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Wanderers Ways. Neil Thompson 1961-2021

Eddie

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Posts posted by Eddie

  1. 23 minutes ago, desperado said:

    Fair enough.

    But it fits with the narrative of the 5/10 games. If he messes up these big games then I will agree with you.

    I still think there’s evidence to cling to that we can believe it can be done.

    And I suspect I won’t be on my own. Come Birmingham and Stockport there won’t be many stood there cheering us on at kick-off thinking “we’ve lost this already we don’t win big games” Most of those will be on their Firesticks, poised over their keyboards waiting to go on their socials at the first mistake. 

    I’ll be there thinking we can win because; 

    - we are playing a system now which suits us better

    - We have 4 bang in form strikers who can all score goals

    - We have scored lots of goals in the last 5 games 

    - We’ve got players who are up to speed and contributing (Schon)

    - We’ve got good quality back-up in a variety of positions 

    - We’ve a captain who is performing consistently well and is a good young leader. 

    - There’s a few players who must be top of the tree in their positions in L1 at the moment. There won’t be too many ahead of Dempsey, Johnstone, Charles, Baxter and even the crap Santos  

    - And believe it or not, another controversial one for some to accept, the players are playing for their manager at the moment.

    None of that makes it extremely likely we are going to win anything, but I’ll argue with anyone that it’s not reasonable evidence to suggest there’s a chance. 

    Can’t disagree with any of it mate, and I’ll be in the stands at Birmingham full of hope that for those very reasons we will come away with a point at a minimum (they’re also not exactly City!).

    After all that I’ve said, I don’t see much sense in potting him now even though that leaves me slightly contradictory because I also don’t think he’s likely to secure more than 5 points from those games (which will leave us quite a way behind the top 2). I just can’t see that anything has fundamentally changed which will alter the overall outcome - you could have made a list just like yours before we went and lost to Wigan and Blackpool away in a week last year, there was just an inevitability.

    Anyway, I really really hope I’m wrong, and this wasn’t meant to be a flat out “he has to go” type response, more just a rationale reasoning using some stats as to why I think we’re staring down the barrel of another failed season.

  2. 2 minutes ago, desperado said:

    I didn’t say that.

    I actually went out of my way to say “I’m not making the point that that is extremely likely, but I am saying it’s not beyond reasonable”

    It’s a very fair point, and my wording wasn’t great. I suppose I’d still say that that record suggests it is beyond reasonable though. Beyond possible, no, of course we could do it, beyond reasonable, yes for me it is.

    Like I said earlier, big games have proven to be his nemesis and this year there are more than ever.

  3. 12 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said:

    We’ve changed formation since Huddersfield & Wrexham game, even with the system that didn’t work we were very unlucky not to take 3 points against Wrexham. Let’s see where we are after the games you’ve highlighted, if we do get schooled then his position has to come into question. Lot of needless negativity on here. 

    Negativity might be true - but needless is subjective and I’d say that where we find ourselves at the moment means for most it isn’t needless.

    As I’m a sad bastard and had 15 minutes on my hands, I’ve just ran through what I consider to be the “big games” in each of Evatt’s seasons and the results we got in them. It really is a pretty stark picture and shows just how much has to change this season considering the volume of those type of games that we’ve got this season:

    20/21

    Cheltenham

    Cambridge

    Morecambe 

    Tranmere

    12 points from 8 games but lost both to Tranmere. (1.5 ppg)

     

    21/22

    Wigan

    Rotherham

    Sheff Weds

    Sunderland

    Pompey

    6 points from 10 games (0.6 ppg)

     

    22/23

    Plymouth

    Ipswich

    Sheff weds

    Barnsley x4 (incl. play offs)

    Derby

    Pompey

    10 points from 14 games (0.7 ppg)

     

    23/24

    Pompey

    Derby

    Barnsley x4 (incl. play offs)

    Blackpool

    Wigan

    Oxford play off final

    12 points from 12 games and then lost the biggest one of the lot (1 ppg)

     

    24/24

    1 point from 2 games (0.5 ppg)

     

    IF we go up this season, and you’re right that of course there is a chance that we can, then we have to change something that has been the same in each one of his 4 seasons. 14-16 of our games this season will be ‘big games’ and we average 0.8 points per game in L1 when we play these type of games. If we carry on our usual record then we pick up 13 points in those 16 games and assuming we need 85 points to get into automatics we would need 2.7 points per game in the other 30 games. 

    I don’t think he is mentally strong enough to handle the big occasion, and this season more than any of his others before it will be key.

  4. 26 minutes ago, desperado said:

    I think it’s a perfectly reasonable argument to say I think we can get results against the better sides in this league.

    Who are they?

    Well I think we’d all agree Birmingham. That one’s debatable and probably the one I’m most concerned about getting something from. But let’s see in a few weeks. 

    Stockport away will be a good indicator, to see if we have improved/are improving.

    At the moment the table suggests it’s then Wrexham and Mansfield. Well we looked ok against Wrexham when we were playing the shit system, they didn’t worry me too much on that performance. Nor Mansfield.

    The way we’ve played in the last 4 games if we can recreate some of the good play we’ve seen, then against the likes of Burton, Peterborough and Blackpool at home it’s not a stupid or thick thing to say we could pick up points.

    If we do pick up points in these games and put a good run together then why can’t that be used as evidence? I don’t get it?

    I’m not making the point that that is extremely likely, but I am saying it’s not beyond reasonable and if so would dispel your myth that everyone should have made their mind up by now.

    I’d push it even further and say that these are exactly the games where we need to making judgements on this manager and our side.

    We’ve been consistently shite in any “big games” throughout his reign - other than the very odd anomaly. This season, those big games will be Brum, Huddersfield, Rotherham, Wigan, Wrexham, Stockport, Blackpool and maybe Barnsley - we’ve played 2 of them, both at home and have 1 point to show from them.

    The past is a good indicator for the future, unless there is a propensity to change and we know there isn’t much of that (don’t throw a suicidal change to 2 in midfield back, it’s the overall stubbornness).

    The run coming up of Birmingham, Posh, Stockport, Rotherham and Blackpool will likely prove that nothing has changed and will be the end of his tenure in my opinion. I’d love to be proved wrong but to suggest that it’s perfectly likely to happen is nothing other than blind faith and hope.

  5. 4 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said:

    It astounds me that many fans want Evatt removed from his job, we have league 1 players who sometimes can’t execute the plan or drop below their normal standards and a relatively young manager who has a decent win ratio granted at a league 1/2 level…. Think many fans just don’t like him (not all) his record does not in any way shout out that he’s a fair case for being sacked. 

    I’d say I’m centre right in the Evatt out camp, not dead set that he has to go but probably leaning towards it if pushed to choose.

    Being completely matter of fact - he’s 13th in L1 after 9 games of his 4th season in this league. With the size of the club and the money he’s had to spend, relative to this league, it’s not a glowing record.

  6. Most of it’s been said, first half was poor - really passive, no intensity (shock), same old mistakes at the back and the perfect way to give a team with no confidence something to believe in.

    Second half we were brilliant, but let’s also remember that we were playing 23rd in the league (won 1 in 15) at home - we should look far superior.

    If Collins’ chance goes in at the end then we all breathe a sigh of relief, momentum continues and we move on. It didn’t though, and would have somewhat papered over cracks. We’ve now got 5 points from 5 home games, conceding 10 - the worst home defensive record in the league!! We’ve played 3 teams that will be right down the bottom, one newly promoted and one that has been turned over time and time again since playing us, it’s hardly the toughest of starts and is far from what’s required to get promoted.

  7. 19 minutes ago, Whitestar said:

    This lad Arfield???

    TBH I'd never heard of him, in a thread a few weeks ago there was a bit of banter about him being good for the dressing room and someone said " he's absolutely not!!"

    Well a couple of weeks on and it seems every time he gets on the pitch we seem to go backwards or give up or accept that's it.

     

    Is he a bad un????

    I don’t think he’s a bad un, but I definitely don’t think he’s in the same league as someone like Jerome for on-field management, which might just have been a lazy initial expectation due to his age/ experience.

    I’ve no idea why he came on today though, he’s proven that he’s not adding any goal threat so far and if Lolos was fit enough for the bench then he should have been on instead. As others have said, it seemed like it was straight off the whiteboard plan that was drawn up midweek, rather than reflecting the game.

  8. 2 minutes ago, Dr Faustus said:

    Sorry for being deliberately vague, but we may have some news incoming…

    You’re not wrong Doc, that’s very vague / cryptic!

    Are we to assume that you know something that isn’t otherwise known and it is related to our injuries (hence your comment on this thread?)

    Hope it’s news of someone coming back from injury rather than a new injury! When will you be less vague?

  9. That gets given offside in the Prem cause his big toe would have been off.

    Common sense says he’s in line and should get the benefit of the doubt and the fan’s celebrations are in the moment - long live football without VAR!

  10. 6 minutes ago, gonzo said:

    100%

    Beats Brentford and pissing Bournemouth.

    God there's some shite in the prem now :(

    Not just stature of clubs either. No VAR, bit more blood and thunder but still some high quality football.

    Impressed by Sunderland so far - never heard of their boss!

  11. Just now, maaarsh said:

    Prior to that he's been absolutely awful, but a goal makes everything better

    Toal has?

    I’d say his distribution has been, but it often is - his defending though is second to none, he’s positionally brilliant. 

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