Im used to being alone in my opinions and fighting a losing or unpopular arguement , but here is I think , some food for thought. 

After the Tranmere Play Off Final the club had an unbelievable hangover from that defeat which lasted the whole season . We were doing ok until mid feb and got the stuffing kicked out of us in an FA cup tie away at Southampton .

Despite signing Andy Walker & Mark patterson , and yet to have Stubbs & MacAteer play , From Jan we won 4 out of the last 19 games . Philliskirk 19 , Walker 18 , Reeves 15, Darby 10 goals and finished 13th . After getting beat away at Preston at the end of March when 1-0 up in the 89th minute and losing 2-1 , Phil Neal, realising the play offs were too far away  played the kids to see if any of them would step up and change things : Spooner, Roscoe, Fisher, Brookman, Stevens, Jeffrey.  It didnt work and we finished 13th .

I see a lot of similarities to this team and manager . Devastated by missing out on promotion at Wembley when everyone outside of the wirrall/Oxford thought we would do it. Players who did amazing last season just no longer cutting it . The Wembley hang over curse that only seems to affect us . 

Rioch came in and was obviously a genius but he already had a first team of Felgate, Seagraves, Stubbs, P Brown, Macateer , Storer , Patterson , Winstanley , Green , Darby , Kelly , Reeves , Philliskirk & Walker . I think Neal would have got us promoted with that squad. 

Rioch brought in Brannigan , McGinlay , Lydiate & Gary Parkinson, and in January David Lee . 1 would fire in a shed load of goals , the keeper IMO didnt need replacing and the other 2 the less said the better. Lee replaced Patterson wide left and Paddy was moved inside to midfield to compete with Kelly & Macateer . I remember the abuse Tony Kelly used to get as he was brought in to replace Steve Thompson and wasnt half the player , but with Macateer replacing Jules as they call him at Bolton , it worked . With Darby becoming the epitomy of a utility player and eventually being hounded out by the Bolton fans for being home grown . We just dont take to um , strange really.  

The point of all this waffle is that  IF we write off this season as just another 91/92 and regroup , the squad IS good enough to get promoted next season . The Board place a very high regard on working relationships and it seems to be the best Ive known .

If thats the case Then I expect a huge clear out and rebuilding in January . The 2 in midfield simply does not work , Adebanjo , as much as you want to love the guy is just not good enough , playing Macatee in midfield isnt good enough and playng wingers as wing backs is not good enough . There are players like Ricardo gardner that will adapt there game to suit whatever is asked of them , as did Campo , Hierro , Bernard Mendy (which was when we played with actual wing backs and scared the crap out of the Prem at the time) , Kevin Davies et al . yes we are talking about National and World class players but the principle remains. 

If Evatt stays , then he has to know/learn that his style of football  (whilst it has given us plenty of joy) isnt pragmatic enough to play the way he wants with 3rd division footballers . I would take a Steve Thompson & Julian Darby over what we currently play in midfield , a ratter and a passer . SJM and Andy Walker showed you dont need a big un and a litl un at this level up front, and the last time we got promoted from this division we had 2 centre backs in wheavers and Beaters that would never allow a cross into the box at head hieght or above and would put there body . legs , face, bollocks on the line to defend. and come up with 10 goals between them .   If a cross comes in now if Rico doesnt head it out then who can ? 

Speaking of which why has Santos suddenly morphed into Mark Fish ? 

As is stands so far this season , being nearly half way thru :

Baxter : Always thought he was a bit Dracula but now his dithering with the ball at his feet is just pissing me off , excellent shot stopper but Id drop him . 

Southwood : After a shaky start looks a proper keeper , decent shotstopper and quicker with the ball at his feet than his oppo . I couldnt give a shit if its fear . Im now in the saftey / row zed / put some fucking snow on it , camp. 

GJ : If he had been fit all of last season we would have gone up , no question no arguments. Since he came back apart from the first 2 months he has looked a shadow of himself. 

Santos : looks an absolute shadow of himself , like he has lost some pace and no longer knows what to do on the ball .

Jones : filling in and back from injury but a center half he isnt , had his best season with Bradley in front of him but then I would have too.

Toal : FFS mate stay fit , see GJ above .

Forrester : Im a fan of , has rarely let us down , no more than any one else. Did he fall down the stairs or did he kick fuck out of the microwave for getting his beans wrong ? 

Schon : A winger not a wing back , hampered by having to do both jobs. 

Desmond : As above , jury out on his defensive side . Evatt pandered to the crowd to start him today . Big mistake. 

JDC : Not his biggest fan but unreal engine and defends better than the above .  If he could only stop trying to cut inside when he gets forward !!

Williams : Has a long throw.

GT : Not the Messiah everyone wants him to be , 1 great game + 2 crap ones .

Matete : Player in there somewhere , but if playing as a DMC stop fucking fancy daning it.

Sheehan : Hugely disappointing this year , should never have been turned into a dmc quarterback . Play him behind the front 2 and give him a free role 

Morley : see above , cant come back quick enough if only to solve the 2 in midfield fiasco . Smacks of the last year of JJ when BSA wanted him to defend more . Like Sheehan , JJ , Ricky.  you lose more than you gain . 

Dempsey : crowd favourite , drives us on forever injured.

Lolos : no idea 

Adebanjo : should never play for us again . Lovely guy we all want to succeed , never gonna happen. 

Macatee : Im being asked to play where ?  probably MOM against Wigin but a very very low bar . Put him up front with Charles to have two ratters , I could see it work. however...

Charles : Did he get a pass ? Did he make any kind of movement to open up for a pass ? Looks burned out .

Collins : clearly the best footballer at the club ...how do you fancy 15 mins every other month that has a q in it ? 

Arfield : who ?

Sonny sssasasa : Anyone and I mean anyone would have been better in midfield than the tactics today . 

 

So , and if you are still reading God bless you Im boring myself, whats the answer ?  

Either Evatt gets the time to have a miraculous January where he brings in the second coming of Kieron Lee , Stig Tofting & Gudni Bergsson , flukes a Sasa Curcic & Abdoulaye Faye/ Rahdi Jedi . OR He completely reevaluates his philosophy and becomes the new BSA , If it works we do it , just to get us out of this shitty fucking league . No VAR ? Stand in front of the keeper and see what happens , linesmans blind and we now have Andre the Giant to aim at !

Or the board back him saying this season is a write off but here is some cash for the summer , go get Dennis Bergkamp.

Or he falls on his sword . Says Ive done all I can with this group of players , time for someone else to kick on . (Schumacher ?)

For me , I hate that its got to the Megson point (at least Evatt hasnt spunked 44 million) but the fans have turned and so have I .

Phil Neal had the OLD Liverpool way of 15 first teamers that would play anywhere rather than bringing someone else in ( Mark Came up front ?) til it was too late . Evatt is the same .

(cant believe I managed to bring it full circle)

And so now unfortunately , regretably , finally , and I take zero pleasure form writing this........I am also for a change of manager. 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry mate I’m not reading all that. I’ll wait for the film.

Some good thoughts in there. 

I’ll not get into today again, but one memory you’ve just evoked. If people want to know the definition of toxic, the abuse Julian Darby used to get is certainly it. Never witnessed anything like it since. One of the nicest guys you’ll meet too. 
 

Just now, thebells said:

Some good thoughts in there. 

I’ll not get into today again, but one memory you’ve just evoked. If people want to know the definition of toxic, the abuse Julian Darby used to get is certainly it. Never witnessed anything like it since. One of the nicest guys you’ll meet too. 
 

Apart from that first half at Sheff Wednesday a few years ago

Today is the final nail.

The boring predictability of result.

The boring predictability of the performance 

The boring predictability of the post match interview

They could easily have gone in at half time four up. From very early on their tactic of dragging our left wing back forward to leave GJ exposed was obvious, as was the centre forward taking Santos into midfield. They then played into the space. 
 

In the build up the second goal they had 3 or 4 throw ins up the line and by the end were putting a ball into the box. It was not a ‘masteclass’ from their manager it was Sunday League level tactics that Evatt could not match. 

1 minute ago, Ani said:

Today is the final nail.

The boring predictability of result.

The boring predictability of the performance 

The boring predictability of the post match interview

They could easily have gone in at half time four up. From very early on their tactic of dragging our left wing back forward to leave GJ exposed was obvious, as was the centre forward taking Santos into midfield. They then played into the space. 
 

In the build up the second goal they had 3 or 4 throw ins up the line and by the end were putting a ball into the box. It was not a ‘masteclass’ from their manager it was Sunday League level tactics that Evatt could not match. 

And Crainey and Atherton don’t see it either or are they not allowed too ?

I've refused to ever call for him to go. 

I've been convinced we could limp through and get enough points to mount a promotion challenge.

A few good runs here and there is all it takes to get a good push on and who knows what can happen in the run in.

But days like today can't carry on. It's just one too many body blows.

It's a shame as it will define the managers tenure. 

The fans will put up with just falling shy.

They won't put up with being embarrassed by your nearest and not so dearest.

I've just had enough of being let down.

 

Don’t agree that neal would have got us up it’s unlikely he signs branaghan and mcginley and without those two additions we don’t do it . 
I would like us to play 4 at the back but we have signed wing backs .  jones can play in a back 4 but not sure on the rest of them and we would need cover so signing 3 full backs in January isn’t happening

. Best we can hope for now is ditching the 2 man midfield 

Even before the first goal went in the crowd was going 

We could all see what was about to happen 

5 minutes ago, Rizlar said:

And Crainey and Atherton don’t see it either or are they not allowed too ?

Not sure what your point is ? I would clear all back room boys out. 

Just now, L/H White said:

Even before the first goal went in the crowd was going 

We could all see what was about to happen 

It was nt as the the goal came from out of the blue. 

Just now, Ani said:

Not sure what your point is ? I would clear all back room boys out. 

My point is they must wear the same rose tinted glasses as the manager to not realise we are being tactically out done and yes if he goes he takes all his back room boys with him!

7 minutes ago, Ani said:

It was nt as the the goal came from out of the blue. 

After 20 mins, after the ball kept being run out or put out by Schon the crowd was on their back 

It was horrendous 

Edited December 14, 20241 yr by L/H White

2 things from me....

Randall has a long throw.....we never use it, unless he goes rogue and does it off his own back and results in a goal.....

Collins...remember his debut, few tricks on the right wing, made a cross, ashworth i think bundles in a winner. Happy days. We all loud about and take the piss "evatt will soon knock that out of him"....

Cest la vie.

7 minutes ago, L/H White said:

After 20 mins, after the ball kept being run out or put out by Schon the crowd was on their back 

It was horrendous 

Schon and Johnstone played like they had never met before. 

16 minutes ago, Ani said:

It was nt as the the goal came from out of the blue. 

Did it? 

1 minute ago, Ani said:

Schon and Johnstone played like they had never met before. 

The number of times a player (and not just these two), was played into trouble with a bad pass was ridiculous.

20 minutes ago, Ani said:

It was nt as the the goal came from out of the blue. 

Did it? 

2 minutes ago, Zico said:

Did it? 

That was not to say ‘it was nt as though the goal came from out of the blue.’ 
 

ie it had been coming for ages

 

20 minutes ago, Ani said:

Schon and Johnstone played like they had never met before. 

Johnstone's legs look gone to me 

 

1 minute ago, L/H White said:

Johnstone's legs look gone to me 

 

His biggest problem imo is that he improved in people’s minds when he was injured. 

2 minutes ago, Ani said:

His biggest problem imo is that he improved in people’s minds when he was injured. 

Aye, probably right there 

Definitely missing Toal 

And Dempsey who was our best player before injury 

Me too

We call Twatter but sometimes they get it right:

Can’t believe he’s said this:

Ian Evatt: "What would you prefer...to not go to Wembley in back-to-back years, to not be in the play-offs, to not be sniffing around the top of the table...but to beat Wigan every year? I wouldn't want to trade all that...I want to get this club to where I believe it should be.”

- Sniffing around top of the table’ — 12 points behind in December 🤒👍
- ⁠Bolton Wanderers are closer to the bottom four (11 points) than they are to the top two…(12 points) 
- ⁠Why can’t we be at the top of the table AND beating Wigan? Why should it be one or the other?
- ⁠You’re missing the point Ian, it’s not about beating Wigan. They’re tin pot and created their own rivalry against us as there’s no other fucker interested in them. It’s the manner in which we lose games, spineless with no cohesion or tactical progression from week to the next
- ⁠It’s not one or the other you fcking melon. We can do well and not get embarrassed by our biggest rivals every year. Not only do they beat us but they batter us, and it’s evident they want it more than us.

His comments there and in his answer to Dearden's question about whether he'd taken us as far as he can suggest to me he isn't under significant pressure from the board

2 minutes ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

His comments there and in his answer to Dearden's question about whether he'd taken us as far as he can suggest to me he isn't under significant pressure from the board

I don't think he is.

The fans are a different matter though.