Still in it!

[Il Pirate]

I've just been trawling some old posts & it's interesting to see some of the comments on the state of the wanderers. A variety of topics yes, but a lot with the same message. We are in the sh*t. We want a new manager in charge. Some of it written in september, and the same through Oct, Nov, Dec, & January. We are now in the middle of February & still in the sh*t. Is Gartside expecting a resurection of Lazarus proportions? Because I for one can't see it. Most people saw the writing on the wall at the end of September, except for our manager & chairman. Why can't Gartside see it now? Personaly, I think we are already down, unless a different manager comes in and hopefully; as hope is all we have left, sparks a mini revival. We have the players to keep us in this division. If we go down, with most players out of contract at season's end, they'll all f*ck off & we'll become a lower mid table championship side. I'm very sad to say it, but Owen, you've had your chance and you've blown it. Gartside, feckin' man up and do what's needed, even if you bring someone in just till the end of the season to help raise our feet from the sticky brown stuff and clean our boots off until next season. I want to hear Hanson, Lawrenson et al, say those famous words once more; 'Well you know what you get when you play Bolton'.

[ohjimmyjimmy]

Come back after the city game and you'll see a few more choice offerings...!

[Worthy4England]

Come back after the city game and you'll see a few more choice offerings...!

There's a reasonable chance, you see a few more choice offerings after the Millwall game...

[lovethesmellofnapalm]

This may just be the most perceptive and insightful post post-Wigan!
People have been saying since September that we're doomed, we're shit, the managers the second worst in the history of the PL,
and they have continued to say it.
They have also said at various times that we'll be relegated with a lower points total than Derby, that we'll be cut adrift by Nov/Dec/Jan and in the pre-match predictions they always predict defeat.

But we're not adrift yet, we're not relegated yet and we have actually even won a few games.

Anyone apart from the most rose-tinted observers could/did see that the likelihood was ,given the way we played at the end of last season and with the players we lost (injured as well as gone back to original clubs), that this would be a difficult season. What has made it harder is that the promoted clubs have done surprisingly much better than in previous seasons.

But yeah despite all that we're still in it!
Thanks for reminding me just how well Coyle has done - without him we'd surely be gone by now

[boltonboris]

Yes.. Everybody could see it was going to be difficult season. Everybody knew we'd lost some of our best performers, including our 2 top scorers.

So what would you do?

I'd make sure that first and foremost, we're difficult to beat.

I'd work on team shape and discipline and defending. But no..... Not our manager

[Worthy4England]

Thanks for reminding me just how well Coyle has done - without him we'd surely be gone by now

[CrazyHorse]

This may just be the most perceptive and insightful post post-Wigan!
People have been saying since September that we're doomed, we're shit, the managers the second worst in the history of the PL,
and they have continued to say it.
They have also said at various times that we'll be relegated with a lower points total than Derby, that we'll be cut adrift by Nov/Dec/Jan and in the pre-match predictions they always predict defeat.

But we're not adrift yet, we're not relegated yet and we have actually even won a few games.

Anyone apart from the most rose-tinted observers could/did see that the likelihood was ,given the way we played at the end of last season and with the players we lost (injured as well as gone back to original clubs), that this would be a difficult season. What has made it harder is that the promoted clubs have done surprisingly much better than in previous seasons.

But yeah despite all that we're still in it!
Thanks for reminding me just how well Coyle has done - without him we'd surely be gone by now

You're right. What was I thinking?
I see now that Coyle's procedure of picking the teamsheet out of a hat and square pegs into round holes formation selection will surely win us the league.

[lovethesmellofnapalm]

Yes.. Everybody could see it was going to be difficult season. Everybody knew we'd lost some of our best performers, including our 2 top scorers.

So what would you do?

I'd make sure that first and foremost, we're difficult to beat.

I'd work on team shape and discipline and defending. But no..... Not our manager

I'm not disagrreing completely but...
at the outset most would have predicted Norwich and Swansea would have difficult seasons- yet neither (Swansea in particular) have "first and foremost" set out with a "let's be difficult to beat" mentality. Rather they've tried to play to their strengths which is, i would argue, what Coyle has done.
"Mixing it up" - (euphemism for passing it around a bit before reverting to type and aiming it at Big Kev and trying to win the second ball) - did ok and was a strength for much of last season. Now because KD is done it hasn't worked so well this but because it was tried and tested Coyle has gone back to it when he has had no other option.

Can i respectfully point out as well that we got rid of a manager who tried to make us "difficult to beat"?

[boltonboris]

But he were pretty crap at it, Coyle has shown that when he plays the right system, we can be "difficult to beat". It's when he ruthlessly goes back to the shit we served up in the first half and then blames everybody else, that I'm finding difficult to live with.

[Andy Waller]

Another small glimmer of hope so far is that everyone else round us seems to be up and down too. Most results haven't been to bad around us when we've played.

[officer_dibble]

playing to our strengths? is that what he is doing?

bwfc strengths:
not marking at corners (despite having 11 men back).
inability to pass a football.
slowest counter attacks in the league.
'first name out of a hat' approach to team selection.
and my favourite, the 'its not about the tactics' approach to errrm tactics.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Another small glimmer of hope so far is that everyone else round us seems to be up and down too.

Indeed. We haven't just been panned 5-1 at home in a derby, or watched our expensively-(re)assembled team lose two successive six-pointers to teams below us.

Still looks like three from five, which gives us a fighting chance, although we can give ourselves a much better chance by not abjectly surrendering our own six-pointers. The last two Saturdays of March - Blackburn at home followed by Wolves away - look bigger than ever.

[lovethesmellofnapalm]

playing to our strengths? is that what he is doing?

bwfc strengths:
not marking at corners (despite having 11 men back). 1.
inability to pass a football. 2.
slowest counter attacks in the league.
'first name out of a hat' approach to team selection. 3.
and my favourite, the 'its not about the tactics' approach to errrm tactics.

1. we've still to see a stat that as a proportion of goals conceded we concede more from set pieces than other teams.Every team's fans moan about being shit at set pieces.(Liverpool?) In any case Wheater did mark he just didn't jump.
2. kinda proves my point that one. if we can't even pass it then a remarkable achievement that we're not on null point
3. evidence? just say that Muamba HAD ruled himself out by a misdemeanour/breach of club discipline. who would you have picked to play in a 4-5-1 ? Pratley? hardly a fan's favourite. I'd have gone for Tuncay but he's shit as well apparently.

[boltonboris]

He is shit.. And he's not a central midfielder.

[Worthy4England]

Yes.. Everybody could see it was going to be difficult season. Everybody knew we'd lost some of our best performers, including our 2 top scorers.

So what would you do?

I'd make sure that first and foremost, we're difficult to beat.

I'd work on team shape and discipline and defending. But no..... Not our manager

I'm not disagrreing completely but...
at the outset most would have predicted Norwich and Swansea would have difficult seasons- yet neither (Swansea in particular) have "first and foremost" set out with a "let's be difficult to beat" mentality. Rather they've tried to play to their strengths which is, i would argue, what Coyle has done.
"Mixing it up" - (euphemism for passing it around a bit before reverting to type and aiming it at Big Kev and trying to win the second ball) - did ok and was a strength for much of last season. Now because KD is done it hasn't worked so well this but because it was tried and tested Coyle has gone back to it when he has had no other option.

Can i respectfully point out as well that we got rid of a manager who tried to make us "difficult to beat"?

What are the strengths you think Coyle is playing to? I'd be delighted to know.

The second bit about reverting to SKD when he has had no other option is a crock. He had Muamba on the bench at weekend. He could have played 4-5-1.

[BWFC_Insane]

Swansea and Norwich haven't tried to make themselves hard to beat? Are you on crack?

At home Swansea have scored only 3 more than us and Norwich 4.

Swansea have conceded 17 less than us at home Norwich 12 less.

Of course they've made themselves hard to beat. FFS....

[lovethesmellofnapalm]

by general consensus (if one is to believe the "breath of fresh air" analysis) both have played attacking football rather than pack the team with defense and defensive midfielders.
not to say they haven't also defended better than us though - personal mistakes and all that

and Worthy i thought i'd made it clear what strengths i thought Coyle was trying to play to when he picks Davies- not that i agree with picking him mind. although our goal on Sat did come from the sort of direct tactic that was seen as strength last season

[BWFC_Insane]

by general consensus (if one is to believe the "breath of fresh air" analysis) both have played attacking football rather than pack the team with defense and defensive midfielders.
not to say they haven't also defended better than us though - personal mistakes and all that

and Worthy i thought i'd made it what strengths i thought Coyle was trying to play to when he picks Davies- not that i agree with picking him mind

Swansea's first aim is to keep clean sheets, and the ball.

Being hard to beat doesn't necessarily mean you sit deep all the time.

Both Swansea and Norwich work on trying to dominate the midfield!

[Tals-biggest-fan]

Swansea also play 4-5-1 and then 4-3-3 when attacking.... Norwhich also play 4-5-1 where Holt sits behind the main striker or Hollahan sits behind Holt..... 4-5-1 keeps you in the premiership!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Nobody's suggesting "packing the team with defense and defensive midfielders".

Some of the world's most lauded teams play with two midfielders who could tackle the metaphorical fish supper.

It's fine - necessary, probably - to play Mark Davies. But he's not a central midfielder in a 4-4-2, in that he can't tackle for shit.