Into the Lions' Den, Millwall away, 18th Oct. Match thread

[General Mannerheim]

re Thorpe. Iles just said he 'May face a good while out.'

Classy millwall fans were chanting 'let him die' before booing him off... not that wanderers fans would ever do that....

[Worthy4England]

^^ Agree and as you say, you have to compensate for taking 3 points from 4 home games against Oxford (13th), Bradford (2nd), MK Dons (16th) and Southend (19th) all mainly lower half teams.

Understand the sentiment, but we're third in the league and would be second but for goal difference. If you think we should be winning the league then aye, maybe we've dropped too many home points. But personally I think we'll do better away than at home this season. Teams raise their game at our place and are happy to sit back and frustrate. Which, usually has the desired effect as we aren't exactly free scoring. Away from home the little extra space we get means our better players can have that little extra time to make something happen.

So you shoulda fancied our chances at Millwall then and you don't fancy us for more than a point at Gigg Lane. Make yer bloody mind up.

I don't care whether the points come from home or away - 82 points (which is what we're currently playing to) generally gets you in the Play-Off's and not straight-up. So we're going to have to find a few more points and not drop our current rate. As it happens we've played 7 at home and 7 away getting 12 points at home and 13 away - so not that much different so far.

Games like Oxford and Rochdale were just downright poor - one home, one away. Oxford didn't sit back, they won 2-0 - 8 shots on target to our 0. That's not sitting back...was a well deserved victory.

I don't "expect" us to win the League. I'd like us to though and would settle for promotion via any method we can. I think barring injuries, we've seen enough of the Season to know we should be in the mix, rather than fighting against another relegation.

[Harry Genshaw]

Last nights win means I'll be very happy with a point at Bury.

A derby, their cup final, small pitch, we never play well on the telly and as any Ra Ra will tell you - we haven't won a league game at their place in about a 100 years. The fact we didn't play a league game there for about 80 of those years, is neither here or there! 0-0

[BWFC_Insane]

^^ Agree and as you say, you have to compensate for taking 3 points from 4 home games against Oxford (13th), Bradford (2nd), MK Dons (16th) and Southend (19th) all mainly lower half teams.

Understand the sentiment, but we're third in the league and would be second but for goal difference. If you think we should be winning the league then aye, maybe we've dropped too many home points. But personally I think we'll do better away than at home this season. Teams raise their game at our place and are happy to sit back and frustrate. Which, usually has the desired effect as we aren't exactly free scoring. Away from home the little extra space we get means our better players can have that little extra time to make something happen.

So you shoulda fancied our chances at Millwall then and you don't fancy us for more than a point at Gigg Lane. Make yer bloody mind up.

I don't care whether the points come from home or away - 82 points (which is what we're currently playing to) generally gets you in the Play-Off's and not straight-up. So we're going to have to find a few more points and not drop our current rate. As it happens we've played 7 at home and 7 away getting 12 points at home and 13 away - so not that much different so far.

Games like Oxford and Rochdale were just downright poor - one home, one away. Oxford didn't sit back, they won 2-0 - 8 shots on target to our 0. That's not sitting back...was a well deserved victory.

I don't "expect" us to win the League. I'd like us to though and would settle for promotion via any method we can. I think barring injuries, we've seen enough of the Season to know we should be in the mix, rather than fighting against another relegation.

Agreed. I think play-offs, considering where we've come from would be a decent result. But obviously we should be having a go at top two. I think we'd make the automatic slots but for injuries we seem to continually suffer.

[Harry Genshaw]

Sheffield Utd have built up a head of steam since their disastrous start, haven't they? I can see them running away with it, with the rest of us chasing the 2nd spot

[KeyserSoze]

Just seen Bury have lost their last four league games.

Absolutely domed, we are.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Harry! This is going to seem awfully like I'm picking on you mate, but no harm meant...

Sheffield Utd have built up a head of steam since their disastrous start, haven't they? I can see them running away with it, with the rest of us chasing the 2nd spot

They’ve had a good run every season since they came down; hasn't lasted so far. They won four on the bounce early last season; four out of five early in 2014/15; in 2013/14 they won seven consecutive league games over February/March; at about this time in 2012/13 they won six out of eight (all by one-goal margins); in 2011/12 they won 11 out of 13. Didn’t go up in any of those seasons; let’s hope it’s the same this time…

Last nights win means I'll be very happy with a point at Bury.

A derby, their cup final, small pitch, we never play well on the telly and as any Ra Ra will tell you - we haven't won a league game at their place in about a 100 years. The fact we didn't play a league game there for about 80 of those years, is neither here or there! 0-0

Qualitatively (or stylistically) you may well be right - we frequently rendered viewers pants-less with boredom - but quantitatively last season we were weirdly above our (shite) average on TV. As far as I can recall, the televised league games were:

A Blackburn Fri Aug 28 D 0-0
A Preston Sat Oct 31 D 0-0
H Brentford Mon Nov 30 D 1-1
H Blackburn Mon Dec 28 W 1-0
H Middlesbrough Sat Apr 16 L 1-2
H Hull Sat May 7 W 1-0

So that’s 9 points from 6 games, or 1.5ppg – over the season that would have given us 69 points (as many as seventh-placed Ipswich) rather than the pathetic 30 we got.

Anyway, I say this not to revel in our failures, but to say to you: Have faith, my friend, for even in the darkest hours we played better on telly. Hopefully the world, or whatever tiny slice of it watches next Monday, will witness us giving the bucketers a proper seeing-to.

[Andy Waller]

Th'ighlights


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5popXwArCGY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I like Clough, but someone has to tell him that, if he wants to score a few more goals, that thing next to his right foot, is his left foot.

[Harry Genshaw]

^^ point taken on Sheffield United and their previous runs DSB. At the moment though it's like the new guy's found his feet and is getting the best out of a good squad. If he's as good a manager as we were led to believe when we were supposed to be looking at hime, I reckon this could be their year.

The telly thing I was thinking more the poor entertainment than points gained. Perhaps I'm overly harsh on my own team as an armchair fan but going back donkeys I recall far more dross than proper good matches.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

^^ point taken on Sheffield United and their previous runs DSB. At the moment though it's like the new guy's found his feet and is getting the best out of a good squad. If he's as good a manager as we were led to believe when we were supposed to be looking at hime, I reckon this could be their year.

The telly thing I was thinking more the poor entertainment than points gained. Perhaps I'm overly harsh on my own team as an armchair fan but going back donkeys I recall far more dross than proper good matches.

I'll fully agree that the Blades worry me and our TV appearances haven't always thrilled me. But if they fall away, and if we win ugly next Monday, neither would astonish or appal me.

[TANGODANCER]

D.S.B ventures into the Lion's Den. (Does D stand for Daniel?)

http://www.the-wanderer.co.uk/bolton/ri ... -scared-of" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[malcd1]

Good read DSB.

[Worthy4England]

Good and insightful read as ever. Ta Barnetto.

[Harry Genshaw]

Enjoyed that. Cheers DSB

[officer_dibble]

You said what I was saying walking out of the ground on saturday about Madine. His problem isn't effort, its ability. He doesn't hide, works hard, and is always up for a shot - which puts him above Procter (afraid of the penalty area) in my book...indeed the signing of Procter is fast becoming my biggest confusion at a Parky devision.

[officer_dibble]

He seems too similiar to madine to me though, just not as good. Was Madine injured at the start of summer?

[Bruce Rioja]

Stop thinking League places, stop thinking it's Bury or anything else irrelevant, it's just another game to be won. Bury have been playing decently of late,

Our next game is away against Bury, who've lost their last four games consecutively. I hope we go there looking for a win.

[Nicko58]

You said what I was saying walking out of the ground on saturday about Madine. His problem isn't effort, its ability. He doesn't hide, works hard, and is always up for a shot - which puts him above Procter (afraid of the penalty area) in my book...indeed the signing of Procter is fast becoming my biggest confusion at a Parky devision.

Worked with him before, fairly young (24! I thought he was like 30), decent return at Bradford (6 in 21), free, few options, needed cover and options. I can understand why at the time, but now we're potentially looking at promotion we might be able to tempt bigger fish (e.g. Odemwingie as I've just seen). If we hang onto him beyond his current contract then I'll be annoyed.

Agree though FWIW. Only seen us once so far this season, but I wasn't impressed with him.

I think that Proctor’s probably a better player than his performances suggest. Take the opening game of the season for example, he replaced a largely ineffective Madine after about an hour and for the remainder of the game we actually had a target man who won headers, bullied the opposition centre backs and linked up the play. He hasn’t really done that since then but I've noticed that he has a habit of drifting out wide when he plays. I don’t know whether that’s on Parky’s instruction, whether it's due to a lack of confidence or because it’s the only way we've been able to work the ball through to him but it hasn't worked. Now that we appear to be playing with a slightly more mobile midfield we might have a chance of seeing the best of him.

[LeverEnd]

I like Proctor. He's useful, that all, but I appreciate his attitude. Like most of our players, he's limited and has to be used as such. Never as a solo striker. I reckon his best role would be on the left of a front 3. He wouldn't be first choice there but I do hope there's more to come from him.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Can't recall what game it was - might have been as early as Wimbledon - that it was a stated tactical plan to get Proctor pulling wide, probably to jump (for the inevitable long-balls) against the full-backs, who are generally shorter than centre-backs. That's a tactic going back a decade or more - Allardyce did it at White Hart Lane, putting SKD on Lee Young-pyo.