[Archived] Rovers v Brentford: 17th March

[RevidgeBlue]

Rudy shattered ha ha .. He's a young professional athlete chaddy !! Get real

He does look like he's got the same fitness trainer as David Dunn at the moment though Abs.

[bob fleming]

Shame about the result because that was as enjoyable game as I've seen this season.

I thought at 2-1 we were reasonably comfortable but Marshall's appalling piece of play did for us and left us wide open. If he was injured he certainly didn't look it when he tried to take their defence on rather than laying Spurr in who'd made a lung bursting run on the overlap. He then sauntered back with no urgency leaving Spurr to try and cover his mistake. Poor attitude and application from Marshall there and it's not the first time in recent weeks that I've thought that.

The 4-4-2 worked well enough at times as we actually had width but after the inevitable Marshall sub we went back to the tried and failed 'inverted' wingers formation meaning we went too narrow and had no out ball. Cairney looked good centrally (and certainly laid to rest the myth that he can't tackle) but faded when he went out wide and our ability to keep the ball and play through midfield went with it.

The Rudy for Brown sub was as predictable as it was ineffective as surely it was time to go 3 at the back as a draw was no good anyway. Again Brown for me looked poor, probably playing at least a division above his capabilities. An honest trier at best for me.

Bright spots were Henley and Baptiste, the latter looking our best central defender by far. However, the biggest concern for me is the way we finished the game, all of our players looked shattered while Brentford's looked like they could play another 90 minutes. There's no way these players are being conditioned right and that's something there's no excuse for.

So, the top 6 is most definitely out of reach now with an unlikely shot at the cup and only pride in the league to play for. What a waste.

Just on Cairney, he was given the run around by a dwarf. A modern day Hildersley. As for Evans. Honestly, a weaker midfield I can scarcely remember.

Rudy shattered ha ha .. He's a young professional athlete chaddy !! Get real

Really? Great goal aside, how many athletic runs did he make?

[tomphil]

Rhodes was knackered. Rudy looked like he couldn't really be assed so nice guy gave him an early night.

[stpbrown]

I thought Brentford were terrific, they beat us in second gear and to me looked like they could step it up at will.

Pass and move, pass and move, support your man, give options.

No 21 Pritchard (?) what a player.

Can someone block in the Brentford coach and pull their unwanted manager off it?

I counted 5 yellow shirts in and around our box for their 3rd goal.

When was the last time we ever got 5 men in these positions in open play? Let alone away from home.

They knew they needed to win and went for it.

We knew we needed to win and hoped something would happen if we kept plodding away.

Leaving 3 men up top when defending free kicks and corners - one hugging the left touch line, one hugging the right and one in the middle. Terrific stuff

Puts real pressure on the attacking side not to deliver crap into the box as you are gonna be in trouble if you do!

Attacking in injury time when WINNING 3-2 AWAY. Attempting to kill the game off by making it 4-2, even if an error leads to 3-3. Not sure if that is a great idea or not but I can admire the spirit.

I've had enough of our pub football. Gentle chips up to Browny, Rhodsey, Rudy.

Attacking with a winger who looks up to see one man in the box.

GB will never be able to make us play like Brentford, Norwich, Derby or Middlesbrough.

We can knock off @#/? like Charlton all day long but we are not playing the same game as the above.

[Tom]

Spearing help us in centre midfield and we starting winning the ball back quicker

Don't think that's true in the slightest we barely won a ball in the middle in the second half

[tomphil]

To be fair I thought we started knocking about a bit better and getting a foot in midfield just after Spearing came on. Then Rudy went off and we just started thumping it forward to Brown instead, ball then drops in midfield and they are on it straight away. Unless we move away from hoofball as no1 tactic whoevers playing up top we'll never get anywhere.

[savage90]

Worth noting we played an extra man, Tunnicliffe, away at their place and they stuffed us. Bowyer has tried it all. Pritchard was FANSASTIC in both games, more so at their place, our guys couldn't get near the ball sadly. Loan players from Premier League clubs are massive at this level IMO Bamford, Bent, Boruc, Kalas, Shotton etc. their scorer today was an Everton player and Pritchard (Spurs loanee) is a great player and what a signing Jota was for them.

[AllRoverAsia]

Steele has to hold that shot for the winner. Shocking goalkeeping

Robbo should still be Rovers keeper. Bowyer is a lune.

[joey_big_nose]

Didn't see the game or listen so can't comment on the performance. Obviously gutting to lose after being ahead twice. Strange that Spearing was our best midfielder prior to him having to sit out at Bolton and Liverpool, and therefore well rested, but he has not got back in the side since?

Season over (FA Cup is a nice distraction, but i don't think realistically we are going to the final). Not sue what the next one will bring. Likely to be no Rhodes, Gestede or King. Need to be out looking for replacements on a shoe string. As someone mentioned first port of call should be season long loans from Premier League sides. You can get a cut above in that way. Pace and finishing ability should be the focus. If we can sign Spearing, Baptiste, Kilgallion and hold onto Marshall midfield and defence will be okay with minimal reinforcement. Could do with a specialist right back. And another quality central midfielder to replace Williamson. Jury out on keeper still.

In terms of the manager - sad state of affairs objectively. On paper the team we have should have made the playoffs this season. We have good players across the park for this divison - particularly Rhodes, Gestede, Marshall, Baptiste. And also clearly talented playes who have not performed as consistently as could be hoped - Cairney, Evans, Conway, Duffy, Hanley, Henley. Only player you could say has definately exceeded expectations is Olsson. So the season is a failure. At the heart of it is not getting the defence right all year, this has meant we have conceded cheap goals and played on the back foot far too much. And that has to lay with the manager. With the likes of Hanley, Kilgallion, Baptiste, Duffy, Spurr, Olsson - alongisde decent defensive midfield options like Williamson, Lowe and later Spearing - it should not have been too hard to perform better defensively. Not signing a proper right back was a serious issue never addressed. Seems to have gone away a bit with Henley coming on, which in turn seems to be the result of having Baptiste and Kilgallion in there instead of Hanley and Duffy. Again managers decisions.

If Bowyer could be pursuaded to move into a player development role and allow a more commanding and tactically astute manager brought in that would be ideal. Doubt the board or Venkys have the ability to make that happen though, nor see why Bowyer would take that deal. He's done enough (espeially after the cup run) to get a decent manager gig at another championship club probably on similar wages to what he gets at Rovers. Going back to player development is unlikely to seem attractive in that context.

On the other hand I am totally against sacking Bowyer unless we have someone demostrably better to bring in. Don't want to go back to the dark days of Kean, Berg, Appleton.... Sadly I doubt the board have any idea about what to do if Desai suddenly decides to pot Bowyer as they don't even (ludicrously) seem in the loop. That is the shambles that is Blackburn Rovers. If she gives him the boot I am sure panic will ensue, not to mention another daft power struggle over preferred candidates, and we will end up with an utter clown.

Bowyer has done enough for me to suggest that he would be better/as good as than the majority of appointments that could be made by this shower of idiots. It's not a case of "anyone would be an improvement" as some have argued, which is patently false and shows a remarkably short memory. If we still have him next season it is not the end of the world. But any half decent board (or owners) should be putting the feelers out now and seeing what is possible in terms of improvement. I would wager a large sum that has not having occured in a any co-ordinated or professional manner. Oh for John Williams to be here.

[RevidgeBlue]

Agree with most of what you say Jbn but on the player front I would say Marshall has been dreadfully disappointing after being on fire early in the season. This goes back to GB in my view. We need a manager who can get players like Marshall and Conway playing NOT at their best for only six games a season as opposed to playing their best six times a season.

Secondly, worrying about whom the owners might or might not appoint is not a valid reason in itself for keeping hold of GB if it is felt he isn't the right man for the job.

[Dortmund Rover 32]

Every time we lose its sack the manager on here bit pathetic really. Just gone 5/6 unbeaten winning 3 on the spin and drew at anfield.

[joey_big_nose]

Secondly, worrying about whom the owners might or might not appoint is not a valid reason in itself for keeping hold of GB if it is felt he isn't the right man for the job.

Disagree about that. You're saying we should let bowyer go as he is not the man for the job even if it becomes apparent that we cant get anyone better?

Makes no sense to me. You only replace someone with an improvement. No point rolling the dice for the sake of it and opening yourself up to someone much worse. That is incredibly bad decision making.

[andyroversmad]

Every time we lose its sack the manager on here bit pathetic really. Just gone 5/6 unbeaten winning 3 on the spin and drew at anfield.

It's not because we have just lost a match. We have under achieved all season and failed to get into the top 6 yet again. The Brentford match was the last bit of hope and as usual under Bowyer we have no chance of promotion again.

[LDRover]

Just on Cairney, he was given the run around by a dwarf. A modern day Hildersley. As for Evans. Honestly, a weaker midfield I can scarcely remember.

That'd be Prtitchard, on loan from Spurs. Don't be surprised if the 'modern day Hildersley' is pulling on a first team shirt in the Premiership next year, he's a quality player.

[Rover_Shaun]

Weelock laying on the excuses too

"Weary and injury-ravaged Rovers, playing their 12th game in the last 38 days"

That 1st XI was strong imo

[Dortmund Rover 32]

Injuries are a fact not an excuse. Bowyer should go at end of season but dont see why he gets pelters after every defeat esp when we are on a decent run of form. Anyway time to blood the youngsters now. Nothing to lose

[AllRoverAsia]

Just seen the goals. Steele had no chance with the 1st - big deflection. However he is crap with low shots from distance as in the 2nd and what the hell he was up to on the 3rd only he will know.

Steele is good for a flashy save, usually at mid height to his right, but can't do the basic easier ones.

How can a grown man be so so poor at kicking a ball? maybe he should be a Cricketer.

I played with better keepers at a good amateur level.

Steele inspires no confidence at all and just maybe with Steele behind him Hanley's game has suffered. Tin hat on.

[Kamy100]

Basically we are a team at the moment who can beat the average sides such as Sheff Weds, Bolton and Charlton but struggle against the better top 8 sides.

Is it because the players are not good enough or is it because the tactics employed by Gary aren't good enough?

I suspect that the answer is somewhere in between. Last night Brentford were decent but nothing more than that, Warburton made tactical changes at half time and had basically tried to pull or defence into wide positions to open up gaps through the middle and we didn't change our shape to counteract that.

That said in the end we still should have won, we had the chances to bury them in the first half and all 3 of their goals were defensive errors rather than good play by Brentford.

I said before the game that it was premature to get excited about a promotion push as over the last 3 years we have not shown any real consistency in terms of going on long winning runs, the first time we came up against one of the divisions better side we lost and that was despite Brentford not really playing overly well.

[Rover_Shaun]

Injuries are a fact not an excuse. Bowyer should go at end of season but dont see why he gets pelters after every defeat esp when we are on a decent run of form. Anyway time to blood the youngsters now. Nothing to lose

Injuries are an excuse when it affects the strength of your first team. Arguably that was probably our strongest XI apart from possibly Conway for Taylor and Olsson for Spur. Spurr would have been first choice but for his injury earlier in the season and fans have been crying out for Taylor to get a league start for weeks. Whilst Baptiste and Killgallon is the pairing most fans have been asking for for ages too.

So yes it was a very strong first XI. Had we won GB would have been waxing lyrical about walking wounded stepping up to the plate etc etc etc

But as managers bitch on about these days "It's a squad game". So that's what you have a squad for. Suck it up and carry on

[andyroversmad]

Warburton would not cost any compensation at the end of the season?

Bowyer just on a 12 month rolling contract?

Would rather have a experienced manger but Warburton is miles ahead of bowyer as a manager.

[AllRoverAsia]

Kamy wrote: ''Is it because the players are not good enough or is it because the tactics employed by Gary aren't good enough? I suspect that the answer is somewhere in between.''

I think that is precisely the problem - a poor to average manager (who is happy to finish just outside the play-offs knowing that he could never survive in the PL) and a very average squad with a couple of stand out players both of whom are strikers.

[Rover_Shaun]

BUT.........could another manager get an extra 10% out of those players?

You say the strikers are the main 2 but one of them gets castigated weekly whilst fans wax lyrical about the likes of Marshall and Cairney.

We win they are all brilliant and GB has assembled a talented squad. We lose and suddenly the players are all inconsistent duds.

Personally I think we have some good players, which GB should be given credit for. But GB lacks the nous to assemble them into a coherent team.

[K-Hod]

A better manager would have this squad playing better and be tactically better consistently.

The absolute basics of Championship football are to make yourselves hard to beat first and foremost, then focus on hard work and good attacking play, not a hotch potch of all 3. It's absolutely vital that you start with the defence first. Get that right, then move on to the other areas.

There's no point dissecting GB's post match, when all managers come out with the usual manager speak. Hell, even my Burnley supporting mates were mentioning Shaun Dyche's soundbites at the weekend!! To be fair to GB, he even acknowledged that our defending was poor for all 3 goals. We didn't shut them down at all.

People criticising Steele are right to do so for the 3rd goal, but lest we forget, he pulled off a cracking save 1st half that looked a goal for all intents and purposes.

Injuries were mentioned, but aside from bringing King on later on which we couldn't, and bringing a winger on for a winger (not leaving Cairney there to leave us exposed), there isn't much substitute wise I would have done differently myself. Such a poor result though. Not a happy bunny!

[Amo]

Every time we lose its sack the manager on here bit pathetic really. Just gone 5/6 unbeaten winning 3 on the spin and drew at anfield.

And what do we have to show for it? Midtable obscurity for another season.

[Athlete]

Rudy was still the best striker on show In blue and White Rev

It wasn't the strikers fault today but Rhodes was consistently ducking rather than going for headers and both he and Rudy missed chances

I don't blame him for making a change but like for like but worse rarely works

Rudy goal apart did nothing ducked out of challenges.. Wether not fit or not he didn't give 100%

Basically we are a team at the moment who can beat the average sides such as Sheff Weds, Bolton and Charlton but struggle against the better top 8 sides.

Is it because the players are not good enough or is it because the tactics employed by Gary aren't good enough?

I suspect that the answer is somewhere in between. Last night Brentford were decent but nothing more than that, Warburton made tactical changes at half time and had basically tried to pull or defence into wide positions to open up gaps through the middle and we didn't change our shape to counteract that.

That said in the end we still should have won, we had the chances to bury them in the first half and all 3 of their goals were defensive errors rather than good play by Brentford.

I said before the game that it was premature to get excited about a promotion push as over the last 3 years we have not shown any real consistency in terms of going on long winning runs, the first time we came up against one of the divisions better side we lost and that was despite Brentford not really playing overly well.

Brentford 1st half were far the best side they overran us.. Just the final ball let them down don't forget Steele made a cracking save and they came close again...