Nobbers v Rovers, Tues 24 Nov 7.45pm

[Oldgregg86]

32 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

What a season for us so far. In a way, it's one of the most frustrating ever. So much promise, but I don't know if we will deliver on it. Too much chopping and changing. Mostly enforced, unfortunately.

Our best 11 could beat anyone, but when will we actually see it? If at all. 

Our front 3 are frustrating me a lot. I know he is top scorer, but Armstrong can be so annoying, he was awful on Saturday. More interested in complaining to the ref. He had some decent chances. Brereton has gotten going, but falls over too easy for my liking. Elliot , hot and cold, no doubt he will be a big player. It's just not balanced enough for me, with the 3 of them inconsistent. 

Good that Lenihan seems to be back playing ok. I think Ayala is our best defender though. 

Best player so far? Kaminski. He looks like the best keeper since Robinson, by some distance. 

Have a niggling feeling it will be a manager post Mowbray who benefits from some of the good work and groundwork Mowbray has laid. Not sure he himself is ruthless enough. 

Where have you been hiding lol

welcome back anyway

[darrenrover]

3 hours ago, JoeH said:

Big fan of Barry Douglas, and he did well against Luton Town. Also not a huge fan of Amari'i Bell and wouldn't normally choose him as first choice.

However, for me Tom Barkuizen is going to run BD ragged if we play him. The pace will simply be too much for him. We'll have to sacrifice BD's attacking output for the speed of Amari'i Bell in this one if we don't want to concede 2+ goals.

I'm not normally a big advocate but perhaps 3 at the back would be appropriate against PNE then?

I hope ToMo hasn't seen your 'shitting yourself' type post though, he's bad enough as it is in bigging up the opposition.

Come on Rovers, rip North End a new anus!!

[bluebruce]

3 hours ago, JoeH said:

Big fan of Barry Douglas, and he did well against Luton Town.

He did ok. Except for the part where his bizarre decision-making made their goal a lot easier than it should have been. Luckily he made amends by setting up ours.

Not totally sold on him yet, but he has played a bit sporadically and will need time to adjust, physically as much as anything else.

[K-Hod]

2 hours ago, JoeH said:

Bell is statistically a much better defender than Barry Douglas. Douglas in fact ranks as one of the Championships worst starting full backs for defensive output. His superior attacking and creative output tips him over the edge in 90% of games, but against Tom Barkhuizen, Douglas will be ran ragged. If Douglas plays, and they put Barky at RW - we'll concede at least two, if not more.

If Bell plays, we will concede anyway, he’s an absolute liability and has been for pretty much the whole time he’s been here....

[jim mk2]

Just now, renrag said:

 

They'll always be halves in my book renrag. 

[A Northern Horde...]

Rovers in Blue and White 'eighths'? Like Bristol Rovers?.....absolute rubbish!

[darrenrover]

40 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

They'll always be halves in my book renrag. 

Agreed, but alternately from eyes front with a swivel: white, blue halves from the front view, then white, blue from the back. The corresponding halves front and back therefore appearing as quarters as the model is viewed from above in a 360 degree dimension and could therefore perhaps be construed as quarters.

Rovers, blue and white halves, end of!

[DeeCee]

They are quarters but in a 2  dimensional view they are halves ?

[Rogerb]

5 minutes ago, DeeCee said:

They are quarters but in a 2  dimensional view they are halves ?

Best kit in the world so doesn't matter whether halves quarters

[LDRover]

8 hours ago, den said:

North end aren’t like us, they are well organised defensively and don’t play a game as openly as we do, so can’t see us scoring too many here. 
 

For once, we need to put a clean sheet top of the game plan, but has Mowbray got that in him?

I'm with you on the clean sheet den. Problem is whenever we set up hard to beat it is to the detriment of any attacking threat. Then we'll generally throw an individual mistake in and concede anyway.

Mowbray has never been able to strike the balance between defence and attack and, after over 4 years, I suspect (well, know) he never will.

Edited November 23, 2020 by LDRover

[Butty]

I’m a lot more optimistic about tomorrow knowing that Holtby is back, that being said though I still think the game will be a score draw. 1-1. 

[simongarnerisgod]

decent sides don`t have any problems figuring us out,thats why im`e not looking forward to tommorow,although at least there is no walton to **** things up and wharton looks a solid defender,hopefully he`ll have that big,clumsy oaf stockley in his pocket,i just hope everyone turns up tommorow and it`s not one of those insipid ****shows we put on more times than not

[Ewood Ace]

On the 23rd of last month Mowbray was hopeful Ayala would be fit to play at Coventry now a month on he is still isn't back training. I do have to question whether our fitness and medical teams are up to standard.

Mowbray gives Ayala update ahead of Preston North End trip | Lancashire Telegraph

[jim mk2]

10 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

On the 23rd of last month Mowbray was hopeful Ayala would be fit to play at Coventry now a month on he is still isn't back training. I do have to question whether our fitness and medical teams are up to standard.

Mowbray gives Ayala update ahead of Preston North End trip | Lancashire Telegraph

 Ayala's like a classic car..... looks good but inevitably comes with alot of maintenance problems. I don't think the Rovers medical staff are at fault n this case. Rovers knew they were taking on a bit of an old banger when they signed him. 

[bringdunnback]

17 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

On the 23rd of last month Mowbray was hopeful Ayala would be fit to play at Coventry now a month on he is still isn't back training. I do have to question whether our fitness and medical teams are up to standard.

Mowbray gives Ayala update ahead of Preston North End trip | Lancashire Telegraph

I would question Ayala, not him personally, but his injury record. And why he was brought in to be one of our three main CB's, alongside Lenihan and Williams who are also injury prone.

I'm not one to criticise Mowbray but we really needed a CB who we can play 38 league games, minimum. Injuries are part of football, but itwas madness to bring in a CB with Ayala's record considering the his competition.

Edited November 23, 2020 by bringdunnback

[Mattyblue]

Happens a lot here. Bell and Williams missed the post lockdown warm up friendly at Liverpool, but were ‘only a few days away’... didn’t see them until the new season in September.

[davulsukur]

When was the last time that we beat this lot? 

Feels like a while, could be wrong though. 

[Riversider28]

50 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

decent sides don`t have any problems figuring us out,thats why im`e not looking forward to tommorow,although at least there is no walton to **** things up and wharton looks a solid defender,hopefully he`ll have that big,clumsy oaf stockley in his pocket,i just hope everyone turns up tommorow and it`s not one of those insipid ****shows we put on more times than not

I wouldn’t call Stockley a big, clumsy oaf. A muscle bound Neanderthal maybe, but he was the main reason we blew it last season at Deepdale by roughing up our powderpuff defence.

[JHRover]

Just now, davulsukur said:

When was the last time that we beat this lot? 

Feels like a while, could be wrong though. 

I think the only win we've had since Souness' days was Lambert's debut when we won 2-1 and were hanging on there.

A team of soft lads from the manager down. Nice, honest, play the 'right way' but in a fiery local Derby when the going gets tough they wilt.

[simongarnerisgod]

17 minutes ago, Riversider28 said:

I wouldn’t call Stockley a big, clumsy oaf. A muscle bound Neanderthal maybe, but he was the main reason we blew it last season at Deepdale by roughing up our powderpuff defence.

he had williams on a silver serving platter,it was painful to watch,tony just stood there shaking his head,it was one of the most sickening episodes of the last decade,this year having no crowd might help us tbh,i think the noise scared our snowflakes last year,preston bullied us without mercy in the 2nd half

[47er]

No question that a win tomorrow night would be the sweetest of the season (unless we need a last game win to make the 6!)

I'm absolutely sick of losing to that lot year after year.

 

Edit---amended

Edited November 23, 2020 by 47er

[bluebruce]

12 minutes ago, 47er said:

No question that a win tonight would be the sweetest of the season

No question? Personally I think a win tonight would raise a lot of questions. Questions like, 'how did we win a day before the game?'

[tomphil]

Just now, bluebruce said:

No question? Personally I think a win tonight would raise a lot of questions. Questions like, 'how did we win a day before the game?'

We'll take it though !

[47er]

1 minute ago, bluebruce said:

No question? Personally I think a win tonight would raise a lot of questions. Questions like, 'how did we win a day before the game?'

Whoops!

 

2 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

No question? Personally I think a win tonight would raise a lot of questions. Questions like, 'how did we win a day before the game?'

Ha! Amended! Pleads old age.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

5 hours ago, darrenrover said:

I'm not normally a big advocate but perhaps 3 at the back would be appropriate against PNE then?

I hope ToMo hasn't seen your 'shitting yourself' type post though, he's bad enough as it is in bigging up the opposition.

Come on Rovers, rip North End a new anus!!

Not certain we have enough defenders for a back 3 - Nyambe could move to the centre - but who would play right back ?