[Archived] GAME THREAD - MK Dons V's Portugal U21's

[broadsword]

I don't know who half these players are now.

[Pedro]

I'm not shocked by this result, I expected it to be fair. Feel sorry for those who forked out for it though.

[Kelbo]

The problem is, we werent just outfought but outplayed, we make the same mistakes tactically each game, now in my opinion, you are allowed a mistake but Kean is not learning and continuing to make mistake after mistake!!

[broadsword]

Maybe Kean isn't fussed whether he wins or not?

Maybe he's even deliberately trying to lose?

[braddock]

We can concentrate on the league at least. Shame for those who paid the money to go.

What's the details on the fans being abusive? It really doesn't surprise me.

[Tango]

Dross. Bilge. Dismal.

Sat deep against a League 1 side, playing aimless passes across the backline. Not a shred of guile or invention.

Edinho - as I'm sure many have said - was abysmal. He would have looked out of his depth in a non-league side.

The only positive was the impressive number of Rovers supporters who made it there.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Sat deep against a League 1 side, playing aimless passes across the backline. Not a shred of guile or invention.

IMO this continues to be the achilles heal in what Kean laughingly calls tactics - he insists on sitting back - and then (for what can be a good tactic for a counter attacking team) seems to insist that we counter attack with the speed of a pregnant snail - preferring to pass the ball between defenders until the opposition have time to get back (very noble some might say).

I think you can count on one hand matches where we have put in a decent team performance since Kean took over - many matches we have won have been down to individual brilliance of players like Yak or Hoilett.

[Waggy76]

Maybe Kean isn't fussed whether he wins or not?

Maybe he's even deliberately trying to lose?

I thought that was the situation , last season !

[onlyonejackwalker]

Same s.h.i.t different day. Sucking the life out of all of us.

Ten years PL income at circa 30 million per year - 300 million income at least into our company over that period - supplemented by the wealth of 'billionaire' owners - yet clubs with much lower revenue somehow continue to match us where it matters, on the pitch.

It's a rum old do and very strange that the only people who understand the problem / solution, are the fans.

Kean In. Venky's are amazing. We can worry about the cups next year.

[cn174]

Sat deep against a League 1 side, playing aimless passes across the backline. Not a shred of guile or invention.

What?! This is the 'excellent' football we should be aspiring to!

[1864roverite]

For what its worth, saw some of the game over here in Sunny Spain, fooing awful springs to mind.

KEANSCUM OUT

He s taking the cluib for a ride and continues to absolve himself from any sort of blame, the fool is just scum end of.

[RoyRover]

I don't know who half these players are now.

Same here. I can't keep track of all the Portuguese players we have signed.

[thenodrog]

Edinho - as I'm sure many have said - was abysmal. He would have looked out of his depth in a non-league side.

Who cares about that? Most important thing to some is ..... how many bedrooms are there and and how big is the pool in 'his' villa?

[47er]

I,m waiting for him to announce the positive from last night. "Now we can concentrate on winning the league" or some such guff.

[doowe]

"What's the details on the fans being abusive? "

Braddock it would be to difficult for you to comprehend

[eire3382]

Our poor play and lack of tactics were always going to catch up with us.

This results could be a sign of our future. Other managers will start to realise that rovers have some decent players but those players have no plan B to work with. Also very little in the way of tactics and are unfit.

Fantastic work of fat piggy boy is doing.

[braddock]

"What's the details on the fans being abusive? "

Braddock it would be to difficult for you to comprehend

How so?

[Derbyshire Blue]

Fair enough with the bet, but the end of that sentence breaks my heart much more than the empty seats.

Join the club, that clowns given me 22months of heart break

[92er]

Although we were never going to win the cup, it was an important competition in which to progress.

We have what appears to be a huge squad and the fringe players, of which there are now many, are just not going to get any chance of match action.

It continues to make less and less sense.

[Tango]

What?! This is the 'excellent' football we should be aspiring to!

You watch Swansea play out from the back and they move forward in triangles. Our back four knocked it back and forth until inevitably one of them gave it away with a long punt down field (needless to say it was usually Dann).

At least when Etuhu was on the pitch they had an out ball and he could take it forward. When Lowe was brought on this ceased and instead just resulted in increasingly endless hopeless long balls. Despite repeated cries of "forward", this didn't seem to register with most of the players.

I took my dad along last night who hasn't been to a game since Portsmouth at Ewood a few years ago. I explained that most successful Rovers sides of recent years have built on a solid defence, but that Kean had dismantled this and concentrated on "flair players" instead. These "flair players" didn't track a single MK Dons player all night, repeatedly exposing the back 4, who patently can't cope. It's a bit like building a mansion of diamonds and marble (though in Rochina, Nunes et al we seem to have got zirconia and MDF) on quicksand.

[Guest Rovers4Good]

Steve Kean continues to baffle the fans and we shouldv'e had enough to win this game confortable but we're failing to delivery on the pitch.

For me the past 2 league games have been nothing more than a shambles even though we've pulled off a result but this hides the fact that the players don't seem to be putting a shift in. We've played some decent stuff in patches but there is absolutely no penetration and if this carries on we'll get turned over by the better clubs. Also, it's putting our defence under massive pressure to which they've looked reasonably solid with Dann and Givet bearing the full force of the oppositions attacks.

We are far to negative in the way we play and having 1 man up top with 1 in the hole simply for me isn't working as you've got the likes of Dunn who cannot put 70 minutes under his belt and Murphy and Etuhu sitting far too deep with Murphy looking like he's on a travelator.

going back to 4-4-2 is the only option for me and hopefully Martin Olsson will be back soon as his brother is a poor version of him.

[A cup of beans]

You watch Swansea play out from the back and they move forward in triangles. Our back four knocked it back and forth until inevitably one of them gave it away with a long punt down field (needless to say it was usually Dann).

At least when Etuhu was on the pitch they had an out ball and he could take it forward. When Lowe was brought on this ceased and instead just resulted in increasingly endless hopeless long balls. Despite repeated cries of "forward", this didn't seem to register with most of the players.

I took my dad along last night who hasn't been to a game since Portsmouth at Ewood a few years ago. I explained that most successful Rovers sides of recent years have built on a solid defence, but that Kean had dismantled this and concentrated on "flair players" instead. These "flair players" didn't track a single MK Dons player all night, repeatedly exposing the back 4, who patently can't cope. It's a bit like building a mansion of diamonds and marble (though in Rochina, Nunes et al we seem to have got zirconia and MDF) on quicksand.

Great insight. Thanks for that.

Steve Kean continues to baffle the fans and we shouldv'e had enough to win this game confortable but we're failing to delivery on the pitch.

For me the past 2 league games have been nothing more than a shambles even though we've pulled off a result but this hides the fact that the players don't seem to be putting a shift in. We've played some decent stuff in patches but there is absolutely no penetration and if this carries on we'll get turned over by the better clubs. Also, it's putting our defence under massive pressure to which they've looked reasonably solid with Dann and Givet bearing the full force of the oppositions attacks.

We are far to negative in the way we play and having 1 man up top with 1 in the hole simply for me isn't working as you've got the likes of Dunn who cannot put 70 minutes under his belt and Murphy and Etuhu sitting far too deep with Murphy looking like he's on a travelator.

going back to 4-4-2 is the only option for me and hopefully Martin Olsson will be back soon as his brother is a poor version of him.

Here.. Here.

[yeti-dog]

Went to the game last night. Pretty uninspiring stuff to be honest and gives the lie to Kean's statement that we have real strength in depth in the squad ( on that showing we certainly don't).

There was a worrying lack of urgency/passion. It had the feel of a pre-season friendly. Some players seemingly blowing out of their ar$e$ after half an hour makes you wonder what fitness training is actually going on.

Regarding individual performances:

Kean...6. A couple of decent saves but also dropped a right clanger for their second.

Orr..6 steady but also offered nothing beyond the ordinary. Has the build of a centre half.

Olsson...7 One of the better performances. Made some decent forward runs, created some space for himself and his final balls weren't terrible too. Still not as good as his brother though.

Dann..6 so/so.Reasonably steady but his distribution is poor.

Hanley 6..slow, one dimensional, seems overweight and again, crap distribution. The argument about which of these two should partner Givet is like being asked whether you'd like to be killed by lethal injection or hanging.

Etuhu 8. Best player for us by a country mile. Kept it simple, but was always available and broke their play up well.

Jorge 5.. Ran around but was innocuous and ineffectual.

Nunes 5.. flattered to deceive and did nothing of any real note. Not ready for first-team on that showing.

Simon..7 one of the better performances, but not the world-beater some on this MB seem to suggest. At least put a shift in though.

Rochina,,,6 Again, considering the clamour to get him in the team he was light-weight and always on the periphery.

Edinho...4 Jeez..looked like a school-kid who'd been asked to make the numbers up because the team were 1 man short. Also seems to have Goodwillie's affliction in that even running seems to be something he struggles with.

Subs:

Goodwillie...7 one great shot and a well-taken header. About as good as it got for us last night.

Formica...5 Not much chance to make an impact.

Lowe...5 Replaced Etuhu and did what he did although not as good at it.

A couple of final thoughts:

I went with a friend who is a MKDONS fan so sat with their supporters.

The only players who seemed to get some positive feedback from them were Simon, Etuhu, Olsson, Goodwillie (when he came on) and bizarrely Orr. Otherwise, our team were so nondescript they barely registered.

They also felt their team had not been offered so much time on the ball in any other game this season which is pretty damning.

Their supporters laughed everytime Kean-out chants began. Embarrassing.

[sw0808]

Maybe Kean isn't fussed whether he wins or not?

Maybe he's even deliberately trying to lose?

Think thats the conclusion I have reached - He just cant be as stupid as his tactics suggest!

He Knows he cant be sacked (for financial or more sinister reasons) and is just sticking it too us!

Just wish I could do what I was taught as a kid - and laugh at it!!

But if f***ing hurts to much

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Embarassing? Those fans had to travel 3 times the distance you did and are perfectly entitled to vent their feelings considering they probably sang some songs in support of the team as well. Did you sing any songs in support of the team? No because you sat with the opposition.

And by the way, those ludicrous ratings are the very definition of embarassing. We've just been relegated from the Premiership and lost to a mid-table League 1 team. Those numbers should be averaging about 3.