Bolton vs Rovers

[OJRovers]

In reality it was a back 5. I don’t remember Reed ot Bennett over the halfway line much at all.

[bluefred]

6 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Or a Kevin Moran.

Been saying that for years.?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

5 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Second half he was moved to left wing back as we went 3-5-2, with Reed on the right and Willliams, Mulgrew and Lenihan as the three centre backs.

Thanks for that. You certainly need to be versatile to play for Mowbray.

[K-Hod]

Delighted with the win yesterday, always nice to beat those whoppers!

With that being said, I can’t fathom why we bricked it at 1-0 up, sat back and defended for the rest of the game. They were a poor side, a really poor side tbh.

[tonyoz]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Or a Kevin Moran.

Now you’re talking!

I haven’t seen the game yet but I love Mowbray’s interviews........best that I can recall from a Rovers manager........

especially explaining why his selections/substitutions. (paraphrasing slightly).......”We were poor, we weren’t fluid enough on Wednesday.....so I selected Palmer, Rothwell, Dack so we could be a bit more fluid.....picked Rodwell and Reed to feed them players......worked Ok for 20 min......but I thought the solidity Evans and Smallwood brought on later was important and secured the points.”

”Then I switchd to 3 centre halves because I thought we were going to concede....”

AND

” the togetherness, the cameraderie, the spirit of these players is hard to break really.........when I dropped Evans, Smallwood and Bell......did anybody whinge? No.....everybody’s patting each other on the back, it’s great to see that togetherness.......”

He talks to the fans. I like him.

 

Edited October 7, 2018 by tonyoz

[Ossydave]

52 minutes ago, 47er said:

Yes,fooballers are renowned for their gratitude! 

We'll see. He's light years from a prem team swooping so let's just sit back and enjoy the ride 

[tomphil]

7 hours ago, Scotland1 said:

As a Manc is he a Lancastrian or a Manc. Pound to a penny he’s a Manc first and has always been.

Bolton don’t even see Rovers as a rival they’ve traditionally viewed their derbies as Manchester United and Bury.

You are quite wide of the mark by some distance on that Bolton comment although them and UTD did used to be a fair old rivalry as you'd expect, 'yonners' I think dyed in the wool Mancs used to call them.

Bury ? I doubt that's anything much more than us with Bury - an old traditional football rivalry that's more or less been forgotten down the years although they probably had something bubbling along in the lower league years in the 80's but then again most local clubs did we just stayed a cut above ?

Bury v Rochdale is the one over that way, Bolton v Wigan is an odd one, the A58 derby ..... hilarious !

Edited October 7, 2018 by tomphil

[Ossydave]

Anyone else agree we look far better away from home this season? Been every game bar Ipswich and apart from the collapse second half at Bristol we just seem far more suited mainly because teams are having a go

[Neal]

I think we flattered Bolton in the 2nd half, their fans will be walking away from that thinking they're not that bad, when in fact we made them look a lot better than what they actually are... A poor side who have everything against a better side who performed poorly but still lost. I'm not too concerned about how we performed 2nd half because I've seen us play better when in front and and walk away winless. Sometimes you just have to grind it out. We will play better and win this season but I think that will only start to happen when TM knows what his best 11 is... One thing is for sure, it will be an 11 with Joe Rothwell in it, that lad is absolutely class, love watching him play. We should easily finish mid table, Bolton are relegation material, what do you expect with Jason Lowe in centre mid? He was absolutely chit by the way, first time I've ever enjoyed watching him try and pass the ball.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Neal

[Ossydave]

3 minutes ago, Neal said:

I think we flattered Bolton in the 2nd half, made them look a lot better than what they actually are. I'm not too concerned about how we performed 2nd half because I've seen us play better when in front and and walk away winless. Sometimes you just have to grind it out. We will play better and win this season but I think that will only start to happen when TM knows what his best 11 is... One thing is for sure, it will be an 11 with Joe Rothwell in it, that lad is absolutely class, love watching him play.

Agreed, he's literally not put a foot wrong when given a chance

[yeti-dog]

Well, at the end of the day it's the 3 points that count I suppose but why are we always so timid and in a rush to get back in our shells?

After we scored we let them look like Barcelona. I liked Mowbray's starting line-up but it was like he couldn't wait to get to 60 minutes so he could get the two cart-horses back in centre midfield. It feels like they're his comfort zone pairing and I'm fed up of it. 

The first 20 minutes was a taster of how things could look if we took the shackles off and went looking to give teams a good kicking - unfortunately, at the minute, it never lasts for very long before we become  scared of our own shadows.

It makes you wonder - if we can get to being outside the play-offs on goal difference playing like this what might we achieve if Mowbray took the stabilisers off and allowed the team some freedom to truly express themselves. 

[jim mk2]

42 minutes ago, tonyoz said:

Now you’re talking!

I haven’t seen the game yet but I love Mowbray’s interviews........best that I can recall from a Rovers manager........

especially explaining why his selections/substitutions. (paraphrasing slightly).......”We were poor, we weren’t fluid enough on Wednesday.....so I selected Palmer, Rothwell, Dack so we could be a bit more fluid.....picked Rodwell and Reed to feed them players......worked Ok for 20 min......but I thought the solidity Evans and Smallwood brought on later was important and secured the points.”

”Then I switchd to 3 centre halves because I thought we were going to concede....”

 

 

 

Evidence yet again that Mowbray overthinks and tinkers too much.

It must be confusing for the players and it certainly didn't make any sense yesterday

Hasn't he heard of the phrase "if it ain't broke don't fix it"? 

[Stuart]

3 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

There’s a difference between a metropolitan/ ceremonial county - Greater Manchester being one and the historical counties like the Lancashire county Palatine that covers the land from the Furness to the River Mersey that still exist.

Just surprises me that so many Lancastrians want to do down and reduce their historical county with a thousand years of civic pride and history. Perhaps just ignorance.

I’m hopeful that one day its boundaries will be properly restored - like the East Riding of Yorkshire was when ‘Humberside’ was abolished.

www.forl.co.uk

Sadly the most ignorant are the ones who seem to shout the loudest. As well as those with the most to gain (financially).

And I’ve posted that Friends of Real Lancashire link many times in here to nil response. It’s nice to see that it has been picked up anyway.

[blueboy3333]

Bolton aren't a 'good' side. Burnley aren't a 'good' side. But those teams and their managers win games because they play in a way that gives the opposition problems. 

Picking fault with a win and a clean sheet at a place we haven't won in a decade it's frankly a bit churlish. 

If anyone thinks we are going to play teams like Bolton off the park just because we have a loanee from Chelsea and Soton, a free from Sunderland and a free from Oxford is deluded. We aren't a great team who are going to pass the ball around for fun. We are doing well to be on 18 points. 

The Championship is a very competitive division.  At home to Sheff Utd we didn't compete and got everything we deserved (as did the players who were dropped). Yesterday the players gave it everything and got the win their resolve and determination merited. 

[Doug]

15 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

 

Evidence yet again that Mowbray overthinks and tinkers too much.

It must be confusing for the players and it certainly didn't make any sense yesterday

Hasn't he heard of the phrase "if it ain't broke don't fix it"? 

Ray Harford wasn't it?

Very pleased with the result yesterday, nice to be able to have the bragging rights over here.

Raya was outstanding yesterday and special mention for Rothwell, Charlie, Lenihan and Palmer for his contribution to the goal.

How many times did Williams give the ball away, still think left back is a weak position for us.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Doug

[bluebruce]

7 minutes ago, blueboy3333 said:

 

If anyone thinks we are going to play teams like Bolton off the park just because we have a loanee from Chelsea and Soton, a free from Sunderland and a free from Oxford is deluded.

Rothwell wasn't free. Just cheap. Somewhere in the 300k bracket. Bolton's team are hardly chock full of multimillion pound signings either. Player cost is irrelevant on the pitch though, only quality. Agreed with the rest of what you said though (which I deleted).

[blueboy3333]

Just now, bluebruce said:

. Agreed with the rest of what you said though (which I deleted).

Seems fair ?

[Bbrovers2288]

Bolton are the worst team iv seen in this league, full of has beens, never has beens and never will beens. 

I just wish we had changed to that defensive approach when we were 2 up instead of trying to hold the one goal lead. I wasn’t impressed at all with our performance, think we are a lot better than that and sadly didn’t show it on the sky cameras 

[blueboy3333]

Just now, bluebruce said:

Player cost is irrelevant on the pitch though, only quality.

Which was my point. Those players aren't that great or else they would have commanded better wages at clubs that pay better money.  Some think we have a team full of superstars just because Rothwell carries the ball 20 yards, Rodwell makes a cross field pass or Palmer does a step-over. 

We have no right to beat Bolton. 

[toogs]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

Second half he was moved to left wing back as we went 3-5-2, with Reed on the right and Willliams, Mulgrew and Lenihan as the three centre backs.

If williams was one of the back 3, I wonder why was  he making runs up the right hand side later in the game, invariably giving the ball away?

I think if we are going to change tactics mid game, we need to stick to the system. I suspect that Mowbary will have noticed this. At least I hope so.

[blueboy3333]

Just now, Bbrovers2288 said:

olton are the worst team iv seen in this league, full of has beens, never has beens and never will beens. 

 Did you watch us against Sheff Utd? We are more than capable of being shit. 

Bolton are 3 points behind us. 

[yeti-dog]

4 minutes ago, blueboy3333 said:

Which was my point. Those players aren't that great or else they would have commanded better wages at clubs that pay better money.  Some think we have a team full of superstars just because Rothwell carries the ball 20 yards, Rodwell makes a cross field pass or Palmer does a step-over. 

We have no right to beat Bolton. 

Of course we have no right but what I take issue with is that we're often too timid once in front and fail to intimidate and impose ourselves on opponents we're very capable of beating.

You have to earn the right to beat any team but my preferred way isn't to score one goal and then shut up shop - it's to get in front and then go looking for further goals to twist the knife in. 

[rigger]

1 hour ago, OJRovers said:

In reality it was a back 5. I don’t remember Reed ot Bennett over the halfway line much at all.

I thought Bennet got half way from back to front with good possession,  then lacked the pace and the application to take on his defender, so invariably turned back or inside to lay the ball off. The amount of times, all the players, turned in-field with the ball then lost it, to put us under pressure was criminal .

[RoverCanada]

We certainly didn't look 'great' out there from about the 20th minute onward, but I thought we largely held Bolton from any particularly great scoring chances. It was a bit frustrating to watch us try and park the bus for so long, but I honestly didn't feel all that nervous watching. In the end, it's hard not to be pleased with a 1-0 away win.

One big positive for me was Rodwell. He wasn't exceptional and the game had started to go by him when he was rightly substituted, but he showed some real quality with the ball. I wouldn't bet on it just yet, but there's a chance he could turn into a really shrewd pick up.

I'd be interested to see a Evans-Rothwell pairing going forward.

[jim mk2]

40 minutes ago, Doug said:

Ray Harford wasn't it?

 

Failure to invest from a position of strength during the close season and unnecessarily and constantly changing the formation of the team during a match are 2 entirely different scenarios.

Nice try  though

Edited October 7, 2018 by jim mk2