Championship 2018-19

[Tom]

I like to keep tabs on ex Rovers in this league to see how they are getting on.

Lowe played a full 90 for Bolton in their win.

Mahoney got on for half an hour from Brum

After a superb cup Hattrick Rhodes will feel unlucky to only get 15 minutes today, Hanley and Marshall both out injured.

No Gestede or Chapman in the Boro squad at all 

[Oldgregg86]

13 minutes ago, Tom said:

I like to keep tabs on ex Rovers in this league to see how they are getting on.

Lowe played a full 90 for Bolton in their win.

Mahoney got on for half an hour from Brum

After a superb cup Hattrick Rhodes will feel unlucky to only get 15 minutes today, Hanley and Marshall both out injured.

No Gestede or Chapman in the Boro squad at all 

 Alan judge got ten minutes  for brentford. Tom Lawrence got half an hour to try and salvage something at Bolton and mou Barrow played 70 minutes in readings 2-2 draw. Todd kane got a full 90 in a very respectable 1-1 draw against boro. Jack o.connell did the full 90 in a 3-2 win at millwall where tunnicliffe didn't get off the bench. Matt Grimes started and ollson came off the bench in a 3-0 win at home against qpr with Baptiste in the qpr defense.

Edited September 29, 2018 by Oldgregg86

[JacknOry]

Would any of the above get in our side?

[J*B]

38 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Would any of the above get in our side?

Olsson, O'Connell definitely. 

Gedeste maybe over Graham. Chapman certainly over Palmer.

Hanley over Downing. Marshall definitely makes the 18. 

Rhodes would for me.

[Bigdoggsteel]

46 minutes ago, J*B said:

Olsson, O'Connell definitely. 

Gedeste maybe over Graham. Chapman certainly over Palmer.

Hanley over Downing. Marshall definitely makes the 18. 

Rhodes would for me.

Gestede over Graham, lol 

 

[J*B]

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

Gestede over Graham, lol 

 

If the phone rang and it was a straight swap on the same wages, you would say no?

[roversfan99]

38 minutes ago, J*B said:

If the phone rang and it was a straight swap on the same wages, you would say no?

Thats an unfair question based on one being 32.

[Bigdoggsteel]

9 hours ago, J*B said:

If the phone rang and it was a straight swap on the same wages, you would say no?

Gestede is worth more in monetary terms, due to being younger. I wouldn't have him starting ahead of Graham though. 

Edited September 30, 2018 by Bigdoggsteel

[blueboy3333]

1 hour ago, J*B said:

If the phone rang and it was a straight swap on the same wages, you would say no?

Yes. Unless your putting crosses in Rudy is effectively useless. We don't put crosses in. 

Graham holds it up far better than Rudy ever did. No comparison. 

[philipl]

All the top 15 clubs after the first ten games can believe that promotion is within range. 

Usually one or two clubs come through from the bottom half to get into contention while one or two in he top half will drop off and flirt with relegation.

A bad run with injuries and suspensions and we can go into the dropping off the pace category.

What is exciting is that having become difficult to beat, it is not going to take very much for Rovers to be changing draws into wins. The top is so congested just a run of back to back wins catapults a team into play off placing.

Edited September 30, 2018 by philipl

[Mattyblue]

Graham was an absolute master of his craft yesterday. Swap him for Rudy? Not a chance.

[JacknOry]

For the role that Graham does for the team, I dont think I would swap him for anyone else in the division. I just wish he was five years younger as we will struggle to replace his qualities.

You can tell he really enjoys it here too and his connection with Dack is a joy to behold.

[Stuart]

After 11 games we have as many home draws as we had in the whole of last season.

Its hard to gauge whether that’s a tougher division, bad game planning, individual mistakes, or bad luck.

We do have better players this time out and the teams we have faced haven’t been as tough as I was expecting. We are about where we would have hoped to be by this stage of the season but it feels like we have underachieved given the circumstances of some of the points dropped.

It’s a very tight division after 10 games - 2 wins off the top and 3 defeats off the bottom three. A single point off the play-offs. We are holding our own but could be up there at the top.

Once again yesterday, we looked good when let off the leash but it appears the preference is to play with a narrow midfield and look to attack through the full backs getting forward - along with the slightly maverick Reed. I’m not sure if him and Bennett swapping wings partway through the first half was a deliberate tactic or Mowbray trying to calm his anxiety.

We could look back on this season as being glad to stay up or disappointed not to have made the play-offs. A little like 2013/14.

[47er]

We are only 2 points from the play-offs though even after all those dropped points. I know that over half of the league is at that level or better so it is going to be very competitive.

January looms as  very important to us.Keep in touch till then, strengthen the defence and sign a Chapman-type and we would be in with a chance. I'm assuming we keep Dack of course!

We are a million miles away from when Coyle left.

[chaddyrovers]

Newspapers are reporting Bruce has two games to save his job https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/10/01/steve-bruce-facing-two-games-save-aston-villa-job/

Also close to appoint Techincal director aswell. 

Dean Smith has been linked with Bruce's job. 

Edited October 2, 2018 by chaddyrovers

[Mattyblue]

Local lad too, may possibly depend on if he thinks Brentford can last the course...

[JHRover]

Think I'd sooner stick with Bruce to be honest. For their supposed dreadful start they're only a few points off the top 6. I'm sure he'll have them in the play-offs, at least.

The next few days might see a couple of heads roll with the international break providing an opportunity to appoint a replacement. I reckon Ipswich will stick with Hurst for now but Rowett at Stoke and Neil at Preston must be on very thin ice. Those nutters at Hull might make a change soon too.

[chaddyrovers]

2 hours ago, JHRover said:

Think I'd sooner stick with Bruce to be honest. For their supposed dreadful start they're only a few points off the top 6. I'm sure he'll have them in the play-offs, at least.

The next few days might see a couple of heads roll with the international break providing an opportunity to appoint a replacement. I reckon Ipswich will stick with Hurst for now but Rowett at Stoke and Neil at Preston must be on very thin ice. Those nutters at Hull might make a change soon too.

Its look like Bruce has lost the fans and I think is very likely. Smith would be very good option

I could see a change at Stoke but I think they stick by him. Can they attract a better manager? Is their problem more mental and having to change it around.

Unsure on Neil at Preston. Maybe Appleton or Ainsworth could be options. But are they are any better? 

Who knows on Hull. Its a crazy club. 

[JHRover]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

Its look like Bruce has lost the fans and I think is very likely. Smith would be very good option

I could see a change at Stoke but I think they stick by him. Can they attract a better manager? Is their problem more mental and having to change it around.

Unsure on Neil at Preston. Maybe Appleton or Ainsworth could be options. But are they are any better? 

Who knows on Hull. Its a crazy club. 

Not sure on Smith. Never won promotion, never managed at a big(ish) club, had plenty of time to do it his way at Brentford which he wouldn't get at Villa. Mark Warburton did just as well if not better at Brentford, yet he doesn't seem to get a mention these days.

Villa fans are delusional. Remember them moaning about Martin O'Neill when he delivered three consecutive top 6 finishes because he hadn't got them into the top 4. Never happy.

[speeeeeeedie]

Bruce is a good manager. Villa should stick with him.

I feel a bit sorry for Rowett if Stoke do pot him. As Rovers fans well know dropping down a division after a long spell in the top flight isn't easily remedied.

[chaddyrovers]

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

Not sure on Smith. Never won promotion, never managed at a big(ish) club, had plenty of time to do it his way at Brentford which he wouldn't get at Villa. Mark Warburton did just as well if not better at Brentford, yet he doesn't seem to get a mention these days.

Villa fans are delusional. Remember them moaning about Martin O'Neill when he delivered three consecutive top 6 finishes because he hadn't got them into the top 4. Never happy.

Brentford sell one or 2 of their best players every season. Egan was sold to Sheffield United. How can Smith manage a bigish club if he isn't given the chance to do so. Brentford are a club I expect to be top 6 this season. 

They have a director of football/head coach strutuce there and Smith does very well in that role of head coach. Villa are looking to go down that structure from what I have read recently. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

3 hours ago, JHRover said:

Not sure on Smith. Never won promotion, never managed at a big(ish) club, had plenty of time to do it his way at Brentford which he wouldn't get at Villa. Mark Warburton did just as well if not better at Brentford, yet he doesn't seem to get a mention these days.

Villa fans are delusional. Remember them moaning about Martin O'Neill when he delivered three consecutive top 6 finishes because he hadn't got them into the top 4. Never happy.

Jesus if villa played football like he has Ireland playing at the moment, I wouldn't blame them for wanting him out. Not easy on the eye is Martin's style. His press conferences are grim affairs too. 

I agree villa fans are dillusional though! 

[K-Hod]

I know that Middlesbrough are flying and clearly one of the favourites for promotion, but they’re 2-0 up at Ipswich already...

Hurst will be getting canned by the weekend if they don’t pick up a win then either, IMO.

Edited October 2, 2018 by K-Hod

[DE.]

My God Ipswich are terrible. 2-0 down to Boro already, their defence makes ours look absolutely stellar in comparison. Both Boro goals came from defending you wouldn't see from a non-league side. 

[DE.]

5 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

I know that Middlesbrough are flying and clearly one of the favourites for promotion, but they’re 2-0 up at Ipswich already...

Hurst will be getting canned by the weekend if they don’t pick up a win then either, IMO.

Ipswich fans being taught a harsh lesson that the defensive side of the game isn't an automatic gimme that any manager can achieve. There's a reason they weren't trying to play free-flowing attacking football under Mick - you need the personnel for that, and if you don't then you need to be solid as possible at the back and nick goals as and when possible. We're fortunate in that we have a lot of decent attacking options to stick goals away even if we are at times defensively suspect. Ipswich have Nolan and Jackson. Enough said.

Edited October 2, 2018 by K-Hod