We played well first half and probably should’ve had a couple more but for bad decision making in the final third. Typical of us to concede so quickly after the break and the Buckley thing was just bizarre! What was he even thinking!? We’re just not good enough. Far too reliant on a few players, all of whom are clearly out of form at the minute. S.Wharton, Trav, BBD, Gally. My worry is that the lads just aren’t having JDT very odd that so many are not playing well at the same time. I’m probably overthinking it. Crazy that we’re still third considering we’ve lost 4 of the last 5 games. Had we picked up another 2 wins in that cluster we’d be sat 5 points off automatic and 9 points clear of 7th…what a waste! 🙈

This. People protecting Trav are dreaming. JDT’s plan is RIGHT up his street. It’s based on energy, athleticism and NOT taking too many touches….please see the signing of Szmodics and the lack of Dack. Travis should be revelling in this system, with the backing of the manager who made him club captain! Anyone who has been watching the games live can see the problem…he just isn’t on it. Not sure why but it’s the same with S Wharton. He is the best on the ball of all the cb’s which is the only additional pressure JDT has put on them. He’s just having a bad time, it happens!

I was gonna say, anyone born in Bolton is technically born in Farnworth because the hospital is located in that area…not many of those players would thank us for saying they were ‘from Farnworth’ though…🤣

I tell ya one lad who is buzzing toneet….the resident Preston fan!! 🤣🤣 tbf Whiteman played well. Best I’ve seen him play because he’s (literally) a mid table plodder, Championship midfielder. For the first time ever today I thought, “he’d get in our team” but honestly that’s more because of how poor Travis is at the mo. Buckley needs a re-start. But he should be playing in our team now and (even though I personally never said I thought Buckley was worth 8 figs) I still think he’s considerably better than Whiteman!

Agree. The game was 100% lost in midfield. But the cb’s made fundamental errors too…poor positioning, not winning headers, getting tight when they needed to give space and then sitting off when they should be tight…the midfield in particular Travis were ghastly. If he isn’t dropped after a performance like that he’ll never get dropped.

Absolutely horrific performance from start to finish. The game was lost in midfield for me. Travis is broken and Morton wants too many touches on the ball. Neither of them are clever enough to take the ball properly off the cb’s which is why we’re constantly getting caught out. If you’re a midfielder like Buckley, Wharton or Garrett you should be banging the managers door down tomorrow….if JDT doesn’t think any of them can do any better than Travis right now then they need to find new clubs. Whiteman and and Ledson, two middle of the road Championship midfielders were made to look like world beaters. Hyam, Carter and Wharton all had stinkers too. Our best player was Dack. I said it before his goal, he was the only one to come out of it with any credit. The managers subs were bewildering. They had to refresh the midfield not the front line. Take your talisman off 2 mins after pulling the game back to 2-1 🙈😩

‘The plan’ has worked perfectly. We just need to relax on the ball. I’d take Garrett off for Buckley 👍🏼

Tactically bang on the money…we just need to be better when get on the ball.

I agree…Next season we have Travis, Buckley, Wharton and Garrett. I’m more than happy with that (unless we go up 🤞🏽) CB’s the same…Hyam, Phillips, Carter, S.Wharton and Barnes is sufficient. Get Ayala to sign another year and we’ve cracked it. For me we’ll need more WB / FB cover in the summer to add to Brittain, Pickering and Hedges. In January, for me it’s about forwards and replacing anyone who leaves (BBD and Dack) I’m thinking of. We need to swap Hirst for someone else by the looks and then be ready to replace one or both of the above should things move.

Burnley play with two inverted wingers, with Benson their main threat. He’s a left footed, Right winger so I reckon we’ll line up similar to Sunderland at home with inverted wing backs to counter. Kaminski Hyam Ayala. S.Wharton Hedges. Travis. Morton. Brittain Szmodics Gallagher. Brereton-Diaz Subs - Pears, Carter, Pickering, A.Wharton, Dack, Dolan, Vale

I lost faith in Mowbray around 15 months before he left. Not because he’s a bad manager, but because I realised that we needed a guy who could help us to overachieve on a mid table budget. An Eddie Howe, Chris Wilder type who have been able punch above their weight…the type that Mowbray never has been or ever will be. Mowbray’s greatest achievement was automatic promotion at the first attempt in League one with the biggest budget…he’s a safe pair of hands who does most of the right things, most of the time! Step forward JDT, whom I have little doubt will get us up in the next two seasons if we back him and can keep him. My feeling is that he’ll be gone, sharpish if we don’t.

Solid win, 2nd in the league and a chance to go top in the Derby before the World Cup. Dont think any of us could’ve hoped for any better than this when the fixtures were released. If GB & JDT can get this group in this position, wait until they’ve had a couple of transfer windows.

If we take notice of JDT’s picks at wing back I think he prefers midfielders over defenders. The focus is on inverting them when we’re in possession and overloading the midfield. I think he’d have picked Hedges if he were fit, which explains why he won’t start with Carter there but may end with him there…if we’re trying to see the match out?

Think we might approach Cov in a similar way to Hull. kaminski Brittain. Hyam. Wharton. Pickering Morton. Travis. Wharton Szmodics Gallly Brereton-Diaz Will likely come down to who is fit and how he wants to play. I personally like the three cb’s with Ayala in there meaning SS or AW may drop out…but let’s see 👍🏼

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I agree, I think he’ll leave at the end of the season. Fwiw - I would offer him another year. Imo he is arguable the best defender in the league and I think he’d be a wonderful option next season to help Phillips breakthrough and play in and around his injuries. It might come down to finance… I for one feel better about going to Hull this weekend with Ayala in the team. Him, Hyam and Wharton is a formidable 3.

Just opinions mate. If you don’t like them then Scroll on…similarly if you’d prefer to watch a team every other week whilst spending the rest of your time doing whatever it is that you do and believe that your view on the ability of players and team is better than those of the people who are employed as professionals in the sport and work with the lads day in day out…then feel free crack on with that too 👍🏼

Just my opinion. I try to make it based on evidence and fact rather than fiction. Dacks fitness forms a part of the profile I mentioned. His ability to close down etc. If your opinion is that there’s some conspiracy theory or ‘bias’ then, cool. 👍🏼

Nuttall is a real shame. Guy has all the attributes and hopes were high for him. The main problem for him is his internal motivation….when he was breaking through and couldn’t stop scoring he had his why…he wanted to secure himself and family. His downturn in attitude and form came almost simultaneously with the new contract he signed where he obv thought he’d ‘made it’…things turned quickly afterwards and we got good money for him tbf.

There’s nothing cynical or biased about it. They record absolutely everything…they know where players are strong and where they aren’t and that helps them to form opinions on who is likely to be suitable and who isn’t….if anything my point proves, in the case of Ayala that even if your profile indicates a lack of fit, you can adapt and evolve into what they want. But bearing in mind it’s the managers neck on the block, it also has to be his decision on who he plays, right?

It’s not rocket science lads and Brereton isn’t some type of anomaly. When he signed he was 19, had represented England at a few youth levels and had tore Arsenal a new arse in an FA cup game. The potential was there…the problem was, he wasn’t ready and some fans (not all ) are VERY quick to write off young players. At the start of the season I asked a member of the current coaching team who they thought were the diamonds in our academy and the answer was instant…”Ash Phillips, Adam Wharton and Harry Leonard. We expect Phillips to be a £25m defender inside 12-18 months…he’s already got PL teams all over him” Incidentally, he also suggested that the two he was most worried about based on JDT’s expectations were Ayala and Dack as there was a suggestion inside the club that they might not fit….it seems the former has got over those worries, the latter not so much. The point I make is, ‘They’ know who are the better players etc. If you listen to the rumblings you can see who hasn’t had a chance. I haven’t seen enough of Vale but they obv see something in him. Fingers crossed they’re right…tbf they’re not often wrong these days on youth! 600+ and counting!

I wouldn’t be considering a formation change to one which affords us less defensive stability for two challenging but winnable away games. Keep the two central (Def & Mid) banks of three, focus on being well set up and two clean sheets - 4pts from Hull and Cov 🙌🏽

If Brittain and Hedges are out, as suspected… kaminski Hyam. Ayala. Wharton Travis Morton. Pickering Szmodics. Wharton Gallagher Brereton-Diaz Subs - Pears, Carter, Mola, Buckley, Garrett, Dolan, Vale Id probably move Trav dependant on the threat from them. So if they’re particularly strong in midfield and less so out wide then you could bring Trav into the middle for Wharton and play Buckley at RWB. Alternatively, if we thought they were dangerous in both areas then Carter could play RWB. I guess it will be the managers call based on what he sees. Hedges and Brittain will be a loss. They’re key players. But I think we’ve got enough… 1-2 Rovers - Vale off the bench and off the mark after signing his contract 💙

I did think about him resting Morton but I think the fact there’s a week until we play again and with Morton being the pivot (receiver off the cb’s) he’ll stay in…let’s see 🤷🏽‍♂️ Just one game for 5 yellows I think. Expect he’ll be back in. I did think about Pickering and suspect he might come back in but I love Hedges and Brittain… I went back and forth on this with my final rationale being….I don’t think Vale’s ready yet and if we never play Hirst then how do we know if he can be or not? Flip of a coin job really.

If Ayala is still out and everyone else is fit, I’d go… Kaminski Carter. Hyam. Wharton Brittain. Hedges Travis Morton A.Wharton Gally BBD Subs - Pears, Phillips, Pickering, Garrett, Szmodics, Dolan, Hirst Before anyone says…I’d have Dack in, but JDT won’t so there’s no point considering him.