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Post by whiteofthesouth on Sept 20, 2023 7:26:51 GMT
I think it’s too early to start questioning IE this season. Of course, we should definitely have won last weekend’s game against Reading and I do disagree with the substitutions IE made; it was unfortunate that we had N’Lundalu & Jerome as our only strikers for a while when chasing the game; personally, I’d have rather seen Bakayoko & Kachunga coming on. However, looking at our position more broadly, I still think we have the squad to get us into the top two. I do realise a couple of the promising players are loanees, but most League One teams are in that position. Maybe we at least have a chance of keeping them rather than the ones we had last season from Liverpool & Man. City.
As for recruitment, I strongly believe CMG will come good - I know a number of you have compared him with ‘dapo, but he’s far more versatile and a much better passer of the ball. our new wing back looks very good. While it’s pretty clear that JDB isn’t match-fit yet, and it should make a difference when he is, I do still think we’ll have to look at strikers in January though. I think Jerome is a spent force and I personally can’t see Dan shaping up (although I hope to be completely wrong about him).
As for the time during which FV have owned the club, obviously the first season was always going to be pretty bad. A demotion was inevitable. Since then, under IE, we’ve seen nothing but progression - a promotion, a consolidation, a playoff place & a trophy. Whats not to like!
I think we will get promoted this year, although it might need a little work in the transfer market in January.
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Post by whitesince63 on Sept 20, 2023 9:50:24 GMT
All good points wots but I don’t think anybody’s actually writing IE off, just maybe questioning some of his actions. Obviously he’s the pro here but that doesn’t mean that he’s always right, or even knows what the right thing is at the right time. He’s still learning as a manager and we shouldn’t forget working under significant financial restraints. Wealthy owners give a wider scope to managers as Bristol Rovers £1m reputed bid for Clark Harris shows which Evatt could never compete with. Ipswich Wednesday and even Wigan had deeper pockets than us so it shouldn’t have been a surprise that they succeeded buying quality proven players and not the young rough diamonds Evatt has to look for. I agree on CMG that he will come good but whether he’s better than Dapo I’m not sure but time will tell. Like you I still believe we’ll get promoted this year, the league is clearly much weaker than last as is probably illustrated by the teams currently in the top six but we’re only 7 games in and I expect much to change over the season. How many times have we seen teams at the top early be relegated and those at the bottom promoted just as we were from L2.
There’s little doubt that we’ll need to strengthen in January, especially up front and in midfield whilst hopefully some of those in the B Team like Matheson, Carty and Kumbheni can come through. Time will tell whether Victor and Dan can deliver or JDB can regain his full fitness but like you I think we have a squad plenty good enough to win this league if everybody stays fit but I do sometimes question IE’s slowly slowly passing style at this level without any real physical presence when it’s needed. A bit of muscle is often required against teams who come to be like that but really we don’t have any of that. I wouldn’t call George a physical player despite him being the only one who does let the opposition know he’s there so that’s certainly something I’ll be looking for in the next window. As for now Saturday is a key game for me and a must win if we’re to get back on track. Hopefully Dion will be fit to play though if there is any doubt I’d personally rather not risk him.
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Post by chip on Sept 20, 2023 11:53:48 GMT
Hi whiteofthesouth I honestly think there is not a true Bolton fan that would want Ian out it's just that he has to be the most stubborn manager we have had and it's his way or the highway, but as we all know for us true fans it's once in never out. All I was doing was trying to get fans feelings about Ian at the moment with him having the most safest job in football and maybe allowing sentiment to get in the way of certain players we have signed Jerome for 1 and Lulu who I think he's said fxck you I can get a good player out of him the proof will be in the pudding as they say and plus it's boring when we don't have a game midweek. COYWM
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Post by OohMac on Sept 20, 2023 15:46:11 GMT
I don't want him out. I just want him to succeed and he's making it far harder for himself than he needs too.
I wouldn't say fickle but football is so easy to redeem yourself. Wilbraham stunk the place out for a season and one header and he won't ever have to buy a pint in Bolton again. Cult hero.
There are just so many contradictions with Evatt at the moment. Today we don't have the budget. Summer we did.
Also his injuries are down to players coming in not being used to the high intensity that we play? Are you actually joking Ian. You do know this is our 3rd season in the 3rd tier. We aren't doing anything special. You're not Wenger, Pep. You're not reinventing the wheel. You're a Hyundai driver wearing a Ferrari cap.
This is his team, his squad, his neck on the line and I want him to take some if not all ownership.
Bad buys. Questionable sales. Poor game management. Don't get it.
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Post by whitesince63 on Sept 21, 2023 8:06:07 GMT
Come on OM, admit it you do want him out really and I’m sure you’re not on your own in that but I think you’re perhaps ignoring the good things he’s done. Ok, maybe the Jerome and Lulu signings are questionable but how about Dion, Demps, Toal, Forrester and Cogley? Are they poor signings and what about Traff and Bradley last year? We know FV don’t have much cash to splash and are still even now shopping at the bargain store so overall I think he’s got more right than wrong. It takes time to bring players on and there’s still time for Lulu to deliver so let’s give him a chance.
As for finance, when the club stated they had cash to spend I actually think they believed there would be outgoings. I’m sure Johnson was being lined up for a sale before injury put paid to that and I wouldn’t mind betting they expected to receive offers for Rico too. There was speculation and interest in Dion and we know they accepted a bid for George so maybe things didn’t quite turn out how they thought they would? We all have question marks over things IE does but then we probably would have whoever the manager was. We have to trust Evatt to deliver until it’s clear he hasn’t and then rethink. His job is to get us promoted but it’s also to run the club sustainably which includes bringing cheap players in, developing them and selling them on. That’s the world we’re living in I’m afraid whether we like it or not. 🥴
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Post by riochforthereebok on Sept 21, 2023 12:01:45 GMT
As this thread started ‘in defence of Evatt’
I’ll not defend him.
In fact, it’s because of him that we faded desperately in those 2 play off games v Barnsley and I really do think had we gone for it as we should have done (at home) we could have gone to Oakwell and put on a show in readiness for taking Sheffield Wednesday to the cleaners at Wembley (got to be the worst ever play off final I’ve ever seen) Just like the start of this season, first 3 games and we raced into 3 goal leads but faded miserably in all 3 second halves and apart from the Derby scrape, we’ve not recovered from that Wigan mauling
There’s only so many tunes one can play on the same fiddle and Evatt’s been playing ‘Baby Shark’ for far too long now
(Ok, so who would you bring in Rioch??)
Evatt’s done no more than Phil Neal in my eyes. Got us promoted (although nearly fluffed that) and won us a Sherpa Van Papa Johns Pizza Cup…. Big hook
I’d take Wilder, Dean Smith, Darren Moore, Nathan Jones, Hassenhutl, Jesse Marsch to name but a few
Bolton Wanderers are an attractive proposition for any out of work coach and even the ones that aspire to get up the ladder and are currently doing it and catching the eye
Preston took a chance on Ryan Lowe, Ipswich took a chance on Kieran McKenna, Leyton O with Wellens and they’ve all downs reasonably well so far, so there are equal to better options out there than stagnating with Evatt
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Post by OohMac on Sept 21, 2023 12:20:04 GMT
Well Whites this is where it gets complicated. If Evatt left I'm not sure what type of manager we would attract. So maybe the better the devil you know. So if I was FV I wouldn't be looking to sack him.
I genuinely still think the best thing we could do is get an old hand, like a Warnock to oversee things. Try and take Evatt under his wing but we all know Evatt won't go for that.
Or a proper attacking coach because you can't bemoan missed chances every week.
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Post by OohMac on Oct 2, 2023 18:05:22 GMT
Hears that Rangers got rid of their young, up and coming manager Michael Beale today and wondered if Ibrox might be a destination that may interest Ian.
He once again isn't on the long list. I get the thinking. Rangers have been burnt by someone who doesn't have the experience so they'll want to put that right and get in safe hands like Warnock.
But Kevin Muscat is among the favourites.
Leam Richardson is on the list. Karl Robinson. Hasn't really done it above L1. Scott Brown 66/1 fresh from being sacked and being a Celtic legend.
That's not me having a dig but Evatt has to be considered over some names on there. Why would you take John Terry over Ian Evatt at this point. Why Frank Lampard get another big job.
I don't understand why Big Sam isn't on the list either to be honest or JoeyBarton(did he play up there?)
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Post by riochforthereebok on Oct 2, 2023 22:33:50 GMT
Hears that Rangers got rid of their young, up and coming manager Michael Beale today and wondered if Ibrox might be a destination that may interest Ian. He once again isn't on the long list. I get the thinking. Rangers have been burnt by someone who doesn't have the experience so they'll want to put that right and get in safe hands like Warnock. But Kevin Muscat is among the favourites. Leam Richardson is on the list. Karl Robinson. Hasn't really done it above L1. Scott Brown 66/1 fresh from being sacked and being a Celtic legend. That's not me having a dig but Evatt has to be considered over some names on there. Why would you take John Terry over Ian Evatt at this point. Why Frank Lampard get another big job. I don't understand why Big Sam isn't on the list either to be honest or JoeyBarton(did he play up there?) The way them Rangers fans were baying for blood, if it was legal to jump the fence they’d have chased Beale out of Ibrox after that Aberdeen mauling at the weekend Ian Evatt wouldn’t last one game up there with his Pep ball They’d be bored to death of him in no time
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Post by whitesince63 on Oct 3, 2023 10:04:39 GMT
Big Sam could definitely handle it and I’m sure he’d soon become a favourite up there. I’d actually love to see Sam get a seriously big job like that and take on the European giants before he retires fully.
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Post by chip on Nov 19, 2023 13:58:43 GMT
What a difference nearly two months make I think we have lost just once to Carlisle, we sit second in the league last 32 of the EFL trophy second round of the fa cup but still no goals from our so called strikers apart from Dion 🤷♂️ Come January if we are still in the top three and no goals apart from Dion will Ian look to get some goal scorers in. I hate international break’s as we never have anything to chat about 🤣🤣🤣 COYWM
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Post by OohMac on Nov 19, 2023 16:40:08 GMT
I'd like to think what Ian says and what Ian thinks are two separate entities because his blindspot has always been strikers and getting goals from them.
It may have been Bod but we signed one striker with a patchy goal ratio and his reply "well they've never played in an Ian Evatt team" cringe. But 5 strikers on the books and 4 of them you could count goals this calender year on your hands. Keep your shoes and socks on.
It's a massive blind spot for Evatt. Remember when we signed Vic I thought I hope they've done thier homework and we're not signing a player on a purple patch, when I saw him it took me 5 mins to think what have we done. No pace, no touch, no vision. I haven't changed that though obviously his hat trick made me think maybe he's just one of those players who is poor but pops up and scores but that's soon faded.
Jerome's had his chance. I'd have Robson Green instead at this point. Nlundulu whatever we think of potential isn't the guy for this season and certainly not championship. Get them out. If we can recoup £300k on Vic take it. Charles and Bod with 1 loan potentially. And an Alfie May type. Maybe when Alfie himself. He can't be happy with the choices he's made this year.
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Post by whitesince63 on Nov 20, 2023 10:08:28 GMT
Crikey, we’re tied second in the league with games in hand, the second highest goal for total and points ahead of those below us and with a very good chance of being top of the pile after the Exeter game yet still some aren’t happy. My belief has always been that goals should be shared throughout the whole team, not just the designated strikers and from what I can see so far, although none other than Dion have contributed directly, they have definitely done so indirectly in creating opportunities for others. I’m not in any way trying to excuse the lack of goals from the striking department because that is after all why they’re there but despite that the goals are going in and we are doing well.
I actually think that over the last few games both Vic and Dan have started to at least look better and Bod seems to at last be nearing full form so I’m not as desperate to sign another striker in January as you are OM, nor do I think we have the spondoolee to afford a good one so I see Evatt sticking with what he’s got and trusting them to improve their goals rate. Of course we shouldn’t forget that we also have Gomez ready to come in who can also play up top and whether he’s up to it or not Connor Carty coming back from Ireland, so things could get better soon without spending anything?
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Post by riochforthereebok on Nov 20, 2023 13:47:03 GMT
Have to say, what a bloody pointless exercise that was cancelling a game for hopeless internationals
Toal was on the receiving end of a 4 goal mauling, as was Dion and Josh Sheehan travels all the way to Armenia to sit on his arse and watch a drab draw
Unless I’m mistaken, we only supplied 3 players to the international scene and I’m fairly certain that we could have managed the game against Cambridge and probably beaten them (as all other teams have recently) without Toal Sheehan and Dion
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Post by whitesince63 on Nov 20, 2023 14:32:03 GMT
I have to say rioch that I completely agree with you although you can’t pick and choose games and it would have been different had it been Portsmouth or Oxford but then again I’m assuming it was us that actually requested the cancellation so maybe you can pick and choose? I think it’s pretty clear that N Ireland are well below International standard looking at the players they have but I suppose every game for your country is special if you’re selected. Wales are marginally better but given the form that Josh is in just now you’d have expected that he’d at least get a run out but at least it won’t tire him out and he hasn’t got injured so I suppose from a selfish point of view it’s good that he didn’t play and he’ll be well up for Exeter on Saturday. I haven’t heard how Gomez is getting on but the problem with him is the distances travelled and with the African Nations Cup coming up shortly we’ll miss him for a while in that?
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