Matchday megathread, Bolton Wanderers v Barnsley

What a Boxing Day. A few pints with my old man around Mapplewell and a Reds win. I have learnt to enjoy both while they last.

 

He scored an excellent goal and was involved in the first. So, credit where it’s due. Let’s hope he kicks on from here.

 

Nwakali has been on 15 mins he was sublime.

 

It's a fair cop. I let my usual mindless optimism slip today. It won't happen again.

 

Shame it’s at Oakwell

 

Kicks on he's been our most consistent player this season.. more like get off his back.

 

Sat in the car park catching up on the thread whilst waiting for the traffic to clear. Very very happy with that performance and result. After Saturday, this could have gone either way because it must have knocked their confidence at the weekend. But we were much the better side, fully deserved the win and what a cracking couple of goals. The second one - wow - a superbly executed set piece.

Just hope the fog is not too bad on the hills going back. But going to enjoy tonight. Looking forward to Peterborough now.

 

Frustrating being a Barnsley fan - incredible result today for the travelling faithful and poor result last weekend for those of us who don't venture away from home. Hope they can start to deliver wins at home. Chuffed for DKD and Phillips who seem to have been receiving some stick recently and also chuffed for DC today.

 

Excuse me? I don’t ‘get on his back’. Even his best friends would admit that he had been pretty anonymous for several games. What I have said is that a goal scoring midfielder is worth his weight in gold. But he hasn’t been scoring and, overall, his contribution has been disappointing. Pleased for him, and us, today.

 

And whilst he did briefly have his arms around him, someone had hold of Russell’s shirt, at that corner and later in the game. Something like 95% of fouls from corners seem to be for the defending team, when from what I see, most of the holding is done by the defending team. But there’s so much holding, obstruction and shirt pulling at corners these days that there could be three fouls for each team at every corner. I always feel that refs wimp out by just blowing for a defensive free kick.

 

Throwing in different formation and tactics would make this board implode at the first goal conceded though...it would be taken as a sign that he didn't know what he was doing.

 

Well, what is the difference between home and away?

I’d suspect the level of support unfortunately.

 

Great performance and great result.

We still like to gift wrap opposition chances but at least today we showed guts and a willingness to get forward at pace.

We do seem to waste possession easily at times but some of our moves in the final third today were brilliant. The 2 goals being examples of this and also the Watters chance, the Russell big chance and a couple of other bits.

 

Missed first half as I took mum n dad for some snap at boatmans.
That said second half I thought we were good and in parts very good.
Nwalki, just wow...he is just soooo comfortable on the ball and oozes class. Humphries also made and impact with his physicality and good technical play.
Overall we looked like smart and incisive with our passing and a decent press when out of possession.
Well done reds and the management team...... a vast improvement on last Saturday.
Favorable mentions for MDG, O Keefe, Russell and Cotter when he came on.

 

You don't think that perhaps clubs set up to play differently at home to at away and that some tactics benefit us while some expose our weaknesses?

 

It obviously wasn’t without its occasional ‘moment’ for us, but that was about as complete a performance I’ve seen from us this season. For practically a full game, I felt like we were ‘on it’ and for the majority, we’ve dominated a side you’d expect to be in and around us as usual. Away from home. And from behind. Superb stuff. Tops off Christmas very nicely.

Makes a huge difference having more of our better players available to select from. Being able to bring on such as Humphrys and Nwakali is helpful.

And yet again, apart from setting up the equaliser and then scoring the winner, what did Adam Phillips ever do for us?

Feels an important three points in the bigger scheme of things too. I know we’ve Posh away first, but I just want to see us translate the away form to Oakwell. Turning Wrexham over on NYD would breathe new life into a season that’s felt like it’s dying in recent weeks.

Well done, Darrell, staff and players.

 

His goals and assists contribution speaks for its self.

 

Think that was Evatt's thinking!

 

Perhaps it does, but all players go through sticky patches, and there are those who think that he goes through more than most. Anyway, I’m sure we both want him to do well, and he certainly has today.