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Guys and girls. Call out for a fellow White London Wanderer hasn't been on here for 12 days. We all know his little one wasn't well 😢 Praying all is OK with him and his little one, if anyone has his number, please give him a call to make sure all is OK🙏 Thank you from us all 👍

Get yourself a beer pal. You need one.

Sheehan and Johnson have been excellent this season and yesterday as well and I have criticised them a lot in the past.The cheering of Randal being substituted is pathetic I thought he played well yesterday. We need to take our chances that is my only criticism but this is league 1 football, overall I am happy with SS and the players up to now this season. Masi , desperado I enjoy reading your posts both very informative even though you both have opposite views at times.

Claptrap. Tea break at the cricket, so just a quick look at some stats. Randall is up there with Gale and ACD in terms of touches, touches in the box and shots - hardly a reflection of “all attacking balls go to the wings” - this was why SS selected him. From here we can debate his effectiveness. “99% of the time we don’t cross” 😂 29 we attempted today! Now if you had suggested we need to improve the quality of delivery, then debate away. I think you need to search for some new theories to try and prove you are a better manager than SS. And if the only reason we are winning games is nothing to do with us and more the quality of L1 - then the same can be said for all our rivals. Oh and lets not let this one ride.. ”ACD looks pants right now” 😂 Less effective, not scoring as many, not as confident…maybe…debatable. But “pants” - I bet most sides would have wanted this “pants” player in their side yesterday, never giving up, continuing to be a threat and creating a 93rd minute winner to spearhead a promotion campaign.

Got too love the Aussies.😅 Loads of Bolton fans here. We were at the traffic crossing yesterday and an Aussie/British family stood next to us. The young lad, about 9, kept staring at my son’s Bolton badges. The father apologised and explained that the lad’s grandfather used to play for us and loved all things BWFC. Who? I asked. Garry Jones he said! Well he couldn’t have met a bigger fan than me and I spent 20 minutes talking to them about his career and how I met him at the Reebok in a box just two weeks before he died. I’m not sure who got more out of the conversation. I suspect it was me. Garry’s son moved here years ago and the lad was born here.

Whilst JR should've done better when he was through on goal he was unlucky in the first half with his header then shot at the near post Earned a place on the bench if nothing else yesterday but definitely didn't deserve the reaction he got when subbed

WOW....what a day....what an occasion!! Boby, I couldn't believe you saw me taking the pic so far away 🤣 Roll on Sydney!!!

I've read nothing but imagine I'm going against the grain here but I though our midfield 3 of Erharon, Sheehan and Randall was the best I've seen of us all season in terms of a complete unit. Yes Randall should have made better of certain situations but he seems to find time and space where others don't. I thought he and Sheehan linked up well and EE did the dirty work and then some. I though it spoke volumes when the changes were made and Dempsey didn't get a kick and XS couldn't do a kick. On a negative note, Christie is a problem. I don't know the numbers but I suspect there's a correlation between ACD's dip in form and JCD absence from the team. I could be wrong and I'm sure somebody will put me right. Otherwise, pretty good all-round.

Nobody asked you

That Derby team had basically the same number of 3-0s (7) as 1-0 wins (8). They won 13 times away from home, eight by two or more goals and finished with a GD of +41. I only saw them play three times (vs us x2 and Pompey on TV) and admittedly they didn't look like 1970's Brazil. But equally I think there's a tendancy to make up narratives about teams we rarely watch. Derby were clearly a very good team and killed games off more often than not. That's the standard for getting automatic promotion. The more you let teams hang around at 1-0 the more likely you are to needlessly let points slip away (Reading being the classic example from this season as well as yesterday).

Health and safety wasn't much of a thing in the 80s

used to really wind me up in the Fergie time era when united used to scrawp late winners and seemed to win the bastard league every season. Wish I'd realised at the time they were just papering over the cracks.

Folk need to watch the other teams in our division and then conclude how well or not well we are playing. Go back and watch some of the tripe Wrexham served up last season and Derby the season before.

I agree on the whole. My only point of inflexibility is always playing inverted whoever the wingers are. Would it make a massive difference? I don't know. If Dalby is on I think it would suit him and the 10 better to have them on their normal sides going to the byline more, but we've not seen it to compare (can't use that shambles v Swindon to measure anything). I also agree with @ianofcleveleys point that we can be happy with the win yesterday and still point out areas it looks like we're struggling in. For me that's converting dominance into goals. Would be incredibly boring on here without some opinions

Mostly reasonable, debatable points (unlike the ones zog posted earlier) Subs - did we need to make that many? Probably not (although rotation in a busy period will have been a consideration). Did they make us weaker? As a unit… maybe. But not each individual one - for example without Dalby we’re not scoring that equaliser. Do they always make us weaker? Definitely not - go back to Exeter for evidence there. I disagree with the we only have a “one way” approach. Yes we have a preferred formation (which team, manager doesnt) and we rely on/use our fast, attacking wingers, but there’s some both visible and subtle differences and adaptations (game-to-game and in-game) we make and tweak. IMO I think a lot overlook this when analysing SS tactically.

I’ve been a big critic of Josh but credit where it’s due, probably our best player in his last 7/8 games. When he’s not in the team, we can’t pass the ball in the middle

When's the last time we put in a good performance? Wigan in September? I'm glad we're doing well but this can't go on forever. I've already found my culprit, the tactics. The dogged adoption of 4231 (inverted) where the instruction seems to be all attacking balls go to the wings, seemingly regardless of how many people are marking the winger, no wonder ACD looks pants right now (not his fault) he's still getting the ball with 3 men on him. I don't know why we bothered signing a no 9 or playing with a no 10, 99% of the time we don't cross and it's never first time because they have to cut back due to being inverted, which slows down play and allows their defenders time. Nobody passes to our no 10 regardless of the player, in a 4231 he's meant to be a link player/ chance creator and goal scorer. In 4231's he's the most important player. The fact we're winning so many of these games says more about League One than it does about us.

I’d love Randall to go and get a hat trick at some point to shut the negative fuckers sat near me up, but it probably still wouldn’t be good enough. I don’t get the hate for him, the lads trying. Support the players who put a Bolton shirt on.

I think the point he was probably making is its the same people picking out negatives every week and when we do actually hammer someone they seem to go remarkably quiet.

Whatever you feel Miami's motivation may be for posting, that is just irreprehensible and totally incomprehensible. I won't pretend for one minute that you are a favourite poster of mine in here but have taken most of your rants with a pinch of salt, but really? Really??? You are one of....and realistically... the most attention seeking poster on here with your contrary for the sake of it nonsense but its generally accepted as part of the Wanderersways mix of madness. However after your attitude to this subject you can fuck off and when you have fucked off you can fuck off some more!! You really cant see that you are attention seeking more than anyone else that you fire your bile at may be can you?

Trying to help a fellow White, and you post that ? You need more than serious help, you sicken everyone

Not a bad view this afternoon, and a game to match!

I know nothing. I just love Bolton Wanderers winning. You seem to hate it.

He’s certainly better going forward than defending and he was getting targeted and mugged a few games ago, but yesterday his positioning was miles better than usual and he did really well defending the two far post crosses at the end. When defending wide he cut out diving in so he seems to be learning/improving. On that note, the quality of their crossing was outstanding and the kind of stuff I’d imagine Dalby would thrive on.

Thought EE had a good game yesterday up until his substitution and him and Sheehan played well together.

It was @kent_white and he's an attention seeking moron

None of it is as black and white as they're saying or you're saying. There seems to be an ever decreasing room on here for saying we lost but there were things individuals or the team did well, or we won but there were some things we didn't do so well. It won't be much of a forum if all that's in scope is 'we lost, move on' or 'we won, onto the next'. We won, 3 of the 12 Xmas / New Year points bagged, but it was harder work that it ought to have been. Not an unreasonable thing to say, surely.

I now understand why this season I’ve usually waited till Sunday to compose and post my thoughts Deary me. Seems like unless we smash sides every week, some folk will never be happy and will always revel in posting miserable shit.

Funny how we all see things differently, no problem with that, its just chat. But if there's one player who I've watched for Bolton over the years who has a footballing brain its Josh Sheehan. I wish the rest of the squad were blessed with the ability to read the game how he does and make the right decisions much more often than not. Just how I see it.

We won, you fucking plantpot.

Good God, yer a miserable cunt aren't you? Most football fans I know would enjoy a win regardless of how their team played, but especially if their team played well and deserved it.

I think the swapping of wingers is a debatable point - I’ve never said this isn’t. I’m not against seeing it. Do I think it would be this ground breaking epiphany some are making out it would be. I’m not sure myself. And to throw in another fact - he’s done it on a couple of occasions, all-be-it very fleetingly (Swindon away for one) - it didn’t work (that’s not to say it might work on an another occasion) A more solid 4-3-3, again a debatable topic. I think we can (and have) done this on occasions. Personally I’d like to keep our wingers in home and away games. The points I’ve been calling out are the factually incorrect ones from Zog and Masi. And the “one way” approach I’m pulling up is the “we only give the ball to inverted wingers and tell them to cut in” - as well as not recognising the visible and subtle differences that SS makes - IMO he’s not inflexible.

My lads under 12s team on a 5k this morning. No rest for the best 🤣👏 20251227_091054_1.mp4

Without sounding like a 10 year old, but EE is fast becoming a favourite. His doing the dirty breaking up play is just as important as Sheehan starting our play or the spark ACD gives in his assists / goals. Another mention to Johnston, as he was getting on my tits last season but he’s certainly turned it around. All 4 above need to start when fit, but appreciate the squad will come into its own through January and hopefully our time to get into and stay in the top 2 positions and finally get out of this horrific 3 tier.

I was worried when I saw the starting front 6 but as SS reminded us in his post match interviews, a lot of teams are effectively playing 541 against us and we have to find ways of picking holes in them. We mixed it up quite well today and Randall played well IMO but it seems symptomatic of the squad in general that we lack players who can shoot with power, accuracy and early, many taking an extra touch to set it perfectly by which time blocks and saves become easier and many of the shots we had on target were powder puff. Just lack ruthless striker instincts. I don’t think ACD needs a rest as he was still going at the end to set up Sheehan but I do think he needs to vary what he does a lot more and make better decisions - as does Gale with his wayward floaty curlers towards the far post. I was crying out the whole game for ACD to take on his man and get to the byline but he was incessantly recycling it back to the defenders and both wingers need to mix it up to make them less predictable. It was another game where we were good in patches but didn’t capitalise on it enough, making for a very nervy watch but this time we got away with it. Last week we didn’t. Still, we bagged the points and are still in the mix and we’ll see what January brings - although an instinctive predator up top is probably beyond our reach so we’ll just have to make it work and hopefully these lads will learn to be more ruthless in front of goal.

No But, you see that’s not what I’m saying at all. My post match comments are usually more detailed and balanced, the day after so I don’t spoil my Saturday nights after enjoying winning a game. I don’t skim through any posts, I read it all and give credence to opinion positive or negative, win or lose. Last thing I’m saying is we won, so all you are allowed to say is happy clappy nice things. I’m just saying some folk revel in the miserable, blaming, negative, over-reactionary, irrational, emotional and unintelligent crap. Not an unreasonable thing to call out is it, on a festive Boxing Day win?

It's when the ball comes near him that's the problem

If he’d scored the couple of chances he had we’d have been singing “hair and socks notwithstanding he’s one of our own”.

Right back is a funny one. I thought Christie would be the answer once he got match fit. Old experienced head who’s played a higher level recently. On one hand he’s part of a defence that isn’t conceding much, but he does look really laboured at the moment - he let cross after cross in from that side, was so slow to react for the penalty but most concerning is his lack of support for ACD. The two of them just don’t work, he’s not helping ACD in attack which I don’t think is a coincidence as to why ACD is in his poorest run of form, but ACD also seems less interested in tracking back which is leaving Christie exposed - it’s like the fuckers don’t like each other 😂, lack of any kind of cohesion between them. JDC is completely out of favour. I think he’s a weak link now defensively and is targeted by the opposition, but he definitely gets more out of ACD ahead of him. Looks like he could be out of the door in Jan given the lack of appearances even in the squad in the last month. Then there’s Tutu who let’s be honest is makeshift and a liability defensively. Great as a winger who is more defensive minded, or as a right back coming on when you’re chasing a game and basically double up with wingers down that side, but he’s not a sustainable option to start at right back. To me it looks like JDC will be out, a new RB will be in, likely with the view to be the main starter, Christie as back up and then Tutu available for certain situations like he currently is. Lets just hope it’s someone that has a better playing chemistry with ACD!

Also, only 6 games across all 3 leagues were won by more than one goal today. Plenty of fans across the country will be saying that they wish they’d killed the game off earlier, we’re hardly the only ones. There will be loads of eyes on our result today from Cardiff, Bradford, Stockport etc. fans who’s reaction will be “for fuck sake, Bolton just always find a way to win at home”. I’ll take that

Duberry I felt had probably his worst game for us today until the winner, yet the match was just another indication of why he's so important to play the whole game. He can be quiet for 90 minutes, but in extra time how many points has he won us now? Sheehan got the 2 goals but just look at him pressing their centre half in the build up for the winner. He's been labelled a soft touch in the past, but he's a real fighter along with his ability to dictate and dominate matches. Special mention to Dalby, gave us another dimension when he came on and had their centre halves struggling. As for the main taking point, Randell. I personally don't think he's good enough and hasn't delivered in the nearly 12 months he's been here now and for the 1.2 million we spent on him. I do think as fans we love a scapegoat and there's a lot of fans out of there hoping he does something wrong to prove their points. But also, there's some out there giving him extra praise, just because his performance may have been better than performances in the past. But being honest, when his previous games have been say a 3 or 4/10 and today he might have been a 5 or 6/10, I personally don't think that's a thing to praise. Nevertheless, whether you praise or criticise him, one thing that is completely detrimental and wrong, is celebrating his departure after he has quite obviously put in effort in front of 24,000 "supporters" for the shirt of the club we all support. He might not be good enough, which is a belief I personally hold onto at the moment. But responding like that? How can that support him to do better next time he puts on the shirt? Or next time there's a key pressured moment in the game, that he has the confidence to do what it takes without having us supporters in the back of his mind? Confidence is huge in football and it's our job as supporters to help provide that as much as we can. Today, we completely shot down the confidence of our very own player who may very well be in the managers plans whether we like it or not. Think some need to take a look at themselves.

BTW GJ was an absolute rock in defence and my MOM

How do you speak to the ref and linesman like that and not even get a card ???

I’m struggling to remember seeing a player weaker than Randall. Good run then into the box but he’s just so easily brushed off.

160 odd passes to there 30, but toal and Jonston will have 80% of them

84% possession not one effort on goal and could be 2 down, this is shite.

It seems Pep Ball is hard to put away.

Far too slow at moving the ball. Again.

Going to be a long day at this tempo. Rotherham have had the ball twice in 12 minutes and caused more danger than us in the other 11 and a half.

Why does everything have to go sideways and round, nobody prepared to pass through to a runner. Twice there we had the chance but no, just bloody sideways again. Come on Whites take a bloody chance with a through ball occasionally.