EFL Trophy: Bolton 2-1 Fleetwood

Tomorrow we host fleetwood in the pizza Bristol street motors cup.

After our 5 nil drubbing away at Stockport last Saturday, will Evatt finally do something to change the whole team whether that be his planned tactics or starting 11?

I’m beginning to think that Aunty Sharron hasn’t the balls (not literally as she isn’t a tranny in disguise) but could this game be the final nail in the coffin for him if we lose?

I very much doubt he will be sacked whatever the result of this match.

If he is to go I think he will walk rather than sacked anyway.

Sharon has the final say (and majority control of the club - albeit acting as a proxy for I strongly suspect for Mason (Pink Floyd) and Morris (motor insurance) who I think are happy to fund her 'project' or whatever it is - I don't think the money is an issue at our current (loss making) funding needs).

I also doubt his game plan can change much with the squad he's built - it will be interesting what will happen in the January window (if he gets any money to spend and if so would he try and change anything much?).

I've no idea even what team he will put out for this match - does he play the kids or does he put out more or less the same team against Stockport and tell them to win the game 10-0 and make out that Saturday's defeat was simply a result of having sickness in the camp leading up to that game?

I've no interest in these pointless Micky Mouse cup games (unless he wants to save his season by getting us to Wembley again?) but there's not much point me being a fan if I don't want my team to win every time they play.

It might get very toxic though if we do put a strong team out and get battered.

Let's hope that just doesn't happen.

Big Match Preview: Bolton Wanderers v Fleetwood Town

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The game practically nobody wanted has suddenly developed a storyline.

Prior to Saturday’s disaster at Edgeley Park, the majority of Bolton Wanderers supporters wouldn’t have paid much attention to the visit of Fleetwood Town in the final Bristol Street Motors Trophy group game, or indeed the outcome.

But thanks to maelstrom of frustration generated by the 5-0 defeat at Stockport County, Ian Evatt’s next move, his next utterance, his next appearance on the touchline, now takes on much more significance than we could ever have expected. Indeed, the very fact that he took his seat for the pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon was news in itself.

Win, and Bolton book safe passage into the knockout rounds. They have little appetite to invest heavily in the competition they won just two years ago at Wembley and Evatt will surely make the maximum number of changes to a line-up already shorn of international players that the rulebook will allow him.

Whereas this looked like being a free hit before the weekend, the Bolton boss and his players may now feel they could do without piling any more negativity on themselves, and any positive result would at least avoid making a tough situation worse.

Lose against League Two Fleetwood, and just like the FA Cup result at Walsall a couple of weekends ago, it adds another few logs to an angry fire.

Back in April 2023, the Trophy gave Evatt his most satisfying day at the helm. That whitewashing of Plymouth Argyle in the North London sun must have felt a million years ago as he absorbed the fans’ chants on a bitterly cold evening at Stockport, watching most of the remedial work his team had done since mid-September unravel in front of his eyes.

The drama didn’t end with the final whistle, though, and the interviews given by both the manager and his current captain, George Johnston, gave some insight into what has become a deeply unsatisfactory picture at the Toughsheet Stadium.

Johnston had fronted up on behalf of the dressing room to deliver an apology, and to argue that the players – not Evatt and his coaching staff – should carry the can for a desperate result.

The defender’s words were genuine and reflected his growing role in the group, particularly in the absence of George Thomason, who had been officially awarded the captain’s armband earlier in the season before picking up a hamstring injury.

A few minutes earlier the manager had concluded his own interview, which ended with an admission that some of his squad were falling short of his expectations.

Evatt’s words have provoked a mixed reaction from the fanbase, some of whom feel he is passing the blame, others who correctly point out that maintaining standards on the training ground is very much his wheelhouse.

Many of those in attendance at Stockport made their feelings clear, the post-match reaction so vitriolic it actually appeared to physically affect some of the players who had wandered apologetically towards the side of the pitch to applaud the supporters’ commitment in staying to the end.

Evatt had wisely kept some distance. He made a brief reference to chants from the away end about his style of football but otherwise stayed out of that argument too.

If, however, there are players who are not pulling their weight, preparing for games correctly, or carrying themselves professionally away from the pitch, then how does the manager address that in his team selection?

With several players still out injured and four away playing for their country this week, he has precious few options to make sweeping changes and still stay within the competition guidelines.

Tuesday night will be the first chance some of those players get to make amends, a soft launch, if you will, played in front of die-hards only.

The true litmus test will be Blackpool a week on Saturday, a reunion for Evatt with a club who hold him in high regard for his role in helping them into the Premier League in his playing days.

Football loves to throw up coincidences, so with Evatt’s ex-Bloomfield Road pal Charlie Adam in charge of Fleetwood, will the outcome of a hitherto meaningless cup game now impact the main event?

Evatt and Wanderers could use every bit of help they can get.

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Well, that was pretty dire. Still, we won.

But I'd have had more fun nailing my scrotum to the kitchen table.

boltonbonce wrote:Well, that was pretty dire. Still, we won.

But I'd have had more fun nailing my scrotum to the kitchen table.

Christ Bonce!

The young lad sharples played ok. Yes league two level but he didn’t do anything wrong and he was composed. Probably deserves to be on the bench for a few games. 

Lolos was terrible. Forrester is absolutely awful as well. How he gets anywhere near the team is beyond me.

Ian Evatt hailed Sonny Sharples-Ahmed after the youngster helped Wanderers edge past Fleetwood on his first senior start.

The 19-year-old was given the nod alongside Jay Matete in midfield and was involved in Aaron Collins’ late winner as the Whites finished top of the group and booked their place in the knockout stage.

Gethin Jones also made his first start of the campaign as he steps up his recovery from a knee injury suffered at the start of pre-season.

“I thought Sonny was outstanding, he was brilliant and it was great to see,” said Evatt after the final whistle.

“He has been training with us a fair bit, he has been doing really well and deserved an opportunity. I thought he grasped it with both hands, I was really impressed with him.

“Geth brought what he brings, he is a huge member of our squad as a leader and a person. The players need his voice around the dressing room because he brings experience.

“He is used to what is required to play at this football club and what is required to play for me. He showed us what we have been missing – that recovery pace and athleticism, the overlaps from deeper position and speed of those overlaps. You can see he is getting fitter and stronger.

“The conversation with Geth before the game, it was never the plan to play 90 minutes. I just said, ‘we will give you as long as you need, you have to be honest and let me know when you’ve had enough without taking any risks.’

“That speaks volume to Geth, he never once mentioned that he was tired or needed to come off. He got through the game and it is great to see.”

The result sees Wanderers return to winning ways after their drubbing at Stockport, although the main focus is the visit of Blackpool after the international break.

“I thought it was a really difficult game,” the manager added. “We knew they would come with almost a full strength team.

“Obviously, Charlie (Adam) is a guy who I played with for a long time and we have a personal relationship. I knew he would want to come and have a right go at us.

“These games are always challenging at the best of times but on the back of Saturday, it makes the game even more difficult.

“I thought the two most important things we showed were a competitive edge and working hard for each other, with and without the ball.

“Are there things we can do better. Absolutely. I thought we could put the ball at risk a little bit more, but it is not easy when they are in an organised block.

“People will say ‘get the ball forwards’ but we have to create the space first because there wasn’t a lot of space.

“When we did get into good areas, I thought we could have passed between lines faster and cleaner. Winning the game is the most important thing and we have done that.

“Now, we have to get ready for a 10-day break and big game against Blackpool, which is vitally important that we get back on the league campaign and get winning again.”

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Fleetwood boss Charlie Adam was gutted to lose against Wanderers at the death but took plenty of encouragement from his side's second-half display.

Ryan Graydon had cancelled out Aaron Collins’ opener but the Welshman struck again in stoppage time to ensure the Whites topped the group, sending the visitors out of the competition.

“(We are disappointed) with the outcome but the performance, no,” Adam told the club channels.

“To come to a place like this, with structure and organisation. I know they scored two goals but I didn’t think they created that much apart from that.

“We had some big chances second half and our performance levels went up, we believed in ourselves a bit more and caused them a few problems. We now have to take that into the league.”

The head coach added: “We said that we could come here and have belief that we have players in this team who can hurt the opposition, and we managed to do that second half.

“Overall, we are disappointed to go out of the tournament but the way we played, second half, we have to take that into the rest of the season.”

Fleetwood came out strongly after the break, and Adam is optimistic that positive results are around the corner if they can replicate those performance levels in the league.

“The energy and enthusiasm of the lads was very good,” he explained. “They deserved to at least get to penalties and see where we were at, but a moment in the 92nd minute cost us.

“We asked the lads, when it goes over, to squeeze the box and we did that. Unfortunately, somebody switches off at the back post and they have got quality players, we get punished with that.

“He is stood free in the box, initially he is offside but second phase of play, we don’t defend it well enough and lose the goal.

“Coming here to a 20-odd thousand seater stadium, I know there weren’t that many people here but it is an experience for our boys to come and play at this level.

“Collins, Lolos, they have quality players within the group, Matete I thought was really good for them.

“That is the challenge for us and we have to go and show that on a weekly basis now in the league. If we put in performances like that, we will win more games.”

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Can't say I agree with you Hipster - although nothing to shout about Lolos was far better than Vic. 
Still way too many passes sideways and backwards with no end product. I'm not sure it's worth banging on about anymore - that's the way we play. Football is a simple game, it's the managers that make it complicated.

Probably true. Not sure there’s too much difference in terms of skill set between lolos mcatee Collins and vic. They all do the same the thing which makes you wonder why we signed all of them. 

Vic does work hard but that’s basically all he does.

Collins is the opposite. Has a bit of skill about him and can produce a bit of magic every now and then but is lazy as…..