[Archived] Wimbledon

[Speedie's Gonna Get Ya]

2 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Dack certainly doesnt strike me as an out and out wide man. He strikes me as someone who'd be better playing .more centrally behind a front one or two.

Whatever happens we need to try something different at home. A midfield of Conway/Evans/Smallwood/Bennett might just about be ok away from home when the opposition is coming onto us. At Ewood with ten men sitting behind the ball its becoming obvious that playing two innately lazy wide men with all the pace of an arthritic tortoise either side of a central midfield with no creativity is absolutely useless. In those circumstances we need pace and threat down the flanks or some slide rule passing to unlock the defence through the middle or a combination of both. TM needs to shuffle his pack and use the likes of Chapman Dack and Whittingham more creatively.

To call Conway and in particular Bennett lazy is massively unfair. 

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

We all knew we needed a big physical battering ram up front and or pace.  We got Antonsson.  Time to play Samuels up alone with Bennet/Dack/Chapman behind.

Also, if Whittingham isn't good enough to come into the middle and effect a game like today then that is a massive #### up by TM.

[Speedie's Gonna Get Ya]

Just now, FGS5635 said:

Dack is never stood still. He is probably the only one constantly on the move looking for space to receive a pass.

If we had a couple more like him, we may be able to break teams down easier

Also need to remember that TM hasn't had much opportunity to use him yet properly due to injuries. Will be interesting to see how he utilises him, although I suspect he won't get 90 mins for a while, through fear of aggravating his hamstring again.

[FGS5635]

Antonsson just folds like a deck of cards with the slightest of contact. Its like he is made of dust or something.

Lightweight doesn't do it justice. A bizzare player really. He very rarely keeps possession when he gets it

 

[FGS5635]

TM had no intention of playing 442 this year imo. The run we had after a shaky start left him confused and no choice.

I think the defeat today will make him revert to his initial plans. I have a feeling there will be quite a lot of changes in personnel and formation for the next game

[Boaty]

3 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Good post. It seems like Mowbray should have changed the team, but we were on a run so his hands were tied a bit. We need to get Dack in,  the guy has talent and is a creator. Hindsight is great, but Evans and Smallwood at home probably isn't necessary. Smallwood holding with Dack behind the front 2 would be a better option. 

We learn and we go again. Calls for Mowbray to be sacked are premature, but we have spent more than everyone else. Fighting around the play offs isn't good enough imo 

Its not a good post. How did caddis get the same score as others based on the comments. Contradictory as muck.

[Skiptonrover]

Caddis seemed slow & lacked awareness, nobody had a good game really some marginally better than others.

[TBTF]

2 hours ago, Butty said:

I actually agree with this entirely, it is utterly embarrassing. If we'd have gone on a ten game winning run the minute we'd have lost people would have been coming on her and slating Mowbray. 12 points from 15 is a fantastic return and as much as today was a fooking shambles coming on here too see comments like "I wouldn't mind if Mowbray leaves" is ludicrous. I don't understand some of our fans sometimes  

Last time I looked it was 12 points out of 21. We have a great chance of going up if our defeats are erased from the records!

The problem is that Mowbray has assembled a collection of bodies with seemingly very little regard for where they fit into a system or in fact what their best positions might be. No idea where Whittingham fits into anything and  therefore expensive use of a limited budget. Dack was big money in context- where is he going to play? Not a striker but playing in behind who and what and who gives way in midfield to accommodate him? And the most effective wide player in the Club cant get on the pitch for more than the last 20 minutes. 

As for Gladwin, Antonsson, Caddis . Very much lacking in pace throughout, notably in our back line.

So Mowbray , working with by far the largest budget in the division has a hell of a lot to answer for/prove. 3 inept performances out of 7 in the league isn't a good ratio but the fans are quite rightly asking what system , tactics and team is our most effective  and up to now Mowbray has failed to provide the answers .

  

[DE.]

At the end of the day we're 7 games in, 11th in the league and lost twice at home already. Say what you want about 12 points out of 15 but the fact remains we have started the season in distinctly average fashion. Take into account our wage bill and it's even worse. Then Mowbray tells us we don't have the tools to break down AFC Wimbledon at home. What a stupid thing to say. 

Almost all promotion campaigns are built on fantastic home form and performances. Are any teams in this league quaking in their boots when they come to Ewood? After seeing Donny and Wimbledon roll us over, I very much doubt it. 

Worryingly we haven't dominated a single team yet. We've had some good results against MK Dons and Rochdale, but the result against the Dons in particular flattered us. Rochdale were torrid but we didn't look hugely impressive in that match either.

Our main creative outlets are being left to twiddle their thumbs on the bench, whilst we're relying on Bennett, Smallwood, Evans and Conway to unlock defences. Good luck with that one, Tony. Maybe it's time to accept we don't need two defensive midfielders at home. 

Wimbledon matched us for shots today. At home. Not good enough. 

A draw would have been disappointing, a loss is just unacceptable. If we have ambitions of being successful we can't accept results and performances like this. 

[tomphil]

I like Mowbray but we have to accept the fact he's a guy who took Coventry to the bottom of this league when he last managed in it whilst Bolton hired a guy who'd been around the top of it with Bradford and he got the job done in Horwich. Sometimes it's all about horses for courses.

I think he's a steady Eddie type who'll tread water but not sure he has the nouse to get his team up around where it should be. He does usually get a reaction out of them when they've performed really poorly at home so maybe another winning run ?

Keep winning 2/3/4 on the bounce then the odd defeat yields more than drawing every other week so hopefully they get back on it. From the retweets I've seen you do get some players now accepting they were crap and it wasn't acceptable rather than before when others often made a raft of excuses and looked to argue with fans.

A nice change in mentality.

[Pedro]

I don't rate Caddiss; his legs have clearly gone. Very flat-footed. Conway was gash today too. Every time we should have pushed onwards, he cut it back. Hard to sit through. It ruined a lot of hope/belief and just really frustrating. We should have passed it on the deck but instead tried to mix it up with a load of meat heads.

[Husky]

4 hours ago, Butty said:

I actually agree with this entirely, it is utterly embarrassing. If we'd have gone on a ten game winning run the minute we'd have lost people would have been coming on her and slating Mowbray. 12 points from 15 is a fantastic return and as much as today was a fooking shambles coming on here too see comments like "I wouldn't mind if Mowbray leaves" is ludicrous. I don't understand some of our fans sometimes  

Isn't Mowbray on 12 points from 21? Very mid-table so far. 

 

[Butty]

Just now, Husky said:

Isn't Mowbray on 12 points from 21? Very mid-table so far. 

 

After a poor start, 4 wins from the last 5 isn't bad going. As I've said Sheff United started slow last season and still won the league comfortably. If we were in this league position a team Christmas I'd be a lot more concerned. It's very early days yet and as bad as today was I'm not worried... Yet.

[JAL]

3 hours ago, Butty said:

How do you type from your straitjacket Jal mate? So boring  

 

3 hours ago, Butty said:

How do you type from your straitjacket Jal mate? So boring  

I don't buy the ticket But but Butty! ?

[JAL]

4 minutes ago, Husky said:

Isn't Mowbray on 12 points from 21? Very mid-table so far. 

 

Mid table is what is the text I've received from a long standing supporter who hadn't been for many a year to Rovers said Mulgrew was bullied and the players are shyte.

[harryhealless1928]

.  If Mowbray doesnt put Whittingham on in a game (from the bench)  when needing to unlock a defence whats the point of him?

Might be better to put Whittingham out to grass on loan somewhere,say,Accrington Stanley with us picking up the wage tab so he can "acclimatise to the lower reaches in a less-pressured enviroment".

That would free up a bench space for Tomlinson or Harper or even Nuttall to get a few minutes,like today.

 

[Butty]

1 hour ago, TBTF said:

Last time I looked it was 12 points out of 21. We have a great chance of going up if our defeats are erased from the records!

The problem is that Mowbray has assembled a collection of bodies with seemingly very little regard for where they fit into a system or in fact what their best positions might be. No idea where Whittingham fits into anything and  therefore expensive use of a limited budget. Dack was big money in context- where is he going to play? Not a striker but playing in behind who and what and who gives way in midfield to accommodate him? And the most effective wide player in the Club cant get on the pitch for more than the last 20 minutes. 

As for Gladwin, Antonsson, Caddis . Very much lacking in pace throughout, notably in our back line.

So Mowbray , working with by far the largest budget in the division has a hell of a lot to answer for/prove. 3 inept performances out of 7 in the league isn't a good ratio but the fans are quite rightly asking what system , tactics and team is our most effective  and up to now Mowbray has failed to provide the answers .

  

12 points from the last 15 after a poor start isnt bad. Mowbray does frustrate me at times and bringing Dack on at left mid today was a puzzling one, trying to fit him in the team for the sake of it just won't work. Dack looks a good player but he can't play in a 4-4-2 which would be my preferred formation for this season, so that's a dilemma. I did say weeks ago we'd bought a lot of similar attacking players in Gladwin Dack Chapman who are all seemingly attacking midfielders who are best off in a number 10 role off the striker but playing 4-4-2 obviously won't fit any of them in. I for one wouldn't want too be Mowbray trying to find that winning formation which accommodates players in there best positions, but as you say it's his own fault for bringing in so many similar players and not knowing what too do with them! I still like Mowbray despite his flaws and still think he's got what it takes too get us up. It's very early days yet and I'm reserving judgment till Christmas. No time too panic yet, plenty of time too get things right. With the squad we have once we have a settled team and formation I think we'll be fine. 

[Husky]

3 hours ago, Stuart said:

What @#/? highlights. They didn't even show the chance we had that their keeper inexplicably kept out right on the line. You just knew it wasn't going to be our day when that stayed out.

They are even worse than last weeks @#/? highlights.

Bring back Granada soccer night FFS!

[USABlue]

Just had a feeling this would happen.

[blueboy3333]

1 hour ago, Butty said:

The problem is that Mowbray has assembled a collection of bodies with seemingly very little regard for where they fit into a system or in fact what their best positions might be. No idea where Whittingham fits into anything and  therefore expensive use of a limited budget. Dack was big money in context- where is he going to play? Not a striker but playing in behind who and what and who gives way in midfield to accommodate him?

Mowbray wanted to mix things his up. His preferred formation is the one he started the season with. Unfortunately Whittingham sat in front of that defence was a joke. Dack got caught on the @#/? and hasn't been trusted much since. I think he wanted Samuel up front with 3 from Gladwin/Dack/Conway/Chapman/Bennett in behind. That didn't work at Southend so he tinkered till we won at Bradford and then stuck with two banks of four. Trouble is he's now got No.10's like Gladwin and Dack who can't get in the team. I hope he drops Antonsson next week and plays 4-4-1-1 and finds a space for Dack. He obviously doesn't trust Chapman out wide.

Trouble with Mowbray is he spends too much time worrying about the opposition. A good manager would have played Chapman today and just told him to run at them for 90 minutes. Not Tony, far too cautious.... at home to a team who came to defend FFS. Next week he'll frig it up again by changing the formation when he should be playing the same system he played today because Shrewsbury will attack us. He did the same thing from Southend to Donny, but the other way round.

Feck knows what Venus does all week.

 

[neophox]

Players like Samuel need to step up their game... has a dip in form... Graham got his chance last night to get in the team but did nothing... we need players to play for their shirt... Chapman and Dack must start at home and Whittingham needs to be more involved at home games.

[Paul]

11 hours ago, Gav said:

Get down to Ewood on Monday and get those remaining Shrewsbury tickets snapped up, we've just bagged 12 points from a possible 15 and everyone's on suicide watch:

EMBARRASSING. 

After some thought I was going to post I feel there is a complete overreaction on here to this defeat and performance. I deliberately avoided saying anything last night.  I do not criticise anyone for attending Ewood or not, it's a personal choice, but the knives appeared to be out online throughout the game. People probably have never noticed but I never comment on a match I haven't watched.

I've only seen the MK Dons and Wimbledon games. Yesterday was poor but by no means as poor as one would imagine from reading the MB. For me Conway, who I've never rated, was 100% responsible for the goal and ultimately the loss. From that moment Wimbledon put up the shutters and employed every trick in the book which the referee, appalling, was blind to. I expected, never seen it before, 8-10 minutes added time - that would have been a fair reflection. 

Prior to the goal Rovers had pretty much controlled the game. Yes we should have the guile to come back but yesterday we didn't. It was clear we simply weren't going to score. However last season under similar circumstances the team would have fallen apart and conceded several more. While a poor performance and loss is always hard to take there's some consolation that we didn't go completely off the rails.

On the way down LBR it was encouraging to see what I perceived as more fans approaching the ground than I've seen for a long time. I'd made up my mind to go Shrewsbury but gather it's now sold out. If I can get a ticket tomorrow I will still go - probably the first time I've been interested to go away in 4-5 years. 

I often don't agree with GAV but I know he simply gives his view and I don't think we've ever fallen out over those different views. On this one I'm with him every step of the way.

Some posts are entirely predictable but there are others from fans who I'd  expect to be less reactionary. I'm not sure what this says. For me it's a case of the team and fans getting a grip and to use a phrase I hate go again at Shrewsbury. 

[jim mk2]

6 hours ago, USABlue said:

Just had a feeling this would happen.

Me too. Optimism shattered by a silly defeat. Seen it so many times over the decades. Classic Rovers. 

[Pedro]

One wish in the next home game, get some early shots on goal and carry the ball into the box. It drives me mad how too many players stop and pull it back at the edge of the box like it's a cliff edge or something and when there's a shot to be had, they take a couple of touches. Just smash it goalwards!

Anyway, nothing we can do about yesterday but we lose way too many at Ewood and that has to change.

[Skiptonrover]

24 minutes ago, Pedro said:

One wish in the next home game, get some early shots on goal and carry the ball into the box. It drives me mad how too many players stop and pull it back at the edge of the box like it's a cliff edge or something and when there's a shot to be had, they take a couple of touches. Just smash it goalwards!

Anyway, nothing we can do about yesterday but we lose way too many at Ewood and that has to change.

Did seem really flat yesterday the atmosphere everything really, I think we could have played all week without scoring. Hope it's just a blip s**t happens difficult to pull any positives from yesterday at all I think the players as well all looked knackered for some reason.