Rovers v Millwall. Wed 2nd Dec 7.45pm

[rigger]

49 minutes ago, Admiral Nelsen said:

Let's see what the future holds, but I'm hopeful for the back end of the season. Sufficient proportion of the population will be vaccinated by April that football may return to something like normal.

At the very least I hope they'll let us in to Wembley in May.

FA cup or play-offs?

Edited November 29, 2020 by rigger

[philipl]

Watched a few Millwall highlights and they are not as dire as their results suggest.

Wallace is very dangerous with set pieces.

They also know how to ride their luck at the back. Going to be important for Rovers to press high up.

[tomphil]

I can see a similar game to Saturday with another of the divisions well established hard grafting sides. As always if we get out of the blocks early and get a lead we should likely win comfortably. 

Longer it goes though i can see us having to come from behind so another tough day at the office. We won't ride the luck again like Saturday too often without losing.

2-2

[roversfan99]

9 minutes ago, philipl said:

Watched a few Millwall highlights and they are not as dire as their results suggest.

Wallace is very dangerous with set pieces.

They also know how to ride their luck at the back. Going to be important for Rovers to press high up.

They are only one point below us so if anyone considers them to be dire then they cant think much of us either.

[Aqualung]

We have the players to beat Millwall. Just hope Tony puts out an attacking side. 

There are no pushovers in this league and patience will be the key come Saturday. An early goal for Rovers would have Millwalls game plan bollocksed! 

 

[only2garners]

We’re stuffed if we only exercise patience on Saturday - the game’s on Wednesday.

[Aqualung]

19 minutes ago, only2garners said:

We’re stuffed if we only exercise patience on Saturday - the game’s on Wednesday.

Forgive my ignorance mate. We all make mistakes don't we ?

[Paul Mani]

Let’s get these beat.

Nine games in December will probably shape our season. Start the new year in or around the playoffs and minimal injuries and we’re all set for Dack and Trav upto full speed and a promotion push...start the new year in 15th with a mountain of injuries and were struggling. Come on lads!!

[ben_the_beast]

Feel this really is a huge game. Win and we go into a tougher run of games right in the mix and with confidence high. Anything else and the pressure is heaped on. Even if we manage to win this game and have an average run of games thereafter it should keep us in touching distance. It's the proverbial springboard this game. So important. I'd love to see another win ground out in the same fashion as we did against Barnsley. 

Rightly or wrongly I always make the assumption Millwall play route 1. I'd like to see Wharton remain for his presence in the air if he's fit. Can't see any team pressing us as high as Barnsley did. So a lot will come down to our ability to break them down. 

[chaddyrovers]

 

[roversfan99]

The injuries will keep coming I am sure, they will to all teams, of course we need to manage and use the squad as best we can but we need to make sure that we dont use them as excuses.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Great that Douglas should be available. Need to be careful with him though.

Maybe we will just censor mentioning injuries? It seems some think not having your best players available shouldn't mean the team perform any differently 

[islander200]

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

The injuries will keep coming I am sure, they will to all teams, of course we need to manage and use the squad as best we can but we need to make sure that we dont use them as excuses.

I wouldn't say excuses but you expect us to perform the same minus 6 or 7 important players like earlier in the season?

Even the premier league champions have struggled with performance and results due to absentees through injury or Covid.

At one point we had 10+ players out , you expect us to perform at our best in those circumstances?

Edited November 30, 2020 by islander200

[rigger]

3 minutes ago, islander200 said:

I wouldn't say excuses but you expect us to perform the same minus 6 or 7 important players like earlier in the season?

Even the premier league champions have struggled with performance and results due to absentees through injury or Covid.

At one point we had 10+ players out , you expect us to perform at our best in those circumstances?

I would expect the players picked to perform to THEIR best.

[islander200]

35 minutes ago, rigger said:

I would expect the players picked to perform to THEIR best.

As do I but you train all week and practice your game plan throughout the week but then lose a few key men 24 hours prior to kick off to add to an already hefty absentee list then I can certainly understand why we and other teams in a similar circumstance wouldn't perform at their best.

Yes we have struggled when we have had players out but I also expect that other teams will struggle when hit with such issues.

[SBlue]

1 hour ago, rigger said:

I would expect the players picked to perform to THEIR best.

I think they did. Corry managed 3 minutes.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

34 minutes ago, islander200 said:

As do I but you train all week and practice your game plan throughout the week but then lose a few key men 24 hours prior to kick off to add to an already hefty absentee list then I can certainly understand why we and other teams in a similar circumstance wouldn't perform at their best.

Yes we have struggled when we have had players out but I also expect that other teams will struggle when hit with such issues.

The idea should be all about having an acknowledged way of playing and squad members to come in that are used to that way of playing. For instance when Douglas came off we had another left back to come on in Bell. Not the greatest I know, but a recognised left back. If Elliot has to come off we have Dolan, Holtby we have Buckley, Johnson for Trybull etc.

[roversfan99]

 

1 hour ago, islander200 said:

I wouldn't say excuses but you expect us to perform the same minus 6 or 7 important players like earlier in the season?

Even the premier league champions have struggled with performance and results due to absentees through injury or Covid.

At one point we had 10+ players out , you expect us to perform at our best in those circumstances?

I have never doubted that we have probably suffered more than most with injuries, and like the manager and everyone else it is a big source of frustration for me, of course. It is not me just saying that it shouldnt affect us at all or indeed that we should ignore it, of course not.

Its just that we have also been in a similar league position that we have flickered between for 18 months now, hovering from anywhere between one win away from the top 6 and mid table mediocrity, so I struggle to lump all/too much of the blame on the idea that injuries are costing us from being in the top 6. I feel that such a theory is lacking any real justification. Its a big question mark.

I would concede that there was one or two games in which the number of injuries was particularly and abnormally serious, I think it was the Forest game in which we had to put Brennan on the bench to make the numbers up. But it is also important to realise that we are not the anomaly in the league, quite a few teams have suffered mass unavailability, I think as much from the increased quantity of matches in a short space of time.

There are also a couple of caveats for me. The likes of Ayala and Douglas were signed (and Evans renewed) by Mowbray knowing that both players have suffered from injury problems in the past. Obviously I am not implying that we shouldnt have signed them but how much can you put it down to misfortune? I also think we would have been in a much worse situation had the injuries been focused in specific areas, it may be partly down to the benefit of Mowbray having the time and comparative resources to build a deeper squad on paper than many but you look at Norwich having to play a midfielder up front and solely kids on the bench, Preston had all 4 full backs out on Saturday and had to totally change shape to try and fail to cover that fact, thankfully we havent had as much of a specific area that has been totally ravaged.

But yeah, I do of course sympathise with the injuries we have suffered, I just am keen to also add to the context of others suffering in similar or at times even worse ways and also I am unsure how much we can put not being in the top 6 down to unavailability.

[only2garners]

Millwall had 6 players unavailable on Saturday - Zohore, Mitchell, Mahoney, Bennett, Romeo and Bradshaw. As I don't know a lot about them I have no idea whether any or all of these 6 would have started had they been fit though. Or whether they might be fit for Wednesday.

[Bigdoggsteel]

13 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

 

I have never doubted that we have probably suffered more than most with injuries, and like the manager and everyone else it is a big source of frustration for me, of course. It is not me just saying that it shouldnt affect us at all or indeed that we should ignore it, of course not.

Its just that we have also been in a similar league position that we have flickered between for 18 months now, hovering from anywhere between one win away from the top 6 and mid table mediocrity, so I struggle to lump all/too much of the blame on the idea that injuries are costing us from being in the top 6. I feel that such a theory is lacking any real justification. Its a big question mark.

I would concede that there was one or two games in which the number of injuries was particularly and abnormally serious, I think it was the Forest game in which we had to put Brennan on the bench to make the numbers up. But it is also important to realise that we are not the anomaly in the league, quite a few teams have suffered mass unavailability, I think as much from the increased quantity of matches in a short space of time.

There are also a couple of caveats for me. The likes of Ayala and Douglas were signed (and Evans renewed) by Mowbray knowing that both players have suffered from injury problems in the past. Obviously I am not implying that we shouldnt have signed them but how much can you put it down to misfortune? I also think we would have been in a much worse situation had the injuries been focused in specific areas, it may be partly down to the benefit of Mowbray having the time and comparative resources to build a deeper squad on paper than many but you look at Norwich having to play a midfielder up front and solely kids on the bench, Preston had all 4 full backs out on Saturday and had to totally change shape to try and fail to cover that fact, thankfully we havent had as much of a specific area that has been totally ravaged.

But yeah, I do of course sympathise with the injuries we have suffered, I just am keen to also add to the context of others suffering in similar or at times even worse ways and also I am unsure how much we can put not being in the top 6 down to unavailability.

I think its a safe assumption to make that the better players a team has available, the better the team will perform

Every team has injuries and covid related absentees, but not many, if any , worse than us early on. They literally did a breakdown of this before our game on Sky, such was the list of absentees. 

Anyway, things look to be getting better and hopefully we won't have such a long list out at the same time again 

[Bigdoggsteel]

2 hours ago, rigger said:

I would expect the players picked to perform to THEIR best.

Which they kind of did, it's just their best isn't anywhere near the best of those they replaced. A midfield with Evans and Buckley is not the same as a midfield with Rothwell and Holtby. 

[islander200]

7 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

 

I have never doubted that we have probably suffered more than most with injuries, and like the manager and everyone else it is a big source of frustration for me, of course. It is not me just saying that it shouldnt affect us at all or indeed that we should ignore it, of course not.

Its just that we have also been in a similar league position that we have flickered between for 18 months now, hovering from anywhere between one win away from the top 6 and mid table mediocrity, so I struggle to lump all/too much of the blame on the idea that injuries are costing us from being in the top 6. I feel that such a theory is lacking any real justification. Its a big question mark.

I would concede that there was one or two games in which the number of injuries was particularly and abnormally serious, I think it was the Forest game in which we had to put Brennan on the bench to make the numbers up. But it is also important to realise that we are not the anomaly in the league, quite a few teams have suffered mass unavailability, I think as much from the increased quantity of matches in a short space of time.

There are also a couple of caveats for me. The likes of Ayala and Douglas were signed (and Evans renewed) by Mowbray knowing that both players have suffered from injury problems in the past. Obviously I am not implying that we shouldnt have signed them but how much can you put it down to misfortune? I also think we would have been in a much worse situation had the injuries been focused in specific areas, it may be partly down to the benefit of Mowbray having the time and comparative resources to build a deeper squad on paper than many but you look at Norwich having to play a midfielder up front and solely kids on the bench, Preston had all 4 full backs out on Saturday and had to totally change shape to try and fail to cover that fact, thankfully we havent had as much of a specific area that has been totally ravaged.

But yeah, I do of course sympathise with the injuries we have suffered, I just am keen to also add to the context of others suffering in similar or at times even worse ways and also I am unsure how much we can put not being in the top 6 down to unavailability.

I'm not saying we should or would be sat in the top 6 if it wasn't for injuries or covid absentee's.

I'm not referring to you as you didn't say it but others where predicting a relegation battle when we had our poor spell, blatantly ignoring the fact we had a lot of key men out.

5 defeats already at this point looks bad when weighing up our promotion chances, but we have Bournemouth,Watford and Swansea already played away from home, 3 teams that will certainly be amongst the top 6, and only in the Swansea match did we play poorly.

Like people were going on about Warnock (I rate him as a manager also)and the great start to the season he has had at Boro and how they will be in contention.They havent had the absentee we have had to contend with nor have they played Swansea, Bournemouth and Watford away from home.

Currently we are ahead of them in the table.

I think the season is shaping up nicely but like you say we need an extended spell in the top 6 before we can start truly believing we will be amongst it at season end.

All talk of Relegation etc was complete nonsense tho with the players we had out 

 

[Admiral Nelsen]

8 minutes ago, only2garners said:

Millwall had 6 players unavailable on Saturday - Zohore, Mitchell, Mahoney, Bennett, Romeo and Bradshaw. As I don't know a lot about them I have no idea whether any or all of these 6 would have started had they been fit though. Or whether they might be fit for Wednesday.

Apparently Jake Cooper played 15 minutes with a dislocated shoulder too. Would have thought he would miss out on Wednesday. 

[roversfan99]

17 minutes ago, islander200 said:

I'm not saying we should or would be sat in the top 6 if it wasn't for injuries or covid absentee's.

I'm not referring to you as you didn't say it but others where predicting a relegation battle when we had our poor spell, blatantly ignoring the fact we had a lot of key men out.

5 defeats already at this point looks bad when weighing up our promotion chances, but we have Bournemouth,Watford and Swansea already played away from home, 3 teams that will certainly be amongst the top 6, and only in the Swansea match did we play poorly.

Like people were going on about Warnock (I rate him as a manager also)and the great start to the season he has had at Boro and how they will be in contention.They havent had the absentee we have had to contend with nor have they played Swansea, Bournemouth and Watford away from home.

Currently we are ahead of them in the table.

I think the season is shaping up nicely but like you say we need an extended spell in the top 6 before we can start truly believing we will be amongst it at season end.

All talk of Relegation etc was complete nonsense tho with the players we had out 

 

Any talk of relegation is undoubtedly illogical and seemingly from a minority, no disagreements here on that!

Warnock certainly hasnt had a clean bill of health himself at Boro although of course he hasnt had the resources and the time to build a squad as Mowbray has done here.

19 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

I think its a safe assumption to make that the better players a team has available, the better the team will perform

Every team has injuries and covid related absentees, but not many, if any , worse than us early on. They literally did a breakdown of this before our game on Sky, such was the list of absentees. 

Anyway, things look to be getting better and hopefully we won't have such a long list out at the same time again 

I think there were 2 games in which the unavailability list was especially troublesome. Forest at home although half of the absentees were players not registered in time or considered to be signed in time by the manager, and the 11 we named was very competitive, and that Boro game on Sky especially with Kaminski and Armstrong being the 2 particularly notable absentees, although the replacements where Pears who he paid a fee for this summer and 12m worth of firepower up top.

As ive said, our absentee list over the season is perhaps above average but I just think it is important to appreciate that others have had numerous absentees and at times have left them with no senior options in certain positions, something we seem to have avoided in the main. Lets hope that over time others are affected more than us and our key players stay fit for the most part though.

I am wary of falling into a "judge us when we have our best team available" mentality as quite simply I do not see any teams having a full clean bill of health for anything other than a fleeting moment this season, with covid drop outs and the massively increased intensity of the fixture list. When Dack and Travis are back, a couple of others will likely be out by then.

[Mercer]

Looking at the next few fixtures, this is the last chance for Rovers' fans to fill their boots in good time for Christmas.

Ridiculously attractive odds (bit better than evens) for Rovers' win - pile in there and make the most of the opportunity.

Rovers by 3 or 4 goals to 1 in a canter.