desperado

Reality Vs Expectation creates confusion and contradiction when I make future predictions. I look at everyone of those games and on there own I think and expect us to win! That’s why I still have us winning the title! 😂 But in reality it’s ridiculously unlikely we are going to get 16-18 points. So then I have to select a game we are going to lose! It leads you down the path of choosing a game like Accrington, where we’ve never won or performed. But there’s no way I’m logging on to get tickets later in the expectation we aren’t going to win! It is one game at a time. But in reality as @Traf says, 12 points would keep us on track. Convincing some when we drop 6 points that we’re still in contention will be tricky mind.

It’ll be one of the shortest match threads in history this one. Nothing to moan about…… well maybe/maybe not 😂 And nothing dramatic or sensational. But plenty to be pleased about; 3 points, in no real danger, best defensive record in league, Trafford so confident, strikers scoring goals (told you they would 😉), midfield so dominant and probably lots more. Gutted can’t make these next 2 aways - they could see us up in promotion spots COYFWM 👏

Take a step back drama queens - Come on England

Back to the days of the “Bextor” Just read the same news on 4 different threads! 😂

The players are ok. If anything during Southgate’s time, he’s had them playing better than they do for their clubs! Granted, getting the best out of Foden and Grealish is something that still needs addressing. Against the real top opposition we’ve seemed to struggle to impose ourselves - but that’s always been the case in my lifetime! However there’s good games and results in the friendlies/uefa nations against Spain and Croatia that spring to mind. And beating Denmark, Germany, Colombia and Sweden in major tournaments shouldn’t be forgotten. Yes we aren’t in great form, but a decent performance/result tonight would be a good confidence booster prior to the World Cup.

Proud as punch today. u15s lads I’ve been coaching at Heaton since they were toddlers won the GMCL cup today.

Wondering where best to put this - but here seems to fit well considering how valuable Johnstone has become to the way Evatt likes to play. While his aerial capabilities still concern me. There is absolutely no doubting the influence his other attributes have on the way we play and he Is certainly a key contributor to the defensive shut-outs we’ve had and sets many an attack off with the way he brings the ball out from the back. I wasn’t convinced he’d be a mainstay at the start of the season, but he’s winning me over week by week.

All part of the learning process, which includes Evatt. Must admit - a midfield without MJ away from home against a better team, might not be something we see on a regular basis. In his defence he was (and perhaps still is) searching for an MJ replacement and/or different midfield set-ups without him. He’s landed on Thomason since then and stuck with him. We might see if Thomason works without MJ soon Possibly Tuesday - good games to to experiment with.

I’m actually now taking this as a positive. If a side that sits third is a side that we looked better against away from home, but we were guilty of not taking chances/silly mistakes- you address that (which we have…. to an extent…) so that next time we come against a playoff/promotion rival we learn and get what we deserve - which arguably we did against a Peterborough FWIW IMO Plymouth are a rival for a play-off spot - but not for the title. Happy for @green genie to offer a different angle seeing them every week.

That fella never got a sniff today

No shots on target. And no shots in the box. Great defending. But that doesn’t tell you the story of Trafford’s game. As you say, great sweeper keeper today. And very Confident in crosses

Good shout that. Especially with 4 teams above us only getting 1 point

Hard team to predict. His prematch talk suggests changes/rotations, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Dempsey, Morley, Dapo and John come into the mix: Trafford Jones. Santos. Johnston Bradley. John Williams Morley. Dempsey Charles. Dapo

Yes - good point, he’s most certainly spreading the faith. Its already happening, but who would have thought a few years ago that a “YouTuber” would have so much influence. Whether you like it or not, young people for the next 20/30 years are going to reference Thogden as to why they follow the whites. I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, you can’t blame him for following the clicks, the sponsors, the money. And if that means him following the Big Games around the world, then why the hell not? He’s good at what he does. It’s going to set him up for life. I still maintain that his best and most Passionate videos are of the Whites. For anyone in doubt just look at his Forest video when we stayed up. I’m always quite open to an alternative view and often change my mind accordingly. But I’m yet to hear an alternative view that this is just a BOLTON fan that’s made it into the big time. Albeit in a way and manner that us oldies find hard to relate to. I find it hard to not like that story.

An amazing outlook on life. Great, but heartbreaking story, hope the whites put on a winning performance for him.

All pretty subjective especially when it comes to play-off rivals. There’s arguably 13/14 teams whose realistic aspirations (based on current form, stature of club or previous season’s achievements) are to get in the top 6. Currently (although even this could change) I’d say there’s only the 4 above us (although I’m not sure about Plymouth) who look like they could mount a title challenge. But again all very subjective. Rival or not, it’s a big game, which if we win cements a really good start.

I get your humour 😊 - But I think you get my point - if we beat Peterborough and they drop to mid-table would we have beaten a rival?

I get what you are saying. But it is an ever changing dynamic, especially as you beat the sides around you and climb the table. Charlton, Wycombe and MK (to a degree based on previously years) could arguably have been considered our rivals for top 6 spots. If we beat Peterborough they could conceivably drop to mid-table, does that then make it just another game where we haven’t beaten a rival?

And with us Vs Peterborough that makes it 6 out of the top 7 playing each other. Not that we need any more incentives, but it would be a big 3 points cementing our status as a promotion contender.

Not sure about that table. But I think the tweet above highlights how difficult a start our fixtures were and we have come out of it pretty well.

Cracker that 👏

Oh God yes. The PC football managers will be out in force when he makes changes to a winning side. 😂

I think so too. Reading between the lines from IE pre-game, Cheltenham’s team would have been different than today. Today he compared MK to Charlton so went with pretty much the same side. Saturday will change again. As well as Morley and Dempsey I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw Dapo and John as well.

Surely you have to add Jones to that. Won the penalty and scored a great goal as well as defending pretty well.