Match Thread ROVERS vs Lincoln

[ChrisPriceBaldSpot]

2 hours ago, Give 'Em the Axe said:

I can't speak for anyone else, but I think it's rather plain to see that Smallwood hasn't really been at the races this season.

He's never been the greatest passer.  In the couple of games I've watched he's been very rushed in possession and played wild, aimless, 'hook-it-on' type passes when taking a touch and getting it settled would have made all the difference.

I'm a fan of his so I'm hoping he bounces back, but his confidence looks shot right now.

Smallwood got married this summer. He was always gonna be doomed... 

[blueboy3333]

13 minutes ago, Ognir said:

You get very vague on here when confronted with truths..

if you think we play with 7 attackers then I don't think there is much point continuing. You've obviously never watched Rovers since the 1950's. 

"I like to play 2.5 attackers with Dack being the half" - T Mowbray August 2018.

You can even listen to him saying it here: https://t.co/9ZxQQCg8Gn   

Vague? Pah!

Edited August 30, 2018 by blueboy3333

[philipl]

As I have observed before, too many posters playing football video games...

[blueboy3333]

Just now, Ognir said:

We have 6 attacking players.. A 7th would be if Smallwood was replaced with an offensive option

You're just a troll. Bye Saxo.

Edited August 30, 2018 by blueboy3333

[SBlue]

2 minutes ago, Ognir said:

If we played 442 like in 1995, I'd be 100% with the critics.. 2 defensive midfielders would be wrong. This is 2018.. Its a different game and totally new approach to attacking.. Does nobody understand that?

You’re 100% right.

If Rothwell ends up playing in one of the “pivot” positions in a 4-2-3-1 I’ll be dumbfounded.

2 from Evans, Smallwood, Reed and Bennett - in that order until further notice.

[blueboy3333]

Just now, S8 & Blue said:

You’re 100% right.

If Rothwell ends up playing in one of the “pivot” positions in a 4-2-3-1 I’ll be dumbfounded.

2 from Evans, Smallwood, Reed and Bennett - in that order until further notice.

Most people understand that. It's the '7 attackers' that is nonsense.

Edited August 30, 2018 by blueboy3333

[K-Hod]

If anyone has noticed any of your posts getting hidden, I apologise.

I got rid of loads of posts from Saxo's latest re-registration and got rid of any that quoted them as well.....

[Give 'Em the Axe]

1 hour ago, ChrisPriceBaldSpot said:

Smallwood got married this summer. He was always gonna be doomed... 

Heh. Well as long as he can Rodwell with his Reed, the domestic side of things should be hunky dory.

[47er]

46 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

If anyone has noticed any of your posts getting hidden, I apologise.

I got rid of loads of posts from Saxo's latest re-registration and got rid of any that quoted them as well.....

Well done!

Lost my posts in a good cause!

[SBlue]

5 hours ago, blueboy3333 said:

Most people understand that. It's the '7 attackers' that is nonsense.

Well it is a little hyperbolic lumping the wingbacks in there, but I can see the argument that there would be 5

 

Good to see that kind of trolling shut down though. ?

[Admiral Nelsen]

9 hours ago, Give 'Em the Axe said:

I can't speak for anyone else, but I think it's rather plain to see that Smallwood hasn't really been at the races this season.

He's never been the greatest passer.  In the couple of games I've watched he's been very rushed in possession and played wild, aimless, 'hook-it-on' type passes when taking a touch and getting it settled would have made all the difference.

I'm a fan of his so I'm hoping he bounces back, but his confidence looks shot right now.

Haven't seen every game this season, so I can't speak about those I've missed, but I came away from the Brentford game thinking what was all the fuss about when it came to Smallwood.

Against a good team, he was absolutely fine in my view. Nothing spectacular in terms of his distribution, but didn't look out of place at all at this level. I accept it might be different when we're looking to break down teams that are sitting back against us, but as a ball winning midfielder I don't think there was anything to criticise in terms of last weekend at least.

If Evans keeps up his form & Reed/Davenport look a cut above when they get a chance then maybe it changes, but until then I think it's still very much Smallwood's shirt to lose. 

[Give 'Em the Axe]

1 hour ago, Admiral Nelsen said:

Haven't seen every game this season, so I can't speak about those I've missed, but I came away from the Brentford game thinking what was all the fuss about when it came to Smallwood.

Against a good team, he was absolutely fine in my view. Nothing spectacular in terms of his distribution, but didn't look out of place at all at this level. I accept it might be different when we're looking to break down teams that are sitting back against us, but as a ball winning midfielder I don't think there was anything to criticise in terms of last weekend at least.

If Evans keeps up his form & Reed/Davenport look a cut above when they get a chance then maybe it changes, but until then I think it's still very much Smallwood's shirt to lose. 

Very heartening to read. Funnily enough, I didn't catch the Brentford so it's good to hear that his combatative abilities are present and correct. No, of the games I've seen I thought he was especially poor against Hull and no great shakes against Ipswich.

But please don't misunderstood me, I like the player and want to see him do well.

Just that pillock from earlier wound me up with his 'agenda' guff!

[Admiral Nelsen]

17 hours ago, Give 'Em the Axe said:

Very heartening to read. Funnily enough, I didn't catch the Brentford so it's good to hear that his combatative abilities are present and correct. No, of the games I've seen I thought he was especially poor against Hull and no great shakes against Ipswich.

But please don't misunderstood me, I like the player and want to see him do well.

Just that pillock from earlier wound me up with his 'agenda' guff!

No worries. To be fair, plenty of posters have commented similarly on his performances this year, so certainly wasn't looking to dig you out or even say that he's not been poor for the games I've missed. Only saw the highlights for the Hull game and saw what he did in the build up to the goal, so assumed he played well but obviously that's no good if for the rest of the game he was dire!

That said, I sometimes wonder if fans generally (myself included) just don't really appreciate the role that defensive midfielders do unless they're so good that they can do a bit of everything. I've seen comments elsewhere that Richie was poor in the second half of last season, and granted he wasn't quite as swashbuckling as he was in his first months, but for me he was doing the job of a ball-winner to aplomb: protect his defenders & build a platform for our attacking players. Richie's clearly still a popular figure, so I don't think that any criticism he gets comes from the same place as that of some of our other less technically gifted players over recent years. Even so, I think plenty of fans can under-rate the role of the Smallwoods of this world, even when they're effectively going about their business in my view. Personally, I think that we should worry about Smallwood (and Evans for that matter) when our defence looks overly exposed or when our attacking players aren't getting a platform. 

We've had a fairly kind run of fixtures, so maybe I'll eat my words in a few more games, but if he continues to play as he did last weekend he'll do fine.

Edited August 31, 2018 by Admiral Nelsen

[K-Hod]

1 hour ago, Give 'Em the Axe said:

Very heartening to read. Funnily enough, I didn't catch the Brentford so it's good to hear that his combatative abilities are present and correct. No, of the games I've seen I thought he was especially poor against Hull and no great shakes against Ipswich.

But please don't misunderstood me, I like the player and want to see him do well.

Just that pillock from earlier wound me up with his 'agenda' guff!

That pillock from earlier is Saxo and he’s a cretin. He’s gone (for now until he re registers while the moderation team sleep, once we wake up, he’ll be gone again).

[Give 'Em the Axe]

14 hours ago, Admiral Nelsen said:

No worries. To be fair, plenty of posters have commented similarly on his performances this year, so certainly wasn't looking to dig you out or even say that he's not been poor for the games I've missed. Only saw the highlights for the Hull game and saw what he did in the build up to the goal, so assumed he played well but obviously that's no good if for the rest of the game he was dire!

That said, I sometimes wonder if fans generally (myself included) just don't really appreciate the role that defensive midfielders do unless they're so good that they can do a bit of everything. I've seen comments elsewhere that Richie was poor in the second half of last season, and granted he wasn't quite as swashbuckling as he was in his first months, but for me he was doing the job of a ball-winner to aplomb: protect his defenders & build a platform for our attacking players. Richie's clearly still a popular figure, so I don't think that any criticism he gets comes from the same place as that of some of our other less technically gifted players over recent years. Even so, I think plenty of fans can under-rate the role of the Smallwood's of this world, even when they're effectively going about their business in my view. Personally, I think that we should worry about Smallwood (and Evans for that matter) when our defence looks overly exposed or when our attacking players aren't getting a platform. 

We've had a fairly kind run of fixtures, so maybe I'll eat my words in a few more games, but if he continues to play as he did last weekend he'll do fine.

I hope you don't have to eat any words! Smallwood playing well is great for everyone.

I agree with you regarding the back end of last season. I thought some of the criticism was unfair. In every game I watched on ifollow (most of them) he was snapping into challenges and protecting the back four admirably well.

Edited August 31, 2018 by Give 'Em the Axe