Rovers Vs. Pensioners

[rovers1993]

really dominating them now... we need to get goal now!

[Grabbi Graeme]

Bentley free kick hits the bar

[Flopsy]

Keeper had it covered though. Cruz misses a one on one

[rovers1993]

RSC sooo cloooseee.... just wide!

bentley is playing amazing! best i've seen this season!

our defence is back up to standard... we're in for a game guys

[krislu]

Bentley has been brilliant so far! My earlier words are put to shame so far...

[rovers1993]

we are controlling and i have to say this again..

we're back to playing the same at the start of the season now! we can win this!

[Grabbi Graeme]

Chelsea's defence does look uncomfortable when we attack, shows how much they rely on John Terry, need to get a goal though all this work is for nothing if we cant put the ball in the net.

[rovers1993]

shevchenko close.. defence a wee bit shaky but attcaking wise we're perfect.. chelsea seem unable to cope with us at the moment.

we need goal now

[rovers1993]

0 - 1... joe cole... ffs! come on ! against the run of play....

[Grabbi Graeme]

all the work and were a goal down good finnish from Joe Cole

[RovertheHill]

The perpetual mgp-haters on this board should take a long hard look at Dunny. Yet again a shocking "effort" in the middle of the park and 2 passes later we're a goal down

[Tango]

What happens when you don't take your chances against Chelsea and give the ball away cheaply...

[jonv]

i dunno whose commentating in the uk but here in oz i think they have forgotten to turn the mic on :s

[1864roverite]

Rovers are so unlcuky at the moment in this game. A game they are controlling but losing 1-0 !

For me, there is only one thing wrong, TUGAY is by far and away the weakest link.

I live in hope that we can get something out of the game.

[Tango]

I'm with you 1864, Tugay's getting bypassed. Though MGP and Dunn are hardly making hay.

[Lathund]

Dunn with another moronic yellow card. Really my main complaint with him; he always looks like getting sent off.

[1864roverite]

Look at the way TUGAY is backing off from the play, he nearly costs us a gimp goal yet again.

TUGAY needs a kick up the arse bigstyle that is why Dunny is being overrun in the middle.

[1864roverite]

Mikel just scroed 10/10 for the nigerian dive of the year

[1864roverite]

Very impressed with Zurabs play, Samba may find it difficult to get back in on this performance !

[RovertheHill]

You are right about Tugay - he's too old against the top 6 teams. Dunny just looks disinterested. What we need is 4 Bentley's and 2 Roque's...

[yellowsubmarine]

You are right about Tugay - he's too old against the top 6 teams. Dunny just looks disinterested. What we need is 4 Bentley's and 2 Roque's...

Add 4 Sambas and 1 Friedel and we can win the Premiership again.

[Mr. E]

We played very good for the first 20 mins, and then the ghost (of his former self) Nelson gets brushed away and once again we're down. I'm gonna start asking Hughes the same question I asked Souness every week for 2 years, and that's why does he waste 4 team places with a "defence", when clean thin air would do an equal job?

Bentley is by far the best player on the pitch though.

[1864roverite]

From my birds eye view in freezing cold Leyland, here are my first half observatiaons.

Rovers dont deserve to be losing although the quality finish by Joe Cole was fantastic. We have had three good chances to score and havent taken one of them, a fantastic stop by Cech to ruin Reidy's day !

Tugay is not at the races (and he certainly is not in this game). He is too far from Lampard, giving too much ball away, cannot track back and is putting big pressure on Dunny and Reid with his lacklustre game. He must be replaced at half time.

Zurab and The Admiral are having a great game, as is Bents, MGP, Reid and RSC. A little bit more width could give us the edge and with that in mind its time to go 4-4-2. With Alex on a yellow Rovers can pressure him whilst RSC has the skill and speed to work both him and carvallho.

Looks a very decent crowd considering its xmas week. Must be 22000 or even more.

Plenty of optimism for the second half for us Rovers fans.

Oh, yes, my final observation. Just where has the start like this game been in the past 7 games ? Just more effort in games versus villa, wham and wigan would have seen us 9 points better off in the league and comfortable in 5th place for xmas ! Instead we are now 10th and could be 11th if we concede again !

Its a funny old game aint it???

[John]

Some of our passing has been slick, and against lesser teams we would be easily winning. However, the top teams are so clinical.

Zurab has been impressive considering his first start of the season. Also, good to see Reid in the middle showing little signs of his running off the ball (and very unlucky not to score).

Just hope we can get something out of the game. I fear a second sucker punch though.

[T4E]

Football is a game of choices. Continually we make the wrong ones. Emerton is not good enough, Tugay is passed his best, Dunn is nowhere near what he used to be and Gamst defies belief - this is the same guy we had two years ago?

I've held off snap judgments during this bad run, but its impossible to ignore the frailties in this team. Too many mistakes, too many passengers. How the players have been allowed to become so complacent is the million dollar question.