[Archived] Rovers v Brentford: 17th March

[blueboy3333]

Fell Walking. Ah...if only. Not done any for a year due to house rebuilding and life. Though searching back I last mentioned it in 2013 but don't let facts get in the way of another childish spleen venting dig.

And your opinion on the game is

post number 5. some of us try to contribute in a constructive mannner.

[ABBEY]

Another thread dominated by a c0ck waving contest by people so intent on blaming the other side they can't see their own faults.

Boring. Sure the mods said they were taking a harder line again?

What a boring post

Chris doesn't come on a Rovers MB and slag everything to do with Rovers off or try to WUM people. Chris is also a long long way from home and yet he's still been to more games than the armchair critic. Chris also doesn't ram it down people's throats that he prefers fell-walking to Rovers. Which begs the question why the armchair critic/WUM bothers posting?

try thinking things through a bit more

St Chrls Of Innocence

[Rover_Shaun]

some of us try to contribute in a constructive mannner.

You are being ironic? I hope you are.

I'll ask again for you to prove you're not full of ****. Your opinion on the game is?

[G Somerset Rover]

Is this not the Brentford preview thread? Bloody hell.

[Tom]

Right enough from both sides, we're going to have to start banning if it carries on.

There's 3 or 4 people at the centre of it on every thread now

[Al]

Heaven forbid that a professional athlete can play two 90 minute games a week and not be shattered. Come on, these guys aren't Supermen.

It's about time this league was stripped down to 18 teams to give these guys a bit of a break.

You missed the tongue in cheek Smiley.

[snatchymcsnatch]

Big game tonight hope he starts with Rhodes and Gestede from the off. I'd go a 4-4-2 / 4-1-3-2 something like:

Steele

Olsson, Killa, Bap, Henley

Marshy/Spearing/Cairney/Taylor

Gestede/Rhodes

Got to go at them from the off and get them under pressure. With the exception of the injured Conway for Taylor I think that's our best XI.

[McClarky]

If you were to ignore everyone who resorted to snipes and keyboard warrior attacks on here there would be few posts left to read. Better if the mods just ban anyone who posts on match threads without discussing the match I think.

Can see a score draw tonight, probably 1-1 with us staging a late rally but not quite doing enough. No idea what side is likely to play though, in fact I'd go as far as to say that I wouldn't be confident of naming any individual player and being confident they will start the game tonight.

[mattjansen]

Winning breeds confidence and another win tonight and we might be five points off the playoff, not something that i saw coming. Dont know which eleven will play tonight but cairney central and Rhodes+Rudy will give us the best chance.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Tonights match will probably revolve around who is fit to play - if we can start with Baptiste and Killgallon at centre half our chance will drastically improve. If Killgallon isn't fit we will have Spurr in the centre - with Marshall at right back - we will be weaker all round.

Our season may be decided by the next two matches - two wins - followed by a break to get injured players fit again - and we may actually have something to cheer towards the end of the season. At the moment I am not getting too excited - we are Rovers and make a habit of messing it up when fans expectations start to rise.

BTW - think a lot of fans are being very harsh over Hanley. IMO the key to our improved defensive performances is Killgallon coming in with an experienced head in the defence - even Hanley had looked better prior to injury. For me I would make Killgallon permanent captain - and give Hanley a rest from the responsibility (which I do think impacted his play).

[AdamRochina]

Really nervous about this one..Brentford are a good side that play some nice football...I think it will be 2-1 either way..hopefully our way with Mr rhodes bagging a brace for us

If he gets four more goals he has again scored twenty plus league goals am I right? I think that would mean he has scored twenty or more goals in three consecutive seasons for us!

[Athlete]

IMO these 2 home games v brentford and Brighton respectively give us a real chance to make up ground on the play off positions Going into the international break..

[PeteJD13]

Big game tonight hope he starts with Rhodes and Gestede from the off. I'd go a 4-4-2 / 4-1-3-2 something like:

Steele

Olsson, Killa, Bap, Henley

Marshy/Spearing/Cairney/Taylor

Gestede/Rhodes

Got to go at them from the off and get them under pressure. With the exception of the injured Conway for Taylor I think that's our best XI.

I agree with the line up Gestede aside, I would play Brown he was immense Saturday bring Rudy on later if it isn't working

[tomphil]

Rhodes should stay on the full 90+ tonight providing he's physically ok and the game isn't won or lost. Another bug bear with Bowyer is always hauling him off earlier in the season, the same with Rudy, leave your best strikers ON. Rhodes proved it v Bolton and Rudy's proved it away from home a few times that neither they nor the team needs to be playing well for either to score, it's what they do.

[Silas]

I think it really could be on tonight for our season to catch fire again. Looking at a few of the prediction sites they have everything going against us - Brentford to win, Ipswich to win comfortably at home, and Wolves to also win at home. Obviously, this would be a disaster for us and season over.

I can see why looking at the league positions only, some-one might come up with these predictions. But, and maybe it's the blue and white specs blinding me, i disagree and when you scratch the surface the facts seem to stack up in our favour.

Rovers v Brentford - home team had 3 straight wins, only lost once in 6 games. Away team only won once in 4 games, and no great shakes away from home having conceded 26 this season, more than any of the top 6 teams. (And only 1 less than us at 27 and how crap are we away?!) Verdict: Home win

Wolves v Sheff Wed - Home team not won in 3 matches. Away team only lost once in 5 matches, and also has a better away record this season than home, having won 8 away versus 4 home. (8 away same record as Boro and Derby) Verdict: Away win

Ipswich v Bolton - Home team only won once in 6 games, on bad run of form, and looked woeful on Sky live match recently. Away team only lost once in 4 games, and despite a terrible away record having lost 13, the most in the league along with bottom team Blackpool, have looked a stronger outfit recently now Lennon has had 4/5 months to go to work. Verdict: Draw

If those results were to come off, it could put the 5 possible teams battling for 6th place all within 5 points of each other with 8 games to play. Then things would really get exciting.

I will no doubt look foolish now once all the results end up just as the prediction sites stated, but sod it, you gotta dream right. Anyway, gonna put my money where my mouth is, those results plus Madrid home win £10 pays out £635. Wish me luck!! Hopefully by 10pm tonight we will all be very happy.

[adsfortheblues]

Tonight I would go with the following:

Steele

Henley, Baptiste, Kilgallon, Spurr

Marshall, Evans, Cairney, Ollson

Rhodes Gestede

I think ollson and Marshall offer a lot of cover for the full backs and are also both good at going forward.

[AggyBlue]

Really looking forward to this game, it has a cup tie feel about it.

COYB

[Rover_Shaun]

It could happen Silas.

If it does lets just hope that when the last game comes we are 2 points off maximum and not relying on a remote mathematical conundrum.

[Tom]

Tricky line up tonight as for who partners Rhodes.

Brown has been putting a shift in and was meant to be good last game (although poor v Bolton I thought) but Rudy is far better and was immense against Liverpool. Good to have options I suppose

Nothing but a win will do tonight though, still fancy us to squeeze it

[bigbrandjohn]

A reminder to those who only remember the Premier League glories. This was the last time I saw Brentford away. Not great.

A thrashing at Brentford saw Furphys eye taken by the Bees bustling centre-forward whose name he duly noted.

McNamee, Hutchins, Endean and Stuart Metcalfe all had spells out with injury and Furphy, needing a fresh face to excite the fans and to end a goal famine which had seen Rovers find the net just three times in eight outings, splashed out on the man who had so impressed him at Griffin Park, John OMara.

Although Furphy parted with £30,000, a far from inconsiderable amount for the club at that time, and was said to have beaten off competition from clubs in higher divisions the 6ft 3ins Farnworth-born OMara, 25 when he arrived, flattered to deceive initially and the managers last-ever cash buy at Ewood went down in history as a costly flop.

Braces for OMara in his second and third home games brought comfortable wins against Plymouth and Scunthorpe but after eight away games the team had just a win at Oldham and a draw at Wrexham to show from their travels.

[Doug]

We need the win. Hope the fans respond and come down to be the 12th man. Just avin my tea and setting off! Come on you blue boys!!

[Proudtobeblue&white]

About to set off with a realistic hope that we might just reverse the score in the return fixture. Having said that a strong defence is vital.

They looked far more hungry at Griffin Park, but we were in our going nowhere spell.

Most of all I'd like to see a solid, winning performance.

We have had two good away wins, and the borefest against Notlob, which was anything but inspiring.

Still not dreaming though, did that a bit when I picked up my Liverpool tickets earlier - lady said it was steady in terms of sales, but have had a lot of interest from non-ST holders who want to snaffle tickets as soon as they go on general sale.

Was ever thus......

[G Somerset Rover]

Just to keep our feet grounded, as I posted earlier in this thread, the last time we won four league games on the bounce was 2007....

Anyway, where's Mercer with his prediction? I'm waiting for my gamble!

[tomphil]

It's tough in any league for any team under any manager to win four games on the bounce so I'm not getting carried away. We are capable of doing it and as long as we try I won't complain too much.

[Tom]

Rudy starts, mahoney on the bench - although the official Twitter called him Maloney