[Archived] ROVERS vs. Derby County Match Thread

[LeChuck]

Talking of pitches...Blackpool have just been on The Football League Show; what on earth is going on there?! Honestly the pitches in the local parks are better, even with the dog @#/? on them. How are they getting away with having that as their surface?

[bazza]

Williamson hasn't been mentioned yet. He was absolutely shocking in the first half. I would have substituted him at half time.

Was it his twin brother who came out for the second half? What a great player.

In the second half Rovers weathered the expected storm from Derby for a few minutes and then battled away for every ball.

Was it GB's half-time talk? Jones, Lowe and Williamson battled for every second ball. Dunny was sheer class until removed (to be wrapped in cotton wool until Tuesday) Gregorz pulled off some good saves especially the last one in the dying minutes. Dannley and Kane were good with Morris improving, out of position, as the game went on.

Rovers grew in confidence and that is the biggest positive to take from this game (as well as 3 points). They are beginning to play like a team.

[Guest Norbert]

Talking of pitches...Blackpool have just been on The Football League Show; what on earth is going on there?! Honestly the pitches in the local parks are better, even with the dog @#/? on them. How are they getting away with having that as their surface?

Not seen it, but it was described as "perfect. For Speedway." By the commentator on Final Score.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Anyone want to do some player ratings?

[Al]

Yes, I know it well, been going for 46 years thank you.

That will be 65 years for me.

[cesus]

Anyone want to do some player ratings?

Sandomierski 7 - pulled off two excellent saves but nearly undid all his good work with a ludicrous "chip" straight to their centre forward in the first half.

Kane 7- looks very confident going forwards, caught a couple of times defensively but looks good for (Chelsea's) the future.

Hanley & Dann 8 - thought they were both very solid had a real handful in Sammon but never let him get the upper hand.

Morris 4 - really thought the young lad struggled, couldn't do the basics in the first half constantly putting the ball out of play. Alittle stronger in the second but just never looked to confident.

Lowe 5 - always find it hard to rate Lowe as his basic football skills are poor to say the least (let's be fair he finds passing forward accurately tough going) but effort and hurrying the opponents into making mistakes are second to none and this was no different to many this season, some good some poor.

Jones 6 - always showed for the ball but didn't really do anything too brilliant with it, solid enough display.

Williamson 5- tale of two halves, had a nightmare in the first, really couldn't do anything right and constantly giving the ball away but in the second was far more decisive with the ball and tackle.

Dunn 7 - think we wouldn't be in as deep of a mess if he had played more this season. Always looked for the ball and wanted to go forwards, didn't always pay off but that's the risk of his style of play. Like usual was blowing after 60 mins but he is certainly worthy of those 60 mins.

CKR 5 - the chap is marmite and I will admit now that I'm on the side of "you are not an international anymore and infact just a distinctly average championship player". He held the ball up well but his decision making today was very poor, tried the "worldy" way too often much to the crowds grumbles.

Rhodes- 6 worked far harder than lately and this showed in the winning of a corner deep in stoppage time for our second. Criticism of him would be he had a few good chances today unlike usual, one chance being a one on one that he should have buried all day long to put us 3-0 up.

[rovermagic]

I think Wolves, Barnsley and Bristol will be relegated.

I think so too. In Football League Show look on Dean Saunders face said it all.

[Mike Graham]

That will be 65 years for me.

That's nice

[47er]

"How they get a crowd of 13,300 is a joke. Well less than 1/3 full.........probably 8,000 to 9,000 max."

Reading this article from yesterday's Guardian Topman,you could be right!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/apr/12/manchester-united-attendances-police-figures?

[Stuart]

How can figures be massaged for Cup matches? Are thousands of "free" tickets issued and then hidden in a box somewhere?

[Beta Ray Bill]

"How they get a crowd of 13,300 is a joke. Well less than 1/3 full.........probably 8,000 to 9,000 max."

Reading this article from yesterday's Guardian Topman,you could be right!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/apr/12/manchester-united-attendances-police-figures?

I can understand if United are selling 10k more tickets than attending, but Rovers selling 4k more?

[DE.]

What's most frustrating for me is when someone picks up the ball and has a run with it, (more often than not that someone is Todd Kane) everyone in front of them seems to stand still and let the attack break down.

This is one of our biggest problems and the reason our creative players struggled to make an impact. It's probably why Rochina tried to all it all himself and why Rhodes normally has to as well - the bulk of the team just don't work for each other. I'm not sure if it's lack of confidence or lack of ability but they don't seem to want the ball or have the intelligence to run into a position and watch the player with the ball at the same time. To an extent it's down to the poor coaching of the last two years, but 'pass and move' is a basic football fundamental and these players don't (or won't) do it.

[tomphil]

How can figures be massaged for Cup matches? Are thousands of "free" tickets issued and then hidden in a box somewhere?

When we were at Arsenal in the cup there were thousands of empty seats around the stadium apart from our section. we estimated it at about 50k yet im sure the official crowd was given as 59/60k ? It's a strange one but seems common practise at the huge clubs.

[Stuart]

When we were at Arsenal in the cup there were thousands of empty seats around the stadium apart from our section. we estimated it at about 50k yet im sure the official crowd was given as 59/60k ? It's a strange one but seems common practise at the huge clubs.

I presume all these clubs manage their tax returns with better accuracy? Free tickets which are unused should surely be destroyed and not counted as a gate receipts? Sounds really dodgy.

[K-Hod]

Thought we were alright yesterday, Kaz and Josh Morris both had a nightmare though IMO.

As an aside, I thought Derby would have brought miles more fans than that,I swear the last time we played them they brought about 4/5k??Can't have been more than a few hundred there yesterday...

[McClarky]

Glad I missed the game yesterday. Sounds as dismal as almost every other game this season. I can't put my finger on why we re so dire but surely no team could ever have gone through a whole season with so few highlights as we have had. Even when we do score the goals are streaky and due to defensive errors. Watching the goals from the other Div 2 games yesterday there were some crackers and I was thinking I can't remember us scoring a goal like that all year. Just check out Peterboro's goals as an example. The sooner this torture is over for another year the better, whichever league we end up in.

[Stuart]

Glad I missed the game yesterday. Sounds as dismal as almost every other game this season. I can't put my finger on why we re so dire but surely no team could ever have gone through a whole season with so few highlights as we have had. Even when we do score the goals are streaky and due to defensive errors. Watching the goals from the other Div 2 games yesterday there were some crackers and I was thinking I can't remember us scoring a goal like that all year. Just check out Peterboro's goals as an example. The sooner this torture is over for another year the better, whichever league we end up in.

I felt like this when the put up Rovers' goal of the season competition nominations on the big screen. Very poor selection. Dunn v Burnley will probably win on account of the timing/significance.

Oddly they didn't include Rhodes goal away at Posh (sublime pass by Rochina - which is probably the reason it wasn't) but included the home one. Maybe they were selected by the same person who picked Dann as MoM yesterday.

[tomphil]

Thought we were alright yesterday, Kaz and Josh Morris both had a nightmare though IMO.

As an aside, I thought Derby would have brought miles more fans than that,I swear the last time we played them they brought about 4/5k??Can't have been more than a few hundred there yesterday...

Usually very well supported on the road are Derby but believe it or not they have had some sub 300/400 followings this season. Of course it never gets mentioned apart from by Forset fans whilst we get pilloried for it by the rest of the country

[47er]

How can figures be massaged for Cup matches? Are thousands of "free" tickets issued and then hidden in a box somewhere?

United make their season ticket -holders buy Cup-tie tickets whether they want to or not. Maybe that's the answer?

[tomphil]

Glad I missed the game yesterday. Sounds as dismal as almost every other game this season. I can't put my finger on why we re so dire but surely no team could ever have gone through a whole season with so few highlights as we have had. Even when we do score the goals are streaky and due to defensive errors. Watching the goals from the other Div 2 games yesterday there were some crackers and I was thinking I can't remember us scoring a goal like that all year. Just check out Peterboro's goals as an example. The sooner this torture is over for another year the better, whichever league we end up in.

Yesterdays game wasn't great by any stretch but by recent standards it was ok. It was a routine victory really against a hard working but very poor side. The kind of victory which SHOULD have been the norm at Ewood this season against a lot of sides.

[Tom]

This is one of our biggest problems and the reason our creative players struggled to make an impact. It's probably why Rochina tried to all it all himself and why Rhodes normally has to as well - the bulk of the team just don't work for each other. I'm not sure if it's lack of confidence or lack of ability but they don't seem to want the ball or have the intelligence to run into a position and watch the player with the ball at the same time. To an extent it's down to the poor coaching of the last two years, but 'pass and move' is a basic football fundamental and these players don't (or won't) do it.

What strikes me is that under any manager this season we haven't seemed to have any actual tactics, Eric black and Appleton had a gameplan of don't concede and hope to nick one but games seem to just happen around us with us going along for the ride

I felt like this when the put up Rovers' goal of the season competition nominations on the big screen. Very poor selection. Dunn v Burnley will probably win on account of the timing/significance.

Oddly they didn't include Rhodes goal away at Posh (sublime pass by Rochina - which is probably the reason it wasn't) but included the home one. Maybe they were selected by the same person who picked Dann as MoM yesterday.

Rochina did have two goals in there to be fair

By the way who would you have has as MOTM? The only other contenders for me were Todd Kane and maybe Hanley and Sando

[thenodrog]

This is one of our biggest problems and the reason our creative players struggled to make an impact. It's probably why Rochina tried to all it all himself and why Rhodes normally has to as well - the bulk of the team just don't work for each other. I'm not sure if it's lack of confidence or lack of ability but they don't seem to want the ball or have the intelligence to run into a position and watch the player with the ball at the same time. To an extent it's down to the poor coaching of the last two years, but 'pass and move' is a basic football fundamental and these players don't (or won't) do it.

Exactly right. We used to call em ball watchers and this season the squad appears chock full of them.

There is a myth on the terraces that professional footballers in poor teams lose their passing ability. It's wrong, what happens is that so often their only options are tightly marked cos they haven't moved into space and releasing the ball becomes a 50:50 situation.

I must say that on the games that I have been to I have been dismayed this season by the number of touches our players need. Three being the norm way too often.

[Stuart]

Rochina did have two goals in there to be fair

By the way who would you have has as MOTM? The only other contenders for me were Todd Kane and maybe Hanley and Sando

Fair enough on the Rochina point.

I'd have gone for the Sandman yesterday. Dann and Hanley didn't stop him having two massive saves to make. One he had no right make to really.

United make their season ticket -holders buy Cup-tie tickets whether they want to or not. Maybe that's the answer?

Good point. Didn't realise they still did that.

[AggyBlue]

Why was there loads of coppers outside the BBE after the game, what were they expecting?

[Guest Wen Y Hu]

Parsonblue's match report is now published to the front page here.