The Football League thread II

Rushden were my local side and they were a shabbily run football club. Burton will avoid their mistakes I'm sure.

Was thinking about it earlier. I don't know whether to make a complete playoff discussion thread for all games or individual match threads? Or a thread for each league?

Look. At. This.

Chorley booked a place in the Conference North play-off final on Saturday, thanks to this from Adam Roscoe in the 94th minute.

[video="youtube;d2ZVXawN5LE"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2ZVXawN5LE[/video]

Not a bad way to clinch it. Who they playing in the final, Fylde?

Chorley v Guiseley it is for a place in the Conference. Would rather a Bolton v Bradford play-off higher up the leagues

I know I'm a bit late to the party but was away from computer:
MK DONS PROMOTED!

Carl Baker's got a heck of a cross on him, but it'll be interesting to see how well you manage to do without Alli and Afobe's presences next season. The latter has shown great Championship pedigree with his performances at Wolves, so it's a shame you couldn't keep hold of him.

Alli may not be a Tottenham starter - akin to Zaha or Moses upon their moves from Palace - so you may be able to get him on-loan for another season I'm guessing.

Carl Baker's got a heck of a cross on him, but it'll be interesting to see how well you manage to do without Alli and Afobe's presences next season. The latter has shown great Championship pedigree with his performances at Wolves, so it's a shame you couldn't keep hold of him.

Alli may not be a Tottenham starter - akin to Zaha or Moses upon their moves from Palace - so you may be able to get him on-loan for another season I'm guessing.

We managed half the season without Afobe but we will need someone to replace Alli for sure - I don't think it was coincidental that we had a bit of a slump when he was injured.

Look. At. This.

Chorley booked a place in the Conference North play-off final on Saturday, thanks to this from Adam Roscoe in the 94th minute.

[video="youtube;d2ZVXawN5LE"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2ZVXawN5LE[/video]

Bolton should push for a top-half finish next year with Lennon at the helm in my opinion. They have a crux of great young players, from Clough and Vela to Clayton and Threkeld, and Lennon having a pre-season with the squad can only be beneficial.

I've probably mentioned his name a million times on this thread this season, but Zach Clough was one of the breakout players of the season in the Championship. With quick feet, great vision and an end product, his creativity will win us a lot of games in the future.

With this in mind, and our season over (and a dissertation to procrastinate from) I thought it would be interesting to write something about the hopes of a fan for the coming season. Would be interesting if other guys on here did it about their teams afterwards. Anyway here goes:

Bolton Wanderers:

2014/15 position: 18th Championship
2015/16 target: Top 10 finish. Quarter finals of FA cup or League cup.

Forecast for next season:

With Lennon at the helm, Bolton achieved their main goal following a dismal start to the season under Druggie Freedman. Rock bottom after 12 games without a win, things looked bleak. Lennon's arrival saw the introduction of some very talented youngsters into the fray, and some overpaid sunday league players take to the road.

In patches, Wanderers looked a threat this season, ultimately hampered by a small squad and a horrendous run of injures. The arrival of Heskey and Gudjohnson in January was ridiculed by most, but proved extremely valuable to have experienced leaders in and around the first team.

With only 6 losses at home, Bolton will look to make the renamed 'Macron stadium' a fortress next season, and to achieve a top half place away form must improve greatly. With a talented motivator in Lennon leading a young and hungry squad, look for a much more consistent team in the Championship next season.

Where could it go wrong:

Loan signings will play a huge part in any success Bolton may achieve next season. As a club in a lot of debt, it is unlikely Lennon will be able to spend over the summer, so will have to reinforce his squad with borrowed players. His success in doing this will ultimately determine how well the season goes.

Bolton also have a notorious trend in recent time of killing strikers. The amount of times over the past 5 years I have thought 'oh there we go, our 25 goal a season striker' and they have managed less than 10, has been painful. How Lennon utilises the current strikers at the club, and reinforces them with loan signings will be crucial.

Who to watch:

I've probably mentioned his name a million times on this thread this season, but Zach Clough was one of the breakout players of the season in the Championship. With quick feet, great vision and an end product, his creativity will win us a lot of games in the future.

Although there are a lot of other young players worth watching in this team the other name I''ll mention is Craig Davies. Around the Christmas period he was a force to be reckoned with, showing great ability to hold up the ball and score goals. Injuries cost him starts and hurt his supply in the end, but if he comes back fit next season I'll expect him to lead the line.

Positions of need

This really depends on what system Lennon adopts full time next season. If he goes 4-4-2 look for us to strengthen at full back over the summer, as well as finding an upgrade at CB. If he chooses the 3-5-2 we played towards the end of the season expect us to pick up a striker or two (potentially on loan) and grab a couple of quick CBs

He really impressed me in your game against us in the FA Cup replay at the Macron. I was impressed with Vela in the original tie at Anfield, too. Ones to watch for sure. What do you think of Kellett? He's obviously on loan at United at the minute in a somewhat bizarre move, but do you reckon he has a future at Bolton/Championship level?