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

[K-Hod]

I’m not sure if this is me just being pedantic (it probably is, but whatever), but I’m getting really frustrated with injuries being mentioned as being unprecedented.

It’s the exact same for every team. Because the seasons were so condensed because of 2020 and all that, everyone else has the same problem!

[Crimpshrine]

7 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

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.

I think the injury excuse is a red herring as you suggest. OK Dack will make a difference of couse but who else will come into that team from last night and make us considerably better. Travis for Johnson, Brereton for Gallagher, Lenihan for Williams ? They are all much of a muchness.

Bristol had more important players out last night and we should have taken advantage.

[islander200]

11 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

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.

 

Top 6 shows progression even if no promotion.

It would show we are moving in the right direction, would aid us in contract negotiations and attracting new players to the club.

[Bigdoggsteel]

1 minute ago, arbitro said:

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.

Conspired to lose it? It was a breaking ball in the box. 

Agree about who played well and poorly. Douglas has been very disappointing, particularly with his deliveries. I still prefer him to Bell though. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

Just now, K-Hod said:

I’m not sure if this is me just being pedantic (it probably is, but whatever), but I’m getting really frustrated with injuries being mentioned as being unprecedented.

It’s the exact same for every team. Because the seasons were so condensed because of 2020 and all that, everyone else has the same problem!

All I have read this morning is you and others say you are sick of people blaming injuries. I haven't read anyone blame injuries for losing this game. 

Maybe I missed it 

[Crimpshrine]

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

All I have read this morning is you and others say you are sick of people blaming injuries. I haven't read anyone blame injuries for losing this game. 

Maybe I missed it 

You missed it

[booth]

41 minutes ago, Miker said:

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. 

I don't know if it was laziness, 3 out of 4 of that defence looked unfit to me. On 60 minutes Ayala and Williams looked knackered, Douglas didn't look 100%.

Probably an unpopular opinion but I thought as well as Brereton we missed Trybull last night.

[matt83]

3 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

I’m not sure if this is me just being pedantic (it probably is, but whatever), but I’m getting really frustrated with injuries being mentioned as being unprecedented.

It’s the exact same for every team. Because the seasons were so condensed because of 2020 and all that, everyone else has the same problem!

Think Bristol have more injuries than Rovers. 

[islander200]

6 minutes ago, Blue blood said:

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. 

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. 

Like I said in another post we need a sustained period in the top 6 to consider ourselves anything other than outsiders.

IV not got the chance to check but not many will have already played Brentford,Watford, Bournemouth,Swansea and Bristol city all away from home at this stage.

The season is going ok 5 points is nothing in this league.

[Dreams of 1995]

I don't feel too disheartened after yesterdays performance. I thought we played very well and had Armstrong not decided to try and score wonder goal after wonder goal felt we should have scored.

A 1-0 narrow loss at home to a play off contender hurts but isn't the sign of a demise. We are playing good stuff, this squad has a lot of spirit.

It is what it is though. This league has games come thick and fast. We play in 2 more days against top of the league so we have to be ready to fight back. 

We are still contenders. I don't care what others say I don't see this Rovers team as mid table. On to Saturday!

[4000Holes]

We missed Brereton last night.  Would have made a hell of a difference.

[Bigdoggsteel]

20 minutes ago, booth said:

I don't know if it was laziness, 3 out of 4 of that defence looked unfit to me. On 60 minutes Ayala and Williams looked knackered, Douglas didn't look 100%.

Probably an unpopular opinion but I thought as well as Brereton we missed Trybull last night.

I am surprised Trybull didn't start. I wonder if Lenihan was fit, would Johnson have played? It was as if he was playing cos he is next in line as captain. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

We definitely missed Brereton. He gets us up the pitch and wins frees.

Hopefully Douglas finds his range with them soon 

[booth]

2 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

I am surprised Trybull didn't start. I wonder if Lenihan was fit, would Johnson have played? It was as if he was playing cos he is next in line as captain. 

I think it is as simple as that with Mowbray.

[jim mk2]

4 minutes ago, 4000Holes said:

We missed Brereton last night.  Would have made a hell of a difference.

Would he ?

Better than Gallagher but neither of them are goalscorers

[booth]

1 minute ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

We definitely missed Brereton. He gets us up the pitch and wins frees.

Hopefully Douglas finds his range with them soon 

Brereton gives Armstrong (and everyone else) space. He may not be the best but this season he's running for everything and constantly distracting the oppo defence.

[booth]

1 minute ago, jim mk2 said:

Would he ?

Better than Gallagher but neither of them are goalscorers

He doesn't score but he is a nuisance which gives defenders something to think about. We missed that last night.

[K-Hod]

29 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

All I have read this morning is you and others say you are sick of people blaming injuries. I haven't read anyone blame injuries for losing this game. 

Maybe I missed it 

To be fair, it’s the use of the word unprecedented that is bothering me. 
 

[Ewood Ace]

3 minutes ago, booth said:

Brereton gives Armstrong (and everyone else) space. He may not be the best but this season he's running for everything and constantly distracting the oppo defence.

The lack of space wasn't Armstrong's problem last night. He made a number of good runs and he got himself into plenty of space and good positions, the problem was what he did with when he got himself into them.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

43 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Top 6 shows progression even if no promotion.

It would show we are moving in the right direction, would aid us in contract negotiations and attracting new players to the club.

It also allows your better players to be poached by other more ambitious teams. Maybe the clubs who did get promoted.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

39 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Like I said in another post we need a sustained period in the top 6 to consider ourselves anything other than outsiders.

IV not got the chance to check but not many will have already played Brentford,Watford, Bournemouth,Swansea and Bristol city all away from home at this stage.

The season is going ok 5 points is nothing in this league.

If our home form was " Fortress Ewood " you would have a point. The problem is we are no better at home than we are away.

[Bigdoggsteel]

15 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

To be fair, it’s the use of the word unprecedented that is bothering me. 
 

At one stage we were probably the worst hit. Especially when we had players self-isolating, which I suppose was unprecedented. 

At the moment, there are certainly teams hit worse than us. Bristol being 1 and Norwich another. So it's not an excuse for these games.  

[booth]

7 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

The lack of space wasn't Armstrong's problem last night. He made a number of good runs and he got himself into plenty of space and good positions, the problem was what he did with when he got himself into them.

I'd say it was more the teams problem than just Armstrong, there was only Armstrong having a shot. In other games the whole team are testing the goalie and it adds up. Their goalie had a quiet game.

I think Armstrong missed a nuisance alongside him personally.

[G Somerset Rover]

53 minutes ago, arbitro said:

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.

Completely agreed on the player reviews. At one point earlier in the season I was wondering if Travis would get straight back in but only Rothwell has shown any form of consistency in the middle of the park this season. Johnson is either an 8/9 or a 5/6 and Holtby just hasn’t been effective of late at all. Both look like they need a breather - I’d be tempted to bring in Buckley for one of them with home games coming up as he could be the man to carve the opposition open at home - something we’ve struggled with this season.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Gavlar Somerset Rover!

[islander200]

4 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

If our home form was " Fortress Ewood " you would have a point. The problem is we are no better at home than we are away.

We aren't doing badly though,we are only 5 points off 6th place.Im

Not being funny but only a few weeks ago on here we had people saying we could be in relegation trouble, and that we have absolutely no chance of finishing top 6, Luton have more of a chance than us etc.

The result was disappointing last night but it was on the back of a 7 game unbeaten run, we have two of our better players in Dack and Travis to come back, I know other teams have players out aswell but Dack could be an absolutely massive boost to this side.He is ruthless when he gets a chance,and one thing nobody can argue with is this team creates plenty of chances.