"...and you can shove Lindum away up your Colonia!" - Lincoln away (EFL Trophy) Tuesday 14th Jan 2025 7pm

[GhostoftheBok]

Vic's only played as a centre forward in two full season and he's hit double figures in both.

His performance tonight was very poor, but he's just back from a virus and I expect him to look utterly shagged. Hoped for better, but there you go.

Carlos was definitely an improvement. In fact, we were generally better after the subs came on.

[Spartan2]

Adeboyojo is absolutely wank on every conceivable level.

[GhostoftheBok]

Adeboyojo is absolutely wank on every conceivable level.

Vic and Dion were an excellent pairing for long stretches and there's no point pretending they weren't just because they're all playing badly at the minute.

[Mar]

Vic's only played as a centre forward in two full season and he's hit double figures in both.

His performance tonight was very poor, but he's just back from a virus and I expect him to look utterly shagged. Hoped for better, but there you go.

Carlos was definitely an improvement. In fact, we were generally better after the subs came on.

Thanks for adding some context to it.

If that is the case then fair enough. That's more an issue with Evatt's selection as Vic clearly isn't ready if that's the case.

I'm hoping Vic will come good again, but i've done the same for N'lundulu, Jerome, etc. so i'm expecting Vic to be done already.

[GhostoftheBok]

I'm hoping Vic will come good again

No idea what will happen with any of them.

These are League One players, so you have to give them a chance by asking them to do loads of what they're good at and as little as possible of the stuff they're not good at.

Get the ball out of defence and into midfield or out wide rapidly, unless provoking the press - which is done to make passes easier, not harder.
Ask Vic to occupy defenders to create spaces around him, but don't asking him to dribble around and pick difficult passes.
Ask Randall to find space in the final third and think a pass ahead, but don't ask him to drop in and battle 6'2" midfielders for every pass.

This is dead basic, Brian Clough stuff. You can add patterns and all that lovely stuff to it, but you can't do it by asking Vic to be Dapo or Randall to be MJ Williams.

At the minute the players are shirking and asking their mates to do the difficult stuff. They all pass the buck and so nothing gets done. "Here you go, you deal with it" pisses me off like nothing else. Some of it is Evatt, but some is the players.

When we were asking Vic to battle two lads at once and just lay it off, then get into the box, he did a good job. He pressed really well and roughed defenders up. Dion was on it and made the runs around him that used the space. Players around them found the runs.

We didn't cross the ball enough for Vic to score as many as he could, but it generally worked. We picked up loads of points, even if we had definite failings. Which is better than just being crap.

Evatt's version of "simplify it" could work, but nobody is going to be surprised if it's just all too late.

[GhostoftheBok]

What I will say is that Evatt has been slated tonight for praising that performance and it wasn't good, but the players did actually try to play and do their bits. There was far less "You sort it" and more lads TRYING to do the right thing. Loads of errors, but lads taking the ball on and using it.

I can handle players just being poor if they're not also taking the piss.

The "our DNA" stuff was all funny, but that was a group actively looking to play football. Jones, Johnston, Vic, Lolos, Tutu, etc are all in their own form of recovery period and we were very lucky to win; but it wasn't Rotherham.

Cold comfort, but I can see why Evatt wasn't having another rant. His players tried to do what he wants tonight, whereas they didn't at Rotherham.

[irie Cee Bee]

I cant help but believe that something has gone terribly wrong in the squad. Thomasson has been affected badly by it as captain, as an Evatt loyalist trying to sort it out and hold the team together. It clearly has taken a toll on the young man. Charles has now been ditched. I wonder which rebel next.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Championship ready we were told.

[officer_dibble]

I cant help but believe that something has gone terribly wrong in the squad. Thomasson has been affected badly by it as captain, as an Evatt loyalist trying to sort it out and hold the team together. It clearly has taken a toll on the young man. Charles has now been ditched. I wonder which rebel next.

Thomasson taking on the captaincy has hurt him this season. League one’s best defender and biggest coward has done him no favours by dropping that on him. What a shame we didn’t have anyone else capable of stepping up.

[Bertie Wooster]

The "our DNA" stuff was all funny, but that was a group actively looking to play football. Jones, Johnston, Vic, Lolos, Tutu, etc are all in their own form of recovery period and we were very lucky to win; but it wasn't Rotherham.

Cold comfort, but I can see why Evatt wasn't having another rant. His players tried to do what he wants tonight, whereas they didn't at Rotherham.

Under Evatt 'our DNA' = Do not attack.

[boltonboris]

Vic's only played as a centre forward in two full season and he's hit double figures in both.

His performance tonight was very poor, but he's just back from a virus and I expect him to look utterly shagged. Hoped for better, but there you go.

Carlos was definitely an improvement. In fact, we were generally better after the subs came on.

Do you expect him to not be able to control a football after being poorly? It's the basics that too many of our players struggle with. Controlling the ball and kicking the ball looks too much for some of these players. They can't do it

[boltonboris]

I'm absolutely sick of this now, On the verge of sacking it off and not going anymore. It's so utterly bad to watch. We play shite, boring backs to goal football, nobody working for eachother, nobody close to eachother to pass to. Any forward passes are forced and players are lunging and stretching to try and get to them, as passing forward is so alien to us.

Then the manager comes out gaslighting us by talking about Bolton DNA - I wish his dad's DNA ended up on the curtains instead of in his mum sometimes. It's absolutely horrific.

[BWFC_Insane]

I'm absolutely sick of this now, On the verge of sacking it off and not going anymore. It's so utterly bad to watch. We play shite, boring backs to goal football, nobody working for eachother, nobody close to eachother to pass to. Any forward passes are forced and players are lunging and stretching to try and get to them, as passing forward is so alien to us.

Then the manager comes out gaslighting us by talking about Bolton DNA - I wish his dad's DNA ended up on the curtains instead of in his mum sometimes. It's absolutely horrific.

Join the club. I tell you what it’s nicer here.

Once you abandon any hope you feel better. And when he’s gone, eventually, the club will still be there. It’s our club not his.

[boltonboris]

- Southwood looks good.

- Santos tried his best, but is becoming clumsier. Has he put weight on? Because his feet look a lot slower recently
- Johnston. Good good he's struggling. Every time the ball goes to him, his passes and clearances are charged down as he's so slow with the ball. What's happened to him?
- Jones. Needs shipping out. He's probably a lower league 2 player at this point. Can't run, can't pass, can't tackle
- JDC. I used to like him. Always fit, always willing. Zero quality
- Jordi Osei Tutu. I'm sure there's a player in there. I saw it once. Once.

- Thomason. Fighting a losing battle in that midfield. Lacks quality. Gives the ball away too often and misses too many games
- Matete. As above. Not much you can expect the CM's to do when they're outnumbered and have to play with their backs to goal. Another who lacks attacking quality. No passing range

- Lolos. The clue is in the first 3/5's of his name. Crikey. Supposed to be a #10 but can't run, pass, control and pulled out of every tackle (again)
- Collins. Thank god for his goals. But he really needs to pull his socks up (metaphorically - I'm not bothered about the pound shop Grealish comparisons - Wear them how you want) and start working for the team. There's no point charging about like a loon and being out of breath for when the occasional chance arrives, but you can at least challenge for the ball and show some physicality.
- Adeboyejo. Can't see what he brings to the team. He isn't tall, he can't control the ball, he's not strong despite his frame, he's not quick and he's not even getting into the box anymore.

Absolute clusterfuck and this describes the season, not just last night.

[boltonboris]

And I know it's an oft-used cliche, but back to basics really applies to us and needs to be done. Get an extra man into the centre of the pitch. Run more and run harder than the opposition. Press, tackle and move the ball quickly.

Something needs to change as the over complication of our shape and patterns are killing the team. If they were going to get it, they would have got it by now. They haven't and they won't. They're not technically good enough, despite having a team entirely made up of players who are considered technicians over grafters

It's not bad management if the players haven't adopted it. But it's bad management to continue to force it upon them to the detriment of results and performances.

Go. Back. To. Basics.

[TANGODANCER]

Once you abandon any hope you feel better. And when he’s gone, eventually, the club will still be there. It’s our club not his.

We never abandon hope; it's just a reaction to losing. Hope keeps us going. We just have to try a bit harder. We'll still be here, come what may. Que Sera, Sera. Charles is a big let down, but we don't know the full story. We weren't exactly breaking pots with him and he'd not become a 15 minute sub for no reason.

Ian Evatt's a bit like the Mary Celeste, a total mystery, but everything comes to he who waits.

[Harry Genshaw]

Agree with much of Boris's posts ^. Bijou Bob quoted Shankly the other day. Here's another of his;
"Footballs a simple game, made complicated by stupid people"
Tomo has said before how they're expected to play is complicated. It seems any individuality in this side is being cast aside and players are unsure what to do, while trying to establish a team DNA in Evatt's deluded vanity project.

[Worthy4England]

Championship ready we were told.

We were - I worry that our recruitment isn't considering some things. If you recruit a new person for the team, you know they can pretty much do the job, because 18 other people have looked at them and assessed them, prior to them getting to you. Mainly, you're looking at whether and how they can actually fit into the team without us having to break it (unless it needs a bit of breaking! )

It feels a bit (lot?) like we're signing random poster boys, without much of a clue how the jigsaw is going to fit together.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

It feels a bit (lot?) like we're signing random poster boys, without much of a clue how the jigsaw is going to fit together.

Yeah, I can see this argument, but that's not a new thing. Could argue we did the same with Morley and Dempsey and Charles - identifying other team's best (available) players. But it does feel a bit magpie.

[Worthy4England]

It feels a bit (lot?) like we're signing random poster boys, without much of a clue how the jigsaw is going to fit together.

Yeah, I can see this argument, but that's not a new thing. Could argue we did the same with Morley and Dempsey and Charles - identifying other team's best (available) players. But it does feel a bit magpie.

I guess the difference there (for me) would be that you could sort of see - maybe if you were so inclined - Morley and Dempsey as upgrades to what we had. Charles took a little bedding in at the time, and there's been occasions as Evatt has adapted what we're doing where I can recall saying, if we're not going to put it where he needs it, then maybe flog him.

We were building and adapting from scratch at that point. One of the attractions Markham talks about was that there was no change management needed (because we were still building/buying) we weren't really at the point where "change" was needed. We've had players like Dapo, Sadlier, Declan John, that have all mysteriously "gone off the boil" as Evatt has made changes, and there's an argument that we improved with those changes. Since Jan last year, this feels different, less planned, more speculative - to me anyhow.