Over (Keith) Hill and down the 'Dale....EFL Trophy vs Rochdale (Happened Yesterday. What is time anyway?)

[TANGODANCER]

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... ns-trophy/

Iles: "A MUCH-CHANGED Wanderers line-up will be sent out at Rochdale tonight... Ian Evatt will switch his squad around at Spotland to give ample opportunity for those not involved at Portsmouth to stake a claim for a starting spot against Stockport County this Sunday in the FA Cup. The likes of Liam Gordon, Matt Gilks, Harry Brockbank, Josh Sheehan, George Thomason and Alex Baptiste are poised to start."

[/quote]


Gilks. Brockbank, Sheehan and Baptiste are first-teamers anyway surely, in fact they all are at a pinch. What we need more than anything are goal scorers; Sheehan is surely a possible for that but I hope Doyle, Dapo and Isgrove are included if we're taking this seriously ( which he's indicating we are.)

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Gilks. Brockbank, Sheehan and Baptiste are first-teamers anyway surely, in fact they all are at a pinch. What we need more than anything are goal scorers; Sheehan is surely a possible for that but I hope Doyle, Dapo and Isgrove are included if we're taking this seriously ( which he's indicating we are.)

As Evatt notes, they're all supposed to be fighting for a place in a first XI which at the moment is hardly locked down through extreme success. It's an interesting week to ascertain how many of these players have a future at the club, whether that's beyond January or next summer, when most contracts run out.

We can change the keeper, back four and two midfielders using the bench lads from Pompey, but up front we haven't got a vast amount of choice. Even so the BN has suggested a couple of times that Doyle – who has been playing with an illness (the squad suffered a bug outbreak at the end of last week) – might be rested, and so might Dapo.

The suggested replacement up top is Kachunga, which will understandably make eyes roll, and to be fair another disappointing performance against a mid-table 4th division side would be a bad look for him. Either side of him, Delf has scored in the other two Sherpa Shitshow games, and rehabilitating Brocky at right0back would free up Isgrove to play right-wing.

I would think Doyle would love to play and score tonight but there's no point flogging him to incapacity. There's another cup game at the weekend and you'd hope he could score against non-leaguers. But that has to be earned...

[GhostoftheBok]

Rochdale are midtable in League Two.

Of "The likes of Liam Gordon, Matt Gilks, Harry Brockbank, Josh Sheehan, George Thomason and Alex Baptiste" how many are 100% better than League Two mid table players right now? Only Sheehan for me and plenty have the hump with him.

If they have anything about them this will be banging game, because they should be looking to prove themselves. We need to see the experienced ones step up and take the pressure off the kids and we need to see energy from those young players.

Win or lose, this one is genuinely about the performance - or rather performances. Some of these players are playing for their futures at the club, you suspect. Hopefully they don't freeze, but then if they do that likely tells you a lot.

[Mar]

Rochdale are midtable in League Two.

They may be midtable but not sure that is going to tell us much going into this one.

Can't imagine that both teams are making this their priority or that form tables will tell us much. Perhaps it will be a case of who fancies causing an upset or getting into the squad.

Potential banana skin this.

[Bruce Rioja]

I've only just discovered that this game's tonight. Who the feck's in charge round here? This is an outrage!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I've only just discovered that this game's tonight. Who the feck's in charge round here? This is an outrage!

Ghost is a very readable poster, but he's evidently shit at thread-title admin. Not even the right competition - if we're in the FA Trophy things have really swandived...

Can't quite believe* I'm going to pay a tenner to watch a stream of the reserves, when the real thing used to be free with my season ticket (along with the teams on a single typewritten page, the wind whistling up between the floorboards of the Manny Road, and the occasional existential query as to what the hell I was doing)


*Except I can

[DJBlu]

If anyone is unable to attend tonight or unable to afford the £10 stream fee then I have virtually emptied my living room and can offer a few seats in my house. If anyone would like to watch the game then let me know via PM and I'll send you the information and directions on how to watch.

First come first served.

[officer_dibble]

He’s picked a strong team….

[BWFC_Insane]

Can’t believe that team. An injury to a key player and he can’t blame anyone else.

[Mar]

Starting lineup for tonight:

Dixon
Jones Santos Baptiste
Isgrove Williams Thomason Sheehan Afolayan
Kachunga Doyle

(formation might be off)

Hard to tell who would be playing left back (Isgrove / Thomason), if at all.

Surprised Gilks doesn't start.

Bench: Gilks, Johnston, Delfouneso, Aimson, Edwards, Gordon, Henry



Probably starting with a strong lineup to get a win and help confidence build from there.


Last few matches haven't gone well:

L Rochdale 1-0 Bolton
W Bolton 1-0 Rochdale
L Rochdale 5-2 Bolton
D Rochdale 1-1 Bolton
L Bolton 1-3 Rochdale
L Rochdale 2-0 Bolton

Could probably do with getting a bit of revenge here.

[Prufrock]

Yeesh that's ballsy. Downside seems to massively outweigh upside. Not just injuries, what if we get beat?!

I wonder if he fancies a Wembley final for Brand Evatt purposes.

[Prufrock]

Starting lineup for tonight:

Dixon
Jones Santos Baptiste
Isgrove Williams Thomason Sheehan Afolayan
Kachunga Doyle

(formation might be off)

Hard to tell who would be playing left back (Isgrove / Thomason), if at all.

Surprised Gilks doesn't start.

Bench: Gilks, Johnston, Delfouneso, Aimson, Edwards, Gordon, Henry



Probably starting with a strong lineup to get a win and help confidence build from there.

Try again

(It's John, not Jones. Assume Izzy RB)

[The_Gun]

fecking hell, we best win then…

[Mar]

Whoops my bad. That's a little bit more obvious then.

Notable absence of Brockbank.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Can’t believe that team. An injury to a key player and he can’t blame anyone else.

And people say you're a pessimist

Nice for Liam Edwards to be on the bench. Hope to see Mitchell Henry.

[BWFC_Insane]

Can’t believe that team. An injury to a key player and he can’t blame anyone else.

And people say you're a pessimist

Nice for Liam Edwards to be on the bench. Hope to see Mitchell Henry.

It seems unnecessary tonight. Win and it’s forgotten tomorrow. Sunday would be priority for me given circumstances.

[DJBlu]

Can’t believe that team. An injury to a key player and he can’t blame anyone else.

And people say you're a pessimist

Nice for Liam Edwards to be on the bench. Hope to see Mitchell Henry.

It seems unnecessary tonight. Win and it’s forgotten tomorrow. Sunday would be priority for me given circumstances.

Maybe it's punishment for losing at the weekend?

Give the ones who have performed better in the EFL trophy the chance to have a go in the FA Cup.

[Harry Genshaw]

Iles well off with his earlier comments that Gilkes, Brocky and Gordon were all set to start. It would be nice to think we could race into a 4 goal lead by half time and then sub all the regulars. However, as Mar has pointed out - Spotland is the new Gigg Lane. We just dont win there.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Oh Baps.

[DJBlu]

Christ Baptiste. Some touch that. Dear god.