For my sins it will be dodgy stick in Greece

23 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Had my first beer of the season on Sat. 

£5.15 

Heavy that.

Were you in Scotland 

1 hour ago, gonzo said:

Had my first beer of the season on Sat. 

£5.15 

Heavy that.

£6 in Nam ploy... Piss take! 

3 hours ago, Lostock Whites said:

When the fixtures came out I was slightly gutted to be missing this game as it's when I'm away.

But good god I couldn't have asked for a better game to be missing.

It's going to be toxic.

It won't be, it never is.  It will be flat and half empty.  And assuming we're losing in 2nd half it will be even emptier, and even flatter.  When the crowd is announced as 19k folk will say the fans turned up and stuck with the team.

22 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said:

£6 in Nam ploy... Piss take! 

Madri 5.95 in ground, now that’s a piss take 

1 hour ago, athywhite1958 said:

For my sins it will be dodgy stick in Greece

 Not even thinly veiled 

35 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said:

£6 in Nam ploy... Piss take! 

£6.20 for that Neck Oil sat in MONTON 

Friday  £3.40 a pint in B33R  

1 minute ago, little whitt said:

£6.20 for that Neck Oil sat in MONTON 

Friday  £3.40 a pint in B33R  

£1.20. Sunny Beach.

ive just spent 5 minutes coming up with a team

even baxter aint guaranteed a start as he looks as fucked up as the rest of em

at times like this, im from the stop em scoring school and nick something, however ugly

im playing 4-3-3 with only vic or mcatee as a striker

Must win game. We need to keep in touching distance of the play-offs and with a favourable set of fixtures coming up we have a great chance to turn our season around. 
 

This set of players and manager have had us competing at the very top of the division for the past two years, we haven’t suddenly become a poor side, nor has Evatt become a poor manager. 
 

We need to stick together, ride out the bad times because it won’t last.

5 minutes ago, VividDreamer said:

Must win game. We need to keep in touching distance of the play-offs and with a favourable set of fixtures coming up we have a great chance to turn our season around. 
 

This set of players and manager have had us competing at the very top of the division for the past two years, we haven’t suddenly become a poor side, nor has Evatt become a poor manager. 
 

We need to stick together, ride out the bad times because it won’t last.

while im generally happy clapper territory, so much of football is in the head and we are currently gone

thats why id change

do you really think they can lift the mood - ive been round the block and i know how quick it can change and it could all click, but it just feels so flat atm

6 minutes ago, VividDreamer said:

 

This set of players and manager have had us competing at the very top of the division for the past two years, we haven’t suddenly become a poor side, nor has Evatt become a poor manager. 
 

It isn't suddenly it has been terrible for most of 2024 .

20 minutes ago, Casino said:

ive just spent 5 minutes coming up with a team

even baxter aint guaranteed a start as he looks as fucked up as the rest of em

at times like this, im from the stop em scoring school and nick something, however ugly

im playing 4-3-3

Baxter made a fantastic save at 1-0 to keep us in the game (for a few minutes).

He looks uncomfortable when he’s doing the tippy tappy stuff that Evatt insists on.

I'd go back to Vic & Charles upfront, it worked quite well last season & is a combination that hasn't been tried this season, but would need the under performing big signings, Collins & McAtee leaving out........3 playing in midfield.......& Williams in at left wing back, if he's (ever ) fit. 

4 minutes ago, VividDreamer said:

 

This set of players and manager have had us competing at the very top of the division for the past two years, we haven’t suddenly become a poor side, nor has Evatt become a poor manager. 
 

True - until the turn of the year when the opposition finally worked up enough courage to press us high, give the ball players like Sheehan no time on the ball and cut off the straight pass out from the back to midfield. After that it was easy because most teams have big defenders and hoofing it forward just played into their hands. Can't remember who did it first but now every team plays like that against us. Add to that the fact that we play 3 at the back to commit more players further forward so we're susceptible to the break if they've got pace out wide. And to top it off, the league is stronger this year.

So something has to change and the main factors in play are how much Evatt is willing to change his thinking and how this squad can adapt to it.

I guess we'll know at around about 10 past 3 on Saturday.

For me,I'll be happy if he changes the system and has a proper go at trying to get the best out of the squad - even if it doesn't work immediately.

 

 

26 minutes ago, burnden said:

It isn't suddenly it has been terrible for most of 2024 .

No but this now is world's apart from struggling to break teams down and losing 0-1.

This is full blown, tools down, capitulation tackle.

 

19 minutes ago, Steejay said:

Baxter made a fantastic save at 1-0 to keep us in the game (for a few minutes).

He looks uncomfortable when he’s doing the tippy tappy stuff that Evatt insists on.

it was one of the best ive ever seen, possibly since mcdonagh v spurs

he didn't look uncomfortable before this season tho - like i said, heads gone, plus the obvious outball has gone when we dont play sheehan

he was bang average v oxford, too

1 minute ago, gonzo said:

No but this now is world's apart from struggling to break teams down and losing 0-1.

This is full blown, tools down, capitulation tackle.

 

It deffo looked that way v Hudds.

I saw you post earlier about a split in the dressing room fella if that is the case how does that get fixed before Saturday? The players will all have heard evatt saying he has no idea what to do on the wireless so how does he make them believe in him /respect him ?

19 minutes ago, bolton va va said:

I'd go back to Vic & Charles upfront, it worked quite well last season & is a combination that hasn't been tried this season, but would need the under performing big signings, Collins & McAtee leaving out........3 playing in midfield.......& Williams in at left wing back, if he's (ever ) fit. 

im not anti that, but as much as ive backed charles, hes starting to appear sulky

maybe starved of the ball does that, but even so, you have to earn your place at times like this

i aslo think think this is as much about playing your characters as it is your best players

its why for me arfield, dempsey, johnston, mcatee and matete start

its why i'd play jones, but looks like hes still fucked

so, 5 names...deary me

 

if youre struggling with a wembley hangover, struggle on the bench on saturday, and nobody is undroppable

It is totally unrealistic to say on the one hand that we need to change our whole approach/system/selection/mascot/underwear whatever and then say Reading is a "must win" game.

It is a "must make sufficient changes and produce a better performance to show that there is a good chance of better times ahead" game.

Can't be expected to change everything and also be expected to win first time out.

 

3 minutes ago, burnden said:

It deffo looked that way v Hudds.

I saw you post earlier about a split in the dressing room fella if that is the case how does that get fixed before Saturday? The players will all have heard evatt saying he has no idea what to do on the wireless so how does he make them believe in him /respect him ?

theres always going to be issues in dressing rooms, just like other jobs

when youre winning, its all forgotten

Just now, Wanderlust said:

It is totally unrealistic to say on the one hand that we need to change our whole approach/system/selection/mascot/underwear whatever and then say Reading is a "must win" game.

It is a "must make sufficient changes and produce a better performance to show that there is a good chance of better times ahead" game.

Can't be expected to change everything and also be expected to win first time out.

 

it really can be as simple as a late goal off somebodys arse

even allardyce had twitchy spells that switched and then it was win after win

late winner v west brom, was it diouf then a great run

 

i go back to neal, went don't concede at all costs and it was awful to watch - i think we lost 1-0 at wolves and it was a 'good' result

next thing, we went 30 games unbeaten

im convinced if we turn this around it involves clean sheets

Can't keep conceding 2 to 3 goals per game. It's seems like every cross that comes in the box is a goal at the moment. They've got to find a way to be more solid. If that means going back to three in central midfield, then do that. 

 

3 minutes ago, Arrested development said:

Can't keep conceding 2 to 3 goals per game. It's seems like every cross that comes in the box is a goal at the moment. They've got to find a way to be more solid. If that means going back to three in central midfield, then do that. 

 

and if those 3 are arfield, matete and dempsey, so be it

just lacks height

oh dear

 

1 minute ago, Casino said:

it really can be as simple as a late goal off somebodys arse

even allardyce had twitchy spells that switched and then it was win after win

late winner v west brom, was it diouf then a great run

 

i go back to neal, went don't concede at all costs and it was awful to watch - i think we lost 1-0 at wolves and it was a 'good' result

next thing, we went 30 games unbeaten

im convinced if we turn this around it involves clean sheets

Exactly - and we could play really well against Reading  and have no luck whatsoever and lose because football can be very cruel. But if we find a better way of playing we should eventually "make our own luck" as they say and things will go our way more often. Absolutely right that we need a solid defence as the foundation.