Watford v Rovers Wed 21st Oct 7.45pm

[Doogs]

4 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

Which weaknesses? If you can’t see that was a top 6 performance then it’s you who is ridiculous.

TOP performance. If we play like that for the rest of the season I genuinely think we'll have a chance of going up automatically. Battered Watford....Arma and Lenihan poor. Should’ve won us the game.

Onwards and upwards

Play like that and not win...What a load of tosh. We just cant win games of football regularly enough to win promotion....Nothing but another wer going for the top 6 but in reality 14th or 15th 

[Doogs]

Fed up of just treading water

[Parsonblue]

Personally, didn't think we played too badly over 90 minutes.  Foster was excellent for them and made crucial saves.  Ultimately, at this level you can't afford to make mistakes in both boxes.  An own goal and a missed penalty proved costly in the end.  Despite the disappointing result there were plenty of positives in this performance for me, far more than in the two previous home games.  

[Ewood Ace]

Just now, Butty said:

He’d have got some minutes tonight if we didn’t need to replace Ayala. How can you be so negative after that performance honestly I don’t get it ? 

We have one point and one goal from our last 3 games. For me that is not positive. Tonight we were comfortably beaten by a Watford side who never needed to get out of 2nd gear, if they needed to they had a few more gears to go up. We have a good squad of players but under this manager we will not achieve anything.

[Bethnal]

Did more than enough there to win that, but it’s difficult to be encouraged by stats alone. Dominating a side that’s just come down at “home” (does it even count anymore?) isn’t something a side like ours does very often. When it happens, you have to take the chance, there can be no excuses if you’re seriously looking at playoffs and promotion.

Mentality has a lot to do with it, I suspect and it’s difficult to see a collective winning mentality in that squad. Watford were a little fortunate here and there and Foster had an objectively fantastic game, but they made it happen and we didn’t. They’re 3rd and we’re 11 places and six points behind. That’s how it works.

Or doesn’t work, for a team like us, at least. Plenty didn’t tonight, but Evans really stood out at as an abject embarrassment. Farcical that he gets near the squad. What happens in training that he doesn’t bring to the pitch?

[Fraserkirky]

Tom Trybull=Yes Please

[philipl]

Man of the match without any argument Ben Foster.

Ref was woeful.

Evans, Johnson and Bell simply don't have the raw ability needed at this level. Fortunately, Trybull, Rothwell, Travis and Douglas do so we have the necessary quality in the squad if Tony picks them. Lenihan and Williams will be the central defenders for the next four or five games as Ayala's glass ankle extends to his groin. 

Possession 66-34

Shots 19-10

on target 7-4

corners 8-1

fouls 13-22

Yes, we totally thrashed Watford 1-3!

[Oldgregg86]

I didn’t see todays game but I think Travis is being missed more than we realise . Massive player for us

[neophox]

At the moment Derick seems to. E our nr 1 centre half. 

[neophox]

Travis out until january

[Stuart]

3 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

We lost 3-1. Years of watching football has taught me that playing  well and losing is a very bad sign. Performances don’t win games but tactical nous does. We will never get anywhere under this manager

Exactly right. Celebrating a performance after a defeat is folly. Lucy “couldn’t wait to see the possession stats”.

Mowbray’s first job tomorrow morning should be phoning Watford with his credit card in his hand to pay for the clear up and replacement of all the smashed up teacups in that dressing room.

[Butty]

1 minute ago, Ewood Ace said:

We have one point and one goal from our last 3 games. For me that is not positive. Tonight we were comfortably beaten by a Watford side who never needed to get out of 2nd gear, if they needed to they had a few more gears to go up. We have a good squad of players but under this manager we will not achieve anything.

Cardiff and forest we were poor I’m not disputing that but tonight we battered Watford, I don’t think they could go up another gear when they barely had the ball or barely attacked. Just one of those nights tonight. I knew as soon as the penalty was given Foster would save it.

[Paul Mani]

3 minutes ago, Doogs said:

Play like that and not win...What a load of tosh. We just cant win games of football regularly enough to win promotion....Nothing but another wer going for the top 6 but in reality 14th or 15th 

We’ll win a lot of games playing like that. If we could recreate that performance every week I’d put decent money on us going up automatically!

[roversfan99]

Was repeatedly told throughout the night by them 2 tiresome commentators how good we looked, how many chances we had, how the fitness levels look better, how much the ref was to blame (never a penalty for me, Holtby dived although happy to have it) and how we looked the recently Premier League side, and I think a few on here feels similar. Possession stats, new "style of play" but with 2 wins, a draw and 3 losses, im yet to be convinced that it isnt style before substance. We need to win on Saturday. Not one to be satisfied with defeats regardless of the stats or perception about performance, ultimately on another day Watford could argue that with Pedro's Gazza style miss on the stretch and Sarr on the counter at the end, they might think they could have had more.

Good to see Brereton score, still needs to anticipate things better and get into the box but some of his work outside it including a few dives after good runs earnt us a few free kicks. Elliott with some bright play and looks to be an exciting talent. Armstrong was really poor, constantly offside, rubbish penalty and ultimately its nights like tonight when you realise how light we are up front, there is no alternative or potential partner. Dolan was totally ineffective off the bench, all step overs and nothing else, should have left Brereton on.

God knows what Kaminski was doing for that second goal, terrible goalkeeping and a huge mistake. Did make one good save towards the end. Bell shocking, Douglas had to play there is something wrong if Bielsa's world reknown fitness regime couldnt get him fit enough for a Mowbray team! Lenihan should have done better for the third, Ayala is better than him and made an already bad night worse by limping off. Nyambe was bright going forward. Wharton all over the place as a sub.

Holtby was one of our better performers. Mowbray again made the mistake of putting Evans and Johnson the wrong way around and exposing their weakesses. Trybull looked rusty at times but also played a couple of lovely passes and one key interception.

 

[Ruaney]

Frustrating match that and with the same culprits not pulling their weight in Evans, Bell and BJ. Could have gone differently on a different night, course - but it didn’t! We out played them for the majority but those three in particular are a hindrance. Have to think it would have gone differently if they weren’t playing.

[bazza]

We are simply not good enough if Watford are a top six side. We cannot defend. We are oh so slow on the counter attack. Generally poor.

Lenihan had a bad game. My first choice of CB would be Williams with either Lenihan who plays well with him or Ayala.

Nyambe is so frustrating. I can see why TM drops him. He gets to the halfway line and ALWAYS stops and passes back or sideways. JRC is better in that position.

Elliott seemed to have a quiet game. Dolan is a one trick pony. He needs time in the under 23s.

It is so frustrating watching Rovers because this squad is capable of playing better.

Bell played extremely well and doesn't deserve to lose his place.

My MOM......Holtby

 

[Stuart]

Just now, Paul Mani said:

We’ll win a lot of games playing like that. If we could recreate that performance every week I’d put decent money on us going up automatically!

Gentleman’s bet. If we go up automatically I’ll make a £20 donation to a local charity of your choice. If we don’t you’ll do the same?

[A Northern Horde...]

10 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

Which weaknesses? If you can’t see that was a top 6 performance then it’s you who is ridiculous.

TOP performance. If we play like that for the rest of the season I genuinely think we'll have a chance of going up automatically. Battered Watford....Arma and Lenihan poor. Should’ve won us the game.

Onwards and upwards

A classic case of blinding optimism supplanting reality.

[rovers11]

Incredibly tough game and one I expected to lose. They are my tip to win the league.

Elliot looked very good in flashes, Trybull looked lively and made some lovely cross field passes, Holtby was class throughout, and Breo caused them problems. 

Our left side was so weak. Evans looks well off the pace and Bell has never been good enough. 

The last three games have been incredibly frustrating but there's enough there to suggest we're going to have a good season. Two of the toughest away games now out of the way in Watford and Bournemouth. Forest and Cardiff will be promotion contenders too so we've had a tough set of fixtures to start with. 

[roversfan99]

2 minutes ago, Paul Mani said:

We’ll win a lot of games playing like that. If we could recreate that performance every week I’d put decent money on us going up automatically!

But we didnt win the one game we did play like that in! 

[Tom]

Frustrating evening; did a lot right but a lot transpired to go against it, we weren’t blameless in that either.

Excited for the season still but some kinks to iron out.

Finding Armstrong so frustrating at the moment but we don’t seem to have too many options to replace him up top 

[Butty]

Just now, bazza said:

We are simply not good enough if Watford are a top six side. We cannot defend. We are oh so slow on the counter attack. Generally poor.

Lenihan had a bad game. My first choice of CB would be Williams with either Lenihan who plays well with him or Ayala.

Nyambe is so frustrating. I can see why TM drops him. He gets to the halfway line and ALWAYS stops and passes back or sideways. JRC is better in that position.

Elliott seemed to have a quiet game. Dolan is a one trick pony. He needs time in the under 23s.

It is so frustrating watching Rovers because this squad is capable of playing better.

Bell played extremely well and doesn't deserve to lose his place.

My MOM......Holtby

 

You could see the talent was there, there’s not many people in the side who could play the pass he played through to Armstrong when Foster tipped it over the bar. He will be a good player for us will Elliott. 

[Boroblue]

 We need a clinical finisher. Armstrong will go on a run of goals but he’s championship no more no less and no one else will regularly score. We are great with the ball and do look like a play off team until we get near the box and then we are average and at the end that will cost us. Mistakes in defence happen because we put ourselves under pressure by not taking our chances. 

 Where Watford that much better probably not Bournemouth, Forrest Cardiff we just don’t take the half or full chances. Hopefully dack will make the difference if not I cant see where the leap from contenders to winners will come from

[booth]

Just now, Paul Mani said:

I said “If we play like that” NOT If we lose like that...keep up fella ???

It's nice you think you're clever and that, but I was being facetious.

It was a shit performance overall. You get no points for possession. Manager again made some baffling choices. I take no positives when only days after they were absolutely dire, the manager makes the same mistake by selecting them again. And because of that mistake it costs us with the opening two goals.

[Paul Mani]

2 minutes ago, Stuart said:

Gentleman’s bet. If we go up automatically I’ll make a £20 donation to a local charity of your choice. If we don’t you’ll do the same?

Argh, I don’t think we can play that well every week sadly...but I’ll take your bet for playoffs...of that I have no doubt!