[Archived] Match Preview: Rovers v Huddersfield Town - 21st Sept 2013

[Majiball]

Agreed. We need to stop giving so much respect to the opposition and get at them.

In this respect Bowyer's negative final substitution on Saturday did him no favours.

They were too late, he needed to make the first move.

[perthblue02]

Was Mr.Shaw present for this game ?

Think him and Burnley Bob shared a taxi over to Yarkshire , dropping piggy off at Bramall lane before taking Bob to Elland Road to cheer on their teams

[Guest Wen Y Hu]

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

[Boner]

Thanks, Parson.

[Amo]

Just to clarify, we did DRAW this game, didn't we?

It's only, from the overreactions on here, I thought Huddersfield had spanked us eight ways to Sunday.

[Parsonblue]

Just to clarify, we did DRAW this game, didn't we?

It's only, from the overreactions on here, I thought Huddersfield had spanked us eight ways to Sunday.

I take it you enjoyed the game then? Fair enough, everyone sees the game differently. I'd love to know what you found so entertaining about watching that game.

[Amo]

I take it you enjoyed the game then? Fair enough, everyone sees the game differently. I'd love to know what you found so entertaining about watching that game.

I never mentioned enjoyment or entertainment. Drawing against Huddersfield, who have made a decent start to the season, does not warrant the kind of response we've seen so far (e.g. the Bowyer thread).

[tomphil]

I take it you enjoyed the game then? Fair enough, everyone sees the game differently. I'd love to know what you found so entertaining about watching that game.

We've seen plenty boring games before even in the Prem. They happen from time to time so no big deal but hopefully it doesn't become a habit and GB gets to grips with being more positive at home. We'd probably have lost that game last season.

[den]

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

Thanks Parson.

[den]

We have to accept now that our world is the world of Huddesfield, Barnsley and Charlton much as it was throughout the 1970's and 1980's before Jack's money.

Yes we mixed it for almost twenty years at the top table, first outstripping then competing robustly with the giants of the game.

But many of us around a little before knew it might well be transitory and so it has proved.

There is now no justification in people coming on here claiming that we're a far bigger club than this lot or that lot - we simply aren't

Wecare a lower half of the Championship side watched by a loyal regular 12000 or so home fans whose only pecuniary advantage is based with the utmost fragility on the whims of a family of lunatics who could withdraw their dubious backing at the drop of a hat

Our summer signings, while mostly as some have said, young, British with a point to prove are no materially better than those of a dozen or more divisional rivals

Had Rovers summer acquisitions been David Jones,Michael Kightly, Nathan Delfouneso, Theo Robinson, Martin Paterson and Chris McCann our fans would have been equally excited or underwhelmed - we simply signed a lot of blokes who have been in the past adequate at this level or lower and some convinced themselves that in itself would guarantee such a huge improvement only a promotion push could ensue

Just because players are perceived to be "hungry, with a point to prove" doesn't always guarantee they will prove it. Bowyer's pre-deadline activity was almost an admission in itself after pre-season that some of the summer signings had looked rather less up to it than hoped even in the friendlies

I would be amazed if more than 2 or 3 out of ten or eleven prove any better long-term than some of those already on the books. It won't be for lack of effort, more just not being up to it - as Parsonblue has pointed out when you pick up players for nothing, there's usually a reason they cost nothing

In reality, if these players blossom collectively into a materially better side, it will likely only be one which achieves the relative comfort of safe mid-table with a few weeks to spare

I stand to be corrected but have thus far seen no evidence to suggest we will put a run together at any stage to trouble the top 6 and in truth when I invested in season tickets I never expected us to

My expectations are as low and modest as they were in the Saxton/Mackay eras and I would gladly take being pleasantly surprised as I often was then as a bonus

So for now I won't be coming on here carping about what a big club we are in comparison to worthy and industrious opponents, nor assuming that every home game is a "banker three points"

We will have to work very hard and have our share of fortune even to achieve ordinariness this season and the sooner one or two settle for that, the less over-reaction there will be to the inevitable disappointments to come

I agree with a lot of what you say Meadows, but I don't see much over reaction.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

I agree with a lot of what you say Meadows, but I don't see much over reaction.

Surely the point is we are all incredulous at how the Loons have been taken in? They have hemorrhaged money to Agents/managers/players - yet we should still be grateful they are continuing to plow in more to keep us in mid-table? Utter incompetent mis-management of the highest order - we have seen it at Leeds/Wolves/Pompey et al, but the powers that be turn a blind eye to amateurs/charletons & idiots who want a piece of the action. I viewed as many others did, a snore, bore, 0-0 draw on Sat (although there were nowhere near 14,500) with a willing team but very limited ability. Yes we are a struggling mid-table Championship side and we should get used to it, but I long for the time we are so with an ownership that actually cares!

[thenodrog]

Surely the point is we are all incredulous at how the Loons have been taken in? They have hemorrhaged money to Agents/managers/players - yet we should still be grateful they are continuing to plow in more to keep us in mid-table? Utter incompetent mis-management of the highest order - we have seen it at Leeds/Wolves/Pompey et al, but the powers that be turn a blind eye to amateurs/charletons & idiots who want a piece of the action. I viewed as many others did, a snore, bore, 0-0 draw on Sat (although there were nowhere near 14,500) with a willing team but very limited ability. Yes we are a struggling mid-table Championship side and we should get used to it, but I long for the time we are so with an ownership that actually cares!

Carefulwhat you wish for..... Last time we had that (apart from the Walker years) we couldn't even pay the milkman.

We have to accept now that our world is the world of Huddesfield, Barnsley and Charlton much as it was throughout the 1970's and 1980's before Jack's money.

Yes we mixed it for almost twenty years at the top table, first outstripping then competing robustly with the giants of the game.

But many of us around a little before knew it might well be transitory and so it has proved.

There is now no justification in people coming on here claiming that we're a far bigger club than this lot or that lot - we simply aren't

Wecare a lower half of the Championship side watched by a loyal regular 12000 or so home fans whose only pecuniary advantage is based with the utmost fragility on the whims of a family of lunatics who could withdraw their dubious backing at the drop of a hat

Our summer signings, while mostly as some have said, young, British with a point to prove are no materially better than those of a dozen or more divisional rivals

Had Rovers summer acquisitions been David Jones,Michael Kightly, Nathan Delfouneso, Theo Robinson, Martin Paterson and Chris McCann our fans would have been equally excited or underwhelmed - we simply signed a lot of blokes who have been in the past adequate at this level or lower and some convinced themselves that in itself would guarantee such a huge improvement only a promotion push could ensue

Just because players are perceived to be "hungry, with a point to prove" doesn't always guarantee they will prove it. Bowyer's pre-deadline activity was almost an admission in itself after pre-season that some of the summer signings had looked rather less up to it than hoped even in the friendlies

I would be amazed if more than 2 or 3 out of ten or eleven prove any better long-term than some of those already on the books. It won't be for lack of effort, more just not being up to it - as Parsonblue has pointed out when you pick up players for nothing, there's usually a reason they cost nothing

In reality, if these players blossom collectively into a materially better side, it will likely only be one which achieves the relative comfort of safe mid-table with a few weeks to spare

I stand to be corrected but have thus far seen no evidence to suggest we will put a run together at any stage to trouble the top 6 and in truth when I invested in season tickets I never expected us to

My expectations are as low and modest as they were in the Saxton/Mackay eras and I would gladly take being pleasantly surprised as I often was then as a bonus

So for now I won't be coming on here carping about what a big club we are in comparison to worthy and industrious opponents, nor assuming that every home game is a "banker three points"

We will have to work very hard and have our share of fortune even to achieve ordinariness this season and the sooner one or two settle for that, the less over-reaction there will be to the inevitable disappointments to come

Wise words BUT wasted words meadows. So many people don't want to face that sort of reallity. They'll blank it from their minds and stick their heads back in the ground immediately.

[Muddboy]

Couldn't go on Saturday so just watching the highlights on Rovers Player.

What on earth has happened to Todd Kane? Looks like he was all over the place at the weekend. Really not good.

I'm not sure GB can justify picking him for too much longer. With Henley out, I think I'd rather see Jason Lowe play at right back right now.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

My point Gordon, as many have said, is that I would take a hit for someone/somebody that cared. I'm a mid/late 70's supporter so know pain. Not a glory hunter, enjoyed FM cup final, thinking that was the only time I'd watch BR at Wembley! I would rather they feck off, if a fan base took over, a la Pompey. They have stripped us of dignity.

[DE.]

Couldn't go on Saturday so just watching the highlights on Rovers Player.

What on earth has happened to Todd Kane? Looks like he was all over the place at the weekend. Really not good.

I'm not sure GB can justify picking him for too much longer. With Henley out, I think I'd rather see Jason Lowe play at right back right now.

Todd's a young player, we can't expect consistency from him. It's one of the pitfalls of bringing in a youth loanee. Some weeks he'll be good, some weeks he'll be bad. We can at least console ourselves with the fact he is not and never will be Bradley Orr.

[tonyoz]

Huddersfield Match

Imo

O Instance of very good play

O Instance of decent play

O Disappointing or poor play

O Terrible play

h hoof upfield

( ) set pieces

Kean OOO

Kane OOOOOOOOOOOhhh

Dann OOOOOOOOOOOOhhhhh

Hanley OOOOOOOOOOOOOhhhh

Spurr OOOOOO(O)OOOhhhhhhh

Lowe OOOOOO

Evans OOOOOOOOOOO(O)OOOh

Cairney O(O)OOOOOOOO(O)OOOO

Taylor OOOOOOOOOOO

King OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Rhodes OOOOO

Best OOOOOO

Judge OOOOO(OO)OOO

Williamson OOO

Highlights and Lowlights

3 KING is dispossessed in a dangerous position and Town man gets a shot on goal.

8 Great cross from SPURR Rhodes can’t quite get there.

15 KING threads a neat ball into the box but Rhodes fails to connect cleanly and ball rolls past post.

16 LOWE wins ball tenaciously in final third.

16 Another very good cross from SPURR. Taylor can’t quite get on the end of it.

17 Terrible pass from LOWE spoils a promising attack.

25 SPURR wins the ball and delivers a good cross to Rhodes but header is straight at goalie.

31 EVANS darts forward and plays a lovely ball into the box for King to run on to. King's attempted cross is blocked.

32 Another good corner from CAIRNEY. Met cleanly by Hanley but, disappointing finish over the bar.

33 KEAN pulls off a great full-length, one handed save.

38 Excellent cross from the right by CAIRNEY, RHODES misjudges misses his header.

65 TAYLOR cuts inside past a couple of defenders and chips a shot just over the bar.

71 DANN gives ball away in a dangerous position. Cairney heads out for a corner.

72 SPURR and Kean mess up a simple back-pass situation and we are lucky to escape with a corner!

E&OE

[jim mk2]

We have to accept now that our world is the world of Huddesfield, Barnsley and Charlton much as it was throughout the 1970's and 1980's before Jack's money.

Yes we mixed it for almost twenty years at the top table, first outstripping then competing robustly with the giants of the game.

But many of us around a little before knew it might well be transitory and so it has proved.

There is now no justification in people coming on here claiming that we're a far bigger club than this lot or that lot - we simply aren't

Wecare a lower half of the Championship side watched by a loyal regular 12000 or so home fans whose only pecuniary advantage is based with the utmost fragility on the whims of a family of lunatics who could withdraw their dubious backing at the drop of a hat

Our summer signings, while mostly as some have said, young, British with a point to prove are no materially better than those of a dozen or more divisional rivals

Had Rovers summer acquisitions been David Jones,Michael Kightly, Nathan Delfouneso, Theo Robinson, Martin Paterson and Chris McCann our fans would have been equally excited or underwhelmed - we simply signed a lot of blokes who have been in the past adequate at this level or lower and some convinced themselves that in itself would guarantee such a huge improvement only a promotion push could ensue

Just because players are perceived to be "hungry, with a point to prove" doesn't always guarantee they will prove it. Bowyer's pre-deadline activity was almost an admission in itself after pre-season that some of the summer signings had looked rather less up to it than hoped even in the friendlies

I would be amazed if more than 2 or 3 out of ten or eleven prove any better long-term than some of those already on the books. It won't be for lack of effort, more just not being up to it - as Parsonblue has pointed out when you pick up players for nothing, there's usually a reason they cost nothing

In reality, if these players blossom collectively into a materially better side, it will likely only be one which achieves the relative comfort of safe mid-table with a few weeks to spare

I stand to be corrected but have thus far seen no evidence to suggest we will put a run together at any stage to trouble the top 6 and in truth when I invested in season tickets I never expected us to

My expectations are as low and modest as they were in the Saxton/Mackay eras and I would gladly take being pleasantly surprised as I often was then as a bonus

So for now I won't be coming on here carping about what a big club we are in comparison to worthy and industrious opponents, nor assuming that every home game is a "banker three points"

We will have to work very hard and have our share of fortune even to achieve ordinariness this season and the sooner one or two settle for that, the less over-reaction there will be to the inevitable disappointments to come

Defeatist, negative, lazy and wrong.

Swansea City are showing what is possible with good management on and off the football pitch.

[Parsonblue]

Defeatist, negative, lazy and wrong.

Swansea City are showing what is possible with good management on and off the football pitch.

Jim, Swansea did this once before if you remember when they beat us to promotion to the top flight in 1980-81. They then hurtled down the leagues at an alarming rate and only avoided dropping out of the League altogether with a last day win. Look at Cardiff, relegated from the top flight in 1962 and only returned in 2013. Look at North End, relegated in 1960 and they have yet to return. The Rovers may well return to the top flight but if it is in 50+ years time I doubt there will be many on this board who will be around to see it.

Fortunes fluctuate and I firmly believe that we are about to embark on another period of lower league football as we did between 1966 and 1992. I think the difference this time is that after such a long period in the Premier League and the way we brought about our own demise it is more difficult for supporters to accept the present position.

With the difficult financial position we are trying to rebuild with youth but that is a long term project and watching our Under-21's this season really does illustrate just how bare the cupboard is with good young prospects. Watching them being taken apart at the Reebok last night - and the final score could easily have been 7 or 8-0 - merely underlined just how difficult it is going to be to develop sufficient young players to form the backbone of a squad. Realism is not defeatism.

[roversR4ever]

Oh god. Having just read the Bowyer thread and now this one.

We need a season of stability, whether it ends up mid table or higher. With the complete turmoil we have had we need a manager for longer than a season. I know we have a huge issue that after this season the parachute money goes down massively but the problem is the damage was done last year. If Bowyer had done all this at the beginning of last year, then last January and this summer it would have been a case of adding the two to four players to the squad to push for promotion. He probably would have had more money to do it as we wouldn't have wasted so much cash last year.

The owners need to understand that. Basically some fans and the owners are expecting that in one season Bowyer has to put together a promotion pushing team whilst hugely cutting costs and very little time to do it in. Simply the owners, need to take and accept that they are responsible for the situation not Bowyer.

Yes there is no doubt the team on Saturday lacked a lot of creativity. Ive said a lot of times that we need Cairney deep and someone far more creative in the number 10. That then in my view helps to balance the team between grafting and creativity.

The number 10 position is the crux of the issue. Without Dunn and Rochina to play the number 10 position we will struggle. It does seem that no one in the squad is good enough - or better than Cairney certainly in Bowyers opinion. The other option is for two upfront - one of them being strong mobile forward who can hold the ball up, but the group of players we have in my mind suit the use of a creative number 10. Still that target striker could help get our wider players involved further up the pitch.

The issue I have is that in my view using Cairney there weakens our midfield at the moment too much. Perhaps with games Evans and Williamson will get the sharpness and fitness between them to play the cm like Williamson and Jones did last year. Evans seemed to be a little better all round on Saturday, Williamson in reality is a few games away at least. Then though I get worried that there is not quite enough creativity in the wide players. That then means no Lowe who unlike some I think has done well but who I think is more suited to playing alongside a Cairney than Evans.

Simply if the owners want more than midtable security this season they need to be prepared to fund Bowyer spending cash in terms of wages to loan someone who can play the number 10. That's no easy task finding that type of player who can play the role and adapt to the championship in the time required.

I cant believe I am praying that Dunn gets fit asap and hope how ever unlikely that he stays fit until January. It was incredibly unlucky to lose Rochina so early in the season, whether he is going to be fit enough to play in January is doubt full. The problem is that the number 10 position is an expensive position to fill, but without doing so our most expensive player is not involved enough.

Of course it doesn't help that we ended up last season getting in the three strikers we have that on paper just don't look suited to complimenting each other. That wasnt Bowyers fault either.

So if talk of Sheby coming back to evaluate the position we are in is true, its complete madness. Its partly his mess that Bowyer is having to sort out. The squad after last season was so unbalanced and bloated it was untrue. The best managers in the world would struggle to sort out the mess whilst having to cut costs.

We simply must not forget some of what Bowyer has been doing is to cut costs. Imagine if he had been allowed to spend at the level of the wages of players he has had to cut out of the squad.

[jim mk2]

All those clubs you mention have been badly managed. Norwich, Southampton, West Brom etc are good examples of clubs that have moved around between the divisions but have bounced back to the top flight time and again because they have been in the main well managed and have not accepted their fate. Just because Rovers spent a long period out of the top league does not mean we are condemned to do so again. This is not wishful thinking or pie-in-the-sky dreaming but a realistic view of what can be achieved with ambition and confidence.

[Rover_Shaun]

The best managers in the world would struggle to sort out the mess whilst having to cut costs.

I bet they wouldn't. Hence they are the best 'managers' in the world

The club baulked at finding a proper manager 4 times now so it's hardly surprising expectations are still in the gutter along with the clubs ambition

[den]

Oh god. Having just read the Bowyer thread and now this one.

We need a season of stability, whether it ends up mid table or higher.

?

[roversR4ever]

?

In terms of the idea of Sheby coming anywhere near this club again. We don't need his input in any way or shape.

That Bowyer needs to be given some time. So far its 8 games in which we have had a high number of injuries alongside a new team.

All after a period of massive turmoil. I am going to judge Bowyer after at least a full season.

Im not saying I don't have hope, I actually think that there is hope. I actually think that there is the basis of a decent team, its young and there will need to be additions to it. I think Evans will keep improving, Cairney is good as a deeper cm, Williamson will add much needed experience to the squad, Lowe I genuinely think will keep developing as a player (I know some don't). King I do think will improve, Taylor is solid. I don't know about Marshall - I don't doubt that he has the ability but we need to see over time whether he gets back his confidence and also he has to be lacking sharpness as prior to moving he wasn't playing much.

Unfortunately we have suffered badly with the loss of both Dunn and Rochina, its as simple as that. Its really unbalanced the team. Look at the dingles - do you think they would be up there if they lost Vokes and Ings?

[Rover_Shaun]

What if the attempt at 'stability' is lower than mid-table? Should I imply from that you'd recommend a managerial change?

[den]

What if the attempt at 'stability' is lower than mid-table? Should I imply from that you'd recommend a managerial change?

That's the thing isn't it. Stability is great if you have Alex Ferguson. Not so great if you have Brian Kidd.