desperado

It wasn’t one element or one section of players. It was the combination and SS’s selection and management of these players that was the key. We all know that side that swanny has put out wouldn’t survive in the championship - but there’s some who will have a real say and impact next year.

I do like the Wanderers acknowledgment outside of Bolton; neighbouring Lancashire towns, down south, home nations, on holiday. Best one I ever had was on honeymoon in Fiji. In the breakfast queue with my Wanderers top on, bloke behind says something along the lines of “White Army” . We’re still good mates now and it’s Toby Ritchies dad!

Did he? Which game(s) was that then? All I remember is some folk suggesting SS should do that.

Loving the ACD conspiracy theories! 😂

Maroon, purple, I’m shit with colours. Yeh it’s maroon init 😂

😂

I like the purple

So that’s the new home kit is it? Buy it and picture with the cup tomorrow if anyone fancies it.

Yes. See @Eddie above 👆 I’d be surprised if Sheehan doesn’t start that first game in the championship in August.

I’m with you on this. It’s ridiculously fine margins. The way our manager and some of our players have been written off this season has been extreme IMO. And I don’t mean the game to game opinion and analysis which can understandably, after a defeat, be overly negative. I’m on about the seismic dismissal of our players and manager not being good enough. I really do hope we remember what’s happened this season before folk write-off our next player or manager.

🤣👏

I’ll be honest I don’t know who does what. But I have had conversations with one member of the board and that’s how I know how highly they regard FH

It really was. What a contribution Rodrigues has made. Without him we may not have been promoted. He was the best rabbit out of the hat! 😂

I’m happy if the rabbits are as good as this season. Objective achieved. Every reason to be optimistic he can do it again or even better it.

Duberry, Forss, Apter, Kenny and CBT were, on paper, a fantastic coup for a L1 club. As you say, some work out and some don’t. There’s no guarantee from even the best scout/recruiter in the world for a player not performing to their potential or getting injured. We all know about ACD’s contribution. Kenny and CBT great up until injuries. Forss and Apter are real head-scratchers, they didn’t show any of the potential they were identified for. Debatable whether Burstow, Bonham and Cissoko were a success, I’d argue they were - all contributed towards promotion. Throw Rodrigues into the mix, (and assuming FH influenced most signings last year) I think Harkins identification and recruitment was pretty good in his first year (as you say also taking into account he came to the party a little late from the continent)

Forgot what thread I was on, when I opened this. I thought it was our final attendance figures, just going over 29k 😂

One thing I do know for a fact is that Harkin is really valued from the top within our club. Well respected at City too. They consider him to be a pivotal cog (by some, the most) in this summers recruitment.

Great post Johnny - it really was the perfect day 👏

Each to their own. I’m happy to leave it to the experts to choose our squad for next year. But who am I to criticise what folk talk about on here, I filled a couple of pages talking about our attendance at Wembley 😂 Did you go? What did you make of it all?

Multi-talented pal 😉

Aye bloody hell a quick skim was enough for me 😂

I’m torn on VAR, always have been, nothing to do with yesterday. The cons are (which seems to be the popular majority on here) all based around taking the raw emotion of in the moment experiences away together with its wild interpretation which occasionally leads to some awful decisions, often after taking far too long to make those decisions - so I get it, I’m of the same opinion when I look at that side of the debate. But I also think there’s valid arguments for it and I also think there’s a far too common popular dismissal of it. “It’s fucking shit VAR” and the one I just laugh at “Id stop watching football if we ever got to the premiership with VAR.” I put this in the same bracket as “I’m not going if we move grounds” “the play-off system is shit” in fact any change in the game “I’m not watching a winter World Cup” etc etc It’s mostly bluff and bluster. Imagine missing that on Sunday because you didn’t bother because of VAR 😂

They’ve been doing this for the last 15 years! 😂 Out of all the fixtures, this is the one I’m most looking forward to.

Think I’d probably find a place for Kieran Lee and for that brief spell at LB/LWB where he was great Declan John. Possibly Forino too

And someone’s up early… or should I say up even later 🤣