HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Tuesday night’s game at the Macron Stadium by delving into their forums.

“That’s it for the Championship, no doubt about it”, “Back to the bottom and 10 points adrift of safety, that’s surely it now”, “The first time out of the top two leagues since 1993, just let that sink in”, “We have Fulham away on the last day, a relegation party by the Thames. Who is with me?”

Saturday was a wretched day for the Trotters. A 2-1 defeat at Leeds coupled with wins for nearest relegation strugglers Charlton, Rotherham and Milton Keynes left them rooted to the bottom of the table. With just one point from their last five league games, most have accepted what seems an inevitable fate.

“Seriously, we have been down for months. We are the worst team in the league. We play the worst football and have absolutely soft players. We are a complete circus on and off the pitch and have two incompetent fools owning and managing the club”, “It’s just for fun now until the season’s end.”

“It’s too late for matches to have the ‘must-win’ tag”, “Even though we can mathematically get out of this I acknowledge that we are almost certainly down. We are now close to the Rubicon moment of needing to make up more points than there are games left”, “The league table does not lie.”

“All hopes are predicated on an improvement in form and here’s a stat. We are 10 points off safety with 11 games left and have only collected eight points from our last 11 games. In other words we won’t reach the current safety total even if the others go on holiday now, and of course they won’t.”

The High Court

The club have another arguably more pressing engagement today in the High Court where they are seeking an adjournment for the third time to answer a case brought by HMRC, who have brought a winding-up petition against the club over unpaid tax and VAT bills totalling in excess of £3 million.

Former Trotter Dean Holdsworth and the Sports Shield consortium are attempting to buy the club from outgoing owner Eddie Davies. Any deal will additionally need ratifying by the Football League but this could be confirmed today as legal documents continue to pass between the three parties.

“I can’t say I am overly optimistic about the takeover. They stopped us going into administration for now but it’s what happens next which worries me.” Fans aren’t sure what to make of the potential new owners but they are at least happy to move on from the current unstable situation.

“I’m not happy about this bunch to be honest. I smell folk who may have just bitten off more than they can chew. I hope they are not buying on a forecast of a quick climb to the top of the division and then selling on. It is going to take years and I doubt they have the cash to support the club.”

“Dean Holdsworth is going to be a bit different. That said, we lack leadership from top to bottom so someone is needed”, “It will be a case of making a small investment to get the club sustainable and move slowly onwards. We will be more attractive as an investment if we are stable and debt free.”

Neil Lennon

“We have reached the classic death throes of a manager who doesn’t know where to play his best players, playing a system that doesn’t suit the best available players while ignoring the players he has recruited, saying it would be all okay if he was allowed to recruit more.”

“A half-decent manager would have used the off-the-pitch problems to bring the players together and generate some real fighting spirit. Instead Lennon has sulked, moaned, said the job has not met his ambitions and behaved like a petulant child because there weren’t millions available to him.”

While many Trotters have sympathised with the former Celtic boss over the club’s circumstances, opinion hardened against him after Saturday’s defeat at Leeds. He has been criticised for confused and changing tactics, poor selections and an inability to read a game leading to erratic substitutions.

“This team is one of the weakest in the division but my lord they get little or no help from the boss. His team selections seem to be based on emotions rather than intelligence”, “Lennon is the biggest idiot that has ever been part of BWFC”, “He is a wrong ‘un, and we cannot afford to keep him.”

“Our manager clearly lacks tactical nous”, “Please let’s get rid of this clown before next season. If we give him a chance he will be sacked 10 games in when promotion is already a distant dream”, “He’s Owen Coyle-like in his approach and only less disastrous because there is less to gamble with.”

Formation

“The constant changes of formations are getting ludicrous, a diamond against QPR and a pathetic 4-5-1 against Birmingham. How do we get continuity in the side? How do players know their function from game to game?”, “The constant changes in team selection and line-up are doing my nut in.”

Many fans referred to the midfield diamond used in the Trotters’ starting XI at Elland Road (above). With keeper Ben Amos out with an ankle injury and centre-back Dorian Dervite absent with a knee injury, fans are happy with a back four which selects itself. Their problems are further upfield.

“I’m more worried about our midfield. There is no leadership there and no support in attack or when defending”, “We can’t seem to control possession or win it back in midfield which is why our back line is always peppered and pulled out of position”, “All of our attacks start from far too deep.”

“For Leeds’ second goal, Darren Pratley lost the ball high up the pitch, but since Mark Davies was with him it left Jay Spearing in the centre covering everyone. I feel for him. He has no help there”, “When we lose the ball, even high up the pitch, the opposition find it easy to be at our backline.”

Trotters have also been frustrated with the tactics used in attack, where young prospects Kaiyne Woolery, Wellington Silva and Zach Clough have regularly been overlooked for the “tired Emile Heskey, bottle-less Gary Madine and very ordinary Stephen Dobbie”.

Two other familiar themes common for relegation-haunted sides, namely errors being penalised and a lack of confidence have also been highlighted. “Every mistake is punished”, “It has all become very predictable now. We either concede first or we score first and get battered.”

Selection Policy and Substitutions

“There is a theme here. Score a winner and play out of your skin and you get dropped”, “It looks like he is trying to make a feasible team out of our worst rather than our best players. Why is anybody’s guess?”, “What bothers me again is why Lennon did not start with Wellington and Woolery.”

Lennon has been criticised for his selections, restricting in-form striker Woolery to bench appearances when he has been finding the net. His substitutions have also been slated for both handing the initiative to opponents and also his failure to respond when behind in a game.

The team against Burnley (above) started with one up front and five in midfield and Bolton took the lead through a Liam Feeney goal on 69 minutes before Andre Gray equalised five minutes later. The former Brentford striker then won the game for the Clarets with a strike five minutes from time.

Lennon’s decision to replace Clough with the more ponderous Dobbie with the score tied at 1-1 was seen as handing the initiative to Burnley. It allowed them to compress the midfield and push on. Introducing the pacy Wellington Silva with one minute to go came after the damage was done.

“Birmingham could have played with no goalkeeper and we wouldn’t have scored.” Conversely, four days earlier and with the side 1-0 down at Birmingham to a Clayton Donaldson goal on 29 minutes, fans were angered by the manager’s refusal to make any alterations until 84 minutes had elapsed.

Leeds 2 — 1 Bolton

“Thank you Neil Lennon, thank you Eddie Davies, League One here we come”, “The highlights, if you could call them that, showed shocking defending and poor finishing again”, “I wonder who Lennon will blame tonight, everyone and everything apart from his sheer incompetence as manager.”

“Leeds were shooting from everywhere.” Mirco Antenucci opened the scoring for the hosts on 39 minutes from a corner kick and added a second on 62 minutes, curling a shot home when Bolton failed to clear the ball. Substitute Woolery pulled one back for Bolton from a Dean Moxey cross.

Bolton 1 — 2 Burnley

“I am gutted, to say the least. We played really well, the best for a while”, “We have handed the game to the opposition, like we have done all season”, “We would have won the game if Lennon had brought on some pace to keep the pressure on Burnley who looked nervous and not playing well.”

“If we had a decent striker we would have murdered them. We outplayed them at times but if you can’t put your chances away you will get punished and that’s what happened. Burnley had three chances and put two of them away”, “Most of our lads had their heads in their hands at the end.”

Birmingham 1 — 0 Bolton

“We looked to be playing with all the calm composure and lack if urgency of a side three-up instead of one down”, “Why oh why in a match we had to win and were a goal down, did Lennon not throw caution to the wind and bombard their goal? We needed to give it a bugle and go for it?”

“Make some changes.” Many Trotters were urging their side to go for it. “Get some attacking pace on. If we’re going to lose, go down with all guns blazing”, “There comes a point when you don’t have to shout but just point things out in a quiet, sad voice”, “The free pie was good though.”

“Looking at the highlights, thrilling isn’t an adjective you could really use here”, “The two managers started at similar times and Lennon has had more constraints recently, it’s true, but Gary Rowett has taken a struggling, weak squad and done wonders with it on a very tight budget.”

Goalkeepers and Defenders

Fans have had little to say about Paul Rachubka, the 34-year-old ex-Blackpool and Crewe keeper who has started the last three games ahead of the injured Ben Amos. “Shine your light, sunshine”, “He did not really shine the last time Amos was out but we will have to wait and see.”

“Josh Vela suffers from not having an obvious attacking strength for a midfielder. He’s not likely to magic up a defence splitting pass or score goals but he is likely to get up the pitch, put pressure on and keep things going”, “He’s okay when we push the full-backs on but is really a midfielder.”

The 22-year-old youth product has been covering at right-back. “When Vela is caught upfield or goes missing, what stand out aren’t the gaps being left but that no one is busting a gut to get back”, “He doesn’t cover enough ground, perhaps he isn’t suited to a harassing and chasing style.”

“I don’t think Dean Moxey covered himself in glory in the build-up to QPR’s goal [in a 1-1 draw last month]”, “Stay on your feet, you plum.” Despite this error the 30-year-old ex-Palace man “is as good as we can get at left-back”, “He has turned his form around as the season has gone on.”

“Moxey defends well and supports the attack down the left. He works hard and makes himself the available option”, “He has impressed but we really do need to play less hopeful balls into the box and show a bit of imagination”, “He bombs up and down the left wing hardly putting a foot wrong.”

“I feel sorry for Derik Osede stuck out on the right. He’s a good player in his proper position.” The 23-year-old ex-Real Madrid B man has moved to his strongest position at the centre of defence with Dorian Dervite currently out injured. “He scared me at right-back and was softer than a sponge.”

Rob Holding

“In Holding we have got a very good player.” The 20-year-old youth product “looks like the first name on the team sheet in defence. He can play across all four defensive positions”, “He is getting better with every week and looks like he is a real find”, “What a lad Holding is turning out to be.”

“Holding is confident, sure-footed, good on the ball and strong in the air. Build the defence around him, assuming he stays”, “He can get flustered at times and needs a talker in beside him”, “It’s like he has been in the side for ages. He does the simple things well and doesn’t stray from them.”

Central Midfield

“Liam Trotter in recent form has been a revelation. He links play between defence and attack well.” The 27-year-old former Blue has featured recently from the bench after a hamstring injury and has impressed fans. “Yaya Trotter has looked good when coming on and is an option for the starting XI.”

“A poor player, especially this season”. Former Leicester midfielder Neil Danns has also featured from the bench. The 33-year-old is “a grafter”, but “doesn’t close down when he should and goes on his own when he shouldn’t. He gives the ball away cheaply in bad areas and is poor on the ball”.

“Mark Davies frustrates the life out of me because his best is seen so rarely.” The 28-year-old ex-Wolves man “can either control the game or be completely invisible”, “It just seems like he can’t be bothered in some games”, “His output for a supposed attacking midfielder is beyond woeful.”

“Davies usually wants to get the ball and link up with people but frequently is on a different wavelength”, “He is the best passer we have and adds that but of quality”, “We play better when he plays further up the pitch and takes responsibility for moving the ball forward”, “When he turns up.”

“Darren Pratley is an average Championship player and certainly not a leader of men.” The 30-year-old ex-Swansea man “is not a psycho or a hatchet man and his languid style makes him appear less committed than he is. He is the captain albeit not the arm-waving gee-up type.”

“Pratley played deeper for Swansea whereas for us he is always an attacking midfielder. He scores some goals and has a pleasing knack of arriving late and planting headers and has a decent shot”, “At his most effective running from midfield behind the strikers but he doesn’t fill central midfield.”

Jay Spearing

“Spearing is not the prettiest to watch, but he carries the midfield at times”, “He’s very good at tidying up and very hard working, often at the centre of our attempts of pass and probe. We look better with him in the side”, “He was lacking confidence for a while but has rediscovered his form.”

The 27-year-old ex-Liverpool holding midfielder “will never be a Sergio Busquets for changing the angle of attack from side to side”, “He tidies up well but needs to change the direction of play more when on the ball”, “With his energy and spring he’s a better midfield partner for Liam Trotter.”

Wide Midfield

“What has Wellington Silva done to upset Neil Lennon? He was out stand-out player at our last home game and I don’t think he has started a game since.” The 23-year-old Arsenal loan signing “has been our best player over the last few weeks prior to being dropped”, “He’s has got a lot of ability.”

“Wellington was head and shoulders out best player on the pitch against the Owls in January. They couldn’t handle him”, “He ripped them to shreds for half an hour but nobody could finish”, “He is getting more end product. He attracts players to him so he need to be given the option to lay it off.”

Liam Feeney

“I love Feeney and to be honest I don’t know who replaces him.” The 29-year-old ex-Millwall wideman “was class, a cut above against Burnley. He had a barnstorming display”, “He was outstanding”, “The goal he scored was exactly how you can play to his strengths attacking the penalty area.”

“Feeney needs to play higher up the pitch. His pace will frighten nobody when he is end up stuck in a congested midfield”, “He is doing all that he can”, “He isn’t outstanding and his end product is not great but he tries hard and has the odd great cross or finish. We aren’t in this mess because of him.”

Strikers

“I have no idea why Lennon is reluctant to use Kaiyne Woolery, at least as a 30-minute substitute. He adds pace and directness and worries defenders.” The 21-year-old ex-Tamworth striker “is very raw but he definitely has pace.” He netted against Leeds having also scored against Rotherham last month.

“Woolery frightens the daylights out of backlines”, “After his match-winning intervention against the Millers, Lennon has used him just twice from the bench, once for six minutes”, “The misuse or virtual non-use of Woolery illustrates to me that Lennon does not know what he is doing.”

“Apart from accidentally scoring for us against Forest, Stephen Dobbie has made us look worse every time I have seen him play.” The 33-year-old ex-Palace man “is a complete waste of space. We need more options up front for definite”, “Completely pointless”, “A non-entity who is not up to it.”

“Bringing Dobbie on for Clough when Burnley equalised, I was angry at the time but all I can do is shake my head”, “He has no pace, no creativity and hence no chance of scoring”, “This is in no way meant to disrespect him but how long does it take him to get into the game with his old legs?”

“Emile Heskey was exhausted about five minutes into the first half against Burnley but Lennon left him up front until midway through the second half. The lad couldn’t move”, “He is well past it”, “At one point against Brighton last month, he stood forlornly looking longingly at the players’ tunnel.”

“I just don’t see the point in playing Heskey up front by himself.” The 38-year-old ex-Liverpool and Villa frontman “has no pace and offers absolutely nothing as a goal threat”, “Opponents play a high line when he is kept on, strangling any space available to our creative players”, “The lad can’t move.”

Zach Clough

“I like Clough. He is our most entertaining player”, “He harries defenders and forces them to play deep.” The 20-year-old youth product “needs space to play in. He won’t get that space when their defence can play five to 10 yards further up the pitch with no fear of someone getting in behind.”

“Zach is a talent and our only decent finisher but too lightweight to lead the line. He needs support”, “He was bullied by Joey Barton against Burnley and our only goal threat was out of the game”, “I was staggered that Lennon played wee Zach up top on his own at Birmingham. It just beggars belief.”

Gary Madine

“A poor substitute for a footballer”, “I would pay Madine off. He spends most of his time on the floor and never wins headers. He was terrible today against Leeds”, “He was truly shocking”, “The poorest striker I have ever clapped eyes on”, “It’s not the first time he has been missing when needed.”

“What a soft footballer”, “He should never be allowed in the Macron again, never mind pulling on the white shirt. Get rid of him now and play the tea lady up front if need be”, “He is not a striker. He is the main reason we are losing instead of winning”, “He is nothing like a goal machine at all.”

“An awful player with an awful attitude”, the 25-year-old former Owl was dropped for disciplinary reasons from the squad for the game against Birmingham after an alleged altercation after the previous game against QPR. “He was probably aiming the criticism at a team-mate but missed.”

Trotters’ Views on ITFC and the Game

With the Leeds post-mortem and High Court matters distracting them, Trotters have had nothing yet to say about Tuesday’s game. As always, if there is any worthwhile feedback I will post this on the forum and link it on my twitter feed on Tuesday afternoon.

Websites

The busiest Trotters’ message board is The Wanderer. Additional comment can be found at Burnden Aces.

@HarryFromBath

Photo: Action Images

Elto added 11:02 - Mar 7 “I like Clough. He is our most entertaining player”, “He harries defenders and forces them to play deep.” If Clough is up for it we could well be back to the hoof whether Murphy plays or not. I'll take an ugly 3 points here. Thanks. COYB.
1

Steve_M added 11:13 - Mar 7 It must be mad, not even blaming Barry Knight any more. Those fans phlegmatically ready to mark relegation at Fulham have the right idea though, good luck to those ones.
1

algarvefan added 11:57 - Mar 7 They have hardly been thumped recently, I sense a tough game against a team with nothing to lose, like Elto I will go for an ugly win, come to think of it most of our wins are ugly really!! COYB
2

jas0999 added 12:14 - Mar 7 Three points minimum.
3

DrDre added 12:46 - Mar 7 I hate Bolton almost as much as Norwich, so I hope we spank them.
1

TR11BLU added 12:53 - Mar 7 Thanks Harry. This wiont be easy, would take another scrappy 1-0 ala huddersfield.
2

Elto added 13:29 - Mar 7 Three points minimum? Can we get more then?
3

hoppy added 15:29 - Mar 7 Cheers, as always Harry, you busy so and so...
1

hoppy added 15:32 - Mar 7 Oh, and “Spearing is not the prettiest to watch...." is certainly well summed up with the picture used.
2

LankHenners added 15:54 - Mar 7 Thanks Harry - I doubt it'll be a walkover but games like this and against other teams like Rotherham, MK Dons etc. need to be won realistically to set us up for trickier away ties at the end of the season.
2

Seasider added 16:18 - Mar 7 Looks like Bolton have an even older squad than us,and being bottom of league we should get a win,even comfortable for a change. But as poor old Grievesy,who is now confined to a wheelchair after 2nd stroke,used to say.Its a funny old game Saint.
1

WestSussexBlue added 17:28 - Mar 7 I'm sure We will sniff around a few of their players as their likely to be sold off with relegation looming. The defender Holding sounds worth a look and we have just released Hammond from a similar position. Come on Town 3 wins and we're looking good again.
2

The_Romford_Blue added 21:41 - Mar 7 Thanks Harry. Usually I'm OK with any away pts but anything but a win against these will be a disappointment IMHO.
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