This is not a me having an indirect go at Sam, as he has done a terrific job for the club that no-one can ever match (probably), but I am nearly at a point after watching the performances (apart from West Spam) we have served up since the turn of the year where enough is enough and I do wish for a change 8-[

 

The club and fans are repeatedly wondering why our attendances are falling despite us being in our most succesful era for nearly 50 years! Well it can be only down to one thing.........The style we play.

 

I know we get knocked from pillar to post by the Tabloids and media in general and many have defended it to the hilt, myself included in the past, but the football served up by our club since the turn of this year has been poor to say the least and I feel this is the reason for the downturn. People will pay ??30 if they are going to be entertained.

 

I actually feel we have the players in our squad to offer an alternative to the style we are currently playing. Players like Jay Jay, Diouf, Nakata, Gardner, Speed, Campo, Vaz Te (convert into a winger?) should be allowed to play their natural game against teams that when matched man to man we should be looking at beating (all apart from top 4). Ok man for man against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, ManUre you have to think of something different, but I feel we have fallen into the trap of playing that way against everyone and people are fed up with it even though we are winning.

 

I for one wouldnt mind loosing a few games more each season, if we were entertained more with passing football......

 

Queue the abuse

Well said. Thought provoking.

This is not a me having an indirect go at Sam, as he has done a terrific job for the club that no-one can ever match (probably), but I am nearly at a point after watching the performances (apart from West Spam) we have served up since the turn of the year where enough is enough and I do wish for a change 8-[

 

The club and fans are repeatedly wondering why our attendances are falling despite us being in our most succesful era for nearly 50 years! Well it can be only down to one thing.........The style we play.

 

I know we get knocked from pillar to post by the Tabloids and media in general and many have defended it to the hilt, myself included in the past, but the football served up by our club since the turn of this year has been poor to say the least and I feel this is the reason for the downturn. People will pay ??30 if they are going to be entertained.

 

I actually feel we have the players in our squad to offer an alternative to the style we are currently playing. Players like Jay Jay, Diouf, Nakata, Gardner, Speed, Campo, Vaz Te (convert into a winger?) should be allowed to play their natural game against teams that when matched man to man we should be looking at beating (all apart from top 4). Ok man for man against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, ManUre you have to think of something different, but I feel we have fallen into the trap of playing that way against everyone and people are fed up with it even though we are winning.

 

I for one wouldnt mind loosing a few games more each season, if we were entertained more with passing football......

 

Queue the abuse

 

absolutely spot on we are the least entertaining team in the prem at the moment, i keep saying it but 4-5-1 against teams in the bottom half of the table is over cautious and negative to the extreme, i would much prefer 2-2 draws to 0-0.

Salford, totally agree.

 

The footy over the last few months has been shite. Yes go on, pick out the odd 30 minutes here-and-there but overall it has been poor.

 

Most of the problem is that we do not have a plan b. Has Sam ever played 4-4-2, even for the last 20 minutes in a game we are losing? Sometimes we need to be radical and think outside the box to improve matters.

 

For the first time in years, I am actually looking forward to the start of the cricket season more than being pissed off the footy season is about to end!!

while we are 20 million in debt, i don't think we can afford to experiment on the pitch

while we are 20 million in debt, i don't think we can afford to experiment on the pitch

 

The problem is though if it carries on the way it is, we will start loosing fans in droves and bang goes any chance of reducing that debt. You cannot substain a fan base just on results - it helps but its not the only thing.

 

I also feel we have the players in the squad to do this with it being too experimental - we dont need a massive over haul of players. T'Rovers are a prime example of this. One or two players and they have improved their style no end.

correct me if I'm wrong, but our style of play under his guidance has always been coma inducing - from div one to present day

 

we had a few fine performances here and there when youri was at his finest, but this at the moment isn't that different than previous years - we were hardly entertaining on our 6 match losing streak last season

 

or when we won something like 1 in 15 in our first season in the prem

 

etc

i guess crowds of 15k in the prem and finishing top half gives us massively more profit than 20 out of it

 

football is business

 

FACT

while we are 20 million in debt, i don't think we can afford to experiment on the pitch

 

The problem is though if it carries on the way it is, we will start loosing fans in droves and bang goes any chance of reducing that debt. You cannot substain a fan base just on results - it helps but its not the only thing.

 

I also feel we have the players in the squad to do this with it being too experimental - we dont need a massive over haul of players. T'Rovers are a prime example of this. One or two players and they have improved their style no end.

 

what's all this about fans leaving in droves?

 

one or two on here talking of not renewing their season tickets is hardly an exodus

 

didn't it sell out on Saturday?

First up, I just don't see the fans deserting us. Our attendances may be down year on year, but not dramatically or significantly out of keeping with other clubs experience.

 

 

Secondly, you state that man for man we should be beating teams outside the top 4. Well, in terms of money spent, wage bill etc if we match up 'man for man' we'll be a yo-yo club at best in the longer term.

 

Sam has used his tactical acumen to create a system that works and gives us league positions that our financial clout and players reputations don't justify. Take away the tactics and we would be an average side at best.

our crowds are higher now than they would be in we were losing 4-3 week in week out.

 

we do not turn up week in week out to entertain fans of other clubs.

 

having said that i have been pissed off that this season that unlike last year we seem to have got caught up in the hype that we can only play one way.

 

agaianst west ham at home we showed there is more to the team than this. even last night when vaz te came on we looked more threatening.

 

there has to be some middle ground.

 

half our team are unsuited to long ball so why have we stopped adopting the style. i think it is more about confidence than anything else at the moment.

 

because of the bad run, players are dead short of confidence, this means the safe option is taken all the time, this means they hold position rather than breaking into the box, so we pick up less second ball. last night ricardo had a shot from miles out, not the tight option at the time but something different, sam went ballistic.

 

it easy to get caught up thinking we are either long ball with gives succes, or entertaining which sees us lose a lot. last season we showed the trick was to vary it, this season injuries and lots of games (10 more than west brom) has caught up on us.

 

the test comes in the summer will the board recognise this and bring players in ? i will be hugely disapointed if we do nt sign someone with pace, camara for west brom will never score loads of goals but as a cheap (free ??) option might be able to unsettle defences especially when we are defending a lead at the moment the ball comes back to quick. (i mention camara as the type of player not really thinking he is the solution)

 

we are more succesful when we vary our tactics, in last few weeks this has nt happened, but we are still in top few and a chance of europe.

 

IN SAM WE HAVE FAITH.

This is not a me having an indirect go at Sam, as he has done a terrific job for the club that no-one can ever match (probably), but I am nearly at a point after watching the performances (apart from West Spam) we have served up since the turn of the year where enough is enough and I do wish for a change

 

The club and fans are repeatedly wondering why our attendances are falling despite us being in our most succesful era for nearly 50 years! Well it can be only down to one thing.........The style we play.

 

I know we get knocked from pillar to post by the Tabloids and media in general and many have defended it to the hilt, myself included in the past, but the football served up by our club since the turn of this year has been poor to say the least and I feel this is the reason for the downturn. People will pay ??30 if they are going to be entertained.

 

I actually feel we have the players in our squad to offer an alternative to the style we are currently playing. Players like Jay Jay, Diouf, Nakata, Gardner, Speed, Campo, Vaz Te (convert into a winger?) should be allowed to play their natural game against teams that when matched man to man we should be looking at beating (all apart from top 4). Ok man for man against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, ManUre you have to think of something different, but I feel we have fallen into the trap of playing that way against everyone and people are fed up with it even though we are winning.

 

I for one wouldnt mind loosing a few games more each season, if we were entertained more with passing football......

 

Queue the abuse

 

Salford, you make fair points but whether right or wrong I hate reading posts like this from our own fans. Because this is what the media and the big clubs want us to be saying to each other.

 

My view:

 

In a competitive industry controlled by money, the league table should be easy to predict. Something like Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle, Man City, Everton, Tottenham, Aston Villa, West Ham, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Charlton, West Brom, Bolton, Blackburn, Wigan, Fulham, Portsmouth.

 

That is based on football income. Blackburn, Wigan, Fulham and Portsmouth all have rich backers (or leagacy of) giving them artificial wealth meaning we should be erm bottom.

 

The reason we are not is beacause:

 

1. We have better sports science and scouting than anybody else.

2. We therefore have a niche of getting more out of older players that the richer clubs deem past their sell by date.

3. Sam's tatics allied to fitness mean that a team of less talented players can nullify more talented opposition.

4. We are tryting to build a youth policy and have some early fruits from that.

 

We have defied the odds for three years now. The minute we try and compete on the same basis as the rest then you fall back to your natural position, which for us is about mid table Championship. See Norwich, Leicester et al. We would be media darlings of course, and would perhaps clear the debt by selling our better players as they see they can't achieve success here. Would we then have 22000-25000 marvelling at our style of play?

 

Our only chance is to keep defying the odds long enough to get some of the tv and success money that enable us to get better players and be more entertaining with our current successful tatics, thereby enticing new fans and catching up some of our richer counterparts and thus creating a positive spiral.

This is not a me having an indirect go at Sam, as he has done a terrific job for the club that no-one can ever match (probably), but I am nearly at a point after watching the performances (apart from West Spam) we have served up since the turn of the year where enough is enough and I do wish for a change 8-[

 

The club and fans are repeatedly wondering why our attendances are falling despite us being in our most succesful era for nearly 50 years! Well it can be only down to one thing.........The style we play.

 

I know we get knocked from pillar to post by the Tabloids and media in general and many have defended it to the hilt, myself included in the past, but the football served up by our club since the turn of this year has been poor to say the least and I feel this is the reason for the downturn. People will pay ??30 if they are going to be entertained.

 

I actually feel we have the players in our squad to offer an alternative to the style we are currently playing. Players like Jay Jay, Diouf, Nakata, Gardner, Speed, Campo, Vaz Te (convert into a winger?) should be allowed to play their natural game against teams that when matched man to man we should be looking at beating (all apart from top 4). Ok man for man against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, ManUre you have to think of something different, but I feel we have fallen into the trap of playing that way against everyone and people are fed up with it even though we are winning.

 

I for one wouldnt mind loosing a few games more each season, if we were entertained more with passing football......

 

Queue the abuse

 

I dont think we have to drastically change our playing style, a couple of creative players would make us more attractive. In the last 6

games you could count the number of scoring chances on one hand (Vaz Te can be creditied with three!)

 

As for crowds these are generally dropping at most clubs aprt from those with waiting lists.

This is not a me having an indirect go at Sam, as he has done a terrific job for the club that no-one can ever match (probably), but I am nearly at a point after watching the performances (apart from West Spam) we have served up since the turn of the year where enough is enough and I do wish for a change

 

The club and fans are repeatedly wondering why our attendances are falling despite us being in our most succesful era for nearly 50 years! Well it can be only down to one thing.........The style we play.

 

I know we get knocked from pillar to post by the Tabloids and media in general and many have defended it to the hilt, myself included in the past, but the football served up by our club since the turn of this year has been poor to say the least and I feel this is the reason for the downturn. People will pay ??30 if they are going to be entertained.

 

I actually feel we have the players in our squad to offer an alternative to the style we are currently playing. Players like Jay Jay, Diouf, Nakata, Gardner, Speed, Campo, Vaz Te (convert into a winger?) should be allowed to play their natural game against teams that when matched man to man we should be looking at beating (all apart from top 4). Ok man for man against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, ManUre you have to think of something different, but I feel we have fallen into the trap of playing that way against everyone and people are fed up with it even though we are winning.

 

I for one wouldnt mind loosing a few games more each season, if we were entertained more with passing football......

 

Queue the abuse

 

Salford, you make fair points but whether right or wrong I hate reading posts like this from our own fans. Because this is what the media and the big clubs want us to be saying to each other.

 

My view:

 

In a competitive industry controlled by money, the league table should be easy to predict. Something like Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle, Man City, Everton, Tottenham, Aston Villa, West Ham, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Charlton, West Brom, Bolton, Blackburn, Wigan, Fulham, Portsmouth.

 

That is based on football income. Blackburn, Wigan, Fulham and Portsmouth all have rich backers (or leagacy of) giving them artificial wealth meaning we should be erm bottom.

 

The reason we are not is beacause:

 

1. We have better sports science and scouting than anybody else.

2. We therefore have a niche of getting more out of older players that the richer clubs deem past their sell by date.

3. Sam's tatics allied to fitness mean that a team of less talented players can nullify more talented opposition.

4. We are tryting to build a youth policy and have some early fruits from that.

 

We have defied the odds for three years now. The minute we try and compete on the same basis as the rest then you fall back to your natural position, which for us is about mid table Championship. See Norwich, Leicester et al. We would be media darlings of course, and would perhaps clear the debt by selling our better players as they see they can't achieve success here. Would we then have 22000-25000 marvelling at our style of play?

 

Our only chance is to keep defying the odds long enough to get some of the tv and success money that enable us to get better players and be more entertaining with our current successful tatics, thereby enticing new fans and catching up some of our richer counterparts and thus creating a positive spiral.

You could Brum to that list this year , bought players to play football and look where its got them

This is not a me having an indirect go at Sam, as he has done a terrific job for the club that no-one can ever match (probably), but I am nearly at a point after watching the performances (apart from West Spam) we have served up since the turn of the year where enough is enough and I do wish for a change

 

The club and fans are repeatedly wondering why our attendances are falling despite us being in our most succesful era for nearly 50 years! Well it can be only down to one thing.........The style we play.

 

I know we get knocked from pillar to post by the Tabloids and media in general and many have defended it to the hilt, myself included in the past, but the football served up by our club since the turn of this year has been poor to say the least and I feel this is the reason for the downturn. People will pay ??30 if they are going to be entertained.

 

I actually feel we have the players in our squad to offer an alternative to the style we are currently playing. Players like Jay Jay, Diouf, Nakata, Gardner, Speed, Campo, Vaz Te (convert into a winger?) should be allowed to play their natural game against teams that when matched man to man we should be looking at beating (all apart from top 4). Ok man for man against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, ManUre you have to think of something different, but I feel we have fallen into the trap of playing that way against everyone and people are fed up with it even though we are winning.

 

I for one wouldnt mind loosing a few games more each season, if we were entertained more with passing football......

 

Queue the abuse

 

Salford, you make fair points but whether right or wrong I hate reading posts like this from our own fans. Because this is what the media and the big clubs want us to be saying to each other.

 

My view:

 

In a competitive industry controlled by money, the league table should be easy to predict. Something like Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle, Man City, Everton, Tottenham, Aston Villa, West Ham, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Charlton, West Brom, Bolton, Blackburn, Wigan, Fulham, Portsmouth.

 

That is based on football income. Blackburn, Wigan, Fulham and Portsmouth all have rich backers (or leagacy of) giving them artificial wealth meaning we should be erm bottom.

 

The reason we are not is beacause:

 

1. We have better sports science and scouting than anybody else.

2. We therefore have a niche of getting more out of older players that the richer clubs deem past their sell by date.

3. Sam's tatics allied to fitness mean that a team of less talented players can nullify more talented opposition.

4. We are tryting to build a youth policy and have some early fruits from that.

 

We have defied the odds for three years now. The minute we try and compete on the same basis as the rest then you fall back to your natural position, which for us is about mid table Championship. See Norwich, Leicester et al. We would be media darlings of course, and would perhaps clear the debt by selling our better players as they see they can't achieve success here. Would we then have 22000-25000 marvelling at our style of play?

 

Our only chance is to keep defying the odds long enough to get some of the tv and success money that enable us to get better players and be more entertaining with our current successful tatics, thereby enticing new fans and catching up some of our richer counterparts and thus creating a positive spiral.

 

Bristol, that is brilliantly written and I could not agree more. Sometimes you need to take a step back and have a reality check. Facts - we are now an established top half Premier League team on the back of Sams genius. We will never be a Chelsea, Arsenal, Man U or Liverpool and aspiring to be so would be our downfall. There is no reason, however, that we couldn't remain to be just 'off' those four with more of the already exhibited good team and financial management.

One thing I have learned about Bolton fans since the first game I attended in 1962 is that between a quarter and a third love nothing more than a fooking good moan. As I have stated before, if we won the ECL, EPL and FAC treble, the fcukers would complain bitterly about our failure in the Carling Cup. It's just the way they are and, although I generally ignore the negative gits, taking the piss out of them on here can be fun.