Rovers v Middlesbrough Tuesday 3rd November

[dallydally]

Just now, rovers11 said:

I think the next two games are all about damage limitation before we get our better players back. I would snap your hand off now for 4 points from the next two games. 

To put into context, we have our best striker missing, our best playmaker, our best midfielder, our best defender, our best gk, and both of our left backs missing. I'm not sure any team could cope with that in any division.

I think it makes sense to not play Armstrong tomorrow night. We can't afford to lose him for a couple of months. Forget the pretty stuff tomorrow, play the ball forward quickly, pick up the second balls, and get lots of crosses into the box for Gallagher. 

Super Gally? What a complete waste of space he is. Can't see anything other than a defeat tomorrow. We won't have anyone on the pitch who can score

[tomphil]

15 minutes ago, rovers11 said:

I think the next two games are all about damage limitation before we get our better players back. I would snap your hand off now for 4 points from the next two games. 

To put into context, we have our best striker missing, our best playmaker, our best midfielder, our best defender, our best gk, and both of our left backs missing. I'm not sure any team could cope with that in any division.

I think it makes sense to not play Armstrong tomorrow night. We can't afford to lose him for a couple of months. Forget the pretty stuff tomorrow, play the ball forward quickly, pick up the second balls, and get lots of crosses into the box for Gallagher. 

Agree any points are a bonus.

However a bit more context says we have a strong squad now and they are designed to cope with absences as well as drops in form, that's the whole point. We can't throw the towel in and shrug our shoulders after every defeat every time a few of the better players are missing, that's the problem here and it's the mentality that needs erasing.

Worse 11s put out every week than ours recently get results against better one's on paper.

[LDRover]

4 hours ago, JoeH said:

There's nowhere near enough evidence for that, he's had two games for us and done well in one, and badly in another. Needs more chance than that, Hayden Carter got more than that and he's nothing like as promising as Tyler.

He had a loan spell at Rochdale last season where he played 2 league games. Also remember seeing him get hooked after 30 minutes in an FA cup tie for them after an appalling performance (think it was against Newcastle) where the lad Mattheson had an absolute stormer and subsequently signed for Wolves.

[roversfan99]

3 hours ago, JoeH said:

Dolan's tailed off because he's no longer getting serious game time. He had one 6/10 game after a train of 8's and 9's and was immediately dropped. I don't blame the player for that personally.

Im not sure about that, he had a few bright cameos where he looked promising without doing much substantial. He then played v Wycombe when he looked really good, not quite as good v Derby but still dangerous and got another goal then totally ineffective v Forest and Cardiff (with a few skills in counterproductive places ) and correctly taken out of the team. Im sure his time will come again.

[davulsukur]

4 hours ago, Roverinbelfast said:

What a squad Hughes built for rovers. Add to that list samba, benni, RSC, ooijer, Dunny at his peak. 

 

Ahhh memories. 

We really were spoiled during those years.

I remember a mate of mine (Newcastle fan) telling me Benni McCarthy was shite and past it when we signed him:

 

[chaddyrovers]

4 hours ago, Roverinbelfast said:

What a squad Hughes built for rovers. Add to that list samba, benni, RSC, ooijer, Dunny at his peak. 

 

Ahhh memories. 

We had a excellent footballing team under Hughes. after He kept us that season he change the squad into what he wanted and we have great memories under him. 

[Inta Beaver]

This is never going happen but I’d like to see a change in tact for tomorrow’s game, 2 big guys up top, play with wingers and balls into the box.

     Breo Gallagher

Elliott                    Dolan/JRC

[rigger]

28 minutes ago, Inta Beaver said:

This is never going happen but I’d like to see a change in tact for tomorrow’s game, 2 big guys up top, play with wingers and balls into the box.

     Breo Gallagher

Elliott                    Dolan/JRC

Especially as Boro have probably been concentrating on how to play against our 4-3-3 formation.

[Waggy76]

I hope for a victory but can only see a draw at best , back to the usual pattern of can't stop the other team scoring ..

Warnock will have to much know how for Mowbray ...

[Sparks Rover]

2 minutes ago, Waggy76 said:

I hope for a victory but can only see a draw at best , back to the usual pattern of can't stop the other team scoring ..

Warnock will have to much know how for Mowbray ...

I think a draw here.  Fletcher is a nice player, not sure he is fit

[roversfan99]

Just now, Sparks Rover said:

I think a draw here.  Fletcher is a nice player, not sure he is fit

He's torn his hamstring.

[Waggy76]

37 minutes ago, Inta Beaver said:

This is never going happen but I’d like to see a change in tact for tomorrow’s game, 2 big guys up top, play with wingers and balls into the box.

     Breo Gallagher

Elliott                    Dolan/JRC

To my mind , that is the best way to play ..

[Guest]

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

Im not sure about that, he had a few bright cameos where he looked promising without doing much substantial. He then played v Wycombe when he looked really good, not quite as good v Derby but still dangerous and got another goal then totally ineffective v Forest and Cardiff (with a few skills in counterproductive places ) and correctly taken out of the team. Im sure his time will come again.

He wasn't the only player totally ineffective against Forest & Cardiff. He was taken out of the team, fine, but that doesn't mean he's fizzled out, it means he was taken out of the team. Hard to play well if you're not playing.

[roversfan99]

17 minutes ago, JoeH said:

He wasn't the only player totally ineffective against Forest & Cardiff. He was taken out of the team, fine, but that doesn't mean he's fizzled out, it means he was taken out of the team. Hard to play well if you're not playing.

No I never said that others didnt also underperform but specifically to Dolan, he didnt have "one 6/10 performance" before being dropped. He had a couple of exciting cameos, one in which a needless skill led to Bournemouths winner, a decent start at Newcastle, 2 impressive starts with goals and then 2 (not 1) games in which he was invisible. His initial start had dipped, it had fizzled out. Thats why he was then not playing, and he has struggled to get involved in his 3 cameos since. So a mixed bag, but thats not crirical, hes shown far more promise and provided much more contribution though than we would have expected for a kid released by PNE and signed for the kids team.

Anyway, my main point was that with Dolan we can dip him in and out, off the bench etc, we cant do that at CB with the kids in that position.

[4000Holes]

We are short at centre back, we are short at full back, we are short on the wing, we are short up front.  
I know let’s sign a midfielder, we only have 14 of them.  
Cheers Tony

[SoldierMo]

Mowbray out ..one of the most frustrating managers ever

[WacoRover]

Just now, SoldierMo said:

Mowbray out ..one of the most frustrating managers ever

Twelve 1st teamers out tomorrow; I’m wondering if our S&C staff need to go with him? 

Im not a big advocate of sacking Mowbray in mid season. I stand by my earlier comment, if we haven’t started winning points routinely by Boxing Day, I think we should expect a change. Certainly, if we are bottom half of the table, there is no defense to keep him on. His new transfers will have had plenty of time to make an impact, & Dacky & Travis hopefully will be back in the lineup for a few games. 

[Fraserkirky]

Get Connor McBride on the bench tomorrow night.

[AllRoverAsia]

7 hours ago, Inta Beaver said:

This is never going happen but I’d like to see a change in tact for tomorrow’s game, 2 big guys up top, play with wingers and balls into the box.

     Breo Gallagher

Elliott                    Dolan/JRC

Brereton can't head the ball and Gallagher hasn't for 3 or 4 years.

They would be tripping over each others feet. It would be embarrassing yet hilarious.

[philipl]

Enormously grateful for the distraction from the US Presidential Elections.

[jw_]

1 hour ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Brereton can't head the ball and Gallagher hasn't for 3 or 4 years.

They would be tripping over each others feet. It would be embarrassing yet hilarious.

I actually like the idea of Brereton and Gallagher up front with Dolan right wing and Elliot left wing as it would help put to bed a few queries such as whether Dolan and Elliot are really effective wingers, but more importantly how the other two would perform as a pair of strikers. After all everybody has seen how ineffective Gallagher has been on the wing so it just might work although I tend to agree with your last  comment.

[AllRoverAsia]

1 hour ago, jw_ said:

I actually like the idea of Brereton and Gallagher up front with Dolan right wing and Elliot left wing as it would help put to bed a few queries such as whether Dolan and Elliot are really effective wingers, but more importantly how the other two would perform as a pair of strikers. After all everybody has seen how ineffective Gallagher has been on the wing so it just might work although I tend to agree with your last  comment.

On the basis that Gallagher is less than useless out wide then its only fair hes given a chance as the front striker. Potentially he could work out ok with a supply of proper crosses and not the low slung variety we have favoured due to lack of effective height up front.

I doubt that Mowbray has the balls to start both Elliott and Dolan so I think it will be a front line of Elliott, Gallagher, Brereton with Dolan on the bench.

Edited November 3, 2020 by AllRoverAsia

[Oldgregg86]

9 hours ago, 4000Holes said:

We are short at centre back, we are short at full back, we are short on the wing, we are short up front.  
I know let’s sign a midfielder, we only have 14 of them.  
Cheers Tony

The reality is if we are talking promotion push, which means aiming for top two then we are short all over the pitch. Every single position needs addressing which speaks volumes of the bodged assembly of a squad Tony has done 

[LeftWinger]

13 hours ago, WacoRover said:

Hughes apparently attracted that kind of player. Fights in locker rooms, that kind of stuff. Sounds like the shot in the arm we need. IF he could be coaxed back here; he might not be welcome, he threw us over for Cityzens, right? 

I'd definitely take him back, even though his record has been fairly mixed (and I'm probably being polite there) since he left Rovers. 

City had just come into money when he went there, it was a good move for him. According to that article on wikipedia we also got a world record compensation fee for a manager at the time.

[Gone to seed]

11 hours ago, Inta Beaver said:

This is never going happen but I’d like to see a change in tact for tomorrow’s game, 2 big guys up top, play with wingers and balls into the box.

     Breo Gallagher

Elliott                    Dolan/JRC

Oh, I see... you mean like 'proper football'? You are probably right. Never going to happen