The mysterious case of Joe Rothwell.

[tomphil]

1 hour ago, joey_big_nose said:

What was exciting about last night was previously I would have said Dack and Rothwell would struggle to play together as they inhabit similar space on the pitch. I was totally wrong. Their linkup was superb.

Can't wait to see them on there with Chapman too on the right. Something to look forward to after two months of terrible performances.

 

Good footballers with football brains often work it out for themselves it's the stubborn managers and clueless coaches working straight out of the manual that sometimes drill it out of them.

Be nice to see if these two could flourish but they need the chance, Duff and Jansen sometimes got in each others ways but they worked it out.

[tomphil]

3 hours ago, DE. said:

I think it's being very generous to assume that this is some kind of elaborate plan by Mowbray to mould Rothwell into some kind of star player. Based on what we've seen of Mowbray the most simple answer is likely the right one - he's terrified of other teams and thus prefers to play defensive-minded players rather than take any risks. Yesterday's line up seemed to be TM throwing his hands up and saying screw it, might as well try this because nothing else is working. My guess would be that TM feels deeply uncomfortable about how much better we were last night compared to how we usually play,

I'm giving him a large dose of benefit of the doubt he's a wiley old dog off the pitch and he's dealt with quite a few similar players in his time i'd wager. He seems to have a certain way of doing it with some lads whilst others get a free pass.

I think the forced into it because he's run out of options is the more likely scenario if i'm being honest though.  That was at play last season as well.

[bluebruce]

Hopefully after today 'the mysterious case of Joe Rothwell' can be consigned to the history books as an unsolved one, like the Mary Celeste or who shot JFK.

[philipl]

Great goal from Joe. Making himself a key part of the team.

Hopefully Reed's ankle clears up quickly because that was looking like the start of a promising formation with Rothwell against Derby. 

[Admiral Nelsen]

Really pleased that he's taking his chance. Hopefully should be able to take this into next year and hit the ground running.

[BankEnd Rover]

What does everyone think Rothwells thoughts are in the current situation? I think if we keep him starting with Dack & travis next season (along with a new defence) we could be a real threat next season. 

[JacknOry]

I knew once he got his first goal, the rest would flow much easier. Surely he has made it impossible to be dropped and should be one of the first names on the teamsheet going forwards. 

[Ewood Ace]

Delighted to see him finally getting his chance and taking it. From the minute he came on against Millwall I liked what I saw, just a shame that it has taken so long for him to be given the opportunity to flourish as his talent has been on show nearly every time he has been given an opportunity this season.  

Edited April 14, 2019 by Ewood Ace

[47er]

2 hours ago, JacknOry said:

I knew once he got his first goal, the rest would flow much easier. Surely he has made it impossible to be dropped and should be one of the first names on the teamsheet going forwards. 

Careful! 

[BlackburnEnd75]

Whats funny is Mowbray has taken a lot of stick (rightly IMO) for not playing Rothwell over the last few months, but if he had actually started him earlier he would be getting a lot of credit for the signing.

He cost us less than 500k, had a poor injury record yet has been fit all season, goes past players with ease. What a bargain.

Also Mowbray really pursued him too, tried in January couldn't get him signed Payne on loan then went back in for him in the summer when some of us would have preferred Payne back. I for one was really underwhelmed by the singing initially.

Just makes his exclusions even more confusing. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

11 minutes ago, BlackburnEnd75 said:

Whats funny is Mowbray has taken a lot of stick (rightly IMO) for not playing Rothwell over the last few months, but if he had actually started him earlier he would be getting a lot of credit for the signing.

He cost us less than 500k, had a poor injury record yet has been fit all season, goes past players with ease. What a bargain.

Also Mowbray really pursued him too, tried in January couldn't get him signed Payne on loan then went back in for him in the summer when some of us would have preferred Payne back. I for one was really underwhelmed by the singing initially.

Just makes his exclusions even more confusing. 

He signs them so no one else can. Imagine the damage a Rothwell or Chapman would have done against us if someone else signed them. Sign them and bench then. They can't hurt us that way!

[Exiled in Toronto]

I thought today was his most complete performance: fewer (if any) blind alleys, tracked back really well when QPR were attacking down his side, but didn’t sacrifice those quick burst of speed darting runs with the ball glued to his feet. He took all the corners and attacking free kicks with great deliveries - the one to Lenihan well past the back post was perfect and deserved a goal. Smart move by him to make himself the go-to guy for set pieces: makes him a lot harder to drop and, along with Graham not missing any pens this season, is a big nail in Charlie’s coffin.