Will Carrot Top top Carrott?

[plymouth wanderer]

I might be old-fashioned in this view - but I still reckon a striker's main job is scoring goals - and your striker SHOULD be the first person you turn to to take a penalty...

And wear a number 9 on his back and have proper, screw-in studs on his boots?

My advanced, 21st century, opta-statified, pro-zonery theory on this is give it to the man with the coolest head. Remember Graham Alexander?

Wasn't he a TV chef ??

The penalty taker should be the one with the coolest head.

nahh.. the penalty-taker should be the one who is best at taking penalties. I have a cool head, but couldn't hit the proverbial barn door!

You are shit at football, pro's because it's their job aren't.

Now feck off trolling.

Bish is always at it!

[thebish]

OK .. coolest head for that circumstance.


fckg pedant !!

well - no, not really! having a cool head is surely part of the skill of being a good penalty taker! (but not the only one!)

has spearing really got a cooler head than cravies?

not sure I can think of a penalty taker for Bolton I have had as much confidence in as I used to have in Youri...

Cravies has banged 'em in for us before - and I'm sure he'll do so again... his record's not that bad. It was unfortunate, but until he misses one again - I'd not say it was time to take them away from him...

[Worthy4England]

Dubbin. There should be dubbin.

[Armchair Wanderer]

The performance sounds much better. Looking at the fixture list and seeing what's do-able for the first time this season! Everything sounds better really!

The getting sent to the stand thing is an added bonus, much more of that to come I hope. It's like in baseball if a team is playing badly or losing momentum the coach will turn purple, march onto the mound and kick dirt in the direction of the umpire. The coach then gets ejected from the game and the whole team realises that 1) the manager is on their side and prepared to get sent off for the cause, 2) it must be a serious and probably 3) that they don't want to be the person that loses the game. I like the manager being more hands on too. Next time they get a penalty I'll expect someone to be looking towards the bench to see who should take it

All this talking down NL going to the bottom of the Championship is a bit harsh, for me. For the EPL he's probably behind Pulis, Moyes and whoever else in Europe.

One thing I'm wondering... it looks like NL has 30+ games til the end of the season, 35-ish maybe... would that be roughly equal to a season in some countries?

[bobo the clown]

http://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/article/birm ... 25363.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

3:05 in "it was like the handbrake's off now, the shackles are off ... pressing high, playing on the front foot ... given licence to go & play".

Oooff DF, take that !!

[thebish]

Dubbin. There should be dubbin.

that too!

[bobo the clown]

Dubbin. There should be dubbin.

... & a wet sponge to treat compound fractures before being told to "run it off".

[thebish]

Dubbin. There should be dubbin.

... & a wet sponge to treat compound fractures before being told to "run it off".

yes! absolutely yes!!!

BTW - what actually IS wrong with Mavies at the moment?

[EverSoYouri]

Dubbin. There should be dubbin.

that too!

And a mug of Bovril with a fag at half time to warm the lads up?

[Wrighty92]

Really enjoyed the game (except for the last 8 minutes or so for which I was shitting myself). Anyone bump into the guy in the Bolton hat outside the turnstiles collecting for big issue foundation and offering people money back if Pratley scored? That was me

Tactically, think Neil got it absolutely spot on. He played Beckford because they had short man in Robinson at CB and Beckford held the ball up well in general. Chungy in the hole was excellent and Pratley out on the left actually worked quite well as he was winning everything in the air against Paul Caddis. He didnt take advantage of that because he's shite but he the tactic was an inventive way to use him and probably the most effective possible. Spearing had a top game and I was very impressed by Mills and Dervite together... felt they really controlled the game from the back for us and were both great on the ball. Interested to see if he'll give Ream a go at defensive midfield whilst we have 2 other good centre backs. My match ratings would probably have been -

Lonergan - 8
McNaughton - 7
Mills - 9
Dervite - 8
Moxey - 5/6
Spearing - 8
Danns - 7
Chungy - 8
Pratley - 6
Feeney - 8
Beckford - 7

[bobo the clown]

Did anyone see TOMO ?

... & did he & Nellie kiss & make up ?

[SmokinFrazier]

http://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/article/birm ... 25363.aspx

3:05 in "it was like the handbrake's off now, the shackles are off ... pressing high, playing on the front foot ... given licence to go & play".

Oooff DF, take that !!

Freedman's insistence that we sit back and invite pressure cost us so many goals in his time here. We'd back off opposition players, drop deeper and allow them into shooting positions and God knows how many additional goals we conceded because of that or how many points we dropped. We did that over each of his three seasons in charge, so it's not even like he was aware of the mistakes he was making as a manager, we just repeated them over and over again. Yesterday wasn't perfect but it was nice to see us apply proper pressure on the opposition instead of gifting the opposition opportunities.

[bobo the clown]

Maybe that's why Mears wasn't his idea of a full back. Why he thought some players refused to let themselves be improved. Why some didn't want to be there. They were the ones willing to tell him he was a stupid tw@t.

[truewhite15]

Really enjoyed the game (except for the last 8 minutes or so for which I was shitting myself). Anyone bump into the guy in the Bolton hat outside the turnstiles collecting for big issue foundation and offering people money back if Pratley scored? That was me

Tactically, think Neil got it absolutely spot on. He played Beckford because they had short man in Robinson at CB and Beckford held the ball up well in general. Chungy in the hole was excellent and Pratley out on the left actually worked quite well as he was winning everything in the air against Paul Caddis. He didnt take advantage of that because he's shite but he the tactic was an inventive way to use him and probably the most effective possible. Spearing had a top game and I was very impressed by Mills and Dervite together... felt they really controlled the game from the back for us and were both great on the ball. Interested to see if he'll give Ream a go at defensive midfield whilst we have 2 other good centre backs. My match ratings would probably have been -

Lonergan - 8
McNaughton - 7
Mills - 9
Dervite - 8
Moxey - 5/6
Spearing - 8
Danns - 7
Chungy - 8
Pratley - 6
Feeney - 8
Beckford - 7

Oof. Very harsh on Moxey there, and very generous to Feeney. I'd switch their marks.

[EverSoYouri]

Maybe that's why Mears wasn't his idea of a full back. Why he thought some players refused to let themselves be improved. Why some didn't want to be there. They were the ones willing to tell him he was a stupid tw@t.

"Gaffer?"
"Yes, son?"
"You're a stupid tw@t."
"Right, son. Your name's first on the team sheet from now on..."

[bobo the clown]

Maybe that's why Mears wasn't his idea of a full back. Why he thought some players refused to let themselves be improved. Why some didn't want to be there. They were the ones willing to tell him he was a stupid tw@t.

"Gaffer?"
"Yes, son?"
"You're a stupid tw@t."
"Right, son. Your name's first on the team sheet from now on..."

Yes. I've been there.

... & you're right. It often fails.

But if he's telling people to hold back, to invite the opposition on ... and it's plainly not working. When a player eventually says "this plainly isn't working boss" then what ?

[Prufrock]

Not sure if these have been posted yet. Noticed McNaughton refer to something in his interview that I thought I'd seen live, but given no-one else mentioned it thought was just the picture.

Looks like, when their guy hit the bar second-half with that deflected shot (about 1:04) that Lonners got fingertips to it. If so, that is a fecking outstanding save!

[a1]

Maybe that's why Mears wasn't his idea of a full back. Why he thought some players refused to let themselves be improved. Why some didn't want to be there. They were the ones willing to tell him he was a stupid tw@t.

mears is no-ones idea of a fullback .

i'd retire zat old number just for that heroic tackle *.

kept the sulking prick out of our first team

*yeah, yeah.. whatevers

[LeverEnd]

Not sure if these have been posted yet. Noticed McNaughton refer to something in his interview that I thought I'd seen live, but given no-one else mentioned it thought was just the picture.

Looks like, when their guy hit the bar second-half with that deflected shot (about 1:04) that Lonners got fingertips to it. If so, that is a fecking outstanding save!

It was. Iles tweeted about it too, referring to it as a 'worldie', an expression I detest.
Great fingertip effort, would probably have dipped in.

[TKIZ!]

Watched the highlights again just now and Lonners does indeed get his hand to the ball for Gray's shot. Outstanding save and kept us in the game