Bolton Wanderers V Port Vale

[Bottega Don]

yes, when we beat you recently

And now we're 12 points ahead of you, really gone well for you.

 

[MJA]

yes, when we beat you recently

That was my first thought until I then realised since then, Scunny are now 3 points clear at the top whilst we have slipped to our rightful mid-table spot

 

[MJA]

And now we're 12 points ahead of you, really gone well for you.

That was my first thought until I then realised since then, Scunny are now 3 points clear at the top whilst we have slipped to our rightful mid-table spot

See, this is why you should always think before you post Buxton Vale

 

[Muzzle]

Should have been more today BUT, our second goal, ball wasn't just over the line, it was about a foot and a half over, how the lino missed that I have no idea

 

[Buxton Vale]

See, this is why you should always think before you post Buxton Vale

it was still a win

 

[valefan16]

Back home, still steaming with fury 110 miles after leaving.

Look end of the day Bolton have something crazy like 110 million debts? Astronomical money has been spent there in the last twenty years and nine times out of ten we'd expect to lose... if we lose disappointing and I can take that when we've put in 100% and been undone by quality from Bolton...

What I can't take is us turning up (for the forth week running now) playing first half in first gear, making errors kids on a school lunchtime kick about wouldn't make and absolutely gifting Bolton the game in the first fifteen. Last week we did the same but luckily Oxford were dire and when we upped it second half the crumbled, was never ever going to happen today against a side like Bolton.

Grant and Tavares couldn't pass, we decided to put a centre half at left back against Ameobi making him look world class... oh yeah whilst our left back was playing in midfield!

We didn't put any tackles in and just colossally rolled over.

Second half we gave it a go last thirty and had Kelly's header went in then maybe we'd have caused a panic at the end but it was embarrassing and shameful from us today with very little positives.

Post match on radio driving home the anger and disappointment was clear, Andy Smith is hard as nails but he sounded suicidal, huge game next week against Stevenage, play like we have been we will lose that and if we do Bruno may be gone.

Totally unacceptable today, huge let down after another decent away turn out.

 

[Muzzle]

We don't have any debt anymore since the takeover in the summer

 

[Vale on Trent]

I don't think any Vale fan is actually shocked by that. I saw we were 3-0 down after 15 minutes and I wasn't shocked one bit, I just laughed.

Our away form has become disgraceful now. Nothing has changed all season. We go away from home and show no attacking threat. We do try and keep the ball, but we do it in such a slow, boring way that we go no where. Bruno, sort it out or you won't be here for much longer I imagine.

Smurf wants a play off challenge, but to do that you need play off standard players.

 

[valefan16]

I don't think any Vale fan is actually shocked by that. I saw we were 3-0 down after 15 minutes and I wasn't shocked one bit, I just laughed.

Our away form has become disgraceful now. Nothing has changed all season. We go away from home and show no attacking threat. We do try and keep the ball, but we do it in such a slow, boring way that we go no where. Bruno, sort it out or you won't be here for much longer I imagine.

Smurf wants a play off challenge, but to do that you need play off standard players.

Plenty of talent within the squad (also plenty of shite), need an experienced centre half and a striker though if Forrester isn't going to be fit anytime soon.

Two up front would be a start though!

 

[markpvfc]

The result wasn't as bad as I expected before hand, but only because Bolton never got out of first gear after having got the game won in the first 15mins. Down to 11th now and will continue to drop unless things change drastically at the club.
Smurf expects to be challenging for the playoffs at Christmas, at this rate we'll be in a relegation scrap.

 

[valefan16]

The result wasn't as bad as I expected before hand, but only because Bolton never got out of first gear after having got the game won in the first 15mins. Down to 11th now and will continue to drop unless things change drastically at the club.
Smurf expects to be challenging for the playoffs at Christmas, at this rate we'll be in a relegation scrap.

It's ok we've got the infamous "Plan B"

 

[MJA]

I don't think any Vale fan is actually shocked by that. I saw we were 3-0 down after 15 minutes and I wasn't shocked one bit, I just laughed.

Our away form has become disgraceful now. Nothing has changed all season. We go away from home and show no attacking threat. We do try and keep the ball, but we do it in such a slow, boring way that we go no where. Bruno, sort it out or you won't be here for much longer I imagine.

Smurf wants a play off challenge, but to do that you need play off standard players.

This whole 'lets keep the ball' is utter bullshit unless you actually do something with the possession. I think too many people have forgotten that football is about sticking the ball in the net

 

[LancashireTrotters]

Very comfortable win, outclassing Port Vale all over the park.

It's nice going to a football match and actually enjoying the game. Its a rarity since we dropped out of the Premiership, but I could certainly get used to it! Roll on Peterborough!

 

[valefan16]

Very comfortable win, outclassing Port Vale all over the park.

It's nice going to a football match and actually enjoying the game. Its a rarity since we dropped out of the Premiership, but I could certainly get used to it! Roll on Peterborough!

To be fair it's not hard, even Coventry managed it.

 

[MJA]

Very comfortable win, outclassing Port Vale all over the park.

It's nice going to a football match and actually enjoying the game. Its a rarity since we dropped out of the Premiership, but I could certainly get used to it! Roll on Peterborough!

I wouldn't get too excited after beating a team who might as well not waste the time traveling to away games

 

[LancashireTrotters]

To be fair it's not hard, even Coventry managed it.

I wouldn't get too excited after beating a team who might as well not waste the time traveling to away games

Couldn't care less who we play as long as we win. 6 on the bounce now, and more points racked up than we got all last season.

Excellent turnaround under Parkinson, long may it continue.

 

[valefan16]

Couldn't care less who we play as long as we win. 6 on the bounce now, and more points racked up than we got all last season.

Excellent turnaround under Parkinson, long may it continue.

Is it a turnaround though? It's basically a case of you got battered by kids your own size so went down to the infant school and started kicking in the little kids! You should be wiping the floor with this league and so just doing as expected with your financial advantage.

 

[Agombar stool]

Sorry to butt in here Vale fans but it's really interesting to read your comments as it sounds VERY similar to what we are experiencing at Swindon. Lovely football, but powder puff and with no plan B. It's very frustrating isn't it?

 

[MJA]

Sorry to butt in here Vale fans but it's really interesting to read your comments as it sounds VERY similar to what we are experiencing at Swindon. Lovely football, but powder puff and with no plan B. It's very frustrating isn't it?

Depends how seriously you take football

 

[Agombar stool]

Depends how seriously you take football

Haha. Fair comment.

I'm a bit past caring to be honest, being 4-0 down at half time today, you may as well laugh about it!

 

[valefan16]

Sorry to butt in here Vale fans but it's really interesting to read your comments as it sounds VERY similar to what we are experiencing at Swindon. Lovely football, but powder puff and with no plan B. It's very frustrating isn't it?

One up front is an issue, I wouldn't even blame signing the foreigners as only two or three have featured with any regularity. Bruno is very continental and it worked well to start as teams didn't close us down and we had plenty of time on the ball at home especially but Coventry did the high press and since then everyone has done it and we've not adapted accordingly except second half against Oxford.

Today was Bolton being great, Coventry did the same, Sheffield United did the same (more spectacularly mind), Oxford and Charlton with better finishing would have and we massively need to mix it up more, it'll only get worse too as pitches deteriorate.

Plus playing one up front is great when you have Anton Forrester to play it... sadly he's spent the last two months or so crocked! Cicilia gets isolated and is wank, Paterson isnt capable of playing it and Jones (injured too now) is too small.

 

[LancashireTrotters]

Is it a turnaround though? It's basically a case of you got battered by kids your own size so went down to the infant school and started kicking in the little kids! You should be wiping the floor with this league and so just doing as expected with your financial advantage.

Of course it's a turnaround, we won 6 competitive games last season out of 50. Add to that, none of those came away from home.
We're only at the end of November and we've managed to rack up 9 wins in the league.

Away from match results, we're much more solid at the back. We've conceded just 11 goals in the first 16 games of this season, another huge turnaround on last season when we let in over 80 goals over the course of the year.

Whether we should be winning every week in this league is a mute point in relation to a turnaround. You can only beat what's in front of you, and as it stands, we're doing that in a confident and professional manner. This is more than can be said for Bolton of previous seasons in the football league.

Not sure where the financial advantage is really, it's been over 2 years since we spent any money in transfer fees. As for wages, Spearing and Mark Davies are the only big earner on our books. Elsewhere, the club has had to cut the cloth extensively to try and stop us going under. Thankfully, we seem to be over the worst of it now our debt has been wiped for the most part.

 

[valefan16]

So Wheater on a reported £17k per week isn't a high earner...

Alongside the two forementioned in an article I see on £18k a week those three would be on a lot more than most clubs full weekly wage bills at this level.

With that backing you should comfortably be winning the division which I expect you to do come May. The test of a turnaround would be next season (to avoid a Wigan type struggle again)

 

[Agombar stool]

You can't tell me Sammy Ameobi isn't on around 10k per week either surely?

 

[LancashireTrotters]

So Wheater on a reported £17k per week isn't a high earner...

Alongside the two forementioned in an article I see on £18k a week those three would be on a lot more than most clubs full weekly wage bills at this level.

With that backing you should comfortably be winning the division which I expect you to do come May. The test of a turnaround would be next season (to avoid a Wigan type struggle again)

David Wheater isn't on 17k a week, since he signed up with the club again this Summer, he's on a vastly reduced contract, nowhere near that.

Obviously, any turnaround by the club will be tested next season should we go back up, that goes without saying. But, for now, the club is in a much better position on and off the field in comparison to recent years, and its great to see!

You can't tell me Sammy Ameobi isn't on around 10k per week either surely?

I don't know, but he's on loan, we won't be paying anywhere near that to have him here. We're still under a financial embargo until our accounts are filed and signed off by the football league.

 

[Agombar stool]

David Wheater isn't on 17k a week, since he signed up with the club again this Summer, he's on a vastly reduced contract, nowhere near that.

Obviously, any turnaround by the club will be tested next season should we go back up, that goes without saying. But, for now, the club is in a much better position on and off the field in comparison to recent years, and its great to see!



I don't know, but he's on loan, we won't be paying anywhere near that to have him here. We're still under a financial embargo until our accounts are filed and signed off by the football league.

I wasn't aware he was on loan. Apologies. When he came on at our place a couple of weeks ago he was unplayable.

 

[LancashireTrotters]

I wasn't aware he was on loan. Apologies. When he came on at our place a couple of weeks ago he was unplayable.

Yeh, he played similarly again today. He seems to be growing in confidence each week. I'd love it if we were able to keep hold of him, but I think that'll be a bit of a long shot.