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

[Ewood Ace]

19 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

So with our current squad, how would set us up in terms of style, formation wide and tactical then please? 

We have to ditch the 4-3-3 it's not working and isn't producing results we have played it since the return from lockdown and have 38 points from 29 games which isn't going to get you near the play offs. 

18 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

O'Neill has been at Stoke for over 13 months now and joined them on 8th November 2019

And in that time he has taken them from bottom to 7th spending just £2 Million and he hasn't needed to go on a long journey to do so. Mowbray has had nearly 4 years over £15 Million and hasn't even threatened the play offs. The likes of O'Neill and Warnock just show what a manager with some tactical nous and the ability to organise a defence can do for you in the Championship.

Edited December 19, 2020 by Ewood Ace

[Mattyblue]

Ten years on from Sam and half of you still haven’t learnt a fecking thing.

[Paul Mellelieu]

18 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

And if Stoke get promoted and we dont?

I  don't think they will

[JacknOry]

Just now, Paul Mellelieu said:

I  don't think they will

What if they do? That was the question.

[chaddyrovers]

4 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

We have to ditch the 4-3-3 it's not working and isn't producing results we have played it since the return from lockdown and have 38 points from 29 games which isn't going to get you near the play offs. 

I wouldnt drop the 4-3-3 as it suits Armstrong, Brereton and Elliot as front 3. Rothwell is suited to the midfield 3. 

We should have sign Manning as left back not Douglas. 

So how would you set up then?.same question.I asked Roversfan99 then?

[Paul Mellelieu]

5 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Ten years on from Sam and half of you still haven’t learnt a fecking thing.

Sam saved us, no doubt and shouldn't have been sacked, and when the mood took him his sides played some great stuff. BUT, I spent three quarters of the season being bored to death.  I don't expect you to agree, but that's how I see it.

[Ewood Ace]

Just now, Paul Mellelieu said:

I just remember how bored everyone was under Sam.

Talk about irony one of Mowbray's biggest defenders moaning about being bored watching a top half side in the Premiership.

[JacknOry]

Just now, rigger said:

I just remember going to certain away games, with no hope or intension to win.

It is amazing that you guys are still defneding this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are now languishing as a club and you still defend your position on this. Shocking to say the least!

[JacknOry]

2 minutes ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

Sam saved us, no doubt and shouldn't have been sacked, and when the mood took him his sides played some great stuff. BUT, I spent three quarters of the season being bored to death.  I don't expect you to agree, but that's how I see it.

well, now, you're likely to see the next three quarters of your life with Rovers below Burnley. Enjoy that boredom.

[rigger]

1 minute ago, JacknOry said:

It is amazing that you guys are still defneding this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are now languishing as a club and you still defend your position on this. Shocking to say the least!

I say what I say because for me it is true

[matt83]

[arbitro]

In truth I found much of our 69% possession boring today. The number of passes in the final third that were sideways and backwards was frankly pointless. Stoke had the measure of this and sat with banks of five and four and shuffled across as we moved sideways. We had a free kick in our defensive third late on and I was saying get the centre halves up and let Kaminski launch it. One of the defenders took it short and several passes later it was back in our final third. I want winning football and if playing percentages get that then I'll take it over the pointless mundane passing we saw lots of today.

[Ewood Ace]

3 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

It is amazing that you guys are still defneding this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are now languishing as a club and you still defend your position on this. Shocking to say the least!

There does seem to also be a correlation perhaps coincidental perhaps not between those who moan about the job Sam did when we were a top half of the Premiership side and those who defend Mowbray and are happy to plod along in mid table of the second tier with him. 

[Ewood Ace]

2 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

I wouldnt drop the 4-3-3 as it suits Armstrong, Brereton and Elliot as front 3. Rothwell is suited to the midfield 3. 

We should have sign Manning as left back not Douglas. 

So how would you set up then?.same question.I asked Roversfan99 then?

We have to start off stopping conceding so many goals. I'd go back to basics to start with and play 4-4-1-1 which as we solidify at the back would evolve into a 4-2-3-1.  But the priority now has to be tightening the defence up and I think playing with two banks of four would help achieve that because at the moment for me the shape is all over the place and looks very disjointed. 

[Paul Mellelieu]

5 minutes ago, arbitro said:

In truth I found much of our 69% possession boring today. The number of passes in the final third that were sideways and backwards was frankly pointless. Stoke had the measure of this and sat with banks of five and four and shuffled across as we moved sideways. We had a free kick in our defensive third late on and I was saying get the centre halves up and let Kaminski launch it. One of the defenders took it short and several passes later it was back in our final third. I want winning football and if playing percentages get that then I'll take it over the pointless mundane passing we saw lots of today.

I don't disagree, and it wasn't a great performance by us.  We need a bit more steel and our best forwards back to have a chance in this league.  I'm not convinced at all that Mowbray can do it, but my view is that we should give him this season and take it from there.

[JHRover]

Stoke did everything that Mowbray is unable/unwilling to do here. Use brains, tactics, dark arts to manage the game to perfection and see out a win relatively comfortably.

That's what good managers do. Find ways to win games. Mowbray finds ways to lose them. 

I'm bored with it.

[Paul Mellelieu]

1 minute ago, JacknOry said:

I prefer to see my football club perform to the best of its ability. Of course, we all like pretty football but if it were not for Sam, we would have been down a lot sooner than we were. 

Perhaps thats what you wanted? Pretty football in the Championship like we playing now?

Well, that decision to drop our' dour' manager might one day end this football club. Hope you ready for that.

Well Hughes did a decent job and there are managers around that can get smaller clubs to play decent football in the top flight.  But I would never want Sam to manage us again in the way he did.

[Paul Mellelieu]

1 minute ago, JHRover said:

Stoke did everything that Mowbray is unable/unwilling to do here. Use brains, tactics, dark arts to manage the game to perfection and see out a win relatively comfortably.

That's what good managers do. Find ways to win games. Mowbray finds ways to lose them. 

I'm bored with it.

We had several chances to take points from the game.

[JacknOry]

Just now, Paul Mellelieu said:

Well Hughes did a decent job and there are managers around that can get smaller clubs to play decent football in the top flight.  But I would never want Sam to manage us again in the way he did.

Infuriating - thats all. 

[JHRover]

1 minute ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

We had several chances to take points from the game.

About two attempts where we could have scored or tested their keeper I recall. 

Worst part is that even if we'd have equalised I reckon Stoke would have come back and got a second.

[arbitro]

1 minute ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

Well Hughes did a decent job and there are managers around that can get smaller clubs to play decent football in the top flight.  But I would never want Sam to manage us again in the way he did.

Would you rather see Allardyce's brand of football in the middle Premier League or Mowbray's style in the middle of the Championship?

[roversfan99]

10 minutes ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

Who knows?  I prefer teams that try to play good football, but others are happy to see Sam's style as the way to go.  I think too many have unrealistic expectations of a club that has a local population of 140k.

The last sentence is totally irrelevant. We have no divine right to be anywhere but the main point that people are making is that "less attractive" or more direct football that gets you results is totally fine, and indeed perhaps a way for us to punch above our weight.

[K-Hod]

Hiya- just had to hide a few posts, I could have issued bans if I was that way out, but I’ve gone with the ‘nice’ approach.

Any more being dicks and I’ll not be so nice.

(No more Mr Nice Guy etc, but seriously, stop it please. I know we are annoyed we lost, but rein it in please. Ta.)

[arbitro]

2 minutes ago, JHRover said:

About two attempts where we could have scored or tested their keeper I recall. 

Worst part is that even if we'd have equalised I reckon Stoke would have come back and got a second.

And the paltry number of attempts came from 69% possession.

[matt83]

14 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

There does seem to also be a correlation perhaps coincidental perhaps not between those who moan about the job Sam did when we were a top half of the Premiership side and those who defend Mowbray and are happy to plod along in mid table of the second tier with him. 

At the end of the day this is a message board and everyone is entitled to their opinions. But I think this has been quite enlightening in terms of seeing both sides of the argument.

Admittedly a tiny tiny sample but it does seem that the ones most fervent about removing Mowbray are purely driven by results at any cost. And those who want him to stay prioritise style over substance.

To me fat Sam -esque hoof ball in the prem seems rather more appealing than tippy tappy football in the championship. But hey ho

Perhaps controversially in the eyes of some I don’t actually think the football under Mowbray is very good at all other than in very infrequent bursts. But that’s another issue.