Is there any sensible reason why we keep losing friendlies?

Owen Coyle was disappointed in today's result and said we lost a game we didn't want to. Which means, we were going for a win.

So no more can any of you spout the rubbish that in pre season games we are not trying to get the result. The man himself wanted a win, we put out a very strong side and lost 3-0.

So is there a good reason we keep losing these games or is it just that we are not good enough for whatever reason?

Surely playing decent football, keeping clean sheets where possible and scoring goals would be far better practice for the up and coming league season than a bunch of toothless defeats against lowly opposition.

Burnley won 4-0 today, and they keep winning friendlies. Pre-season or not, our players should be capable of out passing and out scoring lower division teams - a blip or two is fine - we are consistently getting bad results against these sides...

We have conceded 8 goals in 6 games, scored 5 goals, and won once - all against supposedly worse teams. The pre season friendly excuse can't be relied on forever.

"We didn't reach anywhere near the standard we are capable of," says Coyle
Owen Coyle has expressed his disappointment after Wanderers’ latest pre-season friendly against Portsmouth.

“We always knew it was going to be a game of intensity but we didn’t do ourselves any credit and reach anywhere near the standard we are capable of,” said Coyle in his post-match press conference.

“The bottom line is that we lost a game we didn’t want to and I’ve let it be known to one or two that the standard has to be better than the one we have seen today.

“I actually thought we started well and had a great chance to score when their goalkeeper made a good save.

“But we have lost soft goals, although for their second goal, you can’t dispute the quality because it was a fantastic free-kick from Liam Lawrence.

“But fair play to Portsmouth. They were fired-up given all that had gone on at the football club and there was a great turnout by their supporters.

“We always knew it was going to be that type of game but, from our point of view, we have to play better. We’ll certainly learn a lot from today.

“What pre-season brings is a chance to rectify that in the build-up to the kick-off to the season, which is what we will do.

“When you come onto the pitch wearing a Bolton Wanderers shirt, you have to be ready. For parts of the game today, we didn’t do ourselves justice.

“We’ve brought in young Benik Afobe, who I thought did well in the second half, he looked sharp and could have got himself a goal with his first touch. That augers well because he looks a real goal threat.

“We’ll now continue with our programme of pre-season games with Tranmere away on Tuesday, leading into Barcelona B at the Reebok next Friday.”

Source:bwfc.co.uk

Crap manager, crap excuses, same results.

I remember people spitting feathers during a winless pre season under sam, in which we finished in Europe.

Can't say I'm happy getting stuffed by a bunch of trailists but it means diddly squat.

If this kind of rubbish continues into the season, then i'll be saying my piece.

Sluffy wrote:Crap manager, crap excuses, same results.

I'm not trying to be argumentative in any way, but what excuses are you referring to? I can't see anything in those post-match press conference quotes that could be considered an excuse. He just seems to say "we were shit".

Fine margins Largehat, fine margins.

He's been talking bollocks ever since he came - and it's not just me that thinks that either.

I've no issue with your opinion of Coyle, and he does come out with some bollocks in his pre and post match interviews. I just don't think there were any excuses in that particular interview. You could argue that's because they wouldn't wash with anyone after a performance like that I guess.

Gold!

largehat wrote:I've no issue with your opinion of Coyle, and he does come out with some bollocks in his pre and post match interviews. I just don't think there were any excuses in that particular interview. You could argue that's because they wouldn't wash with anyone after a performance like that I guess.

I never said there was - in fact I've not even bothered to read it.

The question was about why we keep losing (friendlies in this instance) I gave a response in general - we lose, crap excuses, crap manager.

Ok friendly results in general don't matter - but our first team losing to a team comprised of youths and trialists, with what 3 weeks to season kick off - three-nil - makes me wondered what the hell is happening at the club.

I do think Coyle will lead us out of the Championship at the first attempt though - yes, you've guessed it - straight down to division three at this rate!

Sluffy wrote:
I do think Coyle will lead us out of the Championship at the first attempt though - yes, you've guessed it - straight down to division three at this rate!

Dunno if you're a betting man but you can get 40/1 on us being relegated at Betfred.

I have found a link to Knight/Lonergan playing and goals being conceded.We tend to not concede if we have neither on the pitch.

“We always knew it was going to be that type of game but, from our point of view, we have to play better. We’ll certainly learn a lot from today.




So Mr. Coyle why is it that you and the rest of your highly paid staff have learned a lot from this bunch. Given the resources available to you and the squad you yourself have put together should it not be that they are the one learning from you.

Let's see what you have learned the next time you (with your silly pants on) and your losers take the pitch. Not much is my guess.

I know there is no historical correlation between friendly results and results during a league campaign - I don't dispute that.

I just want to know, why, when it comes down to 90 mins on the pitch against lower league opposition, can we not play well enough to beat them or at least out play them. Friendly or not - why are we not able?

Keegan wrote:I have found a link to Knight/Lonergan playing and goals being conceded.We tend to not concede if we have neither on the pitch.

Well it will take about 20 games for Coyle to notice this and then another 10 before he drops Knight. But don't worry SKD will start every game.

Biggie wrote:I know there is no historical correlation between friendly results and results during a league campaign - I don't dispute that.

I just want to know, why, when it comes down to 90 mins on the pitch against lower league opposition, can we not play well enough to beat them or at least out play them. Friendly or not - why are we not able?

It's mental simple as that.

If you go into work and your boss says "look mate, don't worry about today, nothing matters, tbh just do the bare minimum"

Would you pull out all the stops like a madman? Even if you're a well meaning person who always gives 100% that comment would be in the back of your mind all day.

and thats all it is, mentally the players aren't there.

if we get into the season and we're beaten like this clearly it goes deeper.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:

Biggie wrote:I know there is no historical correlation between friendly results and results during a league campaign - I don't dispute that.

I just want to know, why, when it comes down to 90 mins on the pitch against lower league opposition, can we not play well enough to beat them or at least out play them. Friendly or not - why are we not able?

It's mental simple as that.

If you go into work and your boss says "look mate, don't worry about today, nothing matters, tbh just do the bare minimum"

Would you pull out all the stops like a madman? Even if you're a well meaning person who always gives 100% that comment would be in the back of your mind all day.

and thats all it is, mentally the players aren't there.

if we get into the season and we're beaten like this clearly it goes deeper.

But aren't the opposition in the same boat?

I really don't get this mentality about the results of pre-season games being of no importance. We should be going out there trying to hammer these supposed inferior teams. Winning breeds confidence. To lose 3-0 to Portsmouth, with all their problems and lack of quality players is quite frankly beyond comical. To me it clearly shows that none of our players actually give a shit about playing for Bolton Wanderers. They should all fuck off, take Coyle with them and then we start from scratch. How anyone can predict we will get promoted is baffling. We look exactly like we did last season, actually we are worse. I am starting to hate Coyle and his complete lack of tactical ability. We are in real danger of dropping down another division by the looks of things. Like Natasha posted above, every team in pre-season could just say bollocks it only a friendly, then every game would be 0-0 with players just walking around for 90 minutes scratching their nuts. The players should want to win every game, not have the manager say it would be nice to win this one. What a fucking idiot we have as our Manager !

Hipster_Nebula wrote:

Biggie wrote:I know there is no historical correlation between friendly results and results during a league campaign - I don't dispute that.

I just want to know, why, when it comes down to 90 mins on the pitch against lower league opposition, can we not play well enough to beat them or at least out play them. Friendly or not - why are we not able?

It's mental simple as that.

If you go into work and your boss says "look mate, don't worry about today, nothing matters, tbh just do the bare minimum"

Would you pull out all the stops like a madman? Even if you're a well meaning person who always gives 100% that comment would be in the back of your mind all day.

and thats all it is, mentally the players aren't there.

if we get into the season and we're beaten like this clearly it goes deeper.

I can't see it just being that. Maybe an element of that but - if I play badminton against my mate - it's a friendly - we both still try to win.
Or if the world champion tennis player played against you at tennis - even if you raised your game and he was told the result didn't matter - his quality would be such that he really just couldn't help winning. He would just have too much for you, even if he played with lead weights on. I would have thought Bolton V Hamilton would be a similar story.

Also. Just coming back after the summer break you would hope the players would be up for it and be wanting to play well - even if the manager said it doesn't matter.

Every football player wants to have a good game - because, it's less fun to have a rubbish game. So the players must be trying to have at least some degree of a decent outing. They are just not able to perform.

Friendlies should be the time that teams try as hard as ever, especially while the results don't count it should give us the opportunity to try to play in a more free and less pressured and rushed way - and as a result you should expect great football. It's not happening.

Dunkels King wrote:I really don't get this mentality about the results of pre-season games being of no importance. We should be going out there trying to hammer these supposed inferior teams. Winning breeds confidence. To lose 3-0 to Portsmouth, with all their problems and lack of quality players is quite frankly beyond comical. To me it clearly shows that none of our players actually give a shit about playing for Bolton Wanderers. They should all fuck off, take Coyle with them and then we start from scratch. How anyone can predict we will get promoted is baffling. We look exactly like we did last season, actually we are worse. I am starting to hate Coyle and his complete lack of tactical ability. We are in real danger of dropping down another division by the looks of things. Like Natasha posted above, every team in pre-season could just say bollocks it only a friendly, then every game would be 0-0 with players just walking around for 90 minutes scratching their nuts. The players should want to win every game, not have the manager say it would be nice to win this one. What a fucking idiot we have as our Manager !

This is my post of the week.

I am sick and tired of hearing people say pre-season friendlies are meaningless because they fucking aren't! Does Coyle really think being thrashed by a team of kids and trialists will put the players in the right frame of mind for the Burnley game?

The man is fucking clueless, he may want to look at the positives from last season but it's the fucking negatives that he needs to sort out, namely shit players that have no heart. If we thought having no passion in the PL was a problem, wait until the Championship kicks off and everyone wants to take the scalp of Bolton Wanderers.

Gartside and Eddie Davies must be bigger dickheads than I thought to be letting this fool ruin another season for the fans.

Coyle out.

Natasha Whittam wrote:
Does Coyle really think being thrashed by a team of kids and trialists will put the players in the right frame of mind for the Burnley game?

No, he doesn't. Read his post-match interview, posted on another thread. I think he knows that garbage yesterday wasn't good enough and I think he knows he has egg on his face right now.