Millwall Away

[Blue blood]

This reminds me a little bit of the Millwall game under Appleton. Similar.performance and result. 

Similar consequences?

[Stuart]

14 minutes ago, Atko's Engine said:

I've not read previous comments, I don't need to as I'm confident what most will say. But as someone who has supported TM staunchly on here, there's no denying that was a disappointing way for our season to end, pretty toothless when we needed to be in their faces.

There was no bite to us; obviously the yellows for JRC & Travis didn't help, the latter not showing anything like his normal self. Subs were ineffective this time, and we were too slow to get the ball into the front 3.

I still think we can improve from here with TM at the helm as he's had rotten luck with key injuries this season. It's fine lines between success & mediocrity but no doubt there are a tough few weeks ahead.

We need to start Davenport on Saturday next to Travis, Gally or BB up front with Arma, Buckley, JRC in an attacking role, and look to blood the likes of Carter, Lewis Thompson & Fisher or Hilton. They're the future, next season & beyond, give them a go now when there's nothing to lose.  There's no need for Downing, Adarabioyo (both of whom I like a lot), Bennett, Johnson or Samuel to be selected.

TM's got a big job on his hands this summer, not least to get many of you back on board. It's performances like tonight's that give his doubters cause to question his suitability to progress, which is a disappointing way for tonight to have gone for all concerned. 

I remember thinking exactly the same at the end of our closest season under Bowyer once the season had ended (for our hopes). Play the youngsters!

He didn’t.

Finishing as high as he could to show the “progress” to Venkys was more important to him.

Let’s see if it’s any different this time around.

[Leonard Venkhater]

2 hours ago, Elvis Biro said:

Don't forget Godot never actually turned up... Oh, I see what you mean.

I was wrong though. I should have picked the other two, who live their lives in dustbins..

I heard there was an undiscovered play, called Shitgame, where the same thing happens every single Saturday, world without end..

Brereton......Why did you sign me?

TM            I didn't know it would be you...

[bluebruce]

6 minutes ago, Blue blood said:

This reminds me a little bit of the Millwall game under Appleton. Similar.performance and result. 

Similar consequences?

Did you just ask about consequences, for failure, at our club? I know I've seen you post on here before but that almost makes it sound like you're a fan of another club, who is lost

[Boroblue]

I’ll give you an almost guaranteed bet. That next season with Mowbray in charge we’ll be  having the same discussion. It’s a Mercer bet a fine red.

[Atko's Engine]

18 minutes ago, Amo said:

And we looked shite in that Wigan game before Dack got injured.

True, but I think we all agree that we're a better side with him in it than we are without him in it.

 

[Bbrovers2288]

I stopped bleating first mowbray to go months ago as I felt like a stuck record, I had red flags all over the promotion season when the going was good never mind now. 
he is rank average and I am really concerned about the next season, when two of our starters are loans and we don’t have money to buy. Our youngsters bar travis don’t look like they are going to be anything much if I’m being honest. Time may tell me different on that one 

wasted huge amounts on our strikers, neither of which will ever find the back of the net regularly- that’s fact not a maybe. 
I mean who scouted brereton, can’t believe we scouted and pursued him so hard when he is soooo bad. I will admit I was pleased with gallagher , mainly because I remember a cracking goal he scored at ewood when in the youths cup and I thought he looked a player but sadly he looks lost here ala Kevin Davies. 
 

mowbray just doesn’t have it for me, we don’t play good football, there appears to be no plan, certainly no plan b. The team needs a complete overhaul in personnel and style and he isn’t the man to do that. 
 

break the bank for Chris hughton now 

[Atko's Engine]

23 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Pretty fair comment, well done, although imo the changes you  suggest should have been made after the Barnsley game imo at which point the season was realistically over.

I think whilst there was a mathematical chance of top 6 it was the right call generally to stick with senior players, although theres room for debate about which players in which positions.

Yes we lost to Wigan (like nearly everyone has done since February, bizarrely!) and Barnsley, but won at Cardiff & drew to W Brom. Had those 4 results been swapped, would TM be getting the same grief?

(Don't all shout "yes" at once!)

That said, I would have played Davenport earlier over Johnson, whose only standout performance was 2and half v Cardiff.

And none of this changes the fact that it was a poor performance tonight.

[Fraserkirky]

Team was completely wrong from the off. Would hope that’s Graham, Samuel, Johnson, Downing and Bennett’s last game for us. Totally done with them. Special praise for Elliott Bennett who is quite easily the worst professional footballer I’ve seen play for Rovers. How he manages to get paid for this is beyond me. Constantly getting out muscled, ball gets to him it’s over, tipified by him kicking it out of play late on similar to the Jason Lowe incident. The fact he survived 90 mins today should be reason enough to sack Mowbray, absolutely unfathomable. 

I have always been a big Tony fan but that first half today told you everything you need to know. Totally inept, lacking ideas and fight with everything to play for. Simply not good enough. Millwall are shite as well, and we played right into their hands. Team should have been littered with speed and guile, Rothwell, Holtby and Davenport, especially when all three played so well off the bench against WBA. That’s the problem with Mowbray though he will always just play his favourites. Cooper and Pearce won’t have had an easier game all year.

Time for a change, I can handle being just outside the playoffs, but style of play, slow as molasses, and the last three away performances have been nothing short of disgraceful, with all too play for.

Special mention to the two darling boys Travis and Lenihan, what the fuck was that? Fine time for your worst performances of the season lads.

Edited July 14, 2020 by Fraserkirky

[JHRover]

Well that was dreadful, but predictable.

It's a bad sign when Millwall are what i want us to be - organised, resolute, not pretty but dogged, every man knows his job and a manager with a plan who follows it and it works and who doesnt spend his days banging on about nice football, possession stats or individual development. Oh and still in with a play off chance despite spending nothing on project signings.

The second they went 1-0 up i had absolutely no belief or expectation that we would get back into it. They expertly saw the game through to its inevitable conclusion and for all the jargon about possession etc. the reality is that other than the last minute chance we had next no nothing infront of goal and could play until Saturday without scoring. The sign of a good defence and millions wasted in attack. To have the likes of Brereton, Gallagher and Chapman earning god knows what thanks to this manager is shocking.

What a weary end to the season. Many pointing to progress but even that isn't guaranteed. Assuming we get at least 1 point from the 6 remaining then we will have beat last season's total and we should finish higher in the table but at that sort of rate it will take 5 years to get to the play offs. Is that really good enough? Compare to the job Rowett has done in 8 months at Millwall with no cash?

For me Mowbray has run his course. We seem no nearer any identity, style or finished article than the day we got promoted more than 2 years ago. He's a confused man, an idealist, a dreamer who thinks football is about being nice and pretty and having lots of possession when really the best managers adapt their approaches to the circumstances and work with what they have. Very similar criticisms went his way at all his previous clubs. A good man and a competent manager yet but enough in his locker to get the club to the next level? No.

[Miller11]

If we were still playing I doubt we’d have forced a save from their keeper by now.

[RoversClitheroe]

1 hour ago, Scotland1 said:

I imagine Jagadesh his son is asked. 

I have a few mutual friends with there son, hopefully he does the right thing

Edited July 14, 2020 by RoversClitheroe

[Blue blood]

30 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

Did you just ask about consequences, for failure, at our club? I know I've seen you post on here before but that almost makes it sound like you're a fan of another club, who is lost

Lol. I appreciate there are very few consequences at our club. But I could be wrong in thinking that the Millwall game did for Appleton under Venkys watch, albeit in more turbulent times. 

Appreciate that probably a lot worse has to happen before Venkys act but they act and with his mate in charge the chances of change are minimal. 

If I'm honest it's more the game seemed deja vu then what happens to the manager. 

[toooldforthis]

6 hours ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Nothing at all happened - apart from Birdy (not the one of club video fame) welcomed 'Harry the Dog' to Blackburn with a smack in the face and then a huge ruck ensued behind the Darwen End. They don't like it up them these southern softies ha ha

We must be about the same age mate.

Just turned 60.  I was in the BBE that night as usual - didn't gravitate to the RS til my early twenties.  Saw nothing at all.  I remember that Birdy.  I used to stand a few rails and steps away from him.  In those days us kids could afford entry with our paper round money.  They need parents to pay for them these days.

[bluebruce]

10 minutes ago, Blue blood said:

Lol. I appreciate there are very few consequences at our club. But I could be wrong in thinking that the Millwall game did for Appleton under Venkys watch, albeit in more turbulent times. 

Appreciate that probably a lot worse has to happen before Venkys act but they act and with his mate in charge the chances of change are minimal. 

If I'm honest it's more the game seemed deja vu then what happens to the manager. 

Think you're right that it was Millwall. It certainly wasn't long after if not.

Thing is, TM can turn to them and say 'I got us promoted, I consolidated, I'll probably get us more points this year than last' and has years of personally dealing with them. They're clearly comfortable with him and that means it will take a lot more than it took for Appleton, Berg et al to get the boot. Especially as you say with his mate at the helm. They don't know enough about football to see the telltale signs we all see of a manager who won't be able to take us to the next level, will stagnate and eventually go backwards.

It seems from history that as a Rovers manager your job is most on the line in the early days. They almost broke club records (or maybe did?) in binning off Berg and Appleton. Coyle was in his first season and what was it, about 6 months in when he got canned? 

Meanwhile, Kean survived intense fan fury, a close scrape with relegation then an actual relegation before he wasn't even fired, but walked. Because he was the one they had faith in. They liked the cut of his smarmy jib because he visited them frequently, kowtowed, etc. Bowyer lasted ages once he was well in with them too. I wonder if he started to complain once Cairney was sold from under him at a stupidly low fee. TM is the next one to have survived the inaugural pressure stage and is now on easy street if he doesn't put us in a relegation fight or stop paying them the 'proper respect'.

[Tom]

*67 minutes in, second half ‘drinks break’*
 

Neil Yardley - “final chance for Tony Mowbray to motivate and give direction”

*camera cuts to Tony Mowbray hands in pockets barely communicating with anyone*
 

Honestly as a bloke he seems top notch, I’d love him to leave mutually on good terms and leave us with the promotion season the abiding memory and would hate for it to turn at any point.

But he’s stagnated here, his job is at a natural end and a change would probably be best for everyone.

[AllRoverAsia]

5 hours ago, Boroblue said:

The games not finished but we are back to a slightly worse 1980s team. An average old lag manager surrounded by a group of old lag players. A sprinkling of youth players who 15 years ago would have got nowhere near the team. Add to that the loaners that previously we never needed. It’s really just very depressing with no light at the end of the tunnel. Our only chance would be a great manager but this ones going nowhere.

Kendall, Saxon and Mackay were Gods compared to the toad in the chair now and their teams tried

[AllRoverAsia]

I can't comment on the match as all my dodgy links failed to deliver.

One showed the Sheff Wed game so I watched 20 mins of that as it also had commentary, but with radio commentary which was so good compared to the usual dross.

Anyway, I saw that Millwall had scored, looked at the time here, thought fuck that and went to bed.

My tactics were spot on.

If only Moanbray could be as decisive.

Edited July 15, 2020 by AllRoverAsia

[AllRoverAsia]

4 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

all this tactical ****** needs to go ,football is a simple game,you try to pass to each other and stop the other team scoring,i want a manager who when he hears the words false nine smashes up the tactics board and fines whoever uttered it

Was Downing played as the false 9? can't be true? Can it?

[JacknOry]

1 hour ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Was Downing played as the false 9? can't be true? Can it?

The funny thing is that I was not surprised to see it...

I didnt even let myself get angry at the lineup, inept performance and the lack of desire. Switched off at the end and just went for some light relief in the match thread on the Hull forums instead. 

[Blue blood]

This false 9 stuff has to go. It's not helping our strikers or whichever midfielder takes the role of the false 9. Given we have a strong midfield (attacking wise) it's a formation that nullifies one of our biggest threats. 

The other issue I have with it is that more often than not it doesn't work. Our points tally since the restart indicates that it isnt a great formation for us, and has a limited scope of teams it seems to be successful against. Once you factor out the surprise factor as we regularly play it too, it really has little going for it. 

[Mercer]

IMO, staggering bullsh1t from Mowbray - some real 'pearlers':

On leaving out Nyambe: 

“It was a balance of a few things, confidence levels, and the fact he’s played a lot of football, we decided to go with Elliott and Joe.”

On including Bennett:

 "Elliott Bennett brings some character and personality to our team and takes the game-plan on to the pitch".  

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/18582788.rovers-boss-mowbray-explains-nyambe-absence-team-selection/

I honestly despair with Mowbray and have given up all hope for the future of our club with him and Waggott in situ.

[AllRoverAsia]

6 minutes ago, Mercer said:

IMO, staggering bullsh1t from Mowbray - some real 'pearlers':

On leaving out Nyambe: 

“It was a balance of a few things, confidence levels, and the fact he’s played a lot of football, we decided to go with Elliott and Joe.”

On including Bennett:

 "Elliott Bennett brings some character and personality to our team and takes the game-plan on to the pitch".  

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/18582788.rovers-boss-mowbray-explains-nyambe-absence-team-selection/

I honestly despair with Mowbray and have given up all hope for the future of our club with him and Waggott in situ.

The reality is that even Mowbray knows that JRC is a better LB that Bennett but Mowbray must play his stool pigeon so the reserved character that is Nyambe is the fall guy. The least likely to complain.

If Ryan's agent is doing his job he will get Ryan away from this basket case of a manager who is and will continue to ruin him.

I try to avoid reading or listening to Mowbray but it's so addictive, the wondering of what shit he will come up with next.

I really do wonder what our better players really think of Mowbray, not that they will ever go public.

 

[Uddersfelt Blue]

22 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

The reality is that even Mowbray knows that JRC is a better LB that Bennett but Mowbray must play his stool pigeon so the reserved character that is Nyambe is the fall guy. The least likely to complain.

If Ryan's agent is doing his job he will get Ryan away from this basket case of a manager who is and will continue to ruin him.

I try to avoid reading or listening to Mowbray but it's so addictive, the wondering of what shit he will come up with next.

I really do wonder what our better players really think of Mowbray, not that they will ever go public.

 

The reality is that Nyambe is a far better full back than Bennett but for whatever reason he is usually the one to make way to ensure Bennett gets a game because of his “personality and character”. 
 

Without Nyambe we pose zero threat down the right side, no one to get at their full back. Without him it just ends up with Bennett punting an aimless cross in front of the defence who easily clear it. Defensively, as demonstrated against West Brom, Nyambe is far quicker and stronger than Bennett. 
 

It will be a shame if we do lose a player who really should be integral to building a new team going forward.

[Blue blood]

The admission that Nayambe was left out because he has played a lot of football, is the clearest, most blatant evidence yet that Bennett must be included at all costs. When a player is dropped for playing a lot of football (not I note, because he was fatigued) then it says performances or winning don't seem to be number one on the agenda. 

TM's handling of Nayambe is appalling.  No wonder he won't sign a new contract. For every player we bring through, it seems like there's a decent chance TM will alienate them like Raya.