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

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

That was awful. Properly, properly awful. Oxford fans on the tube platform were genuinely mystified by "how shit" we were. They were not alone at all.

Tactically... sheesh. Our back three didn't have the stones to pass it forward, but in their (ha) defence they didn't have anybody to pass to. Why?
• Sheehan went missing – yes, they marked him, but he didn't often enough drag them round.
• Our two 8s were way too high, sometimes like 30 yards ahead of the back three, so trying to slip a ball through to them would invite Oxford's midfield to intercept and spark the transitions we seemed utterly, utterly terrified of (perhaps with good reason given Murphy's goals).
• The wingbacks were the ones who had space in front of them, but – perhaps worried about Oxford's wide attackers - they didn't press high enough. If there was space anywhere on the pitch it was down their flanks, but Ogbeta and Cogz weren't given the ball into space - if passed to at all, they were given it five yards behind them, on the wrong foot, going the wrong way, allowing Oxford to reshuffle.
• The front two are good but long balls don't stick to either of them.

Now, all this looked perfectly plain within 15 minutes. That's the problem - not enough game intelligence. For all the criticism that Evatt is getting - a large slice of it rightly so - it's up to the players to sort that out on the pitch. They didn't.

We were better after the half-time reset, but not better enough. Maghoma's injury was a blow but Dempsey was probably our best player on the day (congratulations, tallest dwarf).

Evatt's triple sub is understandably attracting some pelters. I could sort of see what he wanted to do - bring on a centre-back unafraid to pass it; bring on a forward or two able to hold it up. He also tried to repeat the old old trick of knocking diags onto a struggling left-back (as he had at Barnsley in the league), pushing Jones to RWB onto Joe Bennett - OK, fair enough, but then we end up with Cogley on the left, and while God loves a trier, an attacking left-winger JDC is not. And Gethin still hung back too far. When we're chasing the game, our wingbacks have to go on the top line. Funny how we struggled so badly against the low block after being reasonably good against it this season. Not when it mattered though.

We really, really missed Randell to carry the threat. But it's not just about one player. This was a seriously worrying performance. Evatt has proven he is capable of change but this was his biggest test and he, or his team, which is his responsibility, flunked it badly. Why do we have no formational flexibility? Why can players acquired for their intelligence not recognise that bleeding obvious? Why do we lurch from two ball-to-feet forwards into two muscular types at whom we fling high balls?

I was saying on the way there that this was Evatt's chance to decide if he was more Neal or Rioch (although on calm reflection he's better than Neal and wouldn't have been as good as Rioch even with promotion today, next year or in five years' time). I'm afraid the signs weren't good. Not good at all.

What next? Presumably a few days of bitter recrimination, followed by weeks of wondering what the hell happens next, and then a season in which we have to come out of the blocks flying or Evatt's job – which is predicated on season-by-season improvement - will surely be on the line. Birmingham are already odds-on favourites; Huddersfield have Michael Duff; Rotherham have Steve Evans (and now Jonson Clarke-Harris); Wrexham outspent most of this division even before they were in it; Stockport also spend big; even Mansfield have a lot of momentum - Clough's win ratio isn't far off Evatt's over the last few seasons. Interestingly perhaps, Mansfield came close twice under Clough before going up third time lucky. If we are to do the same with Evatt in this division, it might need more than luck - it might need some serious, serious thinking.

[Worthy4England]

Well that was shit, not one shot on target in a playoff final, good lord. I’d keep Evatt though - he’s got one more chance to get us out of this league for me.

Recruitment this summer is massive. We need to absolutely nail it.

I'm on this train of thought. Plenty to go off. Were improving our position year on year but not as quickly as we would like or expect given how well the club is run on a whole.

Evatt can't shoot. That's on the players. They didn't so that today. Evatt may have his faults but not getting a shot on target at Wembley can't be down to him.

It's going to be extra tough next year and I agree the transfer window is massive.

Agree, putting the ball in the net, not the manager. Getting his players in the right frame of mind. That's on the manager. Setting the tactics that were countered that's on the manager. Buying players with the right mentality to play tight games and win. That's on the manager...

But ball in net. No.

[Harry Genshaw]

Since he's improved our league position year on year, he's worthy of being kept on but is the approach or anything going to change? Will we still choke in the big games and the local derbies?

No thanks re Duff. Good coach but dour shite his teams serve up time and again. Ainsworth? One trick pony at Wycombe, whose tactics bordered on despicable at times, and was a laughing stock at QPR. I'll stick with Alex Neill as my choice.

[dave the minion]

The failings today are systemic. They are Evatts. He’s had three seasons to build and the problems remain. To get out of this division playing like we are needs considerably better players than we have. You can’t do it.

We need a manager who is actually successful - knows what it takes to win and will build a team that has real desire, fight and most of all bottle.

Evatt has proven demonstrably he can’t do that. You can’t let him persist with telling us santos and Sheehan et al are the answers. We’ve asked the question a lot of times and each times we know they aren’t it.

We need pride restoring into the club. We’ve had a torrid time and bar a promotion from league two the last three seasons haven’t been good. It’s dire. I want to see player who know what representing Bolton Wanderers means. Week in week out. These ones don’t.

Ok, so if we get rid of evatt, who replaces him? All well and good wanting rid of him (I don't BTW. At all), but tell me who is stepping up to take his place.

Cant continuously keep demanding change without suggesting who steps into the breach (bearing in mind they've got to be available and willing).

Same with the players. I've seen posts suggesting half the squad need to be hung drawn and quartered, but who the hell are we replacing them with???

Today was sh1te. We were well beaten. Very well beaten. I get it. It's frustrating. However, I genuinely believe Evatt will get us into the championship next year, with the core of the current squad.

We are Bolton wanderers. Some of these ‘players’ have been exceptionally lucky to play for this club. They’ve had chance after chance. They don’t deserve to wear the shirt again.

Evatt similarly. He’s massively lucky to have managed such a big club. He’s done nowt in the game. He’s been given a huge chance. Last season was disappointing but he got all the time and money in the world and this season in his own words it’s a failure. He’s done.

As for who to replace him with I’d go and get Gareth Ainsworth.

This is hilarious.....

We are Bolton Wanderers indeed, I cant argue with that.

We are the Bolton Wanderers that is either 3rd or 4th best (depending on how you view things) in the 3rd tier of English football.

You're sense of entitlement is both comedic and entirely meaningless. The sooner people realise that we have no greater right of promotion than Oxford or any other team the better.

We're all pissed off after today, but sacking the coach, the players, the board and probably the groundsman too doesn't.co.e.with any guarantee of improvement.

If we can keep most of the squad, strengthen in a couple of areas, and evatt can learn from some mistakes, then we have as good a chance as anyone of competing.mext season.

[BWFC_Insane]

Since he's improved our league position year on year, he's worthy of being kept on but is the approach or anything going to change? Will we still choke in the big games and the local derbies?

No thanks re Duff. Good coach but dour shite his teams serve up time and again. Ainsworth? One trick pony at Wycombe, whose tactics bordered on despicable at times, and was a laughing stock at QPR. I'll stick with Alex Neill as my choice.

League position improvement is a massive red herring imo. He’s spent more and more money. Signing some of the best players in this league or borrowing from above. So of course it’s improved. The league was also notably weaker this year. Are we any better than last season in reality? No is the answer. I’d say in fact the last ten games or so we were worse than last seasons run in. We struggled to break teams down last season at times but this time we’ve been conceding goals galore.

I don’t think he’s improved us since the team he had with Fossey and Dapo in. In fact I think that side is the best we’ve had in league one and it’s not improved from there.

[Worthy4England]

That was awful. Properly, properly awful. Oxford fans on the tube platform were genuinely mystified by "how shit" we were. They were not alone at all.

Tactically... sheesh. Our back three didn't have the stones to pass it forward, but in their (ha) defence they didn't have anybody to pass to. Why?
• Sheehan went missing – yes, they marked him, but he didn't often enough drag them round.
• Our two 8s were way too high, sometimes like 30 yards ahead of the back three, so trying to slip a ball through to them would invite Oxford's midfield to intercept and spark the transitions we seemed utterly, utterly terrified of (perhaps with good reason given Murphy's goals).
• The wingbacks were the ones who had space in front of them, but – perhaps worried about Oxford's wide attackers - they didn't press high enough. If there was space anywhere on the pitch it was down their flanks, but Ogbeta and Cogz weren't given the ball into space - if passed to at all, they were given it five yards behind them, on the wrong foot, going the wrong way, allowing Oxford to reshuffle.
• The front two are good but long balls don't stick to either of them.

Now, all this looked perfectly plain within 15 minutes. That's the problem - not enough game intelligence. For all the criticism that Evatt is getting - a large slice of it rightly so - it's up to the players to sort that out on the pitch. They didn't.

We were better after the half-time reset, but not better enough. Maghoma's injury was a blow but Dempsey was probably our best player on the day (congratulations, tallest dwarf).

Evatt's triple sub is understandably attracting some pelters. I could sort of see what he wanted to do - bring on a centre-back unafraid to pass it; bring on a forward or two able to hold it up. He also tried to repeat the old old trick of knocking diags onto a struggling left-back (as he had at Barnsley in the league), pushing Jones to RWB onto Joe Bennett - OK, fair enough, but then we end up with Cogley on the left, and while God loves a trier, an attacking left-winger JDC is not. And Gethin still hung back too far. When we're chasing the game, our wingbacks have to go on the top line. Funny how we struggled so badly against the low block after being reasonably good against it this season. Not when it mattered though.

We really, really missed Randell to carry the threat. But it's not just about one player. This was a seriously worrying performance. Evatt has proven he is capable of change but this was his biggest test and he, or his team, which is his responsibility, flunked it badly. Why do we have no formational flexibility? Why can players acquired for their intelligence not recognise that bleeding obvious? Why do we lurch from two ball-to-feet forwards into two muscular types at whom we fling high balls?

I was saying on the way there that this was Evatt's chance to decide if he was more Neal or Rioch (although on calm reflection he's better than Neal and wouldn't have been as good as Rioch even with promotion today, next year or in five years' time). I'm afraid the signs weren't good. Not good at all.

What next? Presumably a few days of bitter recrimination, followed by weeks of wondering what the hell happens next, and then a season in which we have to come out of the blocks flying or Evatt's job – which is predicated on season-by-season improvement - will surely be on the line. Birmingham are already odds-on favourites; Huddersfield have Michael Duff; Rotherham have Steve Evans (and now Jonson Clarke-Harris); Wrexham outspent most of this division even before they were in it; Stockport also spend big; even Mansfield have a lot of momentum - Clough's win ratio isn't far off Evatt's over the last few seasons. Interestingly perhaps, Mansfield came close twice under Clough before going up third time lucky. If we are to do the same with Evatt in this division, it might need more than luck - it might need some serious, serious thinking.

Couple of things DSB. Agree entirely around the defence/midfield thing. Time and again, no show.

On the Evatt criticism, I hear what you say regarding players on the pitch to sort it, but I often wonder where the balance is between them taking an "executive decision" (like 2 8's dropping deeper) vs what they've been told to do through the week. It's not like the manager isn't right there next to the pitch and could message on to them to drop a bit. It's mystifying.

[BWFC_Insane]

The failings today are systemic. They are Evatts. He’s had three seasons to build and the problems remain. To get out of this division playing like we are needs considerably better players than we have. You can’t do it.

We need a manager who is actually successful - knows what it takes to win and will build a team that has real desire, fight and most of all bottle.

Evatt has proven demonstrably he can’t do that. You can’t let him persist with telling us santos and Sheehan et al are the answers. We’ve asked the question a lot of times and each times we know they aren’t it.

We need pride restoring into the club. We’ve had a torrid time and bar a promotion from league two the last three seasons haven’t been good. It’s dire. I want to see player who know what representing Bolton Wanderers means. Week in week out. These ones don’t.

Ok, so if we get rid of evatt, who replaces him? All well and good wanting rid of him (I don't BTW. At all), but tell me who is stepping up to take his place.

Cant continuously keep demanding change without suggesting who steps into the breach (bearing in mind they've got to be available and willing).

Same with the players. I've seen posts suggesting half the squad need to be hung drawn and quartered, but who the hell are we replacing them with???

Today was sh1te. We were well beaten. Very well beaten. I get it. It's frustrating. However, I genuinely believe Evatt will get us into the championship next year, with the core of the current squad.

We are Bolton wanderers. Some of these ‘players’ have been exceptionally lucky to play for this club. They’ve had chance after chance. They don’t deserve to wear the shirt again.

Evatt similarly. He’s massively lucky to have managed such a big club. He’s done nowt in the game. He’s been given a huge chance. Last season was disappointing but he got all the time and money in the world and this season in his own words it’s a failure. He’s done.

As for who to replace him with I’d go and get Gareth Ainsworth.

This is hilarious.....

We are Bolton Wanderers indeed, I cant argue with that.

We are the Bolton Wanderers that is either 3rd or 4th best (depending on how you view things) in the 3rd tier of English football.

You're sense of entitlement is both comedic and entirely meaningless. The sooner people realise that we have no greater right of promotion than Oxford or any other team the better.

We're all pissed off after today, but sacking the coach, the players, the board and probably the groundsman too doesn't.co.e.with any guarantee of improvement.

If we can keep most of the squad, strengthen in a couple of areas, and evatt can learn from some mistakes, then we have as good a chance as anyone of competing.mext season.

You’ve said this all season. And all last season. The same things, exact same things keep happening.

So no. This has nothing to do with entitlement. You have to earn promotion. We didn’t. And in Evatt’s own words it’s a failure.

He’s a failure.

I don’t want to see him or a number of these players again. They aren’t suddenly going to handle the pressure adopt the right mentality. There is a reason why they are lower league players and what we’ve got is technically good players with weak mentalities. We need to rebalance and Evatt won’t do that.

I won’t keep writing off ‘oh it a bad performance but come on we can do it next time’ because these keep happening and when it most matters.

He’s Phil Neal. And he’s finished.

Where is our Rioch?

[BWFC_Insane]

Since he's improved our league position year on year, he's worthy of being kept on but is the approach or anything going to change? Will we still choke in the big games and the local derbies?

No thanks re Duff. Good coach but dour shite his teams serve up time and again. Ainsworth? One trick pony at Wycombe, whose tactics bordered on despicable at times, and was a laughing stock at QPR. I'll stick with Alex Neill as my choice.

He’s younger than I thought Neil. My worry is he did basically half a good season at Sunderland but I do wonder whether that was mainly just because Johnson was so hopeless with some very good young players in that squad?

Wouldn’t be opposed I guess. Ainsworth though feels like someone who would squeeze everything out and get us results. Big questions over next level up I guess though really getting there is more critical.

[Worthy4England]

Gareth seems like the sorta bloke Shazza would want in the building...

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

On the Evatt criticism, I hear what you say regarding players on the pitch to sort it, but I often wonder where the balance is between them taking an "executive decision" (like 2 8's dropping deeper) vs what they've been told to do through the week. It's not like the manager isn't right there next to the pitch and could message on to them to drop a bit. It's mystifying.

Yeah agreed - for clarity it's a failure of both manager and players. If the players can't (or aren't allowed to) make decisions that's the boss's fault. If the boss can't see and change the problems that's his fault. If the players can't see and change the problems that's their fault.

He has to get more proactive. He has to keep learning. That requires humility. What we got today was humiliation.

[DJBlu]

On the Evatt criticism, I hear what you say regarding players on the pitch to sort it, but I often wonder where the balance is between them taking an "executive decision" (like 2 8's dropping deeper) vs what they've been told to do through the week. It's not like the manager isn't right there next to the pitch and could message on to them to drop a bit. It's mystifying.

Yeah agreed - for clarity it's a failure of both manager and players. If the players can't (or aren't allowed to) make decisions that's the boss's fault. If the boss can't see and change the problems that's his fault. If the players can't see and change the problems that's their fault.

He has to get more proactive. He has to keep learning. That requires humility. What we got today was humiliation.

On the biggest stage.

What is a joke is that neither Jones or Santos gave an interview to apologise.

Sounds like the changing room might not be as cohesive as we think. Think some strong words may have been said by a few players, Kyle Dempsey is visibly upset in his interview and probably as angry as all of us, just hope he doesn't get another ankle tag for it.

[jmjhb]

The failings today are systemic. They are Evatts. He’s had three seasons to build and the problems remain. To get out of this division playing like we are needs considerably better players than we have. You can’t do it.

We need a manager who is actually successful - knows what it takes to win and will build a team that has real desire, fight and most of all bottle.

Evatt has proven demonstrably he can’t do that. You can’t let him persist with telling us santos and Sheehan et al are the answers. We’ve asked the question a lot of times and each times we know they aren’t it.

We need pride restoring into the club. We’ve had a torrid time and bar a promotion from league two the last three seasons haven’t been good. It’s dire. I want to see player who know what representing Bolton Wanderers means. Week in week out. These ones don’t.

Ok, so if we get rid of evatt, who replaces him? All well and good wanting rid of him (I don't BTW. At all), but tell me who is stepping up to take his place.

Cant continuously keep demanding change without suggesting who steps into the breach (bearing in mind they've got to be available and willing).

Same with the players. I've seen posts suggesting half the squad need to be hung drawn and quartered, but who the hell are we replacing them with???

Today was sh1te. We were well beaten. Very well beaten. I get it. It's frustrating. However, I genuinely believe Evatt will get us into the championship next year, with the core of the current squad.

We are Bolton wanderers. Some of these ‘players’ have been exceptionally lucky to play for this club. They’ve had chance after chance. They don’t deserve to wear the shirt again.

Evatt similarly. He’s massively lucky to have managed such a big club. He’s done nowt in the game. He’s been given a huge chance. Last season was disappointing but he got all the time and money in the world and this season in his own words it’s a failure. He’s done.

As for who to replace him with I’d go and get Gareth Ainsworth.

This is hilarious.....

We are Bolton Wanderers indeed, I cant argue with that.

We are the Bolton Wanderers that is either 3rd or 4th best (depending on how you view things) in the 3rd tier of English football.

You're sense of entitlement is both comedic and entirely meaningless. The sooner people realise that we have no greater right of promotion than Oxford or any other team the better.

We're all pissed off after today, but sacking the coach, the players, the board and probably the groundsman too doesn't.co.e.with any guarantee of improvement.

If we can keep most of the squad, strengthen in a couple of areas, and evatt can learn from some mistakes, then we have as good a chance as anyone of competing.mext season.

Not sure it's arrogance or entitlement. I suspect many others other than Evatt could have got more of a tune out of the side yesterday.

Ultimately he's failed on the biggest stage of all.

[lionelator]

That was fecking diabolical

[mullayo]

Ey up everyone. I see the same OLD names from the good old days and hope you're all doing well.

Long time lurking, no posting but it's hard to see games other than youtube clips. Was hoping to be on here celebrating but we fell at the last hurdle.

Gutted. The holy grail of the championship footballwas right there in front of us.
I should have known we were "domed" when we didn't automatically qualify.

(a better system by the way, would be 1 goes straight up, 2 plays 3 and winner goes up while loser players winnner of 4 and 5 after a week off. That way every echelon gets rewarded incrementally and every league position counts for more.)

What now? Can we keep our good players? Find some more? Fanbase seems fine enough.

[officer_dibble]

When a team lets you down that badly it has to be broken up. There are parts that may work under a different system, captain, leadership whatever but we got to see the trie colours of most yesterday. I do not want to start next season with 352 with Santos, Jones on the right and Toal fecking time and time again passing to each other with nothing anywhere near them.

I would listen to offers for every single one of those shithouses yesterday. I was right against Wigan - sell the fecking lot of em.

[Bertie Wooster]

How anyone and I mean anyone can defend Ian Evatt after that disgraceful, shameful, spineless performance is behond me - I know that there are happy clappers who can't hear a single word of criticism and just accept mediocrity.

Bottlers end off, a team of robots managed by a robot - I don't think that there is a single player (possibly only Kyle Dempsey) who I would be sorry to see leave. Evatt said he knew how Oxford would play, but he changed nothing, after 10 - 15 mins it was clear to me and those sat near me that we had no idea, it was walking football - Sheehan, Thomason, Maghoma, Charles, Collins where absolutely shocking, the gap between defence & attack was alarming, why where Thomason & Sheehan not coming back to take the ball off Santos.

Santos wasn't great but the movement in front of him was non existent - Personally I think Evatt has to go, as his robotic, lack of tactical flexibility and stubbonness of his 5-3-2 formation isn't working - the lack of fight, passion, intensity & leadership yesterday was alarming.

We left on about 83 mins as it was clear to everyone in the ground that we had no idea and still wouldn't have scored if we played until midnight. As much as Evatt has to go as I think that he's lost a lot of the fans (most streaming out of Wembley said he needs to go) - we do have some very limited, poor players - no creativity, no intensity, no individual players with the ability to beat a man & excite, everything is so slow, predictable and again robotic. We need a manager with new idea's, better players, tactical flexibility, proper leaders on the pitch and players with bottle.

If he stays he won't change, it'll be more of the same and happy clappers apart most fans after yesterday's debacle won't put up with that.

[BWFC_Insane]

When a team lets you down that badly it has to be broken up. There are parts that may work under a different system, captain, leadership whatever but we got to see the trie colours of most yesterday. I do not want to start next season with 352 with Santos, Jones on the right and Toal fecking time and time again passing to each other with nothing anywhere near them.

I would listen to offers for every single one of those shithouses yesterday. I was right against Wigan - sell the fecking lot of em.

Sure but that’s why very first thing has to be Evatt going and a new manager. Evatt isn’t going to be able to dismantle the team he built and certainly hasn’t got the judgement to do so.

He ‘doesn’t know where yesterday came from’ suggesting he hasn’t got a clue what he’s built over the last two seasons.

It’s systemic on two levels. Firstly the way he wants to play puts too much pressure on individuals in key areas. So when these big games against good teams roll round you are always demanding of players on the ball in tight scenarios. How they do depends on every player performing well on the day with the ball and let’s be honest - this is league one - how likely is that? Oxford played a pressing game but it was a unit - it was repeatable. You could roll that out game after game because it relies on football basics as a unit. But get it right and you can use it as a basic blueprint. Easier to repeat under pressure. Doesn’t mean you win every game but that would be dictated by how well you do with your chances on transition. But it’s a game after game plan reliant almost entirely on workrate and positional discipline. Unlike ours.

Secondly he’s assembled a mentally weak group and doesn’t understand that you need leaders in it. Men who stand up when it’s tough and deliver, inspire and demand others to do it.

[BWFC_Insane]

How anyone and I mean anyone can defend Ian Evatt after that disgraceful, shameful, spineless performance is behond me - I know that there are happy clappers who can't hear a single word of criticism and just accept mediocrity.

Bottlers end off, a team of robots managed by a robot - I don't think that there is a single player (possibly only Kyle Dempsey) who I would be sorry to see leave. Evatt said he knew how Oxford would play, but he changed nothing, after 10 - 15 mins it was clear to me and those sat near me that we had no idea, it was walking football - Sheehan, Thomason, Maghoma, Charles, Collins where absolutely shocking, the gap between defence & attack was alarming, why where Thomason & Sheehan not coming back to take the ball off Santos.

Santos wasn't great but the movement in front of him was non existent - Personally I think Evatt has to go, as his robotic, lack of tactical flexibility and stubbonness of his 5-3-2 formation isn't working - the lack of fight, passion, intensity & leadership yesterday was alarming.

We left on about 83 mins as it was clear to everyone in the ground that we had no idea and still wouldn't have scored if we played until midnight. As much as Evatt has to go as I think that he's lost a lot of the fans (most streaming out of Wembley said he needs to go) - we do have some very limited, poor players - no creativity, no intensity, no individual players with the ability to beat a man & excite, everything is so slow, predictable and again robotic. We need a manager with new idea's, better players, tactical flexibility, proper leaders on the pitch and players with bottle.

If he stays he won't change, it'll be more of the same and happy clappers apart most fans after yesterday's debacle won't put up with that.

Agree mainly though obviously Evatt has to go but the relationship between fans and many of these players is damaged permanently - that was very apparent after the game to me. No chance can we be watching santos lazily lumbering round the pitch next season looking like it’s all a bit too much. He won’t get any support. Same for the midfield. Wing backs. Collins probably is ‘early enough’ to get benefit of doubt. Charles not sure he could do much.

Dempsey as you say only one who showed any heart any fight and that in itself means there is no comeback for Evatt or many of these players. Not unless of course people want a thoroughly miserable and toxic season where we slip into obscurity because that’s what that would deliver.

[Worthy4England]

A lot said in the aftermath. Around keeping Evatt, keeping squad (or otherwise) all very similar to last year. I think some people gave benefit of doubt last year, so THIS was the year and now it's next year.

I want to touch on sense of entitlement. I'm not entitled to think we should go up (although I think we're in a different League in many respects than some of the other teams in L1).

What I do feel entitled to, is my team, given it whimpered along since Jan when we were top doesn't bottle it. Stifled by Barnsley last year when it mattered. Rabbits this, against Oxford. Evatt's said the same. If we can see it how come he can't? Soft-arsed, flat track bullies. I will take the 8-1 spanking of some kids (nearly 10 of the 121 goals - none of which matter much now) all the way to the grave.

Bottlers.

[Bertie Wooster]

After that non performance yesterday I honestly can't see how he can continue as manager - it felt as bad yesterday as the the Stoke semi final did, but the performance was even worse yesterday against an average Oxford team who just played un complicated football.

From memory the Oxford keeper didn't have a single save to make - it was shambolic from start to finish & that's down to the manager, they are all his players, his signings, his tactics, the players brought in to play his system, its his preparation, they are his instructions, his substitutions. Apart from 5 or 6 games a season the football is awful to watch - sideways & backwards then hoof, sideways & backwards then hoof & repeat again and again, walking / no intensity football.

Dempsey apart the players are mentally weak, can't handle pressure and as others have said are a team of bottlers. Also as bad as the midfield was (and they where shocking) Collins was worse a lot worse. Evatt bottled automatic promotion from such a position of strength, blaming injuries - then we get a 2nd chance against on paper the worst team in the top 6, never get a better chance - all the players back, full strength team and then they bottle it again in front of 32,000 BWFC fans who had travelled and paid sky high prices.

And none of it is ever his fault - there is no coming back from that IMO.