Lewis Travis

[Bigdoggsteel]

 

1 hour ago, joey_big_nose said:

Emergence of Travis does raise the question of what our best side is now with everyone fit. IMO... 

------------------------Raya

Nyambe---Lenihan---Mulgrew----Bell?

----------------Travis-------Reed

---Bennett?--------Dack-----Armstrong?

---------------------Graham

? = I'm not convinced

Subs : Leut, Williams, Smallwood or Evans, Conway, Rothwell, Palmer, Brereton 

We do seem to be getting ever more narrow. We have only one wide player so we shoo horn central players like Rothwell, Armstrong, Bennett and Palmer in there...

Also central midfield is mad. We have nine decent players I think now who can play there.  But only one decent striker (Graham) and one decent winger (Conway) - and both of them at the end of their careers. Left back is also weak.

All in all good squad though. I would argue the "spine" of central positions GK to CF is promotion quality.

 

--------------------Raya

Nyambe---Lenihan---Mulgrew----Bell

----------------Travis-------Evans

-----Reed--------Dack-----Armstrong

--------------------Graham

Would be my strongest team. Hard to leave Bennett out though. Was tight between him and Armstrong. 

[tomphil]

1 hour ago, joey_big_nose said:

Emergence of Travis does raise the question of what our best side is now with everyone fit. IMO... 

------------------------Raya

Nyambe---Lenihan---Mulgrew----Bell?

----------------Travis-------Reed

---Bennett?--------Dack-----Armstrong?

---------------------Graham

? = I'm not convinced

Subs : Leut, Williams, Smallwood or Evans, Conway, Rothwell, Palmer, Brereton 

We do seem to be getting ever more narrow. We have only one wide player so we shoo horn central players like Rothwell, Armstrong, Bennett and Palmer in there...

Also central midfield is mad. We have nine decent players I think now who can play there.  But only one decent striker (Graham) and one decent winger (Conway) - and both of them at the end of their careers. Left back is also weak.

All in all good squad though. I would argue the "spine" of central positions GK to CF is promotion quality.

 

Not bad at all but I think that would give Mowbray kittens it's not how he's set up his pecking order of favourites.

[joey_big_nose]

30 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Not bad at all but I think that would give Mowbray kittens it's not how he's set up his pecking order of favourites.

Like you I can see him hating to drop both Smallwood and Evans. He'll probably keep Bennett at RB, play Reed RW and play Travis and Evans in CM until Nyambe and Smallwood come back. Then he'll be forced to drop 2 senior players.

I thought he'd probably sacrifice Travis but I don't think he can after that performance against Newcastle alongside WBA. To be fair to Mowbray he has stood by Nyambe and Raya so hopefully Travis will get the same treatment.

It's a bit harsh as Smallwood and Evans have been amongst our best players but we're just overloaded in certain areas.

[JacknOry]

9 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

Like you I can see him hating to drop both Smallwood and Evans. He'll probably keep Bennett at RB, play Reed RW and play Travis and Evans in CM until Nyambe and Smallwood come back. Then he'll be forced to drop 2 senior players.

I thought he'd probably sacrifice Travis but I don't think he can after that performance against Newcastle alongside WBA. To be fair to Mowbray he has stood by Nyambe and Raya so hopefully Travis will get the same treatment.

It's a bit harsh as Smallwood and Evans have been amongst our best players but we're just overloaded in certain areas.

Cannot agree with that statement. Both been decent fleetingly and I just feel both in the same team is pointless. One of them alongside either Travis or Reed is acceptable enough but I would love Reed and Travis as our CM pairing going forward - wont happen though.

[tomphil]

39 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

Like you I can see him hating to drop both Smallwood and Evans. He'll probably keep Bennett at RB, play Reed RW and play Travis and Evans in CM until Nyambe and Smallwood come back. Then he'll be forced to drop 2 senior players.

I thought he'd probably sacrifice Travis but I don't think he can after that performance against Newcastle alongside WBA. To be fair to Mowbray he has stood by Nyambe and Raya so hopefully Travis will get the same treatment.

It's a bit harsh as Smallwood and Evans have been amongst our best players but we're just overloaded in certain areas.

Agree and I think some are a bit harsh on Smallwood but the midfield has needed shaking up for years all this two defensive mids started with Bowyer having to accommodate Lowe and Evans and it's just carried on and on. Smallwood was a breath of fresh air after Lowe but has struggled this season at times and the emergence of Travis and the impact of Reed have offered Mowbray the perfect opportunity to remould the team now and change the midfield into something a bit more dynamic or a permanent basis, is he bold enough to take it though ?

[roversfan99]

6 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

Emergence of Travis does raise the question of what our best side is now with everyone fit. IMO... 

------------------------Raya

Nyambe---Lenihan---Mulgrew----Bell?

----------------Travis-------Reed

---Bennett?--------Dack-----Armstrong?

---------------------Graham

? = I'm not convinced

Subs : Leut, Williams, Smallwood or Evans, Conway, Rothwell, Palmer, Brereton 

We do seem to be getting ever more narrow. We have only one wide player so we shoo horn central players like Rothwell, Armstrong, Bennett and Palmer in there...

Also central midfield is mad. We have nine decent players I think now who can play there.  But only one decent striker (Graham) and one decent winger (Conway) - and both of them at the end of their careers. Left back is also weak.

All in all good squad though. I would argue the "spine" of central positions GK to CF is promotion quality.

 

I have previously written off Conway but in recent performances, he has obviously similar levels of understanding of the role and hard work going back compared to Bennett, but has also given us an added attacking threat with his crossing.

With Bennett, he has shown quite clearly that he is incapable of playing that right back role. His positioning there along with his tendency to dive in makes him a liability when asked to fill in that role. His crossing has been below par lately bar the cross he put in for the goal yesterday which was a brilliant ball in. He should only be considered as a wide man, hopefully Nyambes exclusion yesterday was purely fitness based.

I think that Evans has been playing well enough (bar his penalty concession yesterday) to keep him in the team where his style compliments Travis nicely. The only problem is that means having to play Reed in a wide role. If you do that and play Conway or Bennett on the other side, I feel its a little conservative and lacking in pace. But on the flip side, the likes of Armstrong, Rothwell and Palmer have failed to nail down a spot on the other side.

The left back position is a massive area of concern. I feel like we must get rid of Williams or Bell and bring in an upgrade or we will continue to struggle in that area.

[Rogerb]

Stood on the vertigo inducing back row Y last night it was a joy to watch Lewis's performance. With an almost aerial view his ability to find space to receive a ball, his apparent time on the ball and ability to come away with the ball when he had no right to were particularly notable. He did tire in the last ten minutes which resulted in increasing errors and the referree bailed him out for the awful crossfield pass which offered a break for the toon. That was however an exception. 

[neophox]

For being Bought as league one players I have to say Both Bell and Rothwell has done well in Championship! Good cheap Deals by Mowbray. 

[roversfan99]

3 minutes ago, neophox said:

For being Bought as league one players I have to say Both Bell and Rothwell has done well in Championship! Good cheap Deals by Mowbray. 

Done well? Not sure about that.

Rothwell has barely featured and has yet to score or assist. Obviously has something about him but I dont see how he has done well.

Bell has been a liability, bar very rare exceptions.

[arbitro]

Whilst he has many positive attributes there are two which I think really improve us and get us on the front foot. One is that almost instinctively his first touch and movement are forwards which is something that Evans and Smallwood don't do. A couple of times he has looked naive and lost possession but part of his learning will be when to do it but it's quite a novelty to have a central midfielder who does it. He also plays the ball in between the centre half and full back for our wide players to run on to. I think it's a killer ball and young Travis spots the runs early.

[blueboy3333]

37 minutes ago, arbitro said:

I think it's a killer ball and young Travis spots the runs early.

AA will benefit from that. He's always making that run but never gets the ball. 

[Admiral Nelsen]

2 hours ago, neophox said:

For being Bought as league one players I have to say Both Bell and Rothwell has done well in Championship! Good cheap Deals by Mowbray. 

Basically agree due to their potential (especially Rothwell) but both will need to develop significantly to be long term fixtures in my view, if our aspirations are to be mixing it around the top of the table.

Bell at the moment is simply too loose a defender to deserve a place in the team (especially against the better footballing teams who put us under pressure) in front of Williams, who generally I think is underrated. That said, he is physically very impressive and is comfortable on the ball (even if his crossing needs work), but that's not enough if he allows his winger to get the ball into the box as frequently as he does.

As you say, as a league 1 signing for a few hundred grand, he's not been a bad bit of business, but he certainly has things in his games to fix before we can really say it's paid dividends either in terms of increased value or his being worth his place in the side. Probably say the same with Rothwell, although he's probably entitled to a few more appearences before passing judgement.

[joey_big_nose]

22 hours ago, JacknOry said:

Cannot agree with that statement. Both been decent fleetingly and I just feel both in the same team is pointless. One of them alongside either Travis or Reed is acceptable enough but I would love Reed and Travis as our CM pairing going forward - wont happen though.

I don't know - if I rated the squad in order of whose had the best season Evans and Smallwood would be top eight or so. Ahead of the likes of Bell, Brereton, Conway, Palmer, Williams, Armstrong, Rothwell, Samuel etc. But they lose their place because we have two better CMs above them in the pecking order. That's what I mean by harsh

[BlackburnEnd75]

23 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

 

--------------------Raya

Nyambe---Lenihan---Mulgrew----Bell

----------------Travis-------Evans

-----Reed--------Dack-----Armstrong

--------------------Graham

Would be my strongest team. Hard to leave Bennett out though. Was tight between him and Armstrong. 

Reed isn't a winger. Would need to see Travis and Reed as a partnership before declaring it the best but they are the best two players at least on current form.

[Bigdoggsteel]

3 minutes ago, BlackburnEnd75 said:

Reed isn't a winger. Would need to see Travis and Reed as a partnership before declaring it the best but they are the best two players at least on current form.

I think Evans is playing well though and Reed has shown he can play on the right of the front 3 

[BlackburnEnd75]

2 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

I think Evans is playing well though and Reed has shown he can play on the right of the front 3 

Evans is okay. I think Reed is better. On current form so is Travis but he needs to prove it over an extended run of games.

For my Reed does well out wide because he's one of those players who can play anywhere, his work rate and stamina is incredible and he's tidy technically. But he's not really a wide players he doesn't offer anything attacking wise you'd want from a winger.

I'd also argue we don't play a 4-2-3-1. we play a more 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 with Dack as a second striker

[Bigdoggsteel]

1 minute ago, BlackburnEnd75 said:

Evans is okay. I think Reed is better. On current form so is Travis but he needs to prove it over an extended run of games.

For my Reed does well out wide because he's one of those players who can play anywhere, his work rate and stamina is incredible and he's tidy technically. But he's not really a wide players he doesn't offer anything attacking wise you'd want from a winger.

I'd also argue we don't play a 4-2-3-1. we play a more 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 with Dack as a second striker

Reed is better, but who plays right mid then? Bennett I suppose 

[den]

From the little I’ve seen of Travis, he looks very good. He might, just might have a career ahead of him. I was very impressed.

but maybe I should keep quiet and give him a chance.

[blueboy3333]

 

[RevidgeBlue]

On 06/01/2019 at 11:28, tomphil said:

Agree and I think some are a bit harsh on Smallwood but the midfield has needed shaking up for years all this two defensive mids started with Bowyer having to accommodate Lowe and Evans and it's just carried on and on. Smallwood was a breath of fresh air after Lowe but has struggled this season at times and the emergence of Travis and the impact of Reed have offered Mowbray the perfect opportunity to remould the team now and change the midfield into something a bit more dynamic or a permanent basis, is he bold enough to take it though ?

Best post I've seen on here for a while. I've always said you don't need two holding midfielders and that if you do, neither of them are any good.

It would be a "travisty" (pun intended) if Travis were to be dropped for Smallwood or Evans as he's miles better than both of them imo. I am usually left scratching my head at the end of 90 mins as to what Evans has actually done and if you watch him closely for 10 mins or so you see how bad he actually is. Whereas good players make themselves available for the ball, Evans appears to do the opposite, rarely seeking the ball out and often moving away from the man in possession making himself unavailable for a pass. No doubt he'd claim he was plugging some imaginary hole but it doesn't wash with me. When he does get the ball it's generally a pointless short pass to the nearest man, rarely forward and very rarely one that puts us in a better position, it just leaves the receiving player with the problem of what to do next.

I could cope with Travis and Smallwood (who at least gets stuck in) but long term if we're going to progress we need to be looking at Travis and Reed in central midfield. 2 lads who can dig in AND play a bit.

Edited January 9, 2019 by RevidgeBlue

[SBlue]

11 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Best post I've seen on here for a while. I've always said you don't need two holding midfielders and that if you do, neither of them are any good.

It would be a "travisty" (pun intended) if Travis were to be dropped for Smallwood or Evans as he's miles better than both of them imo. I am usually left scratching my head at the end of 90 mins as to what Evans has actually done and if you watch him closely for 10 mins or so you see how bad he actually is. Whereas good players make themselves available for the ball, Evans appears to do the opposite, rarely seeking the ball out and often moving away from the man in possession making himself unavailable for a pass. No doubt he'd claim he was plugging some imaginary hole but it doesn't wash with we. When he does get the ball it's generally a pointless short pass to the nearest man, rarely forward and very rarely one that puts us in a better position, it just leaves the receiving player with the problem of what to do next.

I could cope with Travis and Smallwood (who at least gets stuck in) but long term if we're going to progress we need to be looking at Travis and Reed in central midfield. 2 lads who can dig in AND play a bit.

Have thought very similar about Evans for a while.

I just think he lacks football intelligence with his passing and positioning and he plays with less intensity than I’d like for that position.

He does have decentish technique though and his interceptions/anticipations seem to be better this season.

I much prefer Richie who is given a lot of unfair stick for me - he still seems to contribute well in most games I see (especially noticeable when I’m there in person).

 

Lots of others have been raving about Evans and saying Smallwood is the weak link mind so what do I know!?

[tomphil]

In the past I've accused Evans of being a passenger i'm not sure he hides but he definitely coasts it but I tried to be fair by saying that's just the type of player he is it's not his fault. That fell down a bit when he appeared in green and always looked a different player to the one week in week out in blue and white so then I say well it's the clubs managers and the style they play and what they ask him to do that's not getting the best out of him. Then that fell down last half of last season and early this when he did turn in a string of lively performances and actually looked like a midfielder not a sitter however new contract in the bag he reverts to type pretty quickly.

It is still hard to know with him as he'll have great stats because he is neat and tidy except that'll all be based around plenty touches of the ball moving it two yards either side or backwards often under no pressure. Is he asked to do that by these unadventurous gaffers or is that just his style and they leave him to it ?

Either way he's another who seems a shoe in for the team at Rovers whoever is boss but he's also another who's been consistent in our water treading previously. Put someone good and a bit different next to him and it may be different but it needs doing permanently. For me though like I said I'd shake the lot up now and remould it whilst we've chance and use the two defensive mids only when needed or we've no option as for me when Dack isn't on fire or there is no Chapman, Cairney or even early Ben Marshall types in the team its been a chronic contribution to the dull slow start football we've seen at Rovers for years.

[Oldgregg86]

8 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Best post I've seen on here for a while. I've always said you don't need two holding midfielders and that if you do, neither of them are any good.

It would be a "travisty" (pun intended) if Travis were to be dropped for Smallwood or Evans as he's miles better than both of them imo. I am usually left scratching my head at the end of 90 mins as to what Evans has actually done and if you watch him closely for 10 mins or so you see how bad he actually is. Whereas good players make themselves available for the ball, Evans appears to do the opposite, rarely seeking the ball out and often moving away from the man in possession making himself unavailable for a pass. No doubt he'd claim he was plugging some imaginary hole but it doesn't wash with me. When he does get the ball it's generally a pointless short pass to the nearest man, rarely forward and very rarely one that puts us in a better position, it just leaves the receiving player with the problem of what to do next.

I could cope with Travis and Smallwood (who at least gets stuck in) but long term if we're going to progress we need to be looking at Travis and Reed in central midfield. 2 lads who can dig in AND play a bit.

Nail head. I don't get this Evans love in. Sometimes awful, mostly anonymous.

[arbitro]

Lewis Travis is like a new signing in my book after not really been given a chance this season. Over the last three games he has been our outstanding player and offers versatility too. Hopefully Mowbray picks the team on merit and Travis maintains his good form. I believe it will be detrimental to the team if Mowbray returns to type when Smallwood is available.

[Swanson]

Another great game from the kid, we will see what happens next game when "the King" is available. Will Mowbray rearrange the whole team just go get him back in there?

Travis drives forward with the ball, something neither Evans or Smallwood do. It clearly makes a difference.

Edited January 12, 2019 by Swanson