Brand Evatt

[thebells]

29 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Aye this is where I'm at.

All this woken up, welcome aboard shite isn't for me. 

You'd have to be blind to see what our problems are. I personally don't see him as this arrogant bully that other folk do.

Nobody would give a fuck about his persona if we were winning football matches. Fergie and Jose were hardly nice blokes.

I just think he's ran out of ideas and the ones he's trying now are just desperate and he's quickly disappearing up his own arse. He's like a boxer on the ropes swinging wildly to get out of trouble.

He's forgotten about the basics. Fundamental basics of football.

It's shit all round. It would be an absolute miracle if he turned this ship round now. 

I just want it all to be over.

Spot on!

Big Sam was as egotistical as they come, but won matches, so nobody said anything.

The one observation about Evatt I have is this. Until the Oxford game, he'd go down as a relatively successful Bolton manager. Despite that, and where he brought the club from, he's never quite endeared himself to the fans. Whether this is a lack of PR training or something else I don't know. 

I just don't see him as someone having a pop at fans - more someone who will say what he needs to say to protect his reputation. Again, no judgement on that from me. I do it every day at work 🙂

[Tonge moor green jacket]

The best way for him to protect his reputation, is not to come out with some of the same hackneyed comments, not to keep playing bizarre formations that don't seem to work, and to have the players clued up and motivated. 

 

[gonzo]

15 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

The best way for him to protect his reputation, is not to come out with some of the same hackneyed comments, not to keep playing bizarre formations that don't seem to work, and to have the players clued up and motivated. 

 

To counter that he's routinely made out to be the stubborn will never change manager.

When in fact this season he's been quite the opposite and fucked about far too much and tried to invent a bizarre system I've yet to see anyone carry off in world football.

 

 

[Farnywhite]

Just read evatts comments reflecting on the last two seasons 

“would you prefare to go back to Wembley in back to back years I would “

So beating Plymouth in a Mickey Mouse cup and loosing to Oxford is an achievement . he might take us back in both this year loose them both and count that as a good season 😂

Edited December 17, 2024 by Farnywhite

[Zico]

19 minutes ago, Farnywhite said:

Just read evatts comments reflecting on the last two seasons 

“would you prefare to go back to Wembley in back to back years I would “

So beating Plymouth in a Mickey Mouse cup and loosing to Oxford is an achievement . he might take us back in both this year loose them both and count that as a good season 😂

Prefer it to what though? Beating Wigan? If that's what he's saying he's missing the point entirely as to why we're all pissed off

[Eddie]

I’d prefer to have not gone too early Wembley last year. There’s nothing worse that being there when your team puts in a performance like that.

Pizza cup was amazing, but it was a complete free hit.

Just get us out of this shit league, preferably with a win against a rival along the way.

[Cheese]

25 minutes ago, Zico said:

Prefer it to what though? Beating Wigan? If that's what he's saying he's missing the point entirely as to why we're all pissed off

I'm paraphrasing, but he went on to basically say "Wigan fans will probably be happy finishing 18th or 19th every season, as long as they beat us in their cup final, but I wouldn't want to settle for that." And I tend to agree with him. Or I understand what he's getting at anyway.

Edited December 17, 2024 by Cheese

[Cheese]

24 minutes ago, Eddie said:

I’d prefer to have not gone too early Wembley last year. There’s nothing worse that being there when your team puts in a performance like that.

Pizza cup was amazing, but it was a complete free hit.

Just get us out of this shit league, preferably with a win against a rival along the way.

If the Pizza Cup win is his crowning achievement with us, I'll be forever grateful. Any subsequent failure pales into insignificance for me personally. It was one of the best days of my life, because I had my kids sat next to me, at Wembley, watching Wanderers lift a trophy. I still get a lump in my throat watching that game back.

Edited December 17, 2024 by Cheese

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, Cheese said:

If the Pizza Cup win is his crowning achievement with us, I'll be forever grateful. Any subsequent failure pales into insignificance for me personally. It was one of the best days of my life, because I had my kids sat next to me, at Wembley, watching Wanderers lift a trophy. I still get a lump in my throat watching that game back.

I get it to an extent, Cheese, and I also loved it don’t get me wrong. From an achievement perspective though, for what it means for the football club, any subsequent failure will not pale into insignificance.

In the grand scheme of things, getting out of this league is his one and only target - so far he has failed to achieve it and no pizza cup win will offset that (again, from a footballing perspective rather than enjoyment of the day point of view).

Also, as good as that day was, Oxford was as shit. Not that it takes away from that day but when he bundles them together in his quote - they net each other out.

I’m not saying you’re wrong by the way, I know it’s only your personal view, I’m just highlighting the hard facts of how he will be ultimately judged in his job.

[gonzo]

29 minutes ago, Eddie said:

I get it to an extent, Cheese, and I also loved it don’t get me wrong. From an achievement perspective though, for what it means for the football club, any subsequent failure will not pale into insignificance.

In the grand scheme of things, getting out of this league is his one and only target - so far he has failed to achieve it and no pizza cup win will offset that (again, from a footballing perspective rather than enjoyment of the day point of view).

Also, as good as that day was, Oxford was as shit. Not that it takes away from that day but when he bundles them together in his quote - they net each other out.

I’m not saying you’re wrong by the way, I know it’s only your personal view, I’m just highlighting the hard facts of how he will be ultimately judged in his job.

Aye it's a shame really. A couple of years ago I was adamant he'd eventually take us up to the championship and he'd end up getting a bigger job.

All those ace days at Crewe, Morecambe etc are long gone now and the fickle old memory of football soon fades.

For every ace day, we've had Blackpool away, Wigan etc.

I thought the good will outweigh the bad but that's changing rapidly.

[Rizlar]

3 hours ago, Cheese said:

I'm paraphrasing, but he went on to basically say "Wigan fans will probably be happy finishing 18th or 19th every season, as long as they beat us in their cup final, but I wouldn't want to settle for that." And I tend to agree with him. Or I understand what he's getting at anyway.

What a crock of shit Wigan fans I know yes love beating us but they want promotion just as bad as we do .

[Johnnyrotten]

If there's one thing that stands out to me this season compared to previous years its the gradual erosion of physicality.  I'm not getting into the pro's and con's of individual players in terms of ability, but I always thought we could hold our own physically, generally.  IE signed for eg Iredale, Bakayoko, Sadlier, Maghoma, Jerome, Ogbeta, JDB, Mbete, Bradley, Fossey (last 2 not big but made up for it with athleticism/strength).

In most cases he replaced them with smaller, less physically imposing players, making it a rarity for us to actually win a header other than Santos, hold the ball up or knock someone off the ball.

Its another change on top of the formation changes and defensive set up that's weakened us IMO and any new manager will be stuck with it for a while. 

[Whitesince63]

6 hours ago, thebells said:

Spot on!

Big Sam was as egotistical as they come, but won matches, so nobody said anything.

The one observation about Evatt I have is this. Until the Oxford game, he'd go down as a relatively successful Bolton manager. Despite that, and where he brought the club from, he's never quite endeared himself to the fans. Whether this is a lack of PR training or something else I don't know. 

I just don't see him as someone having a pop at fans - more someone who will say what he needs to say to protect his reputation. Again, no judgement on that from me. I do it every day at work 🙂

I don’t believe you do bells, I believe if you knew you were wrong you would like most people hold your hands up and admit it but for some reason Evatt can’t do that. He strikes me as the type that thinks that when people are having a go at him he thinks it’s everybody but it isn’t and I’d bet it’s not even the majority but if you treat everybody as if it is you just make the situation worse for yourself. Whilst we may not like him personally I’m sure most of us want to see him turn it round and take us to promotion but sadly I think it’s unlikely and I just can’t see Evatt recovering from this.

[tomski]

You can see why the board are happy to throw our season down the toilet reading the last page.  
 

We’ll never be rid. 

 

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, gonzo said:

Aye it's a shame really. A couple of years ago I was adamant he'd eventually take us up to the championship and he'd end up getting a bigger job.

All those ace days at Crewe, Morecambe etc are long gone now and the fickle old memory of football soon fades.

For every ace day, we've had Blackpool away, Wigan etc.

I thought the good will outweigh the bad but that's changing rapidly.

I said many a time that Evatt was our biggest asset and as long as he was with us our overall trajectory would be up, despite some short term dips.

I wish I still thought that, I genuinely thought he was one of the most promising managers outside the prem and the fact we’d given him shares to stop the likes of Southampton, Swansea etc. come calling was genius.

I just can’t believe how far it’s unravelled - you could say it’s this season but the back end of last was the start of it really. We’re just a shadow of we used to be, all over the place, in every aspect of the footballing side of the club and I’m afraid it looks like I was wrong and there was a limit for how far he could take us.

I still think he might go to another club and prove to be successful, it wouldn’t surprise me at all, but his race is run with us and it’s pretty clear to see.

[thebells]

22 minutes ago, Whitesince63 said:

I don’t believe you do bells, I believe if you knew you were wrong you would like most people hold your hands up and admit it but for some reason Evatt can’t do that. He strikes me as the type that thinks that when people are having a go at him he thinks it’s everybody but it isn’t and I’d bet it’s not even the majority but if you treat everybody as if it is you just make the situation worse for yourself. Whilst we may not like him personally I’m sure most of us want to see him turn it round and take us to promotion but sadly I think it’s unlikely and I just can’t see Evatt recovering from this.

I know what you mean. And you’re right, of course, I hold my hands up. I guess I can do that in my private work environment with no issue. 

For all we know, Evatt may do the same in private amongst his staff and players. I suppose if he gave interviews admitting he’s mucked up, at this point it’s just another stick to beat him with. 

He’s stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Again, I think it’s time for a change. I guess I’m just not really in favour of it getting personal. 

[ianofcleveleys]

1 hour ago, Johnnyrotten said:

If there's one thing that stands out to me this season compared to previous years its the gradual erosion of physicality.  I'm not getting into the pro's and con's of individual players in terms of ability, but I always thought we could hold our own physically, generally.  IE signed for eg Iredale, Bakayoko, Sadlier, Maghoma, Jerome, Ogbeta, JDB, Mbete, Bradley, Fossey (last 2 not big but made up for it with athleticism/strength).

In most cases he replaced them with smaller, less physically imposing players, making it a rarity for us to actually win a header other than Santos, hold the ball up or knock someone off the ball.

Its another change on top of the formation changes and defensive set up that's weakened us IMO and any new manager will be stuck with it for a while. 

Going back as far as L2 we had players like Doyle, MJ, Lee who had guile and experience and could hold their own physically. Baka and JDB followed. Of the current crop we're missing Toal and Dempsey, who are robust enough, but overall we continue to look lightweight and struggle to win battles against stronger opponents.

One of the reasons (though not the only one) in my view for us getting so many yellow cards. We aren't a dirty, shithousing side, entirely the opposite, but give a lot of cheap fouls away through giving up possession too easily in dangerous areas or being muscled off the ball and having to resort to a shirt pull or a trip

[Mantra]

I don't even think the lack of physicality is that big of an issue. We've gone 'all in' on recruiting technical players and we can't consistently beat a League One team's press anymore. In fact, we seem to be getting worse at playing out from the back and breaking down low blocks because teams have sussed us out and know how to set up against us. We should be improving at these things!!!

If something is not working, it's the manager's job to fix it whether he has Plan B type player(s) at his disposal or not. Football can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Yes maybe we could benefit from some experience and dark arts type players but we should not be depending on that. Literally just try SOMETHING different, it does not have to mean hoofing it. Swapping wingbacks to the opposite side at least was something different but it needs to be more substantial than that. Not having it that we don't have the players for a 4-2-3-1. Collins/Schon/Williams/Tutu could all easily play as a winger with Cogley/Jones/Johnston playing fullback. Players have all become rigid and predictable, put them in different areas of the pitch and let them problem-solve rather than being robots with 0 creativity.

Saw this picture of the table from last year.

Even though the league has gotten harder this season, the regression is concerning.

[gonzo]

10 minutes ago, Mantra said:

I don't even think the lack of physicality is that big of an issue. We've gone 'all in' on recruiting technical players and we can't consistently beat a League One team's press anymore. In fact, we seem to be getting worse at playing out from the back and breaking down low blocks because teams have sussed us out and know how to set up against us. We should be improving at these things!!!

If something is not working, it's the manager's job to fix it whether he has Plan B type player(s) at his disposal or not. Football can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Yes maybe we could benefit from some experience and dark arts type players but we should not be depending on that. Literally just try SOMETHING different, it does not have to mean hoofing it. Swapping wingbacks to the opposite side at least was something different but it needs to be more substantial than that. Not having it that we don't have the players for a 4-2-3-1. Collins/Schon/Williams/Tutu could all easily play as a winger with Cogley/Jones/Johnston playing fullback. Players have all become rigid and predictable, put them in different areas of the pitch and let them problem-solve rather than being robots with 0 creativity.

Saw this picture of the table from last year.

Even though the league has gotten harder this season, the regression is concerning.

Whereas I'm not on board with the league is stronger (I think it's just the same as any other season)

....we spent a fair bit of cash to be stronger too.

[ianofcleveleys]

11 minutes ago, Mantra said:

Even though the league has gotten harder this season, the regression is concerning.

The stand out there is the 5 goals conceded in 8 away games, and just the 18 in total

[desperado]

17 minutes ago, ianofcleveleys said:

The stand out there is the 5 goals conceded in 8 away games, and just the 18 in total

This year we’ve conceded 5 away goals in one game 😭

[Stig]

27 minutes ago, Mantra said:

I don't even think the lack of physicality is that big of an issue. We've gone 'all in' on recruiting technical players and we can't consistently beat a League One team's press anymore. In fact, we seem to be getting worse at playing out from the back and breaking down low blocks because teams have sussed us out and know how to set up against us. We should be improving at these things!!!

If something is not working, it's the manager's job to fix it whether he has Plan B type player(s) at his disposal or not. Football can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Yes maybe we could benefit from some experience and dark arts type players but we should not be depending on that. Literally just try SOMETHING different, it does not have to mean hoofing it. Swapping wingbacks to the opposite side at least was something different but it needs to be more substantial than that. Not having it that we don't have the players for a 4-2-3-1. Collins/Schon/Williams/Tutu could all easily play as a winger with Cogley/Jones/Johnston playing fullback. Players have all become rigid and predictable, put them in different areas of the pitch and let them problem-solve rather than being robots with 0 creativity.

Saw this picture of the table from last year.

Even though the league has gotten harder this season, the regression is concerning.

Even at the end of Jan - 57 PTS from 27 games, 2 points behind Pompey with 2 games in hand. Wheels well and truly fell off to only get 30 points from the final 19 league games.

Shows this bad form isn't a blip. 

Crazy really how much we imploded last season.

[Farnywhite]

2 hours ago, Rizlar said:

What a crock of shit Wigan fans I know yes love beating us but they want promotion just as bad as we do .

It is a crock of shit but also it’s not a reason why he can’t put a team together to score a goal against them never mind get a point . Unless he thinks Wigan rest players in advance for there only important game in a season 

[nantwichwhite]

All of the above is most informative. It is difficult to see how all of this has gone unnoticed by the powers that be. You have to admire him in a way he totally believes he is doing the right things and results will improve if he continues in the same vein.

In life you sometimes meet people with this mindset, often they gain recognition and move up the ladder swiftly. However, at some point they do get found out, particularly in the aspect of self improvement and not taking responsibility for their failures. Often they just as quickly fall by the wayside.

He does seem unfazed by all that is happening around him, which makes me think that there is more to this that meets the eye. But what this is I haven't got a clue.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

For me, the last thing he seems is unfazed. 

He seems rattled and insecure. 

Lashing out, blaming players and fans alike. I think his faith in his own ability has been shaken.