Derby County (A) - Sunday 8th March [3pm KO]

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

15 minutes ago, TBTF said:

Spot on. Even if he doesn't start Mulgrew yesterday then he has to be on the bench. The decision to start with all his front players (at least in name only) may have got us in front in the match but even if it had done then surely at some stage you would bring Mulgrew on and sit him in front of the back 4 to stop Derby walking 60 yards up the pitch unchallenged. Without Mulgrew, he didn't even give himself the option of getting Nyambe back to full back and slotting Mulgrew into the back four.

Its bizarre and god alone knows what has gone on there. It's all very well Mowbray saying we want to play a different way at a faster pace. Yes- if everybody is fit and available but we were down to the bones and he doesn't include a guy in the squad who captained us this season and has played international football this season. I'm not suggesting he is an answer long term at all . If he isn't , as Mowbray keeps telling us, then the wisdom of giving him a contract till June 2021 as one of highest earners is even more ridiculous.

Just go Mowbray , you're an idiot .  One look at our remaining  fixture list and I seriously expect us to finish in the bottom 10 this season and after plenty of Mowbray transfer windows absolutely nowhere near having a squad . A collection of bodies maybe, but that is about all you could say. Fortunes spent and fortunes wasted.   

As somebody mentioned earlier in this thread, the Summer clear out needs to include Mowbray, Waggott, Cheston, Suhail .as a starter.

Not having Mulgrew at least on the bench yesterday was a very strange decision.

[rog of the rovers]

16 minutes ago, TBTF said:

 As somebody mentioned earlier in this thread, the Summer clear out needs to include Mowbray, Waggott, Cheston, Suhail .as a starter.

Really? Completely gut the whole hierarchy of the club?

Bold strategy.

[Bigdoggsteel]

42 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

Yes, when he picks the right team.  Let's be fair, our best run coincides with no Del and Ell in the team.  He puts Ell back in and we lose or draw. The guy is playing us all

I agree Bennett shouldn't be paying. So bad. His clearances always go to the opposition, he never beats a man and his tackling is a liability. 

Needs to be dropped 

[Bigdoggsteel]

How bad is Rothwell though? He doesn't look the same player as he was on an off day last year. So inneffective. Just when we needed him to step up in Dacks absence and he somehow gets worse. 

[WacoRover]

48 minutes ago, rog of the rovers said:

Injuries and suspensions so key at this stage of the season, particularly with the busy Easter period still to come.

Lenihan, Williams, Dack, Holtby, Evans all out? Let's not underestimate that's pretty much half of our strongest XI out at one time!

3 wins from Bristol City, Wigan (a) and Barnsley (a) is now the bare minimum.

I agree with what you say about injuries. Sadly, I cannot see us winning these three. I think 5 pts out of 9 is reality here.

[Sparks Rover]

4 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

How bad is Rothwell though? He doesn't look the same player as he was on an off day last year. So inneffective. Just when we needed him to step up in Dacks absence and he somehow gets worse. 

Manager has screwed him up

[Bigdoggsteel]

2 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

Manager has screwed him up

Not buying that. He is given plenty of opportunities,in his position. How do you work out that the manager screwed him? 

[47er]

3 hours ago, tomphil said:

We are also growing players and shop windowing them for other clubs in our key positions which means it is start again next season. 

Yes we know that is part and parcel of the life of a middling championship club but it's arse about tit here. The money has all been shoved into to non scoring 'forwards of some description' up top and with the exception of Armstrong, wasted. That's going to leave us scraping around again all summer to put a worthwhile keeper and defence together then another half season for it to gel not helped by any injuries or the tombola on the sidelines.

This isn't poking the manager for the sake of it these are facts and it isn't a slow build it is plugging gaps. Maybe he'll pull a rabbit or two out the hat again but as Mark Hughes said sooner or later the hat is empty. He's had ample opportunity and money whilst here to build a proper defence that mostly belongs to the club but he'd rather carry players in his squad, or his mates players.

Rebuild in the summer yet again and mid table stability will be the target yet again next season, round and around we go.

But of course some will try and pass it off as out billionaire owners bankrolling promotion bids !

or "steady progress"!

[47er]

3 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

To be fair it obviously isn’t true we ‘have nothing to play for’.

Of course you are right in theory but we have had plenty of chances to crack that 6 and we never do. So, i reality, imo we have nothing to play for.

Edited March 9, 2020 by 47er

[Bigdoggsteel]

1 minute ago, 47er said:

Of course you are right in theory but bye have had plenty of chances to crack that 6 and we never do. So, i reality, imo we have nothing to play for.

It's not reality though, that's the thing. Its your opinion. An incorrect opinion, because we have plenty to play for. Whether we do it is another story. 

Edited March 9, 2020 by Bigdoggsteel

[Sparks Rover]

16 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Not buying that. He is given plenty of opportunities,in his position. How do you work out that the manager screwed him? 

And his best position is.......?

[Bigdoggsteel]

18 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

And his best position is.......?

No idea. You? 

[Dreams of 1995]

32 minutes ago, 47er said:

You did read "IMO" did you?!!!

Anyway you do at least have the guts to post after a shocking defeat like that. Your mates who usually flood the Board to defend TM against anything are noticeably absent again.

You are obsessed with making this into an issue. Think this is your third(?) post along similar lines.

Some posters prefer to post a lot when we lose; some prefer to post when we win. I guarantee you there are at least 4 posters who's post count went up exponentially last night. Just like the reason for them is 'there's more to discuss when we lose', some posters are probably that gutted we lost they didn't want to come on here yesterday. Quit trying to make this into something it isn't.

Anyway, to the game.

Yesterday was a humiliating defeat. We were shite from start to finish. Team was all wrong in fairness, we were never going to get a grip with just Travis doing the dirty work and it was no surprise to see him getting booked early on. That's the problem when only one player is making the tackles. Downing doesn't have it in him to mix it about when the going gets a bit tough, never has, and that's why he didn't play centre mid in his peak. 

The season isn't over though. We are fortunate that literally everybody else around us is losing too. For perspective, Forest, PNE, Bristol, Cardiff, Swansea and us have all won 1 in 5 whilst only Milwall have won 2 in 5. We are on the same patch of form as them. Next week is the big one we have 3 completely winnable games and 7 points is the absolute minimum we need in my opinion.

After that we play Leeds, Cardiff, WBA and Milwall. Such a tough run but also a chance to gain 6pts from play off rivals. This season is very tight but to say there's nothing to play for is wrong.

Edited March 9, 2020 by Dreams of 1995

[Sparks Rover]

18 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

No idea. You? 

That's what I'm saying really. I believe a good manager would find his best position,  Mowbray uses him badly.

[47er]

14 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

You are obsessed with making this into an issue. Think this is your third(?) post along similar lines.

Some posters prefer to post a lot when we lose; some prefer to post when we win. I guarantee you there are at least 4 posters who's post count went up exponentially last night. Just like the reason for them is 'there's more to discuss when we lose', some posters are probably that gutted we lost they didn't want to come on here yesterday. Quit trying to make this into something it isn't.

 

I thought you were quite obsessed with me last week. I at least turn up after every game---win, lose or draw!

And I think there's a much simpler explanation than your's!

But, I take your point and will now shut up about it

[47er]

17 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

This season is very tight but to say there's nothing to play for is wrong.

Well how about "if there is still anything to play for we will bottle it anyway especially with Tony's selections?"

[Dreams of 1995]

8 minutes ago, 47er said:

Well how about "if there is still anything to play for we will bottle it anyway especially with Tony's selections?"

Much better. Tony's selections have put us in this position though.

[arbitro]

One thing that really hit home to me yesterday was the lack of positional awareness of our strikers. Early on I thought Bell put in some good crosses from the left side which were dealt with comfortably by the Derby defenders. Our forwards just didn't make good enough runs for one of them to at least challenge the opposition players. And after the first fifteen minutes they got lazy and didn't press high enough and allowed Derby to play from the back through midfield where invariably we were outnumbered. I don't know if they are lazy, unfit, poorly coached or just useless. I do know though that so far there has been little indication that two of them are anywhere near Championship standard.

[Leonard Venkhater]

13 hours ago, 47er said:

Once again we have nothing to play for and our season will fade out. We are no nearer promotion than we were under Bowyer several years ago.

We are producing some good youth players, they will be snapped up by bigger clubs.

We are on a downward spiral to nothingness. its the 1980's again with no Jack in sight.

Our only hope of getting out of this is to turn up a manager like Dyche. 

Sorry. I know I am in danger of labouring this point, but we made a much better fist of it in the 80's.

Twice we missed out only on the last day and we were in the top 2/3 certainly up to Christmas on more than one occasion.

 Under Venky's, I can't recall Rovers even entering the playoff positions for more than 10 minutes under Bowyer- and that it with shedloads of parachute and transfer fees received!

It feels pretty pointless. We are treading water ...and losing money!

Apart from all that, I agree with you!

[Mashed Potatoes]

1 hour ago, rog of the rovers said:

Really? Completely gut the whole hierarchy of the club?

Bold strategy.

Yes; something that the people who want everyone in sight sacked never seem to address is who then is left to appoint their replacements ? Mrs Desai ?

[MarkBRFC]

3 minutes ago, Leonard Venkhater said:

 

 Under Venky's, I can't recall Rovers even entering the playoff positions for more than 10 minutes under Bowyer- and that it with shedloads of parachute and transfer fees received!

Three times we have been in the championship play off positions under Venkys.

25th August 2012 - 6th October 2012 (6 weeks) - K*an & Black

22nd November 2014 - 6th December 2014 (2 Weeks) - Bowyer

25th August 2018 - 1st September 2018 (1 Week) - Mowbray

 

[Exiled in Toronto]

53 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

That's what I'm saying really. I believe a good manager would find his best position,  Mowbray uses him badly.

He had the best possible development money could buy at Utd. Had two loans, neither of who came back for him, and ended up at Oxford Utd. where he’d still be if we hadn’t signed him for nothing. A lot of football people better than Mowbray must have also used him badly.

Or maybe he’s just a bit crap.

[K-Hod]

13 minutes ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

Yes; something that the people who want everyone in sight sacked never seem to address is who then is left to appoint their replacements ? Mrs Desai ?

If you don’t look to improve things and be the best you can be, what is the point in professional sport?

[DE.]

3 minutes ago, MarkBRFC said:

Three times we have been in the championship play off positions under Venkys.

25th August 2012 - 6th October 2012 (6 weeks) - K*an & Black

22nd November 2014 - 6th December 2014 (2 Weeks) - Bowyer

25th August 2018 - 1st September 2018 (1 Week) - Mowbray

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/30064890

The glory days. 

[Mashed Potatoes]

3 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

If you don’t look to improve things and be the best you can be, what is the point in professional sport?

A change is not necessarily going to result in improvement. Going from Allardyce to Kean, for example. But the point was more about the decision makers - who is left to actually make decisions if everyone gets the bullet from India ?