Insider
Well-known member
Left home at 9.30 today for my football double-header expecting an entertaining morning (although it's always a hard game at Bolton) and a less entertaining afternoon.
Football very rarely delivers what you expect (unless you have Haarland in your team).
This morning was indeed a very hard fought game. The Academy are currently without a keeper. Spinelli is suspended and Bardsley is injured so we borrowed 17yr old, 6'6"" Solomon Honor (ex-City) currently Blackburn (both Category 1 Academies) keeper. He wasn't any better than either of our keepers (honestly).
The 18s looked tired today. Listening to Eards on the Preview Show he was critical of last week's momentous 6-4 victory over The Nobbers because we defended poorly. This week he was concentrating in training on rectifying defensive frailties so we lost 2-0. I don't like criticising kids but if Spinelli had played it would probably have been 0-0 and gone to penalties.
I've always been in the Holloway camp of "we'll score one more than you" but I'm a paying customer wanting to be entertained not a football coach.
The philosophy at Bolton seems to be win at all costs and they completely conned the Ref with more time wasting cases of cramp than I've seen in a season but they were the better team despite the Dark Arts.
So on to to Bloomfield Rd and seeing the team sheet at 2pm I thought Critch has learned nothing.
BUT we didn't play 3-5-2, we reverted to old faithful 4-4-2.
We didn't fanny about playing tippy tappy across the back 3/5.
We only had 32% possession but how many times did we beat Russel Martin's possession based teams??
Today we didn't have to play against a team playing a back 7 thinking we are League 1 Citeh.
We had to fight and stand out players were Hubby (he's top trumps this season), Norburn and much criticised CJ.
I mention 3 but everyone else, subs included, are also worthy of a mention.
So it was backs to the wall, it was nerve racking but concede in 89mins, score the winner in 93mins is always going to be entertaining and it was.
So Critch played his "get out of jail card" today and we're (nearly) all back onside.
Football very rarely delivers what you expect (unless you have Haarland in your team).
This morning was indeed a very hard fought game. The Academy are currently without a keeper. Spinelli is suspended and Bardsley is injured so we borrowed 17yr old, 6'6"" Solomon Honor (ex-City) currently Blackburn (both Category 1 Academies) keeper. He wasn't any better than either of our keepers (honestly).
The 18s looked tired today. Listening to Eards on the Preview Show he was critical of last week's momentous 6-4 victory over The Nobbers because we defended poorly. This week he was concentrating in training on rectifying defensive frailties so we lost 2-0. I don't like criticising kids but if Spinelli had played it would probably have been 0-0 and gone to penalties.
I've always been in the Holloway camp of "we'll score one more than you" but I'm a paying customer wanting to be entertained not a football coach.
The philosophy at Bolton seems to be win at all costs and they completely conned the Ref with more time wasting cases of cramp than I've seen in a season but they were the better team despite the Dark Arts.
So on to to Bloomfield Rd and seeing the team sheet at 2pm I thought Critch has learned nothing.
BUT we didn't play 3-5-2, we reverted to old faithful 4-4-2.
We didn't fanny about playing tippy tappy across the back 3/5.
We only had 32% possession but how many times did we beat Russel Martin's possession based teams??
Today we didn't have to play against a team playing a back 7 thinking we are League 1 Citeh.
We had to fight and stand out players were Hubby (he's top trumps this season), Norburn and much criticised CJ.
I mention 3 but everyone else, subs included, are also worthy of a mention.
So it was backs to the wall, it was nerve racking but concede in 89mins, score the winner in 93mins is always going to be entertaining and it was.
So Critch played his "get out of jail card" today and we're (nearly) all back onside.
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