Rovers v Charlton

[Tormund]

Wasn’t Mowbray a centre half himself? Even more baffling that he can’t sort it.

[Paul Mellelieu]

Just now, CambridgeRover said:

Did I say it was? Just a balance of probabilities. No attack scored 2/3 goals a game but many defences can keep a clean sheet at home against a promoted team

 

Even good attacking players have off days. City relied upon a Kompany wonder goal to win the league. But if those off days are coupled with a leaky defence then we get performances like today

Ok, you're right.

[rock steady]

I really hope a journalist asks Mowbray why Rothwell was on the bench and why Brereton couldn't get on the field after his pre-season scoring.

[Blue blood]

Just now, CambridgeRover said:

The truth is we could have not bought Gallagher and played Ben up front and have got the same amount of chances today. What the flying fuck is our transfer policy?

Who decided 5 million on another striker was the right thing to do?

Disagree about Bereton being the answer but TM's balls up on buying him has left us in a hole. On one hand we cannot have an aging but quality Graham as our lone centre forward, on the other hand that £5 million was desperately needed elsewhere. 

Personally I think Gally is a decent investment in isolation, the problem is we desperately need a left back, centre back and keeper. I don't think too many people would disagree that was a pressing need too. 

An ideal world would've seen Gally signed and the £7 mill previous strengthening other areas of the team. Pragmatically perhaps buying a cheap big unit up front and investing in a decent centre back and left back would have been a smarter move. There's plenty of strikers who can do what Kuqi used to do for us - be a big unit and a nuscance - whilst allowing us to make sure we got a couple of defensive signings over the line. 

The other problem is with Gally, Reed, Rothwell and I'm sure others too is that it doesn't matter how good they are of they aren't played or played out of position. Messi would be a pretty poor centre back and it's unfair of TM to shunt Gally out to a position he struggles at. In fact much of our problems stem from this issue. Bennett is a good squad player, especially in the missile of the park but playing him at RB in anything bar an emergency is only asking for trouble and lies solely with the manager. 

[Butty]

Chaddy’s championship table. The ultimate curse. 5 of his top six played today and us as well as the rest ALL lost. Fuck sake man ??

[tonyoz]

Just now, CambridgeRover said:

Aye no disagreement here, I don't disagree with Paul either, obviously the attack didn't perform. Everyone can weight it differently. For me personally I am more disappointing in the defence than the attack 

Yes. Mulgrew. Bell and Bennett are not fit for purpose. But we don't have much of an alterative. What gets me....is that I was so looking forward to this season. Anyway, it's just one match………….I'm trying not to regret my ifollow purchase!

[Cherry Blue]

1) No creativity. Too money back passing.

2) No bite or commitment. In first half we had the edge until the final third.

3) Don't want to see Bennett or Bell in the team again. Neither are good enough at this level and TM has failed to address a two year old problem. Bell is far too slow and Bennett has the enthusiasm but not the brain.

4) How many shots? 1 from Bell. What on earth do the practice in training.

5) Dack......was he playing? 

5) We need a new manager who will blast the talents we do have into playing constructive football. TM has done all he can at Rovers.

  

[CD_93]

Bell was absolute piss out there today. Bennett at RB the same old story. Dack as invisible as he was in pre-season - in fairness he kept asking for the ball but wasn't getting it.

Gallagher was making a nuisance of himself up top. Harrassing the Charlton defenders. Winning it back. As soon as he was shafted out on the wing he was out of the game.

Edited August 3, 2019 by CD_93

[Doogs]

That was shocking. Can someone tell me what is this new way of playing Mowbray was on about. Centre halfs that cant win the ball in our box. Downing instead of Rothwell..joke..Bennett at RB...oh God help us..

[Gary C]

Just now, tonyoz said:

Yes. Mulgrew. Bell and Bennett are not fit for purpose. But we don't have much of an alterative. What gets me....is that I was so looking forward to this season. Anyway, it's just one match………….I'm trying not to regret my ifollow purchase!

Awful again at the back. Had an early let of when Mulgrew was trying to play out from back. Scrappy game created very little. Walton made a good save late on. Johnson outstanding. 

[Doogs]

Just now, Paul Mellelieu said:

My point is that we had lots of possession, so we shouldn't the attackers off the hook too.  Not a difficult line of argument to follow.

 

Just now, perthblue02 said:

How much of that possession was playing about with it in our own half?

All the possession was in our own haf. Sideways backwards back to the goalie, Then a bigg huff to there centre half. To be fair to their centre half he did what ours dont. Win the ball in the air and clear yhe danger.

[tonyoz]

Just now, Doogs said:

 

All the possession was in our own haf. Sideways backwards back to the goalie, Then a bigg huff to there centre half. To be fair to their centre half he did what ours dont. Win the ball in the air and clear yhe danger.

What's Hanley doing these days?

[RoverAbroad]

Just now, Tormund said:

Wasn’t Mowbray a centre half himself? Even more baffling that he can’t sort it.

Maybe he thought of himself as a tricky left winger or something and being played out of position by the manager was the making of him. Or something weird like that.

There has to be a reason why he thinks Bennett is a right back, Gallagher is a right winger and Rothwell/BB/Nyambe are all benchwarmers. 

Mowbray turned this club around and deserves enormous credit. He really was the right man for the job. Football moves on, though. He had an absolute stinker today. 

[RoverAbroad]

Just now, Blue blood said:

Disagree about Bereton being the answer but TM's balls up on buying him has left us in a hole. On one hand we cannot have an aging but quality Graham as our lone centre forward, on the other hand that £5 million was desperately needed elsewhere. 

Perhaps, however it just feels like TM is making everything far more difficult for BB than it need be. He scores the winner, then is dropped next game. He starts showing some preseason potential and then he's dumped on the bench, before then being passed over for a teenage midfielder when we need a goal. 

Yet...Gallagher comes in and instantly given the full ninety minutes.

Try and think what BB, Rothwell and Nyambe must be thinking. Do you think they'd feel inspired by such an inspiring managerial manner?

[tomphil]

Bell has been rubbish ever since he signed he's a terrible defender there's no surprise there. He can run quick in a straight line either way but that's it, can't provide anything and cannot cut out crosses or read the game.  He hasn't improved one jot since he signed here he's shaped up to be a league 2'er way out his depth.

No real point debating these things though becaiuse this manager has a complete blind spot to it.

[Madon]

Bradley Johnson and Travis were class. Everyone else, crap. 

Something has gotta give - now.

[Mercer]

Utter rubbish.

Slow, laboured, off the pace, what more can you say.

Charlton's savvy game management meant they saw out the game with ease.  Defensively, they looked far better organised than we did and looked quicker all over the park.

Mowbray must shoulder the blame.  Wrong selections. Should have started with Nyambe, Rothwell and Graham to name but three.

He said defenders were coming, well we need a premature ejaculation of them!

Tone was set from kick off, 40 yards back to Lenihan and hoof!

My views:

Walton 6: saved a third at the end following another Bennett dropped b0ll0ck but there was little sign of cohesion with our goalie and back four

Bennett 3: abysmal

Mulgrew 4: finished

Lenihan 6 steady

Bell 5: one or two moments going forward but the lad can't defend

Downing 5: flattered to deceive.  Created little.

Travis 5: quiet and disappointing.  Not kicked on

Johnson 7/8: head and shoulders above the rest.  MASSIVE improvement on Evans and Smallwood

Armstrong 4: a player without a brain

Dack 6: not the impact we expected

Gallagher 5: bang average just as I remembered him

IMO, Mowbray has to go.  We are going nowhere with him.

 

 

Edited August 3, 2019 by Mercer

[Cherry Blue]

Just now, RoverAbroad said:

Maybe he thought of himself as a tricky left winger or something and being played out of position by the manager was the making of him. Or something weird like that.

There has to be a reason why he thinks Bennett is a right back, Gallagher is a right winger and Rothwell/BB/Nyambe are all benchwarmers. 

Mowbray turned this club around and deserves enormous credit. He really was the right man for the job. Football moves on, though. He had an absolute stinker today. 

Bennett was the first player on Mowbray's team sheet. Why? Because of his enthusiasm and his ability in Mowbray's eyes to run all over the pitch.

Football managers need to move on. He got us back into the Championship with the team spirit he built but made the mistake in asking players to perform at a higher level. His team selection & transfer windows ability are now weak. Times right now for Mowbray to go.  

[SkipDonoghue]

6 hours ago, MarkBRFC said:

I cant believe that Graham wont start.

The only thing I'm convinced with is that Rothwell won't start.

Told you

[DE.]

Just now, SkipDonoghue said:

Told you

You got 1/2 right, although to be fair most of us predicted Mowbray wouldn't start Rothwell. It seemed like an inevitability that the one player the fans were most excited about would sit on his arse for 70 minutes watching the manager's favourites labour through yet another unimpressive performance. There was no excuse for him to be on the bench today, but going forward he simply must start. If he's still being used as backup/rotation by the time January rolls round he needs to be looking for a move, because he will be wasting his time here. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

I don't think I'm going to be able to forgive Mowbray for starting Bennett and not starting Rothwell 

So unecessery 

Edited August 3, 2019 by Bigdoggsteel

[RevidgeBlue]

What can you say? Just more of the same old dross we served up last season. The only slight surprise for me was we stunk the place out and lost, I expected us to stink the place out and just about scrape a draw. Absolute garbage. Unfortunately I can't see it getting any better until Mowbray goes, so we could be in for a long wait. As I've been saying all pre season I'd snap anyone's hand off for 21st now.

As for the game itself, yes we conceded two soft goals but that's not surprising as we were playing the same personnel who were shipping soft goals last season.

Bennett is beyond a joke  He's done the square root of eff all ever since he's been at the Club but whereas he used to be merely completely anonymous on the right wing he's now a complete liability at RB.

Can't share the enthusiasm about the new signings. Thought Johnsonl looked  unfit and played well within himself, Downing contributed little and Gallagher ran all over the place but had a stinker I thought. £5m spanked away there. 

Dack poor again, apart from one quality through ball in the second half. He's looking dispirited  with the whole shooting match.

Keeper looked shaky. Maybe a good job he's only on loan.

Tosin, Nyambe, Rothwell Chapman and Brereton need to come into the line up but probably won't.

Incredibly long season ahead.

[Exiled in Toronto]

Personally I thought Bennett and Mulgrew were a lot worse than Bell, they both made several really bad errors in dangerous positions, we were lucky only one resulted in a goal.

Just as worrying for me was how much worse we got after the subs: Gallagher was a lot worse than Armstrong out wide and Graham and Rothwell did absolutely nothing. The last ten minutes they made us look like mugs.

And if we’d just bought Dack, I’m not sure how impressed anyone would have been.

Edited August 3, 2019 by Exiled in Toronto

[1864roverite]

Cue inevitable implosion? Bennett and Mulgrew are a shambles and today Mowbray got it horribly wrong. Why when we have so much pace are the players benched? Wrong set up and TM needs to change it otherwise he writes his own exit. 

[RoverAbroad]

Just now, RevidgeBlue said:

Can't share the enthusiasm about the new signings. Thought Johnsonl looked  unfit and played well within himself, Downing contributed little and Gallagher ran all over the place but had a stinker I thought. £5m spanked away there. 

I have to disagree with you a little bit on those views on our new signings. Johnson was our MOTM, and especially in the first half. Won an excellent header which (fortuitously) got us level. Showed presence and bite. Worked well with Travis. They weren't outstanding, but they were the best part of our woeful performance. Downing showed some touches and skill. Shouldn't have started instead of Rothwell, but he'll be a good squad option. Gallagher was at least a handful up front, but should have been taken off rather than moved to the right wing where he huffed and puffed to contribute nothing. We should have spent the money on the defence though, that is blindingly obvious. Still, nothing wrong with different opinions.