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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2021 10:20:34 GMT
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Post by andyl on May 2, 2021 11:25:18 GMT
One day later there are certain blessings, principally that I didn't travel 125 miles by train or car, maybe stay over, spend £100 plus on top of ticket just to have the misery of the three hour journey home. Of course I missed also the chance to meet friends, perhaps have lunch and share the misery. My wife argues that I am the only football fan who gets angry, shouts at the screen in decibels equal to a public nuisance and takes it so seriously. But I'm not, am I?
The worst aspect of yesterday was not the lost promotion. There's a very good chance that we'll beat Crawley next week on Sky Sports too, a lucky medium for us. Even if not we have some sort of chance and would start favourites in the play offs. we might even get to see the Wanderers win at Wembley. After all , the top three teams lost. It happens every year. Also we have been very much more surefooted away from home on cramped , uneven pitches. Odd that, isn't it in that we are allegedly a football playing team.
No the worst aspect is the realisation that we have hardly any players capable of functioning well in the division above and there's nothing to suggest the manager can either, other than he has demonstrated a capacity to learn tis season which is in itself promising
If I had to list our players who might do ok in div 1, some are loanees principally John and Jackson.. Politic, Darcy, Thomason look to have what it takes, although Darcy may well not stay?
Our poster signings Doyle, Delfouneso, Crawford and Sarcevic will still be on the books but of that lot Doyle and Sarcevic might influence a game or two against lesser teams from the bench but no more. We have no keeper, no right back, probably no centre halves, certainly no centre halves any good at our set pieces. Baptiste excellent for us in recent games will be a year older and Santos lacks the necessary awareness and aerial skill, in my opinion.
So we are left with a midfield of Thomason and Williams.... Not sure they are quite there.
The one good player we have on the books is Lee. He was excellent first half yesterday.
Jones ( who can move forward and has a goal in him) and Isgrove can't pass or cross. Brockbank can't tackle or turn ( might just make a centre half as quite good aerially) . Dapo has been very poor recently. Anyway a loanee. But he has no end product whatsoever.
And we haven't got a keeper.
So, if we do scrape over the line we'll need miracle transfers and some opprtunistic sales. I did wonder why Doyle and Isgrove left Swindon and Sarcevic Plymouth and why Delfouneso was available. There is no doubt now, is there?
On to Crawley. a likley promotion? But a very uncertain future promoted or not?
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Post by davidm on May 2, 2021 13:33:37 GMT
That’s pretty negative Andy.
As I understand it, Doyle & Sarcevic were both at the end of their contracts and Swindon & Plymouth wanted to resign them but their families are based in the North West so they chose a return up here.
Lee is definitely a good L1, or maybe even championship, player.
I agree about Isgrove, Delfouneso and the 2 centre backs.
Afolayan and John, although disappointing in the last few games, have L1 quality.
So, as long as next Saturday works out OK, I feel that we have the basis for a decent L1 team.
Similarly riochforthereebok said “I honestly believe that if Bradford can’t help us out, we’ll be in the playoffs and I can somehow see our destiny being decided by a ‘Bolton fan’ - One Keith Hill Oh the irony”
That’s depression there. Yes, we lost a match and played disappointingly but if we play at Crawley like we did at Forest Green, Salford and Morecambe surely a victory is there for us.
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Post by andyl on May 2, 2021 14:10:29 GMT
I feel quite negative! Not about our promotion chances- we'll achieve that probably next week. But all recent performances have been identical. We could have lost any and Exeter were too good in midfield and attack and forward passing. We have noone offering what Bowman did.
So many missed passes , poor crosses and poor decisions.
Is Darcy really worse than some of these. He didn't used to be?
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Post by whitesince63 on May 2, 2021 15:31:58 GMT
It is disappointing but we have to be honest and realise where we’ve come from. The majority of the squad is not good enough and personally I think we’re exceptionally fortunate to be where we are. It does show though what a difference even a few good players can make at this level. The signings in January transformed a poor and desperate bunch into a cohesive and at times impressive outfit. Sadly, for me there are two major components missing. Attitude and decision making. As Andy said, we have no leader. Sarcevic isn’t a leader. When was the last time you saw him geeing up the players or even passing on advice during games. Never for me and Doyle’s the same. We seem to lack anybody with character and the players seem to so easily lose heart in games and lack any sign of confidence. Gillo stated after the game that you could hear a pin drop in the dressing room. What? There should have been tea cups hitting walls, boots being kicked and arguments as to what went wrong. That they all sat there silently feeling sorry for themselves worries me greatly but somehow illustrates the lack of backbone this bunch has. I’m sure Evatt sees this and will do something about it in the summer, wherever we are. Players have let him down and whilst he won’t call them out now, I’m sure there cards are marked, none more than Delfouneso, who has been absolutely terrible most of the season and for me Sarcevic and Doyle too, despite his 18 goals.
The other major weakness is decision making. I don’t know whether individuality has been coached out of them by Evatt’s pass, pass pass system, or whether the players just haven’t got the initiative to understand when to pass and when to shoot. Yesterday, after the substitutions both Dapo and Arthur had good positions around the box to shoot but always took another option, passing to a team mate or going away from goal. I just can’t understand what’s happened to Dapo, he’s getting worse week by week. When he first came in, he ran at defenders and looked for opportunities to shoot but now he rarely does, turning outside instead of inside. I wonder if it’s because Evatt sees him as winger rather than an attacker. Arthur is another. The last two times Evatt has played him, it’s been wide right and he’s struggled. He just doesn’t look comfortable there but it still shouldn’t prevent him from shooting when the chance is there. Doyle proved with one shot yesterday that he can do it but where has that been and why haven’t we seen more of it and when was the last time we actually saw a shot at all from Delfouneso, yet IE insists on playing him every week with the same result.
I think if we do get out with this bunch, either automatically or through the play offs, IE deserves more than a medal. He has to try and get the maximum next week from a pretty second rate bunch and if he achieves it, then well done him. As for next season, wherever we are, I’d keep only a few of the current squad, namely; Gillo (as coach) Jensen (if possible) Jones, John, Jackson, Williams, Lee, Thomason, Politic, Santos, Baptiste and Doyle but only as a No10 not as main striker and only if we can’t offload him somewhere else with his contract. I’d also include Darcy in the keeps but I fear after this season he may prefer not to stay. Other than that, I’d let all the others go because they’re just basically not good enough. Funnily enough and I never thought I’d ever say this, I’d actually see what the washing machines doing next year because partnered with Doyle but as the target man, they could prove a useful combination??
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Post by kenglowhite on May 2, 2021 15:34:01 GMT
Let me just say I have never felt comfortable in any game when the opposition has a free kick, throw-in or corner, all of which we seem happy to concede very easily as a matter of routine .Recently we have started to lose our midfield cover again with so much being expected of Williams that he is being dragged all over the place. Of the two right backs I prefer Brockbank, because he does tackle, whereas Jones seems to follow the old Steinssen routine of letting his man into the penalty area without putting a foot in. I also feel Brockbank overlaps better. On the other flank John has not been so good lately. I have thought he was being stifled by Afalayon hugging the touchline too much, but Jackson was an improvement against Morecambe. I feel our strength has been defence and midfield since February, and Ian Evatt has been indecisive about whether the midfield should be defensive or offensive of late seeming to prefer the latter. I would say, that as he cannot decide on how to solve our scoring problems he ought to have remained defensive - the method that brought us the successful run - and continued with the tactic of grinding down the opposition, while making attacking substitutions during each game in an effort to find the right mix. Saturday's subs were illogical especially when we find Gnahoua out wide on the right again with Delfouneso on the left. I think Thomason is our best left-sided midfielder unless Jackson were tried there. I agree with Andy that part of the forward experimentation should definitely have included Darcy. Just what is going on there? On Sarcevic, maybe has has not been 100% fit all season ...certainly not the Manchester Messi we were promised, though potentially excellent. Doyle needs chances. Without them he does not ned to play.That is why a target man should have been signed. The man from Boohoo was in attendance ready to share his goodies with Sharon, but I wonder if that was postponed after the disappointing result. The Boohoo Stadium would have really befitted all our feelings, I would say.
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Post by davidm on May 2, 2021 15:39:13 GMT
Bad news on the injury front.
Kieran Lee is injured and unlikely to play at Crawley.
Major problem. Of course, it means that both Sarcevic and Thomason will probably play but Lee is class and will be missed.
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Post by thegrud1 on May 2, 2021 15:44:49 GMT
I have said it since the beggining of the season ...any cross that goes to the far post causes us problems...any coach worth hissallt can see it......if i was manager of the opposition i would tell my team to cross at every opportunity..it cost us dear..WHY hasnt this been sorted
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Post by whitesince63 on May 2, 2021 16:10:49 GMT
I have said it since the beggining of the season ...any cross that goes to the far post causes us problems...any coach worth hissallt can see it......if i was manager of the opposition i would tell my team to cross at every opportunity..it cost us dear..WHY hasnt this been sorted I’m not saying I don’t agree with you Grud, but how exactly do you sort it? Sadly we’re limited with the players we have, so I’m not sure what opportunities IE has to change things. Do we go 3 at the back again and perhaps bring in Brocky or Delaney, or what about Greenidge who hasn’t really been given much of a chance but who I thought looked promising. He at least managed to score a header when he played and has good pace and some skill. Like you and probably everyone else, I always expect the worst from corners and crosses and yesterday proved why on that free kick, just appalling defending. The problem is though, if we play another defender we lose one somewhere else and where do you suggest that is? That’s probably Evatt’s dilemma too?
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Post by riochforthereebok on May 2, 2021 16:27:30 GMT
That’s pretty negative Andy. As I understand it, Doyle & Sarcevic were both at the end of their contracts and Swindon & Plymouth wanted to resign them but their families are based in the North West so they chose a return up here. Lee is definitely a good L1, or maybe even championship, player. I agree about Isgrove, Delfouneso and the 2 centre backs. Afolayan and John, although disappointing in the last few games, have L1 quality. So, as long as next Saturday works out OK, I feel that we have the basis for a decent L1 team. Similarly riochforthereebok said “ I honestly believe that if Bradford can’t help us out, we’ll be in the playoffs and I can somehow see our destiny being decided by a ‘Bolton fan’ - One Keith Hill Oh the irony” That’s depression there. Yes, we lost a match and played disappointingly but if we play at Crawley like we did at Forest Green, Salford and Morecambe surely a victory is there for us.
If you’re telling me I’m suffering from depression davidm, I’m not. Depression is a serious illness. If you’re asking if I’m a bit downbeat over the Exeter gift, we’ll yeah I’m definitely downbeat. We were in League 1 at 4pm yesterday and we relegated ourselves back to League 2 with the most untimely, putrid, inept display in a white shirt. If you honestly believe we have enough quality (and you’ve just mentioned Lee’s omission) to go and get a result at Crawley, then fair play to you for your optimism, that cannot be faulted, I don’t share the same enthusiasm based on 15 nail biting 1-0 wins If you ask me my opinion on whether Morecambe will finish Bradford off, I’d say most definitely, can we do a jib on Crawley? We can, but will we? I’m almost tempted, as ridiculous as it might sound, to ask for Doyle to be dropped and actually play with no striker😬😬😬 to protect a draw for as long as possible in the game, maybe perhaps let GT and Sarce attempt to run amok, then bring him on with Miller and Gnauha for the last 15 minutes and go for a winning goal!!! He does very little in the game (not always his fault due to lack of service) No Fonz, please....... COYWM ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ Prove me wrong
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Post by davidm on May 2, 2021 16:32:23 GMT
Similarly riochforthereebok said “ I honestly believe that if Bradford can’t help us out, we’ll be in the playoffs and I can somehow see our destiny being decided by a ‘Bolton fan’ - One Keith Hill Oh the irony” That’s depression there. Yes, we lost a match and played disappointingly but if we play at Crawley like we did at Forest Green, Salford and Morecambe surely a victory is there for us.
If you’re telling me I’m suffering from depression davidm, I’m not. Depression is a serious illness. Apologies if you interpreted my words as indicating depression. I agree with you totally about the seriousness of such an illness. I probably should have worded it different, meaning you were quite down on the team when we are still in the promotion spot. Again, apologies for any offence
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2021 17:21:13 GMT
Evening all I have spent all last night and today trying to decide weather or not to watch next Saturday or go out for the day and check the league table at 5 past 5 because like Andy says I spend 96 minutes shouting at the tv and it dose not do me any good. Yesterday was so hard to take at 4pm we was in league 1 at 5 pm league 2 and it made me want to cry but it did not stop me opening a bottle of wine. Onto Crawley just out of interest have we ever beaten Crawley maybe next Saturday could be our first time as Monty Python would say always look on the bright side of life we still have 2 more shots at league 1 onwards and upwards stay safe one and all COYWM.
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Post by riochforthereebok on May 2, 2021 17:34:37 GMT
Evening all I have spent all last night and today trying to decide weather or not to watch next Saturday or go out for the day and check the league table at 5 past 5 because like Andy says I spend 96 minutes shouting at the tv and it dose not do me any good. Yesterday was so hard to take at 4pm we was in league 1 at 5 pm league 2 and it made me want to cry but it did not stop me opening a bottle of wine. Onto Crawley just out of interest have we ever beaten Crawley maybe next Saturday could be our first time as Monty Python would say always look on the bright side of life we still have 2 more shots at league 1 onwards and upwards stay safe one and all COYWM. No apology needed davidm Yeah I did that chip, when we beat Forest on the last day I stayed away from all forms of commentary but turning my phone on to see the result was the most nerve wracking thing I’ve ever done
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2021 19:23:44 GMT
rioch I still have the recording on my virgin Tivo box from sky sports of the day and I won't delete it I found out we had stayed up in a petrol station forecourt when I was singing in the car and the man in the shop told me off for having my phone on in the petrol station hahahahaha. I do get excited about the day but also really nervous. We are still 6 days away from kick off and I'm shitting bricks onwards and upwards stay safe one and all COYWM
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Post by whitesince63 on May 2, 2021 21:13:31 GMT
Despite everything I’m surprisingly upbeat about next week. If you think about it without the emotion of being a Wanderers fan, you’d still expect us to beat Crawley and I’m sure if you were a neutral you would too. I can’t believe that our players won’t have a much better attitude to the game with no second game to clinch it. I know there’s the play offs but I don’t expect that to even be on their agenda. If those players have any bottle, they’ll win it next week, if they don’t and they perform like they did yesterday at least we’ll find out that about them when we’re compiling a team for next season. It’s certainly a blow to lose Lee for the game as we don’t have a replacement of his class but I wonder if playing young Jackson in there might be an option? I’m not sure if on yesterday’s showing I’d start Sarcevic, he looked slow and not up to match fitness, though again leaving him out creates the problem of who replaces him now Lee can’t. Big questions to be asked of IE this week and also for the players, let’s just hope they’re up to it. I think they are and that we will win and win well.
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