West Brom Away

[roversfan99]

Its ok saying players are making individual errors, Armstrong, Bennett Johnson, Lenihan and Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew and Raya last season, so there are questions across the board in terms of quality and having that consistency to repeatedly get results.

But ultimately there is a much more deeper rooted problem in terms of Tony Mowbrays Rovers sides away from home, the contrast between our defensive records home and away last season and repeated examples of numerous goals going in during quick collapses, and this goes beyond blaming an individual or 2.

I saw a different side v Hull, one that whilst riding its luck seemed much more professional and battle hardened, and I was hoping we had turned a corner, low and behold in the next away game we have gone back to square one.

You couple this with a lack of attacking threat, and a 14m splurge that hasnt remotely made us look any better in this area, and especially based on what I have seen in our first 6 games, we seem quite a way off our supposed expectations across the team.

[JHRover]

25 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Its ok saying players are making individual errors, Armstrong, Bennett Johnson, Lenihan and Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew and Raya last season, so there are questions across the board in terms of quality and having that consistency to repeatedly get results.

But ultimately there is a much more deeper rooted problem in terms of Tony Mowbrays Rovers sides away from home, the contrast between our defensive records home and away last season and repeated examples of numerous goals going in during quick collapses, and this goes beyond blaming an individual or 2.

I saw a different side v Hull, one that whilst riding its luck seemed much more professional and battle hardened, and I was hoping we had turned a corner, low and behold in the next away game we have gone back to square one.

You couple this with a lack of attacking threat, and a 14m splurge that hasnt remotely made us look any better in this area, and especially based on what I have seen in our first 6 games, we seem quite a way off our supposed expectations across the team.

We did similar last season.  Early doors we ground out a few narrow away wins e.g. Bolton and Hull  but then those were mixed up with horror shows at Bristol City, Swansea etc. 

My view is that we can haul ourselves to those narrow wins when the opposition aren't up to much and aren't really firing. But when we come up against sides that have goals in their locker who will put us under pressure with pace, power and trickery we have no answer to it. Nothing has changed on that front because it is less a personnel issue and more a coaching and tactics issue. The individual errors excuse is a kop out to deflect blame away from inadequate tactics.

West Brom away - Going 1-0 up was arguably the worst thing to happen because our game plan went out the window and we didn't really know how to approach the game from there on, and most importantly West Brom had to immediately apply serious pressure which we crumbled under. Same story at Brentford, Bristol City, Swansea last season. Under this manager our chances of success away from home are increased the longer the game is 0-0. We go ahead and we lose our heads against the decent sides.

[oldjamfan1]

Just now, JHRover said:

We did similar last season.  Early doors we ground out a few narrow away wins e.g. Bolton and Hull  but then those were mixed up with horror shows at Bristol City, Swansea etc. 

My view is that we can haul ourselves to those narrow wins when the opposition aren't up to much and aren't really firing. But when we come up against sides that have goals in their locker who will put us under pressure with pace, power and trickery we have no answer to it. Nothing has changed on that front because it is less a personnel issue and more a coaching and tactics issue. The individual errors excuse is a kop out to deflect blame away from inadequate tactics.

West Brom away - Going 1-0 up was arguably the worst thing to happen because our game plan went out the window and we didn't really know how to approach the game from there on, and most importantly West Brom had to immediately apply serious pressure which we crumbled under. Same story at Brentford, Bristol City, Swansea last season. Under this manager our chances of success away from home are increased the longer the game is 0-0. We go ahead and we lose our heads against the decent sides.

Yes, this happened too often last season for it not to be true, and the first half on Saturday was the same old story I'm afraid.

[Rovers1994]

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

We did similar last season.  Early doors we ground out a few narrow away wins e.g. Bolton and Hull  but then those were mixed up with horror shows at Bristol City, Swansea etc. 

My view is that we can haul ourselves to those narrow wins when the opposition aren't up to much and aren't really firing. But when we come up against sides that have goals in their locker who will put us under pressure with pace, power and trickery we have no answer to it. Nothing has changed on that front because it is less a personnel issue and more a coaching and tactics issue. The individual errors excuse is a kop out to deflect blame away from inadequate tactics.

West Brom away - Going 1-0 up was arguably the worst thing to happen because our game plan went out the window and we didn't really know how to approach the game from there on, and most importantly West Brom had to immediately apply serious pressure which we crumbled under. Same story at Brentford, Bristol City, Swansea last season. Under this manager our chances of success away from home are increased the longer the game is 0-0. We go ahead and we lose our heads against the decent sides.

have to agree, immediately recognised we wont the game once Dack put us up in the first 20 seconds 

[Stuart]

3 hours ago, tomphil said:

I think in the case of Nyambie he's got the young player scapegoat treatment last season but they gave him a new deal before he went away to the International tournament in case he had a good one and there was a potential buyer.

Either way he's gone backwards although he'd flat lined a bit but young players do at certain points. Both him and Bennett should be playing second fiddle to a proper right back i think that's a given in most fair minded fans eyes. Sadly we don't do things that way at Rovers we mess about, juggle about and try and fit square pieces into round holes constantly whilst splurging millions stocking up the bench with non scoring strikers.

A loan away for 6 months would do Nyambie good if he got regular action i think but then god knows who he'd stick as back up right back.

Mowbray has gone out of his way to make sure that doesn’t happen by making Bennett captain, and then looking to find any way he can to fit him into the side.

I actually like Bennett. He’s a good honest professional. I remember his comment when he arrived and said “I’m fit but not ‘Lambert fit’”. I knew then that he would knuckle down and be a good influence. Him and Danny Graham coming in was one of the main reasons I wanted to give Lambert time and budget to build a squad. Lambert felt he was short changed over the Rhodes sale and that was that. It’s ironic though that he was so disliked by Rovers fans yet Mowbray relies so heavily on both players yet can’t bring in his own equivalents. Lambert certainly scored in the personal principles department too - something else Mowbray is lauded for.

Sadly Bennett has aged and been overtaken by football. It happens to the best of them and no amount of wanting and tub thumping can make up for it. Danny Graham is making way, with mixed results. Elliott should be having a similar ‘experience from the bench’ role but it’s a hole that Mowbray can’t or won’t fill, either through short-sighted recruitment or blind loyalty.

[CambridgeRover]

On 01/09/2019 at 16:17, rigger said:

So what is your definition of changing a game . If the scoreline is not effected then it is a waste of time!

Let's say you go 3-0 down at half time and the defense looks garbage. You make a defensive sub and you sure up the defense, the sub plays a blinder and the game finishes 3-0. Did the score line change? No. Did the player influence the game of course. 

[Maji]

So "changing the game" now extends to coming on and keeping things as they are.

Words elude me.

[oldjamfan1]

1 hour ago, CambridgeRover said:

Let's say you go 3-0 down at half time and the defense looks garbage. You make a defensive sub and you sure up the defense, the sub plays a blinder and the game finishes 3-0. Did the score line change? No. Did the player influence the game of course. 

There's a world (and word) of difference between influencing and changing though, in fairness

[USABlue]

On 31/08/2019 at 16:44, Stuart said:

Glass half full...

Big month ahead for Mowbray. We’ve had a tough set of August fixtures and are now at the bottom end of midtable, looking up at two-thirds of the division.

We are one win off 6th and need to be knocking on the door of the play-off places by the end of September. People will say it’s early days but we need a real show of intent. But we need to start by benching failing players, not sticking with his favourites. Square pegs in square holes and some consistency.

Just not going to happen with this manager.  Only way it happens is if he is forced into doing it and it works so remarkably well that he has no choice but to keep it.  Bit like the Travis situation.  How good is that young lad?

[USABlue]

On 02/09/2019 at 06:09, chaddyrovers said:

I agree with your assessment 

Me too.  Soft I thought and he could not wait to give it, couldn't get his whistle in his mouth quick enough.  Oh well, it evens out they say, Armstrong got away with one.

[bazza]

Nobody seems to have mentioned that Cunningham had his arm pulled so their forward could go past him and score their first goal. Ref was blind to that yet he saw their keeper being fouled for our third. Useless official!

Even the pundits on EFL on Quest pointed that out.

[stinny1]

Why doesn't  TM take some of the blame he picks the team  so for me its his fault for the results  nobody in there right mind keeps picking players who keep making the same mistakes  week in week out  get the kids in

[47er]

12 hours ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Yes, this happened too often last season for it not to be true, and the first half on Saturday was the same old story I'm afraid.

That's the point! Doesn't matter that the 3 goals were the result of" individual errors", we have been consistently making those errors all last season and its continued this.

The reason is that the defence, individually and collectively,  is not good enough, and the attention to fixing that has been inadequate.

Instead we have wasted millions on strikers.

It comes back to the manager in the end, it always does.

 

[dingles staying down 4ever]

9 hours ago, bazza said:

Nobody seems to have mentioned that Cunningham had his arm pulled so their forward could go past him and score their first goal. Ref was blind to that yet he saw their keeper being fouled for our third. Useless official!

Even the pundits on EFL on Quest pointed that out.

Cunningham should have concentrated on clearing the ball, not shielding the ball hoping that Walton was coming. Yet again not doing the basics has undone Rovers. Last seas there were too many times the referee was blamed when it was our inadequencies which cost us.

[AllRoverAsia]

Cunningham was outmuscled and then outpaced. He should have put the ball in Row Z when he had the chance and failing that dropped the WBA player.

I do think that he was mildly fouled though.

But my abiding memory of that SNAFU is, after being split in two, Lenihan and Williams walking back looking at Cunningham's plight.

[rigger]

36 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Cunningham was outmuscled and then outpaced. He should have put the ball in Row Z when he had the chance and failing that dropped the WBA player.

I do think that he was mildly fouled though.

But my abiding memory of that SNAFU is, after being split in two, Lenihan and Williams walking back looking at Cunningham's plight.

He should have put the ball and the player into row Z

[arbitro]

2 hours ago, dingles staying down 4ever said:

Cunningham should have concentrated on clearing the ball, not shielding the ball hoping that Walton was coming. Yet again not doing the basics has undone Rovers. Last seas there were too many times the referee was blamed when it was our inadequencies which cost us.

That's exactly what he should have done and the responsibility was entirely on him as he was initially in possession of the ball. He was weak and outmuscled far too easily. He tried to pass the buck but to be fair Walton was having none of it. Similarly Lenihan should have dragged the West Brom player back when he lost the ball. He tried for a nano second but then let go. He was booked anyway so he should have gone the whole hog.

Awful defending by both.

[Guest]

On 02/09/2019 at 09:41, tomphil said:

All that points to him being frustrated by lack of first team opportunities by the sounds of it, it's about time he had some.

 

So now we're rewarding players for throwing hissy fits during Under 23's matches? Odd one. He got a chance off the bench against Oldham and was piss poor.

[tomphil]

Maybe there is more at play with him who knows.

I sometimes think Mowbray thinks he's setting up some kind of football rehab centre at Ewood with his 'human angle' talk.  If we look at some of the punts he's taken on unfit, already injured, prone or other types of problems.

Gladwin, Rodwell, Rothwell, Chapman, Caddis to name a few of the ones we know about and we are yet to see one fully work out unless you lump Dack in with that lot of course.

[Oldgregg86]

11 hours ago, tomphil said:

Maybe there is more at play with him who knows.

I sometimes think Mowbray thinks he's setting up some kind of football rehab centre at Ewood with his 'human angle' talk.  If we look at some of the punts he's taken on unfit, already injured, prone or other types of problems.

Gladwin, Rodwell, Rothwell, Chapman, Caddis to name a few of the ones we know about and we are yet to see one fully work out unless you lump Dack in with that lot of course.

Ravel Morrison in  on loan in January then