Can we be Imp-erious this season? Lincoln, H, 05/08

[truewhite15]

Baxter

Jones-Rico-Iredale

JDC-Sheehan-Thomason-Dempsey-Randell

Vic-Dion

This will likely come too soon for Eoin. JDB and CMG to make the bench, but I don't think either have played enough to warrant starting.

[BWFC_Insane]

Iredale a doubt apparently.

Baxter
Jones Santos Forrester
Thomason Morley Dempsey
JDC Williams
Vic Charles

That would be my team. CMG on the bench absolutely for me - no idea why he wouldn’t be. Same with Maghoma.

[sonicthewhite]

Iredale now declared fit as well as Toal.

[BWFC_Insane]

Iredale now declared fit as well as Toal.

Missed that. Interesting that Toal was ‘a ways off’ this morning now ‘full training’ be surprised if he plays tbh.

Given that news I think Iredale will play ahead of Forrester.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

WANDERERS are close to a clean bill of health for the opening day of the season. Defender Eoin Toal was in full training today (Thursday) and could yet feature in Ian Evatt’s squad against Lincoln City – and the Whites have also been given a boost with Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Jack Iredale also returned to fitness.

“We have had one or two knocks and niggles over the last week playing against West Brom and Everton, which were tough games, but everyone seems to be over that now and they will be fit and available,” said the Bolton boss. “Eoin has trained today and he’s absolutely fine. But whether he is part of the squad is a question I am not willing to answer!”

I think that report could be read in different ways... does "close to" involve the long-term exception George Johnston, or might Toal/Bodvarsson/Iredale not quite be up to it? Well, with a League Cup game in midweek, no need to rush them back for this. Will be interesting to see who he goes for at LCB - is Forrester ahead of Ashworth? Is Evatt confident enough in either to avoid taking a calculated risk on Ireland?

Choices further forward are easier, if only for this game. Wingbacks pick themselves when fit. I would expect Maghoma and CMG to start on the bench, but even then there's four midfielders for three spaces - will Thomason's strong pre-season and slightly different character set see him preferred to (probably) Morley? It's tempting to see midfield as three straight competitions - Morley vs Sheehan for "passer", Thomason vs Maghoma for "tackler", Dempsey vs CMG for "runner" – but certain opponents may require a different mix, and each man brings his own balance of those qualities.

Up top, I imagine he'll start with Ade but Big Dan will be warming up and maybe Bodvarsson too. Future XIs may be harder to pick - and that's a good thing.

[GhostoftheBok]

Most of the team picks itself at the moment.

The question is how we think we need to play to beat Lincoln. If the aim is the maximise possession we'll include both Sheehan and Morley, if we want to cover midfield a bit more we'll play Thomason.

Personally I'd play Forrester at the back, but I think Evatt will go with Jones, Santos and Iredale to give us as settled a feel as possible in the first game.

Most likely we'll only start two players (Cogley and Baxter) who are new to the club. This is the kind of game we won last season, so continuity is fine. It's other matches where we need what the signings will offer us.

[TANGODANCER]

Hope you're not "Implying" there's any doubt about us sallying forth with a win, Ghost? Lincoln greens are not vegetables,but the Mighty Whites will want to see three points in the bag come Saturday tea-time. Lettuce hope we start as we mean to go on. COME ON YOU WHITES.. ..

[brommers95]

It’s hard enough trying to pre-empt Evatt’s lineups at the best of times, let alone for the first game of a new season. I think there are seven guaranteed starters - Baxter, Santos, Jones, Dacres-Cogley, Williams, Dempsey and Charles - beyond that it’s anyone’s guess.

Maybe:
………..Baxter
Jones-Santos-Iredale
JDC-Morley-Sheehan-Williams
…………Dempsey………..
….Adeboyejo-Charles….

[Mar]

It’s hard enough trying to pre-empt Evatt’s lineups at the best of times, let alone for the first game of a new season. I think there are seven guaranteed starters - Baxter, Santos, Jones, Dacres-Cogley, Williams, Dempsey and Charles - beyond that it’s anyone’s guess.

Maybe:
………..Baxter
Jones-Santos-Iredale
JDC-Morley-Sheehan-Williams
…………Dempsey………..
….Adeboyejo-Charles….

That'd likely be the lineup i'd be starting with. Possibly question marks over Iredale given injury recovery.

[Worthy4England]

^^ Me too, on the basis, the last 2 weeks signings don't have enough "content" downloaded yet..

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

^^ Me too, on the basis, the last 2 weeks signings don't have enough "content" downloaded yet..

Don't forget that superior signings have greater download speeds, what with these days being equipped with high-quality fibre-broadband brains. As opposed to say Reiss Greenidge's 56k dial-up modem.

[Worthy4England]

^^ Me too, on the basis, the last 2 weeks signings don't have enough "content" downloaded yet..

Don't forget that superior signings have greater download speeds, what with these days being equipped with high-quality fibre-broadband brains. As opposed to say Reiss Greenidge's 56k dial-up modem.

^^ Yeah, I think that modem became disconnected...

[TonyDomingos]

Question is: will we shit 'em?

[GhostoftheBok]

Question is: will we shit 'em?

If we don't hit double figures they'll have got off lightly.

[sonicthewhite]

Well my son-in-law and his banjo bothering buddies are definitely not confident and are praying for, at most, a draw.

[The_Gun]

I’ve decamped to North Yorks for a few days and conditions are atrocious - are we on for similar in the land of milk and honey? Wouldn’t be ideal for our luxury football if so.

I’m guessing neither Toal nor Iredale will start, so I’d go:

Baxter

Jones Santos Forrester

Morley Sheehan

JDC Williams

Dempsey

Dion Vic



I think we’ll be better once the new lads are up to speed, but assuming Lincoln are shit, I still reckon we’ll nick a 1-0 win.

[officer_dibble]

It is as a good an opening fixture as we could ask for. Comfortable home win please, with strikers scoring!

[TANGODANCER]

Bit it of a Secret Santa till 4-45. By then we'll have opened our present. A copy of "The Joey Barton guide to etiquette" , A pack of "Raheem Sterling razor blades" or a new Bolton first team shirt and a Carr's Pastie" ? I'd swap the lot for a win and a J.J Okocha jigsaw puzzle. 3-0 the Whites..

[Bertie Wooster]

2-2

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Funny lot, Lincoln - sometimes top-8, sometimes bottom-8. Evatt giving Mark kennedy the plaudits in the opreview, but then he usually does. But he also notes that we have something like 10 home games in the first 15 so a fast start is needed.

I'm not saying Lincoln are poor – I don't know, and the beauty of a new season is that nobody really does - but you imagine anything less than a win will be greeted with disappointment.