Saturday, Jan 30th- Luton at Ewood

[Don Said]

14 minutes ago, TruRover said:

No doubt this we’ll be a physical game. Luton will come here to try and break up our play and keep it scrappy, with our pitch working to their advantage. 

As a result of this I personally would want to see us play abit more direct. Get Gally and Brereton on the wings as an out ball and to bring down the ball and feed Arma and Dack, similar to how we finished against Boro. Give Rothwell and Elliot a rest and bring them on if needed. 

Kaminski 

Nymabe Lenihan Brainthwaith Douglas 

Travis Davenport 

Gally Dack BB

Arma

formation: 4 2 3 1

 

 

I like this side, the set up gives us the balance we have often missed.... but I'd put Elliott in for Gallagher. 

No need to rest particularly with no midweek game either side. Elliott is quality and there is no need to sacrifice that quality when we are chasing points.

Bar the odd anomaly, we win games when we score first and we lose games when we concede first. Get our best players on the pitch from the first minute and hope that the quality shines through. 

Travis and Davenport is certainly a midfield two worth running with. Dav has a lot to prove, but that combination could both take pressure off the defense through protection and gives the attacking players a platform to go and do their thing.

Harsh not to include Rothwell but he can be a gamechanger off the bench, and moving forwards will start more often than not when inevitable injuries crop up, he can slot in to most of those midfield/wide roles.

[MarkBRFC]

Rothwell starts over BB for me, hasn't looked right since he came back from injury to me.

[Blue blood]

To be honest if you have Armstrong up front, Dack in the hole and Elliott wide right in a 4-2-3-1 formation it doesn't really matter who the other one of the 3 is, we have our best attacking players in their best positions. That should more than be enough offensively for us. 

Get Travis and Davenport as the 2 protecting mids. Mobility and steel and it's looking a pretty solid team. Same with Kaminski as keeper. 

As for the defence... It picks itself from the least worse and available options! Hopefully Lenihen continues to look decent now he has a partner with him, Nayambe can be very good. 

Outside of a shaky defence that looks a very strong championship team with a lot of options from the bench. Certainly enough to get a win. 

2-1 Rovers

[Ewood Ace]

                              Kaminski

Nyambe       Lenihan        Branthwaite    Bell

                     Travis           Davenport

Elliott                        Dack                      Rothwell

                             Armstrong

[oldjamfan1]

12 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

                              Kaminski

Nyambe       Lenihan        Branthwaite    Bell

                     Travis           Davenport

Elliott                        Dack                      Rothwell

                             Armstrong

Difficult to argue with this team really.

[skous18]

So does everyone agree that we should go back to last year’s failure of an experiment of Rothwell out wide?

Give it a couple of weeks and people will start wondering ‘why isnt he performing when he has so much potential’

[TruRover]

2 minutes ago, skous18 said:

So does everyone agree that we should go back to last year’s failure of an experiment of Rothwell out wide?

Give it a couple of weeks and people will start wondering ‘why isnt he performing when he has so much potential’

Have to agree with this. Rothwell is a central player. 

[JacknOry]

Rothwell central for me. 

[Ghost7]

                               Kaminski

 Nyambe       Lenihan        Branthwaite    Bell

                     Travis           Davenport

Elliott                        Rothwell                     Douglas

                              Armstrong

 

😬

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

1 hour ago, Ewood Ace said:

                              Kaminski

Nyambe       Lenihan        Branthwaite    Bell

                     Travis           Davenport

Elliott                        Dack                      Rothwell

                             Armstrong

Would have slight adjustment - with Gallagher up front. Armstrong just behind him centrally - and Dack on the bench to create havoc later on against a tiring defence. I think we have to tweak our play a little- and play a little longer - the three behind Gallagher have the pace to run into space behind Luton defence- or if they pack their defence pick up the scraps when they clear (as long as Gallagher can exert the necessary pressure)

[Bigdoggsteel]

21 minutes ago, Ghost7 said:

                               Kaminski

 Nyambe       Lenihan        Branthwaite    Bell

                     Travis           Davenport

Elliott                        Rothwell                     Douglas

                              Armstrong

 

😬

[Ewood Ace]

1 minute ago, DavidMailsTightPerm said:

Would have slight adjustment - with Gallagher up front. Armstrong just behind him centrally - and Dack on the bench to create havoc later on against a tiring defence. I think we have to tweak our play a little- and play a little longer - the three behind Gallagher have the pace to run into space behind Luton defence- or if they pack their defence pick up the scraps when they clear (as long as Gallagher can exert the necessary pressure)

Gallagher is a bench player, every time he had started this season (Brentford aside) he has put in some very poor performances. All his goals this season have come from the bench and he hasn't scored in a game he's started since last February. 

[Don Said]

13 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

Gallagher is a bench player, every time he had started this season (Brentford aside) he has put in some very poor performances. All his goals this season have come from the bench and he hasn't scored in a game he's started since last February. 

I think the biggest purpose he's served when starting this season has been to mark their tallest player when defending set pieces, which has bailed us out particularly when playing two centre backs from Lenihan/Wharton/Johnson. Now with Branthwaite in the side (6'5) that need isn't as urgent.

It just seems insane to play him over the likes of Armstrong, Dack, Rothwell, Elliott or Brereton. 

I doubt you would see any of the teams at the top of this league sacrificing their best players in order to squeeze a Gallagher in.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

2 hours ago, Don Said said:

I think the biggest purpose he's served when starting this season has been to mark their tallest player when defending set pieces, which has bailed us out particularly when playing two centre backs from Lenihan/Wharton/Johnson. Now with Branthwaite in the side (6'5) that need isn't as urgent.

It just seems insane to play him over the likes of Armstrong, Dack, Rothwell, Elliott or Brereton. 

I doubt you would see any of the teams at the top of this league sacrificing their best players in order to squeeze a Gallagher in.

Three of those players I had in my team. Dack is still coming back to fitness. 

Having Gallagher in is more a reflection of the pitch and how I think we need to change our playing style. Having the best 11 players on the pitch doesn't necessarily make the best team.

[Fraserkirky]

You play Davenport with Travis away from home, at home against Luton you play Rothwell with Travis.

[joey_big_nose]

8 hours ago, Ewood Ace said:

                              Kaminski

Nyambe       Lenihan        Branthwaite    Bell

                     Travis           Davenport

Elliott                        Dack                      Rothwell

                             Armstrong

I'd have Rothwell in over Davenport in that deeper role. He's absolutely exceptionally running from deep and has got much better defensively.

Play BB wide left.

But otherwise agreed.

I do wonder if TM really will give up the 433 though. He's stuck with it for so long.

 

Edited January 28, 2021 by joey_big_nose

[davulsukur]

39 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

I'd have Rothwell in over Davenport in that deeper role. He's absolutely exceptionally running from deep and has got much better defensively.

Play BB wide left.

But otherwise agreed.

I do wonder if TM really will give up the 433 though. He's stuck with it for so long.

 

Definitely he has gotten much better defensively. Against Boro, i remember he tracked back and put a great sliding block in to deny their Lad a shot on goal in our box.

He's much more effective playing deeper and making driving runs forward.

At home, against Luton he should be starting CM alongside Trav. 

[TheRoversReturn]

22 hours ago, WacoRover said:

We need to continue our current good form, and keep moving up the table. Guys are getting healthy, and Dacky & Travis are getting their legs back. We’ve got to get a convincing win at Ewood, sooner or later, I pray this weekend is it. 

theROVERSreturn, Has there ever been a better time to be a Rover? 😁 (Rovers fan since 2013, you have me, you actually have those halcyon days of Rovers in the Premier!)

My favourite time as a Rovers fan was actually when I was first taken along by my dad in the 80s. In fact, my most-treasured season was 1987-88. That was back when the Riverside was no longer used for games (it just stood there empty, one whole side of the ground!) and we were in what was called the second division (today's championship) back then. After struggling at the start of the season, Don McKay's boys seemingly out of nowhere went on a 21-match unbeaten run that surged us up the table and even, very very briefly, had us on top for approximately one week.

Crowds grew and grew until, again seemingly out of nowhere, the most spectacular signing any of us could remember turned up. Steve Archibald came in on loan from Barcelona! The high point of the run was a thrilling defeat of Graham Taylor's Aston Villa (who'd been European champions barely over five years previously) 3-1 at an absolutely-packed Ewood. World-cup winner Ossie Ardiles came in on loan (rumour has always had it that Jack Walker paid their wages, but I don't think that has been confirmed as certain) as well from Spurs, but Nicky Marker (future Rovers player) crocked him in his first game.

It was a disappointing end to the season, which saw our form dwindle and we were defeated in the play-offs (then pretty new, the older fellas never stopped whining about this new-fangled concept) by Chelsea. The next season was as bad as it got as a Rovers fan until the Venky's...in the play-off final we took a 3-1 lead in the play-off final (then over two legs) but Howard Gayle missed a penalty. The horror of a 3-0 defeat at Selhurst Park to Crystal Palace was the inevitable finale to that scintillating but heartbreaking season. Many a Rovers fan have never been able to listen to "Glad all Over!" again after it was played endlessly after that horror show...

Great days! 

Anyway, back onto our need to beat Luton who, funnily enough, were in the top flight then and won their only trophy (the league cup) that very 1987/88 season when they beat Arsenal in the final, also 3-2 just like our slaying of Taylor's Villa brummies...

Edited January 28, 2021 by TheRoversReturn

[TheRoversReturn]

1 hour ago, joey_big_nose said:

I'd have Rothwell in over Davenport in that deeper role. He's absolutely exceptionally running from deep and has got much better defensively.

Play BB wide left.

But otherwise agreed.

I do wonder if TM really will give up the 433 though. He's stuck with it for so long.

 

Agree. Rothwell surging up the pitch from deep transforms defence into attack quicker than any other player. Otherwise, the only way we can do that is by hitting long balls and defences can deal with those if they are the only thing to look out for before the rest of their team are able to get back and dig in.

Our slowness in building an attack leads to teams defending deep and us aimlessly knocking back and forth sideways, vainly waiting for an opening.

Rothwell should be starting centrally every game. He offers us something no other player can. 

[Crimpshrine]

3 hours ago, Fraserkirky said:

You play Davenport with Travis away from home, at home against Luton you play Rothwell with Travis.

I'd play Davenport rather than Travis. I think he is more solid defensively and more creative going forward.

[G Somerset Rover]

Bayes says Johnson is out for "a few weeks". I think we predicted as much, but there it is confirmed. He's been pretty sh*te for a while now so I don't think it'll be a massive loss. Mowbray needs to get Dack in from the start tomorrow - no false 9 rollocks please Tony.

[@roverseas]

Win and we are back in, lose and I am back on the booze! Luton Town = Boogey Team! Who da thunk it!?  Not in 2021! This is our house! We might not be there but its ours...  They will come to frustrate, and annoy us, and if they get the first goal it could be a long 90 minutes!  But if we show them what we are capable of we can win this in style! 

40 years in the making... a Rovers win against Luton in the league! It happens tomorrow!

 

 

[BlackburnEnd75]

2 hours ago, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

Bayes says Johnson is out for "a few weeks". I think we predicted as much, but there it is confirmed. He's been pretty sh*te for a while now so I don't think it'll be a massive loss. Mowbray needs to get Dack in from the start tomorrow - no false 9 rollocks please Tony.

Its happened a few times where mowbray only stumbles onto his best team when his hand is forced. And personally I don't think Johnson is in our best team. He had a great spell at the start of the season but has never been consistent enough.

[WacoRover]

16 hours ago, TheRoversReturn said:

My favourite time as a Rovers fan was actually when I was first taken along by my dad in the 80s. In fact, my most-treasured season was 1987-88. That was back when the Riverside was no longer used for games (it just stood there empty, one whole side of the ground!) and we were in what was called the second division (today's championship) back then. After struggling at the start of the season, Don McKay's boys seemingly out of nowhere went on a 21-match unbeaten run that surged us up the table and even, very very briefly, had us on top for approximately one week.

Crowds grew and grew until, again seemingly out of nowhere, the most spectacular signing any of us could remember turned up. Steve Archibald came in on loan from Barcelona! The high point of the run was a thrilling defeat of Graham Taylor's Aston Villa (who'd been European champions barely over five years previously) 3-1 at an absolutely-packed Ewood. World-cup winner Ossie Ardiles came in on loan (rumour has always had it that Jack Walker paid their wages, but I don't think that has been confirmed as certain) as well from Spurs, but Nicky Marker (future Rovers player) crocked him in his first game.

It was a disappointing end to the season, which saw our form dwindle and we were defeated in the play-offs (then pretty new, the older fellas never stopped whining about this new-fangled concept) by Chelsea. The next season was as bad as it got as a Rovers fan until the Venky's...in the play-off final we took a 3-1 lead in the play-off final (then over two legs) but Howard Gayle missed a penalty. The horror of a 3-0 defeat at Selhurst Park to Crystal Palace was the inevitable finale to that scintillating but heartbreaking season. Many a Rovers fan have never been able to listen to "Glad all Over!" again after it was played endlessly after that horror show...

Great days! 

Anyway, back onto our need to beat Luton who, funnily enough, were in the top flight then and won their only trophy (the league cup) that very 1987/88 season when they beat Arsenal in the final, also 3-2 just like our slaying of Taylor's Villa brummies...

Great memories! I’m glad you shared, I enjoy reading about great games like this! 

[windymiller7]

1 hour ago, WacoRover said:

Great memories! I’m glad you shared, I enjoy reading about great games like this! 

I'd skip past the bit about the following season if I were you. Trust me - the less you know about that Play Off Final 2nd Leg at Palace the better!  I've still not got over that one.