Bolton 2-0 Port Vale

Our last home match of the season.

Not sure what to say after our draw against Shrewsbury last night!

Will we still be playing our best players on Saturday or will we be saving them for the play-offs?

While it’s still mathematically possible I expect we will play our strongest team.

BoltonTillIDie wrote:While it’s still mathematically possible I expect we will play our strongest team.

Which is?

The ones which were suggested might be rested.

1-0. Own goal in the 94th minute.

Looking at the current table, it seems that Bolton have scored more goals than Derby and Portsmouth. We have let in more goals than both teams.

We need to be looking at strengthening the back for next season!

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I think the defence we have is ok for the division we are in - maybe we need better wingbacks perhaps but if we stopped playing tippy tappy passes across the front of the goal all the time then our goals against would be a lot less than what it is, that's for sure.

(Also we will have George Johnston back next season too!).

I've got a feeling that today will be pretty much a tough game!

We can still catch Derby. It’s not over.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:We can still catch Derby. It’s not over.

So we have to win a minimum 4-0 against Peterborough and Derby lose????

We don’t have to score 4, goal swing needs to be at least 4 though.

BoltonTillIDie wrote:We don’t have to score 4, goal swing needs to be at least 4 though.

Let’s be honest now. It just ain’t gonna happen mate is it?

Derby would have to get a red card early on and so would Peterborough but that isn’t impossible.

Sure it’s unlikely but you never know

The goals (and the misses!)

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Hipster_Nebula wrote:Derby would have to get a red card early on and so would Peterborough but that isn’t impossible.

You must be on the same sauce as Ian Evatt!!!

Very slow first half yesterday with refereeing decisions not going our way. Another referee who needs spectacles!

This tippy tappy football really needs to stop plus some of the lads when on the ball run then simply stop as they don't know who to pass the ball to.

The players need to switch their brains on and make space!

Not as much passing back as having seen in previous games though.

karlypants wrote:Very slow first half yesterday with refereeing decisions not going our way. Another referee who needs spectacles!

This tippy tappy football really needs to stop plus some of the lads when on the ball run then simply stop as they don't know who to pass the ball to.

The players need to switch their brains on and make space!

Not as much passing back as having seen in previous games though.

It's noticeable that since the arrival of Collins the forwards have shown a massive upswing in their willingness to have a shot rather than constantly recycling it around the opposition box waiting for the perfect tap in. Collins backs himself and he has the goals to justify it. Paris is shooting more but needs to lower his sights a little and others are having the occasional dig. Earlier in the season it was almost as if they were banned from shooting, but Evatt has tweaked it - the lads just need to get better at it.
Same applies at the back - they aren't passing around as much as they used to and I think that's since Sheehan was played deeper as he's more trusted on the ball which is the key IMO - it's a good thing to draw the opposition out but only if you're good enough not to lose possession, so I don't have a problem with the tactic per ce, just that they have to be better at it.
All of which comes back to what was discussed at the beginning of the season re trying to play like Barca/City with League 1 standard players.
We didn't have much luck again yesterday - thought the ref was better than the one we had v the Shrews and his only really bad error was when JDC was kicked by their goalie (IMO) - but as the ref had been flattened he didn't get a clear view and TBF he couldn't really award a pen and dole out a red card to the goalie if he didn't see it properly. Maybe all that was just wishful thinking on my behalf at the time, but it looked like a pen to me. 
Fortunately on this occasion the better team won but the standard of refereeing has been "variable" at best this season. Hopefully Derby will get the next Barry Knight next weekend.