why should the young lads be responsible for getting a result after Saturday?

[boltonboris]

Yep. The senior players would have loved to have skipped last night and downed tools a couple of days early for the break. Fvck that. Flog em for a bit longer

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Would've thought that Matheson would've been an ideal sub for JDC. Thankfully JDC got the assist, but you'd've thought it would've been good to get some minutes in for the likes of Matheson, Inwood, Lewis and Andreucci.

I think it has now become clear as day that Luke Matheson will not play for (Evatt's) Bolton unless a plague descends on all other options.

I get that last night was (depending on your view) a palate cleanser or punishment exercise for the "first XI" and yeah, fair enough. But if Matheson can't start (or even feature in) a game like last night, we clearly won't risk him in a league game unless he's the last man alive. He's basically the weedy kid in specs getting picked last for games.

I'm sure had we been 3-0 up at the hour we might have seen more subs. I understand why he left the seniors on. It's just a shame that this competition hasn't seen us give serious consideration to any potential next-gen stars, bar the selection of SSA (in absentia any other central midfielders, given Arfield's apparently largely ceremonial role).

Seven cup games this season, so there have been 77 starting positions up for grabs. 74 of them have gone to first-team players. The other two were both v Villa - Matheson, because JDC played RCB with Forrester, Toal, Forino and Jones unavailable; and Hutchinson, because Bax was injured, Southwood away with Norn Iron and Coleman has disappeared off the face of the planet.

In last season's 12 cup games - 132 starting places - just one went outside the first-team squad, to Matheson at Accrington in the FLT.

If there's nobody knocking on the door, maybe it's because there's not a pathway.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

I get that last night was (depending on your view) a palate cleanser or punishment exercise for the "first XI" and yeah, fair enough. But if Matheson can't start (or even feature in) a game like last night, we clearly won't risk him in a league game unless he's the last man alive. He's basically the weedy kid in specs getting picked last for games.

Am I right in thinking he got a new contract in the summer? If so, given Evatt has no intention of playing him it is Dan levels of why?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

if Matheson can't start (or even feature in) a game like last night, we clearly won't risk him in a league game unless he's the last man alive.

Am I right in thinking he got a new contract in the summer? If so, given Evatt has no intention of playing him it is Dan levels of why?

No, mate. He got an extension last Xmas until next summer. He's in the final year of his contract and is, lest we forget, now officially overage.
https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/2 ... -contract/

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

if Matheson can't start (or even feature in) a game like last night, we clearly won't risk him in a league game unless he's the last man alive.

Am I right in thinking he got a new contract in the summer? If so, given Evatt has no intention of playing him it is Dan levels of why?

No, mate. He got an extension last Xmas until next summer. He's in the final year of his contract and is, lest we forget, now officially overage.
https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/2 ... -contract/

Ah, I had it in my head he'd recently got a contract. Still goes under the why bother column with Dan, Arfield and a few others...

[The_Gun]

Would've thought that Matheson would've been an ideal sub for JDC. Thankfully JDC got the assist, but you'd've thought it would've been good to get some minutes in for the likes of Matheson, Inwood, Lewis and Andreucci.

I think it has now become clear as day that Luke Matheson will not play for (Evatt's) Bolton unless a plague descends on all other options.

I get that last night was (depending on your view) a palate cleanser or punishment exercise for the "first XI" and yeah, fair enough. But if Matheson can't start (or even feature in) a game like last night, we clearly won't risk him in a league game unless he's the last man alive. He's basically the weedy kid in specs getting picked last for games.

I'm sure had we been 3-0 up at the hour we might have seen more subs. I understand why he left the seniors on. It's just a shame that this competition hasn't seen us give serious consideration to any potential next-gen stars, bar the selection of SSA (in absentia any other central midfielders, given Arfield's apparently largely ceremonial role).

Seven cup games this season, so there have been 77 starting positions up for grabs. 74 of them have gone to first-team players. The other two were both v Villa - Matheson, because JDC played RCB with Forrester, Toal, Forino and Jones unavailable; and Hutchinson, because Bax was injured, Southwood away with Norn Iron and Coleman has disappeared off the face of the planet.

In last season's 12 cup games - 132 starting places - just one went outside the first-team squad, to Matheson at Accrington in the FLT.

If there's nobody knocking on the door, maybe it's because there's not a pathway.

Yeah, last night only increased my suspicion that Evatt fundamentally doesn’t trust young players.

Maybe SSA is the only player with any ability in our B/youth teams, and he didn’t set the world on fire last night, but he’s clearly more than good enough for games like that.

The failure to utilise our academy players is one thing, and it would be understandable if our cupboard is relatively bare in that regard. However, we also haven’t signed young players for our first team during the Evatt era. As far as I can recall, the only young players who have got a chance under Evatt have been loanees, with the exception of Thomason, who Keith Hill signed.

Purely speculative, but I reckon Evatt may think his style of play is too complex for most young players.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Some little stat-facts a propos of nothing much

• We've only had three assists in six games and Dacres-Cogley has two of them (Sheehan the other)
• Dion's only scored in three league games this season (11 starts, 3 subs)
• Vic's only scored twice since the opening day - against Villa kids and the fourth at Stevenage
• Four of Collins' five goals have come in the cups

[dave the minion]

Purely speculative, but I reckon Evatt may think his style of play is too complex for most young players.

....and, seemingly at the moment, the majority of our older players!!!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

The failure to utilise our academy players is one thing, and it would be understandable if our cupboard is relatively bare in that regard. However, we also haven’t signed young players for our first team during the Evatt era. As far as I can recall, the only young players who have got a chance under Evatt have been loanees, with the exception of Thomason, who Keith Hill signed.

Fair point.

To try to be scrupulously balanced - the youth system needed starting again from scratch and that takes years to bear fruit. It is also, for almost all managers, miles down the priority list compared to making the first team as strong as possible (and as the squad gets deeper, there should probably be more "senior" competition for cup places).

Credit to Evatt, he has given 12 different youth players bench places this year – last night's newbie was 17-year-old centre-mid Harley Irwin. But in a season where we've explicitly downgraded expectation around the cups, only three kids (two of them aged 22) have got serious minutes, and only five have had any time at all, making the other seven essentially competition winners on a behind-the-scenes tour. Maybe as you say he thinks his football is too planet-brained for them. Maybe that's part of the problem.

[Worthy4England]

I don't think the widely held view, that players naturally progress is necessarily a good one. Putting the complexities of injuries and internationals to one side, but excluding folks loaned out, we have 25 listed First team players, including Matheson. Every game, 14 aren't starting and need game time, so I disagree first team is a natural landing point for B Team players outside the first team squad, aside from maybe injury cover.

In general, but with maybe some reservations around specific circumstances when we have lots of injuries in specific positions, we should normally rely on squad depth (as we did last year with folks like Bod, Cam and Dan, for example). You would expect B teamers to get limited opportunities.

Matheson is a strange one for me as he's listed as a first team player and given JDC plays pretty much every game, you'd probably expect him to get more game time.