Rising in Wembley's Glow: A Bolton Wanderers Tale - Bolton vs Oxford. 18th May 2024, 4.15pm

[officer_dibble]

I’m
It sure it’s much more than we were uttter utter shite today. But I think we need to stop being loyal to spme

[OrtonCakeBingoBongo]

Listening to the end of the game on Talk Sport. They said you played poorly and weren't really up for it. That's a shame, I'm sorry.

I didn't think Oxford would win today, I was expecting you to win the game and move back into the Championship League. Teams like Bolton Wanderers don't belong in the third league of football, it's a proud established club name with much tradition and a pity to see the team miss out today. I'm sure some of you are at the national stadium right now and you'll be hurt and disappointed but at least have a safe journey back.

I remember years ago you played Watford in a play-off final and were expected to win but somehow lost by a similar score to today. Listening to after-game commentary it seems just like back then. One year from now Bolton should make it back and do it right next time but sorry again the team failed today. I wanted you to do it.

[nicholaldo]

One year from now Bolton should make it back and do it right next time but sorry again the team failed today.

That's what a lot of people thought last year.

[dave the minion]

To be fair, on that showing whoever went up is getting spanked from pillar to post on the championship.

Never mind. We regroup and go again
.

Next season it'll be reet. We'll shit em

[Worthy4England]

Thanks Orton, and well played you boys.

We dudn't play at all well. Not a shot on target. To be fair to Oxford, they pressed really well and deserved to win.

[officer_dibble]

Not with those players we won’t shit anything
santos is a fecking myth

[Worthy4England]

Not with those players we won’t shit anything
santos is a fecking myth

Dunno about re-group, there's a few we need to un-group. Flat track bullies...

[officer_dibble]

Bin off that prick at captain and start from there
Bottlejob.
I don’t think Sheehan turns up enough in games like that either.

[BWFC_Insane]

No coming back from that. Brilliant fans. A manager and team who don’t deserve to be here.

Simple as that.

Evatts kept his receipts. Hopefully non league ones. Where he belongs.

The fans were mocking the way we played today. It was that inept. Spineless.

We need a team of men. A manager who knows you have to win the fight first and a complete clear out. Nothing less.

[BWFC_Insane]

Bin off that prick at captain and start from there
Bottlejob.
I don’t think Sheehan turns up enough in games like that either.

Won’t go anywhere with soft Sheehan. Needs releasing. No fight. Our muscled by any half decent team.

He and Santos should never play for us again.

[irie Cee Bee]

Outplayed by a better team that peaked at the right time. We certainly are a long way away from being Championship ready and need a reset this summer. Not sure Evatt will stay, but whether he stays or not, and I am not convinced that he is the answer, we need better players in defence and midfield to stand a chance next season.

[DJBlu]

Not with those players we won’t shit anything
santos is a fecking myth

Dunno about re-group, there's a few we need to un-group. Flat track bullies...

That side today was mentally weak. Lost it before kick off. Can't deal with being favourites. Rinse repeat.

Dempsey showed more spirit and fight in that first 10 minutes of the 2nd than most in the first 45.

Did Evatt watch any of Oxfords fecking games before this? High press, wait for the mistake and attack.

I'm so angry at that performance. 30k+ fans forking out hundreds and they didn't bother. Pricks.

[BWFC_Insane]

Not with those players we won’t shit anything
santos is a fecking myth

Dunno about re-group, there's a few we need to un-group. Flat track bullies...

That side today was mentally weak. Lost it before kick off. Can't deal with being favourites. Rinse repeat.

Dempsey showed more spirit and fight in that first 10 minutes of the 2nd than most in the first 45.

Did Evatt watch any of Oxfords fecking games before this? High press, wait for the mistake and attack.

I'm so angry at that performance. 30k+ fans forking out hundreds and they didn't bother. Pricks.

Happened all season. And last season. When it matters they are soft and spineless and bottlers. It’s systemic. Only way to change it is personnel. Managerial and player.

[officer_dibble]

Evatt has improved us every year. If I’m chair I want to know what he will do next year to improve us. I think it’s binning santos and the 352 and finding some tactical flexibility. To have a player who can only play as a ventre half who marks no one and brings no fecking goals to the team, he goes. feck off santos!

[TANGODANCER]

Beaten comfortably by the better team. Oh well.

No more to say really. Just not good enough. Bullied and no fight. Wish I could offer better excuses than that, but I can't. Our half looked like the Sahara desert most of the game. We were just asking to get beat, and we did. The flat foot Santos ball roll might be okay selling carpets in a souk, but as far as creativity went, my four year old granddaughter has more idea. He'd have been better off up front. It was never a game for Maghoma and Ogbeta against cloggers like Branagan, Brown and Moore, and we gave their runners no challenge at all. Hate to say it, but Santos got the run-around grand style. Pretty flat day, all clouds with no silver lining. Hope Evatt is man enough to say he got it sadly wrong. Well done to Oxford for showing us how.

[Worthy4England]

Bin off that prick at captain and start from there
Bottlejob.
I don’t think Sheehan turns up enough in games like that either.

Won’t go anywhere with soft Sheehan. Needs releasing. No fight. Our muscled by any half decent team.

He and Santos should never play for us again.

It was comical how many times Sheehan "showed" for the ball by putting their number 9 in a direct line between him and Santos. It was like he practised it all week.

[Hoboh]

My commiserations to all the hard-core supporters on here, more so the poor buggers faced with a long trip home.
I don't watch wanderers games anymore but follow some commentary and posts such as on here, these are a few things that seem to stand out.
The manger is a reasonable low league manager with Megson type mindset, unable or unwilling to change game play unless forced by injury.
There seems to be a fair percentage of the team for whom delivering match after match any sort of reasonable standard is too big an ask.
The upper echelons need to realise that some sort of future planning needs to be enhanced to succeed I include having a very close look at the quality of the mangerin achieving this.
Sorry guys (and gals).

[Mar]

Fkin abysmal performance. Disgusting.

As soon as that Maghoma injury happened in the first half that was it. All the wind out of our sails. There was no sign of us stepping up and matching any shithousery that was coming our way.

Was sick to death of seeing Santos in that first half as it always led to the same thing. Sideways and backwards then possession given away. Couldn't get the ball to JDC via Jones at all.

So slow and lackadaisical it's a terrible sight to watch.

It's shocking how many times this team has gone from brilliant to utter dogs hit. Get some some psychologists in. Get some tactician in. Outdone by a lack of purpose in attack.

Disgusted.

[Spartan2]

I'm not buying the Oxford shut down our midfield angle at all, I saw Thomason, Sheehan, Maghoma, even Ogbeta in plenty of space asking for the ball but it never came. The defense wouldn't take the risk of passing them the ball, so it just went back and forth then hoofed to no-one when it got too embarrassing to pass sideways again. You have to trust your ability to make the forward pass and the receiving players ability to take it, oh course Oxford are good at pressing and on transition but you either back yourselves or play a different way, we did neither, we did nothing at all, like rabbits in headlights. Honestly I've not been onboard with the "bottlers" tag at all because for me it's just not the case but today the defense bottled it completely, absolutely terrified of making a mistake to the point of deciding not to play at all. It's so telling to me that Iredale came on (a slightly worse defender IMO) and was a marked improvement on the lot of them, for whatever reason he played without fear, just played his normal game, and found midfielders in space who then turned and started playing (to an extent). Santos was shocking, he's put in a few stinkers in his time here, generally been exceptional, but today has to be his worst performance for us. It doesn't just stop with the defense but I can't be arsed digging 'em all out. Imagine having Dion and Collins upfront and not giving them anything to go at. feck me. Nothing to blame, no bad officiating, no major injuries, no major bad luck, I'm 100% certain we have a significantly better team than Oxford and they fecking outplayed us from first to last minute, we didn't even have a decent spell. Pathetic.

[Mar]

I suspect losing Williams and Maghoma was a big blow. Can't carry players during the games if they're injured.

Hard to expect Thomason or Sheehan to step up to that midfield when they've not shown they're capable previously. Whenever things are going well they're good but when things aren't going well they're lost.

The fact Dempsey can come on and deliver more in 5 minutes than they did in the first half should say everything.

Weve dropped the ball all over this season. In the FA trophy, in the league, in the playoffs. Its a recurring pattern so we should hardly be surprised that it happened today.

Oxford got their tactics spot on. Soon as that goal went in it was game over. Their early frustrating fouls on the break killed any momentum we had.

Same can't be said for our approach to them. So many times they could quickly break on us and not get brought down.

So frustrating. All this time and money spent taking the family there and not even a shot on target.

It's up there with the Stoke defeat. These were a lesser opposition but the performance was just as bad.