[Archived] Cardiff At Home 18Th August

[chaddyrovers]

What formation and team selection would you select?

Will Rhodes play and risk?

[chaddyrovers]

My team would be:-

Raya; Henley, Duffy, Hanley, Olsson; Barrow, Guthrie, Akpan, Conway; Delfouneso, Koita.

Subs:- Steele, Lowe, Kilgallon, Spurr, Marshall, Brown, Tomlinson

I don't think Rhodes will be fit enough to play. I hope he is tho.

[Hasta]

I would like to see Raya in goal. I think the risk of playing a rookie keeper at the crucial start of the season will pay off. He will learn from those costly opening day mistakes,

I would like to keep consistency with the Duffy / Hanley partnership. If we can get these two to gel together and form a half decent partnership then we may be able to boost their transfer value, bring some cash in for them and afford a few more loanees. I know radio lancs said that they look like they can't communicate with each other, and their record together is suspect but I think they could prove superb.

In midfield , we gotta keep Jay Lowe in there. Cardiff I feel may give us a bit of time on the ball and it might allow Jason to use his range of passing. Also, if they give him space around the edge of the box like they did with TC last year, he could rifle one in. Remember that stunner against Boro at Ewood?

I hope Rhodes will be fit then we can put him up front on his own. This gives us a goal threat without going too gung-ho. We can get Marshall in behind him who I am sure will adapt to playing in the hole.

I'd keep Koita on the bench. Ive seen his cameos a few times this year and I'm not sure he is ready to start. He tends to shoot too often when better options are on and, if we played him with JR, I feel we would lose some defensive attributes for the starting XI.

COYB

[Mike Graham]

I will make this game. I hope I feel a wee bit more motivated though.

I suspect an away win.

[DE.]

Raya

Lowe - Kilgallon - Duffy - Olsson

Akpan

Marshall - Guthrie - Conway

Koita

Delfouneso

Ideally Barrow would come on during the second half when Cardiff's legs are beginning to tire. Obviously if fit Rhodes would replace Delfy but I doubt he'll be ready to play by Tuesday.

[Stand & Deliver]

I predict a 5-0 hammering with a Browny hatrick

Sent using Tapatalk from a padded cell in Broadmoor

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

I would like Rovers to win but not sure we have it in us without Rhodes.

1-1

Attendance has just been given as 13,...

[tomphil]

My team would be:-

Raya; Henley, Duffy, Hanley, Olsson; Barrow, Guthrie, Akpan, Conway; Delfouneso, Koita.

Subs:- Steele, Lowe, Kilgallon, Spurr, Marshall, Brown, Tomlinson

I don't think Rhodes will be fit enough to play. I hope he is tho.

I'd go with that I think with the exception of Marshall in his real position from the start with the option of Barrow coming on later. Let BM start a game in his natural position to see if he pulls his finger out, if not he needs dropping after this game.

Having said that I think he may well start the same as Saturday with Delfy in for Rhodes if he's not fit. I expect a similar pattern to the game as well apart from Cardiff having may more possession.

Rovers 1 Cardiff 1

(Delf -new cult hero in the making )

12,682 ( 400 Red birds or Blue dragons or whatever that idiot owner calls em these days )

[AllRoverAsia]

The team will be:

Raya

Hanley

Lowe

+others awaiting tombola draw results.

Raya (good keeper as I've read on here) will stay as No. 1 keeper - I suspect he's inline for sale quite soon at 3,000% profit. Steele is not.

[Coatbridge rover]

Raya has earnt his position in the team,hopefully he will be our keeper for years to come.

[tomphil]

Raya is earning the squad value more money by getting games, until that is he gets dropped out of the blue when it's Steeles turn from the rotation tombola.

[JBiz]

I don't get this tombola comment it's just another example of if we can find something to moan about then we will. We all knew big changes would happen in the cup, and looking at the league games that's 2 with one change.

Rays deserves to stay no1 for me at the moment and the irony is if he hadn't had a chance, the same posters would be moaning about how "GB only plays his mates" only to change it to "what point in signing Steele when we could have used a crystal ball to predict Rayas improvement!"

[joey_big_nose]

I'd be pretty amazed if Lowe is dropped. He should be but I can't see Gaz doing it yet. Akpan is new, and while did okay, hardly pulled up trees. It will take a bit more for him to dislodge Jase Gaz's eyes. Probably another three or four games imo.

I'm also not sure he will bin the 4231 either, and that HAS to go. I'll give Gaz the benefit of the doubt on that one...

I think we will see

------------------Raya

Henley---Hanley--Duffy---olsson

Marsh-----Lowe---Guthrie---Conway

-------------Koita---Delf

Barrow could start ahead of any of the wingers or strikers if there are fitness issues.

PS. Regarding 4231 - there is nothing wrong with the formation per se - loads of teams play it well, but we are so bloody deep it falls apart. Against Hudds we had 9 players in our own half and just passed between our centre backs and defensive midfielders. Then hoofed it to Jordan who isn't the best at holding up, and even if he did no one was anywhere near him. Atrocious.

If we are going to play it the back line needs to push up 20 yards, as does the whole of the midfield, and get the attacking three mids within 20 yards of the striker so they can play off and get beyond. But you can see how scared Duffy, Hanley and Lowe are of teams getting in behind, so we sat on this edge of our own box even when we had the bloody ball.

Its a confidence thing and our defence has not got it. Until we sort that out we aren't going to make best use of 4231. 442 is a much better fit if we want to play from deep as there is more to aim at long.

[Mercer]

Tuesday will not be the pushover that some fans think - Cardiff did enough at QPR to suggest it could be a very difficult evening.

Bowyer has two big problems to resolve before he even thinks about formations.

Firstly, Lowe - surely there is no one who still thinks this guy is a 'proper footballer'. I expect Bowyer to bottle it by shunting his beloved 'son' to right back.

Secondly, you cannot have a centre back partnership like Hanley / Duffy where, IMO, their body language suggests there are personal issues between the two with Hanley the instigator. Despite this, I doubt Bowyer will change the partnership.

I think a point might be a bonus come Tuesday night.

[blueboy3333]

Not sure anybody thinks this will be an easy game, they rarely are in the Championship.

Sounds like Akpan did well at Huddersfield so hopefully he's fit to play from the start.

Squeaky bum time for Gaz, he needs a good performance and a win. Because of the squeaky bum we won't get a clean sheet so it's 2-1 Rovers.

[Tom]

I would go with the same team as Chaddy suggested.

Big game for the manager, he made some good subs and got us back into the game yesterday with them but it's easy to take a risk when you are losing. The issue is if we are 1-1 at home with 15 minutes left can he roll the dice and get a win or would he - as we have seen too many times, settle for not losing.

We have to get that first win soon and I think we can do it on Tuesday.

[Gav]

Thinking of coming up for this game, not sure why!

Chaddy has picked the right side, maybe no Rhodes will actually work for us.

Rovers 1 Cardiff 1

[TBTF]

I don't get this tombola comment it's just another example of if we can find something to moan about then we will. We all knew big changes would happen in the cup, and looking at the league games that's 2 with one change.

Rays deserves to stay no1 for me at the moment and the irony is if he hadn't had a chance, the same posters would be moaning about how "GB only plays his mates" only to change it to "what point in signing Steele when we could have used a crystal ball to predict Rayas improvement!"

Wonder what Eastwoods doing at weekends these days?? Wouldn't call him great but not substantially worse than the other two , or certainly not Steele. Such a song and dance to sign Steele at Christmas you wonder what all the fuss was about .But then again.........

I guess he will be turning up for training magnificently

[davulsukur]

Secondly, you cannot have a centre back partnership like Hanley / Duffy where, IMO, their body language suggests there are personal issues between the two with Hanley the instigator. Despite this, I doubt Bowyer will change the partnership.

Defensively, they were fine against Huddersfield, barely put a foot wrong all game. Hanley was probably my man of the match. Goes against the grain of the message board but he won a lot in the air (as did Duffy) and was first to a lot of balls, covered his full back really well too. Only blighted by a possible penalty shout but it was just him and the Hudds lad with a bit of argy bargy.

Don't think you could drop either for Tuesday.

Jason Lowe on the other hand was poor. He contributes very little in either a defensive or attacking sense. Literally can only pass the ball 5 yards, which ironically is a good thing as any pass attempted over a greater distance is woeful.

[A cup of beans]

I think GB will go for Delf ' the fonz ' upfront With Akpan and Lowe the obligatory holders.

I expect us to persevere with Marshall at 10* (I'm a fan of him in a wide role.

Love to see Koita start, but Bbc lancs questioned his match fitness against Huddersfield.

Thinking of coming up for this game, not sure why!

Chaddy has picked the right side, maybe no Rhodes will actually work for us.

Rovers 1 Cardiff 1

Save your time, money and sanity.

I'll post updates from the Riverside.

[RevidgeBlue]

Crucial game that could set the tone for the early part of the season. Win, and we're in the lower range of what could be classed as an acceptable start. Anything else and that becomes a very poor start and the pressure will mount and mount until we get the elusive first win.

Pretty clear to me we need to be playing two up front, starting Koita and Rhodes up front when fit, starting Barrow, dropping Marshall and moving away from Lowe/Evans/Williamson in midfield.

Will GB do any of this or will it be same old same old? We shall see. We desperately need that first win though, the odd point here and there is no good albeit the point at Huddersfield seems to have been treated as though we won the Champions League.

[1864roverite]

• o-o bore

[Mike Graham]

• o-o bore

See you on Tuesday for my first game of the season.

I am on pins with excitement.............Not!

[Coatbridge rover]

You have been a rovers fan for years yet you state you are not looking forward to your 1st game of the season.

I suggest you stay at home watch Emmerdale farm and take it easy 😊 whilst those off us who live 200 miles away will be tortured by radiorovers.

I predict a tight game and a draw,this division is full of draws 1-1.

Barrow will start you do not borrow players from the premier and not play them.I saw a glimpse at Huddersfield were he destroyed 2 players via rovers player.

[ABBEY]

• o-o bore

MONEY OFF MY BET THEN