Rovers vs Reading at Virtual Ewood

[Paul Mellelieu]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I stopped listening to anything he has to say about a year ago.

Good for you.

[Bbrovers2288]

Just watched the highlights, god almighty, defence is paper, mowbray your not up to it, 4 years to address and judging by that it’s in a worst place than when you arrived 

[SoldierMo]

MOWBRAY OUT 

[Sparks Rover]

20 minutes ago, ossyian said:

Yeah but to be fair JRC is not really a specialist full back the same as Gallagher is not a winger. Wonder how our players would look in their natural positions. You are wrong to glibly write off JRC because he had a hard time defensively tonight. This lad is a top talent if used properly. Still created tonight though

I just said I wasn't keen and especially at full back.  Mowbray is a cock, cutting his nose of to spite his face with Ryan obviously going...he should play him every game and hope we get promoted.  He's farted him about for 3 seasons.

On costello, looks like another academy type average joe...we need to find little gems like Dolan and manage them properly....although i don't trust Tony with kids

Whiteman in January please.

Edited October 28, 2020 by Sparks Rover

[jim mk2]

 

Ewood a "monument of football". Seems like the Reading manager was a Rovers fan in the 1990s / 2000s glory days. He worked for 5 years in the US before joining Reading so well done to them for plucking him from relative obscurity.  Sometimes you get lucky with managers, sometimes you don't, but we've had our fair share of bad luck

 

[rossyrover]

Mowbray stated his priority was to sort out the defence this was two years ago, maybe he considered as he has already said this is the best group of players he has had while at the club 

that conceding four goals at home is the way to get us into the top six ?

[bluebruce]

34 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

On costello, looks like another academy type average joe...we need to find little gems like Dolan and manage them properly....although i don't trust Tony with kids

Blimey, that's a strong allegation ?

[Sparks Rover]

5 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

Blimey, that's a strong allegation ?

Who'd have thought our entire right side against the league leaders would have about 3 games between them experience wise......mowbray hasn't a clue

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

Who'd have thought our entire right side against the league leaders would have about 3 games between them experience wise......mowbray hasn't a clue

I am starting to find it best to sleep on losses and poor performances before reacting.

It’s easy to be reactionary, especially late on at night. I think he got it wrong tonight, but to say a seasoned manager with the experience of Mowbray simply hasn’t got a clue is probably a bit far fetched mate

[A Northern Horde...]

Round and round we go...the sheer inconsistency is suffocating.

[@roverseas]

Horror show from start to finish - perhaps this is a lesson we needed to learn early in the season as if we keep leaving the door wide open for teams we are gonna get torn apart more often than not.  We have been fortunate against some low brow opposition, we need a performance against a "big boy" if we are to be considered the real deal.  Massive wake up call for Rovers, adapt and over come.

 

 

[AllRoverAsia]

6 hours ago, JoeH said:

I am starting to find it best to sleep on losses and poor performances before reacting.

It’s easy to be reactionary, especially late on at night. I think he got it wrong tonight, but to say a seasoned manager with the experience of Mowbray simply hasn’t got a clue is probably a bit far fetched mate

I had a maybe better idea and went to bed at half time.

It was 3.45 am here though.

Watching on replay now.

9 seconds, quickest I've ever been fucked.

Using Reading commentary on replay, so much better than the 2 fans stuck in a dry Pub that Rovers use.

Edited October 28, 2020 by AllRoverAsia

[philipl]

Feeling very low after that.

As soon as it went to 3-2 the entire Reading team went up a gear.

They had clearly been trained for that and coached.

Manager's instructions at half time equally clear and precise.

We were beaten in the dug outs again. Given the players available, Mowbray was so-so apart from his substitution decisions which were bad but the Reading boss is clearly top top quality.

Two depressing thoughts. Reading were always going to win that regardless of the freak 9 seconds goal.

Any player with a sniffle is out of the game. I hope that is all Johnson and Bell have or otherwise we are potentially facing something between facing the next four matches with several players out and an Accy Stanley style Covid debacle. And Rothwell looks to have pulled something self training at home so how long is that going to take?

Lose to Swansea (currently second) and Boro (currently seventh) and we are out of the race for automatic promotion and top six becomes a distant dream.

There is little to suggest we won't lose those two games.

[matt83]

I thought this might be a big week playing 2 higher teams to judge where we actually are. At least questions have been emphatically answered. No doubt will again on Saturday. But fear not will probably get a point vs boro. Then the following Saturday qpr will have a man sent off and a thumping 4-0 win. 

[Ossydave]

Massively frustrating, again.

Once again we've played a midweek game, been decent in patches to be fair, but once again the opposition looked like they would probably score whenever required!

Its ok trying to mimic Liverpool Tony, but you ain't doing that with suicidal defending.

We desperately need Ayala back, and back for a good run of games. There's just no organisation from the back whatsoever, that was worsened tonight with an unwanted change to the keeper, but can't really be too harsh on him.

Not many coming away from that game with a great deal of credit apart from Adam Armstrong. A shame to be on the losing side after 2 great goals, interestingly goals that came from great crosses. Food for thought with Douglas fully up to speed and pinging balls into the box. For me that's the main reason Nyambe isn't playing as well. JRC is a much better crosser of the ball, BUT Nyambe is the much better defender and defending is ultimately a right backs main job.

On another note I can't believe a player hasn't started due to a 'bad back' - hopefully just a poor description used there or its ridiculous.

Maybe it'll do a few players good being brought back down to earth, not sure. If its any consolation I think we'll at least draw vs Swansea such are our levels of inconsistency. 

[CrouchingNunhiddenCucumber]

Tony says we're still on a journey. What fucking journey is this? We literally couldn't be more mid table if we tried and it feels like that's all we're ever going to be under him. But he won't walk and he certainly won't be pushed. So many glaring errors, players out of position, defensive frailties it's fucking nauseating. We put weak teams to the sword and get out played and/or out thought by the top teams. We'll finish 8th-12th and never really threaten the top 6. Completely and utterly fed up. 

[jw_]

Totally deflated after that game, Nyambi should have played RB and should be first choice every game imo his speed was badly missed. As someone asked earlier what is JRC's natural position as it seems to me that he'd be better on the wing at least for part of the game. Last night like most games he frustrated me by passing backwards 9 times out of 10 but when he did get forward he crosses well. We needed Travis on the park last night driving forward and I can't wait for him to come back. I like Holtby and he put in a solid performance which nearly brought him a goal, but the team as a whole appeared all at sea and at times jittery and uncertain. Credit to Reading though they appeared well drilled in a game plan and they executed it precisely.

I would love to say it was just a bad night and TM will sort it by Saturday but I just can't, I can only hope that somehow he manages to sort it. 

[JacknOry]

Still furious.

Furious with how we defended, furious with TM for setting up and picking that defense. JRC cannot defend and was at fault for 2 goals, Lenihan for some reason cannot get to grips with this high pressing game (he has been crap ever since we started playing it).

Furious that Evans got in the team. What does he offer? Just slows things down (that is when you even notice he is playing). I know we have been light in CM but there is always a better option than Evans. Could have put Elliott into one of those positions and Dolan in the front 3. Elliott has a football brain, the mobility and the ability to play the 'Rothwell' role in CM, no doubt about it. Heck, even put Davenport in there over Evans. 

Subs were awful. Buckley came on and was just brushed aside time after time. SG, on the wing...again....like this is some sort of secret plan B. It has never worked, though we couldnt tell if it would have worked last night as he couldn't even control the damn ball. 

 

[Ossydave]

Sounds like Kaminski won't make it on Saturday ffs. Wouldn't be surprised if a few more players start showing 'symptoms' either so expect a patched up team, again.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

What is funny - one game ago some people were saying what a good manager TM was - one game later some people want him sacked.

Some poor defensive performances tonight  - don't think any of the back 4 came out with any credit. Not certain why Pears seems to be getting some stick - first goal possible could be better positioned - but not certain he could have stopped any of them.

Though made little difference  - frustrated with referee who did little to stop their time wasting - and frustratingly booked Rovers players, but not Reading players making similar offences.

[tugayislegend]

TM "we couldn't handle their physicality " so WHY start JRC a kid at RB when we have nyambe a beast on the bench? 

Oh yes, he couldn't possibly drop JRC because he had a good game against a 10 men league 1 side on Saturday. 

It's so obvious to many on here that it just makes sense to play Nyambe when we face the better teams and we can play JRC against poorer teams who are likely to sit back!

Lenihan not as good as many think he is.

I feel we have a great team and chance of promotion. TM needs to start setting up the team right from Saturday. We HAVE to become difficult to beat, cant keep conceding silly goals!!

[JacknOry]

Just now, tugayislegend said:

TM "we couldn't handle their physicality " so WHY start JRC a kid at RB when we have nyambe a beast on the bench? 

Oh yes, he couldn't possibly drop JRC because he had a good game against a 10 men league 1 side on Saturday. 

It's so obvious to many on here that it just makes sense to play Nyambe when we face the better teams and we can play JRC against poorer teams who are likely to sit back!

Lenihan not as good as many think he is.

I feel we have a great team and chance of promotion. TM needs to start setting up the team right from Saturday. We HAVE to become difficult to beat, cant keep conceding silly goals!!

Feels like everything on target lately is just going in. 4 shots on target, we concede 4 goals. Against Watford it was the same - yet we have 26 shots on goal each game to get a similar amount of goals. 

[philipl]

11 minutes ago, Ossydave said:

Sounds like Kaminski won't make it on Saturday ffs. Wouldn't be surprised if a few more players start showing 'symptoms' either so expect a patched up team, again.

Showing symptoms = tested positive or have been in very close contact with someone who has.

It means Co0vid is at best, very close to the Rovers camp and given how extremely contagious it is, we are going to be very lucky not to have an Accrington Stanley style affliction.

After last night, I wouldn't have a problem postponing Swansea and Boro to later in the season when hopefully Travis and Dack are back.

As for Pears, a great reaction save from Del's og attempt but otherwise, the best that can be said is he occupied the goal keeping space and looked more convincing than Walton. Really shouldn't have been where he was after 9 seconds even if Douglas had collected the ball with his instep rather than the back of his heel. Not that he would have stood too much chance one on one with Meite clear with the ball half way inside our area.

[Atko's Engine]

It certainly was a dampener on enthusiasm last night. Totally gutted at the naivety shown defensively. All their goals came from glaring individual errors (Douglas for the 1st, Lenihan & JRC for the 2nd & 3rd, & Lenihan for the 4th).  We will not achieve any success whilst being so generous to the opposition, especially ones so clinical as Reading (and before them Watford & Bournemouth; some of the finishing we have faced has been top notch).

Whilst I have some sympathy with the view TM can't set up a defence, those players named (especially Douglas & Lenihan, being as experienced as they are) need to take a long hard look at themselves. They just should not be making those types of errors so frequently.

The real disappointment is that having conceded so early in daft circumstances, we got immediately back on level terms (to our credit) but then committed defensive suicide again. 

I don't know if it's a positive or not, but the games come thick & fast this season, so there's no time for the squad to dwell. Maybe we're better away when pressure is off & we can do one over Swansea to put this debacle immediately behind us. Fingers crossed it's just one of those days, but it does seem to be becoming a bit too regular a feeling.

Credit where it's due, Reading were very good. Absolutely clinical & confident on the ball. They must be cockahoop with their start, but it's still early days yet, plenty if time for them to fall back down to earth. But I'd rather be sat where they are than where we are just at this moment...

Edited October 28, 2020 by Atko's Engine

[philipl]

People objected at Half Time to my describing four Reading players as Premier League class.

My four are Cabral the keeper.

Esteves (aged 18)

Richards (aged 22)

Olise (aged 18)

We have talented youngsters but Esteves in particular is Elliott level something else and comfortably outshone Elliott last night.