Rovers v Rotherham Utd. (h) Wed. 16th Dec. 7.45pm

[Dan]

2 minutes ago, bboy said:

Agreed, we would all prefer if we win and play well. We played much better last 2 games and got 0 points. Today we played rubbish and got 3.

Today felt like the home game against Barnsley last year when Tony nearly walked.

I think a loss today would have been a tipping point. Instead he lives another day, with a string of fixtures I'd mark as being achievable to get points. In which I mean we are mainly playing bottom half teams.

And we’ll finish mid table again. It’s like the give a good go grinder Gary Bowyer days. 

[jim mk2]

It wasn't just the poor football and poor performance - the players didn't look up for it and wandered around for 70 minutes as though they couldn't care less. The first half was as devoid of passion as I've seen from Rovers in many years. Tony has to take the blame - not only did he pick the wrong team, they went into the match in the wrong frame of mind. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

5 minutes ago, tonygreenbank said:

I think to win any game in the 98th minute is testimony to the fitness and desire of the team. I suggest that the quality of our bench was the main reason we won. The players we brought on made a difference.

How many times have people said we will take the 3 points and never mind the performance well tonight was just that. 
It was tough going but our extra quality won the day.

Mowbray will not be happy with certain players who didn’t do well tonight but 3 points is crucial and unlike many on here I’m absolutely thrilled to bits!

 

Who was it that said if you put all the players into a big sack and walloped the sack with a big stick you wouldn't be hurting anyone who didn't deserve it ?

Edited December 16, 2020 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Gav]

3 points, job done.

5 points off a playoff place, players to come back in, let’s hope we can push on, that’s what we all want. 

The futures bright, the futures Blue n White......isn’t it?

Edited December 16, 2020 by Gav

[bluebruce]

3 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Who was it that said if you put all the players into a big sack and walloped the sack with a big stick you wouldn't be hurting anyone who didn't deserve it ?

Uhhh dunno. BDSM Santa Claus?

[JHRover]

I don't think tonight was a particularly unusual phenomenon. Being absolutely rubbish at home is in my view actually quite common and happens at least 10-12 times a season. First halves devoid of anything of any significance are par for the course under this manager. Having been a season ticket holder in the Darwen End of the Jack Walker stand you don't get much by way of action in the first half of games as we shoot towards that end. I don't know what it is all about but it must be the way he sets us up in games to be cautious and grow into the game as it progresses.

A win is a win and I'd sooner have a dozen of them over a season than a dozen of the Bristol City ones.

But by god if the manager isn't concerned after that he never will be. Many, many reasons to be worried.

As predicted though it is job done - a narrow, hard fought and unconvincing win at home to keep things ticking over on our road to mid-table. Enough to keep serious pressure off his back until January.

I'm not going to slate him as I've done enough of that recently after defeats. There's no better feeling than a last minute winner and we've had a couple of those in recent home games to snatch a bonus 4 points.

Watching things unfold though it just seems like a mess from back to front really. Some of it enforced through our now ridiculous absentee and injury list but some of it just more chopping and changing which he seems to want rather than be forced into.

The Armstrong and Elliott combination are getting a habit of digging out of tricky situations.

[The Mighty Chaffinch]

On another note, after struggling last season against the promoted sides...we’ve beaten all 3 of them this time around. 

[RevidgeBlue]

15 minutes ago, Gav said:

3 points, job done.

5 points off a playoff place, players to come back in, let’s hope we can push on, that’s what we all want. 

The futures bright, the futures Blue n White......isn’t it?

If we get a decent manager in pronto before we lose all our better players - maybe.

[darrenrover]

1 hour ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

I have supported the club for 56 years.

I apologise if I'm wide of the mark but I just don't believe you. That's only 2 years more than me, but I can substantiate that, can you? Not that it bloody matters, stupid point to make in the first place!

[darrenrover]

10 minutes ago, The Mighty Chaffinch said:

On another note, after struggling last season against the promoted sides...we’ve beaten all 3 of them this time around. 

Well, after watching tonight, I'd like to be excused from any celebration if you don't mind!

 

[Fraserkirky]

1 hour ago, neophox said:

Why not try this for saturday:

Trybull, Downing, Holtby

Eliott, Armstrong, Rothwell

Was coming on here to post exactly this. Rothwell is good at coming from deep sure, but if he can be further up the pitch, cutting in from the left. His pace will cause any right back problems.

It let’s Gallagher return to bench and Elliott switch to his fav right wing and can form a formidable partnership with Nyambe. That midfield is better too.

[bluebruce]

Nyambe was our best player tonight again. Absolutely must tie him down.

[Fraserkirky]

Lenihan for me was abysmal not for the first time this season, needs a good solid dropping. 
Douglas, I thought this guy was suppose to be good, didn’t even look like a footballer tonight.

So sick of seeing Johnson plodding around in the midfield with players scurrying all around him, it’s brutal. He is playing way too much football right now, and needs a rest.

Buckley needs a 6 month loan up in Scottish Championship.

Gallagher, just so has zero technical ability. The one time he got through he had no thought to look where Armstrong was, a head down and pummel guy. 
 

 

[RevidgeBlue]

39 minutes ago, Wood26 said:

Getting us promoted from League 1 first time of asking wasn’t luck.

Signing Dack, Armstrong, Kaminski, Downing, Ayala, Rothwell, Dolan, Tosin, Johnson, Holtby, Brereton, Elliott wasn’t luck.

Making players of Travis, Nyambe, Rankin Costello wasn’t luck.

Its called building a team against over high expectations of some supporters who think we our Premier League by right.

He's completely wasted Nyambe's talents and he'll probably walk for nothing on a free. Similarly it's nonsense imo to suggest that the likes of Travis and Nyambe wouldn't have become good players under a different manager. 

However, even if the players you list are as good as you seem to be insinuating they are,  then surely you see a massive contradiction there, even with what you regard as a good squad we're still permanently mired in no man's land because no matter what the personnel Mowbray can't get any sort of consistent tune out of them whereas a decent manager might.

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, Wood26 said:

Getting us promoted from League 1 first time of asking wasn’t luck.

Signing Dack, Armstrong, Kaminski, Downing, Ayala, Rothwell, Dolan, Tosin, Johnson, Holtby, Brereton, Elliott wasn’t luck.

Making players of Travis, Nyambe, Rankin Costello wasn’t luck.

Its called building a team against over high expectations of some supporters who think we our Premier League by right.

I agree that it after 4 years Mowbrays Rovers career is not driven by luck, even if a few of those signings would not be necessarily outright success. He failed to keep us up, did well to get us back and now we are stable in mid table, seemingly having long since hit a wall that Mowbray can not take us past. If he left tomorrow, the job he has done could be considered a good one but it seems unlikely that it can be further improved upon.

Your last paragraph and in particular this notion that our fans think we are a Premier League club by rights is total, speculative, desperate nonsense however.

[bluebruce]

8 minutes ago, Fraserkirky said:

Lenihan for me was abysmal not for the first time this season, needs a good solid dropping. 

He has certainly played like a solid dropping at times. Not a good one though.

[Sparks Rover]

Just watched it.

We have too many very average players.

Douglas, Buckley, Gallagher, Centre Halves.

Douglas legs have gone completely. 

Buckley strolls around, doesn't pass and move, has no aggression and the best he can do is pass it to Nyambe twice when he was surrounded.  10m my arse. He doesn't look like he wants it, does he even break I to a sweat?

Gallagher - decision making and technique abysmal 

Centre Halves look iffy against aggressive forward.

Mowbray has to go quickly if we are going to make any real progress

 

[Sparks Rover]

42 minutes ago, The Mighty Chaffinch said:

On another note, after struggling last season against the promoted sides...we’ve beaten all 3 of them this time around. 

We struggled tonight in my view.

[garnersfags]

We will only get into the play-offs if we play Holtby with with either Johnson or Trybull. It is the best way to get the best out Elliott, Rothwell, Arma, and Brereton/Gally. 

I also think we will have to play Lenihan & Ayala, with Nyambe, and (don't shoot me) Douglas, before Wharton returns. 

A settled back 4 in front of Kaminski, is the only way to improve at the back. 

That team must be played, despite the odd off-day. But it won't be, as TM continues to play Buckley at every opportunity, with Davenport as his back-up. Hopefully Downing will now be ahead of those two. 

I really think we can challenge for 6th, but only if we play our best players, and only rotate to give them a rest after 10 or 15 games. 

We really need to build the team around Holtby, and the spice boys will do the rest.

We can dream....

[darrenrover]

1 hour ago, jim mk2 said:

It wasn't just the poor football and poor performance - the players didn't look up for it and wandered around for 70 minutes as though they couldn't care less. The first half was as devoid of passion as I've seen from Rovers in many years. Tony has to take the blame - not only did he pick the wrong team, they went into the match in the wrong frame of mind. 

It's not often I can say I agree with you 100% jim but this is such an occasion.

We won (a shallow victory) but the team looked absolutely devoid of everything and for that, there is only one man to blame. How we scabbed 3 points, I'm buggered if I know but we'll take them nonetheless.

[jim mk2]

1 minute ago, garnersfags said:

We will only get into the play-offs if we play Holtby with with either Johnson or Trybull. It is the best way to get the best out Elliott, Rothwell, Arma, and Brereton/Gally. 

I also think we will have to play Lenihan & Ayala, with Nyambe, and (don't shoot me) Douglas, before Wharton returns. 

A settled back 4 in front of Kaminski, is the only way to improve at the back. 

That team must be played, despite the odd off-day. But it won't be, as TM continues to play Buckley at every opportunity, with Davenport as his back-up. Hopefully Downing will now be ahead of those two. 

I really think we can challenge for 6th, but only if we play our best players, and only rotate to give them a rest after 10 or 15 games. 

We really need to build the team around Holtby, and the spice boys will do the rest.

We can dream....

Some good points in there.

Mowbray should pick the below and stick with them. It's a flawed team and some players have obvious weaknesses but they are the best we have at present. 

Nyambe; Lenihan, Ayala, Douglas or Downing

Elliott, Holtby, Johnson or Trybull, Rothwell

Armstrong, Gallagher

Forget about Buckley / Williams and one or 2 others. 

[Wood26]

23 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

He's completely wasted Nyambe's talents and he'll probably walk for nothing on a free. Similarly it's nonsense imo to suggest that the likes of Travis and Nyambe wouldn't have become good players under a different manager. 

However, even if the players you list are as good as you seem to be insinuating they are,  then surely you see a massive contradiction there, even with what you regard as a good squad we're still permanently mired in no man's land because no matter what the personnel Mowbray can't get any sort of consistent tune out of them whereas a decent manager might.

Firstly if Nyambe walks for nothing that’s nothing to do with Mowbray what so ever.

Secondly how has he wasted Nyambes ability?
 

I don’t want to lose Nyambe at all, He’s a good defender, hard to get past, he’s great at running the line going forward, but once he beats his man it just kind of stops. He can front up and beat most people, like he does, but more often then not once he does that, he stops, and passes back. 
 

If we do lose Nyambe there will be outrage, and rightly so if on a free as we should be getting money out a player like that. But as a player In the team, most fans seemed happy enough having an academy winger playing in his place, who is far worse defensively but better as an attacking option. 
 

I’d take Nyambe all day over JRC personally.

[47er]

2 hours ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

If you don't research properly don't criticise.

So all your posts are properly researched are they? And if I think you're wrong its up to you to wade through a mass of stats to prove that what you said in the first place was correct?

I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS!

[garnersfags]

1 minute ago, jim mk2 said:

Some good points in there.

Mowbray should pick the below and stick with them. It's a flawed team and some players have obvious weaknesses but they are the best we have at present. 

Nyambe; Lenihan, Ayala, Douglas or Downing

Elliott, Holtby, Johnson or Trybull, Rothwell

Armstrong, Gallagher

Forget about Buckley / Williams and one or 2 others. 

Yep, it seems obvious.

Good point about Downing, I really think Douglas has an injury/fitness issue, he's not just a bad player, so putting Downing in for 3 games may allow him to recover. 

[Wood26]

11 minutes ago, garnersfags said:

Yep, it seems obvious.

Good point about Downing, I really think Douglas has an injury/fitness issue, he's not just a bad player, so putting Downing in for 3 games may allow him to recover. 

I think Douglas needs Brereton in front of him. Tactically I think Nyambe is meant to be our attacking full back, getting up and down, whilst Douglas isn’t designed for that anymore and needs Brereton doing the dog work, then laying it back for Douglas to use this left footed wand he’s meant to have.

Obviously this isn’t working at moment, and I think some are expecting Douglas to be up and down, over lapping etc but that’s not his game at this stage.

Hes good Douglas, and I know it doesn’t look it right now, but when Big Ben is back and he’s fitter I’m sure he will come good.

Good example is I think we are more Spurs, in that Regullion attacks (Nyambe) and Aurier sits more. As opposed to Liverpool where both full backs go full out.

Edited December 17, 2020 by Wood26