THE Bolton Game.....

[Harry's Game]

...no science behind it but my feeling on this one after today is this..

Win it and we will win the League and win promotion with two or three games to spare, with Bolton, Scunthorpe and Fleetwood scrapping for second spot.

...lose or draw then I think that this season will go to the wire on the last day in a four horse race for the automatic promotion spots...

I think next week is huge.

 

[Ricky]

Win it and today's poor result won't matter. We'll have a good gap over Bolton, the gap over Scunny will probably grow as they have Bristol Rovers away, and it will be hard to see us slipping out of the top 2.

I just hope the extra pressure we've put on the game won't negatively affect the performance.

A draw probably wouldn't see us lose any ground on Scunny but Fleetwood could close the gap.

A loss would put us under a lot of pressure and the fans would lose a lot of belief.

No reason to think we'll lose though if we approach the game like we did today. How we prepared and applied ourselves today has actually given me a fair bit of confidence for the big games coming up.

 

[Sheffsteel]

...no science behind it but my feeling on this one after today is this..

Win it and we will win the League and win promotion with two or three games to spare, with Bolton, Scunthorpe and Fleetwood scrapping for second spot.

...lose or draw then I think that this season will go to the wire on the last day in a four horse race for the automatic promotion spots...

I think next week is huge.

Partially agree, however we have (on paper) an easy run in.
In our last 8 games there's only Bradford at Home and Charlton at Home that might be tricky
but it wouldn't surprise me if we get 6 wins and 2 draws from our last 8 games.

Anyway I'm very confident we'll beat Bolton at least 2-0.
They've not been at their best for a while now and still have Spearing out suspended against us.

 

[Fanny magnet]

Win it and today's poor result won't matter. We'll have a good gap over Bolton, the gap over Scunny will probably grow as they have Bristol Rovers away, and it will be hard to see us slipping out of the top 2.

I just hope the extra pressure we've put on the game won't negatively affect the performance.

A draw probably wouldn't see us lose any ground on Scunny but Fleetwood could close the gap.

A loss would put us under a lot of pressure and the fans would lose a lot of belief.

No reason to think we'll lose though if we approach the game like we did today. How we prepared and applied ourselves today has actually given me a fair bit of confidence for the big games coming up.

Today wasn't a poor result

 

[Sheffsteel]

Today wasn't a poor result

Agree, it wasn't a poor result.
But it was a disappointing result because we put in an excellent performance, outclassed them in that first half but STILL couldn't manage to get all 3 points.

 

[Blade58]

Way we are playing there's reason to be positive

However, if there's one doubt that lingers for me, then it's the Walsall curse. Despite our form Walsall have managed to beat us 3 times this season

Bolton have already done us twice this season

Fingers crossed we play as well as today and this time take our chances. If we can manage that then Bolton have nowt to come

 

[Guesty]

See I'm half and half here. I didn't think the performance was all that, especially second half, but I did think it was a good result. Scunthorpe needed the win more than we did but they didn't get it (despite their fans trying to play it off as a massive victory at the end). The best way to close the gap on someone is to beat them directly and they failed to do it.

Bolton on the other hand will be breathing down our necks if they win their games in hand. Although we United fans know that games in had emphatically do not equal points on the board. A draw next week would be a decent result again but would leave it up in the air. If we win, we would be very hard to catch.

 

[Minty]

Partially agree, however we have (on paper) an easy run in.
In our last 8 games there's only Bradford at Home and Charlton at Home that might be tricky
but it wouldn't surprise me if we get 6 wins and 2 draws from our last 8 games.

Anyway I'm very confident we'll beat Bolton at least 2-0.
They've not been at their best for a while now and still have Spearing out suspended against us.

 

[Fanny magnet]

Agree, it wasn't a poor result.
But it was a disappointing result because we put in an excellent performance, outclassed them in that first half but STILL couldn't manage to get all 3 points.

Frustrating but fuck Me some of our players will never have played in front of a crowd like that ,it's a learning curve

 

[DiggerBlade]

Today wasn't a poor result

Agreed it wasn't a poor result. Neither Scunthorpe NOR Bolton gained anything from it whatsoever. That first half performance today was something we haven't seen down at the Lane for many many seasons. The big battle at the top is the 3rd and 4th placed clubs aiming for that 2nd spot and Scunny are under more pressure than us to hang onto that spot.

Rather them than us.

 

[Minty]

Was going to say that Millwall won't be easy either, as will Rochdale away.............plenty of work still to do.

And another note to self....................don't drink and post

 

[zablade]

I belive in bogey teams and that's why the Bolton fixture fills me with trepidation. We struggle against them. We should have beaten them on the opening day but lost, should have beaten them with a weak team in the cup but lost...

Along with this one we still have Milwall and Coventry both at home on a Tuesday night when we have been gash, Rochdale away which is tough and Port Vale away where we always seem to lay down and die irrespective of how crap Vale are...

Should have won at Bristol, should have won today.. we didn't.. both big opportunities missed.

 

[Stretch]

I think it's just one game against a team who are 8 points behind us (albeit with 2 games in hand) who we won't have to play again.
There are 12 more games after that which will have a much greater impact on our destiny this season.

Fuck Bolton I say. They have a tougher run in than we do and behind the scenes are in a world of shit.

 

[Champagneblade]

To be fair, wasn't this supposed to be the month of death when it was all supposed to unravel?

Match 1 - pasted Wimbledon 4-0 whilst Scunny lost as Southend and Bolton could only draw with MK Dons. +3 Scunny +2 Bolton.

Match 2 - impressive away victory at Peterborough whilst Scunny dropped a further 3 points at home to the Shrews and Bolton picked up a convincing win against Walsall. +6 Scunny +2 Bolton.

Match 3 - hard fought away draw vs Bristol Rovers who had won, I think, 5 out of last 6 home games. 2 more home points dropped by Scunny vs Walsall and an unconvincing 1-0 vs Rochdale for Bolton. +6 Scunny +0 Bolton.

Match 4 - impressive performance vs Scunny lacking only the winning result whilst Bolton failed to capitalise at Bradford. +6 Scunny +0 Bolton.

So in the month of death to date, we've gained 6 points on Scunny who are now 5 behind with a tough away game in hand and remain 7 ahead of Bolton with them also having difficult games in hand.

The team to watch is Fleetwood who attained an impressive 8 points this month yet this is no more than we ourselves acquired and they remain 7 adrift with no games in hand.

We only have 1 left to play. Let's hope we can do it next week but no need to be too dispondent with yesterday's result. Unfortunate O'Shea not scoring but if you are going to not win, surely dominating a rival is the way to go and pegging them back in the process.

UTB

 

[Blade for Sale]

FWIW my Bradford mates say Bolton were terrible at VP yesterday, should have been 4-0 at half time and only 2 individual errors gifted them the point. The biggest threat next Saturday is psychological. Physically we are by some distance better than them.

 

[Yellarbellyblade]

Partially agree, however we have (on paper) an easy run in.
In our last 8 games there's only Bradford at Home and Charlton at Home that might be tricky
but it wouldn't surprise me if we get 6 wins and 2 draws from our last 8 games.

Anyway I'm very confident we'll beat Bolton at least 2-0.
They've not been at their best for a while now and still have Spearing out suspended against us.

There's Millwall too remember they're not too bad at the moment

 

[JohnDenver]

FWIW my Bradford mates say Bolton were terrible at VP yesterday, should have been 4-0 at half time and only 2 individual errors gifted them the point. The biggest threat next Saturday is psychological. Physically we are by some distance better than them.

The danger in this match is how many gifts we offer up. Yesterday we were quite brilliant at times, but the opposition scored from the first time they got behind us and nearly won from the second time.

We can't be giving set pieces away against Bolton. But if we take our own chances we'll hopefully out score them as they're not a side to cut us apart.

 

[blade too long]

I just hope the extra pressure we've put on the game won't negatively affect the performance.{/QUOTE]

WHAT EXTRA PRESSURE
if we had won but bolton had won the gap would be identical

the fact is the gap is the same
the pressure is all theirs they are the chasers

see the other side of the coin
they lost the opportunity to close the gap on us yesterday , so its wasnt a rubbish result

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

Can someone please wake me up from this Fleetwood nightmare !!!

Interesting start to next month for them, 4th away to Scunny, 11th home to Bolton.

 

[bartman]

T

We can't be giving set pieces away against Bolton. But if we take our own chances we'll hopefully out score them as they're not a side to cut us apart.

In view of this i wonder if CW is considering bringing EEL in for this game and pushing Bash into midfield instead of Coutts to counter their set piece threat

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Time will tell how crucial the Scunny result was. Yes, it would have been a major boost to beat them but to put in a good showing in front of a large crowd will have to do. What is important now is the Bolton game and I want to dick on them for the shitty 1-0 defeat on the opening day. Up the Blades.

 

[zablade]

In view of this i wonder if CW is considering bringing EEL in for this game and pushing Bash into midfield instead of Coutts to counter their set piece threat

Rumour has it Coutts was limping badly at the after match sponsors do, may be a doubt next week anyway.

 

[Sheffsteel]

In view of this i wonder if CW is considering bringing EEL in for this game and pushing Bash into midfield instead of Coutts to counter their set piece threat

Great point.
Bolton play the type of game where EEL should excel.
He's a defender version of Gary Madine and is well capable of cancelling him out.

 

[Dnblade]

In view of this i wonder if CW is considering bringing EEL in for this game and pushing Bash into midfield instead of Coutts to counter their set piece threat

Bringing EEL back is fair enough,but not Bash in midfield for me,he gives loads of free kicks away aswell as the ball...he played well yesterday at the back though but I think Bolton's main threat will be set pieces and Shots from distance.

 

[blade too long]

Can someone please wake me up from this Fleetwood nightmare !!!

Interesting start to next month for them, 4th away to Scunny, 11th home to Bolton.

look at their amazing run, fleetwood
yes they won at ours on a bad day for us and beat bradford

but the other 9 wins have been against the dregs of this division , in fact nearly what we have left as an easy run in
theyve beaten shrewsbury twice oldham 1-0 swindon chesterfield coventry and 4 with last minute goals

yes theyve won them but its not been battering top half teams

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/teams/fleetwood-town/results

some say weve capitalised against the lower teams, well yes we have
but weve hammered a few of them
but thats what fleetwoods done is just won
theyve a real tough run up and coming , see if they continue

 

[GrayBlade]

WHAT EXTRA PRESSURE
if we had won but bolton had won the gap would be identical

the fact is the gap is the same
the pressure is all theirs they are the chasers

see the other side of the coin
they lost the opportunity to close the gap on us yesterday , so its wasnt a rubbish result

Now now that man! Let's have none of your logical positivism on here if you please. You know that illogical pessimism rules ok.

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

This is too Warbiesque for any reasonable debate.

 

[seanbeenstattoo]

I think it's just one game against a team who are 8 points behind us (albeit with 2 games in hand) who we won't have to play again.
There are 12 more games after that which will have a much greater impact on our destiny this season.

Fuck Bolton I say. They have a tougher run in than we do and behind the scenes are in a world of shit.

and they are dealing with that with magnificent strength ON THE PITCH.
Next week is another opportunity to stamp our authority on this league.
Or add it to an endless list of "yet again United don't deliver on the BIG occaision". Like it or not just like yesterday!

 

[Slim Man]

In view of this i wonder if CW is considering bringing EEL in for this game and pushing Bash into midfield instead of Coutts to counter their set piece threat

Not a prayer

 

[Champagneblade]

look at their amazing run, fleetwood
yes they won at ours on a bad day for us and beat bradford

but the other 9 wins have been against the dregs of this division , in fact nearly what we have left as an easy run in
theyve beaten shrewsbury twice oldham 1-0 swindon chesterfield coventry and 4 with last minute goals

yes theyve won them but its not been battering top half teams

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/teams/fleetwood-town/results

some say weve capitalised against the lower teams, well yes we have
but weve hammered a few of them
but thats what fleetwoods done is just won
theyve a real tough run up and coming , see if they continue

Fleetwood are doing well but to put into context, they need to get over half a point per game on us.

With 13 games left and us consistently averaging 2 points per game until yesterday and more than this if you discounted the first 4 games of finding the current formula, they can do no less than 10 wins, 2 draws and just 1 defeat. How likely is that?

Games in hand seldom equate to three points either. Win at the weekend or at least don't lose and given we play nobody from the top 6 aside Bradford at home and Scunny and Bolton both play 3 from the top 6, including each other, they are bound to drop points, especially given rescheduled games and the squad limits Bolton has.

Plus, as we know, it's just so much harder chasing at this end of the season.