North by North West. Away to Blackpool Sat 24th Feb, 3-0'clock

[jimbo]

Why do you think he's being targeted & bullied?

Maybe something to do with being widely regarded as one of - if not the - best players in the division????

He’s being bullied because he lacks the physical attributes to win those battles and teams do it because it’s working.

We can’t keep doing the same things as they aren’t working.

We need to change the system, change up how we play and make sure we match Wigan for the physical attributes. We have the better players but we can’t show that unless we earn the right.

Agreed Sheehan struggles when good opposition are able to target and pressure him, but my question would be who wouldn’t struggle? Is it a Sheehan problem, or a rest of the midfield problem in not helping him out? He’s never going to be a big physical beast and bump off players himself, so in games like this does he need others around him to step up and do that side of the game, or for them to show more readily for the ball so he’s got more options that are easier to pick out when under pressure.

[Spartan2]

I notice Derby and Portsmouth managed 1 point between them, the absolute bottle jobs.

Form table. Last 6 games. Portsmouth top. Derby 2nd. We are 9th.

Derby lost at Barnsley and Portsmouth drew away at Charlton. I don’t think that their runs can be described as ‘bottling it’. Ours can.

And yet we still have more ppg than Derby despite being bottle jobs and Derby aren't bottle jobs because if you pick the exact time frame to suit your viewpoint you can show that they're better than us. Gotcha.

[BWFC_Insane]

Why do you think he's being targeted & bullied?

Maybe something to do with being widely regarded as one of - if not the - best players in the division????

He’s being bullied because he lacks the physical attributes to win those battles and teams do it because it’s working.

We can’t keep doing the same things as they aren’t working.

We need to change the system, change up how we play and make sure we match Wigan for the physical attributes. We have the better players but we can’t show that unless we earn the right.

Agreed Sheehan struggles when good opposition are able to target and pressure him, but my question would be who wouldn’t struggle? Is it a Sheehan problem, or a rest of the midfield problem in not helping him out? He’s never going to be a big physical beast and bump off players himself, so in games like this does he need others around him to step up and do that side of the game, or for them to show more readily for the ball so he’s got more options that are easier to pick out when under pressure.

I think the system isn’t working. I don’t think playing into Sheehan is working. I don’t think it’s his fault though his form has dipped.

I’d setup differently for Tuesday because I think just the same 352 won’t solve the issues we currently have. We need to be much more compact and find an easier out. I think if we get out we can play. But we can’t keep relying on opening the pitch up because teams like Blackpool and Wigan can absolutely hurt us when they win it back and we are stretched front to back. And the danger is we go negative in possession to negate that.

[BWFC_Insane]

I notice Derby and Portsmouth managed 1 point between them, the absolute bottle jobs.

Form table. Last 6 games. Portsmouth top. Derby 2nd. We are 9th.

Derby lost at Barnsley and Portsmouth drew away at Charlton. I don’t think that their runs can be described as ‘bottling it’. Ours can.

And yet we still have more ppg than Derby despite being bottle jobs and Derby aren't bottle jobs because if you pick the exact time frame to suit your viewpoint you can show that they're better than us. Gotcha.

We had a massively better PPG than derby not that long ago. But we have a very hard run in and have thrown our advantage away more or less.

[Spartan2]

I notice Derby and Portsmouth managed 1 point between them, the absolute bottle jobs.

Form table. Last 6 games. Portsmouth top. Derby 2nd. We are 9th.

Derby lost at Barnsley and Portsmouth drew away at Charlton. I don’t think that their runs can be described as ‘bottling it’. Ours can.

And yet we still have more ppg than Derby despite being bottle jobs and Derby aren't bottle jobs because if you pick the exact time frame to suit your viewpoint you can show that they're better than us. Gotcha.

We had a massively better PPG than derby not that long ago. But we have a very hard run in and have thrown our advantage away more or less.

Which coincided with an injury crisis from which we're still suffering particularly with the loss of Baxter. Very rarely do teams breeze to promotion, it's a struggle with ups and downs. We've had everything go wrong lately, injuries, suspensions, refs, pitches, and fixture pile up, we're still at 2ppg we're still doing pretty well. I wanted us to win today (well obviously but particularly so) because I think we'll get FA at Wigan but once that ref gave nothing for the most blatant foul on Cogley after about 5 mins I just knew we would be up against it. I didn't expect us to be so poor in the second half but we did play well in the first. Think I'll be watching on Tuesday through my fingers.

[Harry Genshaw]

It's yet another big game where we've lost. Whatever the rights and wrongs of our approach, can anyone seriously see us winning at Wigan, Barnsley or Derby?

[BWFC_Insane]

I notice Derby and Portsmouth managed 1 point between them, the absolute bottle jobs.

Form table. Last 6 games. Portsmouth top. Derby 2nd. We are 9th.

Derby lost at Barnsley and Portsmouth drew away at Charlton. I don’t think that their runs can be described as ‘bottling it’. Ours can.

And yet we still have more ppg than Derby despite being bottle jobs and Derby aren't bottle jobs because if you pick the exact time frame to suit your viewpoint you can show that they're better than us. Gotcha.

We had a massively better PPG than derby not that long ago. But we have a very hard run in and have thrown our advantage away more or less.

Which coincided with an injury crisis from which we're still suffering particularly with the loss of Baxter. Very rarely do teams breeze to promotion, it's a struggle with ups and downs. We've had everything go wrong lately, injuries, suspensions, refs, pitches, and fixture pile up, we're still at 2ppg we're still doing pretty well. I wanted us to win today (well obviously but particularly so) because I think we'll get FA at Wigan but once that ref gave nothing for the most blatant foul on Cogley after about 5 mins I just knew we would be up against it. I didn't expect us to be so poor in the second half but we did play well in the first. Think I'll be watching on Tuesday through my fingers.

Portsmouth have had a spectacular run of injuries. Their form is better than it was before that.

Let’s get real. We’ve been scraping through at best for a while and we all knew when the fixtures got tougher it was a big ask. We’ve now hit those tougher fixtures and today we were thumped.

Tuesday is a win or bust now. I don’t think that we can hope to secure the wins needed if one of those isn’t Tuesday. Given we have Derby, Posh, Barnsley and Stevenage away still. Not to mention Pompey at home.

If you can’t win at bottom half Wigan then you ain’t top two material. Especially if you can’t also win at Blackpool. As someone said, teams set for the autos win these games.

[officer_dibble]

I can see about 20 points left for us, which would see us Finishing on 86. The only season that gets us promoted is the year we did it under parky. Will revisit come the end of the season!

[The_Gun]

Well, a chance to disprove the lazy ‘bottlers’ narrative comes around quickly on Tuesday. Watching the rugby last night I think we can expect the pitch to be a little challenging , so a hard fought slog appears to be on the cards.

Onwards and upwards.

[BWFC_Insane]

Well, a chance to disprove the lazy ‘bottlers’ narrative comes around quickly on Tuesday. Watching the rugby last night I think we can expect the pitch to be a little challenging , so a hard fought slog appears to be on the cards.

Onwards and upwards.

Do we perform well in the big games?

[The_Gun]

Well, a chance to disprove the lazy ‘bottlers’ narrative comes around quickly on Tuesday. Watching the rugby last night I think we can expect the pitch to be a little challenging , so a hard fought slog appears to be on the cards.

Onwards and upwards.

Do we perform well in the big games?

Sometimes, but not always.

[TANGODANCER]

Well, a chance to disprove the lazy ‘bottlers’ narrative comes around quickly on Tuesday. Watching the rugby last night I think we can expect the pitch to be a little challenging , so a hard fought slog appears to be on the cards.

Onwards and upwards.

I'm not sure Insaney knows what the phrase "bottling it" really means. He uses it a lot. It's meant to indicate fear, cowardliness and "throwing the towel in". Bolton are not guilty of any of these things. Carelessness, taking things for granted, mistakes and not playing at our best, yes, all these things, but "bottling it", no. We do need to adapt better to the teams we play and forget "beautiful" football in favour of playing teams at their own game and stop being so concerned with non-productive possession when one goal is better than half-an-hour of meaningless "pass the parcel" praise.

Let's leave bottling to the beer ,pop and water producers and just play the way we can. COME ON YOU WHITES...BUCK UP..

[Worthy4England]

^^ I suspect the main point TD, is that we're not likely to very significantly adapt from "beautiful football" to "playing them at their own game" because our players aren't built that way (I think is the popular narrative). Should we get a result on Tuesday, it's likely that'll be from trying roughly the same thing, but being better at it.

[BWFC_Insane]

Well, a chance to disprove the lazy ‘bottlers’ narrative comes around quickly on Tuesday. Watching the rugby last night I think we can expect the pitch to be a little challenging , so a hard fought slog appears to be on the cards.

Onwards and upwards.

I'm not sure Insaney knows what the phrase "bottling it" really means. He uses it a lot. It's meant to indicate fear, cowardliness and "throwing the towel in". Bolton are not guilty of any of these things. Carelessness, taking things for granted, mistakes and not playing at our best, yes, all these things, but "bottling it", no. We do need to adapt better to the teams we play and forget "beautiful" football in favour of playing teams at their own game and stop being so concerned with non-productive possession when one goal is better than half-an-hour of meaningless "pass the parcel" praise.

Let's leave bottling to the beer ,pop and water producers and just play the way we can. COME ON YOU WHITES...BUCK UP..

Bottling it is playing with fear and a lack of mental fortitude when it really matters. And I think we have seen significant signs of that over the last few weeks.

We just failed big test of this Saturday and face another Tuesday.

Ultimately you can call it what you like. But we all know we have a less than stellar record against the top sides and a less than stellar record against local opponents in front of big crowds.

[officer_dibble]

^^ I suspect the main point TD, is that we're not likely to very significantly adapt from "beautiful football" to "playing them at their own game" because our players aren't built that way (I think is the popular narrative). Should we get a result on Tuesday, it's likely that'll be from trying roughly the same thing, but being better at it.

“Plan B is to do Plan A better” which I think was a ghost quote…

I would love for a proper mix up in formation or a team change that left the opposition manager scratching their head once in a while…

[Worthy4England]

^^ I suspect the main point TD, is that we're not likely to very significantly adapt from "beautiful football" to "playing them at their own game" because our players aren't built that way (I think is the popular narrative). Should we get a result on Tuesday, it's likely that'll be from trying roughly the same thing, but being better at it.

“Plan B is to do Plan A better” which I think was a ghost quote…

I would love for a proper mix up in formation or a team change that left the opposition manager scratching their head once in a while…

Yeah - It sort of doesn't matter whether you call it "bottle" or "playing the opposition at their own game" - all roads sorta lead back to point 1.

Despite our recent run of poor form, we're not out of touch or even in a poor place. Win game in hand and we go second. That is going to require a mental kick up the pants, from what we've seen the last few games. The most wins we've had in a 46 game season is 28, so that could still be in reach, for 90 points, but it feels like that might not be enough this year, as it wasn't last.

[Bertie Wooster]

I'm more worried about Evatt signing a £3/4M player with the most assists in the league to get us over the line, and then not play him. Similarly with Ogbeta & Ramsey they will never get used to how we play if we don't play them.

Whoever bought Evatt a new bingo machine at Xmas has a lot to answer for, so many changes in almost every game it's no wonder the team looks so disjoined most games.

[officer_dibble]

Ogbetta plays on Tuesdays
Haven’t worked out the method with Collins yet…??

It’s mental that if you asked all of us what our strongest team was we’d likely all name different ones.

[Bertie Wooster]

^^ I suspect the main point TD, is that we're not likely to very significantly adapt from "beautiful football" to "playing them at their own game" because our players aren't built that way (I think is the popular narrative). Should we get a result on Tuesday, it's likely that'll be from trying roughly the same thing, but being better at it.

“Plan B is to do Plan A better” which I think was a ghost quote…

I would love for a proper mix up in formation or a team change that left the opposition manager scratching their head once in a while…

Yes can you imagine being an opposition manager who has trained all week and set their team up to play against our 5-3-2 system that Evatt doesn't ever change, only for us to line up 4-3-3 with Collins, CMG & Charles or Vic as the front 3.

[truewhite15]

I'm curious. How many times do our rivals, or other teams in the league, or indeed in any league, change formation on a game-by-game basis? They might play a full back who is more defensive or more attacking, or switch out a destroyer in midfield for a quarterback-type - but I honestly don't know how frequently a bona-fide formation change happens. Genuine question. I suspect it happens less frequenrly than people think.