(That long since we've had any, couldn't find the thread)

Alan Nixon: "Top Liverpool starlet Cameron Branagan will Ben allowed out on loan in Jan.

Bolton lead the race for the 20 year old midfielder"

Edited December 11, 20169 yr by Ratwhite

1 hour ago, thebells said:

Luke Matheson has joined Alfreton Town on loan for the rest of the season. 

He was used as a stick to beat Evatt with for a long time and today he’s playing in the National League North. Either Schumacher is as oblivious as Evatt or we should have a little more faith in professional people who see players train every day. 

This isn’t a post to defend Evatt. And I genuinely hope Matheson finds his level and has a good career. 

It still ... & never will ... be rational to have a contracted player on your books and a vacancy and leave him stranded. Loan him out, sell him or end his contract.

1 hour ago, thebells said:

Luke Matheson has joined Alfreton Town on loan for the rest of the season. 

He was used as a stick to beat Evatt with for a long time and today he’s playing in the National League North. Either Schumacher is as oblivious as Evatt or we should have a little more faith in professional people who see players train every day. 

This isn’t a post to defend Evatt. And I genuinely hope Matheson finds his level and has a good career. 
 

He’s potentially a bit of a victim of timing. SS might have wanted to take a look at him, by which point the transfer window had closed and he was left with pretty limited options.

My hunch is that he’ll make a permanent move to the League of Ireland in the summer. 

Always liked Matheson but his career seems to have peaked at the ripe old age of 16.

Clearly has talent but The fact that no team above NLN has come in for him suggests his focus is elsewhere. Good luck to him. 

30 minutes ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

It still ... & never will ... be rational to have a contracted player on your books and a vacancy and leave him stranded. Loan him out, sell him or end his contract.

How was he stranded compared to any other B team player though? 

There’s certainly a debate around the validity of the B team in general, but I don’t understand how Matheson was stranded any more than other players! 

To be fair to Evatt, he was trying to loan him out. The fact he’s ended up at Alfreton probably demonstrates why it wasn’t that easy. 

15 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

He’s potentially a bit of a victim of timing. SS might have wanted to take a look at him, by which point the transfer window had closed and he was left with pretty limited options.

My hunch is that he’ll make a permanent move to the League of Ireland in the summer. 

Yep. Fair to say he doesn’t have a future at BWFC or, indeed, at this level. If he’s focussing on studies as @Lt. Aldo Raine said, then fair play to him. 
 

 

14 minutes ago, thebells said:

How was he stranded compared to any other B team player though? 

There’s certainly a debate around the validity of the B team in general, but I don’t understand how Matheson was stranded any more than other players! 

To be fair to Evatt, he was trying to loan him out. The fact he’s ended up at Alfreton probably demonstrates why it wasn’t that easy. 

All the other B team could make first team appearances in the league as they were under the age limit.  Matheson couldn't as he wasn't registered despite there being a slot there for him.

Folk saw that as another stick to bash Evatt with, nothing to say that if needed LM could be registered into the 1st team.

4 minutes ago, frank_spencer said:

All the other B team could make first team appearances in the league as they were under the age limit.  Matheson couldn't as he wasn't registered despite there being a slot there for him.

Folk saw that as another stick to bash Evatt with, nothing to say that if needed LM could be registered into the 1st team.

I wasn’t aware of that related to the ages. 

Ultimately he wasn’t at the level needed. 

If he hadn’t been sold for a million and scored at Old Trafford I doubt he’d have been a talking point at all. 

Anyway good luck to the lad. I’ll keep an eye out for him if he’s playing against Chorley. 

1 hour ago, thebells said:

I wasn’t aware of that related to the ages. 

Ultimately he wasn’t at the level needed. 

If he hadn’t been sold for a million and scored at Old Trafford I doubt he’d have been a talking point at all. 

Anyway good luck to the lad. I’ll keep an eye out for him if he’s playing against Chorley. 

With Tutu, JDC, Gethin and Randy ahead of him in Evatts pecking order there was no great need to register him.

2 hours ago, frank_spencer said:

With Tutu, JDC, Gethin and Randy ahead of him in Evatts pecking order there was no great need to register him.

True but I’m still surprised nobody higher up came for him he’s surely good enough for L2 at least?

4 hours ago, frank_spencer said:

Folk saw that as another stick to bash Evatt with, nothing to say that if needed LM could be registered into the 1st team.

If I needed any more sticks to beat Evatt with I'd have focused on his bizarre behaviours outside of football.

It was a very strange decision.

Evatt needed to stop beating his own stick for starters

1 hour ago, tomski said:

Evatt needed to stop beating his own stick for starters

He's like a bad dream now, soon to be forgotten (last 12 months).

Interesting note in today's paper that we were on for signing James Collins and Lee Myung-Jae in January, but they were put off by Evatt and the fans being at each others throats.

Don't know whether to believe that - that Lee would've picked us over Birmingham had there been a few more IESWA chants, or that Collins would choose mid-table obscurity at Lincoln when he could've been the main man here. But interesting that someone connected with the club believes it enough to tell Iles.

Iles has reported on Collins turning us down at the time, and iirc the implication was he'd heard it from the player's side

Collins would have been a upgrade on Etate and Vic and indeed may have been a regular starter but it would have only been until May. We have paid a 7 figure fee for Mcatee and then played him wide or midfield.

Yes he has looked shocking at times this season, but now starting in his correct position we are starting to see a new player.  Would love to see Mcatee and Aaron Collins start and form a partnership going forward.

I am happy players were put off by him. We don’t want players just coming for a wage. Avoiding a manager who can’t see the wood for the trees is good 

Bolton offer comparatively good money at League One level so a lot of players will sign for the wage and the kudos. But some can think a little differently depending on stage of career and financial circumstances. I think Collins is one of those. There were absolutely reasons not to sign for Bolton when Evatt was here. It was difficult enough for the players on matchdays, but the training ground wasn't a great place to be and the culture had deteriorated somewhat. As i mentioned elsewhere, only Gilks left with any credit. 

Morley's very delayed answer (and eventual refusal to answer) on Saturday about the difference between managers tells us all we need to know.

I think IE was, and can be, a really good manager. It's fair to say he needs a reset though before coming back. 

Stay away from the diet pills kids!

Gilks is at Barnsley now.

1 hour ago, thebells said:

Bolton offer comparatively good money at League One level so a lot of players will sign for the wage and the kudos. But some can think a little differently depending on stage of career and financial circumstances. I think Collins is one of those. There were absolutely reasons not to sign for Bolton when Evatt was here. It was difficult enough for the players on matchdays, but the training ground wasn't a great place to be and the culture had deteriorated somewhat. As i mentioned elsewhere, only Gilks left with any credit. 

Morley's very delayed answer (and eventual refusal to answer) on Saturday about the difference between managers tells us all we need to know.

I think IE was, and can be, a really good manager. It's fair to say he needs a reset though before coming back. 

Stay away from the diet pills kids!

How could this have been missed ?

It was clear enough something wasn't working. If reports his odd behavior reached us it must have reached others.

If his frequent absences were known, if the players not turning up, or not properly training were correct how on God's Earth was it not stopped earlier ?

26 minutes ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

How could this have been missed ?

It was clear enough something wasn't working. If reports his odd behavior reached us it must have reached others.

If his frequent absences were known, if the players not turning up, or not properly training were correct how on God's Earth was it not stopped earlier ?

You’ve answered your own question - the power of prayer.

3 hours ago, thebells said:

Bolton offer comparatively good money at League One level so a lot of players will sign for the wage and the kudos

a mates lad stumbled across one of those transfer market sites that reckons Arfield was on 13k a week with us

https://salarysport.com/football/player/scott-arfield/

 

21 minutes ago, Zico said:

a mates lad stumbled across one of those transfer market sites that reckons Arfield was on 13k a week with us

https://salarysport.com/football/player/scott-arfield/

 

all them numbers look bollocks tbh.

 

1 hour ago, Zico said:

a mates lad stumbled across one of those transfer market sites that reckons Arfield was on 13k a week with us

https://salarysport.com/football/player/scott-arfield/

 

Hope not. 

Wonder what rate per minute that works out at?

It was dismissed as bollocks some time ago, by, amongst others, Iles.

23 minutes ago, Duck Egg said:

It was dismissed as bollocks some time ago, by, amongst others, Iles.

Yep.

It was WAAAAAAAY more.