Members bolty58 Posted March 18 Members Share Posted March 18 1 hour ago, Zico said: Simple answer No Well I would have done. All hope is not lost but doom mongers will be doom mongers. My glass is half full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radcliffe white Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Knew it wouldn’t be long before the injury excuse gets rolled out like others have said at some point Portsmouth & Derby have had to deal with them, what I will say barring a few shaky games I doubt Baxter would’ve kept many more out than Coleman and that Charles wasn’t exactly banging then in before his injury (that’s not saying we ain’t missing him) it all down to building a squad where others can step up when needed like under Parkinson we had Howard & Alnwick who was both competent With Charles out unfortunately the others haven’t stepped up when needed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakey Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 14 minutes ago, radcliffe white said: With Charles out unfortunately the others haven’t stepped up when needed Think we'd have coped ok with Charles out for a few weeks - felt he needed a break and refresh. But since then we've lost CMG and Vic, and Charles' recovery had a setback. Timing's shit, obviously, but especially as CMG was starting to look sharp and Vic imo had looked good prior to his injury. We have a seven game - possibly ten - season to look forward to. This can still all end on a massive high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyRiddle Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 7 hours ago, bolty58 said: Simple question. Before the season started, if offered, would you have settled for where we are with seven games to go? I certainly would. Automatic promotion is still on. No, and especially not now I've seen the rest. Obviously would love 2nd now, but earlier in the season we could have kicked on and been champions playing champagne football. So even 2nd would be tinged with regret but realise that's being very greedy. I do not believe Pompey or Derby are 'better' than us, but they have an ability to get results against the grain, whereas we rarely do! Could you ever imagine IE making a triple substitution at h/T because our formation wasn't working! Obviously if we batter someone at Wembley and go up that way, then fantastic, all the above will be forgotten. My concern is unless we get another Plymouth performance, however well we play, unless we're out of sight, could anyone relax that we wouldn't find a way to fuck it up! Not sure my nerves can take it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter FrancisFogarty Posted March 18 Site Supporter Share Posted March 18 7 hours ago, bolty58 said: Simple question. Before the season started, if offered, would you have settled for where we are with seven games to go? I certainly would. Automatic promotion is still on. Simple answer. Yes I would Bolty, we are where we are because of the strength of the squad, but we've still had our keeper, our (according to some) star defender and our only recognised goalscorer injured. If none of the above had come to pass we'd have been out of sight and already promoted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Zico Posted March 18 Moderators Share Posted March 18 1 hour ago, bolty58 said: Well I would have done. All hope is not lost but doom mongers will be doom mongers. My glass is half full. I'm no doom monger I had ambitions for the title, so no way would I have taken what looks like a play off spot Derby got some tricky fixtures coming up if Gayle is injured which is why I'm not cashing out my top 2 bet - being offered £140, but will win £450 if we do it it's not over yet but it's not an ideal situation I would have chosen to be in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Cheese Posted March 18 Site Supporter Share Posted March 18 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Zico said: I'm no doom monger I had ambitions for the title, so no way would I have taken what looks like a play off spot Derby got some tricky fixtures coming up if Gayle is injured which is why I'm not cashing out my top 2 bet - being offered £140, but will win £450 if we do it it's not over yet but it's not an ideal situation I would have chosen to be in Nobody is even slightly suggesting it's 'ideal'. But there's time for a few more twists and turns yet, and we're still in the running. Edited March 18 by Cheese Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traf Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 I'm no doom monger, I'm probably nearer to happy clapper (seeing as WW only ever has 2 options), but I'm actually a realist and here's my take. Evatt has done a good but not great job here at Bolton IMO. Promotion from L2 at the first attempt was the bare minimum to be acceptable and his poor starts to his first two seasons might have seen him sacked elsewhere, especially if fans were in the ground. The slow start to season 2 cost us a play-off place. Last year's meek capitulation in the play-offs was hard to take, but reaching the play-offs (and winning a pot) was progress/an achievement in itself. Failing to make the top 2 this season would be an underachievement and if we're back in this League next season, Evatt & the team will have failed us. A play-off win now becomes this season's bare minimum acceptable. I don't know who they are (don't ask), but I bet there are other managers in this league who would make the top 2 with our squad/budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L/H White Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-injury-dwight-gayle-9170893#google_vignette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Zico Posted March 18 Moderators Share Posted March 18 38 minutes ago, Cheese said: Nobody is even slightly suggesting it's 'ideal'. But there's time for a few more twists and turns yet, and we're still in the running. I know, which is why I'm not cashing out Derby got some tricky ties coming up and may not have a striker I'm hoping we've got Baxter and Charles back for the next game just explaining to Bolty being 4 points behind second having just lost to them with some tricky fixtures in our remaining 7 games is not a scenario I would have plumped for before a ball had been kicked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Cheese Posted March 18 Site Supporter Share Posted March 18 6 minutes ago, Zico said: I know, which is why I'm not cashing out Derby got some tricky ties coming up and may not have a striker I'm hoping we've got Baxter and Charles back for the next game just explaining to Bolty being 4 points behind second having just lost to them with some tricky fixtures in our remaining 7 games is not a scenario I would have plumped for before a ball had been kicked It can't be far down the list of preferred scenarios though. I'm sure, before a ball had been kicked, you'd have taken where we were at 3 o'clock on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck Egg Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 As part of the season on season progress under Evatt, in July I would have been happy with us being where we are now and finishing 3rd or 4th beating last years position. It's just that having seen us in that run up to Christmas and what this side is capable of, not going up feels like a really missed opportunity. On song, I'm sure we're the best in the division but as others have said, we're not good enough, or don't appear to be, when we're not on song and there's a point to be ground out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrelli Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 (edited) I’m quite philosophical about it as well as disappointed. We have just fallen short of the autos again as we need to win 6/7 now and we are not going to do that with Pompey, Peterborough and Stevenage to play. The Play offs will be hard as they always are but if we get Baxter and Charles back you never know. Edited March 18 by Farrelli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traf Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 10 minutes ago, Duck Egg said: As part of the season on season progress under Evatt, in July I would have been happy with us being where we are now and finishing 3rd or 4th beating last years position. Beating last year's position, but not going up isn't really progress, especially when we won a trophy last season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Zico Posted March 18 Moderators Share Posted March 18 31 minutes ago, Cheese said: It can't be far down the list of preferred scenarios though. I'm sure, before a ball had been kicked, you'd have taken where we were at 3 o'clock on Saturday. the question was now though, not before the game but yeah, we were definitely in a better position at 3pm on Saturday than we are now so I'd be more open to that scenario I'd have definitely taken the 7 points behind Pompey with 3 games in hand scenario that was on the table recently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonzo Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Until we get the big game monkey off our back we won't be going anywhere. We need to get Steve Peters in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Cheese Posted March 18 Site Supporter Share Posted March 18 1 minute ago, Zico said: the question was now though, not before the game but yeah, we were definitely in a better position at 3pm on Saturday than we are now so I'd be more open to that scenario I'd have definitely taken the 7 points behind Pompey with 3 games in hand scenario that was on the table recently That's what I'm getting at. A single goal can change the entire outlook. And there are 7 games and plenty of goals to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Zico Posted March 18 Moderators Share Posted March 18 9 minutes ago, Cheese said: That's what I'm getting at. A single goal can change the entire outlook. And there are 7 games and plenty of goals to go. I know, I just didn't like Bolty's hypothetical offer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L/H White Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 lot of pressure on charles shoulders it seems if he comes back this season, bearing in mind he hadn't scored for 7 games when fit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traf Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 23 minutes ago, gonzo said: Until we get the big game monkey off our back we won't be going anywhere. We need to get Steve Peters in. Yeah, I tend to agree. Our issues aren't a lack of ability, it's more of a mental weakness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Aldo Raine Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 1 hour ago, Traf said: I'm no doom monger, I'm probably nearer to happy clapper (seeing as WW only ever has 2 options), but I'm actually a realist and here's my take. Evatt has done a good but not great job here at Bolton IMO. Promotion from L2 at the first attempt was the bare minimum to be acceptable and his poor starts to his first two seasons might have seen him sacked elsewhere, especially if fans were in the ground. The slow start to season 2 cost us a play-off place. Last year's meek capitulation in the play-offs was hard to take, but reaching the play-offs (and winning a pot) was progress/an achievement in itself. Failing to make the top 2 this season would be an underachievement and if we're back in this League next season, Evatt & the team will have failed us. A play-off win now becomes this season's bare minimum acceptable. I don't know who they are (don't ask), but I bet there are other managers in this league who would make the top 2 with our squad/budget. About where I'm at, although I'd give quite a lot more credit for getting us up in his first season considering how much of a mess the club was in when he arrived and the fact that Phoenix was around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck Egg Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 1 hour ago, Traf said: Beating last year's position, but not going up isn't really progress, especially when we won a trophy last season. True, but then you'd have to stick with the manager if we keep finishing higher each year. Even if it meant another 2 seasons to go up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonzo Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 If we don't go up, Evatts got enough credit in the bank for another crack imo. As long as we throw the kitchens sink at it. Fan patience won't last long into a new season mind and a lot boils down to the board trusting him with another few million. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L/H White Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 (edited) 8 minutes ago, gonzo said: If we don't go up, Evatts got enough credit in the bank for another crack imo. As long as we throw the kitchens sink at it. Fan patience won't last long into a new season mind and a lot boils down to the board trusting him with another few million. hate that saying more than you won't believe it's absolute pure cock dribble, it's about the future, not the past Edited March 18 by L/H White Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter FrancisFogarty Posted March 18 Site Supporter Share Posted March 18 8 minutes ago, gonzo said: Fan patience won't last long into a new season mind and a lot boils down to the board trusting him with another few million. Whichever board gets to decide, and whenever they need to make the decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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