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Match day thread: Bolton

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  • Thoroughly enjoyable afternoon yesterday. Immense support from the Bolton fans and personally, I was glad it wasn’t the whitewash that some were predicting - it would have tainted the match overall somehow. Bolton has some good youngsters (number 38 who came on at RB stood out for me.) Once they get things together off the pitch, they may even have a chance of survival.
    As for us, I think physiologically yesterday was tougher for us than some may have thought- being ‘expected’ to win by a big margin brings its own type of pressure. As it was, it was a rare comfortable win for us. Pattison was my MOM and it is fantastic to see a midfielder running at goal with purpose and actually being brave enough to shoot. Top marks to him for having the balls to do so! Back four looked solid - Stewart was back to his absolute best and a mid field trip of Pattison, Gape and Thompson (when fit) could prove too strong for many teams in this division. If the strikers (minus CMS who will be on his way to a L2 / Conference team very soon) can get going, we are in for a good season.
    Absolutely great to see Rob and his wife on the terrace at the end of the game - how many people in his position would actually do that? So far, he has delivered everything that he said they would, in a very short period of time. All very positive - COYB!!!

  • Well said, Old Man (alias @TheOldMan.)

  • edited August 2019

    Interesting to note that, while neither were particularly accurate, Jacobson put in 13 crosses to Grimmer's 3. Crossing is a weak aspect of the latter's game, but if that can be worked on and a good balance struck between the full-back positions - whether that's Jacobson continuing to occupy the LB spot or Mascoll taking over going forward - that'll benefit us greatly. That plus the wide forward players being inverted - well, maybe one of them, considering Onyedinma and Smyth (both right-footed) should be the first choices there) - ought to give us plenty of variation in terms of balls into the box.

  • @micra said:
    Well said, Old Man (alias @TheOldMan.)

    Hear, hear. A more positive and realistic assessment than some that I’ve read. Those Bolton youngsters were decent players and the pressure was on us as everyone was predicting and expecting a Wycombe win. We had new players settling into the team and for a first game of the season I thought it was very encouraging.

  • @rmjlondon said:
    @ReadingMarginalista if we struggle with the squad we have now GA will be under pressure for probably the first time as WW manager !!!

    First time? He s been getting stick from the terraces, away fans and the Facebook for years. There was even a luton fan who kept coming on here giving him stick. He s gone now I think.

  • Lose and those in rose tinted glasses would be laughed at for being so optimistic before a ball was kicked. Win and those in rose tinted glasses are laughed at for thinking beating Bolton is a sign of anything. You gotta love football!

  • A very enjoyable day. We have what looks to be a really good squad, yes we will have tougher tests but a professional job done on day one. It is good to get our first three points on the board.
    COYB!

  • Nah. It doesn’t count for anything. It was just a ‘bye’. Total waste of time for everyone. I’m already asking for my money back.

    I’ve PM’d @bigred87 to let him know it wasn’t a game of football so hopefully he’ll be back to watch us again in a couple of weeks.

  • To build on what OldMan said, Phil interviewed Rob after the game. He said he would be commuting as to many games as he can this season and will be here more often than not. That’s great to hear. He also said he identified a number of things off the pitch that we do well, as well as areas that still need significant improvement. Again, great to hear.

    On the pitch, as well as Pattison’s surging runs, Freeman showed once again how valuable he can be to his team with some runs of his own. No fear when running at defenders combined with skill and pace.

    I’m looking forward to seeing some of those who missed out staking a claim for a shirt whenever they get an opportunity too. We have plenty of healthy competition in our side this season.

    My last comment - we have to give a huge amount of credit to every individual involved in the loan signing of Smyth. We always seem to have one or two loan signings each campaign where we just know we are on to a winner (McCarthy, Gape, Mawson, Eze etc.) and Smyth is that man this season!

  • The one downside to Paul Smyth is that we'll lose him for a game or two when he inevitably gets called up for Northern Ireland again. International weekends are 7th Sep (Lincoln H), 12th Oct (Ipswich A), 16th Nov (Tranmere A), 28th Mar (Shrewsbury A).

  • I also hear that Giles Phillips is a very promising central defender and he’ll need to be to dislodge Stewart or El Abd who both played so well yesterday.

  • And dont forget Jamal Blackman @Gary.

  • Anyone catch the Steward head bounce on the highlights reel?

    I have tried to paste the screenshot in here but to no avail. 1:15 in.

  • Pouring some water on the enthusiastic flames here. On at least two occasions yesterday, Stewart & El-Abd were getting themselves in a dither going for a high looping ball. One of them needs to take charge and go for it whilst the other drops off to mop up the loose ends. Apart from that, it was a pretty solid performance from all, especially given it was the first competitive game with many new faces.
    Again, thought the Bolton fans were great getting behind their youth players and not moaning at every mistake, not that they made many and has been said, many of them have a bright future. It will be a lot tougher up there if they sort out their major issues and can add a few experienced heads.

  • @mooneyman said:
    And dont forget Jamal Blackman @Gary.

    Goalkeepers; that’s a whole new kettle of fish! Heston, Fielding, Batista... we’ve definitely been blessed with top quality loan keepers over the years too.

  • Heston Blumenthal showed promise when he was on trial here in the mid ‘nineties but never really made the grade. He’d probably still do a job on the catering side though, possibly teaming up with Raymond Blanc.

  • Kettles of fish a specialty.

  • @th100 said:
    The one downside to Paul Smyth is that we'll lose him for a game or two when he inevitably gets called up for Northern Ireland again. International weekends are 7th Sep (Lincoln H), 12th Oct (Ipswich A), 16th Nov (Tranmere A), 28th Mar (Shrewsbury A).

    We have Fred kashket and wheeler so we will soldier on.

  • And Nick.

  • I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the game and to say it was for some of dodgy quality I rarely heard the usual groaning and moaning around and about me. Considering no-one will be completely competitive match fit yet and we had a decent bench I a retaining my rose-tinted specs at least until we are ten games in.

  • The abuse directed at Bayo at times from one or two of the morons begins the goal was disgraceful. Reminds me why I don't watch from the terrace very often.

  • That is very sad to hear @th100.

  • What sort of abuse @th100 ?
    I'm not sure half a story helps anyone.

  • Abuse is abuse. Why go into detail?

  • I must say, I thought that if ever there was a universally adored player then it's him

    Hope they were shouted down by those around them

  • ??Eric.

  • I imagine it stopped at half time when 'bigred' and his 'guests' left

  • Goons are gonna goon.

    I was amazed that some fans were abusing him about 10mins into the Doncaster away game last year (2nd match?), for one miscontrol.

    "not good enough for league 1" was their nonsense.

  • If Saturday is anything to go by, Allsop is very much the bête noire of Block S. He was given a whole fifteen minutes before being written off for the season.

  • edited August 2019

    I wonder when the Bloomfield hunting season will begin this year. I suspect he'll mislay an easy pass before the end of August and be written off as 'Conference South at best'

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