[Archived] Northampton

[Exiled in Toronto]

Just now, SoldierMo said:

How did bell do?

Very good, upgrade on Williams

[Tugay's Right Foot]

Just now, SoldierMo said:

How did bell do?

Bell did very well. Can’t say the same for Armstrong while Payne coming on seemed to push Dack deeper into midfield.

 

[Exiled in Toronto]

Just now, MGPensioner said:

radio lancs

was in their pocket no influence on game

 

said samuel was anonymous

I’d agree with both of those

[Lie_still_Rover]

I thought we dominated,  they scored against the run of play, we lost our momentum then came out and went for it. I thought Payne & Bell were excellent,  Armstrong looks a threat too. We had the chances, one of those days were the opposition just managed to get a body infront of a shot. I really liked the look of the 11 on the pitch at the end of the game. I don't understand why we keep sitting high balls into the box though, Graham's not the best in the air and the rest of our side are midgets!

[tomphil]

It's been done time and again but starting your biggest lump of a striker on the right and a guy who's legs aren't thee anymore on the left is counter productive and contributes to the lack of flow from the start of games. It's a case of shore up one side and just try and keep giving it to Dack and hope he produces.

We are at home to Northampton and we are second in the league yet there is still panic in worrying about the opposition. Get after them from the off ffs with a line up that can hit them from all angles there is no excuse whatsoever now for tippy tappy possession football and shoring up. Do all that when you want to see a game out, still too much about Mowbrays selections and tactics that's Bowyerish.

Personally if Mulgrew is fit i'd start Bell on the left wing, PACE.  Craig was a great signing and has been a good servant but i'm struggling to think of a meaningful contribution from him in recent months.

Ala GB the squad recruited is good now except for maybe needing some good centre back cover, USE it from the off of games.

Can't fault them in the second half but for me the tepid approach  at the beginning has blown a good chance along with inevitable soft defending lapse we have every single match.

[West Yorks Rover]

7 minutes ago, DE. said:

Disappointing, but at least we salvaged a point. Shrewsbury's result is nothing to do with luck, it's how they've been all season. Defensively sound and able to win by a single goal. No chance of us doing that because we concede too often, unfortunately. 

I totally agree about Shrewsbury, they are a well run club with an excellent manager and I reckon we are in for a battle to end for that 2nd spot.

Wigan are gone, best team in the league, mainly because they can defend, we can't., or not very well at least.

 

 

[RevidgeBlue]

Difficult to be too harsh after 17 games unbeaten but really poor performance today at least until we scored.

Mowbray has massive confidence in the likes of Bennett, Conway and Graham who for me simply aren't good enough and I do worry that his faith in those players will cost us. If Dack doesn't produce we're struggling after that. Neither do I understand why TM favours Ssmuel on the right wing where apart from a good bit of play to set Graham up for his goal he looked like a fish on a bike.

Thought the two young full backs Bell and Nyambe did very well.if the others had half their effort and enthusiasm we'd have been ok. Bell produced one sensational ball right across goal which only needed touching in but no -one was attacking it.

Overall just pleased to salvage a point to keep the unbeaten run going from a poor performance.

[Darwen Rover 007]

Such a frustrating game... why oh why is our Plan A to pummel it up in the air when we are almost always never as good I'm the air as the opposition! 

Bell looks very very good - great debut

Payne also looks a real live wire.. 

Conway is a has been although I thought Armstrong was terrible when he came on! 

We have got to play to our strengths and Samuel should have been moves up front.. he is the legs and head that Graham needs 

[Tom]

17 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Did you watch it? Going off twitter he was our best player 

Bell was head and shoulders above the rest 

[USABlue]

23 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Did we not go about it the same way as usual? What was the intensity like? Our players always start believing their own hype

A sucker punch goal,injury to mulgrew,terrible ref and one of those days when the ball just won't go in 

I can only judge on what I heard but it sounded like we were off our game today.  Did we even test their keeper in the first half?

[benhben]

Nyambe and Bell were our best outlets. Dack and Graham were crowded out in a centre on giant defenders and defensive midfielders. 

Conway tries had but can't do anything and just gives the ball away. Samuel didn't show much interest. 

On another day we would have won comfortably with the chances we had. They had 1 shot on target and scored. 

I've never seen a team time waste from the first minute and come with the sole intention of disrupting the game. Their keeper must have wasted 20 mins by himself. 

[Tom]

Even though we scored I think taking off Smallwood was a mistake, Dack went too deep and played himself out of the game

 

[USABlue]

25 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

 

Come on lad. Let's see where we are at the end of April. We're not going to win every game. 

I know jim but it's just so bloody frustrating being a Rovers fan.  You just know we are going to cock things up sometimes.  You should well know that.

[benhben]

Just now, Tom said:

Even though we scored I think taking off Samuel was a mistake, Dack went too deep and played himself out of the game

 

We didn't. Mulgrew first half due to injury followed by Conway and Smallwood 

[blueboy3333]

They came with a plan. We didn't have many answers. It didnt help that we started slow. It was easy for them first half. Conway and Samuel looked very poor and Graham only got one decent ball and he scored. When you play with wingers you need them to produce. Ours rarely do.  

[broadsword]

Seventeen games unbeaten, sends like our terrible start will cost us and we'll end up in the play-offs. 

Now that will be pressure. 

[USABlue]

12 minutes ago, West Yorks Rover said:

I totally agree about Shrewsbury, they are a well run club with an excellent manager and I reckon we are in for a battle to end for that 2nd spot.

Wigan are gone, best team in the league, mainly because they can defend, we can't., or not very well at least.

 

 

Perhaps Wigan's cup expliuts will prove to be a distraction.  5 points or 4 is far from gone.  Shrews were 5 ahead too just a few games back.

[Tom]

2 minutes ago, benhben said:

We didn't. Mulgrew first half due to injury followed by Conway and Smallwood 

Sssssh it's always said Smallwood 

[davulsukur]

Poor result but good that we battled back.

Back down to 3rd which is a shame as we worked so hard to get above the Shrews.  

[frosty]

Frustrating result. Few thoughts:

Bell looks so much more natural going forward than Williams down the left. Put some great crosses in and can beat a man. Williams has been fine this season but Bell's an upgrade, so he has to be first choice LB from now on.

Conway has been a good player for Rovers but he shouldn't be starting any games now really.

Downing's distribution has been off lately. Quite a few unnecessary hoofs forward, surprising as when he first joined he was playing it out nicely from the back.

Bennett is still better in the middle than out wide but he needs to seriously reduce the amount of cross-field balls he tries. 1 in 10 might come off, otherwise we're giving the ball away.

Conway/Samuel as the wingers just isn't working (though Samuel did well for the goal). 

[Waggy76]

Get a grip folks , a long long way to go

See what Tuesday brings !

[West Yorks Rover]

2 minutes ago, USABlue said:

Perhaps Wigan's cup expliuts will prove to be a distraction.  5 points or 4 is far from gone.  Shrews were 5 ahead too just a few games back.

Well I suppose that's a possibility if they get to the maybe the semi's or something.

Didn't Oldham get to 2 finals or 1 final and a semi and get relegated, 20 odd years ago.

[Guest]

Just now, USABlue said:

I can only judge on what I heard but it sounded like we were off our game today.

I think we only believed we could win that game before kick-off, and maybe for a short time after Graham got the equaliser. Other than that, we just never looked like overcoming the frustrations that Northampton executed so well.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

4 months ago we would lose that match. We got a draw.  Now we need to step up to being a team that wins late on.  

Assist for goal aside, Samuel was awful. Armstrong looks a shade of the player Chapman is - especially out wide. 

Positives:  Bell looks just what we need down the left.  Could easily play as a winger on that performance.  Thought Nyambe good again. Williams did well at CB. 

Northampton defended in numbers and used every trick in the book today. Fair play to them. Ref was poor again though. 

One thing I would say is that we have had no 'luck' this season.  We've had no easy goals, no teams missing pens hardly any red cards for the opposition and the ball just does not bounce kindly for us.....and we are still unbeaten in 16.  Surely over the next 15 games or do this will change. 

[Doug]

Poor first half with Rovers looking a little inept against a horrible Northampton. They were real wind up merchants!

Second half much better with our two new boys looking good.

Great goal by Graham who certainly looks a lot more up for it than a couple of months ago.

Another shocking refereeing display gave their two CM's the freedom to do as they pleased, their no. 21 would have been sent off by a premier league ref.

Conway is really struggling now and should not start the next game.

Anyway, 17 games now so I'm not going to be too disappointed.