[Archived] STOKE away

[BRFC1995]

Walters has turned out to be a seriously good player, and i wonder whether footballers really do try harder against former clubs as he could have a field day if we send out hanley salgado and ollson.......samba and givet can never have felt so important to this club

[redroses]

i can see another scoreline like they dished out to Bolton in the fa cup semi.

[JAL]

Been positive about a few of Rovers away games only for them to yield a draw, this one i'm afraid can only see a nailed on home win

[JAL]

Been positive about a few of Rovers away games only for them to yield a draw, this one i'm afraid can only see a nailed on home win

[Blue blood]

Again, a game which we should really be feeling optimistic of a point from, we're going in with absolute dread. Stoke's form has been inconsistent at best this season, and any team with half decent ambitions would be thinking that they could really go for the jugular and get a result from this game.

Rovers - blimey we struggle physically against most teams, but a physical Stoke side vs a disinterested Hoillet, Rochina, Pedersen & Formica is not an even contest. Additionally Hanley's continual rabbit in headlights moments do not inspire confidence with Stoke likely to lump the ball into the box at every opportunity. Etherington vs Salgado is so uneven it's unfunny. Samba not being fit for this is the icing on the cake.

I'd probably go for a line up as follows, although scarily if players are out injured, I honestly have no idea what the solution would be. For all our faffing about in the transfer window there is the depth of the squad is painfully thin.

Robbo,

Lowe, Samba, Dann, Givet

Simon, N'Zonzi, Peds, Olsson

Rochina

Yakubu

To me we need the strongest team we can field out. Hoillet is an excellent player but his last few performances suggest he's already left. At the moment he's more of a liability than an asset. Perhaps dropping him to the bench will get his head back in the game. Besides I'd like to see Rochina more centerally, and I think he may be more defensively robust that Hoillet (though granted neither are defensive powerhouses.)

The midfield really needs to protect the defence and help them out. Lowe would be better vs Etherington and Olsson adds a little more steel to the midfield, which can often look fragile. I'd quite like to see more of Simon and think he again could hold his own better in what's likely to be a physical encounter.

Overall, we'll loose. Stoke have too much quality to mess this up, even with their dicy form. Doubt it'll be a drubbing leaving Kean to talk aboiut the positives.

[Devon Rover]

3-1 win for Stoke. And thats if Samba plays.

Kean uses Tony Pulis as a human shield as he runs past the away fans towards the tunnel at half/full time.

Relegation creeps closer...

[RoyRover]

I'm afraid that we will get totally hammered in this game. Stoke are just one of those teams we never play well against and I don't see that changing now. I really thought we could beat Wigan last week despite of Kean's presence. I don't feel the same about this one at all. Would love to be proved wrong though.

[Amo]

2-0 Stoke.

Another nail in the coffin.

[Tom]

Going out on a limb here....we wont keep a clean sheet.

[Jock]

Stoke will be rubbish and we'll be worse.

Walters will NICK it for them near the end

[Baz]

Jason Roberts 1 goal away from his 25th for the club. That is an appalling statistic for Roberts. He's been here ages and played loads of games.

This is his 5th season, 130 appearances.

I too was shocked at just how bad that stat is.

[American Rover12]

3-1 stoke. Robbo coming up in the 90th and stealing one back for the Rovers.

[Mc Love]

I can see crouchy getting one or two against us

[Rovers_Dan]

4-3 to stoke.

2 lads sent off.

Kean keeps his job.

Post match interview from Kean - We were unlucky, officials got it wrong, lots of injuries, down to the bare bones

[davulsukur]

3-1 Stoke. They will have too much for us, Pulis needs a win and knows that a home game against a team managed by a clown is where he will get it.

Stoke will be at us from the word go and we will crumble eventually.

[Mercer]

AndyBayesAndy Bayes : #rovers Samba and Olsson to miss Stoke. Nelsen in full training.

A big blow, however, no excuses. After the window, Kean said that he had two players for every position.

[3rdpillar]

Not going for the points, I just like getting up early in order to have a bacon butty and a pint with my mates, talk a load of 2h1t and laugh at people more unfortunate than myself.

[OhmiBRFC]

Not going for the points, I just like getting up early in order to have a bacon butty and a pint with my mates, talk a load of 2h1t and laugh at people more unfortunate than myself.

Good job really

[BigAlan]

Samba missing again? I thought he was in line to make a shock return at Wigan? So our back four is likely to be Lowe, Dann, Hanley, Givet. Good Jesus.

[alexanders]

Samba missing is the biggest problem. No one to cope with the aerial ability of Crouch.

[AggyBlue]

Not going for the points, I just like getting up early in order to have a bacon butty and a pint with my mates, talk a load of 2h1t and laugh at people more unfortunate than myself.

Been there, done it, got the T shirt.

Some weekends, in our wilderness years, I'd be getting on coaches or in cars not even knowing where we was going.

When the footballs bad, the day out becomes more important

[Mercer]

Samba missing again? I thought he was in line to make a shock return at Wigan? So our back four is likely to be Lowe, Dann, Hanley, Givet. Good Jesus.

This is where transfer speculation affects recovery from injury !

If you were Samba and thought you might be on your way to Liverpool in Jan., would you risk injuring that hamstring even further for Kean ?

IMO, these circumstances are similar to Hoilett and his injury at the back end of last season.

[alexanders]

This is where transfer speculation affects recovery from injury !

If you were Samba and thought you might be on your way to Liverpool in Jan., would you risk injuring that hamstring even further for Kean ?

IMO, these circumstances are similar to Hoilett and his injury at the back end of last season.

Holy crap.

IF Samba starts faking injuries in the end of November based on speculations about a potential move to Liverpool in January Ill punch the big man.

[BigAlan]

This is where transfer speculation affects recovery from injury !

If you were Samba and thought you might be on your way to Liverpool in Jan., would you risk injuring that hamstring even further for Kean ?

IMO, these circumstances are similar to Hoilett and his injury at the back end of last season.

That's a damn fair point. I'm so glad to see all is well at the Rovers. Makes my working weeks so easy to know that we are in such a good state. Where's mi pills?

[den]

Been there, done it, got the T shirt.

Some weekends, in our wilderness years, I'd be getting on coaches or in cars not even knowing where we was going.

When the footballs bad, the day out becomes more important

The club's, or your wilderness years, Aggy?