I'm not and never will be. But the growing strength of anti evatt feeling,  leads me to suspect that there maybe a few fans who will show their dissatisfaction towards Evatt on Saturday, manifested in own made banners etc...

2 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

If that was the case then he’d have gone after Huddersfield, never mind Stockport. That’s the bit that concerns me. How bad does it need to get?

Will let you know after Huddersfield

8 hours ago, desperado said:

Having my fire training course at the council with the original Keith Laird felt like meeting a superstar 

11 minutes ago, boltonboris said:

There’s people on the row behind me who haven’t celebrated a goal for years. Vocal when things aren’t going well, silent when they are. I do wonder why they bother. 

Didn't celebrate any of the goals vs Mansfield at home outside of a polite round of applause from my seat. Only time before or since but I was so pissed off with the performance just couldn't bring myself to get excited.

20 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

If that was the case then he’d have gone after Huddersfield, never mind Stockport. That’s the bit that concerns me. How bad does it need to get?

I reckon the season will only be deemed a failure when it's mathematically impossible for us to make the play-offs. Possibly losing 3 League games on the bounce, which is very unlikely. I don't find it particularly "concerning". It's just stale as fuck at the moment, and screaming out for a change of direction.

Edited January 15, 20251 yr by Cheese

19 minutes ago, boltonboris said:

There’s people on the row behind me who haven’t celebrated a goal for years. Vocal when things aren’t going well, silent when they are. I do wonder why they bother. 

You sit in front of @tomskiand @Big E?

16 minutes ago, gonzo said:

None of it will serve any purpose and just makes us look like dicks.

We are in a bit of rough period and our manager is running or ran out of ideas.

Results will get him sacked and absolutely nothing else.

 

Keep it sensible folks for christ sakes.

Yes, let's keep it civilised. Neither IE or the board will be influenced either way. And they aren't daft enough to think everything is ok even if we clock a 5 - 0 win.

2 hours ago, Steejay said:

I’m an AST holder so I can see and hear what’s happening both home and away.

But believe me, I’d rather leave the ground early than have mongoloids around me singing toxic shit that doesn’t achieve anything.

The board aren’t completely fucking stupid, they go to the games too, and as much as I disagree with them, it’s their choice to support him.

Apathy/leaving early is much more potent than vitriolic abuse imo.

Except that's been happening for about 20 years, its not potent at all because its normal fan behaviour, we've had apathy and leaving early all season even some games we've been winning.  Its hardly going to attract headlines, without the publicity there's no story and nothing for anyone to respond to.

I'm not pro or anti chanting BTW, what will be will be.

53 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

If that was the case then he’d have gone after Huddersfield, never mind Stockport. That’s the bit that concerns me. How bad does it need to get?

Exactly. A bit of fan pressure is needed to turn the screw on this. Results alone clearly aren't enough.

I'm with @Lostock Whites that a bit of protest is good here. Not tennis balls or anything orchestrated, just anger at a pathetic situation that could have been avoided.

If the board hear the Rotherham away type atmosphere every week they'll relent and do the right thing.

10 hours ago, gonzo said:

You sit in front of @tomskiand @Big E?

We aren’t vocal just miserable 

What will be the reaction at the end of the season when ( as many predict & fear) Ian Evatt is still here, we haven't made the play offs and the attendance is under 12000?

Knowing that its the end does he show a bit of respect and walk around the pitch applauding those that stayed? or just walk down the tunnel and wait 3 weeks before a low key announcement? Or, (probably safest option) announce that he is leaving his role by mutual agreement the moment that we mathematically can't make the playoffs?.

7 minutes ago, Whitestar said:

What will be the reaction at the end of the season when ( as many predict & fear) Ian Evatt is still here, we haven't made the play offs and the attendance is under 12000?

Knowing that its the end does he show a bit of respect and walk around the pitch applauding those that stayed? or just walk down the tunnel and wait 3 weeks before a low key announcement? Or, (probably safest option) announce that he is leaving his role by mutual agreement the moment that we mathematically can't make the playoffs?.

His contract is up at the end of next season, isn’t it?

26 minutes ago, Steejay said:

His contract is up at the end of next season, isn’t it?

You're just pointing that out to wind me up aren't you. 😱🫣

10k fans with zero enthusiasm will bother

They'll announce 20k

Will probably scrape a 1 or 2 nil win 

Evatt will do in about 2 wins being a good response and DNA

Even less will turn out v Charlton 

It'll get toxic when we get beat at Huddersfield with Charles scoring

What a difference a few results makes.

 

 

 

14 minutes ago, gonzo said:

What a difference a few results makes.

Feels like a lifetime ago. 😞

4 hours ago, gonzo said:

What a difference a few results makes.

 

 

 

clubs on the verge of collapse

To be fair, it's not like it's a million miles away.

All we have to do is beat a few third tier teams with our side full of million pound players and a soon to be Premier League manager.

9 hours ago, gonzo said:

What a difference a few results makes.

 

 

 

There’s 2 extremes that come to my mind when I see that.

1/ This idea that we were shit a long time before Oxford has been massively over-exaggerated. Lots of those goals, wins, great times and atmospheres were in this calendar year. 

2/ However that shines a light on the opposite extreme - how much have we fallen off a cliff since Oxford? The same players look a shadow of their former selves, the new players have so far failed to make us better and the whole feeling of the club has nose-dived into a negative spiral. The manager has to accept and see that this is largely of his doing. 

34 minutes ago, desperado said:

There’s 2 extremes that come to my mind when I see that.

1/ This idea that we were shit a long time before Oxford has been massively over-exaggerated. Lots of those goals, wins, great times and atmospheres were in this calendar year. 

2/ However that shines a light on the opposite extreme - how much have we fallen off a cliff since Oxford? The same players look a shadow of their former selves, the new players have so far failed to make us better and the whole feeling of the club has nose-dived into a negative spiral. The manager has to accept and see that this is largely of his doing. 

I think some seem to have a perception that we were 9 out of 10 pre-Christmas and 6 out of 10 after Christmas.  It was never the case.  I'd say 8 out of 10 pre-Christmas, and with injuries not helping, 7 out of 10 from Jan.  The difference, as you will be glad to hear me repeat 😀, was that the fixtures were harder. 

We didn't go to Wigan, Blackpool, Derby, Pompey, Barnsley and Peterboro in the 1st half of the season and win more than we lost, than inexplicably started losing to them in 2024.  We consistently failed to beat them most of the time, whenever we played them (and we always beat Blackpool here). 

The one thing that did stand out in 2023 was that run of 3 away wins on the trot followed by 2 convincing home wins.  That made up for our 3 worst home performances of the season, all pre Christmas.  Some cracking games especially at home in 2024, this idea that we were relatively crap Jan to April is just nonsense. 

As you say, the drop off since we beat Barnsley has been shocking (loss of Maghoma a huge factor for me).

34 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

and with injuries not helping, 7 out of 10 from Jan.

 

34 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Some cracking games especially at home in 2024, this idea that we were relatively crap Jan to April is just nonsense. 

 

34 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

As you say, the drop off since we beat Barnsley has been shocking (loss of Maghoma a huge factor for me).

Good post.

Especially those 3 points above 

Great posts.

Those Blackpool and Wigan results fucked it. It's pretty well reported Evatts head went good and proper after them. 

That Oxford game will go down in history. Don't think we all realise even now how much damage that has actually caused.

We are still feeling the shock waves now.

Clubs rarely recover from impacts like that.

Our philosophy and structure was blown apart by a simple set of tactics.

Then those tactics sent viral as a 'masterclass', Every club in the land provided with a manual on how to beat an Ian Evatt team.

Our manager then tries to re-invent the wheel and come with a counter plan, signing a raft of players to suit this counter plan and thus is proving to be fruitless.

Added to that fans rapidly running out of patience with that Oxford memory still fresh. It's fucked.

He's like a boxer that's had his whole mantra twatted out of him in his first big fight.

40 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Great posts.

Those Blackpool and Wigan results fucked it. It's pretty well reported Evatts head went good and proper after them. 

That Oxford game will go down in history. Don't think we all realise even now how much damage that has actually caused.

We are still feeling the shock waves now.

Clubs rarely recover from impacts like that.

Our philosophy and structure was blown apart by a simple set of tactics.

Then those tactics sent viral as a 'masterclass', Every club in the land provided with a manual on how to beat an Ian Evatt team.

Our manager then tries to re-invent the wheel and come with a counter plan, signing a raft of players to suit this counter plan and thus is proving to be fruitless.

Added to that fans rapidly running out of patience with that Oxford memory still fresh. It's fucked.

He's like a boxer that's had his whole mantra twatted out of him in his first big fight.

Was Barnsley away before or after those 2 derby matches?

That's the first time I thought Evatt's head had gone, talking about needing time off or something just at a time when we needed energising to win our games in hand to get back to second. 

By the Oxford game a lot of clubs had cottoned onto the way to stop us. Not disagreeing that that was obviously the seminal moment, but I don't think the masterclass from their coach was that much of an impact.

9 hours ago, Johnnyrotten said:

I think some seem to have a perception that we were 9 out of 10 pre-Christmas and 6 out of 10 after Christmas.  It was never the case.  I'd say 8 out of 10 pre-Christmas, and with injuries not helping, 7 out of 10 from Jan.  The difference, as you will be glad to hear me repeat 😀, was that the fixtures were harder. 

We didn't go to Wigan, Blackpool, Derby, Pompey, Barnsley and Peterboro in the 1st half of the season and win more than we lost, than inexplicably started losing to them in 2024.  We consistently failed to beat them most of the time, whenever we played them (and we always beat Blackpool here). 

The one thing that did stand out in 2023 was that run of 3 away wins on the trot followed by 2 convincing home wins.  That made up for our 3 worst home performances of the season, all pre Christmas.  Some cracking games especially at home in 2024, this idea that we were relatively crap Jan to April is just nonsense. 

As you say, the drop off since we beat Barnsley has been shocking (loss of Maghoma a huge factor for me).

The away form did seem to fall off a cliff even against the poorer teams in the second half of last season. Maybe it was just harder games but teams seemed to have worked us out in my recollection.

As you say the home form was still good so but I don't think the difference in points from up to end of Jan compared to rest of the season can be explained by just playing better teams.

- up to end of Jan: 51 PTS from 24 games = 2.1 PTS per game

- after Jan: 36 PTS from 22 games = 1.6 PTS per game

So in summary I think the drop off started from Feb, and by the Oxford game it was already noticeable we weren't playing well.

Hence why quite a few of us were calling for a change in the summer, it wasn't just a knee jerk to a play off final defeat.

Back to the topic, I won’t be calling anyone who wishes to vent their spleen on Saturday unlike the Wigan game.

1 hour ago, gonzo said:

 

That Oxford game will go down in history. Don't think we all realise even now how much damage that has actually caused.

 

I still have a real bitterness towards Evatt about that game. I've always been a "trust the process" person and had stuck up for Evatt a lot. Even after the game, I was fuming about that result and I think its more his stubborness to change in game when 70,000 could see his tactics werent working. Part of me does think he just genuinely doesnt know any other tactics and just simply doesnt have the fluidity and flexibitly to change because he just doesnt know. He's thrown all his eggs in one basked. 

After that Oxford game I was still in the Evatt in camp and he had enough credit in the bank to at least start the season and give it a go. In hingsight (which is a wonderful thing), we should have cut ties. 

I do think if we had a mch stronger minded and mentally stronger manager, it wouldnt have done as much damage. You come back fighting and a point to prove. His fragility has seeped well into the squad and I think its irreversible now.