Stoke City v Rovers (a) Sat. 19th Dec. 3pm

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

Embarrassing to see a side shut up shop from the 6th minute. They got the result but acted like a lower league cup opponent. Very strange. 

Too blunt in attack and not sure about taking our biggest aerial threat off for another diminutive attacker.

We’re not going up so it is what it is. Such a cheap goal to concede but when you only have one fit CB I guess it’s not surprising.

Bottom line, we can’t keep conceding and expect to get back into games. We’re not solid enough and too often find ourselves with a mountain to climb. We also need a plan B going forward. 

[Waggy76]

3 minutes ago, Boroblue said:

So that’s O’Neil’s stoke. Horrible awful ugly. We lacked the guile but Christ they’re negative and that’s at home. The worst I’ve witnesssed. Will they get promoted no chance a group of old lags. If that’s what they want to put out good luck to them. 

 

They will finish above us ...

[des]

We could of played till midnight and still we would not score no bite in our team

[TheRoversReturn]

2 minutes ago, Doogs said:

If only we could defend end of  What is sickening is that we have all known for 3 years we cant defend. What the hell is Tony not getting?

Sacked?

[rovers11]

20 games in is a good time to reflect on the manager's position. We're playing better football but the results are the same as they've been for the past 2 seasons. We're not a million miles away from the play offs so I'd stick with TM over the festive period and then re-evaluate in early Jan.

[Bigdoggsteel]

 

3 minutes ago, USABlue said:

Just not clever enough, sooner Dack and Big Ben are back the better.  I just have heartburn with games like this and Mowbary pulls the creative players with route one types then does not go route one.  I don't mean lumoing balls forward but turn and head.tiwards goal not tippy tappy along the back line

We have no one up there remotely capable of winning direct balls /longish balls like that, especially not against a team like Stoke. 

When teams sit deep against us, we are always going to struggle. 

 

[rovers11]

Just now, Waggy76 said:

They will finish above us ...

They won't. They will be lucky to get top half. That was truly woeful. A team like that can easily go on a run where they go on a big losing run.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

1 minute ago, Exiled_Rover said:

The problem we've got is that we don't have a plan b.

If we can't pass through a side we're stumped. No point hitting all those crosses into the box with Gallagher, Elliot and Armstrong upfront. 

That game needed someone of Danny Graham's experience up front.  We have no options.  Gallagher is useless. Everyone else can only run sideways or down the line.

Poor recruitment. 

Keeper decent. 

Can't even make the league a our trusty league one defence now.

Midfield to slow - Downing, Trybul, Holtby, all do the same thing. 

No options up front. Elliott, Armstrong, Dolan, Butterworth all too similar.

 

Feck off Mowbray.

[simongarnerisgod]

1 minute ago, rovers11 said:

20 games in is a good time to reflect on the manager's position. We're playing better football but the results are the same as they've been for the past 2 seasons. We're not a million miles away from the play offs so I'd stick with TM over the festive period and then re-evaluate in early Jan.

we are stuck with mowbray till he decides to resign or retire,it`s not going to happen soon

[Silas]

Let's start the Xmas games early, 2020 themed:

What rhymes with breath viral? 🤔🤔

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

Just now, rovers11 said:

They won't. They will be lucky to get top half. That was truly woeful. A team like that can easily go on a run where they go on a big losing run.

Well apparently we play better football, but also go on big losing runs. Every season.

[TheRoversReturn]

2 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

 

We have no one up there remotely capable of winning direct balls /longish balls like that, especially not against a team like Stoke. 

When teams sit deep against us, we are always going to struggle. 

 

It's almost like we could do with a 6'4" centre forward being played in his actual position in the middle and not out on the left bloody wing...

Edited December 19, 2020 by TheRoversReturn

[superniko]

I’m less deflated by this than some of the other performances recently. We deserved more from that than Rotherham, Millwall etc. Few things do stand out though:

- Has to be the end for Gallagher, can only be a bit part sub for time wasting in the last 10 mins now, if even that. Surely when Dack and Brereton are back he doesn’t start (shouldn’t now either)

- I’m usually a defender of Buckley but he isn’t there, too slow for our style with 3 midfielders. Needs a loan in January to a L1 team. 

- Mowbray has to take a lot / all of the blame for this, he didn’t need to change the whole midfield, no game until Saturday, they’ve been rotated a lot recently anyway so all fully fit. Only the Gallagher change was needed. 

It’s not over, 6th is to play for easily, but we need to put away these ‘easier’ games coming up. 

We’re cowards and have been for years, you see it when we concede, Lenihan always looks around at everyone when we concede and they all walk away heads down. No motivators. No Nelsons, Sambas, Hendrys, Battys, Savages. Same with the manager. Is Tony gonna give the defenders a bollocking like Big Sam or Hughes would in recent times? No chance, more likely to make a bizarre comment on one of our youngsters 

[Blue blood]

Hmm, given how Boro and Stoke are now above us with managers with less than 12 months in the role, you do wonder how TM gets such an easy ride after 3 years plus in the role. 

Some terrible decisions, basic decisions from the manager, which utterly hinder the team. Taking off arguably our best player in Trybull? Playing Gally on the wing? Needs Ng a midfielder at CB? It really doesn't help us whatsoever. 

 

[LDRover]

4 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

The problem we've got is that we don't have a plan b.

If we can't pass through a side we're stumped. No point hitting all those crosses into the box with Gallagher, Elliot and Armstrong upfront. 

Agreed. We have to find a way to go front to back quicker. Fannying about sideways just gives teams time to organise and sit in and we never look like breaking that down.

[AllRoverAsia]

There is no pressure at all on Mowbray.

Never had been, never will be. He runs the Franchise FFS

[DE.]

1 minute ago, superniko said:

It’s not over, 6th is to play for easily, but we need to put away these ‘easier’ games coming up. 

We’re cowards and have been for years, you see it when we concede, Lenihan always looks around at everyone when we concede and they all walk away heads down. No motivators. No Nelsons, Sambas, Hendrys, Battys, Savages. Same with the manager. Is Tony gonna give the defenders a bollocking like Big Sam or Hughes would in recent times? No chance, more likely to make a bizarre comment on one of our youngsters 

How can it not be over if we have a team of cowards who can't be motivated when under the cosh?

[West Yorks Rover]

Silly to knock Stoke's style of play when, after 20 games they are 5 points clear off us.

They may not go up this year but i'll bet O'neill takes them up eventually, we are going 

nowhere with Mowbray.

[booth]

All I want for Christmas is...

A better manager.

Not a lot of love for Tony on Facebook tonight. I imagine his super fans will be trying their best to make up excuses whilst drinking a couple of tinnies, then falling back on the old chestnut "call yourself a fan?!"

[SBlue]

Football is shite, isn’t it?

[Exiled_Rover]

4 minutes ago, TheRoversReturn said:

It's almost like we could do with a 6'4" centre forward being played in his actual position in the middle and not out on the left bloody wing...

Doesn't matter how tall he is, he very rarely wins headers.

He's soft.

[K-Hod]

Things I don’t want for Christmas:

Hearing about how unattractive Stoke are on the eye, or how much possession we had, or any other similar hard luck stories.

Things I do want for Christmas:

Us to be accountable for allowing strikers free headers in the six yard box (ideally to stop it happening) and for us to be able to use our quality to make our possession count. 

The warnings were there with our last few performances, but getting away with it, which was incredibly satisfying, granted. 

We need to start improving badly. I’d be keen to see Dolan starting again. Must be ridiculously frustrating for him to know he can do more than Gallagher and observing this from the bench. 
Not good at all.
 

[Hoochie Bloochie Mama]

5 minutes ago, Silas said:

Let's start the Xmas games early, 2020 themed:

What rhymes with breath viral? 🤔🤔

I know this.... 

[ben_the_beast]

4 minutes ago, TheRoversReturn said:

It's almost like we could do with a 6'4" centre forward being played in his actual position in the middle and not out on the left bloody wing...

It's almost like we could do with our big 6'4 centre forward being able to actually anticipate the flight of the ball and actually win a header for once in his career. 

[Clitheroe]

We had enough clear chances in that game. We need or players to take the small number that come along.

The shooting practice ifollow showed before the game was woeful. The shooting in the game was worse.