Leaderboard

I do think there is a massive hangover from last season. The back half of the season despite bringing in Collins was a series of poor results and performances. Even so we were a goal at Derby away from going up, then that day at Wembley. Everyone knows we fucked up, albeit the injuries were a factor these should not be an excuse. The numbers through the doors are incredible, but it is hard to get excited when we really should not be in this division, not because we are 'bigger' than anyone else but because it was all set up last year, relegated teams had issues, promoted teams not a factor. We needed a fast start this year to blow away the cobwebs, we have had the opposite. Add in the impact of the early kick offs and international breaks loads of good away trips have been screwed. I look at the fixtures and struggle to look forward to any of them. Sure will shake it off but watching 5 at the back when 2-0 down to Exeter really does not help.

It should've been longer

Baxter is better than Traf

24deg and rising. Glass of wine by the mighty Irwell (upstream from the Sewage Works) A bloke fly fishing in his waders, a light breeze, birds singing and a glass of red. Only half way round my walk so just the one glass.🍷 Wasn’t there a football song with the words ‘by the banks of the river Irwell’ might be a reds song, sorry.

Exactly this. There's fuck all wrong with reasoned debate. But when you dissappear when the going is good and then reappear with the I told you so gang when the chips are down you just come across as someone who's had the knives out throughout and will just never be happy. Zog1 acting like he's some kind of tactical genius point our crystal clear as fuck negatives 2 years ago is just ridiculous. Every match going fan in the land has known our achillies heels and Evatts bad points since day dot. But up until the pinnacle of last season the good outweighed the bad. Hence a 3rd place finish, shit ton of goals and a whisker away from promotion. All that in spite of our bleeding obvious flaws. This season it seems the manager has tried to address those flaws. But in turn, for me, has neglected the actual good points that has seen us with year on year progression. It's a fine line isn't it. All this cock waving telling folk I told you so is just pathetic. If we go on a good run now the likes of @desperadoand myself won't be on here taking a pop at any fucker sayings we knew it was hunky dory all along. It's just football isn't it. We weren't far away last season. Missing open nets and seeing out massive fixtures with Cameron Jerome and Bod up front had fuck all to do with playing out from the back by the way. Bod scores at Derby, Charles scores at Pompey we get promoted.

I thought I would never say this but I am bored with football this tippy tappy shit nearly every team is at it playing out from the back all the time do something different every now and again! I watch football to see goalmouth action and goals not 70% possession being in your own half! Rant over !

Stunner on the Cleveleys coastline last night.

Last season really was an odd one. While we came 3rd I agree we didn't improve in general play. It was just such a weak league, so the beatings by the better teams were less frequent as there weren't as many. And it took a lot of the lower teams time to figure out the semi pressing that ultimately nullified us in the play off final and in plenty of "easier" games before that too. And yet we still came 3rd and the top 2 weren't anything special like we'd seen in previous years. The league was there on a plate last season if we had a more adaptable manager. This season is way tougher, whoever manages us

Kieron Lee was a huge talent too..

You say this, and yet I still fully expect to get to the turnstile and see you spill out the side of a minibus saying "late call mate" 😂

Somebody needs to learn 30p Lee how to speak English.

9 years, and all he did was try and set fire to a building with people in , and he has previous. Can not do anything these days. Two Tier Kier will be calling him far right next. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c9d18449ye4t

You registered here at the end of May, 2023 - 15 months ago. Unless you had a previous incarnation?

Not half, looks a bit like that Irish bloke used to play for Forest and Man U

Hi mate. Message may have been misconstrued. I’m agreeing with last couple of posts on us being east to pick off and too rigid. He’s correct on that. I don’t align to any proved right theory as I just want us to win and being not very good is not for me. It depresses me far more than it should these days I can still remain objective on Evatt but little is left to be balanced on him.

Taking out the ‘I called it 2 years ago bit’ as I’ve no idea if he had or hasn’t. (Im included to say he did)His last few posts are absolutely spot on sadly. We have been sussed out. If you take the subjectivity out of the narrative, it can’t be argued mate.

IE wants to ape Pep but fundamentally misunderstands that just copying one or two tactics, the formation and playing a short passing attacking football isn't enough. He acts like he's got given the cheat sheets to football. That by rigidly sticking to a way of play, he'll automatically win, this is enforced by the obsession with possession. The actual structure of the team is wrong, this is why the ball gets rolled out to Santos and then he stands on it for 30 seconds. Not only does the person IE wants to ape, Pep switch things up tactically, he changes formations and even play styles semi regularly. IE misunderstands that this is League One not the Premier League, not only are the players inferior, not as fast, good at passing etc, they play differently.

You never know what's round the corner pal. My mum retired and died 6 months later. All the plans her and my Dad had gone in and instant. Get it fucking spent and get stuck in to some good stuff.

She's reet.

Aye my old man can vouch for this. He cashed in his caravan for a static at the site he loved. Absolutely money pit. Cheaper to fuck off to Spain every other month and stay in a hotel. I've love a motorhome to fuck off in all the gaff. Alone.

that ship sailed a while back

At least 15

Lovely display of Japanese knotweed in the foreground there.

I'm more out than @Big E

Aye, Henk was a character, and saddened to hear of his passing. As an example of his wit, I got this gem from a mate yesterday - I loved how he compared Alan Brazil to an Alfa Romeo - flashy, bright red and totally unreliable! 😂

Great post. We mustn’t forget that 90% if not more of folk on here are reasonable folk with a balanced view, they talk/post/read with an open mind and enjoy the reasoned debate. The good the bad and ugly are considered and discussed at length and its a great place to discus all things BWFC It’s what separates it from BN comments, Uncle Craig’s Facebook page and Twatter. At no point should our backing of Evatt to get this right and turn it around be misinterpreted as being blinkered to his faults, not accepting of the current trend of poor results or knowing that credit is virtually empty with little time to get this right.

If you and @radcliffe white are aligning yourself with him then it’s a sad day. I don’t think either of you come across as “I told you so” merchants. Neither of you try to pretend that if IE had done it your way we’d be in a better position. Both of you are passionate, come on here rain or shine, share in the memories of the good days, share your exploits of great away days (and some poor ones). I wouldn’t recommend going back through his posts, but if you did you’d see fuck all in terms of banter, good time stories, enjoying a positive game/result. If all you spout is negative shit you are eventually going to be right - he deserves zero credit. And I’m surprised you are giving any to him, just because his shitty narrative is giving an illusion that our current fortunes make him right.

The only illusion at play here is that our deteriorating fortunes have caused you to come back on here thinking you’re an expert (you are/were never on here when things are/were good) to spout your negativity. Which somehow allows you some leverage to say you were right all along, and gain some credit for it as if you are a master tactician who knows better. It might not happen now, but IE turning this round, would have its many benefits, one of which would be less bile and claims of “I told you so” from the likes of you.

When we were first promoted playing 4231, we struggled, so in Jan 2022 IE switched us to 532. It worked and made us conceded less goals. Opposition teams were confused, they were being attacked from what they viewed as a defensive formation. However, once teams figured out what we were doing, they kept getting better and better. This was then masked by a massive improvement in the players in the 22/23 season, with us signing players more suited to that new formation, followed by another increase 23/24 which coupled with that years lack of big clubs. This in total has created an illusion of a team getting better and better, a team in 9th, then 5th and 3rd. The players are better sure, but the team is now being held back by a manager out of his depth.

I’ve just posted this in one of the other topics. The episode speaks about how teams try to copy Pep’s teams but don’t have the same quality. Keane nails it.

There are hundreds of buildings around the country covered with flammable cladding because of what these cunts did. It’s not negligence, or incompetence we’re talking about here - it’s knowingly and intentionally selling a product you know is lethal. Corporate manslaughter is the very least they deserve charging with. It should be worse.

I get it but I'm finding the transition difficult... although I've hurt my back and can't do much at the moment I can't quite get my head around not going to work next Monday Tuesday (I have just gone down to a 3 day week). I see loads of people planning their retirement and buying expensive motor homes intending to go touring and buying properties abroad and then croaking it within a year... I have got stuck into a routine of 50 years standing and can't see myself just stopping... I suppose I have been lucky in enjoying my work (in the main).

I think the recent regional elections have certainly highlighted the rise of the far right in the east but I don’t think it’s a simple east v west thing. When other regions vote, I think we could see the same results. We’ve also seen it in Holland, Italy and France. In all these countries, the reason is the same.

Did the usual Dimron thing... brought a boat from a pal who wanted rid, took the missus and dog out for a trip. ended up 90 degrees across the first lock, got a plastic bag and shopping trolley stuck on the proprellor, ran out of petrol in a tunnel and really enjoyed myself... the other two weren't that impressed though 🙂

I’m going to build my own camper van. Spend half my life watching folk do them on YouTube. Won’t be pullling a wee car though. The plan is a couple of those Bromptons if we need to pop to the shops.

😊 This is true. The other way of looking at it is how much enjoyment you get out of your ‘lumper’. Depreciation of any purchase should be considered but the enjoyment could be greater than the financial loss. As the old saying goes, ‘no pockets in shrouds’

Mine wants a posh coffee machine. This has helped me get over it😂

That is how I figure it... you can't go into town in a bloody big house on wheels... too many car parks seem to ban "motorhomes". I have seen them on the road towing a small car behind them but it seems an overly expensive way to solve the problem... but maybe my 1964 Midget might go on the roof rack 🙂

I liked Trafford from day one... I liked his attitude and arrogance when confronted with the opposition, that attitude permeated through the defence and built confidence... it was very much "I am Premier League and getting some game time with you lads, watch me" I also respect Baxter and I believe he is doing good work but a different character

Trafford improved a lot as he gained experience, but was prone to mistakes in his early days. Baxter is already got experience and it shows, he's a very good keeper.

That’s a big call, but I do agree that we’re not diminished with Baxter.

Totally agree with that. They need to be absolute top draw to pull it off.

I also feel for Luke, Evatt seems at the moment to have a bit of that risk averseness the England cricket team used to have pre Baz Ball, waiting an eternity to decide lads are 'ready'. He's a versatile lad that can fill in across two or three positions, would have been good to see him be in and around the match day squad week to week. Doesn't really inspire optimism amongst the B team lads and the coaches that there's any real connection with the first team

This is the problem with wing backs though, they have to be exceptional to make a 5 at the back work properly IMO. Bradley was, and to a lesser degree Fossey before him. Since then we've been struggling and 4 at the back would help the players

😀😀 nah firmly out hols are the issue tbh I’d rather keep for other games, lad wants to do Wycombe on that Friday night as they break up for Xmas at 12

Absolute no interest in going to this been probably every season when in the PL, leave it for the Ruth’s

saw all sorts of things i got pics of these a school girl cafe an office girl cafe and some place where you'd walk in, pick a girl on the other side of the glass, and she'd talk to you on the phone whilst her skirt got blown up by a breeze

I still really want it to click for Evatt and hope it does but I do agree with this. I can't see Sam coming back and I'm sure he'd be considered a dinosaur but if Steve Bruce is still getting gigs then there's no reason for Sam not to. I think his hybrid 451/433 could work plus he can adapt his methods and work out how to get the best out of what he has available (a nervous Campo flourished in midfield, the Reggae Boyz flying winger to a top left back). It'll never happen but.

It does repeat itself.

Is it not the case that we started last season on fire and everyone thought we were shoe ins for promotion? But in that period even there were warning signs that if a team got it right against us there could be problems. Wigan for example. We then had a knack of always coming out the wrong side of the tight games. Portsmouth away. And struggling when teams started to dominate midfield. I think what happened was injuries piled up but more fundamentally more and more teams started to work out how to stop us. Oxford got blasted at our place but changed their system from that point and knew in the final exactly how to stop us. Once teams found a way to stop us steamrolling them and make games tighter we looked much more vulnerable in general. For whatever reason we didn’t seem able to adapt from what we were doing early in the season which worked but stopped working to anything else. Whether that is down to Evatt and his ability or simply not really having the available players to make an effective change is up for debate.