The Bolton (Promotion) Thread 2020/21

[hellogregory]

No and if anything it'll make our title win even more heroic.

The plucky team who won the league and they had nowhere to train!

Well our next 3 games are now off, so we won't have to play Shoddycollins and the youth team.

 

[SVH]

That's not ideal, especially when you have momentum and are top of the table. Fixture pile up will certainly not help either, especially as it's likely your Saturday games will move to midweek.

Carver is clearly bored and his posts are taken as tongue in cheek but you could be out of the top 7 by the time you play again.

Our Monday and Thursday Covid tests returned all negative.

 

[Carver]

Well our next 3 games are now off, so we won't have to play Shoddycollins and the youth team.

If it was any other season of recent years I'd have happily put my name forward to register myself as a player and show them how it's done, but since we've actually been playing well for a change I don't think I'd be an improvement.

 

[shoddycollins]

That's not ideal, especially when you have momentum and are top of the table. Fixture pile up will certainly not help either, especially as it's likely your Saturday games will move to midweek.

Carver is clearly bored and his posts are taken as tongue in cheek but you could be out of the top 7 by the time you play again.

Our Monday and Thursday Covid tests returned all negative.

Can all change very quickly though... we were one of the few clubs it seems to reported no positive tests when everyone was first tested just over a week ago. Then on Tuesday it was three positive results and now apparently things have escalated to the point where we have too many players out.

The problem is that fixtures are already piling up, so that having to isolate for 10 days nearly always means three games.

No guarantee that all the games scheduled while we're out will go ahead, I'm sure some will be called off but if they do all go ahead, and all see wins for teams in and around us then when we play again the table could look like:

		P	Pts
1	Newport	23	47
2	Cambridge	25	46
3	FGR*	23	43
4	Morecambe	23	43
5	Crawley	24	40
6	Exeter	22	39
7	Salford**	24	39
8	Carlisle	21	39
9	Cheltenham***	23	38
10	Leyton Orient****	23	33

* one of FGR's games is against us and postponed
** Salford play Newport so I put that down as a Newport win
*** Cheltenham also play Newport, so again I put it down as a Newport win
**** Orient as with FGR were due to play us, and their other game is against Morecambe so I went with Morecambe

I'm sure if that happened Devon Lad would be wanking into a champagne flute as though Exeter had just won the Champions League, but it's not the worst position to be in, and all these teams I've assumed here are going to win every game aren't exactly on imperious form. We don't even have a huge amount of momentum at the moment, we've just been steady while other teams are inconsistent.

 

[Chris FGR]

The table could look like that, but it won't.

Btw why don't Carlisle train on their stadium pitch if they can't get a full size one elsewhere atm?

We used to train at The Lawn back in the day on Tuesday and Thursday nights and Frank Gregan used to get the players to run up and down the hill for fitness training (and to pick up his orders from the Indian). Pitch was never a problem.

 

[Carver]

Can all change very quickly though... we were one of the few clubs it seems to reported no positive tests when everyone was first tested just over a week ago. Then on Tuesday it was three positive results and now apparently things have escalated to the point where we have too many players out.

The problem is that fixtures are already piling up, so that having to isolate for 10 days nearly always means three games.

No guarantee that all the games scheduled while we're out will go ahead, I'm sure some will be called off but if they do all go ahead, and all see wins for teams in and around us then when we play again the table could look like:

		P	Pts
1	Newport	23	47
2	Cambridge	25	46
3	FGR*	23	43
4	Morecambe	23	43
5	Crawley	24	40
6	Exeter	22	39
7	Salford**	24	39
8	Carlisle	21	39
9	Cheltenham***	23	38
10	Leyton Orient****	23	33

* one of FGR's games is against us and postponed
** Salford play Newport so I put that down as a Newport win
*** Cheltenham also play Newport, so again I put it down as a Newport win
**** Orient as with FGR were due to play us, and their other game is against Morecambe so I went with Morecambe

I'm sure if that happened Devon Lad would be wanking into a champagne flute as though Exeter had just won the Champions League, but it's not the worst position to be in, and all these teams I've assumed here are going to win every game aren't exactly on imperious form. We don't even have a huge amount of momentum at the moment, we've just been steady while other teams are inconsistent.

I think that because we can't play at the moment. The whole rest of the league should be paused until our team is Covid free.

 

[GTFCfish]

The table could look like that, but it won't.

No here is what the table will look like:

1 - Carlisle Utd
2 - Carlisle Utd reserves
3 - Carlisle Utd youth team

 

[shoddycollins]

No here is what the table will look like:
1 - Mansfield
2 - Carlisle Utd
3 - Carlisle Utd reserves
4 - Carlisle Utd youth team

fixed that for you

 

[Conker]

I’ll take mid table, to be honest - we still have big problems to sort out in that squad.

We just don’t have the arrogance of Carlisle fans to be fair Port Vale win that award from pre-season.

 

[valefan16]

I’ll take mid table, to be honest - we still have big problems to sort out in that squad.

We just don’t have the arrogance of Carlisle fans to be fair Port Vale win that award from pre-season.

Most of us were cautiously optimistic, I mentioned Notts County a few times!

 

[Conker]

Most of us were cautiously optimistic, I mentioned Notts County a few times!

Maynard turning you down didn’t help to be fair.

 

[shoddycollins]

Maynard turning you down didn’t help to be fair.

Or indeed you from what I gather.

 

[Conker]

Or indeed you from what I gather.

He came back after looking for a L1 side, but I think the cap sort of stopped that.

We offered him a reduced contract pre-cap and from what Coughlan said we didn’t budge but he obviously accepted it down line. Nowt wrong with that from either side. He might leave this month to be fair!

 

[Carver]

I told you we were the only good team in this division and I was right.

We're still top after the shitty chasing pack all failed to capitalise, I suppose that they dare not overtake us because it would be a great disrespect to a great team as this is our season.

 

[masi51]

I told you we were the only good team in this division and I was right.

We're still top after the shitty chasing pack all failed to capitalise, I suppose that they dare not overtake us because it would be a great disrespect to a great team as this is our season.

you go lad you sound like me July. August time
Enjoy it while you can

 

[shoddycollins]

Thought I'd have a look at how this season compares with previous seasons at the same stage, because of the late start we're effectively still at the late-December stage of fixtures and there's a lot more variation in the number of games teams have played, but I'm comparing it with matchday 22 of previous seasons, since 22 seems to be the average number of games played even though technically we're on matchday 24 only a couple of teams have played all 24 matches they should have.

	2020/21	2019/20	2018/19	2017/18	2016/17	2015/16	2014/15
1st Top	Carlisle 39 (21 games)	Swindon 43	Lincoln 47	Luton 45	Doncaster 45	Plymouth 43	Shrewsbury 43
3rd Automatics	Cambridge 38 (23 games)	Crewe 39	Mansfield 39	Accrington 40	Carlisle 43	Oxford 41	Burton 42
7th Playoffs	Orient 36 (23 games)	FGR 36	FGR 34	Coventry 35	Cambridge 34	B Rovers 36	Newport 37
12th Top Half	Colchester 30 (22 games)	Scunthorpe 28	Carlisle 30	Swindon 32	Grimsby 29	Luton 29	Wimbledon 30
22nd Safety	Stevenage 21 (21 games)	Carlisle 21*	Cambridge 20	Barnet 20	Accrington 21	York 15	D&R 21
24th Bottom	Southend 20 (22 games)	Stevenage 17*	Macclesfield 16	FGR 20	Newport 18	D&R 13	Hartlepool 14

*figures for 19/20 are discounting Macclesfield's points deduction and shown as if there were two relegation places.

There really isn't a huge amount of difference. Although in each previous season the league leaders had over 40 points, they had all played 22 games. So either Carlisle (or Newport who are also on 39 points from 21 games) could still potentially win their 22nd game and be just behind most of the other teams on 42 points.

Third place is slightly lower than previous seasons, particularly given Cambridge have played 23 games, though FGR are also on 38 points and have played 22.

The points total to be in the playoffs is pretty much average, although Orient have played a game more than the other teams, Cheltenham have played 22 games and are also on 36, while Crawley just outside the playoffs on 34 points after 22 games are equivalent to 7th place on a couple of occasions.

Points to be in the top half and in 22nd place are pretty much as normal, Stevenage have only played 21 games but just above them, Scunthorpe are on 23 games and have played a game more so all that's pretty much what you'd expect going off previous seasons.

And then down at the bottom, Southend are actually doing better now than most previous teams who were bottom at this stage.

Overall, it's a fairly typical season... I looked at these figures thinking I might see how this season is different from previous seasons I remember but what I learned is that despite the differences in the calendar for this season and the wide range of games played, this season isn't really that much different from other seasons. There were a few seasons where the top three all had over 40 points and a run where you had leaders such as Lincoln, Luton and Doncaster as well as some of the chasing packs in those seasons who were stronger than what we have at the moment, but it's not a huge gulf and the strength of the top teams this season isn't too different to seasons where Swindon, Plymouth and Shrewsbury led.

Once you get to the playoffs and below then there really isn't anything to distinguish this season from others; the relegation battle is slightly more competitive and when you add that to the promotion battle being slightly lower quality the gap between top and bottom is significantly different to previous season, but that's small differences adding up to a bigger one, and it is unusual that we have less than 20 points between top and bottom where usually it's nearer 30 by this stage. 2015/16 stands out as having a poor quality bottom half but this season has no such remarkable qualities.

 

[Carver]

I hope we don't get promoted because we'll not be able to compete financially in L1 next season with the massive likes of Accrington Stanley and all of our best players will leave in the summer and yet supposedly none of them are good enough to be in the squads of Exeter and Bolton.

 

[masi51]

I hope we don't get promoted because we'll not be able to compete financially in L1 next season with the massive likes of Accrington Stanley and all of our best players will leave in the summer and yet supposedly none of them are good enough to be in the squads of Exeter and Bolton.

haha fucking hell thats a delayed reaction........

 

[Carver]

haha fucking hell thats a delayed reaction........

No really, after today's win I'm worried if we go up because you made such reasonable points.

Just looking at the L1 table now and seeing clubs such as Accrington, Shrewsbury and Crewe etc gives me so much anxiety.

We'd get crushed off them all 7-0.

 

[masi51]

My point is this.....you wont have a team after May. They are all on 1 season contracts.....your team will be cherry picked as will Beech
Good luck when you go up........seriously

 

[Carver]

My point is this.....you wont have a team after May. They are all on 1 season contracts.....your team will be cherry picked as will Beech
Good luck when you go up........seriously

But then who's going to want to cherry pick our players if they're not even good enough for average L2 teams such as yourselves?

 

[masi51]

We cherry picked your r/b pre season....Dont think we will returning soon if they are all like him

 

[Carver]

We cherry picked your r/b pre season....Dont think we will returning soon if they are all like him

Yeah well we fooled you into signing him so you wouldn't go after a far better r/b who we were after and took on instead.

 

[hellogregory]

My point is this.....you wont have a team after May. They are all on 1 season contracts.....your team will be cherry picked as will Beech
Good luck when you go up........seriously

As per usual, Masi is talking out of his diarrhoea pipe.

You’re either blatantly lying or just guessing. I suspect the latter.

There are only about 3 or 4 players on one year contracts. So they aren’t “all on 1 season contracts” at all. The rest are either on 2 year contracts, or have an option in their contract that the club can trigger an extra year. So any players that leave in the summer will leave because the club are happy for them to leave.

Get your facts right before you start typing nonsense that you know nothing about.

 

[shoddycollins]

As per usual, Masi is talking out of his diarrhoea pipe.

You’re either blatantly lying or just guessing. I suspect the latter.

There are only about 3 or 4 players on one year contracts. So they aren’t “all on 1 season contracts” at all. The rest are either on 2 year contracts, or have an option in their contract that the club can trigger an extra year. So any players that leave in the summer will leave because the club are happy for them to leave.

Get your facts right before you start typing nonsense that you know nothing about.

I think the option in players' contracts is the thing that causes confusion. If you look at transfermarkt it just shows players being contracted up to the summer but it's probably more common these days to have a trigger to a contract extension which makes looking at contract end dates not much use.

Even when we were one-year-deal FC last season, I assume a lot those deals will have included such options. It wasn't a very attractive offer though for the majority of players, but this season may well be different with COVID and such, or we may be offering two-sided triggers that benefit the player as much as they do us, or Chris Beech might just be able to convince any player he takes a shine to that they really really want to sign for Carlisle (probably that last bit is truer than people might imagine).

 

[hellogregory]

I think the option in players' contracts is the thing that causes confusion. If you look at transfermarkt it just shows players being contracted up to the summer but it's probably more common these days to have a trigger to a contract extension which makes looking at contract end dates not much use.

But even so, he said our whole team is on one season contracts. Which simply isn’t true even if you forget about the ‘options’ for a second... McDonald, Tanner, Devine, Norman, Dickenson and Mellish at the very least are all on 2 year deals.

Off the top of my head the only players on 1 year contracts without options are Farman, Bennett, Furman, Alessandra and Zanzala. Possibly some of the first year pros as well, but I doubt they’d be getting “cherry picked” anyway.

 

[shoddycollins]

But even so, he said our whole team is on one season contracts. Which simply isn’t true even if you forget about the ‘options’ for a second... McDonald, Tanner, Devine, Norman, Dickenson and Mellish at the very least are all on 2 year deals.

Off the top of my head the only players on 1 year contracts without options are Farman, Bennett, Furman, Alessandra and Zanzala. Possibly some of the first year pros as well, but I doubt they’d be getting “cherry picked” anyway.

Yeah given Chris Beech's desire to sign young players who will develop and either improve with us or earn us some money when they move on, it would be very remiss of us to have them all out of contract in the summer.

 

[Sydney Posse]

Not been on for a while. Just wondered when Bolton’s big push is going to start?, they’re leaving it a bit late, is it to max the drama?

 

[David Brent]

Not been on for a while. Just wondered when Bolton’s big push is going to start?, they’re leaving it a bit late, is it to max the drama?

Something like that. I think Evatt made a concerted effort not to fall into the trap of winning too many games too early in the season. Look at Newport - their season seems to be fizzling out after a great start.

He even told Maddison to get sent off 10 mins into his debut so as to not reveal our total football masterclass too soon. Genius

 

[denzel ecfc]

Not been on for a while. Just wondered when Bolton’s big push is going to start?, they’re leaving it a bit late, is it to max the drama?

Everyone is against them. If only the refs would give them a break they would win every game 5-0