Nice to be wombling again! - Wimbledon (A) 13/08/16

[Enoch]

Cycling to a 3pm Saturday kick-off would be quintessentially olde-England even if my route hadn’t taken me past Hampton Court Palace. The drift down from the gilded splendour of the two-faced royal pile to the gritty tower blocks around the ground might have matched our slide from the Prem to the Third, but I didn’t mind. I earned my fan-badges travelling round England watching us in the Third Division (or lower); to me it’s not a foreign country, just one I haven’t visited in a while.

And it’s not a bad place. There’s a bike rack at Kingsmeadow (or the Cherry Red Records Stadium), and fans mingle contentedly in the bar. Whatever the division it’s always a pleasure to meet up with the similarly-shirted Tony Domingos – Perry Freds at the Cherry Red – and for the first time since Owen Coyle was in charge I met my old mate Keeebaaab, once of these pages. They were even more in their element at a non-league ground – Tony’s a regular non-league spectator, Keeebaaab’s coached there – and the conversation was pleasantly excited rather than irritatingly entitled.

Into the ground, with one end sponsored by an author, one end by Chemflow; this could go either way. Shallow terrace with poor sight-lines but a good roof: architecturally pleasing concrete, acoustically excellent. Bolton fans in good number and voice.

Then the football happened. By choice or circumstance, Parkinson had gone for a diamond midfield with two target men, Gary Madine and Jamie Proctor. As any fule no, that might leave you a little lacking in wide attack, especially if your full-backs aren’t in tip-top shape; Lewis Buxton is still catching up his fitness, while Dean Moxey was perhaps surprisingly preferred to new boy Andrew Taylor despite a two-hour midweek workout at Blackpool.

Wimbledon came at us, as they would, but most of their attacks foundered on the twin headlands of David Wheater and Mark Beevers. Like many a lower-league team, Wimbledon had grabbed the tallest idiot they could find and thrown him a No.9 shirt in the hope enough things would bounce off him towards the goal. They usually didn’t. As is the way, the opponents’ fans worried that he was “dominating our defence” but his only effort of noted came off his face and wide. At one point late in the first period, a clever free-kick routine reached him and he laid it back to nobody.

By that point Wimbledon had taken the lead through a slick passing manoeuvre, the only time they identified Wheater’s weakness (clue: it isn’t in the air). Despite what the tanked-up terrace tantrummers said, Bolton didn’t lack effort so much as an outlet; on several occasions one of the four midfielders would use his superior technique to gain a yard, look up to spread it wide and see nothing but a stand full of spectators and an unoccupied opposition full-back.

Thankfully, Parkinson noticed it and encouraged his players to spread wider. There was no formation change, but the three midfielders in front of anchorman Jay Spearing took turns to pop up in wide attacking positions – and from one of these, Mark Davies (or, to give him his full terrace-tithead title, Mark DaviesYouF*ckingMercenary) created the equaliser for Madine. Driving in from the left wing like a man who hadn’t played two hours in midweek, the midfielder found The Machine, whose somewhat mis-hit shot confused under-pressure home goalkeeper Ryan Clarke into diving over the ball. He was probably expecting your average powerful shot, but Madine wasn’t complaining, even if his golf-shot celebration was somewhat shame-faced.

From there, despite the odd scare, Bolton were the better team. As I typed in a halftime TW post which for some reason didn’t get through, “We have the better players, we just need to get them into positions to affect the game”. To that end, Proctor started to pull on to the inexperienced left-back Sean Kelly as an outlet for raking diagonals, while Davies, Josh Vela and Liam Trotter started to use the ball more productively – recycling through Spearing with a sense of purpose rather than a lack of options – and full-backs Moxey and Buxton became increasingly involved.

With 30 minutes to go, Parkinson acted again. Having clocked up three hours’ gametime this week, Davies was replaced by Zach Clough, for some reason in a sponsorless shirt (does he wear a child’s size?). Replacing a forward with a midfielder, Bolton were now playing more of a chevronned 4-3-3, with Clough behind Madine pulling left and Proctor right, leaving the Dons’ centre-backs with rotating duties and decisions – come out to the little guy? Pull wide to the big guy? Again, whether by player availability or conscious choice, Parkinson was changing the flow of the game.

Ten minutes later, it was time to change again as Chris Taylor replaced Vela, who had topped four hours’ football in eight days after his unscheduled 95 midweek minutes followed the full term against Sheffield United. Now Bolton had three forwards and a winger on the pitch, but before we could work out the new system, within a minute of Taylor’s arrival the Wanderers were in front. This time maligned Madine made the goal, tearing down the right and crossing to give Clough a tap-in; the rusty youngster fluffed his lines but there was Yaya Trotter at the back stick. His game had begun by miscontrolling a dropping ball into touch from the centre-circle, but the inconsistent Ipswichian has worked well at this level before and may yet do so again.

He may yet have to. Despite the plethora (an oft-misused noun meaning not ‘plenty’ but ‘an excessive amount’) of expensive central midfielders in the squad, we ended up with just the one on the pitch – the typically busy Spearing flanked by out-of-position Taylors after the somewhat surprising 85th-minute replacement of Trotter with new left-back Andrew.

By then, the emotions on the away terrace were a mix of Christmas Eve enthusiasm and death-row fear; every successful clearance a climax, every won throw-in a cause for air-punching, with Parkinson visibly telling the tremulous travelling Trotters fans to ‘keep the ball’ when it landed among them. Looked at dispassionately, the Dons were done and out of ideas; the fans were far more nervous than the players, but the sheer joy upon the final whistle soon transmitted to the players.

Half a dozen of today’s 14 participants had very little responsibility for the 495 days of hurt: Howard, Buxton, Beevers, Proctor and both Taylors now have a 100% away win record in the league with Bolton, while the other summer signing Wheater did as much as anyone to deny the Dons.

As for the remaining relegation survivors, Parkinson is certainly seeing what he can do with them. Those who had shouted down the boozy boo-boys felt sweet justification (atop the obvious relief and joy) when the goals were scored by prime terrace targets Madine and Trotter, with the first set up by the distrusted Davies. Parky may prefer to move some of these on but unlike his recent predecessors he doesn’t seem to be excluding anyone and his demanding workload may lead to rehabilitation by rotation as players take their turn.

It might not have been like this. An elated Tony Domingos noted that the win felt like a watershed but it could have gone the other way. At 1-0 down the terrace bickering between cat-callers and get-behind-the-teamers was growing increasingly spiteful in tone; had this game not ended well, it would have been lumped with the League Cup defeat as plain evidence of further decline.

As it is, we can look to the future with a modicum of confidence. The diamond-and-twin-targets set-up might offer one kind of solution, but more crucially we seem to have a manager who is ready to try different things, not just in formation but in style, and he will soon have more attacking options upon which to call: Clough might start at Bristol Rovers, Max Clayton is ready to reappear, and I have no doubt we will recruit the odd fast forward to increase our options.

Last time we won away, as Keeebaaab noted, Caitlin Jenner had a cock and we hadn’t heard the one about David Cameron and a pig. We haven’t won away since before Ireland legalised same-sex marriage, before the Paris attacks, before the VW emissions scandal, before the discovery of water on Mars, before the deaths of Jimmy Hill, Johan Cruyff, Pavel Srnicek, David Bowie, Glenn Frey, Cilla Black, Lemmy, Muhammad Ali, George Martin, Wes Craven, Terry Wogan and Rowdy Roddy Piper.

Last time we won away from a goal behind, we were still in the Premier League, although only for another month: the 2-1 victory at Villa in April 2012 was our last of the season. That’s an entire Olympiad ago, but you get the sneaking suspicion we won’t have to wait as long again, should Parkinson’s carefully-prepared defence be breached early again. Two games is a small sample size but under new management Bolton seem newly able to cope with life’s vicissitudes without collapsing into witless anger, bleak despair or meek surrender, in reverse chronological order of our last three managers. Every football fan must have hope, else we wouldn’t be able to carry on, but as confidence returns maybe, just maybe, we can start to set out on away trips in justified expectation.

But what was the beer like?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

But what was the beer like?

Fluid, and as expected it obeyed the laws of gravity. I refer you to Professor Domingos...

[Enoch]

But what was the beer like?

Fluid, and as expected it obeyed the laws of gravity. I refer you to Professor Domingos...

Hmmm, he sounds like a bit of a waster, as it were.

[Dr Hotdog]

Hahaha! Clough in a kid's shirt! A real life LOL. Bravo!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Trotter (another mercenary who played two hours in midweek), per BN:

Fans are going to have their own opinion but for me or Gaz [Madine, Goal Machine], we’re just looking to impress the manager. It was difficult for me last season because the manager (Neil Lennon) didn’t have faith in me at the start of the season and I had to go out on loan to Forest. Just as it switched round and he started to play me every week, he got the sack. That’s how it went for me last season.

This year I feel like I have a manager who will give me games. I don’t doubt myself. I know what I can do when I am playing week-in, week-out, I feel like most weeks whenever I have started I have done okay. I’m not perfect and I am not going to play brilliantly every week but I back myself to play well more often than not.

Winning and losing become habits. Life feels better when you are winning – the players are happier and the staff are happier. Long may it continue.

We're one of the biggest clubs in this league, regardless of what players we allowed to leave over the summer. We have one of the biggest budgets and one of the biggest fan-bases in this league and I’d much rather have the pressure of winning every week than being expected to lose, like last season, it’s not a nice feeling. I want to stay at the top with people chasing us rather than being at the bottom chasing other people.

Fans get on the back of every big striker of every club. I used to get it at Bradford with James Hanson – I had more letters about him asking why I am playing him. Sometimes those players can be effective without people realising. Gaz (Madine) got a good goal and even at the end when he was getting tired he made some good runs for us. That’s what we need from him, to push himself.

With big Trotts, he played 120 minutes the other night at Blackpool but we asked him to go again, and he did well. His match fitness will improve. He wants to be that player – but I think players sometimes show it in different ways. Some people do it by making big tackles or headers but Trotts does it his own way. He produces big moments and that’s what his game is all about.

[BWFC_Insane]

I quite like Trotter in some ways but he has big weaknesses in his game.

Watch the highlights on the official youtube and at the end Wimbledon have a throw. They take it long and a midfield player runs off Clough. Now Clough should have been aware but he's a striker. Now the ball falls to the Wimbledon player just inside the box in acres of space and he has time to shoot, thankfully over but possibly could argue it was a decent chance.

Trotter was very slow to react and fill the space. Not entirely his fault, but just the problem in his game is not being switched on to those situations.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I quite like Trotter in some ways but he has big weaknesses in his game.

Watch the highlights on the official youtube and at the end Wimbledon have a throw. They take it long and a midfield player runs off Clough. Now Clough should have been aware but he's a striker. Now the ball falls to the Wimbledon player just inside the box in acres of space and he has time to shoot, thankfully over but possibly could argue it was a decent chance.

Trotter was very slow to react and fill the space. Not entirely his fault, but just the problem in his game is not being switched on to those situations.

He's definitely a bit dopey at times. Like I said in my report, in the first two minutes he was stood in the centre-circle when the ball dropped to him – not from a great height, from maybe eight feet up – and his attempt to control it bounced off him and out of play.

Even when he's on his game (and months have passed without such a thing occuring) he can seem to have the ponderousness typical of the underconfident big chap.

I don't think he'll ever be consistent, which is why it seems fit he should be serenaded with the amended Toure chant "Yaya Trotter / Rodney Trotter". But there's a player in there ready to be encouraged out, Parky seems happy to try and with a central midfielder still down the priority list behind winger and striker, we might see more of him yet. Like I say, we ended up with one central midfielder left standing, and it's a long hard season.

[thebish]

Trotter (another mercenary who played two hours in midweek), per BN:

Fans are going to have their own opinion but for me or Gaz [Madine, Goal Machine], we’re just looking to impress the manager. It was difficult for me last season because the manager (Neil Lennon) didn’t have faith in me at the start of the season and I had to go out on loan to Forest. Just as it switched round and he started to play me every week, he got the sack. That’s how it went for me last season.

This year I feel like I have a manager who will give me games. I don’t doubt myself. I know what I can do when I am playing week-in, week-out, I feel like most weeks whenever I have started I have done okay. I’m not perfect and I am not going to play brilliantly every week but I back myself to play well more often than not.

Winning and losing become habits. Life feels better when you are winning – the players are happier and the staff are happier. Long may it continue.

We're one of the biggest clubs in this league, regardless of what players we allowed to leave over the summer. We have one of the biggest budgets and one of the biggest fan-bases in this league and I’d much rather have the pressure of winning every week than being expected to lose, like last season, it’s not a nice feeling. I want to stay at the top with people chasing us rather than being at the bottom chasing other people.

Fans get on the back of every big striker of every club. I used to get it at Bradford with James Hanson – I had more letters about him asking why I am playing him. Sometimes those players can be effective without people realising. Gaz (Madine) got a good goal and even at the end when he was getting tired he made some good runs for us. That’s what we need from him, to push himself.

With big Trotts, he played 120 minutes the other night at Blackpool but we asked him to go again, and he did well. His match fitness will improve. He wants to be that player – but I think players sometimes show it in different ways. Some people do it by making big tackles or headers but Trotts does it his own way. He produces big moments and that’s what his game is all about.

he pulled off one utterly glorious crossfield ball - curled with the outside of his foot - right into Moxey's path - anyone else see that?? it was a thing of real beauty!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

he pulled off one utterly glorious crossfield ball - curled with the outside of his foot - right into Moxey's path - anyone else see that?? it was a thing of real beauty!

Yep, he made a couple of middle-distance passes with the outside of his right. Made me think he should've used his left...

[bobo the clown]

I quite like Trotter in some ways but he has big weaknesses in his game.

Watch the highlights on the official youtube and at the end Wimbledon have a throw. They take it long and a midfield player runs off Clough. Now Clough should have been aware but he's a striker. Now the ball falls to the Wimbledon player just inside the box in acres of space and he has time to shoot, thankfully over but possibly could argue it was a decent chance.

Trotter was very slow to react and fill the space. Not entirely his fault, but just the problem in his game is not being switched on to those situations.

He's definitely a bit dopey at times. Like I said in my report, in the first two minutes he was stood in the centre-circle when the ball dropped to him – not from a great height, from maybe eight feet up – and his attempt to control it bounced off him and out of play.

Even when he's on his game (and months have passed without such a thing occuring) he can seem to have the ponderousness typical of the underconfident big chap.

I don't think he'll ever be consistent, which is why it seems fit he should be serenaded with the amended Toure chant "Yaya Trotter / Rodney Trotter". But there's a player in there ready to be encouraged out, Parky seems happy to try and with a central midfielder still down the priority list behind winger and striker, we might see more of him yet. Like I say, we ended up with one central midfielder left standing, and it's a long hard season.

When I watch him he's a ball chaser ... when he's awake at all. He shuffles and rarely knows where he's positioned. His biggest weakness isn't speed of foot ... which is an issue itself ... but speed of mind. The game simply wizzes past him. I'm not sure that can be learnt and it's certainly nothing to do with effort.

As ever, I will gladly be proven wrong and eat my words ... & let's not forget we're now playing at 3rd division level so if he has any ability at all surely to God he can show it here now.

[BWFC_Insane]

I quite like Trotter in some ways but he has big weaknesses in his game.

Watch the highlights on the official youtube and at the end Wimbledon have a throw. They take it long and a midfield player runs off Clough. Now Clough should have been aware but he's a striker. Now the ball falls to the Wimbledon player just inside the box in acres of space and he has time to shoot, thankfully over but possibly could argue it was a decent chance.

Trotter was very slow to react and fill the space. Not entirely his fault, but just the problem in his game is not being switched on to those situations.

He's definitely a bit dopey at times. Like I said in my report, in the first two minutes he was stood in the centre-circle when the ball dropped to him – not from a great height, from maybe eight feet up – and his attempt to control it bounced off him and out of play.

Even when he's on his game (and months have passed without such a thing occuring) he can seem to have the ponderousness typical of the underconfident big chap.

I don't think he'll ever be consistent, which is why it seems fit he should be serenaded with the amended Toure chant "Yaya Trotter / Rodney Trotter". But there's a player in there ready to be encouraged out, Parky seems happy to try and with a central midfielder still down the priority list behind winger and striker, we might see more of him yet. Like I say, we ended up with one central midfielder left standing, and it's a long hard season.

When I watch him he's a ball chaser ... when he's awake at all. He shuffles and rarely knows where he's positioned. His biggest weakness isn't speed of foot ... which is an issue itself ... but speed of mind. The game simply wizzes past him. I'm not sure that can be learnt and it's certainly nothing to do with effort.

As ever, I will gladly be proven wrong and eat my words ... & let's not forget we're now playing at 3rd division level so if he has any ability at all surely to God he can show it here now.

Yeah, it is a speed of thought issue.

I actually think he's by a way the best passer we've got. It is just off the ball he can't react quickly enough.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I actually think he's by a way the best passer we've got. It is just off the ball he can't react quickly enough.

He's been useful when pressing high - caused a couple of goals pre-season and scored one Saturday. But by your theory (which might also be true) he might be best used deeper in a 4-2-3-1. Trouble is he'd then be getting bypassed in deeper positions...

[Burnden Paddock]

Trotter (another mercenary who played two hours in midweek), per BN:

Fans are going to have their own opinion but for me or Gaz [Madine, Goal Machine], we’re just looking to impress the manager. It was difficult for me last season because the manager (Neil Lennon) didn’t have faith in me at the start of the season and I had to go out on loan to Forest. Just as it switched round and he started to play me every week, he got the sack. That’s how it went for me last season.

This year I feel like I have a manager who will give me games. I don’t doubt myself. I know what I can do when I am playing week-in, week-out, I feel like most weeks whenever I have started I have done okay. I’m not perfect and I am not going to play brilliantly every week but I back myself to play well more often than not.

Winning and losing become habits. Life feels better when you are winning – the players are happier and the staff are happier. Long may it continue.

We're one of the biggest clubs in this league, regardless of what players we allowed to leave over the summer. We have one of the biggest budgets and one of the biggest fan-bases in this league and I’d much rather have the pressure of winning every week than being expected to lose, like last season, it’s not a nice feeling. I want to stay at the top with people chasing us rather than being at the bottom chasing other people.

Fans get on the back of every big striker of every club. I used to get it at Bradford with James Hanson – I had more letters about him asking why I am playing him. Sometimes those players can be effective without people realising. Gaz (Madine) got a good goal and even at the end when he was getting tired he made some good runs for us. That’s what we need from him, to push himself.

With big Trotts, he played 120 minutes the other night at Blackpool but we asked him to go again, and he did well. His match fitness will improve. He wants to be that player – but I think players sometimes show it in different ways. Some people do it by making big tackles or headers but Trotts does it his own way. He produces big moments and that’s what his game is all about.

he pulled off one utterly glorious crossfield ball - curled with the outside of his foot - right into Moxey's path - anyone else see that?? it was a thing of real beauty!

I saw that. I also saw him try to bring the ball down in the centre circle with his right foot and promptly volley it out of play. Almost Tom Huddlestone-esque in it's execution!

[Worthy4England]

I actually think he's by a way the best passer we've got. It is just off the ball he can't react quickly enough.

He's been useful when pressing high - caused a couple of goals pre-season and scored one Saturday. But by your theory (which might also be true) he might be best used deeper in a 4-2-3-1. Trouble is he'd then be getting bypassed in deeper positions...

Sorta strange. Think he's been played deeper a few times, but he natural inclination seems to be to head further up top. Often feels like he's way more advanced than you'd want him when attack turns defence leaving us short of numbers.

[bobo the clown]

I actually think he's by a way the best passer we've got. It is just off the ball he can't react quickly enough.

He's been useful when pressing high - caused a couple of goals pre-season and scored one Saturday. But by your theory (which might also be true) he might be best used deeper in a 4-2-3-1. Trouble is he'd then be getting bypassed in deeper positions...

Sorta strange. Think he's been played deeper a few times, but he natural inclination seems to be to head further up top. Often feels like he's way more advanced than you'd want him when attack turns defence leaving us short of numbers.

I can't see him being useful there.

IN THEORY he should be. In practice he'd just get in the way ... and his, I can't call it 'ball-watching' really more 'ball-searching' slow wittedness would be catastrophic.

[Andy Waller]

I actually think he's by a way the best passer we've got. It is just off the ball he can't react quickly enough.

He's been useful when pressing high - caused a couple of goals pre-season and scored one Saturday. But by your theory (which might also be true) he might be best used deeper in a 4-2-3-1. Trouble is he'd then be getting bypassed in deeper positions...

Sorta strange. Think he's been played deeper a few times, but he natural inclination seems to be to head further up top. Often feels like he's way more advanced than you'd want him when attack turns defence leaving us short of numbers.

I can't see him being useful there.

IN THEORY he should be. In practice he'd just get in the way ... and his, I can't call it 'ball-watching' really more 'ball-searching' slow wittedness would be catastrophic.

Ball-pondering?

(Nothing to do with Wacky Warehouses.)