Bristol City v Rovers. Wed 9th Dec. 7.45pm

[islander200]

29 minutes ago, JHRover said:

We didn't lose because our shooting boots weren't on. The opposition don't score because we miss chances.

At 70 minutes it was 0-0 and level pegging was a fair outcome. We'd had some chances, they'd had arguably better ones. Certainly in the second half they had gone nearer. But it was an even affair. 

What frustrates me is that 0-0 doesn't seem to enter into Mowbray's vocabulary. At 70 minutes, away from home, mid week, with a point in our hands, there never seems to be an attitude of protecting that and coming away with it. A draw would have been a reasonable outcome and quite satisfactory. But we don't seem to ever accept that and strive to protect it.

The glass ceiling has been reached again folks, as many predicted. A muddled manager who is no nearer the top since than this time 2 years ago. Never mind, we're top of all the tables that don't matter and get loads of accolades from other clubs and the media so hooray.

I get the frustration as last night was a fantastic opportunity to claim 3 points which would have put us 6th,like you as the game went on I would have been satisfied with a point.

The season is going ok we are well amongst the teams chasing the top 6 having played Brentford, Bristol City, Bournemouth, Watford and Swansea all away from home already.

Prior to the Millwall game you said in one of your posts that a draw would be ok in that game if we followed it up with another 3 draws or better in the following 3 fixtures.

Well we beat Millwall,took a point at Brentford,lost last night and still have Norwich to play, we already have the 4 points you suggested would be satisfactory from those 4 fixtures.

I want to see a reaction and victory on Saturday,we are at home and if we are serious about promotion we need to be winning our home games no matter the opposition.We can't afford another bad Run where we don't win in 4 or 5 games.

Dack and Travis to come back surely reason for optimism?

 

 

[Bigdoggsteel]

10 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

His game is limited at the moment. He needs to be working on the weak elements - like how to take the ball around the goalkeeper. My one and only trick - slip it past the keeper on the goal side and go around the other side. It doesn't fit every chance you get, opposition  players may be running back as well,  but If you're quick like he is you can do it.

Even a step over would be a start. 

[Blue blood]

3 minutes ago, islander200 said:

I get the frustration as last night was a fantastic opportunity to claim 3 points which would have put us 6th,like you as the game went on I would have been satisfied with a point.

The season is going ok we are well amongst the teams chasing the top 6 having played Brentford, Bristol City, Bournemouth, Watford and Swansea all away from home already.

Prior to the Millwall game you said in one of your posts that a draw would be ok in that game if we followed it up with another 3 draws or better in the following 3 fixtures.

Well we beat Millwall,took a point at Brentford,lost last night and still have Norwich to play, we already have the 4 points you suggested would be satisfactory from those 4 fixtures.

I want to see a reaction and victory on Saturday,we are at home and if we are serious about promotion we need to be winning our home games no matter the opposition.We can't afford another bad Run where we don't win in 4 or 5 games.

Dack and Travis to come back surely reason for optimism?

 

 

To me it has to be 4 points, perhaps 3 if I am easy going from Brentford, Bristol and Norwich. If you add the game prior to that my target would be 7. 

Agree with loads of the rest of your post, especially the reaction part and winning home games. Loved it under Hughes in particular and also Souness that even when the best came to Ewood you knew , heck they knew, they were in for a war. The result would be over our dead bodies. We can't go 4 games without a win, I would put it further and say 3 without a win is not viable for promotion. 

 

[Bigdoggsteel]

41 minutes ago, JHRover said:

We didn't lose because our shooting boots weren't on. The opposition don't score because we miss chances.

At 70 minutes it was 0-0 and level pegging was a fair outcome. We'd had some chances, they'd had arguably better ones. Certainly in the second half they had gone nearer. But it was an even affair. 

What frustrates me is that 0-0 doesn't seem to enter into Mowbray's vocabulary. At 70 minutes, away from home, mid week, with a point in our hands, there never seems to be an attitude of protecting that and coming away with it. A draw would have been a reasonable outcome and quite satisfactory. But we don't seem to ever accept that and strive to protect it.

The glass ceiling has been reached again folks, as many predicted. A muddled manager who is no nearer the top since than this time 2 years ago. Never mind, we're top of all the tables that don't matter and get loads of accolades from other clubs and the media so hooray.

He is nearer the top. Like ,that's a fact. 

 Narrow game, as many in the Championship are. Armstrongs borderline psychotic self indulgence was something I have never seen before. Surely the most shots by a striker in a game without scoring? 

As for taking the point, how would you have suggested we go about that? Drop back? I am sure you would have had an issue with that approach, so what would you suggest might have worked? 

We lost to a goal scored from a breaking ball in the box. It happens. 

[jim mk2]

17 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I just had a look in my record book - Howard Kendall's promotion team won 11 games 1-0. See that word lads - " Promotion ".

 I must have seen all of thpse Kendall 1-0s.

Very similar to Bristol last night - keep it tight at the back and nick a goal near the end.

That's how you win promotion.

[jim mk2]

31 minutes ago, Kie_BRFC said:

On another day Armstrong scores a hattrick from 30 yards out? What world are you living in? Was an even game but in no way were we the better attacking side last night.  Probably should have been a draw but we were not hard done to, and no way did we deserve to win  3 or 4 nil 

 Howe many of our shots last night were on target - not that many?

It's a simple technique to keep your toe pointing down and knee over the ball but all our lot can't do it.

Armstrong was the worst culprit

Edited December 10, 2020 by jim mk2

[jim mk2]

10 minutes ago, islander200 said:

 

The season is going ok we are well amongst the teams chasing the top 6 having played Brentford, Bristol City, Bournemouth, Watford and Swansea all away from home already.

 

 Just one point from those games ?? shows we're not good enough to compete at that level

[JHRover]

1 minute ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

He is nearer the top. Like ,that's a fact. 

 Narrow game, as many in the Championship are. Armstrongs borderline psychotic self indulgence was something I have never seen before. Surely the most shots by a striker in a game without scoring? 

As for taking the point, how would you have suggested we go about that? Drop back? I am sure you would have had an issue with that approach, so what would you suggest might have worked? 

We lost to a goal scored from a breaking ball in the box. It happens. 

How is he nearer the top? His ceiling so far has been 8th in the Championship. We got that high soon after promotion in 2018. Barring a couple of short spells we haven't got any higher.

You seem accepting of the typical lackadaisical attitude around the place. We lose a game we shouldn't = oh well it happens and we move on. No. It doesn't just happen. It happens because our discipline slips. Time and time again. It doesn't happen to sides who get promoted.

 

[Blue blood]

Also call me pedantic but we somehow accept almost as being good enough. It drives me mad. 

We are near the playoffs. We're almost there. 

Swap it to another objective and you see it's a failure.

I nearly scored a goal - I didn't score. 

I almost got the job - I don't have the job. 

I nearly missed getting hit by that bus - the bus hit me. 

Almost is not good enough. Apart from at Rovers where it's the height of success. 

[AllRoverAsia]

43 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

He had one of one. That's goes in. Very different game. 

For me, we were the better team. 

We were not and Bristol missed easier chances than we had.

With Armstrong playing to the camera a draw away would have been an ok result.

[darrenrover]

33 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I just had a look in my record book - Howard Kendall's promotion team won 11 games 1-0. See that word lads - " Promotion ".

We built from the back though that season Tyrone, big difference compared with today. If we had that comparable back 4 now plus the defensive ability as a team to protect what we'd already got , we'd be pissing this league with our current midfield and attack armoury.

[darrenrover]

2 minutes ago, Blue blood said:

Also call me pedantic but we somehow accept almost as being good enough. It drives me mad. 

We are near the playoffs. We're almost there. 

Swap it to another objective and you see it's a failure.

I nearly scored a goal - I didn't score. 

I almost got the job - I don't have the job. 

I nearly missed getting hit by that bus - the bus hit me. 

Almost is not good enough. Apart from at Rovers where it's the height of success. 

Is that not a modern day mindset in general though?

Where nobody is permitted to say you've failed for want of running the risk of upsetting them. It's the taking part that matters etc.

I personally don't agree with most of it. If you've lost, accept you were second best, learn from it and move on.

Failure should be part of a learning curve to improve, sadly it isn't and just accepted.

 

[Miker]

I think the other frustration for me was that going into the game I was worried about the number of players out, but after seeing the team picked I was actually feeling more confident of a win. Looking at Bristol's side as well, they had a very weak squad with many key players out. It was a game that we could and should have won, and we were within touching distance of the playoff spots.

It was a really lazy performance. We were lazy in our attacking play with all the speculative shots that went nowhere, and we were lazy with our defending for their goal. 

[Ewood Ace]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

Sky shown some attacking stats which shown Rovers rank 1st in total goals in Championship, 2nd in total shots, 1st in shots on target, 2nd in touches in opposition box per game and 2nd in possession won in final 3rd. 

For Me, Nyambe and Ayala should have defended that cross much better than we did. But attacking wise we were the better side. Another day, Arnstrong scores a hat trick and we win 3 or 4 nil..

What about Douglas' pitiful attempt at stopping the cross? All of their dangerous attacks came down his side, I thought any left back would be an upgrade on Bell but amazingly Douglas isn't. He's a carbon cop of Bell, he doesn't like tackling so players go past him like he isn't there, he's constantly out of position, he make's feeble attempts at stopping crosses coming in and despite arriving with a reputation of being good going forward he doesn't offer anything in that regard either.

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

He had one of one. That's goes in. Very different game. 

For me, we were the better team. 

You view a game totally from one side. What about the chances that they missed in the first half if one of them goes in it could also have been a different game. If you are going to use if's and buts then at least do it from both sides instead of just using it as excuses for another defeat to a top half team.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Ewood Ace

[islander200]

39 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

 Just one point from those games ?? shows we're not good enough to compete at that level

Yet we are still only 5 points outside the top 6 after only 1 point from those games and them all yet to come to Ewood.

I'm of the belief we will only get better as the season goes on,Dack and Travis will add a lot to the team

[47er]

7 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

For Me, Nyambe and Ayala should have defended that cross much better than we did. But attacking wise we were the better side. Another day, Arnstrong scores a hat trick and we win 3 or 4 nil..

The defence conceded one goal! And that a scrappy one with some luck involved (which we never got.)

You're praising the attack but we didn't score!!

Even if the defence had kept that one out we'd still have only got one point where we deserved 3!

I think this top goal-scoring stuff has gone to Arma's head by the way. He didn't ever look for a colleague in a better position and his shooting skills were woeful.

[jim mk2]

Just now, islander200 said:

Yet we are still only 5 points outside the top 6 after only 1 point from those games and them all yet to come to Ewood.

I'm of the belief we will only get better as the season goes on,Dack and Travis will add a lot to the team

Same old story though, never quite good enough to take that next step

We also tend to play better away from home

[47er]

46 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

 Howe many of our shots last night were on target - not that many?

Quite a few but a toddler could have stopped them!

[Sparks Rover]

1 minute ago, islander200 said:

 

I'm of the belief we will only get better as the season goes on,Dack and Travis will add a lot to the team

I'm not sure we will sustain the highest scoring record and improve on it....i thi k we will fall away and stsy mid table.  Its a psychological problem against teams above them.

[islander200]

Just now, jim mk2 said:

Same old story though, never quite good enough to take that next step

We also tend to play better away from home

Of course until we have a decent spell in the top 6 then we can only describe ourselves as outsiders.

I'm still optimistic though, don't think we have seen our best yet.Hopefully Dack can come back with the same goal threat and Travis will add to our midfield.

 

[Ewood Ace]

People keep talking about the top 6 but even if we get into the top 6 we are going to have to defeat 2 other top 6 teams back to back for it to mean anything and at the moment we haven't been able to beat any just once. 

I also keep reading the injuries excuse which totally ignores the fact that Bristol City had just as many as us out injured and Norwich on Saturday will probably have more out. The fact is that in this condensed season you are going to get more players out injured than normal but that is going to be the same for every club not just us.

 

[Blue blood]

16 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Yet we are still only 5 points outside the top 6 after only 1 point from those games and them all yet to come to Ewood.

In other words we aren't where we want to be! 5 points means we need to win 2 and the top 6 screw up twice to get in there. Outside of being unrealistic I'm sick of relying on other teams arsing up for us to succeed. 

16 minutes ago, islander200 said:

I'm of the belief we will only get better as the season goes on,Dack and Travis will add a lot to the team

Agreed. But what if they don't come back as hoped or we get other injuries or some other teams gets top quality managers and go on killer runs? We are always hoping for the best but never planning for the worst. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

1 hour ago, JHRover said:

How is he nearer the top? His ceiling so far has been 8th in the Championship. We got that high soon after promotion in 2018. Barring a couple of short spells we haven't got any higher.

You seem accepting of the typical lackadaisical attitude around the place. We lose a game we shouldn't = oh well it happens and we move on. No. It doesn't just happen. It happens because our discipline slips. Time and time again. It doesn't happen to sides who get promoted.

 

How is he nearer the top? Because when he took over we were about to be relegated

No, I just realise football, particularly in the Championship is about small margins. We came out the wrong side last night, but no need for over reaction. 

You never answered my question, you said 70th min we should have taken he point, so what would you have done? 

[matt83]

18 minutes ago, 47er said:

I think this top goal-scoring stuff has gone to Arma's head by the way. He didn't ever look for a colleague in a better position and his shooting skills were woeful.

I think it’s collectively gone to all their heads. For all we can laud our attacking prowess and top this season attacking charts. It’s largely being skewed by 3 games where we notched up 13 goals vs teams around the relegation zone and down to 10 men.

Offset that by every single game gifting the opposition at least one chance that any professional team would expect to score. The outcome is exactly what we are a mid table side. 

[arbitro]

The glass ceiling syndrome which has affected our top six aspirations for some time now strikes once again. We conspired to lose a game in which we should have comfortably got a point. Whilst we were decent in parts I thought too many players underperformed and we looked jaded in the last fifteen minutes. Elliott and Nyambe I thought were very good but Holtby, Johnson, Douglas, Williams and Ayala looked below par to me. Kaminski too was below the high standard he has set himself. Mowbray looked angry every time the camera panned on him as he barked at several players with, seemingly with no effect.

Another tough week coming up now and hopefully we won't spiral on to a familiar run if several successive defeats for which we have previous under Mowbray.