Eddie

Big Sam Dalby will be licking his lips at this defending!

They still look shaky at the back though. Thing I’m most interested in is how long McGoldrick plays - he played 90 on Saturday and I can’t see that he’s got 3 games in a week in him. Really wouldn’t surprise me to see him start on the bench on Saturday (he didn’t play at all away at Cardiff) edit: (you know you’re fully invested back in a season when you’re watching Barnsley v Northampton on a Tuesday night like you’re bloody scouting them 🤦🏻‍♂️)

Pointed out on the first page - it looks unpredictable, but they’re predictably shite away from home. L3 D3 in their last 6, conceding 14.

Can we have a ban on screenshots of this shit making its way into wanderersways. 1 - it’s senseless shite 2 - you all mock him but then spread his ramblings even further afield 3 - it’s ruining my social media purge Stop giving him the attention he wants.

Lovely quarter zip

Warning - reference to xG So far this season we have conceded the fewest goals and our xG conceded is just as low. Our defence is not the issue Converting our chances and scoring more goals is the obvious issue - and we’ve lost ACD and Forss. No surprise with that in mind that we’re signing players in our front 4 and not the defence (I get the point about cover but technically we’ve got 2 right backs, 4 centre backs and 2 left backs).

That’s exactly what I’d want to read from the delinquents that comment on twitter posts. I imagine my opinion on most things in life, including how good a football player is, is completely the opposite to them.

We could be signing Haaland. If he isn’t able to play for the next 10 games then it’s fucking pointless, we could be out of the running by then (and still need to get up to fitness). I see absolutely no sense in bringing in an injured player in February. Seems the club have come to that conclusion too - good. Get a player that can actually contribute.

I reckon that makes you around my age, possibly a year or two younger. Granted it’s hardly been free-flowing edge of the seat, champagne football but: - Freedman controlling the game without the ball - The latter part of Lennon’s reign - Parky for the most part, even when we were winning promotion we were dire to watch. Our centre backs scored from corners but we basically lumped it to le fondre - Keith Hill and his onions. To be fair to him we had an absolute disaster of a team - The last season of Evatt. We just went sideways and sideways and sideways and sideways. Time often makes things seem better than they were. It’s also completely reasonable that you have your own opinion on the quality of football for each of those - I just find it mad that we can both have such a different opinion when we’ve watched the same thing for the same proportion of our lives.

I agree with the sentiment - we’ve beaten teams that we should have done. The 13 points in 5 is impressive, but it was in line with expected results. However, just because it would be expected on paper - it’s another thing to go and do it, and to have done it with 3 away clean sheets and variation in formation is all the more impressive. Bleakest football you’ve ever seen a Bolton team play… you’ve got to be kidding?

And assuming it’s not required for the striker addition, we’re in a pretty good position. We don’t need to sell, he’d be a good additional body to have available in the run in, but if you want to offer us a good amount of money then he’s not essential enough that we won’t let him go. Meet our valuation or bugger off.

There’s no doubt he’s a better wing back than left back IMO. Not sure in terms of playing as an out and out winger - he’s not really got the pace. Maybe as an old school left midfielder in the 442 sense, although that’s a rarely seen beast nowadays.

We get a new good striker Our Saturday opponents lose theirs Excellent! And to make it even better they might splash some of that cash in buying McAtee off us in a panic. Win win win - pull your finger out Wrexham!

Also vastly different away compared to at home. Lost 3 and drawn 3 of their last 6 away games - conceding 14! A week on the training pitch, likely at least another signing or two (and as you say them likely to lose their better players) and we should be in a great place to carry the run on.

Fair and reasonable response. I’d only point out that we’ve taken that mantle as the best defence in the league since Forino came in for the last 5 games - but you could just as much put the emphasis on Bonham to be fair. We also only had 3 clean sheets in the 10 games before Forino came in, conceding 10, whereas we’ve conceded 2 in 5 since and had 3 clean sheets. Anyway, it’s a good problem to have. We’ve got 3 good centre backs for this level - let’s hope they all stay fit so we have the question to be asked.

See I completely disagree. Toal an GJ as a pair just does not have the physicality. I don’t mind them individually as L1 centre backs, but together they are just too susceptible to being bullied by the bigger, older, experienced centre forwards in the league. Even today, there are occasions that aren’t that obvious where Toal goes up for a header and is just nudged which means he either misses it or the header goes nowhere / the wrong place - he moans every time to the ref that he’s been pushed but I’d say 1 in 10 he’ll get a free kick, refs just don’t care in this league. Johnston is better at using his body but he’s hampered by his height. Forino has none of that. He’s exactly the kind of centre back that will take none of it, he’s the boss and forwards will have to do him for pace or skill to score.

What will be interesting - if we’re going back to 4 at the back (which it looks like given the signings), what does he do with the centre backs? It was an easy decision for him today because Johnston had to go left back seeing as Conway was out, so Forino and Toal in the middle. But when Conway is back, what happens? Forino is undroppable for me, he’s just so much more physical and suited to L1 than Toal and Johnston, but then Johnston has played the most minutes this season of any player - so I’d be surprised if he was to drop to the bench - but Toal’s captain. He could keep it as it was today. GJ is far from ideal on the ball, but Conway is poor defensively as a left back. Whatever happens, if he reverts to a back 4 with Toal and GJ as your centre backs then he’s mad.

I said this the other day. I’ve nothing against Lincoln, they’re on an unbelievable run, but history says that very rarely have both teams gone half way through the season and not to be caught. At least one of them will come back to the pack

We’ve done our bit, that’s all we could ask. The others are all in games they’d expect to win so it’s all a bit so so - as expected. Stockport the current ones losing out this weekend. Tangerines are hurtling towards the relegation zone!

No need to dwell on the second half, we did what we needed to do. First 20 mins of the second half we couldn’t get to grips with their change, but we were still solid at the back and didn’t buckle under pressure. The subs gained us some control back and up to about the 85th minute we looked comfortable again. Missed a couple of chances but never looked troubled. Last 5-10 we got in a bit of a panic, made a few silly decisions but again some good blocks and last minute tackles meant we did what was needed. Forino is a game changer in that back line - my MoM today (just over Erhahon). 4 wins out of 5, 3 away clean sheets in a row and some really exciting signs for the new signings. Christmas blip well in the rear view mirror. We’re on our way to second - just need the fucking latics to do us a favour today 🤢

Refs are fucking awful in this league. How’s it not a foul on Tutu?

They’ve changed shape - we need to reply. Either to the 532 or even just personnel

Well that was bloody good. Should be home and dry but can’t complain with how good we’ve looked. The front 4 look seriously dangerous and playing as a unit. Forino just needs to be in this defence - he just makes everything look solid. Erhahon bossing things - maybe finally having a run of games is starting to have an effect. He looks confident!

We’ve started brilliantly. Some goal that - pace, good decision making, skill and finishing a chance!

Can we have a different thread for our worst days. I feel bipolar reading this