Pre-season 2019/20

[K-Hod]

Just now, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

Rothwell is definitely going to start this season on the bench isn’t he. Sigh.

He didn’t start this game on the bench...

[G Somerset Rover]

Just now, K-Hod said:

He didn’t start this game on the bench...

Team starting is pretty much our 2nds though, no?

[K-Hod]

Just now, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

Team starting is pretty much our 2nds though, no?

Brereton and Travis started also. 

Edit- Armstrong just bagged.

[BankEnd Rover]

Just now, K-Hod said:

He didn’t start this game on the bench...

You just get a sense that he's still not mowbrays favourite. With him to be starting in that lineup and then you look at the bench. Kinda gives it away imo. Could be wrong though...

[Gary C]

Another pre season win 3-1. Rangers should be the best test we will face on Sunday 

[BankEnd Rover]

Butterworth, travis & Buckley were class. What is butterworths natural position? CM?

[AdamRochina]

Just now, BankEnd Rover said:

Butterworth, travis & Buckley were class. What is butterworths natural position? CM?

he was a striker wasent he? ?

[G Somerset Rover]

Just now, K-Hod said:

Brereton and Travis started also. 

Edit- Armstrong just bagged.

Brereton won’t start and I fear for Travis with Johnson now here too!

[MarkBRFC]

Be amazed if Rothwell or Travis start on the opening day, it's a perfect chance for Mowbray to revert to type and play his faves.

Fully expect Bennett, Mulgrew, Evans & Downing all to start against Charlton, with Nyambe, Travis, Rothwell, Brereton & Gallagher on the bench.

[G Somerset Rover]

Just now, MarkBRFC said:

Be amazed if Rothwell or Travis start on the opening day, it's a perfect chance for Mowbray to revert to type and play his faves.

Fully expect Bennett, Mulgrew, Evans & Downing all to start against Charlton, with Nyambe, Travis, Rothwell, Brereton & Gallagher on the bench.

New GK, Benno, Lenihan, Mulgrew/Williams, Bell, Evans, Johnson, Armstrong, Dack, Downing, Graham

If they’re all fit I’d be amazed if that isn’t our team against Charlton.

[JBiz]

Ignoring the standard “Tony only plays his favourites chat” I thought we looked decent.

Particularly Butterworth, Buckley, Hart, Brereton - I was quite impressed by Fisher and Grayson too.

Downing appeared to play much deeper too - his bit of play with Travis made Arma’s goal.

All in all - decent run out, happy to be back at a game! 

[Oldgregg86]

Just now, Biz said:

Ignoring the standard “Tony only plays his favourites chat” I thought we looked decent.

Particularly Butterworth, Buckley, Hart, Brereton - I was quite impressed by Fisher and Grayson too.

Downing appeared to play much deeper too - his bit of play with Travis made Arma’s goal.

All in all - decent run out, happy to be back at a game! 

So hart played well ?

do you think he looks ready to challenge for a first team spot or adequate back up and does he appear to have improved over the last 12 months 

genuine question 

[1864roverite]

It’s pre season work outs putting a few miles in the legs. How’s the time for players to make sure they are part of the first 11 by making the required effort.

Travis is or has to be the first name on the team sheet alongside Johnson. The team will be built around these 2.

[JBiz]

Just now, Oldgregg86 said:

So hart played well ?

do you think he looks ready to challenge for a first team spot or adequate back up and does he appear to have improved over the last 12 months 

genuine question 

Impossible to say based on that but I would argue that he’s not as far away as some may expect. He works hard, looks mobile, stronger than before and gets his head up. On the other side of the coin - he didn’t do much more than Joe Rankin Costello (also looked decent), he is rather one footed and him and Smallwood have the standard “Keith Andrews” cut...

Would probably release him on that alone tbh..!

[briansol]

15 minutes ago, BankEnd Rover said:

Butterworth, travis & Buckley were class. What is butterworths natural position? CM?

When I've seen him for the U23 he plays off the striker. Collects the ball and run at the defence. Has pace and goes by people, a bit of swagger and arrogance which I like. Can improve his decision making as he is a bit greedy and could be better at releasing the ball to other than going for goal himself.

Can be an impact player, but I think it's more likely to see him go on loan and play regularly this season. Too good for U23 now, as is Buckley

[briansol]

3-1 is a pretty decent result for what effectively was a U23 team. 

[m1st]

Just now, 1864roverite said:

It’s pre season work outs putting a few miles in the legs. How’s the time for players to make sure they are part of the first 11 by making the required effort.

Travis is or has to be the first name on the team sheet alongside Johnson. The team will be built around these 2.

Or should that read, "The team really ought, imo, to be built around these 2."? I'm asking because I simply don't know.

I'm trying not to be provocative. I'm as far from being ITK as it's possible to be and I get bemused by so many people on here making what looks like a factual statement, but is really their opinion.

Isn't that how we get 'fake news'??

[OJRovers]

37 minutes ago, 1864roverite said:

It’s pre season work outs putting a few miles in the legs. How’s the time for players to make sure they are part of the first 11 by making the required effort.

Travis is or has to be the first name on the team sheet alongside Johnson. The team will be built around these 2.

Is Johnson going to be fit for Charlton? There's usually the customary 6 month run in by Mowbray for new signings.

[bluebruce]

Saw this on the LT's live commentary at 8pm:

'Brereton getting some joy pulling off the Mansfield three centre halves'

Amazed the game wasn't called off at that point!

The next update was:

'Rovers very fluid in possession. Lot of interchanging of positions'

I'm sure this possession of fluids and switching positions could have been saved for some kind of after-match party. No wonder @S8 & Blue's match feed went down for a while.

[bluebruce]

3 hours ago, MarkBRFC said:

Be amazed if Rothwell or Travis start on the opening day, it's a perfect chance for Mowbray to revert to type and play his faves.

Fully expect Bennett, Mulgrew, Evans & Downing all to start against Charlton, with Nyambe, Travis, Rothwell, Brereton & Gallagher on the bench.

I get the concern, but I wouldn't worry too much just yet. These games are about fitness too, and there's availability to consider.

Our wing options are Arma, Downing, Rothwell, Chapman, Bennett, and sort of Gallagher and Brereton.

Downing was playing his first game and has missed a chunk of pre-season at 35. It wouldn't have made sense to start him if it was deemed best he start off with less than half a game. Chapman has had injury problems and if I'm remembering rightly played in the behind closed doors friendly earlier today. Gallagher has only just signed and wasn't considered ready, and Brereton was started in his proper position. I imagine Bennett and Nyambe will share RB duties on Sunday, a half each to get them both up to speed.

That basically leaves Rothwell. He also seems fit as a fiddle, so can probably be considered eligible for plenty of game time on Sunday. Without him, we'd have been looking very short on first teamers for a first team friendly. Amongst other considerations, that would have been unfair to Mansfield and their fans, who have probably been looking forward to this one. He also came off just after 60 minutes, when a youth player coming off may have seemed more obvious. Probably to rest him a little.

Travis' situation is a little different, as we have ten to the power of twenty midfielders. However, again he's very fit and should be good to go again by Sunday if needed, and is another first teamer to add prestige and competency to today's lineup.

Today's team was also a very young lineup indeed, most of them playing the full 90 minutes, and I can't help but feel that TM used the game to give himself a glimpse into what the future might look like. The answer to which is, very promising. Travis fits that selection methodology. Was Smallwood the only player over the age of 23? Not to mention the vast majority of the players either haven't played a competitive senior game, or have played less than a handful. Travis, Smallwood, Rothwell and Brereton being the only exceptions (apart from the subs) to that rule.

So we weren't just looking at what our young players can do against an established Football League side, who finished 4th in League Two, but to a large extent what our emerging, fringe youth players can do. Definitely a positive outcome from that experiment. It's just a friendly, but I'm sure Mansfield were eager to show what they could do against a much bigger name club. They had two trialists playing too, but again, those should have been very eager to prove themselves.

Edited July 18, 2019 by bluebruce

[AllRoverAsia]

May be on Rangers TV? They covered v Oxford

https://rangers.co.uk/news/category/rangers-tv/

[philipl]

These are early pre-season friendlies so all you can read into them is the boss experimenting. It is safe to say that competition for places next season will be intense.

LT impressed by Buckley and Butterworth at Mansfield. Good to read.

[Paul Mani]

6 hours ago, K-Hod said:

He didn’t start this game on the bench...

What formation did we play mate? Looks like a 433?

[K-Hod]

3 hours ago, Paul Mani said:

What formation did we play mate? Looks like a 433?

Yeah, basically!

[Paul Mani]

5 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

Yeah, basically!

Were the top 3 spread across or was one of them sat in behind?