[Archived] Rotherham

[Mercer]

What stupid prediction are you gonna make this week?

One smart prediction is that when you wake up tomorrow, your IQ will still be sub 20 - defined as extremely feeble-minded (idiocy).

[Stuart]

When you manage to criticise a player who's injured and not even involved in recent form, you make it bloody obvious that you have some sort of grudge against Lowe.

Yet, anyone who criticises Rhodes for looking completely unfit + ineffective is full of hate?

Rather than use some ridiculous formulated opinion and stick to it through sheer stubbornness, why not look at the players on a game by game basis? Recently, JR has been poor.

Still, last night JRs run effectively caused the OG, but Conways consistency played more of a part in it.

I can't fathom this defending/attacking, why can't people give an alternative opinion without it being "hate"?

Once again you prove my point, Joe.

But to be honest mate it's getting a bit boring now that this is the only way that you seem to be able to interact with me. Self-appointed policeman of my views.

I'll wait until you post something worth reading before commenting on any more of your posts.

[DE.]

7 unbeaten and 3 wins in 4 bodes well for the remainder of this season. Suddenly the 13 point chasm to the play-offs is now a mere 2 and teams will start to fear us the longer our good form continues. 5 defeats all season is very decent.

One small piece of credit you can give Bowyer is that, even though we rarely won this season under him, we didn't lose too many either. We were drawing a ton of games (mainly thanks to Rhodes) which kept us out of the relegation spots. I think we had 19 points out of 18 when he was potted? So essentially the equivalent of drawing every game, which kind of sums us up under him this season. Not terrible, but not good enough either. Lambert seems to be pushing us onto the next level, where those draws become wins, even when we don't play so well.

[philipl]

I know it sounds pessimistic but 6th is 2 points away but 5th is 7.

We need to be mingled in those 4 places not trying catch up the last one. Plenty time though.

Hoping for a Preston win today (move up one without playing). Also Burnley don't get beat!!

Nah, sod that! Come on QPR...

That was my argument when PL was first appointed. 9 points off 6th but 14 points off 5th.

I could not imagine that at least one club above us wouldn't go on a good run.

But they haven't! Up the table Rovers go!!!

As for writing off promotion this season- you are all welcome to do that but none of our opinions matter one iota. Lambert is on a mega bonus to get us up this season so he is not writing off promotion this season and that is all that matters for me....

[47er]

From you posts - you obviously got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning.

But for an own goal last night - we would have drawn a match against Rotherham - would that have been acceptable ? Getting Rhodes to score - while keeping the other aspects of the game that PL has improved - is key to continuing this good run. On the other hand - if you think we can continue to rely on own goals - good luck to you.

Football is all about results and we won----again! I know you were a defender of GB at all times but can't you let go and enjoy what seems to be a revival. You don't get 10 points from 12 because you are lucky.

[onlyonejackwalker]

Why would 'Boro bid £12m for Rhodes for their promotion push if he was such a liability, Den?

You know the answer Amo. Finishing touch to decide certain games.

[den]

Why would 'Boro bid £12m for Rhodes for their promotion push if he was such a liability, Den?

If he wasn't a "liability" he'd have been in the PL years ago Amo.

[jodrell]

Just looked at today's fixtures could do with a few draws.it seems like most of the teams above us are playing each other.

[DE.]

If he wasn't a "liability" he'd have been in the PL years ago Amo.

To be fair, it's our asking price that's kept him out of the PL. Hull wanted him when they were still in the Prem but couldn't agree a fee (well, they did, but then the usual dysfunction between the owners and the board kicked in and the entire thing got scrapped).

£14m and £40k+ p/w wages is a big gamble on a player who hasn't yet proven himself beyond Championship level. If Rhodes was priced at the same level as the likes of Gestede or Cairney he'd have been gone last season if not before that, most likely to a PL club.

How he would have fared in the PL is another story entirely, but he's certainly had interest from PL clubs, we've just been asking for an incredible amount of cash to purchase him.

[Gav]

If he wasn't a "liability" he'd have been in the PL years ago Amo.

Bunkum

Have a look at his goal scoring record, that tells you all you need to know about Rhodes

It's not his fault he's had a coach as a manager and poor players around him.

He almost signed for Hull, a Premiership side at the time.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

But for an own goal last night - we would have drawn a match against Rotherham

We scored after 31 minutes because for the first half an hour of the game we played with a more attacking style, and with more tempo/urgency. Because we were winning we approached the second half with more caution, if we hadn't been winning then we'd have continued to play like we did in the first half an hour until we scored.

I know the concept of defending a lead is practically heresy among many fans but its an important part of winning enough games over a season to be in the running come May. There used to be howls of derision when Kean and Bowyer tried it but the big difference is they couldn't get it to work, the likes of Lambert and Allardyce can and do.

A win is a win. 5 weeks ago Middlesbrough beat Rotherham 1-0 at home with less shots on target than us and they're second in the league. Games like this happen to every club in the world except perhaps Barcelona.

[K-Hod]

Lambert has already won as many games as Bowyer this season from 4 games. Winning with style would be ideal but you only get 3 points for a win however they come.

[Doug]

We scored after 31 minutes because for the first half an hour of the game we played with a more attacking style, and with more tempo/urgency. Because we were winning we approached the second half with more caution, if we hadn't been winning then we'd have continued to play like we did in the first half an hour until we scored.

I know the concept of defending a lead is practically heresy among many fans but its an important part of winning enough games over a season to be in the running come May. There used to be howls of derision when Kean and Bowyer tried it but the big difference is they couldn't get it to work, the likes of Lambert and Allardyce can and do.

A win is a win. 5 weeks ago Middlesbrough beat Rotherham 1-0 at home with less shots on target than us and they're second in the league. Games like this happen to every club in the world except perhaps Barcelona.

I will not rise to the bait, but I have to presume that you didn't attend Ewood last night

[roversfan99]

If we had some traditional wingers like Ripley or Wilcox, who'd whip in crosses from the byline, Rhodes would flourish. Or someone like Dunn (or to a lesser extent Rochina) playing off him to find those pockets of space. We're just not getting that kind of service into him.

Reminds me of when we had Kalinic playing the lone striker under Allardyce. He was isolated up front and starved of service. No doubting his quality in the six-yard box but he clearly didn't have the physical or aerial presence suited for a targetman. Square peg, round hole.

Why Rochina? He hasn't shown he can do that, Judge is someone whos a better example.

[AllRoverAsia]

For those at the game - how did Lawrence play and why was he subbed? I do not see he mentioned in such glowing terms as before. Has he gone off the boil? I just wonder with his parent Club doing so well if this is praying on his mind.

[Hasta]

For those at the game - how did Lawrence play and why was he subbed? I do not see he mentioned in such glowing terms as before. Has he gone off the boil? I just wonder with his parent Club doing so well if this is praying on his mind.

A few nice turns and touches but they occur too close to the half way line to be dangerous. I wouldn't say he's gone off the boil because, aside from his charlton cameo, he's been ok but nothing special. I've not yet quite seen what others have seen to say we need to buy him or extend his deal in January.

[aletheia]

Abject. Both sides. British football at its dullest. I’ll help that chap with his CDs.

Patrick Valery. Very amusing re your wife.

Tyrone. No. Perhaps Lawrence whose footballing brain was light years beyond anyone else on the pitch. Akpan who can be a solid water carrier but no more. Hanley, despite his red mist proclivities, looks sharp at this level. As a total unit? Poor. Dreaming of a Tuguy 31 or 39 years of age.

A win is a win and all that, I guess.

[Pedro]

For those at the game - how did Lawrence play and why was he subbed? I do not see he mentioned in such glowing terms as before. Has he gone off the boil? I just wonder with his parent Club doing so well if this is praying on his mind.

He was poor but apart from a few, that would sum up the team tbh. Akpan was the best player on the pitch. It was typical wet, windy, evening match at Ewood stuff.

[blueboy3333]

Didn't go again last night but delighted with the win. Not a great performance by all accounts but winning games breeds confidence. Not sure what has happened to the fast pressing football Lambo promised but it will take a while to implement his ideas and get the players in he wants (If i was a betting man like Mercer i'd put money on Rhodes being sold in January IF a player needs to be sold to finance the rebuild)

Were we really camped in our own half in the second half as Redfearn stated? Lambo tended to play on the counter at Villa and it seems we are shaping up to play that way (or maybe its just a means to an end while the players get up to speed). Playing on the counter requires a lot of pace up front, anothee reason i think Rhodes may be sacrificed. Not trying to sell him though!

[grizfoot]

Was hardly a scintillating game of football. A subdued atmosphere on a Friday night with many people strolling into the ground, just before kick-off, straight after the end of the working week. It reminded me of the Bolton game at home this season in terms of quality, luckily we made the break-through this time and the rest of the game seemed to drift by fairly uneventfully with neither team showing much creativity going forward. One scary moment in the first half with Duffy and Steele involved in a mix-up before Hanley cleared off the line but headed straight back into danger, maybe a more lethal side infront of goal would have punished us here.

The worry still lies in going forward. I'm not exaggerating when I say I can't recall Rhodes touching the ball, he must have done at some point, I'm sure, maybe I dozed off and missed one. At least the introduction of Chris Brown provided some light entertaintment. I was prepared to approach his performance for this game as objectively as I could, given we have a new manager and the apparent impressive cameo appareance against Bristol City in the last game. But sorry he was as awful as ever, his specialities seem to be slipping over and shielding the ball from fresh air. True he did get involved in the game a lot more than Rhodes did in his time on the pitch but I wouldn't exactly call his contribution positive. I think maybe he's trying too hard to impress, charging around the pitch when really he should be staying in the centre upfront. But whatever way you look at, he's simply not good enough. It looks at present as if Lambert doesn't rate Koita or Delfounso, who I personally think offer a little more than Brown does. The priority in January has to be bringing in some strikers and attacking players because we lack depth in that area. Under Lambert we've been lucky enough to take the lead in the games, so we haven't seen how he would change things if we had to chase a game. All we know is that he's apt at making defensive subs to see out the game. We again switched to 4-1-4-1 towards the end of the game with Guthrie introduced and Akpan moved into an holding midfielder role. One thing I have noticed is that we do seem to carry a greater threat from set-pieces in recent games, Duffy set-up the goal for Hanley against Bristol City and he even managed to head one on target last night.

You can't argue with the record of the new manager. 4 games, 3 win, a draw and 10 points all this without needing to play exceptionally well. We could be a real force once we start to play well, Rhodes starts to fire again and we bring in some better attacking options to support him.

[garnersfags]

Ok, a few points after reviewing the post-match posts.

1. I don't think anyone stating that our general play, control, ball-retention and quality are poor is necessarily being critical. We (mostly) come on here to reflect how we feel the team is playing, regardless of the result. I have stated before that I expected both results and performances to improve somewhat under PL but, as yet, performances are the same if not worse than before but our resilience and professionalism are stratospherically improved.

2. I have been one of Brown's critics but I honestly think his cameo last night was an improvement on his early season form.

I believe PL is missing a trick by not giving Koita 10 games but I accept he is closer to the boy than any of us.

3. We do not appear to be attempting to reach Rhodes with anything but long, head-height balls. If, for example, we were able to play balls into his feet on the edge of the area he WOULD make things happen. No need for pace etc there and until we start to do this we cannot criticise his efforts. Our workmanlike, ultra-defensive midfield are unable to deliver this kind of ball (yes, I do accept this defensive approach is successful atm).

Get the ball to Rhodes below waist height and he will create and score!!!!!!!

4. Lambert is a winner and we ALL appreciate that....

[Leonard Venkhater]

2. I have been one of Brown's critics but I honestly think his cameo last night was an improvement on his early season form.

God, you're very generous there.I thought he was quite awful last night. It reminded me of Harry Berry's priceless description of John O'Mara-"gauche and inept."

Radio commentaries tell me that he has done the business away from home in helping us manage the last quarter of a game, but I knew Lambert was taking a risk bringing him on in front of an already frustrated home crowd. I think his confidence must be shot.

I know I am a lot happier today for having got a win last night, but the performance gave me no encouragement whatsoever. I am just hoping we give ourselves enough points by January, so a strengthened squad can have ...(sorry) a right good go!

[Tallrover]

Yeh! Moved up one without playing. Gap to 5th place widens though. Don't want to be one of 7 teams fighting for sixth place!

[donnermeat]

Were we really camped in our own half in the second half as Redfearn stated? Lambo tended to play on the counter at Villa and it seems we are shaping up to play that way (or maybe its just a means to an end while the players get up to speed). Playing on the counter requires a lot of pace up front, anothee reason i think Rhodes may be sacrificed. Not trying to sell him though!

Simply put, no. Redfearn says that all the time. He really struggles to accept defeat.

[JBiz]

Once again you prove my point, Joe.

But to be honest mate it's getting a bit boring now that this is the only way that you seem to be able to interact with me. Self-appointed policeman of my views.

I'll wait until you post something worth reading before commenting on any more of your posts.

I prove what point? That the sole reason for our improved results is Jason Lowe is injured? Or that simply people should not criticise Rhodes for a poor game? How did I prove either point?- I didn't jump down your throat either, I merely questioned what you said, after all this is a message board.

I'm not sure how I've "policed" your views either. I can't remember the last time I replied to you in all honesty but if you prefer I don't, so be it.