"Yes, we have no bananas!" Away to Barrow by the sea. Tues, Sept 3rd 7-45. -45

[TANGODANCER]

Nothing short of a top class effort against Barrow will soothe the savage breast that beats in The Uniboll fans right now. Quite a bit of a banana-free performance is needed to right some wrongs, both on the pitch and in the corridors of power. We've been down a few times and righted wrongs, so let's hope for equalibrium and calm. Forward the gladiators....

[Worthy4England]

Not really overly fussed about this cup, but I think coz of where we're at, a loss might not be well received.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Some interesting "really, Ian?" quotes from Evatt post-match.

It’s disappointing that we couldn’t build on what we’d done on Tuesday but these players can’t go again. We can’t keep picking the same players that haven’t played a great deal of football, especially when Tuesday comes around the corner and people will say to me that we should change the team and just play the kids, we can’t, there are rules for the competition.

Some players have to play on Tuesday because I have no choice. If I had played them today then they would have played three times in a week when they hadn’t played a great deal of football and we’d end up breaking them or losing them. Let’s just swallow the pain.

Is he saying he rested players today for a Pizza Cup game?!

There are rules but they aren't nearly as tight as he's making out, or at last not with our squad.
https://www.efl.com/documents/efl-trophy-rules/

‘Full Available Strength’ means the EFL Club must include at least four Qualifying Players
in the ten outfield Players named in the starting eleven on the Team Sheet.

Qualifying Player means any Player who:
7.4.1 had started the immediately preceding First Team Fixture (as defined below);
7.4.2 subsequently starts the immediately following First Team Fixture;
7.4.3 is in the list of ten Players at the Club with the highest number of starting appearances in First Team Fixtures in the same Season;
7.4.4 has made forty or more starting appearances in First Team Fixtures or international equivalents (and not limited to the same Club or Season); or
7.4.5 is on standard loan from a Premier League Club or any EFL Club operating a Category One Academy.
7.5 First Team Fixture means the League Competition, Premier League, EFL Cup or FA Challenge Cup (but shall, in the context of Rules 7.4.3 and 7.4.4 only, also include this Competition).

.
Note the one saying anyone who's played 40+ first team games is barley. I think even Matheson passes that bar.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Not really overly fussed about this cup, but I think coz of where we're at, a loss might not be well received.

Absolutely. Can you imagine the joy of the Barow fans and the fury of the few brave Wanderers fans who had to travel back 40 years in time to watch us up there.

I keep saying - he has to win just about every game, if he's to keep his job. That's not me moaning about fans – that's a hole he's helped to dig. After Charlton I set him the target of winning 10 in 12 (Arsenal a free hit, a draw with Huddersfield OK if we play well). Since then he's W1 L1.

[GhostoftheBok]

Note the one saying anyone who's played 40+ first team games is barley. I think even Matheson passes that bar.

I think Luke is on 60-odd in all comps.

[Worthy4England]

Not really overly fussed about this cup, but I think coz of where we're at, a loss might not be well received.

Absolutely. Can you imagine the joy of the Barow fans and the fury of the few brave Wanderers fans who had to travel back 40 years in time to watch us up there.

I keep saying - he has to win just about every game, if he's to keep his job. That's not me moaning about fans – that's a hole he's helped to dig. After Charlton I set him the target of winning 10 in 12 (Arsenal a free hit, a draw with Huddersfield OK if we play well). Since then he's W1 L1.

He certainly has to extract full value out of the international break. I fear coming back the other side of it with "well we were missing Dion and Eoin," wouldn't be his greatest marketing ploy!

[BWFC_Insane]

Not really overly fussed about this cup, but I think coz of where we're at, a loss might not be well received.

Absolutely. Can you imagine the joy of the Barow fans and the fury of the few brave Wanderers fans who had to travel back 40 years in time to watch us up there.

I keep saying - he has to win just about every game, if he's to keep his job. That's not me moaning about fans – that's a hole he's helped to dig. After Charlton I set him the target of winning 10 in 12 (Arsenal a free hit, a draw with Huddersfield OK if we play well). Since then he's W1 L1.

Win or lose on Tuesday makes no difference to me.

And I dare say it probably makes no difference for someone on the fence too.

I get the few that travel might be annoyed but in all honesty the cups are a total distraction from the actual meat of the season. A distraction that I think has suited Evatt up to now but probably doesn’t anymore.

I’d play a bunch of kids take the loss and move on - and if Evatt did that I’d absolutely say it was the right thing to do.

[Worthy4England]

I might be tempted to do that, but if I were I'd prolly want an extra days training back at base for the remainder, so I'd also be tempted to leave half the coaching team at base too.

[GhostoftheBok]

Some players will need the minutes, even if others are "fatigued."

He's put some kids on the bench recently and the plan may be to give them minutes on Tuesday.

It's up to the manager to know better than us who needs time and who needs rest. Not playing any first teamers will probably do more harm than good.

Are we down to 3 centre backs? Iredale left. Toal, Forrester and Jones are all injured are they? JDC at right centre back with Matheson wingback? Tutu on the left? Matete in the middle. Maybe Collins up front if Vic is still struggling with his back, with Sharples as a #10.

Is Hayes-Green registered still at Clitheroe?

[Worthy4England]

I'm fine with that being his decision to make. Could you imagine him starting (say Matete) and Matete picking up a 4-6 week knock? I mean he could pick that up back at base training, but I think there's a shortage of goodwill. Some furore died down over summer but I think most were agreed we probably needed a quick start after Oxford and so far all we've seen are reasons why that hasn't happened.

[GhostoftheBok]

Yes. My concern was that he stayed and had a slow start. Over the summer I became increasingly certain that would happen.

I'm not happy about how all this has gone. I think there are players at other clubs we could have had who'd not need the bedding in period. That means we need to be really fecking good after they do bed in for me not to think a bollock has been dropped there.

I think we've made our job harder. That means we have to be gooder.

[BWFC_Insane]

Yes. My concern was that he stayed and had a slow start. Over the summer I became increasingly certain that would happen.

I'm not happy about how all this has gone. I think there are players at other clubs we could have had who'd not need the bedding in period. That means we need to be really fecking good after they do bed in for me not to think a bollock has been dropped there.

I think we've made our job harder. That means we have to be gooder.

We’ve been poor since Christmas. Our form is not top 6. We can’t keep pretending it’s one game at Wembley and a slow start. We’ve been poor for 35 games. And that’s too long a period to say ‘reasons’.

Evatt and his way of playing has been sussed out and we are far too easy to stop. The summer offered a chance for reflection and reset to understand why the style and system was failing us. Instead we’ve just tried to do more of the same.

[officer_dibble]

Well no I think he’s made it worse! He’s absolutely killed sheehan with the new set up and probably Collins as well. He’s thought about it and come up with a worse system!

[GhostoftheBok]

We can’t keep pretending it’s one game at Wembley and a slow start.

Nobody is.

I agree we've been poor this calendar year and that's why I agree that Evatt is on thin ice. If it really was just Oxford I'd not be anywhere near sacking him after 4 games. I'd also not be talking about 15 games.

It's precisely because Oxford slotted into a decline that I said in the summer that I'd not mind him going, but I thought he should probably stay if he sorted his head out.

I think that decline was explicable in normal terms, without him being bad at his job.

I'm calmer and less annoyed than most, because I looked at preseason and thought "Any manager is having a bad time after that." Others don't agree (or simply don't care) and that's up to them.

I'm still annoyed and I think he's made mistakes at the start of this season, but I don't think they're "That means he's terrible" kind of errors.

I started the season prepared to go through it at the start, so I'm still here.

For me he's struggling for reasons managers usually struggle and if we got a new one I'd expect them to struggle in similar situations, because we're unlikely to appoint someone genuinely amazing with the kind of brilliance in their staffing set up that produces exceptions to the normal rules. Evatt's a very good coach and an okay organiser. His staff is alright and I think Markham is very good, but I don't view them as elite in any sense. I don't see an elite candidate in the mix.

If Evatt gets much more wrong he has to go, because he will lose two of the three pillars of board, dressing room and fans.

I'll then give the next guy the same consideration. If he's good and his staff are good they'll have half a chance.

For now I will vocally back Evatt and the team at every game I can get to. In the hope it helps a bit. The best thing for all of is is that we start winning a lot of football matches.

[GhostoftheBok]

Well no I think he’s made it worse! He’s absolutely killed sheehan with the new set up and probably Collins as well. He’s thought about it and come up with a worse system!

He's making mistakes with the system, but it absolutely can work as he clearly means it to.

Sheehan was starting to be covered and marked out of games. That removed the passing options for the defence and slowed us down.

The double pivot has opened up those midfield options, just as intended. It's allowed the back three to move the ball into midfield more quickly. That's worked.

The issue is that we've not has a player who can carry through the press reliably, so the ball gets stuck in midfield and goes back.

That's just a personnel issue. I was (am) very annoyed about not getting a proper #10 in, but he has Lolos, CMG and Collins who can carry from 10. He has Matete who can carry from 6.

There are solutions in the squad to the issues Evatt has at the minute. He apparently feels he can't used them right now and in some cases they're just injured for a bit.

We've looked to go more direct to deal with that, but finishing, crossing and passing has been off (you know, those minor issues).

All the signings make sense and if Evatt is on his game he will solve these issues. If he's not he'll get sacked.

So Thommo and Sheehan are fine, if you have ball carriers around them. If not, one of those two has to be Matete. Otherwise you aren't getting through the midfield reliably enough.

That's a dead simple rule for Ian to follow going forward. It's clearly an issue he understands, because he's added these players to the mix.

[The_Gun]

feck this competition. Give some kids a chance to make a name for themselves.

[GhostoftheBok]

feck this competition. Give some kids a chance to make a name for themselves.

I'd love to see some kids get a chance, so long as they come into the first team set up and it's not "Here you go, lads, we can't be arsed today."

I want lads like Sonny to feel this is a chance to impress as part of the first team, not a write-off.

They will learn more if it's a couple of young lads with 8-9 senior pros around them.

[The_Gun]

feck this competition. Give some kids a chance to make a name for themselves.

I'd love to see some kids get a chance, so long as they come into the first team set up and it's not "Here you go, lads, we can't be arsed today."

I want lads like Sonny to feel this is a chance to impress as part of the first team, not a write-off.

They will learn more if it's a couple of young lads with 8-9 senior pros around them.

Yeah sorry, you’ve actually properly articulated the approach I would take.

We shouldn’t be prioritising this competition, but every game is an opportunity to do something good. I think giving minutes to under-utilised squad members and youngsters is the best use of these games.

[GhostoftheBok]

Yeah sorry, you’ve actually properly articulated the approach I would take.

We shouldn’t be prioritising this competition, but every game is an opportunity to do something good. I think giving minutes to under-utilised squad members and youngsters is the best use of these games.

I want to win it, but I'd welcome playing some kids.

These are the games where I wish Conway had stayed on, especially as Williams is MIA at the minute and we let Iredale go.

However, it's good for him to be competing fully at Crewe.

[Mar]

feck this competition. Give some kids a chance to make a name for themselves.

If we're after sacking off this competition, lets at least do it when it's going to impact our first team games.

Tuesday is a chance to not impact a Saturday match, and it's a chance to set a few things right before we break for the international fixture.

I'm hoping for goals and dare I say it some positivity. We've been served up a fair amount of frustration lately, lets change that.