Oldham

[Pedro]

17 minutes ago, DE. said:

Graham - 15 goals 5 assists

Dack - 15 goals 7 assists

Not effective my arse. They're literally the only effective thing in our team.

Totally agree.

[Stuart]

Just now, bluebruce said:

Only IF they BOTH miss the weekend though. If one or both of them makes it, we are hunky dory for the season.

 

[47er]

Just now, Exiled_Rover said:

Tactically, Oldham were light years ahead of us. 

That's a very significant criticism. I am dreading the rest of the season personally.

[Exiled_Rover]

4 minutes ago, Blue blood said:

Was Bereton on the wing or up front. 

Just to say we started another rather positive cup run against Oldham amidst a difficult league start. Just saying...

Started off up front with Graham, bafflingly, on the LW. Start of the second half he was up front with Graham in a two. Once the subs came on I've no idea - somewhere in the final third, but often drifting towards the left. 

[Pedro]

Just now, Parsonblue said:

I think tonight proved beyond doubt that Graham and Dack have to be the strike force.  The manager got out of jail tonight with his team selection.  Why we made so many changes I'll never know.  The players seemed all over the place at times.  The plus was the link up between Dack and Graham again.  When Dack plays off Graham they look a real threat.  Sad to say I thought Brereton was awful yet again.  Perhaps sending the lad out on loan to get him out of the spotlight and allow up to build up some confidence might help but at the moment he is really struggling.  I felt sorry for the lad as his first touch and his reading of the game were shocking.

I think Downing could be a useful acquisition as he uses the ball with some intelligence and is a decent crosser of the ball.  

Winning is everything in cup-ties and we won - that's about all you can say apart from having enjoyed the return of the Graham-Dack combination. 

It angers me how Mowbray has this idiotic, disjointed approach through pre-season and in the cup games. He only ever seems to stumble across his best sides. We need to stick with the best players in their best position, it really is that simple, always has been, always will be too.

[Miller11]

23 minutes ago, Pedro said:

Great balance to that midfield. That would be my choice too. 

Absolutely. A proper flat 4 in midfield. Bollocks to accommodating Armstrong with this wide forward nonsense. I’d have said Downing ahead of Chapman, but either would do just fine for me.

                      Walton

Nyambe   Tosin   Williams   Cunningham

Chapman  Travis  Johnson  Rothwell

                         Dack

                       Graham

Not a chance, but I’d love that lineup on Saturday.

[bluebruce]

"My mentality is that if you are not good enough to play against Oldham Athletic at home then you are not good enough to be in the building These young players sometimes need to go away on loan and learn 

Tosin has picked up a little knock, if both Tosin and Lenihan miss the weekend then we are really thin but i would be pretty hopeful one of them will make it 

So, to summarise. We are thin at centre back, but we are planning to loan out all of the junior cover there?

So if Tosin and Lenihan are out at any stage, the entirety of our centre back options will be Williams and Nyambe? And what if one of them is injured? Not like it's never happened to either...

And yet he also had the cheek to use the phrase "We found a way to win so let’s put it behind us very quickly and learn the lessons" 
Like you learnt your lessons in the last transfer window Tony, where basically this exact thing happened?

[JHRover]

Insipid and thoroughly miserable game which only started to come to life in the final 20 minutes. 

As expected Mowbray brings back the Evans/Smallwood axis. If there was one lesson to take from last season it was that those two shouldn't be starting games together at home, yet against 4th division opposition there they are, devoid of any creativity. I'm struggling to remember a worse half of football than that first half today. It was embarrassing.

Mowbray chucks on his big guns and the pressure eventually builds. Dack's introduction is the spark to get Graham playing and they drag us back into it. 

More of the 'gung ho' chuck loads of attackers on in the hope they'll rescue him from Mowbray. Ending up with Chapman, Downing, Rothwell, Brereton, Graham and Dack all on together something had to give and that came with them scoring with their first effort of the 2nd half. Nearly blew it but got away with it.

Good to see Chapman make an appearance. Other than that I'm struggling for positives. Cunningham ok. Thought Buckley had a bit of a nightmare though appeared confused as to what he was meant to be doing. Don't think Platt or Grayson are remotely good enough for Championship football.

Edited August 13, 2019 by JHRover

[Stuart]

Just now, Parsonblue said:

I think tonight proved beyond doubt that Graham and Dack have to be the strike force.  The manager got out of jail tonight with his team selection.  Why we made so many changes I'll never know.  The players seemed all over the place at times.  The plus was the link up between Dack and Graham again.  When Dack plays off Graham they look a real threat.  Sad to say I thought Brereton was awful yet again.  Perhaps sending the lad out on loan to get him out of the spotlight and allow up to build up some confidence might help but at the moment he is really struggling.  I felt sorry for the lad as his first touch and his reading of the game were shocking.

I think Downing could be a useful acquisition as he uses the ball with some intelligence and is a decent crosser of the ball.  

Winning is everything in cup-ties and we won - that's about all you can say apart from having enjoyed the return of the Graham-Dack combination. 

I think Brereton’s biggest problem is his lack of pace. It can cover a lot of evils even if you don’t necessarily have other attributes.

He needs develop his upper body strength and learn from two masters (Dack and Graham) about winning and keeping the ball.

Maybe a loan is the answer and rely on Gallagher and Rothwell as cover.

[Pedro]

Just now, Miller11 said:

Absolutely. A proper flat 4 in midfield. Bollocks to accommodating Armstrong with this wide forward nonsense. I’d have said Downing ahead of Chapman, but either would do just fine for me.

                      Walton

Nyambe   Tosin   Williams   Cunningham

Chapman  Travis  Johnson  Rothwell

                         Dack

                       Graham

Not a chance, but I’d love that lineup on Saturday.

That is exactly my favoured side (or Lenihan if fit). It will never happen though, like you say.

[47er]

Just now, Miller11 said:

Absolutely. A proper flat 4 in midfield. Bollocks to accommodating Armstrong with this wide forward nonsense. I’d have said Downing ahead of Chapman, but either would do just fine for me.

                      Walton

Nyambe   Tosin   Williams   Cunningham

Chapman  Travis  Johnson  Rothwell

                         Dack

                       Graham

Not a chance, but I’d love that lineup on Saturday.

Love that central four. TM dare not play it though, having assessed the the problems posed by the other team.

[Exiled_Rover]

Just now, bluebruce said:

"My mentality is that if you are not good enough to play against Oldham Athletic at home then you are not good enough to be in the building These young players sometimes need to go away on loan and learn 

Tosin has picked up a little knock, if both Tosin and Lenihan miss the weekend then we are really thin but i would be pretty hopeful one of them will make it 

So, to summarise. We are thin at centre back, but we are planning to loan out all of the junior cover there?

So if Tosin and Lenihan are out at any stage, the entirety of our centre back options will be Williams and Nyambe? And what if one of them is injured? Not like it's never happened to either...

And yet he also had the cheek to use the phrase "We found a way to win so let’s put it behind us very quickly and learn the lessons" 
Like you learnt your lessons in the last transfer window Tony, where basically this exact thing happened?

Odd comment from Mowbray. The two worst culprits tonight were Evans and Smallwood. Absolute waste of space. Downing only bucked his ideas up in the second half.

I thought the two young CBs did ok, and Buckley never stopped trying. 

[BennyBennyson]

What are the general opinions on Grayson and Platt? Thought they where both poor tonight

[AllRoverAsia]

TM on Platt and Grayson: ''These young players sometimes need to go away on loan and learn'' 

For once I agree with Mowbray as they will learn nothing from him at Ewood/Brockhall

I also do not like him basically insulting the opposition post-game (see the ''My mentality'' Mowbray quote), a bit like when he belittled winning L1, after Wigan had clinched it.

Edited August 13, 2019 by AllRoverAsia

[JHRover]

Just now, BennyBennyson said:

What are the general opinions on Grayson and Platt? Thought they where both poor tonight

Yeah, don't think either are ready for the level we  are at. I agree with Mowbray they need to go and get games but that simply can't happen with the numbers we have.

[stinny1]

You need paces too be a winger Downing 5 years ago yes but not now . And Tony if what you say about the young lads not making a impression on Oldham. Need too go out on loan dose  this go for Evans and Smallwood  as well they where poor tonight

[Exiled in Toronto]

Just now, AllRoverAsia said:

Mowbray post Oldham: ''I don’t want to be the team we have been for the last two years and just hit long balls to Danny Graham ''

Far from saving Mowbray, tonight condemns him IMO. I’m a facts guy, I have no time for the endless Nyambe/Bennett opinions of the assorted butchers, bakers and candlestick makers that we are. The killer fact for me is £14 million spent on new strikers and the ONLY thing that works against ANYONE, is Graham’s knockdowns to Dack. Mowbray is 100% accountable for this.

Sorry Tony, but your only chance to stay employed right now is long balls to Graham. 

 

[bluebruce]

Just now, stinny1 said:

You need paces too be a winger Downing 5 years ago yes but not now . And Tony if what you say about the young lads not making a impression on Oldham. Need too go out on loan dose  this go for Evans and Smallwood  as well they where poor tonight

No no, this is something he will only ever say for junior players. The older ones are delicate little flowers who can't be told off.

[DE.]

Just now, stinny1 said:

 dose  this go for Evans and Smallwood  as well they where poor tonight

We'd be better off just terminating their contracts. Of course they'd both already be gone if they hadn't been given extensions, but yeah, another good decision made there. A year later and the pair of them are so bad they can't even make an impression against Oldham. 

[Waggy76]

How did Oldhams right back play ??

[Stuart]

Just now, bluebruce said:

"My mentality is that if you are not good enough to play against Oldham Athletic at home then you are not good enough to be in the building These young players sometimes need to go away on loan and learn 

Tosin has picked up a little knock, if both Tosin and Lenihan miss the weekend then we are really thin but i would be pretty hopeful one of them will make it 

So, to summarise. We are thin at centre back, but we are planning to loan out all of the junior cover there?

So if Tosin and Lenihan are out at any stage, the entirety of our centre back options will be Williams and Nyambe? And what if one of them is injured? Not like it's never happened to either...

And yet he also had the cheek to use the phrase "We found a way to win so let’s put it behind us very quickly and learn the lessons" 
Like you learnt your lessons in the last transfer window Tony, where basically this exact thing happened?

The way Mowbray handles (mishandles) the development team youngsters is appalling. Their confidence must plummet. Youngsters he buys don’t tend to get dug out in public though. Just the academy - that he is on record as not valuing. It’s starting to look like he has removed Johnson from the U23s so as to stop making himself look bad. “Why can’t you use these players that are coming through?”. Problem solved. (Still no manager - I’d bet on relegation this season)

He needs to stop trying to make every player an everyman footballer and look at making the team functional. Specialists in the right positions, not utility players and everyone being able to play a bit anywhere on the pitch.

[DE.]

Just now, OnePhilT said:

From what I've seen of the last three games (which is all of them) Downing is currently our best supplier into the box with his crossing ability. We haven't had that since... Conway?! ? His pace is no longer there, certainly, but he is a very useful player, which is why I've had his name and number printed on the back of the away shirt due to arrive in a couple of days. ?

There's no reason we can't play Downing, Dack and Rothwell across the midfield. Chapman and Armstrong are capable impact subs to come on in the second half. Playing Gallagher or Brereton out wide is just handicapping the team because they are both strikers. So is Armstrong but it's obvious Mowbray sees him as a wide midfielder and I doubt we'll ever see him up top by himself. 

[arbitro]

Mowbray publicly calling out the young centre halves tonight is an absolute disgrace. I am beginning to think he is a bit of a bully after his public outbursts against some of the youngsters. And in the same interview he praises Bennett who wasn't even playing tonight.

Poor from Mowbray who does seem to be getting erratic as the pressure mounts.

 

[Stuart]

Just now, Exiled_Rover said:

Odd comment from Mowbray. The two worst culprits tonight were Evans and Smallwood. Absolute waste of space. Downing only bucked his ideas up in the second half.

I thought the two young CBs did ok, and Buckley never stopped trying. 

Evans and Smallwood were a known quantity and we gained nothing from starting them. Nothing. Playing them at all was a strange decision. The fact they were terrible - particularly Smallwood who has fallen away rapidly and needs to resurrect his career back in League One - was the curdled icing on a bitter cake. We should have been trying out Buckley in the middle alongside a first teamer.

Just now, BennyBennyson said:

What are the general opinions on Grayson and Platt? Thought they where both poor tonight

I thought they were poor too. In fairness, although they’ve played together at U23 level it should have been one of them next to an older head.

The other option tonight would have been sending out an entirely youthful side with some quality mixed in. The side chosen tonight was neither an experimental side nor one to go out and beat Oldham.

[G Somerset Rover]

Can’t believe we’re three weeks into the season and potentially will be playing a centre half partnership of Williams and Nyambe on Saturday in what is a must not lose game after a horror start. Such an avoidable mess.