Just reading the posts from the Derby thread and i am staggered to read the justification for an awful start to the season and the continued belief in the Manager.

 

On one post "3 tricky away games". Derby, Brum, Rabontki. What the hell is that all about? As away games these are as easy as it gets for gods sake.

 

If we will win any away game all season then surely it should be Derby. They are awful and will go down adrift at the bottom. Yet people (including the Manager) are happy with a point. That sends out a message that we are happy with mediocrity. We are next to bottom of the league with 20% of the season gone and we have not played any of the top 4 home or away.

 

People have very quickly accepted that we are in for a bottom 6 finish and for me that is appalling after 8 games. Why give him a year to cut his teeth on Management - he can do that at somewehere like Bury not at a Premier Laegue club.

 

We have played Brum, Reading, Pompey, Derby. I expect those 4 to be in or around the bottom 6 at the end of the season yet we have only managed one victory.

 

Surely surely surely if we lose the next two league games he has to go.

I'm as baffled as you, Tony. With 5 points from over a fifth of the games played, where do people think the required 10-12 wins are going to come from then ?

LSL's decision-making baffles me just as much. Before Spurs, Campo was surplus to requirements. Oops, struggling with 442, put him in for the Spurs game; big point-winning midfield performance. 'Tricky' away game at Derby ? Let's have no defenders on the bench; so Campo ends up as right-back (unless my eyes deceived me).

But it looks like we're going to stagger along for some time to come, so we'd better get used to it.

I wouldn't give him that long,To be happy with a point from yesterdays game is ludicrous, get rid now while we can still turn things around. Being realistic we really can't expect to get anything from the next two league games, so now would be as good a time as there will be mid-season to bring a new man in and give him the chance to judge the players over those games.

The only problem is I wouldn't fancy any of the 'usual suspect' out of work managers in charge and I can only hope that big fat Phil has something up his sleeve for if he ever has the courage to admit his mistake and give Lee the boot. However I suspect it will only be his arm.

I'm as baffled as you, Tony. With 5 points from over a fifth of the games played, where do people think the required 10-12 wins are going to come from then ?

LSL's decision-making baffles me just as much. Before Spurs, Campo was surplus to requirements. Oops, struggling with 442, put him in for the Spurs game; big point-winning midfield performance. 'Tricky' away game at Derby ? Let's have no defenders on the bench; so Campo ends up as right-back (unless my eyes deceived me).

But it looks like we're going to stagger along for some time to come, so we'd better get used to it.

 

The decision to have no defenders on the bench is very strange, if hunt was injured surely Michalik or Cid should have been on the bench, also I would have selected either braaten or wilhelmson not both, this would have given us an extra central midfield option in Andranik.

In terms of expectations, let's put it into perspective...

 

1. Teams had got used to our playing style for a long time now, to the extent that we'd lost our edge at the beginning of the year

2. The players had been used to FSA's way of playing for 8 years

3. The players respected FSA

4. There's no bigger profile in the game than FSA who would have come to Bolton, let's be honest

5. LSL recognised that we had to change our style and beef our squad up for the demands of Europe so he bought players that suited these aims

 

Therefore, it takes a few games for everyone to adjust. Realistically, yes, if we survive the season and finished mid-table, it would be success. Sides with much more resources than ours have been relegated so let's just say our previous top-half finishes were always an over-achievement.

 

This doesn't mean that I think LSL has been doing a good job. I cannot understand why he persisted with Cid, was too proud to play Campo and above all else, still has Nolan in the side when it's obvious the lad needs to be dropped. And if he's lost the dressing room, then he's got to go. I just think we cannot compare last year's results with this years and that expectations this year should be lower.

On one post "3 tricky away games". Derby, Brum, Rabontki. What the hell is that all about? As away games these are as easy as it gets for gods sake.

 

You obviously didn't read the following post then which said that they were 'tricky' in our current situation.

visit tonys website

 

 

http://www.samaritans.org/

My thoughts are that of Mr C.

 

A draw yesterday was not good enough, as was the draw against Spurs and the draw against Rabotnicki. These results are only just keeping SL nose above the sack waterline. Over the past few seasons are expectations about what our team should achieve on the pitch have risen and thats probably why me, and I'm a fairly tolerant person, and others are feeling this way.

pompey, bottom 6?

 

ok

TonyCee is spot on,apart from one thing.

 

Portsmouth are an ambitious club with a good manager who will finish in the top half,not the bottom 6.

Having said that,we should have got something at Fratton Park because they were suffering from injuries and suspensions when we played them.

Just reading the posts from the Derby thread and i am staggered to read the justification for an awful start to the season and the continued belief in the Manager.

 

On one post "3 tricky away games". Derby, Brum, Rabontki. What the hell is that all about? As away games these are as easy as it gets for gods sake.

 

If we will win any away game all season then surely it should be Derby. They are awful and will go down adrift at the bottom. Yet people (including the Manager) are happy with a point. That sends out a message that we are happy with mediocrity. We are next to bottom of the league with 20% of the season gone and we have not played any of the top 4 home or away.

 

People have very quickly accepted that we are in for a bottom 6 finish and for me that is appalling after 8 games. Why give him a year to cut his teeth on Management - he can do that at somewehere like Bury not at a Premier Laegue club.

 

We have played Brum, Reading, Pompey, Derby. I expect those 4 to be in or around the bottom 6 at the end of the season yet we have only managed one victory.

 

Surely surely surely if we lose the next two league games he has to go.

This thread is called "Expectations".

The problem with a lot of Bolton fans is that their expectations are too high. We are not a top 8 club. Bolton are a club that have somehow made it into the elite league and have managed to finish in the top 8 in the last 3 years. Our finances aren't top 8 material and neither are our fans. Appreciate what we have got and what we have achieved. We watched entertaining football yesterday at Derby and deserved the 3 points.

Before last season started I was hoping to finish about 11th, and before this season started I was hoping for the same even though there was obviously going to be teething problems in our transition period.

This thread is called "Expectations".

The problem with a lot of Bolton fans is that their expectations are too high. We are not a top 8 club. Bolton are a club that have somehow made it into the elite league and have managed to finish in the top 8 in the last 3 years. Our finances aren't top 8 material and neither are our fans. Appreciate what we have got and what we have achieved. We watched entertaining football yesterday at Derby and deserved the 3 points.

Before last season started I was hoping to finish about 11th, and before this season started I was hoping for the same even though there was obviously going to be teething problems in our transition period.

 

egg-fukcin-zackly!

This thread is called "Expectations".

The problem with a lot of Bolton fans is that their expectations are too high. We are not a top 8 club. Bolton are a club that have somehow made it into the elite league and have managed to finish in the top 8 in the last 3 years. Our finances aren't top 8 material and neither are our fans. Appreciate what we have got and what we have achieved. We watched entertaining football yesterday at Derby and deserved the 3 points.

Before last season started I was hoping to finish about 11th, and before this season started I was hoping for the same even though there was obviously going to be teething problems in our transition period.

 

 

Zozzy, have you been on the common sense juice? Fancy culling the boo boys with me on Thursday?

Lee took over at a club that had finished in the top 8 four seasons in a row,not 3.

Lee took over at a club that had finished in the top 8 four seasons in a row,not 3.

 

it was also a team that had only won 5, drawn 6 and lost 9 of its last 20 games in all competitions since xmas.

it was also a team that had only won 5, drawn 6 and lost 9 of its last 20 games in all competitions since xmas.

 

I put the bad run after Christmas down to Allardyce losing interest and coasting through the job.The same as many disillusioned people start doing the bare minimum when they are looking for another job.

I don't think it was because after 3 and a half seasons of top half results the rest of the Premier League suddenly found a way to cope with us.

I put the bad run after Christmas down to Allardyce losing interest and coasting through the job.The same as many disillusioned people start doing the bare minimum when they are looking for another job.

I don't think it was because after 3 and a half seasons of top half results the rest of the Premier League suddenly found a way to cope with us.

 

i think you're wrong

I told my travelling companions that I'd have settled for a draw yesterday, I even backed the 1-1 scoreline.

 

Expectations are way too high amongst the fickle Bolton support. We are in a rut and have been since Xmas. A month ago we'd have lost at Derby having gone 1-0 down, yesterday we drew and went on to create several good match-winning chances.

 

The next stage of the recovery is to turn some of these draws inot victories and things will look much better.

17th position or above is good enough this season: the entire club seems to be in turmoil and Premiership survival alone will make this a successful season.

 

Get behind the lads: they need the support. Yesterday's turnout got right behind them and the attacking display in the last half hour was excellent.

I told my travelling companions that I'd have settled for a draw yesterday, I even backed the 1-1 scoreline.

 

Expectations are way too high amongst the fickle Bolton support. We are in a rut and have been since Xmas. A month ago we'd have lost at Derby having gone 1-0 down, yesterday we drew and went on to create several good match-winning chances.

 

The next stage of the recovery is to turn some of these draws inot victories and things will look much better.

17th position or above is good enough this season: the entire club seems to be in turmoil and Premiership survival alone will make this a successful season.

 

Get behind the lads: they need the support. Yesterday's turnout got right behind them and the attacking display in the last half hour was excellent.

 

spot on traf, and the real fans who actually go and support have a big part to play this season, do we continue stick the knife in to our club,players and manager or do we give it our best shot as supporters?

This could go on any of several current threads, but this is as good as any :-

 

When LSL was appointed, I didn't disagree. I thought it might be a sensible choice - he was an international player, he's an experienced top-level coach, he'd been with the club 2 years and would be an element of continuity and stability in a changing situation.

 

So, I thought, he'll know the weaknesses (especially in defence, which BSA had been ignoring) and he'll address them; he'll gradually tweak the formation and squad into a more attacking/footballing force, and we'll move on from there.

 

My pre-season prediction was about 44 points and around 14th position, which would probably mean some flirting with relegation at some time(s) in the season. See ? Not a perpetual whinger, and not a Peter Pan ?we only have to believe? wishful thinker, not someone looking for guarantees or a quick-fix, not a boo-boy, and not a stick-the-knife in type ..... but a realist.

 

So what?s happened ? LSL has thrown continuity out of the window, he?s tried to enforce a system for which he doesn?t currently have the necessary (fit?) players, he?s not addressed the glaring defensive weaknesses during a full pre-season summer, he?s changed his mind about Campo (and maybe Stelios), and he seems to have no idea what his best system or line-up is. After 2 years at the club and after 5 months in charge. And he?s no previous record to make a positive assessment from.

 

LSL may yet turn this around, but there?s no evidence to support that and the odds are heavily against him from what he?s done so far. So it comes down to how much the owner and the fan-base are prepared to gamble the club?s future in order to save a manager from being removed and to save the chairman?s face after his silly comments last May.

 

OK. End of rant. Got that off my chest. In my humble opinion & all that cr*p ....

So what?s happened ? LSL has thrown continuity out of the window, he?s tried to enforce a system for which he doesn?t currently have the necessary (fit?) players, he?s not addressed the glaring defensive weaknesses during a full pre-season summer, he?s changed his mind about Campo (and maybe Stelios), and he seems to have no idea what his best system or line-up is. After 2 years at the club and after 5 months in charge. And he?s no previous record to make a positive assessment from.

 

LSL may yet turn this around, but there?s no evidence to support that and the odds are heavily against him from what he?s done so far. So it comes down to how much the owner and the fan-base are prepared to gamble the club?s future in order to save a manager from being removed and to save the chairman?s face after his silly comments last May.

 

OK. End of rant. Got that off my chest. In my humble opinion & all that cr*p ....

 

 

eh, have you seen the last 2 league games, where he changed his formation, tactics and team back to pretty much last seasons. which has provided two 1-1 draws.

 

is this not a step in the right direction, are things not even 1% more promising now than 2 games ago?

 

maybe he did try to change things all to fast, but does this not show he is learning from his mistakes and willing to swallow his pride and (in theory) admit he was wrong?

eh, have you seen the last 2 league games, where he changed his formation, tactics and team back to pretty much last seasons. which has provided two 1-1 draws.

 

is this not a step in the right direction, are things not even 1% more promising now than 2 games ago?

 

maybe he did try to change things all to fast, but does this not show he is learning from his mistakes and willing to swallow his pride and (in theory) admit he was wrong?

 

It does Homer, it does. And the situation is a BIT more promising, in my mind at least.

 

But swallowing your pride and admitting when you are wrong - admirable qualities in life - are not traits you see many top managers displaying.

 

It'd have been better if he got it right first time.

I told my travelling companions that I'd have settled for a draw yesterday, I even backed the 1-1 scoreline.

 

Expectations are way too high amongst the fickle Bolton support. We are in a rut and have been since Xmas. A month ago we'd have lost at Derby having gone 1-0 down, yesterday we drew and went on to create several good match-winning chances.

 

The next stage of the recovery is to turn some of these draws inot victories and things will look much better.

17th position or above is good enough this season: the entire club seems to be in turmoil and Premiership survival alone will make this a successful season.

 

Get behind the lads: they need the support. Yesterday's turnout got right behind them and the attacking display in the last half hour was excellent.

 

I agree that for the club it is good enough, but for Anelka I'm sure it wouldn't be, if we have any chance of keeping him then we cannot finish that low. He is a world class player and will rightly so br not happy at playing in a 17th place team, (I'm sure Diouf + others won't be too happy either)

I agree that for the club it is good enough, but for Anelka I'm sure it wouldn't be, if we have any chance of keeping him then we cannot finish that low. He is a world class player and will rightly so br not happy at playing in a 17th place team, (I'm sure Diouf + others won't be too happy either)

 

 

2 words.

 

F?ck 'em.

2 words.

 

F?ck 'em.

 

Exactly we support the club, if players or staff leave the club continues and we shall still be there to support those who chose to stay and play and work for our club!