[Archived] Scunthorpe United v ROVERS

[Bigdoggsteel]

37 minutes ago, blueboy3333 said:

One thing noticeable about Antonsson is that he finds space at the back post. He missed headers against Donny and Rochdale, and scored against Rochdale and Scunny, all from exactly the same position.

Motto of the story, give him the ball on the back post but not on his head = 30 goals for the season.

Well that is great for wingers to know. I think he could compliment Graham and Samuels as the 2 of them are decent in the air,so if they miss it, he can be lurking  

[Bigdoggsteel]

26 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I can see this being a re run of the Rhodes debate. Can we play with an out and out penalty area player and be successful ? I've only seen him play in the flesh once but I was deeply un-impressed. He lacked the physicalitity to contribute to all around team play. Maybe he's not yet playing to the best of his ability ? I hope for our sakes that this is the case. Watching the film of him in previous games he looks like a decent finisher with some nice goals. Some pretty poor goalkeeping in those clips though.

Are the other nine outfield players good enough to make up for his lack of contribution to team play ?  That is the question. We'll see. 

I remember Rhodes scoring goals for us regularly yet we never really looked like challenging for promotion in that time.

Pedersen was soft when he started, who knows, after a few games Antonsson could turn into a better finishing version of Dickov  

[K-Hod]

Very happy with last night's result.

It's important that we keep this momentum going and we hopefully now have a winning mentality amongst the squad and long may that continue.

I feel like after the next two games we'll have a better idea of how this season may well pan out. The Shrewsbury match will be our toughest test so far I reckon.

[RV Blue]

Great win away at a good side. I think a draw would have been a fair result, they had more of the ball, yet we should have scored 4/5 with the chances we had. 

Raya was pretty much faultless, made some good saves and took the pressure off the defence by catching a few crosses as well. 8

Caddis was solid enough. 7

Ward is very dodgy, doesn't give me any confidence at all. 5.5

Mulgrew was decent. 6.5

Williams played well I thought and saved a goal with that clearance. 7.5

Bennett worked hard (as always) and put in a couple of sublime crosses, Antonsson scored one and Harper missed the other. A perfect player to have, he must be a managers' dream. 7.5

Smallwood was decent, not his best game but he still played well. 7

Evans was pretty poor compared to his last few games imo, gave the ball away too much. 6

Samuels looks like a player, quick, direct and can get his head up and pass it to teammates. Although he does need to work on his hold up play. 7

Antonsson took his goal well but the rest of his game was non-existant. You can't really complain if he puts it in the net every game but when he doesn't you have essentially been playing with 10 men. People may say that he runs around a lot, but it is never a threatening run, he doesn't seem to position himself to cut off defenders' options when he's running at them, kind of like if a dog was on the pitch. 6

Dack was decent when he came on but he definitely isn't a winger and I thought it was a bit risky to leave him there when we were under the cosh. I also thought Chapman should have been brought on sooner and he was good when he came on.

We really need to follow this up with a win against Wimbledon on Saturday or all the hard work last night counts for nothing.

[Tom]

1 hour ago, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

Which would make McCarthy the ultimate 'hold the ball up in the corner' player. ?

Nope 

That would be one time footballer and now world renown film critic Tony Watt

 

 

[AllRoverAsia]

50 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I can see this being a re run of the Rhodes debate. Can we play with an out and out penalty area player and be successful ? I've only seen him play in the flesh once but I was deeply un-impressed. He lacked the physicalitity to contribute to all around team play. Maybe he's not yet playing to the best of his ability ? I hope for our sakes that this is the case. Watching the film of him in previous games he looks like a decent finisher with some nice goals. Some pretty poor goalkeeping in those clips though.

Are the other nine outfield players good enough to make up for his lack of contribution to team play ?  That is the question. We'll see. 

I remember Rhodes scoring goals for us regularly yet we never really looked like challenging for promotion in that time.

I have yet to see Antonsson play but have read others saying that he works hard. Maybe he just needs time to adapt to L1 toughness and become a nasty beggar. That must be a reason why we have him.

The fact we missed out on promotion when Rhodes was with us had nothing to do with him. He scored plenty and defended corners against very well. Look higher up the chain for the reason . I am not going to post again re Rhodes on this thread 

[Eddie]

I thought it was another very good performance. 

We should have taken more of our chances in the first half if we had the game might have been out of sight. 

I thought we sat back too much in the final 15-20 minutes and invited pressure on to us. I can understand that temptation, especially in a cold, rainy midweek game, but we need to be careful with that. 

That also made the stats look as if we were less deserving of the result than we were. 

The atmosphere looked fantastic. The players look like they care. 

For the first time in 5/6 years, I can say that I am genuinely enjoying being a Rovers supporter. I don't care about the division that we are now in, I look forward to matches, and I get pleasure out of watching them. It's a wonderful change and it is a nice feeling to have back. 

For the first time in a few years, I am starting to feel a genuine affinity towards some of our players. They may not be the best group of players to have ever put on a shirt, but they're playing decent football, they seem to care, and they are clearly enjoying the support that they are getting. 

Let's hope that it continues. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, Eddie said:

I thought it was another very good performance. 

We should have taken more of our chances in the first half if we had the game might have been out of sight. 

I thought we sat back too much in the final 15-20 minutes and invited pressure on to us. I can understand that temptation, especially in a cold, rainy midweek game, but we need to be careful with that. 

That also made the stats look as if we were less deserving of the result than we were. 

The atmosphere looked fantastic. The players look like they care. 

For the first time in 5/6 years, I can say that I am genuinely enjoying being a Rovers supporter. I don't care about the division that we are now in, I look forward to matches, and I get pleasure out of watching them. It's a wonderful change and it is a nice feeling to have back. 

For the first time in a few years, I am starting to feel a genuine affinity towards some of our players. They may not be the best group of players to have ever put on a shirt, but they're playing decent football, they seem to care, and they are clearly enjoying the support that they are getting. 

Let's hope that it continues. 

Well said, apart from the stats part

I feel the same. To see players who are connecting with the fans and seem to have pride in playing for the club is brilliant. We have had a painful few years. I used to dread checking the scores every week. Now I look forward to it. It is going to be a long season with twists and turns, but the signs are starting to look positive. Taking out the off the field stuff, Mowbray and the players are a credit to the jersey at the moment. 

[had.e.nuff]

Just got up and checked results what's going on 4 on the spin supposed it was only Scunthorpe will be the shout of the day on wards and upwards right back to the pool now check again after saturdays game 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Are the other nine outfield players good enough to make up for his lack of contribution to team play ?  That is the question. We'll see. 

According to Mowbray, Antonsson has been running something like 10-12km per game which, for a forward, is great. I don't think he can be questioned on lack of contribution to team play, and if he's going to keep up his performances that I've seen from him in the last couple of matches, he could well be our main man up front this season if he gets his confidence up.

[RV Blue]

1 minute ago, Phil T said:

According to Mowbray, Antonsson has been running something like 10-12km per game which, for a forward, is great. I don't think he can be questioned on lack of contribution to team play, and if he's going to keep up his performances that I've seen from him in the last couple of matches, he could well be our main man up front this season if he gets his confidence up.

He does run around a lot but not in a threatening manner, he's never running in the right position to cut off potential passes. As I said in an earlier post, he runs like a dog would do when chasing the ball.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, Phil T said:

According to Mowbray, Antonsson has been running something like 10-12km per game which, for a forward, is great. I don't think he can be questioned on lack of contribution to team play, and if he's going to keep up his performances that I've seen from him in the last couple of matches, he could well be our main man up front this season if he gets his confidence up.

That is very interesting. That is serious ground to cover and must be a nightmare for defenders. However it seems all some of our fans see is that he isn't "physical" enough 

[G Somerset Rover]

After a bit of digging, it would appear the last time that we won five on the bounce was back in our promotion season of 2000/2001, where we won six on the spin before drawing away to Pompey. Those six were:

18 October 2000    Wimbledon    A    2-0    6,019    Willmott (own goal), Flitcroft
21 October 2000    Grimsby Town    H    2-0    16,397    Flitcroft, Jansen
25 October 2000    Tranmere Rovers    H    3-2    17,010    Hughes (2), Østenstad
28 October 2000    Huddersfield Town    A    1-0    12,287    Østenstad
4 November 2000    Stockport County    H    2-1    17,404    Hughes, Hignett
8 November 2000    Barnsley    A    2-1    13,622    Jansen, Dunn

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, RV Blue said:

He does run around a lot but not in a threatening manner, he's never running in the right position to cut off potential passes. As I said in an earlier post, he runns like a dog would do when chasing the ball.

Maybe Mowbray should give him a knife? 

If a player runs for 12km a game, chances are some runs will work, some wont. Even running around tiring the defenders and pulling them out of position helps the team. It's not as simple as being in a position to "cut off potential passes". In fact that is actually very difficult for a striker to do, considering they are up against 4 defenders. Suarez and Tevez are probably the best I have seen at doing this, yet even their success percentage is low. 

[jim mk2]

Just now, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

After a bit of digging, it would appear the last time that we won five on the bounce was back in our promotion season of 2000/2001, where we won six on the spin before drawing away to Pompey. Those six were:

18 October 2000    Wimbledon    A    2-0    6,019    Willmott (own goal), Flitcroft
21 October 2000    Grimsby Town    H    2-0    16,397    Flitcroft, Jansen
25 October 2000    Tranmere Rovers    H    3-2    17,010    Hughes (2), Østenstad
28 October 2000    Huddersfield Town    A    1-0    12,287    Østenstad
4 November 2000    Stockport County    H    2-1    17,404    Hughes, Hignett
8 November 2000    Barnsley    A    2-1    13,622    Jansen, Dunn

 

 

Remember the Huddersfield match well. Rovers fans filled one end and were in fantastic form. 

[Lancs Rover]

1 hour ago, blueboy3333 said:

One thing noticeable about Antonsson is that he finds space at the back post. He missed headers against Donny and Rochdale, and scored against Rochdale and Scunny, all from exactly the same position.

Motto of the story, give him the ball on the back post but not on his head = 30 goals for the season.

Good observation, BB. If I were part of a managerial team, I'd be all over opposition forums. 

Let's deflect them and just stick to quibbling about how unsuitably lightweight he is. 

(Sorry, Marcus ?)

[Skiptonrover]

4 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

That is very interesting. That is serious ground to cover and must be a nightmare for defenders. However it seems all some of our fans see is that he isn't "physical" enough 

He isn't a physical player, but makes it up for it with other attributes he's quite a skillful player when he wants to be. It was widely acknowledged in certain quarters before he arrived here what kind of player he was & what he cld bring to the party. I like him & think he will only get better with confidence just sad he's only here on loan.

[dinglebasher]

11 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

That is very interesting. That is serious ground to cover and must be a nightmare for defenders. However it seems all some of our fans see is that he isn't "physical" enough 

I think the general mood is harsh on Antonsson -  he held the ball up very well last night, particularly in the first half when we were under the cosh. He's never going to be a fast, pacy striker who runs at defenders but the guy can finish. If TM had asked him to get into good scoring positions, to hold the ball up whenever possible, and to nick a goal, then no one can really argue that he didn't achieve that. He only played 16 games last year and will get fitter and more resilient.

The only alternative we have at the moment is Graham, who hasn't really done enough to suggest he should be starting every game.

[JHRover]

Important that we keep this going and don't take the foot off the gas just because we've had some good wins. The Wimbledon game is huge and really a must win at home against a poor side. Despite the 4 wins we are still playing catch up even if we win the game in hand. I suppose the positive is that Shrewsbury and Peterborough occupy the top 2 and I refuse to believe they possess anything we don't have and can't see them lasting the pace over the season. Bigger threats behind them in Bradford, Charlton, Wigan and Oxford who I expect to be in and around the top 6. These are the teams we need to stay with and get above if we are going to get promoted.

[RV Blue]

24 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Maybe Mowbray should give him a knife? 

If a player runs for 12km a game, chances are some runs will work, some wont. Even running around tiring the defenders and pulling them out of position helps the team. It's not as simple as being in a position to "cut off potential passes". In fact that is actually very difficult for a striker to do, considering they are up against 4 defenders. Suarez and Tevez are probably the best I have seen at doing this, yet even their success percentage is low. 

If he was doing laps of the pitch he would have done 12k, it doesn't mean anything without context. I saw with my own eyes (did you? I doubt it) that he wasn't intelligent with his runs and brought absolutely nothing to the table apart from his goal. Tevez, Suarez, Dickov etc. were a nightmare for defenders to play against because they were very intelligent footballers, from what I've seen so far, Antonsson isn't. By "cut off potential passes", I meant that he should be cutting off defenders' options, not necessarily intercepting their passes, you do this by curving your run, Antonsson doesn't do that.

[rog of the rovers]

As long as the points is double the amount of games played we are on course for promotion.

12 points from 6.

92 points from 46 should see you up, automatically.

 

[HowieFive0]

Just now, rog of the rovers said:

As long as the points is double the amount of games played we are on course for promotion.

12 points from 6.

92 points from 46 should see you up, automatically.

 

Exactly. As long as we keep taking enough points then success will follow.Why worry about the likes of Bradford Charlton Shrewsbury?. Worry about those teams on match days.

Lets concentrate on what we re doing and not get carried away.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, RV Blue said:

If he was doing laps of the pitch he would have done 12k, it doesn't mean anything without context. I saw with my own eyes (did you? I doubt it) that he wasn't intelligent with his runs and brought absolutely nothing to the table apart from his goal. Tevez, Suarez, Dickov etc. were a nightmare for defenders to play against because they were very intelligent footballers, from what I've seen so far, Antonsson isn't. By "cut off potential passes", I meant that he should be cutting off defenders' options, not necessarily intercepting their passes, you do this by curving your run, Antonsson doesn't do that.

But he wasn't doing laps of the pitch, was he? If he ran 12km , that means whoever was marking him had to do nearly the same. I'm not sure what the average ground covered for a player in League 1 is, but I would a centre half would not like to be marking a guy that covers that kind of ground.

So by "curving his run" do you mean he should run a different direction that the defender and then curve in, to take the defender by surprise? Fair enough, but sometimes running directly at a defender to close them down can panic them enough. I wouldn't say the majority of centre halves in League 1 are composed and classy footballers, like Mulgrew for example. 

[Dr Awesome]

1 hour ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Well said, apart from the stats part

I feel the same. To see players who are connecting with the fans and seem to have pride in playing for the club is brilliant. We have had a painful few years. I used to dread checking the scores every week. Now I look forward to it. It is going to be a long season with twists and turns, but the signs are starting to look positive. Taking out the off the field stuff, Mowbray and the players are a credit to the jersey at the moment. 

This, in a nutshell. I've started to put us on my weekly coupon for the first time in a long time because we look like a good, strong team. I expect us to challenge for the title and automatic promotion this year.

[JAL]

10 hours ago, bluebruce said:

Why would anyone give a fook about that? People obsessed with 'bad' language need to grow up.

It was seen as having a negative influence on the players thus the results dipped let's see what develops when the going gets tough.