Rovers v Millwall. Wed 2nd Dec 7.45pm

[TheRoversReturn]

Do people really think that's how it works in football? We're in a tight game at Ewood going for the win before the XI have a collective, spontaneous instant recall of what Our Tony said in a throwaway random interview six weeks before to the local rag that nobody even buys anymore? That then leads to our loss in a game which might have taken us into the playoffs. Do we say, "Curse that Rich Sharpe and his probing questions, it just led Lenihan to lose his marker and the opposition to score!!!"

There are many more obvious reasons why we finish where we do, such as tactics, injuries, players, injuries, substitutions, staff, coaching and so on. It's unlikely that what Mowbray says here or there has a scintilla of an influence. Plenty of other things to bash him over rather than his interview style.

Causation and correlation and all that...

[philipl]

Millwall have only lost once on the road so far and drawn 8 games all told.

We should diminish how tough they are going to be to get all 3 points off.

[JHRover]

They're a tough nut to crack, no doubt about that. Rowett has done a real good job there at making them hard to beat - the result is that despite lots of draws and not much quality in their squad they are sat just a point behind us.

First goal will of course be very important as it usually is with us in games. Get it and I'll be confident, but go behind and we will be in for a frustrating evening.

Just hope they've got Cooper missing and that disrupts their organisation.

[Hoochie Bloochie Mama]

1 hour ago, S8 & Blue said:

Instead, if he came out with "We'll just try our best and see where we end up" I'm sure that the reaction would be calm and measured.

I liked the Dalglish approach - "we'll get as many points as possible and see where it takes us"

Edited December 2, 2020 by Hoochie Bloochie Mama

[Hoochie Bloochie Mama]

The game isn't the main match tonight but it will be available to watch on Sky Sports' red button service.

It will also be available to watch on iFollow, where a match pass can be bought for £10.

Those supporters who chose option one - to retain their season ticket for 20/21 - will be permitted to watch on iFollow for free, where you can enjoy the dulcet tones of Neil Yardley and Warren Lucy.

Blackburn Rovers vs Millwall: How to watch, red button, predictions & team news - LancsLive

If you have SKY but don't have Season Ticket, you can still watch this for free on SKY on the RB?

[WacoRover]

Right on, JH, with Arma Leading the charge & the goal diff, the expectation should be one of seize the moment, the future is now. 

I have to question: If Bournemouth, Norwich, & Watford have the quality rosters in the division, surely Rovers must be close by. Fully healthy (which hopefully we see soon) Rovers have as solid a 11 & bench as any in the Championship. 

Its this year... no excuses remaining. 

[DE.]

Goalkeeper, midfield & attack Rovers starting 11 are up there with the better teams in this division for sure. Defensively I would say we're closer to mid-table, and pretty much our entire first choice back line are horrendously injury prone, so... that will probably be our Achilles heel as the season goes on. Just have to hope the footballing gods are on our side as far as defensive injuries are concerned, and that Lenihan improves over the course of the season as thus far he has been a noticeable weak link at the heart of the defence. 

[pedrob2014]

Think tonight is a Gallagher game ahead of Elliott I don't think its going to be pretty and will snap your hands off for a scrappy 1-0 if offered it.

my team with what we have available would be

Kaminski

Nyambe

Lenihan

Wharton/Ayala (depending on fitness)

Bell

Johnson

Holtby

Rothwell

Gallagher

Armstrong

Brereton

 

[JacknOry]

Need Johnson in there for some physicality. I would also keep Wharton in despite Ayala perhaps ready. These are the sorts we need right now. I know Ayala is a no nonsense defender too but Wharton has earned another game - besides, why rush Ayala back anyway.

[JBiz]

Just now, DE. said:

Goalkeeper, midfield & attack Rovers starting 11 are up there with the better teams in this division for sure. Defensively I would say we're closer to mid-table, and pretty much our entire first choice back line are horrendously injury prone, so... that will probably be our Achilles heel as the season goes on. Just have to hope the footballing gods are on our side as far as defensive injuries are concerned, and that Lenihan improves over the course of the season as thus far he has been a noticeable weak link at the heart of the defence. 

I agree that our strengths don’t lie at the back and whilst we’ve suffered a few injuries, we’ve also dealt relatively well with losing a couple to Covid, and our backup keeper has had to be called on.
 

Some confidence in that level of depth. I agree too that we need some luck, like not losing Dack for 10 months last season - any big injury to the main men at the back; Lenihan, Kaminski, Nyambe - could be very difficult to be competitive.

[Kie_BRFC]

7 hours ago, JacknOry said:

Lovely bunch - https://millwall-forum.vitalfootball.co.uk/threads/blackburn.45433/

That forum is summed up by a thread titled 'Blacks in adverts'. Horrible club

[WacoRover]

SamG has scored twice in the last three games, BB has scored twice in the last four. I don’t think even the most optimistic of us expected this kind of production. Arma with four in the last four- but the good news, it’s not all about Armstrong scoring, if we want to win. 

I think my favorite stat is 3 goals allowed in the last five. If we can keep that going, we will win a bunch more than we lose and tie the rest of the year. 

Trying to stay positive...

Edited December 2, 2020 by WacoRover

[DE.]

3 minutes ago, JBiz said:

I agree that our strengths don’t lie at the back and whilst we’ve suffered a few injuries, we’ve also dealt relatively well with losing a couple to Covid, and our backup keeper has had to be called on.
 

Some confidence in that level of depth. I agree too that we need some luck, like not losing Dack for 10 months last season - any big injury to the main men at the back; Lenihan, Kaminski, Nyambe - could be very difficult to be competitive.

I worry when Pears is in goal, but I've been pleasantly surprised with Wharton's contributions so far. A lot more solid than I expected. I think Kaminski is hugely important to us, and if he stays fit then we should be okay rotating between Lenihan, Del, Wharton and Ayala at CB (could also have Nyambe in there at a push). JRC/Nyambe is a solid enough RB contingent, with Douglas/Bell being a bit more of a concern for me personally at LB due to fitness issues with Douglas and ability issues with Bell. 

Overall though, even with the above taken into account, I think we have a squad fully capable of challenging at the very top of the division. 

[Blue blood]

1 hour ago, JBiz said:

I agree that our strengths don’t lie at the back and whilst we’ve suffered a few injuries, we’ve also dealt relatively well with losing a couple to Covid, and our backup keeper has had to be called on.
 

Some confidence in that level of depth. I agree too that we need some luck, like not losing Dack for 10 months last season - any big injury to the main men at the back; Lenihan, Kaminski, Nyambe - could be very difficult to be competitive.

 

1 hour ago, DE. said:

Goalkeeper, midfield & attack Rovers starting 11 are up there with the better teams in this division for sure. Defensively I would say we're closer to mid-table, and pretty much our entire first choice back line are horrendously injury prone, so... that will probably be our Achilles heel as the season goes on. Just have to hope the footballing gods are on our side as far as defensive injuries are concerned, and that Lenihan improves over the course of the season as thus far he has been a noticeable weak link at the heart of the defence. 

Agree with both of these posts. Our defence does look significantly weaker. Even if you debate the quality of our midfield and srrikers there are options and alternatives. Johnson's physicality or Trybull's mobility. Bereton's running at them or Gally a bit more physical, or could have a more winger like option in Dolan or Elliott. We have options and possibilities, whereas defence seems one set of injury prone choices.  

If we can get the first goal this is a nailed on win as they are draw specialists. The challenge will be getting it, as feel a physical resolute display like Cardiff is on the cards. 

[only2garners]

1 hour ago, Hoochie Bloochie Mama said:

If you have SKY but don't have Season Ticket, you can still watch this for free on SKY on the RB?

If you have a Sky Sports subscription you can watch red button games. If you're really bored you could even watch the first half of Boro v Swansea before as that kicks off at 7pm.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, Kie_BRFC said:

That forum is summed up by a thread titled 'Blacks in adverts'. Horrible club

If our support ever got so bad I'd have to consider wether I want to support a club with fans like that.

[Kie_BRFC]

3 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

If our support ever got so bad I'd have to consider wether I want to support a club with fans like that.

Our support definitely has its fair share of wrongens, but fortunately this site doesn’t have any of that nonsense. The Facebook groups on the other hand..

[Lancs Rover]

4 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

If our support ever got so bad I'd have to consider wether I want to support a club with fans like that.

Bell had a nightmare there the last time out.

A Rovers fan I know sat with Millwall that game.

Bell suffered horrible abuse and that visibly contributed to his performance.

 

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

1 hour ago, Kie_BRFC said:

That forum is summed up by a thread titled 'Blacks in adverts'. Horrible club

Genuinely shocking. The whole forum is swamped in attitudes that were out of touch 30 years ago never mind now. That club will forever be shackled by its fan base. 

[Silas]

"Blackbum will be thinking all they got to do is turn up and the games theirs."

They've clearly never spoken to a Rovers fan before. We generally don't expect to win when 2-0 up in the 80th min.

"...and don't be mugs and fall for their dirty tactics.keep 11 on the pitch..."

Wtf are these dirty tactics?! Do they mean our players being clean through on goal and getting hauled down? FFS. Pretty much every opposing team's fans that has had a red against us this season has called their own player a moron for what they did. Not our fault AA is uncatchable. ?‍♂️?‍♂️

[only2garners]

2 hours ago, Kie_BRFC said:

That forum is summed up by a thread titled 'Blacks in adverts'. Horrible club

There are a couple of more reasonable threads on there about tonight's game. I particularly liked this post about their predicted team: -

I have it on good authority

GK Park Bus
DEF Park Bus
DEF Park Bus
DEF Park Bus
CM Pass Sideways
CM Pass Sideways
RWB Run up and down a bit
LWB As above
RF invisible man 1
LF invisible man 2
CF why am i bothering 

Subs all irrelevant

[WacoRover]

40 minutes ago, Silas said:

"Blackbum will be thinking all they got to do is turn up and the games theirs."

They've clearly never spoken to a Rovers fan before. We generally don't expect to win when 2-0 up in the 80th min.

"...and don't be mugs and fall for their dirty tactics.keep 11 on the pitch..."

Wtf are these dirty tactics?! Do they mean our players being clean through on goal and getting hauled down? FFS. Pretty much every opposing team's fans that has had a red against us this season has called their own player a moron for what they did. Not our fault AA is uncatchable. ?‍♂️?‍♂️

Yes, I lol’d at these. Turn up and we win, ha ha.  
Tony’s recruitment of nice, easygoing lads is well known. I wish we could get dirty & maddog mean on occasion. 

[Mike E]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

If our support ever got so bad I'd have to consider wether I want to support a club with fans like that.

I did consider my fandom the year that we seemed to be chanting racist things like 'he shags p***s' about Owen Coyle at every away game.

Luckily I feel those kinds of dickheads are a minority in our (and most) fanbases.

Not Millwall's though.

[davulsukur]

10 hours ago, JacknOry said:

Lovely bunch - https://millwall-forum.vitalfootball.co.uk/threads/blackburn.45433/

Post #1 sets the tone for the rest of it:

 

[Tom]

3 hours ago, Kie_BRFC said:

That forum is summed up by a thread titled 'Blacks in adverts'. Horrible club

Absolutely disgusting, just read that.

These guys need sending back to the stone age