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[Gary C]

The defence looked ok Saturday apart from the Bell isms that gave cause for concern . Cunningham will resolve that problem though. Going forward we have good moments but we just need to improve that final ball. Gallagher's control isnt as good as Danny yet and that is something they need to work on as on a few occasions his poor control gave the ball away in key areas. Think the goals will come but agree it's a cause for concern 

Edited August 25, 2019 by Gary C
Spelling

[Waggy76]

Yesterday was a battle not good to watch .......But we didn't wave the white flag and got stuck in , this time last year we would have lost ....also struggled in League one against big physical teams Northampton springs to mind twice ..

We are a competitive team, see what happens , Mowbray should be braver in some games but yesterday was not one of those !!

 

[arbitro]

Williams and Lenihan are looking strong together as demonstrated by three consecutive clean sheets but I think that Johnson and Travis have also played a big part too. They are a huge upgrade as a partnership to Smallwood and Evans and both do the dirty stuff whilst adding some creativity and energy going forward. Hopefully they can steer clear of injuries and suspensions.

[Ossydave]

9 hours ago, Yonder12 said:

Cardiff will not go ish above 10th, they are Poor, and struggle away. 

You're not familiar with Neil Warnock then?

[Atko's Engine]

I've not read all the comments yet and didn't make the match, which sounds like the not-so-pretty attritional fayre that Warnock teams usually bring to the table. Sounds like we allowed ourselves to be brought down to their level, which is a bit disappointing but not easy to avoid.

You need height against Warnock teams, so I would say the starting lineup was suitable for that to nullify them, but maybe the pace of Arma & Rothwell could've been brought on sooner to give their tiring back line something different to think about.

Still, that's now 3 clean sheets & 7 points from 5 games against tough opposition (we should include Charlton amongst them with the benefit of hindsight - look at the table; it's a mad league!). I think most of us would've taken that, W Brom next week therefore makes the difference between a solid start & a good start. 

I'm really pleased with the shutouts, less so with the goals scored. But I do think there's again some OTT hyperbole on here in that respect. For example, blocked shots are surely shots on target if they're on target when blocked aren't they? We've hit the woodwork what, 5 times this season? Someone said earlier (jhrover?) "bet your house on Rovers not scoring first half at home as we never do"; well I'd be homeless by now as we scored first half against Boro, 1 game ago. Now I get the frustration at lack of goals, pedestrian possession, and to some extent lack of goals from open play, but let's not allow opinion to distort the facts.

Good teams don't concede and build from the back. We've found a system that works defensively (which is great) and I don't feel we're THAT far from being a 2-goals-a-game side in an attacking sense. Hopefully with a bit more tweaking, better decision-making around the 18 yard box and perhaps earlier subs to swap height for pace / trickery or vice versa, then we'll achieve more as the season progresses.

I'm overall cautiously optimistic that we're going in the right direction. Yesterday was never going to be a classic, let's not pretend otherwise!

[sabino]

Just now, Atko's Engine said:

I've not read all the comments yet and didn't make the match, which sounds like the not-so-pretty attritional fayre that Warnock teams usually bring to the table. Sounds like we allowed ourselves to be brought down to their level, which is a bit disappointing but not easy to avoid.

Unfortunately, it was exactly how we played against Middlesbrough!

[Yonder12]

Just now, Ossydave said:

You're not familiar with Neil Warnock then?

I bet they don't get near the play offs. 

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

13 hours ago, OldEwoodBlue said:

I dont expect promotion.

That is next season.

I expect top 6 or I expect Mowbray to go before he becomes Bowyer mk2 and we start going backwards.

You clearly have lower expectations.

 

 

 

You don’t expect promotion but do expect top 6 and for heads to roll if we don’t get there....

Thats a mighty fine line to tread. 

Have you seen our budget and squad in comparison to other teams in this division or is that irrelevant?

Out squad is capable of doing better than last season and that’s what I expect us to do. Play offs would be a bonus. Low expectations? Possibly. But at least I’m being realistic.

Setting unrealistic expectations and then using it as a stick to beat Mowbray with doesn’t really seem constructive to be honest. 

[Stuart]

7 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Not the Joe Rothwell we seen last season

Joe Rothwell has been excellent this season and adds massively to our attacking play.

If you are going to compare anyone unfavourably to last season, it has to be Dack. Did fairly well in front of the Sky cameras but has done nothing else. He really needs to step up a gear. Looks like a lad too worried about his image. You can imagine his other half - “don’t get any bruises to your face, darlin’, we’ve got a screen test next week”.

[JBiz]

Just now, Stuart said:

Joe Rothwell has been excellent this season and adds massively to our attacking play.

If you are going to compare anyone unfavourably to last season, it has to be Dack. Did fairly well in front of the Sky cameras but has done nothing else. He really needs to step up a gear. Looks like a lad too worried about his image. You can imagine his other half - “don’t get any bruises to your face, darlin’, we’ve got a screen test next week”.

Or after a season of scoring and setting up goals, opposition managers are more aware of his gifts and will attempt to stamp him out.

Bacuna hardly gave him a breath yesterday. Grant McCann seemingly didn’t see the importance of man marking him in a similar way, and thus he ran the show at times.

[Blueandwhitemike]

Just now, Stuart said:

Joe Rothwell has been excellent this season and adds massively to our attacking play.

If you are going to compare anyone unfavourably to last season, it has to be Dack. Did fairly well in front of the Sky cameras but has done nothing else. He really needs to step up a gear. Looks like a lad too worried about his image. You can imagine his other half - “don’t get any bruises to your face, darlin’, we’ve got a screen test next week”.

You don’t half make some leaps Stuart, the image stuff?? Dack played well against Hull and quite well against Fulham but yeah he can do a lot better but it’s early days.  I’m a big Rothwell fan but he’s in no way been excellent, he hasn’t really had the opportunity to be yet.  I do think he should start and we should be looking to build our team around him and Dack, working on their interplay and then making space for each other.  At the same time I do worry that he’s been asked to play a bit more centrally when he’s been on the pitch and it’s harder for him to find the space he had towards the end of last season.  

[BankEnd Rover]

8 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Not the Joe Rothwell we seen last season

What a stupid comment. How can anyone (including boring Tony) expect a player to play 15-20 minutes every game and make an impact? The lad needs to start, he is one of the best (if not best player) we have. There's no confidence there when you know your on the bench behind a player who's just turned up. Rothwell starts, he's the difference in our teams attack. Fact.

Edited August 25, 2019 by BankEnd Rover

[Stuart]

1 hour ago, MarkBRFC said:

Look at the post above it ?

Anyway, on the game, I just sit there knowing we're not going to score. Dack and Rothwell were linking up well at end of last season, yet Rothwell cant get a start now for some reason l.

I applaud TM in tightening up the back line, and Walton looks an upgrade on Raya, but don't expect many goals, for me TM isn't good enough to knit it all together, so we'll either have a good defence and poor attack or vice versa, don't expect both.

I’m convinced that Mowbray doesn’t like Rothwell [as a footballer]. At the end of last season, he finally saw what the fans saw and played him - with successful results - but the first opportunity he sees to drop him he does.

Replacing him with Gallagher in order to win headers in an ineffective part of the game is bad enough but the fact that it is Dack who is now making way, just underlines that Mowbray’s current preferred style of play doesn’t fit the two of them. What a way to frustrate Rothwell, Dack and the fans - and an out of position Gallagher!

Ultimately playing this way must succeed game after game or fan patience with Mowbray will last as long as Mowbray’s does with “F.O. Derrick”. It certainly was painful to watch yesterday against a Cardiff side who didn’t look anything up to a Warnock standard.

[Adam C]

Just now, BankEnd Rover said:

What a stupid comment. How can anyone (including boring Tony) expect a player to play 15-20 minutes every game and make an impact? The lad needs to start, he is one of the best (if not best player) we have. There's no confidence there when you know your on the bench behind a player who's just turned up. Rothwell starts he's the difference in our teams attack. Fact.

Rothwell is a promising player but to claim he is the best (or even one of the best) we have is pure hyperbole. I’d like to see him get a chance but even I don’t believe that he is on the same level as Dack or Graham. Players always seem much better when they aren’t playing. 

[BankEnd Rover]

Just now, Stuart said:

I’m convinced that Mowbray doesn’t like Rothwell [as a footballer]. At the end of last season, he finally saw what the fans saw and played him - with successful results - but the first opportunity he sees to drop him he does.

Replacing him with Gallagher in order to win headers in an ineffective part of the game is bad enough but the fact that it is Dack who is now making way, just underlines that Mowbray’s current preferred style of play doesn’t fit the two of them. What a way to frustrate Rothwell, Dack and the fans - and an out of position Gallagher!

Ultimately playing this way must succeed game after game or fan patience with Mowbray will last as long as Mowbray’s does with “F.O. Derrick”. It certainly was painful to watch yesterday against a Cardiff side who didn’t look anything up to a Warnock standard.

I'be never been a Mowbray fan. His treatment to Rothwell is the exact reason why. O and Reed. THEY'RE JUST TOO BLOODY POSITIVE I TELL THEE!

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

I’ve been impressed with Dack this season. End product hasn’t been there so clearly work to improve on but his all round play has been good and he seems to be running himself into the ground each week. He’s a cut above anything else we have.

Rothwell has plenty of potential but hasn’t blown me away this season. He has had chances and not made any mistakes but he’s also not done enough to warrant starting above Downing.

Think he’s one who gets a better reputation when he doesn’t play..

[BankEnd Rover]

Just now, The Hypnotic said:

Rothwell is a promising player but to claim he is the best (or even one of the best) we have is pure hyperbole. I’d like to see him get a chance but even I don’t believe that he is on the same level as Dack or Graham. Players always seem much better when they aren’t playing. 

Disagree. He most certainly is on the same level IMO. Just look at the game time difference you can't say he's not when he played half a season. Look at the last few games last season (he started). If that was let's say the start of this season he would be the stand out player his form would grow & his confidence would grow. Unfortunately for him it's now another season on the bench. He has to start again. Like others have said Mowbray clearly doesn't like him/trust him. Speaks volumes when he's getting replaced by an avaerage joe striker (on the wing) and a 35 year old.

[RevidgeBlue]

Just now, magicalmortensleftpeg said:

You don’t expect promotion but do expect top 6 and for heads to roll if we don’t get there....

Thats a mighty fine line to tread. 

Have you seen our budget and squad in comparison to other teams in this division or is that irrelevant?

Out squad is capable of doing better than last season and that’s what I expect us to do. Play offs would be a bonus. Low expectations? Possibly. But at least I’m being realistic.

Setting unrealistic expectations and then using it as a stick to beat Mowbray with doesn’t really seem constructive to be honest. 

Surely top 6 isn't an unrealistic expectation? 

What's the point in turning out at 3p.m. if that isn't your minimum goal?

Mowbray has had 3 transfer windows to make us competitive in that respect and try and have us knocking on the door of top six. You're probably right when you say the squad isn't a top six squad but should that turn out to be the case there's only one person to blame for that, the manager. Recruitment has been generally poor, players haven't been cut loose that should have been cut loose because they were rewarded with unnecessary contract extensions and imo when he has had decent players at his disposal he has either ignored them completely or not got the best out of them, Nyambe, Brereton, Palmer, Rothwell, Chapman etc.

Imo there's absolutely no point whatsoever in aiming for for a marginal improvement in last year's 15th position. You might as well have a target of finishing 21st as if you neither go up nor down, positions 7th to 21st are largely irrelevant.

Obviously unless we completely imploded it would be unlikely to be held against the manager if we narrowly failed to make the playoffs on goal difference by a point or so. 

But nevertheless the play offs should be the minimum target before a ball is kicked. There's no point in us being here and you're just fulfilling fixtures otherwise.

[BankEnd Rover]

Just now, magicalmortensleftpeg said:

I’ve been impressed with Dack this season. End product hasn’t been there so clearly work to improve on but his all round play has been good and he seems to be running himself into the ground each week. He’s a cut above anything else we have.

Rothwell has plenty of potential but hasn’t blown me away this season. He has had chances and not made any mistakes but he’s also not done enough to warrant starting above Downing.

Think he’s one who gets a better reputation when he doesn’t play..

Doh! How can he when he's not started a game.

[Stuart]

Just now, Blueandwhitemike said:

You don’t half make some leaps Stuart, the image stuff?? Dack played well against Hull and quite well against Fulham but yeah he can do a lot better but it’s early days.  I’m a big Rothwell fan but he’s in no way been excellent, he hasn’t really had the opportunity to be yet.  I do think he should start and we should be looking to build our team around him and Dack, working on their interplay and then making space for each other.  At the same time I do worry that he’s been asked to play a bit more centrally when he’s been on the pitch and it’s harder for him to find the space he had towards the end of last season.  

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/9542746/olivia-attwood-in-talks-to-join-towie-with-footballer-boyfriend-bradley-dack-as-full-time-cast-member-after-cameo/

Just now, Harry The Bass said:

Or after a season of scoring and setting up goals, opposition managers are more aware of his gifts and will attempt to stamp him out.

Bacuna hardly gave him a breath yesterday. Grant McCann seemingly didn’t see the importance of man marking him in a similar way, and thus he ran the show at times.

If he was good enough in the Championship that wouldn’t be a problem. Bacuna is a Championship standard player, nothing more (relegated from the PL with Villa and Cardiff). Dack is a top top L1 player but he has been found out. We should have taken the money.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

Just now, RevidgeBlue said:

Surely top 6 isn't an unrealistic expectation? 

What's the point in turning out at 3p.m. if that isn't your minimum goal?

Mowbray has had 3 transfer windows to make us competitive in that respect and try and have us knocking on the door of top six. You're probably right when you say the squad isn't a top six squad but should that turn out to be the case there's only one person to blame for that, the manager. Recruitment has been generally poor, players haven't been cut loose that should have been cut loose because they were rewarded with unnecessary contract extensions and imo when he has had decent players at his disposal he has either ignored them completely or not got the best out of them, Nyambe, Brereton, Palmer, Rothwell, Chapman etc.

Imo there's absolutely no point whatsoever in aiming for for a marginal improvement in last year's 15th position. You might as well have a target of finishing 21st as if you neither go up nor down, positions 7th to 21st are largely irrelevant.

Obviously unless we completely imploded it would be unlikely to be held against the manager if we narrowly failed to make the playoffs on goal difference by a point or so. 

But nevertheless the play offs should be the minimum target before a ball is kicked. There's no point in us being here and you're just fulfilling fixtures otherwise.

 

This is going around in circles.

For me:

Play offs are the target.

An improvement on last season is the minimum expectation.

Two slightly different things.

Id like to think that wasn’t too controversial?

[Blueandwhitemike]

Just now, Stuart said:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/9542746/olivia-attwood-in-talks-to-join-towie-with-footballer-boyfriend-bradley-dack-as-full-time-cast-member-after-cameo/

I don’t read the sun and would advise you not to believe what you read in it as it’s a disgusting excuse for a paper.  

And the league one player stuff is clearly nonsense but you’re entitled to your opinion.

[USABlue]

On 22/08/2019 at 01:48, frosty said:

Whatever your opinion on the players themselves is, nobody can say that £12.5m (I think it’s slightly higher) on three players for Rovers is ‘peanuts’.

And while it looks like Gallagher will be a regular, Brereton looks further away from a starting spot than ever. 

Funny that after a supposedly decent pre-season.  Mowbary's decision to freeze him out for the 1st game when the game situation was calling out for him has likely shattered his already cracked confidence.  A side of people Mowbary does not seem able to grasp.  I know he is paid to manage a football team and not be a shrink but good managers can do the shrink side if the job very well.

[RevidgeBlue]

Just now, Stuart said:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/9542746/olivia-attwood-in-talks-to-join-towie-with-footballer-boyfriend-bradley-dack-as-full-time-cast-member-after-cameo/

JFHC. Maybe I'm being old fashioned but the idea of Dack or indeed any professional footballer appearing in that sort of sheeeite is beyond ridiculous.

The Club need to nip that firmly in the bud straightaway if there isn't some sort of clause in his contract precluding him from certain types of other activity.

[dingles staying down 4ever]

3 minutes ago, Stuart said:

I’m convinced that Mowbray doesn’t like Rothwell [as a footballer]. At the end of last season, he finally saw what the fans saw and played him - with successful results - but the first opportunity he sees to drop him he does.

Replacing him with Gallagher in order to win headers in an ineffective part of the game is bad enough but the fact that it is Dack who is now making way, just underlines that Mowbray’s current preferred style of play doesn’t fit the two of them. What a way to frustrate Rothwell, Dack and the fans - and an out of position Gallagher!

Ultimately playing this way must succeed game after game or fan patience with Mowbray will last as long as Mowbray’s does with “F.O. Derrick”. It certainly was painful to watch yesterday against a Cardiff side who didn’t look anything up to a Warnock standard.

Downing's replaced him down the left hasn't he?