[Archived] Doncaster vs Rovers

[ABBEY]

Ha sorry it was only later I relised it was you.

[perthblue02]

To be fair most of them were hungover after getting their A-Level results...

I know we have a young squad, but no excuse to be out on the p*** before playing a game , surprised that didn't get offered as an excuse in the post match interview

[G Somerset Rover]

Just read the 'fluke' comments as well- is Gary Bowyer 10 years old??

Bowyer's comments sound like they're from a school kid who has just lost a game of FIFA online. 'But Mum I can't go to bed yet that guy fluked it'.

[LondonRovers]

Lethargic. Lackadaisical. Lackluster. I could go on.

Barring the first 15 minutes and a 5 minute spell midway through the second half we were absolutely keaning awful. Kane in particular was a liability and our midfield, barring some nifty passing in the spells mentioned above, were basically nonexistent. How we only lost 2-0 is beyond me as they played us off the park for 70 minutes of the game.

Once again Rhodes had next to no service, our subs were ineffective and didn't seem to care. King in particular just seemed to be there to pick up his match bonus, and I'd need at least one hand to count the number of times Best lost the ball and just stood there like a statue waiting for someone else to chase it back down. We constantly gave the ball away far too cheaply and often deep inside our own half.

Bowyer seemed a little bit lost as far as I could see, no shouting or encouragement, just stood in the technical area not really knowing what to do or how to stop the rot. Blaming bad results on poor refereeing decisions on the oppositions goals or flukes just isn't good enough when we only managed one shot on target in 90 minutes against what should be significantly weaker opposition. We've still got 43 games to turn this around and make something of this season but something needs to be done now. A change in attitude from almost all the squad, a map of the pitch showing where the wings are, and a lesson in how to provide service to our main threat are all sorely needed.

As an aside, a small minority of Rovers fans once again embarassing themselves by fighting amongst themselves at half time, and an even smaller minority shouting racist abuse at the opposition. Kind of ironic when you think our only point so far this season is courtesy of Best.

Here's hoping that by the next time I make it to a game for Bournemouth away something will have clicked.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

They are an embarassment. I think the team being kean is attracting a different type of young fan, they just go to act the knob rather than back the team. If we continue to bobble around the lower divisions and they keep turning up acting like cretins they'll come a cropper at some ground or other that still lives in the dark ages don't you worry.

Bolton's the biggest throwback around these days. The fans act like animals, the stewards act like police (but only to away fans) and most of the time the police are nowhere to be seen. Was chaos there last season.

As distasteful as a minority of our support can be, they're not on the same level as some clubs.

[G Somerset Rover]

I said it a couple of weeks ago but we should be hesitant in buying Kane if offered (as was mentioned in the LET). For now. Seems a bit of a Vratty Gresko to me.

Hopefully Henley returning can give him a kick up the arse.

[saxo1man30]

I WAS THERE and totally agree with the bbc match report, other than the `deserved win` bit. it says that, then goes on to say how we dominated the game(with 60% possestion)!. doncaster did far better with the chances they managed to muster(one being a complete fluke) and defended very well as a unit, that was all. they played very much like the away team.

unfortunatly i`m sure many of our fans at the game will CHOOSE TO remember more the latter stages when doncaster started controlling possesion, keeping the ball with some ease and therefore snuffing us out as a threat, but to me our players had mentally given it up by then, with nothing going our way..

the `we want venkys out` chants near the end were an embarresment, that must have made it all the more amusing to the donny fans(not to mention our neighbours), with some of our fans acting like spoilt kids that didn`t get what the toy they wanted..

it takes time for a team to gel, it doesnt happen overnight.

[Steve Moss]

Kean, Berg, Appleton and Bowyer.

Four consecutive rookie managers when the job is crying out for an experienced head.

I don't think we should be writing of Gary Bowyer just yet. It's only been 3 league and 1 cup matches. We'll win some we should lose and we'll lose some we should win, that's football. We're just on the short end of the stick at the moment.

Having said that, I understand your point. The board and the owners have been abysmal in their decision making over the last few years.

[saxo1man30]

been through most of the posts since the game finished and i have to say, what a load of keans. most of you weren`t even there but have pinpointed your respective favourite hate figures as usual. really, just shut the hell up, sat there with t`bloody wireless. .

[RevidgeBlue]

Saxo's version of the match does seem to correspond with someone I spoke to late last night who'd been to the game.

He reckoned nothing much happened for either side until they scored from a goal which was very poor defending on our part. In the second half we absolutely dominated possession without ever really threatning, it was all sideways and back etc. Then Doncaster scored a complete fluke to make it 2-0 completely against the run of play.

Apparently we looked weak up front, this bloke thought Rhodes struggled on his own up front against 2 centre halves because he didn't have the physical presence to worry them. Thought we looked better when Best came on alongside Rhodes to give us more of a physicsl presence generally.

Kane apparently very poor, King "useless" when he came on. Couldn't understand the first substitution of Cairney for Evans.

Another major problem in his view was that all the players we' ve tried on the left so far be it King Judge or Taylor, they're all right footed. In this bloke's view that would be ok if they looked to cut inside but in his view they always look to go outside, can't do anything with it, then have to look to turn inside by which time the chance has gone.

[saxo1man30]

Saxo's version of the match does seem to correspond with someone I spoke to late last night who'd been to the game.

He reckoned nothing much happened for either side until they scored from a goal which was very poor defending on our part. In the second half we absolutely dominated possession without ever really threatning, it was all sideways and back etc. Then Doncaster scored a complete fluke to make it 2-0 completely against the run of play.

Apparently we looked weak up front, this bloke thought Rhodes struggled on his own up front against 2 centre halves because he didn't have the physical presence to worry them. Thought we looked better when Best came on alongside Rhodes to give us more of a physicsl presence generally.

Kane apparently very poor, King "useless" when he came on. Couldn't understand the first substitution of Cairney for Evans.

Another major problem in his view was that all the players we' ve tried on the left so far be it King Judge or Taylor, they're all right footed. In this bloke's view that would be ok if they looked to cut inside but in his view they always look to go outside, can't do anything with it, then have to look to turn inside by which time the chance has gone.

don`t get me wrong, it wasn`t great, but it also was FAR from the awful stuff we`ve seen in the past. what can be expected at the moment when we`ve got almost a completely new team?

as somebody said earlier in the thread, fans critisise venkys and shebby but most on here are currently acting as irrationally and reactionary as they ever have been!!

give bowyer and the team time, PLEASE!

[bigbrandjohn]

A bit early to go onto the ledge. It takes time to bed down any team. However i am sure we will sell Rhodes who like most of our latter day strikers have one good season and go off the boil. It won't be pretty but mid table obscurity beckons. And that is all we can truly expect. The teams coming down are good, the teams coming up are on a roll and the teams who missed out on the play offs are up for it. And then there is the anomaly of Blackpool.

[Waggy76]

I am not so sure selling Rhodes will lead to mid table obscurity ...

Rhodes will be sold cos his stock is falling and Venkys want to recoup some money , we paid far too much ...

Relegation is more probable than possible !

[arbitro]

Paul Dickov's tactics were far better than Bowyer's. When we had the ball in our own half we were faced by two banks of five and four and didn't have a clue how to get through them. Consequently we passed the ball along the back four for long periods with the occasional short pass into a midfield player who would invariably pass it back. The tone was set early on with Hanley's poor back pass to Kean. After this there were so many individual errors we were like a park team. Kean simply is too weak in the air and his kicking is atrocious. Hanley's head was still at Wembley and Dann isn't physical enough. Our wide players were ineffective and predictable. Our only hope was from set plays. Bowyer has a massive job but didn't do himself any favours with his post match comments. He is either very naive or completely trying to paper over the huge cracks which are showing. One point from nine represents a really disappointing start and unless Bowyer has a rethink on his tactics we are in for a long season. Quite simply we are too easy to play against.

[Hekla]

The players are a disgrace. They sign and say they are delighted to sign for a historic club and then they play like they don't want to know. I am not usually a negative person but I have had enough. The players should play for the club regardless of who the manager is. The place is supposed to be this great atmosphere in the dressing room but we can't win football matches!

[DRFC1]

I apologise about the away fan comments , I had it in my mind you were relegated last season & this was your 1st season at this level for a while, also given the current financial difficulties & with many people on holiday it was a decent effort, had it have been today I expect you would have broken the 2k mark.

[Gav]

I have nothing but respect for the fans that travelled, sounds as though the players ONCE AGAIN completely let you down, but is it any surprise?

Sounds like nothing much has changed from last season, we have a bunch of average players, an average manger and owners that live on another planet. Until the owners sod off we're Keaned, but bringing in an experienced manager is the only way to get these average players putting a shift in.

[Gav]

I apologise about the away fan comments , I had it in my mind you were relegated last season & this was your 1st season at this level for a while, also given the current financial difficulties & with many people on holiday it was a decent effort, had it have been today I expect you would have broken the 2k mark.

The support was tremendous considering the 3yrs of lies and deceipt that's gone on at the club. From 10th in the premiership to bottom in the championship in 1 easy step - sell to owners that are thick as 2 short planks.....

As for this site I often think it's full of opposition supports or people that have never been to games. You only have to look at the predictions on this thread to understand why. We have a team that's full of cast offs that have shown no indications that we'd get anything from Donny last night, yet people thought we'd roll you over....

Anyway good win and all the best for the rest of the season.

Ps - stuff the dingles for us.

[bluefred]

don`t get me wrong, it wasn`t great, but it also was FAR from the awful stuff we`ve seen in the past. what can be expected at the moment when we`ve got almost a completely new team?

as somebody said earlier in the thread, fans critisise venkys and shebby but most on here are currently acting as irrationally and reactionary as they ever have been!!

give bowyer and the team time, PLEASE!

I think gary bowyer has a big decision to make , either get rid of Rhodes and use a different striking partnership or change the way the team is set up to accommodate him and play to his strengths like Huddersfield did .because at the moment we are effectively playing every game with ten men .Rhodes does not contribute enough to ensure a starting place in the team.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Our fans have taken and continue to take as you witnessed last night,one hell of a battering at the hands of our dispised owners and woeful team...our moral is rock bottom.

Well done on your victory btw DRFC1

[Parsonblue]

Personally, I think a touch of reality is required from some. The fact is that the Rovers have a group of players who are very average. They work hard, they do their best but that aren't the quality of player that we have been used to in the immediate past. We are not a Premier League club who can attract internationals from around the world anymore. We are what we are - a run of the mill, small town Championship club that is trying to survive on a shoestring budget. We have been here before and survived and we will continue to do so again. Let's be honest, Doncaster deserved to win because there was far more purpose to their play in the areas that mattered. In Theo Robinson they had a front runner who worked the channels and pulled our centre-backs apart. We had a static Rhodes who looks totally disinterested at the moment. In Jones and Khumalo they had two centre-backs who dominated and won everything in the air. We had Dann and Hanley who, once again, were found wanting when balls were whipped into our area. Doncaster's midfield looked to play the ball into the channels for Robinson and Brown to run onto whilst Lowe and Cairney settled for going backwards and sideways and whilst it retained possession it created nothing in terms of attack. However, given Rhodes lack of movement, the midfield had few options available to them.

On returning from Donny and looking back at this thread I really do think that some fans haven't yet grasped the fact that the days of Jack Walker, the Walker Trust, John Williams, Tom Finn, Souness, Hughes and Big Sam are long gone. We have returned to what we were in the period between 1966 and 1991. During that time we had some decent sides and some awful sides, but mainly we were bang average. This is a Championship club that, just like in days gone by, is struggling to balance the books off the pitch whilst trying to put out a reasonable side on the pitch. We all know that the blame for this situation rests with those in Pune but until THEY decide to sell up and move on we are stuck with them. I feel sorry for Gary having to try to work with the financial restraints that are in place in terms of building a squad whilst trying to manage the totally unrealistic expectations of sections of the fanbase. Doncaster beat us because they were better than us and the days of us lording it over other clubs are gone. A mid-table finish this season will be a decent outcome and one which I believe we are capable of achieving unless the owners panic and sack another manager without giving him the time needed to rebuild the club.

[OJRovers]

Agreed that long term we are a small town club, but right now we've got a turnover and budget far superior to the likes of Doncaster so should be putting on a better performance.

[den]

I WAS THERE and totally agree with the bbc match report, other than the `deserved win` bit. it says that, then goes on to say how we dominated the game(with 60% possestion)!. doncaster did far better with the chances they managed to muster(one being a complete fluke) and defended very well as a unit, that was all. they played very much like the away team.[/size]unfortunatly i`m sure many of our fans at the game will CHOOSE TO remember more the latter stages when doncaster started controlling possesion, keeping the ball with some ease and therefore snuffing us out as a threat, but to me our players had mentally given it up by then, with nothing going our way..[/size]

the `we want venkys out` chants near the end were an embarresment, that must have made it all the more amusing to the donny fans(not to mention our neighbours), with some of our fans acting like spoilt kids that didn`t get what the toy they wanted..[/size]

it takes time for a team to gel, it doesnt happen overnight.[/size]

I wasn't there Saxo, but like others I listened to commentary on Radio Lancs. So while we didn't have first hand knowledge like yourself, we had the benefit of the commentators views. Their view about Rovers possession lined up with your own, but they did continually say our possession was completely toothless -reflected by the fact that we had just one shot on target all night. They were also confused as to why Bowyer didn't change the tactics. They reported that we passed it sideways and backwards all night and that we desperately needed to become far more direct. We needed to get forward quicker. Bowyer mentioned that we passed the ball around well. You don't get points for passing the ball in areas that don't hurt anyone.

Saxo's version of the match does seem to correspond with someone I spoke to late last night who'd been to the game.

He reckoned nothing much happened for either side until they scored

Well it should have done shouldn't it?

Oh and Parson - asking the fans to get real and accept a toothless, poor display against any team, never mind Doncaster, won't cut much cloth with the majority.

[Athlete]

Saxo and rev wake up and smell the coffee that last nite was diabolical in all areas no positives what so ever outplayed outclassed end of up front no service whatsoever it really should have been 3 tactics and substitution wise bowyer was 2nd best to dickov don't gloss anything over it

BTW I went... Wish I never

Looks like we're in for another long season

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Good post Parsons...after last night's result I think the cold reality of the situation is hitting home for many.