[Archived] Watford 2-1 Rovers

[Ozz]

I would say the leg break was worse than the defeat.

[G Somerset Rover]

Sparky just said on Sky fractured leg for Sav.

Yep I've just seen that...blimmin gutted for him and us.

That's three season ending injuries in one week and a half then...God Imagine if this was three of utd's or Chelsea's first eleven.

[yorkblues]

oh no how many more

[West Sussex Rover]

Well thats it then. Either Sparky has faith in Mokoena which will most probably have most of us on this board turning into lemmings, or he HAS to sign 2 central midfielders before the window is out. we cant rely on Tugay, Mokoena and Dunn till the end of the season!

[JamieUK]

Did it say he's out for season? I seem to have it in my head that Ryan Nelsen had a fracture to his leg in a game but managed to stay on til half time? Tell me I'm not mad? How long did he miss with it or did he do his hamstring immediatley after this?

[Hasta]

Did it say he's out for season? I seem to have it in my head that Ryan Nelsen had a fracture to his leg in a game but managed to stay on til half time? Tell me I'm not mad? How long did he miss with it or did he do his hamstring immediatley after this?

Sky are reporting it as his season is over.

[Bobby G]

Big blow and its time for the board to back the management team with some funds for a replacement or watch us dive downwards for the rest of the season.

Big big blow and I absolutely cannot believe that we have lost 3 first team regulars for the season within 10 days! Absolutely unbelievable...

[Flopsy]

its about 6 weeks for the leg break to heal - depends on what type it is - another 6 weeks to get muscles fit again.

Plus he's a 30+ year old, it'll take him longer.

(Please don't use that word again)

[des]

not much too add expect that I thought that jay our full back is a yard to slow and his passing is poor, glad we have signed a new left full back.

midfield agin was poor in not very poor without tagay we are lacking class, get fit quick david dunn.

[Flopsy]

So who've we got in the reserves that plays DM ?

[Radagast]

I would say the leg break was worse than the defeat.

I would agree. A new central midfielder is now paramount.

[Paul Mellelieu]

Bentley can fill in too.

[John]

Just come back and feel seriously deflated.

Most of the feeling is from Savage's injury.

All in an all a truly awful night.

[Exiled_Rover]

Everyone saw it coming. We always mail it in against the crap teams.

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

A dreadful night in more ways than one, easily the most disappointing match of the season for Rovers.

With the serious injuries we've suffered over the last week, investment is needed in the squad before the end of the January transfer window. As well as the blow of having players out with long-term injuries, tonight's shambles on the pitch illustrates again that certain players aren't good enough for our beloved club - Mokoena and Nonda to name just two.

It simply isn't good enough for players to put in a good performance at the weekend and then fail to turn up a few days later.

Its a bl**dy good job we got some points on the board before these latest blows or we would be in deep do do

That's the only consolation I can take from this ghastly evening.

[John]

I have about to hit the sack but the injury to Savage is a massive blow. Only consolation is that it has happened in January - so we can at least get a replacement in. However, he will be nearly impossible to replace.

Nonda took the **** tonight, lazy, lazy.

[Roar of the Rover]

Not really a suprise tonight, not to the standards we could play, we always lose to teams who are struggling, Charlton, West Ham and now Watford, all 3 who are in the relegation zone at the moment.

Should have started with Tugay, he would have sorted the game out for us, as in made a goal or something and we could have gone in at half time with the lead, then bring the Axe on and defend our lead.

[Fife Rover]

I said before this game it is absolutely certain to put the mockers on Rovers when anyone EXPECTS them to win. It has ALWAYS been that way ever since I can remember and that is longer than any of you. So if you care about Rovers at all, NEVER NEVER NEVER!!!! under any circumstances EXPECT them to win. That is not to say don't ever forecast a win, but don't EXPECT it to happen. If you have to tip them to win do it with the utmost trepidation and whatever you do don't believe it will happen.

OK, now I've got that off my chest, let's look at tonight's game. That was one of the very worst team performances I can ever remember from any Rovers team. They played like a pub team, and even the best of them (Bentley, MGP, and Brad) were below their usual standard. There was never at any time any sign of co-ordinated passing and movement, just desparation hoofing of the ball away in almost any direction. Nobody seemed to want to hold the ball and look to be creative at all. Once again lot's of people are trying to make Mokoena the scapegoat; well tonight he was crap, but no worse than almost ALL his colleagues. Even Savage before he got hurt was rushing about like a headless chicken and did nothing at all that could be called useful.

But there again he was not alone and it is not fair to single him out for blame. Nonda might as well have not been on the pitch and even Benni looked like he could not be bothered. The back four were collectively a bloody shambles, midfield did not exist as a creative unit, just the very occasional good run and cross from Bentley or MGP only for these to be wasted. Even Brad looked lost, but with the so-called defence he had in front it is not surprising.

I just hope that Hughes gives the whole lot of them the roasting of their lives and puts the fear of God into them before the next outing, or we might just as well not turn up.

Only 2 to go!!

[modes98]

Everyone saw it coming. We always mail it in against the crap teams.

Sunderland(always), West Ham, Charlton, Watford.

If we face teams who are **** then we never win, it's the law. When sunderland are up we normally draw with them or lose late on. If a team is on a crap run the tonic is to play us.

I don't see a solution to the CM problem is to play Bentley in that role, he is playing so well on the right it makes us weaker. Plus you'd probably have to fill the RM place with Gally or Emmo. Koumas, Hendrie, Pinear, anyone. Just get rid of the axe, please!

[Nayef]

Just got back home from the stadium and feel in a very very bad mood.

Observations:

1) The guy with the gruffy slow voice who (when a Rovers player lost possession cheaply) shouted out "Ye propa f***in tw@t". Somehow that was apt for quite a few of our players out there tonight.

2) If you're going to head the ball instead of bringing it down, why can't you head it vaguely in the direction of another Rovers player??

3) Rovers fans showing just how stupid and moronic they really are by singing "Going down" to a team in the bottom 3 and thereby completing the jinx.

4) Bentley's runs were the only plus point I can think of

5) As for Nonda's miss...I guess we can forgive his utter incompetence tonight when we consider point 3 above.

6) Just found out now that Savage has broken his leg..............

7) Please God, if you're listening don't relegate us this season. Another 10 points from somewhere. I think without Savage, it might be curtains for the UEFA Cup, a slide down the table (but hopefully the bottom 4 might just be in a league of their own) and a potential embarassment waiting for us at Luton.

[roversmum]

In this situation, getting those ten points is going to be difficult. The team will have to gel all over again, always supposing we can cobble together a team . This is serious.

[dj54nna]

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=4...4&clid=5&cpid=8

Who in the hell thought that this would ever be a good idea?

[des]

Our manager MK did, and for me that his is only bad call too date

[RevidgeBlue]

I'd gladly have conceded the three points tonight and not played the game if it meant Savage hadn't suffered any injury.

As for the game, what a shambles. How can a talented set of players that played like Premiership champions on Saturday play like a Pub team the following Tuesday night? This isn't a recent problem, it's something that's plagued us over the last five or six seasons since our return to the Premiership. Probably a major contributory factor towards home crowds being down to where they are.

The only 3 players that turned up were Friedel, Henchoz and Bentley. Henchoz might as well have been bailing out water on the Titanic for all the help he got from his colleagues in defence and I thought Bentley was excellent.

We're playing a team that has found it practically impossible to find the net all season so what does Bert do?

Helpfully gets them up and running by nodding one in! Way to go!

Mokoena, was excellent two years ago mopping up behind a 4 man midfield, but now looks one of the poorest players ever to wear a Rovers shirt.

MGP wasn't too bad but the front two (McCarthy's excellent goal notwithstanding) were little short of a disgrace.

Back to their dismal "efforts" of a couple of months ago.

Grrrrrrr......... Frustrating isn't the word. We need a reaction on Saturday badly.

[Scotty]

Henchoz lost DeMerit for his goal. Our central defenders were awful.