[Archived] Rovers V Coventry Fa Cup (replay) Preview

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

I'd prefer going out of the Cup and staying up rather than winning the CUp and going down, but that's just me.

[DE.]

Has anybody here actually seen the lineup we started with?

Brown

Simpson

Samba

Zurab

Olsson

Villanueva

Mokoena

Tugay

Treacy

McCarthy

Roberts

--

Let's all take a deep breath before foretelling visions of relegation and shattered confidence. 9 out of those 11 players do not even regularly get in our first team.

[PAFELL]

We all know Sam would treat the cup differently if we were in mid table and there was clear gap between us and the relegation spots. At least we can now fully concentrate on the league.

Correct - anyway having been to the new wembley twice - last seasons FA cup final and england v Estonia - we are not missing much.

[Stuart]

You might be right, when losing becomes a habit it is difficult to shake. Confidence is everything. To believe that we will put this down to smart tactics and that it will all change for Saturday is delusional.

We've lost 3 games in how many 12, 13?. Villa, ManU and an FA cup tie. We have to put our eggs in the League basket (and that's a fact following the final whistle today). We've a few rested players to come back and Diouf had an hour tonight so hopefully he'll also be fit.

Cheer up Big BJ. We've been given the gift of a single competition to fully focus on. We now need to seize it.

[stuwilky]

(Except maybe Treacy will take confidence from what sounds a reasonable game).

The comment I got from a respected message board member at the match was

"an even shitter version of Keith Gillespie"

But then again, he is after all an "academy product"

Predicted we;d go out - given the choice of winning tonight and winning on Sunday there is only one option - now they have to deliver that.

[Drunx2002]

If we get relegated that might be our last realistic shot ever at winning the FA Cup.

Have to disagree Rev. We would have gone out at home to Chelsea - another game we didn't need.

I couldnt care less that we are out of the cup....so long as we beat Hull. 6 pointer up next!

[SouthAussieRover]

It's only the devalued FA Cup.

Time to put all the effort into staying up imo.

Mind you, I was only thinking yesterday that the Premier League is hardly a competition anymore given the dominance of the "big" clubs.

[RevidgeBlue]

They were our reserves bar Samba and Benni. Time to concentrate on the LEAGUE. The FA Cup is a mere nuisance this year.

What a daft post. If we can't even beat Coventry over two games, what chance have we got of picking up the points we needin the League?. You can't just turn form on and off like a tap.

Like I said going down and a bit of glory in the Cup would have been better than going down and being dumped out by Coventry.

What we do in the Cup will have no bearing at all on our League campaign whatsoever save to the extent that this result may dent morale.

[BuckyRover]

If we win on Sunday then this result is very quickly forgotten, if we lose however the question will be asked as to whether being "giant killed" a few days before was good for confidence.

[den]

Doesn't feel like it now, but this game will be forgotten after Sunday - whatever Sunday's result.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Yeah Rev. We should really panic when Simpson, Olsson, Mokoena, Tugay, Brown and Kish all turn up in the league game against Hull.

But wait, that won't happen. Because they are not our starting XI. Some don't even make the bench.

[Blue n White Rover]

What an absolute ******* disgrace.

If we get relegated that might be our last realistic shot ever at winning the FA Cup.

The players that were on display all have plenty of Premiership experience and should have been able to do better than that, but the manager once again showed his sheer contempt for the competition by making eleven changes.

Going down and reaching a semi final/final beats the hell out of going down and getting knocked out of the Cup by Coventry in my book.

Not happy at all.

Staying up in the league and getting knocked out in the FA Cup beats the hell out of getting relegated and getting knocked out in the next round VS Chelsea!!!!

Get a grip, most of you on this board don't realise our league position. We need to FOCUS SOLELY on the League. If we go down then I'm afraid it's a dark and gloomy road from there on in. We cannot afford to get relegated. Some of you need to get that in your heads!

Yes we got knocked out but as I said in my earlier post, we have bigger fish to fry and Hull is our main priority this week. Not a Cup which we know we won't win, with the likes of United, Chelsea and Arsenal still in it.

[DE.]

Yeah Rev. We should really panic when Simpson, Olsson, Mokoena, Tugay, Brown and Kish all turn up in the league game against Hull.

But wait, that won't happen. Because they are not our starting XI. Some don't even make the bench.

Add Treacy, Villanueva, and Roberts (RSC will surely be first choice along with Benni Mac over him now?) to the non-starting XI members.

[John]

You can't just turn form on and off like a tap.

Performances have been ok, but it would have been useful to get back into the winning feeling. I cannot see us changing the habit of a season now and start to actually win matches, something we have to do.

Other teams can at least talk with some confidence about winning games at home. Even Stoke City are licking their lips at our arrival at the Britannia Stadium....

[bigbrandjohn]

We've lost 3 games in how many 12, 13?. Villa, ManU and an FA cup tie. We have to put our eggs in the League basket (and that's a fact following the final whistle today). We've a few rested players to come back and Diouf had an hour tonight so hopefully he'll also be fit.

Cheer up Big BJ. We've been given the gift of a single competition to fully focus on. We now need to seize it.

Your positive vibes have transferred to me. I consider myself cheered up. Apart from the fact that I have paid my sub to Rovers World and for some reason the wonderful Microsoft media player bars me from listening to the live broadcasts.

P.S Been away too long to remember whether a Big BJ has the same connotations in Blighty as it does this side of the pond

[sambo]

Big Sam way down in my estimation tonight.

[McClarky]

The big worry is that most/all of these players have appeared regularly in our first team this season and aren't good enough to beat Coventry over 2 games. In fact it sounded like we wee well beaten tonight and lucky in the first game. I wouldn't mind if it youngsters coming through our academny that were getting beat but this lot are experienced pkayers who should be better than that. If we are without Grella and Dunn on Sunday who plays in midfield? Andrews and Mokeona probably, hardly inpiring and a sad reflection on our current squad which with a few injuries is bad enough to go down even in this league.

[Alan75]

Tonights team selection and subsequent result is a reflection of modern society, where there is no respect.

No respect for the fans and no respect for the competition.

Anyone who thinks that sacrificing a win tonight for 3 points against Hull is deluding themselves.

Rovers v Coventry.

Is this a reflection of next season, when the best result we can get against an average championship team is a draw at home.

[DE.]

The big worry is that most/all of these players have appeared regularly in our first team this season and aren't good enough to beat Coventry over 2 games.

?!

Go and look at our starting lineup again.

[Blue n White Rover]

Big Sam way down in my estimation tonight.

I don't wanna know how far down Sparky is in your estimation. He bloody lost 4-1 to Coventry!!

[AndyC]

i honestly couldnt give a monkeys.

we would never have got past the next round anyway

bring on the league.

mind you - if i'd have gone to the game, i would no doubt have a different opinion

[RevidgeBlue]

Yeah Rev. We should really panic when Simpson, Olsson, Mokoena, Tugay, Brown and Kish all turn up in the league game against Hull.

As some of the first choice alternatives are Ooijer (at rb) Andrews/ Tugay again?/Robinson and Nelsen, it might be argued there's not a lot of obvious improvement there.

Like I said, you can't just turn form (and results) on and off like a tap. We seem to be getting disappointing results whichever personnel are on the pitch at the moment.

How many games have we played since we last won over ninety minutes? Eight?

We should have been looking at reversing that trend, not resting eleven players.

[thenodrog]

Has anybody here actually seen the lineup we started with?

Brown

Simpson

Samba

Zurab

Olsson

Villanueva

Mokoena

Tugay

Treacy

McCarthy

Roberts

--

Let's all take a deep breath before foretelling visions of relegation and shattered confidence. 9 out of those 11 players do not even regularly get in our first team.

Beaten by just about the better team according to Don McKay. A great comparison for future contract discussions with the above players.

I'd say that 4-5-1 with the two strikers on display tonight left on the bench for most of the remaining fixtures is the way to Prem survival.

Sorry if that is not a big enough cry baby / knee jerk reaction to match most of the above posts but its just how I see it.

Personally I'm quite easy with our ressies to get knocked out. A home tie v Chelsea is not at all what we want this season.

[bazza]

Doesn't feel like it now, but this game will be forgotten after Sunday - whatever Sunday's result.

No, Den. It'll be in the record books forever. Another ignominious defeat for woeful Rovers.

[den]

No, Den. It'll be in the record books forever. Another ignominious defeat for woeful Rovers.

That doesn't sound like the perrennially upbeat Bazza that I've met.

Win on Sunday and you'll be buzzing again.