Luton Town (H)

[desperado]

1 hour ago, Tombwfc said:

 

By the same logic though, would the rest of our squad fail to crack a top 100 list if they were any good? On the wider list, next is Conway (58), then Dalby (97), Sheehan (119) and Christie (146). 

Although McAtee being rated as one of the worst players in the league (352 out of 389 eligible) might convince some there's validity to it.

This is one area where I'd trust the eyes of people who watch us over whatever 'data' this is based on. Sometimes numbers do mean nothing at all. In this case you'd be better off picking names out of a hat.

 

 

52 minutes ago, masi 51 said:

Number one is a 33 year old Journey man and the 25 does not include Dom Bollard....A Who in the right mind wrote this shit and B Ba Ba Blacksheep was not real

I’ve already said it’s flawed and there’s so much more to consider.

Like yours and my opinion it’s an untrained, unqualified and fan based opinion, with a few dodgy and questionable statistics - which you have quite rightly criticised. 

But We’ve a few Ba Ba Black Sheep on here (I like that one! 😂)

So If we are going to tolerate and pass opinion on players being shit and hearing about how Schumacher should adopt Zogs tactical advice, then a bit of balance to counter that is fair game IMO.

It can be pulled apart and criticised like any opinion on here can be.

I think there’s a bit of stuff that makes sense when we are countering how shit our defenders are.

In terms of expected goals conceded this season, Bolton Wanderers have the best defence in the league in terms of limiting quality chances for the opposition, and at the heart of that defence is Eoin Toal.
 

 

George Johnston has been the man to have played the most in it, missing just two league games all season.

Coincidentally, the only games the 27-year-old has missed this year have come against Stockport County, being an unused substitute on the opening day and then missing the squad for the draw on Easter Monday. Both of those games saw Bolton concede twice without him, with a record of just over one goal conceded per game with Johnston on the pitch.

 

 

[masi 51]

12 minutes ago, desperado said:

 

I’ve already said it’s flawed and there’s so much more to consider.

Like yours and my opinion it’s an untrained, unqualified and fan based opinion, with a few dodgy and questionable statistics - which you have quite rightly criticised. 

But We’ve a few Ba Ba Black Sheep on here (I like that one! 😂)

So If we are going to tolerate and pass opinion on players being shit and hearing about how Schumacher should adopt Zogs tactical advice, then a bit of balance to counter that is fair game IMO.

It can be pulled apart and criticised like any opinion on here can be.

I think there’s a bit of stuff that makes sense when we are countering how shit our defenders are.

In terms of expected goals conceded this season, Bolton Wanderers have the best defence in the league in terms of limiting quality chances for the opposition, and at the heart of that defence is Eoin Toal.
 

 

George Johnston has been the man to have played the most in it, missing just two league games all season.

Coincidentally, the only games the 27-year-old has missed this year have come against Stockport County, being an unused substitute on the opening day and then missing the squad for the draw on Easter Monday. Both of those games saw Bolton concede twice without him, with a record of just over one goal conceded per game with Johnston on the pitch.

 

 

I have this week, last week or any occasion called a player or a whole unit shit

George Johnston is a ok league one centre back as is Toal. Christie is a player at the end of a good career. Forino is a top league one centre back. Tutu plays better forward as a winger or average wingback. Conway is a player still learning his trade who will i think play more games in midfield than a defender.......People are pulling players up on this forum because they are not playing in their right positions.....it is not the players fault.

I back SS to get it right but he has messed up this season not getting the right players for the back four.......I am putting that down that his hands are tied and he has players under contract that are here simply because they have a contract

[desperado]

26 minutes ago, masi 51 said:

I have this week, last week or any occasion called a player or a whole unit shit

George Johnston is a ok league one centre back as is Toal. Christie is a player at the end of a good career. Forino is a top league one centre back. Tutu plays better forward as a winger or average wingback. Conway is a player still learning his trade who will i think play more games in midfield than a defender.......People are pulling players up on this forum because they are not playing in their right positions.....it is not the players fault.

I back SS to get it right but he has messed up this season not getting the right players for the back four.......I am putting that down that his hands are tied and he has players under contract that are here simply because they have a contract

I think what we are debating here has become a bit clouded.

My original post was below a load of posts (not yours) about how shit our defenders/defensive unit is. I’m not claiming you have said our defenders are shit.

My subsequent posts have been to you and Tom criticising the article and its validity - I think both of you have made good points and on reflection I’ve conceded on some of the points you’ve made.

Im still maintaining that our defenders aren’t as shit as some (not you) are making out. 

[boltonboris]

Our biggest weapon is our wingers and energetic forwards. 
 

We’re not going to rip that up by playing defenders in unfamiliar roles 

Having Conway on the left wing will not help us defensively. It will just cost us offensively. 
 

We are susceptible to that big diagonal ball on transitions. We have been all season. I agree it needs sorting, but playing 2 left backs and having less going forward will weaken us 

[gonzo]

Our defenders are perfectly fine for 90% of the time.

They just have the ability to self combust for no apparent reason.

Every goal we seem conceed is a fuck up that's against the run play.

That Blackpool home game couldn't sum things up any better. 

 

[ianofcleveleys]

7 hours ago, Tombwfc said:

 

I think the last 12 times we've scored first, the other team have scored second in 8 of them. Plus Barnsley where we did our best to throw away a three goal lead, Exeter where they got it back to 2-1 (Bonham error) and Stevenage who had a bunch of chances with 10-men until we killed the game off.

Maybe things would be different if we set up differently. But I'm not convinced and I'm definitely not convinced SS sees it that way. We've shown zero ability to hold on to narrow leads all season - unless we go ahead in the 90th minute.

I can't see a world where we take a lead to Valley Parade and try to sit on it. The best players in the team are all attackers and so I'd expect us to go and try to score again.

I dont doubt it, just one of those where I know what I'd do but know what SS will do and it's not that. 

Think I said after the game on Sat, all conventions about playing two legged ties will be out of the window. We've no idea how to keep a clean sheet so may as well try to score as many as we can. 

We're a bit like Keegan's Newcastle, every game looks like it could be one of those 4-3 epics v Liverpool 

[Johnnyrotten]

6 hours ago, woolli said:

Im know brain surgeon, but after about  3 corners, all to the back post, why didnt Bonham stand further back nearer the back post? If they did mixed it up, he would still have had time to re adjust himself!

My guess (and its a guess, happy to be wrong) is that the positions of defenders and keeper is decided on the training ground and they stick to it.  That has to be the case with the outfield players, to explain how the majority line up along or near the 6 yard line, so it follows that the keeper would have his starting position too.  Possibly.    

[woolli]

1 hour ago, Johnnyrotten said:

My guess (and its a guess, happy to be wrong) is that the positions of defenders and keeper is decided on the training ground and they stick to it.  That has to be the case with the outfield players, to explain how the majority line up along or near the 6 yard line, so it follows that the keeper would have his starting position too.  Possibly.    

Surely youve got to think for yourself in that situation! Every corner they nearly scored from, all in the same area, Bonham was just flapping every time, and nowhere near the ball.  He needs to take charge of the six yard area, he just doesnt do  it!

[ianofcleveleys]

2 hours ago, gonzo said:

Our defenders are perfectly fine for 90% of the time.

They just have the ability to self combust for no apparent reason.

Every goal we seem conceed is a fuck up that's against the run play.

That Blackpool home game couldn't sum things up any better. 

 

I know what you mean, we have a bad habit of shipping poor goals when not under any pressure in games, though I wouldn't go as far as to say we look ok 90% of the time. 

Last couple of months we've lapsed into giving more goals away, more regularly, and the same types of goals that have been clearly signposted either in previous games or minutes earlier in the same game. 

SS has, I think, got to shrug shoulders stage about being able to fix it, so its all about us making and converting enough situations at the other end to win the ties that remain

[boltonboris]

8 hours ago, woolli said:

Im know brain surgeon, but after about  3 corners, all to the back post, why didnt Bonham stand further back nearer the back post? If they did mixed it up, he would still have had time to re adjust himself!

Keepers can’t gamble on set pieces. They stand fairly centrally (a step closer to the front post than the back post. 
 

if they went and covered the back post and someone stands on the line, then they go front post, it’s almost a guaranteed goal if we don’t win the header. No way can a keeper put himself and the team in that position. 
 

With deep ones when there are blockers (I think VAR might chalk their equaliser off) keepers need some help from the defenders. We had a 6’2 and 6’3 centre back in there on Saturday 

[woolli]

27 minutes ago, boltonboris said:

Keepers can’t gamble on set pieces. They stand fairly centrally (a step closer to the front post than the back post. 
 

if they went and covered the back post and someone stands on the line, then they go front post, it’s almost a guaranteed goal if we don’t win the header. No way can a keeper put himself and the team in that position. 
 

With deep ones when there are blockers (I think VAR might chalk their equaliser off) keepers need some help from the defenders. We had a 6’2 and 6’3 centre back in there on Saturday 

We had Tutu and Rodriques marking at the back post, not even looking at the ball, none are centre backs, and shouldnt be trying to mark their  big fuckers! Terrible goalkeeping, terrible marking!

[boltonboris]

13 minutes ago, woolli said:

We had Tutu and Rodriques marking at the back post, not even looking at the ball, none are centre backs, and shouldnt be trying to mark their  big fuckers! Terrible goalkeeping, terrible marking!

Course mate. But the keeper can’t go and stand on the back post

[Johnnyrotten]

1 hour ago, woolli said:

We had Tutu and Rodriques marking at the back post, not even looking at the ball, none are centre backs, and shouldnt be trying to mark their  big fuckers! Terrible goalkeeping, terrible marking!

Its the coach to blame though, taking your analogy, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to see that we are set up in a pre-determined order/positions ie always 11 back, always at least 9 around the 6 yard box, in a line.

There's no room for thinking on your feet, you do as your instructed, rightly or wrongly.

It was a bit different in Sunday league where no corner took place without someone shouting "who's got no.8 on the back post / no.10 on the edge" etc and if your man scored you never heard the last of it.  That's not a fashion any more and its not just us that doesn't take marking seriously.  Villa were doing it yesterday and Spurs scored easily as a result.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

5 hours ago, boltonboris said:

Our biggest weapon is our wingers and energetic forwards. 
 

We’re not going to rip that up by playing defenders in unfamiliar roles 

Having Conway on the left wing will not help us defensively. It will just cost us offensively. 
 

We are susceptible to that big diagonal ball on transitions. We have been all season. I agree it needs sorting, but playing 2 left backs and having less going forward will weaken us 

It would help us defensively- he would be willing to track back.

It would probably weaken us offensively though.

[boltonboris]

14 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

It would help us defensively- he would be willing to track back.

It would probably weaken us offensively though.

With no real outlet on both sides, we’ll have to do more defending as the ball will come back quicker. Would also embolden the other team’s right back to push on and pin Conway back. 

if we’re so desperate to add another layer of defensive protection there, which I get, we’d have to sacrifice a striker and have Simons or Erhahon sit in instead 

Edited Monday at 20:07 by boltonboris

[Tombwfc]

On 04/05/2026 at 10:04, desperado said:

Toal, Forino and Johnston all in there! 😂

I’m going to love it when these shit defenders help get us to the championship.

IMO they are inconsistent, not shit.

Yes they make mistakes, yes we need upgrades next season, but the way some go on you’d think we’ve got the shittest back line in L1.

 

The ninth best player in League One has just been released by Wigan, if we are looking for defensive reinforcements.

[Ani]

On 04/05/2026 at 19:44, boltonboris said:

Course mate. But the keeper can’t go and stand on the back post

You have made some very valid points here, but once the ball goes to the far post the keeper has to react better. His positioning is one thing but once the ball is played he regularly gets caught underneath it but nearer the edge of six yard box rather than on his line. It is as though he has made an initial move and then thought ‘shit that’s going over me’ and he freezes (exaggeration - he reacts slowly probably fairer) 

When GJ plays, with 2 centre halves, Kenny and Dalby or Burstow we should have enough height to deal with high set pieces but it seems unless Forino heads it we struggle.