In x4

 

Have we ever won here ? Has it ever not be shit ? 

54 minutes ago, desperado said:

He assisted both goals and made a real impact. What more would you want from someone coming on as a second half sub? 

Seems a nice chap does Kane but I'd take his evaluations on players or football in general with a pinch of salt. 

Sheehan is shit remember.

So was GT.

So is Kenny.

We should be guaranteed play offs after 42 games so 4 games to spare do we rest players or try different tactics in those?

Stevenage the only team from 3rd-10th to win. Weird day. No-one's consistent at all.

20 minutes ago, ianofcleveleys said:

He is being played out of position. He is not a left back in a 4 and Johnston looks less sure of himself when he's there. Tutu is also not a right back. 

Sheehan and Erhahon are not an effective two in games against more robust sides who dont stand off in a low block.

Burstow isnt a foil for Dalby, nor is he a right winger. 

None of those covered themselves in glory today, and its easy to say its poor application or concentration, but some of it is on SS and his belief they can do things they aren't cut out to do. 

We got away with it again to a degree today but it can't keep happening. 

Good points.

Some I agree with. I don’t think it’s an application/effort issue from the players.

Theres also definitely an issue with certain combinations in certain games.

But working out which ones for which game is near on impossible for anyone. Professional managers included! 

I suggested Dempsey starting today.

But I give SS a bit more slack.

Even though i would have gone with Dempsey, who am I to say he was wrong? It wasn’t a blindingly obvious choice and if one of them early chances goes in we’re probably not even having this discussion.

He could start (as he has done a few times) with the same side that starts, or finishes, well, to find they don’t perform as they did the game before. 

The left side is a real conundrum too. I’m not sure how anyone can categorically say one magic formula works. I’ve seen Conway have great games at FB and WB this season. I think he’s looked really good on lots of occasions. But he’s also very vulnerable. So yes we could say go to 5-3-2 or 3-4-3 but then you negate us in other areas and take away a lot of the plusses that 4-2-3-1 had brought us on this great run.  

The one thing I’m pretty sure on is that Gale, Conway and Johnston together on the left doesn’t to me look very solid at all. 

Edited March 14Mar 14 by desperado

2 hours ago, RUREADY2ROLL said:

Gale was shocking

Gale is shocking.   Softest player since richard sneekes.     

2 hours ago, gonzo said:

Our keeper is a major, major concern.

A figure of fun at Stoke and he's a second away from a calamity at any given point.

 

A huge upgrade on TSL though.  Makes saves every game, TSL didn't.

Played well today I thought and he kicks it long to Dalby miles more than any of our keepers have done prior to the cock up v Blackpool, that's encouraging.

21 minutes ago, jmjhb said:

Stevenage the only team from 3rd-10th to win. Weird day. No-one's consistent at all.

Bar Lincoln.     Am 100% we all had them to blow up at some point and finish somet like 7th .

2 minutes ago, W.cramp said:

Gale is shocking.   Softest player since richard sneekes.     

Sneekes was decent footballer and could find the net. 

Just now, Mounts Kipper said:

Sneekes was decent footballer and could find the net. 

Yes he could.   But was scared shirtless of actually making a tackle or even attempting a block just like this mon

4 minutes ago, W.cramp said:

Gale is shocking.   Softest player since richard sneekes.     

How you can compare the two no idea 

Not long back.

Another game where we miss a very good early chance. Look the better team and suddenly are two down. Battle back and could win it at the end. 
 

My biggest worry is how many soft goals we give away and we are even further than ever for knowing our best XI.

Keeper - good safe second half but at fault for second and nowhere for the first

Tutu - Simply not a right back

Firino - Big lump centre half not suited to the passing about at the back

GJ - Committed but lacks quality. Him and Forino tippy tap at the back is pointkess

 Max - Last week full of entry and flying forward , very hesitant today but did not do much wrong 

Sheehan - Tidy but nothing outstanding

EE - Silly early booking , zero attacking intent. No surprise he was subbed.

RR - not involved enough

CBT - looked a threat missed the best chance limped off

Gale - Frustrating as hell , one chance he had a world class touch then back pass to keeper. Not sure he took the right option once

MB - Strange to play him wide , improved when more central but largely ineffective

Sam - works hard deserved his goal

Subs

KD - made a difference when came on

JK - made a difference when came on

CC - Not sure why he is here , not his fault.

Apter - Made little difference when he came on , but a better option than MB imo as a wide right player

Included Gale above as on so long 

 

Once again fails like we have battled well to recover to make a disaster a disappointment 

 

I’m putting that draw down to Schumaker and not for the first time this season. I don’t think there’s many Bolton fans that at Rotherham away would have started with Rodrigues or not started with Dempsey. Just a couple of instances. 
 

Really good managers get those selection decisions right 90% of the time. 

3 minutes ago, Walkden White said:

Rotherham away would have started with Rodrigues

Didn’t even noticed he played but saw the difference when Dempsey came on 

Apologies if I've missed it, but why did one of our staff get sent off ?

All I saw was his catch the ball & stop it bouncing into the stands, then throw it back to a player.

1 minute ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

Apologies if I've missed it, but why did one of our staff get sent off ?

All I saw was his catch the ball & stop it bouncing into the stands, then throw it back to a player.

Mystery ???, except the ref was a fucking Cock!!

2 hours ago, only1swanny said:

It's very very troubling, pulls off some amazing saves at times. 

But

Baxter, 

Southwood

Coleman

Miller,

Shaman Lowe, 

All not doing great, so is it the keeper or the constant pressure their under from a sub par defence? 

 

Baxter was a great keeper till his head fell off about this time last year.

A keeper is there to save shots and catch crosses, very little to do with the defence for better or worse IMO.

Some keepers are blatantly not good enough (Coleman, TSL, Southwood too small) but Bonham is above that level, he's not terrible IMO.  Made some decent saves.

2 hours ago, desperado said:

Once top two is not achievable (and some may argue that’s now) I wouldn’t be surprised to see Harrington given a chance. 

Without seeing him play?  

Top 2 is out of reach but the only justification for weakening the team ie not picking first choice is to protect players from injury for the play offs.  I don't think we're at that stage yet, SS will want to secure 3rd place and keep the unbeaten run going (even though that has no direct impact on our fate in the play offs).

2 hours ago, gonzo said:

Our keeper is a major, major concern.

A figure of fun at Stoke and he's a second away from a calamity at any given point.

 

He did make a great save second half though. Not good on the second goal but there was other issues with that goal as well. 

2 minutes ago, Arrested development said:

He did make a great save second half though. Not good on the second goal but there was other issues with that goal as well. 

There were other issues but he should've saved and it's not the first time he's been beaten easily

10 minutes ago, Bryan458 said:

Mystery ???, except the ref was a fucking Cock!!

Sent off for apparently stopping them attacking by throwing the ball away. But their player booted a water bottle at our bench and got just a yellow. That ref didn't know his arse from his elbow. 

2 hours ago, paulhanley said:

Oh for a few simple goal in each half 2-0 wins. Rock solid, reliable and the stuff of automatic promotion outfits.

It is fairly bizarre that a team in 3rd place never does a solid 2-0 win.  Except our very first home game was a routine 2-0 win, a goal in each half, none since.  Course the 4-0s and 5-1 were fantastic entertainment, but a quiet efficient fairly boring 2-0 is just not the way we do things.  Same last season, I think we had one (Crawley away) compared to five 2-0 defeats.

 

13 minutes ago, Arrested development said:

Sent off for apparently stopping them attacking by throwing the ball away. But their player booted a water bottle at our bench and got just a yellow. That ref didn't know his arse from his elbow. 

Did he not throw the ball to the player ??

14 Draws, if we had turned half of those into wins, we would be a point behaind Lincoln !!

Edited March 14Mar 14 by Bryan458

2 hours ago, Stig said:

Good enjoyable game to watch that in the second half. Lot of chances and great attacking play so I've come away from that pretty positive in terms of it being a good day out.

In terms of getting promotion, some major things that need ironing out:

-complete lack of midfield bite in that first half. Dempsey was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch for us and started making them uncomfortable on the ball. We need him playing

-Gale was infuriating for not doing a simple cross or pull back, always going for the cut back and shoot. Kenny got 2 assists simply by playing a ball across the 6 yard box and nearly had another in injury time. I'd rather play him on the left wing than Gale

-if we switch to a back 3 I think you have to leave Conway and Tutu as the wing backs. Understand we were going for it but similar to above point I think Conway would have put simple crosses in that Gale wasn't (Apter was already on so no choice there)

-Defending corners is terrible from us. I've always disliked not leaving a man up but we're now also not watching for the short corner. First half Rodriguez was the closest to the taker and shouting across whether he should go even closer to stop the short corner. Lo and behold it's played short, we only half clear it because there's no pressure on the crosser and noone up field to act as an outlet, and we're penned in for the next minute or so until we concede the opener. I'm astounded watching it

-Rodrigues is quite a way off the pace, impact sub role for him for now

Hopefully get this all sorted out before the play offs.

Agree with all of that.  The defending corners thing especially, I thought exactly the same when that one you described happened.  Infuriating to be so open to the short corner, and at the same time invite them to pen us in so that its harder to clear it properly.  As if having someone like Gale in our own box is going to benefit us more than having him on the half way line ready to break.

16 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Without seeing him play?  

Top 2 is out of reach but the only justification for weakening the team ie not picking first choice is to protect players from injury for the play offs.  I don't think we're at that stage yet, SS will want to secure 3rd place and keep the unbeaten run going (even though that has no direct impact on our fate in the play offs).

Who are you suggesting hasn’t seen him play? Me or Schumacher? Genuine question.

Im presuming it’s me.

I don’t think many will. I hadn’t seen Kenny play, Simons, Burstow etc.

But based on the reasons they’d signed and doing a bit of reading/research about them I was keen to see them all play.

Same with Harrington. 

Not sure why having not seen him play, me or any fan isn’t keen to see them play and see how they fare.

How do you know he wouldn’t be better than Bonham? 

Managers pick and choose players and  change their minds on who should start and who has the all round game to contribute to success.

I’m not one of those lambasting Bonham, I’ve acknowledged his positive contribution and I won’t be criticising SS if he sticks with him (unless these errors he’s made become a habit),

But I don’t think it’s too wild a call to suggest we may see Harrington before the end of the season, especially when he comes with a good reputation/potential and Bonham has shown signs of fallibility.