[Archived] Wigan at home

[Athlete]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

Surely you would agree that the team is a lot more organised, structure better and there is a game plan from Tony Mowbray after we watch no plan Coyle?

2 clean sheets in his first 3 games is a great achievement after watching the team under Coyle that couldn't defend as a unit and always would concede a goal or 2

The defending is better I agree but I'm not getting carried away as yet 

At this stage points are what matter and that's what we're getting at the moment

But let's not get over confident as yet and just take it game by game

I watched Saturday  with two neutral fans.. Who both summed up that it was two poor sides of which a touch of class was the difference between the two 

 

[Lancaster Rover]

A number of us have said all season that this is a poor league, the difference between fighting near the bottom or closer to the top largely comes down to fitness and organisation, both of which were very much lacking under FKW. However during his tenure, we hadn't taken a hammering, in fact we'd been close in most games but due to constantly playing with our defenders legs tied together whilst shooting at each others feet we have have been on the wrong end of results week in week out. 

With TM instilling some very basic but much needed organisation it has seen us look much more solid in defence, with an emphasis on defending from the front. Whilst we are nowhere near out of the woods yet there is a shaft of light within touching distance and I have confidence that Mowbray will drag us clear.

I said months ago that I thought Bristol would be in big trouble and that has come true, I think it will be between them and Burton for the 3rd relegation place. The tide is very much against Bristol though as they are on such a rotten run. 

[JHRover]

We need to focus on our home games, Big Sam style. As we've shown this season with the Newcastle win and performances against Brighton, Leeds, Reading and Huddersfield at home, we can compete with anyone in this league on our home patch and the margins are tight.

We've got 15 points to play for at home in games against Cardiff, Preston, Bristol City, Barnsley and Aston Villa. Other than Bristol those are all sides with nothing to play for over the rest of this season. Bristol is of course a must win. We need to be looking to win all of them, and need a minimum of 3 wins from the 5. Get 9 points from those 5 games and we'll be almost there in terms of safety.

Take the pressure off our away games. The last thing we need is to be going away from home under pressure to win games. We need to be going to places like Wolves and Forest with minimal pressure. Yes get a couple of points if possible, but treat them as must not lose rather than must win.

I think 46-48 points will secure survival this season. Wigan won't get another 17 points from 11 games and I doubt Bristol City will get another 12 the way their form is at the moment.

[Sparks Rover]

Simple as putting a footballer in the middle. Guthrie even though he isnt peak fitness is a passer....he has range and technique where any ball forward left or right is easy for him. Lowe is the opposite in every way

[bazza]

On 05/03/2017 at 2:25 PM, klc_2012 said:

Question about the pitch. On tv it looked seriously wet and like a it had been cut by a Child with safety scissors... Weather related? Tv making it look worse than it was? Or is it just that bad?

The first dry sunny day after a month of rain and they water the pitch before the start of the game. People walking along the Riverside were getting soaked with the spray.

11 hours ago, preston blue said:

I was sat in the JW Upper and Steele meant that kick to Emnes.  It was an immense goal kick and will do good for his confidence.

They must have done it many times before under the same manager at Middlesbro. Only Emnes could have controlled that ball like he did. Well, he is a dutchman. No other player in the Rovers team could have had such control.

[JAL]

13 hours ago, preston blue said:

I was sat in the JW Upper and Steele meant that kick to Emnes.  It was an immense goal kick and will do good for his confidence.

Pity he can't catch a ball.....the liability ..... wonder if Joao is better suited to playing in the nets.

[tomphil]

13 hours ago, preston blue said:

I was sat in the JW Upper and Steele meant that kick to Emnes.  It was an immense goal kick and will do good for his confidence.

A move straight off the training pitch, first time since Allardyce era something resembling a planned move has occurred i bet.

[Mike E]

I often wonder why we don't use Nyambe's pace. Take a goal kick from the left (aiming left), with all players moving to that side, then blast it right and have Nyambe catch them off guard.

Did this down the left with King to great effect for around 5 games early in the 13/14 season (including the batterings of Bolton and Barnsley), then Bowyer inexplicably decided he was crap.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, bazza said:

The first dry sunny day after a month of rain and they water the pitch before the start of the game. People walking along the Riverside were getting soaked with the spray.

They'll have to do more than that to take down the rug and flaskers 

[Fraserkirky]

Watched the game on the player.

Lenihan was absolutely brilliant on Saturday. Totally different player since the start of the season. Having a settled pair of decent full backs helps, and obviously Mulgrew back there.

[Stuart]

9 hours ago, bazza said:

They must have done it many times before under the same manager at Middlesbro. Only Emnes could have controlled that ball like he did. Well, he is a dutchman. No other player in the Rovers team could have had such control.

Steele knew Emnes would be able to keep it in, that's why he deliberately overhit it so as to make him look good.

For anybody else he'd have adjusted his ball-impact surface area by a millimetre or so in order to make it easier to control.

What seemed like poor kicking against Derby was purely to set his range parameters. Steele now has pinpoint accuracy so Cardiff's full backs will need to be on their mettle tonight.

[donnermeat]

Sometimes in football you kick a ball and what you wanted to do comes off. Sometimes you kick a ball and what you wanted to do doesn't come off. Whether he meant to hit that exact spot I'm not sure and I think he would say the same, but I think he certainly meant to kick it ahead of Emnes. Playing it straight to him or behind him wouldn't have made any sense as we were launching a quick counter attack.

I don't believe in luck when it comes to things like that, just technique. It might have been a one in a hundred kick for Steele but that doesn't make it a lucky kick. Just means his technique isn't consistent enough (nowhere near enough as we've seen).

[Mike E]

If he's 'just lucky' to hit it perfectly now and again, then he must equally be 'just unlucky' when he boots it over the Riverside roof.

Inconsistent kicker for sure, but without that kick vs Wigan, we don't get that marvellous goal from Emnes.

Credit where it's due for spotting the chance, having a go, and pulling it off.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

We had a similar move years ago with the two wingers MikeFerguson and Mike Harrison. After an opposition attack Fred Else in goal would roll the ball out to Harrison who had come deep just outside the penalty area on the left wing. He had a tremendous kick on him and he immediately launched the ball down field  right across the pitch like an arrow out to the right wing to Ferguson who'd already set off when the ball was rolled to Harrison. Ferguson would then cut in and set up a shooting chance for the other strikers.

I recall it working quite a few times until the other teams caught on and marked Ferguson more closely.

[gumboots]

Hakan unsal to Dunn? 

[Stuart]

9 hours ago, Mike E said:

If he's 'just lucky' to hit it perfectly now and again, then he must equally be 'just unlucky' when he boots it over the Riverside roof.

Inconsistent kicker for sure, but without that kick vs Wigan, we don't get that marvellous goal from Emnes.

Credit where it's due for spotting the chance, having a go, and pulling it off.

If a poor dart player hit the bullseye now and again then I'd say they were lucky.

If a they regularly missed the dart board completely I'd say they were crap.

[Mike E]

Just now, Stuart said:

If a poor dart player hit the bullseye now and again then I'd say they were lucky.

If a they regularly missed the dart board completely I'd say they were crap.

I like that! But we'll agree to disagree. Luck or otherwise, the goal doesn't happen without that kick.

[Blue Cabbage]

7 hours ago, gumboots said:

Hakan unsal to Dunn? 

One of the best passes I've ever seen!

1000 posts! Go me!!

[Rover_Shaun]

Steele proved the old adage that the sun shines on a dogs arse every now and again.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, Blue Cabbage said:

One of the best passes I've ever seen!

1000 posts! Go me!!

One of the best I ever saw was from Aaron Mokoena. He picked the ball up out wide on the right hand side of the pitch just past the penalty are and launched a long diagonal ball to MGP on the other wing,  about 70 yards straight into his stride. What a pass. Never saw him do it again though.

Hakan Unsal was top class.

[Mike E]

Dunn vs Ipswich at the end of Bowyer's final full season. He was just shy of the centre circle and bolted a beautiful curling daisycutter with the outside of his boot to the left wing. I think it even nutmegged 2 or 3 players in the process!

Shame nothing came of it.