No press conference this lunch time from Kit ahead of tomorrow night’s game. Probably because there is no press interest in the match and (speculating further) they don’t take the rumours about Bruce or Allardyce seriously. However I do know that the Club are giving Scotty Parker a late fitness test. The other players on the comeback trail - Amorebieta and Hoogland (one game for the U21s) and Kavanagh (resumed training) are unlikely to be considered as yet. So I’ll keep it simple. I reckon Kit will set up to keep it tight against a Bolton side having a wee bit of a resurgence under Neil Lennon; despite a heavy 4-1 defeat to Derby at the weekend and a few injury worries themselves. Assuming Parker is okay I think we’ll start: ………………….Bettinelli…………….. ..Richards….Bodurov..Hutchinson…Stafylidis…. ………….Tunnicliffe….Parker…. …….Fofana……..LVC……McCormack… ………………..Hugo….
We seem to have gone off the boil a little bit recently. If Parker doesn't play id stick kaca in and move Ross up front.
Whether or not Parker plays, I'd move Ross up front. That would be the first name I put down on the team sheet, as a striker, every time.
Completely agree with the Captain: Ross should be starting up front every game. Accommodating him in his best position is much more important than accommodating Hugo. At some point I'd like us to try a Parker/LVC/Tunnicliffe midfield base, supporting Williams/Kaca (or Roberts) feeding into Ross. That could be a useful plan B to have in the locker.
Agree Ross should be played as an old fashioned C/F, ok bring on Hugo if req, and give a start to Roberts,he is not going to turn a match on its head by giving him 10min or less.
Any predictions for tonight. Me going 3 ~ 1 to Bolton once the opposition pass our midfield that's it. Do so hope I am wrong, usually am.
And the team is ......... ………………..Bettinelli………….. ..Grimmer....Bodurov..Hutchinson….Stafylidis… …………....LVC……Tunnicliffe…. ……..Fofana…………………….Kaca… ……………Hugo………McCormack…… The only change from the Birmingham game being Jack Grimmer coming in for Jazz Richards. Scotty Parker is on the bench! Possibly going this way because Bolton have a wodge of regulars missing. However they will still line up 3-5-2 so our midfield had better be on the ball, literally.
The full bench is: Kiraly, Parker, Roberts, Woodrow, Dembèlè, G. Williams, Burn. Pretty thin on cover at the back.
I think that's good for Grimmer. Perhaps they will swap in the 2nd half. Need a better game than on Saturday and with Bolton's injuries we need to take advantage of this. Bolton have been a different team under Lennon and we played them at the Cottage at a good time. Now to tune in to Gentleman Jim with a cup of tea.
Listening to Gentleman Jim I get the impression that we played the first half very much like we did for most of Saturday’s game - when in possession “going nowhere” (apart from the odd dinky one-two) and sloppy passing. Worse though we yet again gave away the momentum to the opposition letting them equalise right on the half time whistle. And what poor defending that was - five against their two and yet again a drop in concentration by us. You’ll see what I mean if you watch the first Bolton goal in this link: https://mtc.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/55...p4?versionId=DpC0OolVPivklUK8.LUsRu9n2Bt8RVf8 And by all accounts despite our substitutions we went backwards in the second half. It seems that one or two players did okay but, as in too many of our games recently, we just didn’t play as a team. Is that because the players aren’t up to it or is it the system that’s at fault?
No Roberts again. I feel that the players are asked to play a certain role and I am beginning to question the managers tactics, IT IS PLAIN AND SIMPLE WE DO NOT HAVE FULL BACKS,so it was a good job Bolton only had 8 of their first team out, The video showed that when they scored their first we had 4 big "jessies" wandering about in the penalty area. If Kit does not get the tactics right soon, to quote corporal Jones we are doomed.
I think Kit needs to change formation urgently to something like 4-2-3-1. Drop Hugo and let McC only on top. Or when Smith is back revert to 4-4-2. Personally I think the Eistein saying of trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result springs to mind... The rest I leave it to you. The midfield is leaking especially on the wings. Players out of position, very familiar picture....
If we'd held out at 1-0 we'd be 11th. As it is, I'm starting to nervously look ahead to the next few games and wonder where the points are coming from.
“First half I thought we played some really good stuff and we were by far and away the better team,” Symons stated. Not what GJ was saying!
To be fair I think GJ said we were the better team - but not by very much. With 8 first team players out for Bolton I was hoping that a weakness would be identified and exploited but it appeared it was just a continuation of Saturday's game. Quite disappointed.
Is it just a blip in form/rub of the green or something else? I can't fathom it out, we were playing really well (albeit for 45 minutes in a game) and then we've hit a brick wall.
At this point I think we (as posters) are going round in circles. As well to refer back to posts from last week/month than re-write our problems. Promotion is (play)off (ho ho) the table now. I think the younger players, as much as the fans, just need to see something before the end of the season that suggests we are going somewhere. Our hopes of seeing the academy come through and take us back up could very quickly disappear if bigger clubs swoop over the summer.
