Nothing like a bit of hyperbole from the managers union. I assume mr Holloway might not be so complimentary after our next ticker fest losing run.

Ian Holloway can’t understand why Tonebola is getting stick and thinks he needs his own statue built outside the ground. Hmmmmm

Even worse still a pink ball. Theres a stat where with the pink ball. Something like there’s one pink ball triple century every 6 matches vs 30 in 2,500 red ball test matches.

Group F ?

Warner 335*. Couldn’t buy a run here. Plus Paine declared before could have a crack at Lara’s record. ??

The happiest and luckiest man tonight will be calamity Walton. He needs replacing ASAP

Sometimes people just need steering in the right direction.

Brentford thrashing Luton 7-0. On the one hand we duffed them but on the other how they fuck did Luton beat us at home.

Eeyore has scored. Blimey

Calamity Walton AGAIN.

Part of me thinks he would accept a big defeat just to give him carte blanch to revert to type.

I’m delighted we’re picking an unchanged side. Feeling more content with things. But I personally will stop short of praising a bloke for doing what every Tom, dick and Harry has been saying needs to happen for months. But at least the penny seems to have dropped

It is a tad worrying when he is only bowling 80mph for long spells when he’s in for his pace. This series he’s been bowling on roads and a kookaburra ball neither he’ll have seen in a test environment. So like every other Englishman bowling in non English conditions without a duke ball he’ll have to learn. Also I’m not sure whether he’s one of these players who only turns up if he fancies it. Certainly at an admittedly chilly old Trafford he stood there with 2 jumpers and hands in pockets which wasn’t a good look. I still see him as our brightest prospect to replace the ageing jimmy and broad but 2 wickets at 91 isn’t great.

Sibley missed a leg stump half volley then. Early days, but he ducked into a bouncer, got hit in the bollocks then missed a ball on leg stump which is supposed to be his strength. Rabada and Philander aren’t losing too much sleep at the minute. I also assumed stokes was injured but as he bowled 2 yesterday and 11 today it was clearly a bizarre 5 seamer attack plan from the offset. Root is to cricket captaincy what Mowbray is to management.

Tonebola was a professional footballer for 18 years and he’s been a manager on and off for another 18 years. So at 56 he’s been involved in professional football his whole adult life. Therefore, it would be utterly ridiculous to think we as fans know more than him about football. However, I don’t know whether it’s a case of he can’t see the wood for the trees but he does seem really really really consistently slow on the uptake for things that seem bloody obvious no brainer decisions. Brentford was a great example of this. Things that have been said on here, up and down the terraces, in pubs, in homes are finally tried and we look imperious. Even little things like last season we’d lost 9 from 11 everyone was saying play Travis and Reed together and he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Finally, tries it vs play off Derby and we smash them off the park. Go figure. Hes an enigma.

Through accident or design Tonebola managed to stumble on a team and formation that clicked. It was hardly groundbreaking stuff in fact us mere enthusiastic amateur plebs have been saying it for months. That’s to say drop Bennett, drop Gallagher, don’t play Armstrong up front (preferably not at all), play Rothwell and where possible play people in their favoured positions. I hope he’s seen the light. But I expect to see wingers up front, strikers on the wing and bennett to return.

Buttler in doubt with a back strain. So that leaves Ollie pope with the gloves and a decision between Crawley as a batsman or Woakes to beef up the feeble bowling attack.

That’s 3 games worth of shots by usual standards.

???

I really hope we put in a decent performance with the first sensible team Tony picked in memory. Otherwise it’ll be back to bennett, strikers on the wing and wingers up front.

Not going well at all. No idea why burns played that shot with 3 overs left. Or why leach didn’t review one he didn’t hit. England have conceded 600+ 5 times in 3 years away. 3 7th wicket stands of 200+ in 2 years

Just watched the highlights. Another calamity Walton special

Was on a hospitality do at Stanley today so missed what sounds like a total shambles. It was very Phoenix nights and Stanley are tin pot by comparison but they’re a proper club. That’s a lot more than I can say about rovers currently. Andy Holt came over to the table thanked us all for coming and how much he appreciated it. Every game Stanley win he makes the bar a pound a pint. Then had Coleman pre match giving a few words. Not fluent in Scouse but there was a few digs at the bolton fans there which were funny. Can you imagine it at rovers. The owners don’t know we’re playing but if they did I’m fairly sure they’d want us to win. I remember a united fan saying to me once we’re a much better club than rovers. At the time I said no you’re not you have a better team but don’t make the mistake in thinking you’re a better club. Can’t say that anymore to anyone. Ps. In a nuclear holocaust the only 2 things that would survive are cockroaches and Jason Lowe. Jesus wept. How did that guy survive the cull. He gave the ball away 5 times in the first half.

The problem with that is people just make excuses. The guy has overseen the worst post war run was it. Over a seasons worth of games it’s been relegation form. Wasted millions we don’t have on donkeys. He shouldn’t be here. But you’ll hear can’t sack a guy before the Xmas run give him January to fix problems. Nothing happens. Well January is a tough window can’t sack him now at the business end of a season. Then at the end of the season it’ll be let’s see who he can buy in the summer. Then got to give him at least 2 months with the new players (all of whom need to learn how to play the Tony way). My personal favourite well who would come here as if we’re some team that’s sprung up yesterday. ps. Mowbrays happiness is zero concern.

New Barnsley manager. Hoped it would be ours. If we fail to win I hope Mowbray does the decent thing. When you have the luxury of appointing your own boss a sacking isn’t on the cards. My enthusiasm has totally drained. I’m sick of mogadon Mowbray and his big book of excuses. Sick of terrible football dressed up as some feeble sort of progression. Sick of useless owners. Yes men running the club. Fed up before a ball is kicked.