Eddie

I haven’t got much of a sample size but he was stood in front of me at Carlisle and I can’t say he didn’t anything to act like a clown, plenty round him were but other than just filming a few times he was just stood there watching like any other (whilst getting his ear chewed off by 50 year olds off their nut). Like I say, doesn’t mean he’s always like that but that was my experience of him.

Coleman JDC Jones Santos Iredale Ashworth Dempsey Sheehan GT Vic CMG I think that’s what I’d go with, although Ashworth and GT could easily be Ogbeta and Maghoma, I just thought they’d be better having a rest after Tuesday night and both could come back in against Wigan. God knows up front, you could make a case for any combination of those available. Think I’d prefer bod off the bench and I haven’t seen enough from Collins yet to suggest he should be starting ahead of CMG (and they’re very similar so probably not going to play alongside each other). 3-1 Whites - the curse is broken. Dempsey, CMG and a late Collins pen.

It was shite, strangely looked dry (the irony) and was therefore proper bobbly. I thought they all did really well with their first touch actually, plenty of times it was fired into them and they made it look easy on what was actually a poor surface. It also looked like they’d really shortened it from the amount of space behind the goal at our end - assume that’s for the full season, rather than just to reduce the space for us to play in a one off game.

Problem is, every game now starts to seem critical - especially with Pompey and Derby continuing to win. Whereas earlier in the season picking up a point would be a reasonable result, games like last night all feel like ‘must win’ now. I completely agree with your view of the first half. If CMG gets more on the follow up to Bod’s shot in the first 5 mins then it should be plain sailing. Likewise, if their goal doesn’t get a flukey deflection and we go in 0-0 then you’d be relatively happy and know they’re there for the taking. Unfortunately, because of our record (or lack of) for coming from a goal down it looked like we’d fucked it at half time and people will pick things to pieces because of the pressure on every win - which seemed unlikely at the time. I keep saying this but it will only get worse and worse as we get closer to the end of the season - rationality is going further and further out of the window. Nerves are going to be fucked, every goal conceded will feel like the end of the world, every half of football will be scrutinised and over exaggerated. As long as the team get the backing in the ground, as they did last night, then people letting off steam on a forum, no matter how irrational, is just going to have to be accepted to a certain degree.

No offence but that’s exactly why you’re not a football manager. Pushing Sheehan forward is an absolute no no, no other player can play that role, especially not GT (as proven earlier in the year). We don’t have a 10, so playing Collins in midfield would essentially give us 1 less midfielder and Sheehan and GT would be pulled all over the place! There will be changes but I can guarantee that Sheehan will play exactly where he has for the last 25 games and neither Collins nor CMG will be in midfield.

Massive 3 points - which is the most important thing. Unlike others, I don’t think we were that bad first half. If you go in 0-0, which we would have if it wasn’t for a flukey deflection, then you’d say it was ok for a first half and we never looked in any danger. Obviously we weren’t at our best but I’d say it was pretty average rather than poor. Second half we had intensity from the off and actually managed to keep the pressure up until we got the breakthrough, which I don’t think I’ve seen us do for so many ‘phases’ of play. We nearly scored 2 or 3 times just before that first goal and I just thought in classic Bolton fashion our chances were gone, but we wouldn’t let them out and looked like a team on a mission. The crowd were up and the team were feeding off it and you could see it coming - once we got one it was almost inevitable that a second was coming, we felt so dominant and it’s a sign of a good team. What a fucking pass by Sheehan though, and the finish wasn’t bad either! Some nervy moments in the last 10 but a makeshift defence stood firm. Fair play to all of them but especially Iredale who put in a massive shift and never took a backwards step in that last 10-15 minutes - especially considering Ogbetta next to him was basically playing with 1 leg! Coleman looked really assured with his actual keeping, and not too bad with the ball at feet to be fair - you could see he was absolutely buzzing with the reception he got at the start of the game - “he’s one of our own…” and he looked confident throughout. He was absolutely pumped at the end of the game in front of the fans too. Dempsey class - he never stops running but was also a lot better on the ball than he has been lately. Sheehan is a joke in these games. If you can’t mark him out of the game then he just controls everything - he was too good for them and as with other teams they just resorted to kicking him up in the air. Shoutout for Jones too. Typically steady and assured, it’s fucking good to have him back! Fans class, you could hear the relief at the end and you could see what a massive result it was for the players. Massive boost going into 2 massive away games - full belief we will win on Saturday and then let’s see what we can do at Wigan off the back of 2 big wins!

You could make an argument for all of them as to what they’re ’best’ at. Sheehan is our best midfielder though. No doubt whatsoever. The others can be replaced by each other, he can’t.

That’s the one! Should have remembered, my mate got arrested for running on the pitch and trying to celebrate with Spearing after that second goal 😂. Felt like a European trip that one!

That’s the one! Seem to remember it being sung over and over under the stands at an away game. It’ll be stuck in my head all day now

Other than Santos, you can make a case for any of the other options to be in the back 3, they all have better / worse parts to their game but a lot of it comes down to form. I think Jones has proved just how important he is and so he goes in the guaranteed starter category with Santos for me - that leaves one spot. Toal at his best probably takes it, but I don’t think he’s at his best at the moment. Maybe injury, maybe form - he just looks a bit hesitant, like he’s doubting himself. Forrester hasn’t put a foot wrong. Less experience and probably less comfortable on the left of the 3 but for me, if he’s fit enough then I think he plays alongside Santos and Jones at the mo. Iredale I change my mind on all the time. Ultimately I think he’s good cover for left wing back and left centre back but I don’t think he’s good enough to take the starting spot with a fully fit squad. Taylor is clearly useful for his height, and Evatt bringing him on against Wycombe because Vokes was getting the better of Toal shows his use to us, but for me he’s central or bench rather than an option next to Santos. In summary, hurry up back Rico!

Having watched the goals back, I actually don’t think there’s much blame on Coleman for any of them. 1 - it’s a good ball in but Toal gets caught underneath it. Coleman will expect him to just head that clear and he can’t come for it, once it’s over Toal and the forward goes for it then there’s nothing Coleman can do. Toal’s fault. 2 - it comes through 4 Bolton players and Iredale puts a foot out right in front of Coleman. I’m not 100% but I’m pretty sure Iredale gets something on it which puts it past Coleman. It’s also one that would get ruled out for offside with VAR because the forward that Iredale is marking is in an offside position and is in front of Coleman when the shot comes in. Unlucky - shouldn’t let them get a free shot on goal 18 yards out. 3 - foul on Cogley, players stop, Toal then makes a mess of his positioning when the ball is bouncing and it’s a good finish off the post. Toal / ref’s fault. If Santos was back in the team then I don’t think 1 or 3 go in. I really fucking hope he’s back for Blackpool/Wigan! Positives are that Vic and Bod got on the scoresheet with 2 nicely worked goals and good runs from them both. Bod getting 2 in 2 is a great sign because we know he’s got the quality to go on a scoring streak, he just needed the monkey off his back of getting his first.

Or others might just think he’s not bog average or the new okocha. Just a decent young midfielder that clearly has talent, is comfortable on the ball, can score a goal but is not the finished product and hasn’t quite got the consistency you need to be playing at higher levels.

All of that is commendable, Cheese. The fact of the matter though is that they are 5th bottom, haven’t won in 16 and we’re trying to get promoted. If you want to get promoted then par is winning today - hence the disappointment at not doing so. I do think there’s some overreaction, but it’s due to the fact that every game is now so important and both Pompey and Derby won, but I can’t blame people for being pissed off that we haven’t got 3 points today.

See I honestly don’t think Pompey have got 1st all wrapped up either. I know they’ve got the points on the board but it could look very different after their next 5 games with the injuries they have. If there’s still so much of a gap after those then I’ll probably write them off, but at the moment they’re winning the games you’d expect them to.

Pompey have got 1 easy game left and then have a shocking run in. Derby ground out another win but had 2 shots on target at home and have no fit strikers. Posh have fucked it. We didn’t get the result we wanted today but I still maintain that it’s not all rosey at the other clubs up there either. 15 games is a long long way to go.

Do you not reckon that’s more due to the ability to watch all midweek matches on iFollow/WanderersTv? Not sure the timing perfectly aligns but I’d imagine the shift to 7.45pm and that ability to easily just sit at home and watch instead was broadly the same time.

Was it lonergan that had a belter? One of our keepers around that time had a cracker

I’m persevering with mine (yours feels like it would need to be accompanied by a little dance) Josh Sheehan is magic, he wears a magic hat and if you try and tackle him he’ll make you look a twat. He dribbles with his left foot, he dribbles with his right anddd [insert bit to finish it off about something all night - not cock related]

You’ve missed the boat - that current one will stick. Maybe switch focus to Sheehan, it’s wank that one of our best players has a song that’s just Sheehan, Sheehan, Sheehan. Now I’m not one for a song thread, but there’s got to be a way to reuse the Beevers song, especially considering the twitterati now refer to him as the magician. Josh Sheehan is magic, he wears a magic hat…

The type of panic signing that we’d just never make now. £4m spunked away with clearly no diligence done, complete last minute gamble - just one example of how badly we were run for so long.

Noticed Lowery went off for Pompey midway through the first half on Saturday. Looks like he’s out for a few weeks at least. They’ve had some shocking luck with injuries, and long term ones too - it’s not caught up with them yet but I’m convinced it will do when they hit their tough run in.

My first thought when a player goes off after having their knee tested by a physio is the worst outcome - mainly because we had about 4 years of ACL after ACL putting key players out. The fact it’s not that is a bonus. If it’s 2 weeks then hopefully it acts as a bit of rest / reset for him and he comes back refreshed for the last 8-10 games. People won’t like it but it’s Vic and Collins starting for me on Sat - although I can see the 3 rotated in all combinations (and maybe even CMG thrown in at some point up top) over the next 4 games.

He’s not the one that got Kachunga and Charles mixed up is he?

Not a ticket plea, but a spare season ticket client ref that’s not being otherwise used for Wigan would be appreciated if anyone has one. Cheers

Could do with a spare season ticket client ref if anyone would be so kind