[Archived] Hull City [Away]; 19th February.

[roversfan99]

The thing is, whenever Lowe gets the ball, he panics and gives it away.

[Al]

The thing is, whenever Lowe gets the ball, he panics and gives it away.

Not surprising when you take into account who his partner is.

[RibbleValleyRover]

I know I keep harping on about this but with Murphy in the team we are at least half a man down. He is too slow, too weak and his legs have gone. Lowe gets more stick than he should because he just can't make up for this.

I know Murphy is on big wages and a two year contract but unless we realise that we have made a big mistake, grasp the nettle and drop him we are not going to get out of this division, at least not upwards. We cannot carry a passenger in the centre of the park, particularly as we do not have a dynamic partner to make up for him.

Just my opinion but I stick to it.

You could say that about a few players in our central midfield. There is not one single player in there that is a must keep player, if we had the money and the ability to be flexible in terms of bringing players in that area then they would be all replaced if I was the manager. We are paying the price of giving Pedersen that new contract and a past it Dunny still being on the books.

[Al]

You could say that about a few players in our central midfield. There is not one single player in there that is a must keep player, if we had the money and the ability to be flexible in terms of bringing players in that area then they would be all replaced if I was the manager. We are paying the price of giving Pedersen that new contract and a past it Dunny still being on the books.

But there is one single player who is a "must go" player and that is Murphy. I agree that the reast of the central mids probably need replacing too but he is by far the weakest.

[roversfan99]

I disagree. He is the only central midfielder who at least tries to bring composure, the main problem being he usually takes a second too long, and his passing has been rather wasteful, although still much better than Lowe's.

[thenodrog]

IMO Murphy has been the biggest disappointment - when he signed I thought he would be the quality addition to the midfield that would make us tick - instead his inability to adapt to this league is one of the reasons we are struggling so much.

Danny Murphy has certainly not disappointed me. I never rated him when he was 26 never mind 36.

Whoever signed him must be taking quite a slice of what I have been fairly reliably informed but am loath to believe is his 63k pw.

[hesfromburn]

If say Dunn is our weakest, we know he can't play cm anymore and Appleton doesn't play a guy in the hole free roam.

It seems he likes 2 hard working strikers and wingers to support, but we don't have the midfield to allow the wingers to push on. Bring back savage and jermain jones they would be perfect! I think we need two real engines in the centre that have a bit of quality, Lowe has a good engine but lacks the quality he isn't the right person to compliment and make up for someone like murphy, I think we would be better off with a jermaine jones type player alongside Lowe to show him how it's done and prob improve Lowe as a player!

[Blue blood]

But there is one single player who is a "must go" player and that is Murphy. I agree that the reast of the central mids probably need replacing too but he is by far the weakest.

Agree on the Murphy point. A liability on the defensive side of the game, and doesn't really offer anything offensively. His passing only looks decent when we're on top.

Personally I'd keep Lowe. Wouldn't be my first choice DM if I was building a squad, but for the wages he's on, given he can do a job at rb and dm I'd definately keep him. I also wonder if his poor passing would be such a liability if the other cm could pass. Think on Mokoena - his passing was absymal but he was effective as a dm at times because of his other attributes. Lowe has the energy required for this league and is definately one squad member I'd be keeping.

[Al]

I disagree. He is the only central midfielder who at least tries to bring composure, the main problem being he usually takes a second too long, and his passing has been rather wasteful, although still much better than Lowe's.

If by composure you mean slow then we are in agreement. He takes at least a second too long and passes to the opposition as you state. Useless!

At least Lowe has energy and is also useful as a squad player in other positions.

EDIT Sorry Blue Blood posted at the same time as you.

[ChrisyG]

I've seen Murphy a few times this season and I think he is our weakest midfielder. He may have played premier league football in years gone by, but he doesn't have what it takes for the Championship.

Too many times he tries to take 4,5 or even 6 touches and by that time he gets caught in possesion. It's as if it takes him ages to make a decision.

Hard working, competitive and tidy CM's is what we need.

[JAL]

Why did this Rekik come in and have a poor debut surely he should have been out to impress.

[Amo]

Why did this Rekik come in and have a poor debut surely he should have been out to impress.

I'm sure it was entirely intentional.

[DE.]

Why did this Rekik come in and have a poor debut surely he should have been out to impress.

I'm sure it wasn't his aim to play badly. He's a young lad coming into a completely new team, pretty much being thrown in at the deep end against one of the best teams in the division playing out of position. Is it really a surprise he didn't play very well?

[JAL]

I'm sure it wasn't his aim to play badly. He's a young lad coming into a completely new team, pretty much being thrown in at the deep end against one of the best teams in the division playing out of position. Is it really a surprise he didn't play very well?

Thought it was Rovers aim to be the best, or did I get that bit totally wrong.

[TBTF]

Danny Murphy has certainly not disappointed me. I never rated him when he was 26 never mind 36.

Whoever signed him must be taking quite a slice of what I have been fairly reliably informed but am loath to believe is his 63k pw.

your informant has banged his head then.Turn the numbers round and your still OTT

If say Dunn is our weakest, we know he can't play cm anymore and Appleton doesn't play a guy in the hole free roam.

It seems he likes 2 hard working strikers and wingers to support, but we don't have the midfield to allow the wingers to push on. Bring back savage and jermain jones they would be perfect! I think we need two real engines in the centre that have a bit of quality, Lowe has a good engine but lacks the quality he isn't the right person to compliment and make up for someone like murphy, I think we would be better off with a jermaine jones type player alongside Lowe to show him how it's done and prob improve Lowe as a player!

You mean that Jermaine Jones who scored in the Qtr Finals of the Champions league tonight?? Bet he's desperate to come to the Championship

[Josh]

your informant has banged his head then.Turn the numbers round and your still OTT

You mean that Jermaine Jones who scored in the Qtr Finals of the Champions league tonight?? Bet he's desperate to come to the Championship

He said a Jermaine Jones type player

[RevidgeBlue]

My view on Appleton hasn't changed since seeing our first couple of games under him. Under him we look an extremely poor outfit indeed bereft of any creativity whatsoever.

There is only so far you can get parking the bus every week, relying on the opposition's shortcomings in front of goal and hoping to nick the odd goal through Rhodes' brilliance.

If Appleton can fluke enough results like that to get us promoted, good luck to him. I think we looked far more convincing under Bowyer and view the play offs as being well beyond us with the current player selection and tactics. If I'm wrong I'll gladly hold my hand up

The Cup on the other hand is a different matter. We have every chance of beating Millwall and Appleton's (negative) tactics are far better suited to nicking a one off Cup game than going on the sort of consistently winning run needed to make up the necessary ground in the League.

Wembley here we come.

[Ewoodbhappy]

A late input from me.

We were dire - three players did ok. Kean/Hanley/ Dann. As the others didn't turn up these three kept the score down.

Our midfield did nothing. Didn't distribute or contribute to defending. Olson & Orr were over run. Can hardly remember Rhodes having a touch. CKR had one of his frustrating games.

We were well & truly spanked.

Midfield! Midfield! We've been shouting it all season. It needs sorting.

[Parsonblue]

My view on Appleton hasn't changed since seeing our first couple of games under him. Under him we look an extremely poor outfit indeed bereft of any creativity whatsoever.

There is only so far you can get parking the bus every week, relying on the opposition's shortcomings in front of goal and hoping to nick the odd goal through Rhodes' brilliance.

If Appleton can fluke enough results like that to get us promoted, good luck to him. I think we looked far more convincing under Bowyer and view the play offs as being well beyond us with the current player selection and tactics. If I'm wrong I'll gladly hold my hand up

The Cup on the other hand is a different matter. We have every chance of beating Millwall and Appleton's (negative) tactics are far better suited to nicking a one off Cup game than going on the sort of consistently winning run needed to make up the necessary ground in the League.

Wembley here we come.

I think you are being very harsh on Appleton Rev. For the first time since Venky's took over I feel we have a manager who actually knows what he is doing. Getting rid of players not suited to English football, particularly in the Championship, and replacing them with those who are prepared to roll their sleeves up and graft is no bad thing. It seems to me that he is building from the back which is a positive step in the right direction. Clearly he has been given the opportunity to rebuild the squad as he sees fit which is how it should be. Given the support of the owners in the summer and if the clearout continues as it has been doing I believe he will have us amongst the challengers next season. I've never thought it a realistic proposition this season to go up because of the damage done earlier in the campaign. However, looking at what Bruce has done at Hull I think Appleton is on the right lines but, as you say, only time will tell.

[Guest Wen Y Hu]

And Parsonblue's full match report can be found on the front page here.

[Lancs Rover]

I certainly wasn't blaming Appleton but pointing out it's principally his job to get a grip when things look likely to slide.

And obviously, we could point out that without RVP's contribution Utd would not be top of the league, for example. But Rhodes's goals have come mainly out of the blue when I have been watching, not as a product of a dominating spell or overall performance. Fortunate or largely undeserved results are often a platform to greater things. However, I for one have developed a blind spot regarding Rovers gradual improvement and doubt whether our optimism about being good enough for the play-offs is widely shared amongst others in this division.

[USABlue]

I think you are being very harsh on Appleton Rev. For the first time since Venky's took over I feel we have a manager who actually knows what he is doing. Getting rid of players not suited to English football, particularly in the Championship, and replacing them with those who are prepared to roll their sleeves up and graft is no bad thing. It seems to me that he is building from the back which is a positive step in the right direction. Clearly he has been given the opportunity to rebuild the squad as he sees fit which is how it should be. Given the support of the owners in the summer and if the clearout continues as it has been doing I believe he will have us amongst the challengers next season. I've never thought it a realistic proposition this season to go up because of the damage done earlier in the campaign. However, looking at what Bruce has done at Hull I think Appleton is on the right lines but, as you say, only time will tell.

I think he's close to the mark.

[Amo]

It's been said ad nauseam but there's a gulf of quality in the middle of the park. Murphy's legs are shot, Lowe does plenty of running but has no real class, and Williamson's a 'steady eddie' at this level and little more. There's no one who can really put their foot on the ball and allow us to boss games where it matters most, which is why we get overrun so often and lack ideas in the final third. We might just have enough to slog our way into the playoffs but it's still an apparent weakness to the side.

[den]

Interesting comments from Rev about Appleton and his defensive tactics. I haven't been to any of the last three games - Brighton, Arsenal and Hull - but it's fairly obvious that we've had no threat up front at all. Sounds like we've struggled to get the ball over the half way line.

So, is it Appleton's negative approach to games or is it something else? First off, Appleton does seem to favour a 4-4-2 system using wingers with pace. Secondly, the last three games have all been away from home, against decent sides. Thirdly, and maybe the real reason why these games have panned out this way, is that our midfield, whoever is chosen, is pretty poor - certainly second best to the three teams we've just played. If you field a poor midfield away from home, against good sides, you're going to get pegged back, that's for certain.

Let's see how he approaches the Leeds game.

[Blue blood]

If by composure you mean slow then we are in agreement. He takes at least a second too long and passes to the opposition as you state. Useless!

At least Lowe has energy and is also useful as a squad player in other positions.

EDIT Sorry Blue Blood posted at the same time as you.

No worries -great minds and all that!

Interesting point by Rev. Realistically could Appleton have done more in his tenure here? Given the shambles we were on and off the pitch, even with the talent we had should we be bossing games? Especially, as others have said, with the handicap our cm is. I'd say no. Giving us defensive solidity and most importantly of all giving us a plan, strategy and direction has been vital. This cannot be underestimated as for the last 2 years we've been utterly rudderless.

Next season will be interesting - there will be times teams park the bus against us, there will be times when we need that bit of magic to keep us in the promotion hunt and currently we may not have that. I guess that's why I'd really keep Rochina and try and get him into the top player he can be, but am not 100% sure he fits in with Appleton's plans. Perhaps if we have a stronger more dominant cm we'd see the wingers getting forward more? So, I reckon there is still improvements to make, and we most definately need a Plan B for when Jordan's out/off form. But I'm rather enjoying having a Plan A for the first time in a long time.