Well that was a load of old tripe wasn't it?
1) Neil Lennon Must Go
I've said it enough times, but the man is so so lucky that there is almost literally nobody left at Bolton Wanderers with the authority to sack.
From his comments in the press about resting Emile Heskey, we should have known that the 65 year old ex-Liverpool man would be in the side. Why? We didn't play to his strengths, and he was hauled off just after half-time. A completely pointless exercise.
His removal of Zach Clough was expected, given the little man was just feeling his way back from injury, but the substitution disrupted our flow and gave the opposition a boost.
I think time's time for Lennon. He's had a good amount of backing from the stands, with little to no calls for his head during the game, but the proposed takeover and the rumoured approaches to Phil Brown must show that his time is coming to and end. Preferably sooner rather than later.
2) False Effort is Deceiving Fans
I'm looking at you, Liam Feeney and Darren Pratley.
One of the most annoying things about Johan Elmander, apart from him playing with socks rolled down, was his pretend 'effort'. By this I mean that thing he did when he would attempt to close down an opponent, making a last ditch desperate sliding challenge in an attempt to block a pass.
Now this sort of gallant effort seems to win favour amongst our fans, but for me it's deceitful and nothing short of disgraceful.
I'm all for hard work, but Feeney and Pratley put in the sort of game that on the surface appears to be relatively competent - by dint of them doing lots of running around.
Or so you might think.
If instead you appreciate that this running generally appears in areas that are of little threat to the opponent, then what's the point? I'd much rather the players put in the effort in the areas that truly count, and leave the pointless running alone.
It might look good on the books in the 'distance travelled' or 'sprints made' columns, but it's bullshit and a complete waste of energy.
3) Zach Clough
Wow what a goal that was.
LOCAL HERO: @ZachClough joined @OfficialBWFC as an 8 year old...
— Football On 5 (@FootballOn5) February 20, 2016
... 13 years later, he did this. #FootballOn5 https://t.co/DrJ3eaVfNO
In a game low on quality, it took a superb strike to show just how talented this boy is.
How far can he go? Well it's harder for players of his size, that's for sure - especially in the modern game - but he has the touch, the awareness and the ability to go to the very top.
I don't know for how much longer we can expect to hold onto the lad, but it has been a joy to see him grow and express himself on a football pitch. Zach - it's been an absolute pleasure.
4) Ben Amos Needs a Challenger
I rate Ben Amos.
He's going through a tough time at Bolton, with some daft mistakes costing us crucial points and crucial times.
I think he could get more protection from his midfield and defence, but that doesn't really justify the errors we've seen in recent weeks.
One change that we should make in the summer is to bring in some decent competition for him. I have no idea what sort of goalkeeper Paul Rachubka is, but I can't imagine he's much of a threat to Amos.
When Jussi Jaaskelainen was at the club, we had Ali Al-Habsi as a quality back-up goalkeeper pushing Jussi every week. We don't have that luxury - and I am wary of allocating precious wages to someone who may not play regularly, but the loss of Adam Bogdan and Andy Lonergan has cost us strength in depth at the back.
We had this scenario with Kevin Nolan towards the end of his time at the club when he was guaranteed a game every week and his form suffered.
5) Takeover Nonsense Affecting the Players?
I don't know about you but I'm really sick of all the takeover talk surrounding Bolton Wanderers.
Whether it's the club twitter account going about its daily activities seemingly oblivious to the massive elephant in the room, or people idly speculating with no end in sight - it's really starting to get on my nerves.
We know we're up for sale and that there is a load of behind the scenes nonsense going on, but is that starting to transmit to the players?
It can't do them any favours to be playing under the threat of being released in the summer. As we know from moderately popular alternatives to this site, there are TONS of players out of contract this year and to be playing without the guarantee of a contract next year must be unsettling.
Some big names are on the list, and I am wondering whether the poorer performers who also appear on the list of those likely to leave are not playing with a weight on their minds. A takeover won't turn Liam Feeney into a decent footballer, but if he was given a new deal* (heaven forbid) then who knows what sort of boost he and his mates would get.
(* I do not want Liam Feeney to get a new contract - I'd like to be really clear on that)