Re: Twixt Cups and Lips. Home to Shrewbury Town, Tuesday Apr 16th 7-45.

[BWFC_Insane]

If you left a grandchild an Olympic bronze medal you had won, would they be immensely proud and see you as the third best in the world, or think if only you'd tried a bit harder you could have won gold. Sadly, too many think the latter these days. This reflects in seeing Ian Evatt as getting praise...or the sack depending on where we finish. You have to wonder if finishing mid-table is actually so bad after all. Like Bob Dylan aid "You just wanna be on the side that's winning". I've supported Bolton all my (long) life. Nothing will change that. I hope for the best , the rest is my usual Que Sera. " COME ON YOU WHITES.."

It’s league one TD. There has never in the history of Bolton Wanderers been a point where our club should be happy with just being in league one.

I don’t like any Billy big bollox stuff. Nobody has a divine right you have to earn it. Big clubs get stuck down here and it’s horrible. But we should in reality have earned it.

I refer you to what Ian Evatt himself said only last week.

“We have to get there no matter what. As I have said before, this league seems to go in waves and the next season’s division seems to have the capability of being stronger than it has been this season, I think we can all see that with the teams that are coming up and those coming down.

“The time is now and we have to try and make it happen.”

He’s right. Ultimately with the squad and resources he’s had available at a massive club that we are for this level….I don’t think his own or anyone’s expectations are out of line.

[DJBlu]

Some of Evatts language the past couple of weeks has been extremely defeatist. Next year will be harder etc, Water pistols, leave the disappointment till summer about missing out on 2nd, which hasn't been mathematically confirmed yet. Dampening expectation with 2 to go is really disappointing. We should be raring to go and ready to destroy the next 2 teams and if we miss out we use that to stoke the fires not put them out.

His leadership is needed right now and he needs to channel the Ian Evatt from Accy away in the semis last season and see it through.

[Bertie Wooster]

Some of Evatts language the past couple of weeks has been extremely defeatist. Next year will be harder etc, Water pistols, leave the disappointment till summer about missing out on 2nd, which hasn't been mathematically confirmed yet. Dampening expectation with 2 to go is really disappointing. We should be raring to go and ready to destroy the next 2 teams and if we miss out we use that to stoke the fires not put them out.

His leadership is needed right now and he needs to channel the Ian Evatt from Accy away in the semis last season and see it through.

Personally I think that he thinks / knows that he'll be going should we not go up this season, even if FV want to stick with him next season if in League 1, I think that he knows how hard it will be next season in League 1 with this squad and with the teams coming down & coming up from League 2 he may not want another season in League 1, possibly struggling outside of the top 6 on his CV.

On the flip side, perhaps he will learn from the issues encountered this season and perhaps he may have a plan B !! to address those in the summer (maybe a rethink of the rigid 5-3-2, bringing in a couple of more experienced, steely / physical players, sign a goal scoring striker, bring in better coaches) - however FV may think that they have backed him enough this season and may not want to waste / invest any more money.

It will be a very interesting summer regardless of whether in League 1 or unlikely the championship.

[knobpolisher]

Unlikely the championship!!! Defeatist talk.

[boltonboris]

Has that sort of feel aye. We have a better team than the other play off sides but it’s down to the players and manager to lift the mentality, raise the work rate, stop feeling sorry for themselves and realise that anything you win in football is hard. No side will roll over.

There is far too much resignation and arm waving when after twenty minutes we haven’t scored. Not enough graft, grit and determination.

I noted Jerome’s comments hinted at it. No good being brilliant every so often then struggling when you aren’t. Promotion relies and nowadays is only achievable by sides able to grind out consistent wins. That in league one means flexibility in approach and an ability to win a game in lots of different ways. Often when you have to work harder than the opposition even if you aren’t dominating the ball.

Play offs are horrible. Absolutely awful unless you win them. The problem I have is I think we can win them but only if we accept that to do so we need to roll our sleeves up put the real hard yards in stop worrying about looking pretty and start focussing on what matters which is scoring more than the opposition. The more touches and passes we take in and around their box the less likely we are to score. The more quickly we shoot or get delivery into the box the more likely we are to score. We don’t need to always try and play a high line and have 70% possession. We actually can play on the counter well. Teams have worked us out and the template for stopping what we do is set.

It is frustrating and to a degree we have to accept some inconsistency, otherwise these players would be one or two levels up. Stop playing the ball behind players on the break and learn to delivery a reasonably consistent ball into the box and I reckon we'd be enough points further on to take 2nd. We definitely need more pragmatism and to mix things up a little. As you say, we can break well.

Good to see you back btw

Delivery into box is for me a big problem but then it comes down to - what is realistic with league one players in this system.

Cogley is a very good wing back IMO but he struggles to create enough with the ball he has. I'm not sure it is realistic to expect better though. I suppose you have Ogbeta who is better at the other side of the game, going forwards but can't and won't defend. So again - is a significantly better wing back likely? Maybe not.

As Pru frequently says if we had wingers higher up the pitch it would change that dynamic - but everything is on a wing back to take his man on, create the chance and if they lose it get back and defend.

Like the sick pervert I am, I watched the highlights. We get countered from a cross (fancy that) and Ohbeta is in an attacking area so nowhere near the break of the ball.

Your man Thomason (who was disappointing again) doesn’t put a tackle in, and Baxter really should save it.

[BWFC_Insane]

Has that sort of feel aye. We have a better team than the other play off sides but it’s down to the players and manager to lift the mentality, raise the work rate, stop feeling sorry for themselves and realise that anything you win in football is hard. No side will roll over.

There is far too much resignation and arm waving when after twenty minutes we haven’t scored. Not enough graft, grit and determination.

I noted Jerome’s comments hinted at it. No good being brilliant every so often then struggling when you aren’t. Promotion relies and nowadays is only achievable by sides able to grind out consistent wins. That in league one means flexibility in approach and an ability to win a game in lots of different ways. Often when you have to work harder than the opposition even if you aren’t dominating the ball.

Play offs are horrible. Absolutely awful unless you win them. The problem I have is I think we can win them but only if we accept that to do so we need to roll our sleeves up put the real hard yards in stop worrying about looking pretty and start focussing on what matters which is scoring more than the opposition. The more touches and passes we take in and around their box the less likely we are to score. The more quickly we shoot or get delivery into the box the more likely we are to score. We don’t need to always try and play a high line and have 70% possession. We actually can play on the counter well. Teams have worked us out and the template for stopping what we do is set.

It is frustrating and to a degree we have to accept some inconsistency, otherwise these players would be one or two levels up. Stop playing the ball behind players on the break and learn to delivery a reasonably consistent ball into the box and I reckon we'd be enough points further on to take 2nd. We definitely need more pragmatism and to mix things up a little. As you say, we can break well.

Good to see you back btw

Delivery into box is for me a big problem but then it comes down to - what is realistic with league one players in this system.

Cogley is a very good wing back IMO but he struggles to create enough with the ball he has. I'm not sure it is realistic to expect better though. I suppose you have Ogbeta who is better at the other side of the game, going forwards but can't and won't defend. So again - is a significantly better wing back likely? Maybe not.

As Pru frequently says if we had wingers higher up the pitch it would change that dynamic - but everything is on a wing back to take his man on, create the chance and if they lose it get back and defend.

Like the sick pervert I am, I watched the highlights. We get countered from a cross (fancy that) and Ohbeta is in an attacking area so nowhere near the break of the ball.

Your man Thomason (who was disappointing again) doesn’t put a tackle in, and Baxter really should save it.

There was no cross. Ogbeta cut inside, into the crowded space tried to beat two men and lost it and they countered, Iredale caught up the pitch. Thomason couldn’t catch up and Toal like against Portsmouth left way too much space.

Poor. If Ogbeta had gone on the outside and put a cross in that doesn’t happen btw.

[TANGODANCER]

Poor. If Ogbeta had gone on the outside and put a cross in that doesn’t happen btw.

I too am delighted you came back Insaney, because the site needs its regulars and supporters.

All these theories have an element of Aunt Fanny/Uncle Tommy about them by containing the word "if". Wise after the event is Biblical in it's history, and just like crime, only exists after it happens and we all become Sherlocks. Before they happen we're all Nostradamus. It's Chess with studs on as to what will happen, but in the football case, it's the pawns and rooks that dictate the outcome and not the grand masters. "Best laid plans" and all that. I'm a firm believer in Que Sera but always keep the faith. Let's hope the players share that opinion. It's Port Vale, not Paris St Germain, so get in there and win..