Pre-season fixtures 2017

[Bruce Rioja]

Welcome back, Bijou, and what a blistering and immediate return to form with your opening gambit. Not a waste of an afternoon, not a cause for anxiety, but a waste of a tenner! YTC

[Peter Thompson]

Yes its only a pre season friendly but I agree with everything Bob said.

It was awful, to be honest it was a complete waste of a pre season game, he may as well have played the kids - shame really as there were probably as many Bolton fans as Fleetwood fans but the team didn't look remotely interested and didn't really try all game. I'm not sure what formation Parkinson tried today or what he meant to try but it failed - out passed & out fought and created absolutely nothing....it could have been 3 or 4-0 to be honest.

Several players looked like they didn't want to be there today....Ameobi, Madine etc but others were just as bad - usual aimless, thoughtless long ball shite to Madine for most of the game, no movement or running off the ball until ALF & the new Geordie lad came on, and I'm not sure we even put two passes together all game, Fleetwood fans around me were shocked how poor we were.

Again only a friendly but a wasted one, we need some midfield players more than anything. I was completely baffled by PP not playing Alex Bruce - if he's on trial then at least give him a game he can't judged sat on the bench

[Bruce Rioja]

Well, you say a wasted game, PT, but if Parkie learns that whatever today's formation was is a non-starter, then a pre-season friendly is exactly the correct time to find that out, no? If he repeats it then that's the time to worry. I'm happy for us to use these games to learn all that doesn't work as well as what might.

[BWFC_Insane]

It was total wank. But that's pre season for you. Thought Ameobi a class above the rest today. Though hardly saying much. And his passing was awful.

[Riviman]

Very poor from us, we didn't have one shot, or header on target in the entire game, I could have played in goal for Fleetwood and we'd still have lost ! Bright spot, well the sun shone down on the stand I was in, Armstrong and Alf at least looked like they were interested when they came on. I can't see the point of naming a trialist on the bench (don't know who he was) and not giving him at least some time on the pitch.
Hope that Parky learned something, not sure what, from this game.

[Nicko58]

I wasn't there but from the reports it sounds as though we're still suffering from the same problem that we've had since Mark Davies got injured - we have no who can beat a man/link the midfield and the forwards in the middle. This is no surprise, as we haven't yet signed that type of player. Perhaps Cullen when (or if) he arrives can be that link?

[Peter Thompson]

I wasn't there but from the reports it sounds as though we're still suffering from the same problem that we've had since Mark Davies got injured - we have no who can beat a man/link the midfield and the forwards in the middle. This is no surprise, as we haven't yet signed that type of player. Perhaps Cullen when (or if) he arrives can be that link?

Yes absolutely....we can sign as many wingers, forwards as we like but if we don't play through midfield its pointless.

No one wanted the ball yesterday and Fleetwood passed us off the park for 90 mins

Bolton's main tactic - hoof ball to Madine.....surely even though its pre season he (PP) should trying different things ?

[Bruce Rioja]

surely even though its pre season he (PP) should trying different things ?

I refer the correspondent to my earlier remarks.

[Worthy4England]

I don't worry about the score too much, but when we play and can't hit a 5 yard pass, that gets worrying.

[BWFC_Insane]

Well, you say a wasted game, PT, but if Parkie learns that whatever today's formation was is a non-starter, then a pre-season friendly is exactly the correct time to find that out, no? If he repeats it then that's the time to worry. I'm happy for us to use these games to learn all that doesn't work as well as what might.

If he plays that system again with those full backs it will be worrying.

Apparently he described it as a 3-4-3.

Firstly Taylor and Darby often played deeper than the centre halves. Secondly Buckley played more alongside Vela in a deep lying midfield role more often than he got into a front three.

Thirdly the whole point of 3 at the back is to let you have two up front and still a 3 man midfield. We played one up front and when Buckley did get up there effectively an exposed 2 man midfield.

None of it worked. But it's pre-season.

[Prufrock]

Not sure that's necessarily true. Spurs and Chelsea both played three at the back and one up top. Admittedly they had Kane and Costa, not Nadine, and Hazard, Pedro, Alli and Eriksen, but the modern 3 at the back is a 343

[bristol_Wanderer3]

A combination of flying into Manchester, and coming out of a jetlag induced 18hr sleep at the perfect time meant I ended up going to this game.

The performance was terrible, and the result was the least Fleetwood deserved, but this is pre-season and what is more interesting are signs of how we might shape up when the season starts. With that in mind (all imho as ever):

1.) The 3-4-3 formation that we started with and played for most of the game, with the personnel Parky deployed, did not look like it would ever work.
2.) Stephen Darby was deployed as a right wing back but he has no creative instinct and did nothing going forward. I hope he doesn't ever play this role for us in the Championship and it is worrying he was even considered in this role for a pre-season game. In the absence of Morais, Little or even Chris Taylor would be better.
3.) Taylor looked solid as ever, but he also lacks pace and creative ability for a LWB in the Championship.
4.) Vela seemed wasted in a holding midfield role. His energy is better used further up the pitch.
5.) Buckley and Ameobi didn't contribute defensively and ended up as semi wide, semi forward players who never got beyond Madine or got near enough to the danger areas to create chances. Ameobi showed some glimpses of skill but it was in the wrong areas.
6.) Madine was terrible. He jostled with opposition defenders and showed a couple of nice touches, but never remotely looked like he would get on the end of a chance to score, if we were to ever create any, and all too often we lost the ball when it went up to him
7.) Armstrong and ALF came on in the 67th minute and looked sharp, but so they should against a tiring defence on a hot summers day in a pre-season game.
8.) Set pieces: Who is going to take corners and free kicks without Morais, Spearing and Clough?? Armstrong and Andy Taylor took the few we had in the second half (we didn't get any in the first half), but neither had the quality of Morais' from last season. Armstrong might not start when the season starts so given this is our main source of goals, this to me is a big issue.

Given a number of the players played 90mins, and all played at least 66mins, this was clearly a team and a formation that Parky is thinking of using when the season starts. I hope we are now to the drawing board because this looked all wrong.

[TANGODANCER]

In addition to the above, Parky says we were half-a-yard too slow. That's one area that we just can't be in the Championship. This season is going to be a real battle and energy and effort are going to be at a premium.

[Bijou Bob]

Welcome back, Bijou, and what a blistering and immediate return to form with your opening gambit. Not a waste of an afternoon, not a cause for anxiety, but a waste of a tenner! YTC

I'll have you know that as a semi-retired pensioner, I have to watch the pennies these days! I couldn't even scrape enough together for a pie. Mind you, they're now doing Hollands so probably just as well.

[Dr Hotdog]

Stockport Country tomorrow night, round the corner from me so I thought I'd look into it. £10. hahaha. No.

[Bruce Rioja]

Stockport Country tomorrow night, round the corner from me so I thought I'd look into it. £10. hahaha. No.

Last time I saw us play at Stockport we had Jani Viander in goal. Michael Ricketts came off of the bench and scored a worldy just before his England half hour.

[dave the minion]

Lat one I saw was 4-3. I was in the Stockport end with a mate, and we were 3-0 a half time. I think they had been on a run of something like 17 games without a win, and all the talk at half time was about how pleased they would be if they only lost 4-3!!!!

[BWFC_Insane]

Not sure that's necessarily true. Spurs and Chelsea both played three at the back and one up top. Admittedly they had Kane and Costa, not Nadine, and Hazard, Pedro, Alli and Eriksen, but the modern 3 at the back is a 343

Indeed. But they had wingbacks who could play in the 4. Darby and Taylor made us a very definite back 5.

It doesn't work for us. I think a 3-4-3 with Armstrong one side of Madine and Ameobi the other with Morais and Chris Taylor as wing backs might be interesting.

But as above Andy Taylor and Darby are not really suited to that role, especially not in a 3-4-3....

[Dr Hotdog]

Stockport Country tomorrow night, round the corner from me so I thought I'd look into it. £10. hahaha. No.

Last time I saw us play at Stockport we had Jani Viander in goal. Michael Ricketts came off of the bench and scored a worldy just before his England half hour.

I remember that. Lineker was on MOTD singing his praises after that goal. Ricketts later got outshone on the big stage by Darius Vassell. Ooops.

[twilight]

I try and not see any pre season games, because I know it is a way for the players to get match fit and for the Manager to try different players/formations etc....but by the time the first/second league match comes along and they are still doing the same formations that maybe didn't work, then I'll be one of the first to complain on the match thread