2021/22 Pre-Season

[Fraserkirky]

Someone with a hint of nonse around Ewood needs to check the length and any release clauses of Buckley’s contract. Will be player of the year for us this year.

Great show from the young rovers, something we can build on.

It looked like a 3-5-2 with wing backs, but Buckley kept pushing wide right so maybe more of a 5-2-3, whatever it was we looked solid, and much better than the 4-3-3.

Pickering I’m not too worried about, Raphinha is top class.

Edited July 28, 2021 by Fraserkirky

[Sparks Rover]

8 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

I obviously didnt expect any vocal dissent but I was surprised to hear "Tony Mowbrays blue and white army" and even "Mowbrays got them playing the way that the Rovers should."

I said it before. Mowbray has got another season at least.  He might get a new contract off the back of a draw preseason....

[Angry_Pirate]

14 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

I obviously didnt expect any vocal dissent but I was surprised to hear "Tony Mowbrays blue and white army" and even "Mowbrays got them playing the way that the Rovers should."

🤢🤮

[Guest]

45 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Was looking forward to seeing Pickering and came away underwhelmed. He is rather slow and the admittedly very good Raphinha found it so easy to get past him, and he was very slow and indecisive going forward too. I thought that the wing back formation would suit him but he doesn't seem to be dynamic enough. Nyambe was better although he doesn't really have the end product to be a wing back.

I seem to be in a minority but I thought that Magloire looked out of place, very poor technically. Thought Carter and Lenihan were better.

Seriously? We’re writing off Pickering one game in against an incredible player who cost Leeds £20m and is sought after by Liverpool this window? 

Magloire didn’t look out of place at all!? What!? I understand everyone sees a different game but he was great. Even if you don’t think great, he was at least adequate. Out of place is a very VERY odd assessment.

 

[Russ]

13 minutes ago, Fraserkirky said:

Someone with a hint of nonse around Ewood needs to check the length and any release clauses of Buckley’s contract. Will be player of the year for us this year.

Great show from the young rovers, something we can build on.

It looked like a 3-5-2 with wing backs, but Buckley kept pushing wide right so maybe more of a 5-2-3, whatever it was we looked solid, and much better than the 4-3-3.

Pickering I’m not too worried about, Raphinha is top class.

[Guest]

Brereton just looks a new man. Armstrong a bit greedy, seemed to be trying to impress, maybe some Saints reps in the stands?

Magloire passing a bit wayward but made up for it with basically everything else. Buckley one or two mistakes again made up by an excellent game outside of that. Lenihan suits the middle of a 3 role really well and I seriously hope we consider a back 5 moving forward.

Dolan is Dolan and should continue to be used as the magic man off the bench with that energy.

Didn’t look in trouble, didn’t test them much either. If we can be that solid every week, we can easily produce a mid table finish “with kids”.

[roversfan99]

8 minutes ago, JoeH said:

Seriously? We’re writing off Pickering one game in against an incredible player who cost Leeds £20m and is sought after by Liverpool this window? 

Magloire didn’t look out of place at all!? What!? I understand everyone sees a different game but he was great. Even if you don’t think great, he was at least adequate. Out of place is a very VERY odd assessment.

 

Where did I write Pickering off? I passed comment on him having been particularly interested to see how he performed as a new face in a friendly, judging as a one off performance based on what are my first impressions. I even acknowledged Raphinha's obvious quality, but I thought that Pickering looked slower than I had expected/hoped and he also was very conservative when he got the ball further up. But I have not written him off and you concluding that is an exaggeration on your behalf.

And I thought that Magloire once or twice did a couple of good bits and pieces defensivsly but technically looked well off it, touches playing himself into trouble etc. Hardly a disaster of a performance or a particularly poor one, just not one that gave me any confidence, although it was a friendly against some very good players. I do think that we need a new CB but even without one he will struggle to get into the first team in my opinion.

[roversfan99]

10 minutes ago, JoeH said:

Brereton just looks a new man. Armstrong a bit greedy, seemed to be trying to impress, maybe some Saints reps in the stands?

Magloire passing a bit wayward but made up for it with basically everything else. Buckley one or two mistakes again made up by an excellent game outside of that. Lenihan suits the middle of a 3 role really well and I seriously hope we consider a back 5 moving forward.

Dolan is Dolan and should continue to be used as the magic man off the bench with that energy.

Didn’t look in trouble, didn’t test them much either. If we can be that solid every week, we can easily produce a mid table finish “with kids”.

The likelihood of us being that solid every week with kids is very unlikely, and we also have some players to come back in, plus obviously we need more. Its ok doing yourselves proud in a friendly at half pace but when you lose a couple of league games in a row against at times technically average but physical players bullying you, you need experience and proven quality. There is a balance that you need of experience and youth.

[Exiled_Rover]

1 hour ago, Ossydave said:

We're edging closer and closer to the start of the season with still a heavy emphasis on youth. Whilst it's normal to involve the younger lads pre season it seems a lot more crucial this time out. The team at Bolton should effectively be our starting 11 for the Swansea game so will give an even better idea.

Could it be that after the Brockhall plan went tits up he's been told in no uncertain terms that he can go and bloody well use that academy talent now and no further funds are available? It's not cheap to run and they want some kind of return on it.

Was Barr getting wind of this too and realised half the players he'd worked with last season wouldn't be available this?

Possibly reading too much into it all mind.....

I think you are reading too much into it.

The Academy lads are getting a chance (in pre-season at least) because we've let literally half a squad walk out of the door and not replaced any of them. Granted most of them were shit, but still it's a numbers game. 

Barr has left for a promotion - and so many Academy players in and around a Championship First XI is a glowing mark on his CV.

[joey_big_nose]

40 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

The likelihood of us being that solid every week with kids is very unlikely, and we also have some players to come back in, plus obviously we need more. Its ok doing yourselves proud in a friendly at half pace but when you lose a couple of league games in a row against at times technically average but physical players bullying you, you need experience and proven quality. There is a balance that you need of experience and youth.

I'm in two minds about it - I can see the sense in experience, but also there's the fact that generally speaking the kids have been at least as good or better than the experienced players over recent seasons. Amongst our best players have been Lenihan, Travis, Nyambe. Wharton had a great stint before his injury.

What young player who has come in has really let us down? Whereas we've had a lot of players bought in who have struggled...

Suggests to me maybe taking a few risks is worth it.

Anyway we don't really have a choice!

[mustard]

3 hours ago, Miller11 said:

I really enjoyed that.

Nyambe and Buckley were excellent, Kaminski picking up where he left off. Really impressed with Magloire, the lad is a physical phenomenon and those attributes alone mean he should be in and around the first team not shipped out in favour of other teams kids. Pickering has a lovely left foot but struggled defensively against a tough opponent. Garrett loves a tackle, Cirino looks like one to watch, Dolan was busy first half, and what a hit by McBride… the way he set the ball down it was always flying in! 
Armstrong looked like his head was in Southampton. Oh, and that Diaz lad reminds me a lot of Brereton we had last season.

We’re obviously going to be reliant on a lot of these young lads at times throughout the season. What a shame that during what is probably the academy’s most purple patch since it’s inception, there is such an uninspiring manager at the helm. A dynamic manager with motivational skills might get these lads playing fearlessly and above themselves giving us something to get really excited about.

Absolutely spot on post but only disagreement is I think that Diaz lad looked better than Brereton 😉

[Roverthechimp]

6 hours ago, mustard said:

Absolutely spot on post but only disagreement is I think that Diaz lad looked better than Brereton 😉

Though neither of them can hit a ball cleanly 😉

Pity - was impressed otherwise but maybe McBride can give him a few pointers 😀

[rigger]

For those critical of Pickering. Was he better than Bell or Douglas ?

[Stuart]

8 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

I obviously didnt expect any vocal dissent but I was surprised to hear "Tony Mowbrays blue and white army" and even "Mowbrays got them playing the way that the Rovers should."

Well “he’s not Kean” so he gets a free pass.

These people would still be chanting “Owen Coyle’s blue and white army” because we simply don’t have any other songs to sing, such is the dearth of inspiration.

Our only fallback is the sweary “no nay never” that tends to come out as a late-game song to try to warm the cockles.

[1864roverite]

33 minutes ago, rigger said:

For those critical of Pickering. Was he better than Bell or Douglas ?

Yes he was IMO, did very well against a very skilful and fast player

[Miller11]

8 hours ago, JoeH said:

I seriously hope we consider a back 5 moving forward.

I wasn’t so sure when you mentioned this on the stream the other night, but on that performance I’m definitely reassessing my opinion. Full backs getting forward at every opportunity is clearly something Mowbray wants, and for one they had adequate support.

I’d still prefer a 4-4-2 though.

[Guest]

I don’t know if 5 at the back, or 3, works as a long term solution in the Championship. We created very little moving forward and Armstrong was on the pitch. But against sides like Leeds who want the ball and have quality, and especially away from home, it could be a useful way of grinding out draws and results.

[tomphil]

Pickering is stepping up a level anyway but last night it was two.

I wouldn't expect anything spectacular from him in league games either to start with.

They've tried various things at LB and the only one who looked any good was Cunningham. Even then we didn't see enough of him to cast a proper opinion, iv'e come to the conclusion it's a red herring position in this league.

As for Bell he was a league 1'er as well but he came in league 1 and had chance to grow with the team. He never remotely looked any different from start to finish but i hope he does ok at Luton.  Chances are though like most who leave here he'll be back at his natural level before long.

Edited July 29, 2021 by tomphil

[arbitro]

38 minutes ago, JoeH said:

I don’t know if 5 at the back, or 3, works as a long term solution in the Championship. We created very little moving forward and Armstrong was on the pitch. But against sides like Leeds who want the ball and have quality, and especially away from home, it could be a useful way of grinding out draws and results.

I don't think Ayala can play in a three. Mowbray saw similar deficiencies in Ward and had to play a deeper back four to accommodate his lack of pace and turning ability as he was worried about forwards running in behind.

[MarkBRFC]

 

42 minutes ago, JoeH said:

I don’t know if 5 at the back, or 3, works as a long term solution in the Championship. We created very little moving forward and Armstrong was on the pitch. But against sides like Leeds who want the ball and have quality, and especially away from home, it could be a useful way of grinding out draws and results.

 Nice thought but "Mowbray" and "grinding out results" don't really go together.

[joey_big_nose]

48 minutes ago, JoeH said:

I don’t know if 5 at the back, or 3, works as a long term solution in the Championship. We created very little moving forward and Armstrong was on the pitch. But against sides like Leeds who want the ball and have quality, and especially away from home, it could be a useful way of grinding out draws and results.

Quite a few sides did well with a three last season? Notably Barnsley. 

It was a really obvious pattern for Rovers whenever we played a side with three at the back we really struggled.

Given the players we have I can see the sense in us giving it a shot, at least as an option. We were way too predictable in the way we played last season, after a good start we were found out and teams picked us off. If we had a system we could move to that would be useful.

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, rigger said:

For those critical of Pickering. Was he better than Bell or Douglas ?

It is impossible to say really based solely off a friendly and in direct opposition to a 20 million pound winger and its not as if he had a shocker.

I just thought that it was worth flagging up that he looks slow and it may be a concern against quick wingers in competitive matches, the key will be if he has the intelligence to compensate for his lack of pace. I also read that his strengths lie going forward although he tended to turn back and at one stage he took too long to get the ball out of his feet and a good counter attack fell apart. He did put a decent ball to the back post at one point that was nodded behind. 

Obviously a friendly is very much not something to take many conclusions from, it is just interesting to get a first impression of our sole new (sort of) signing and what type of player he is.

And id like to think that for a player that cost over half a million and will be our only new addition to last seasons team that will have cost money, that the standards are above merely being better than 2 incompetent players.

36 minutes ago, JoeH said:

I don’t know if 5 at the back, or 3, works as a long term solution in the Championship. We created very little moving forward and Armstrong was on the pitch. But against sides like Leeds who want the ball and have quality, and especially away from home, it could be a useful way of grinding out draws and results.

I think that 3/5 at the back tends to need to be played week in week out like Sheffield United did for players to get that continuity.

Does it suit our squad though, thats the question? None of our centre backs seem comfortable in bringing the ball out from the back. I personally think that Nyambe is more suited to being a full back which relies less on his attacking output which is very limited and more on his one on one defending where he is strong. Pickering with his lack of pace may also suit being a full back although im obviously less sure on him having never seen him competitively.

 

[roversfan99]

12 minutes ago, arbitro said:

I don't think Ayala can play in a three. Mowbray saw similar deficiencies in Ward and had to play a deeper back four to accommodate his lack of pace and turning ability as he was worried about forwards running in behind.

At the end of our Championship season, he used Ward in the middle of a back 3. I think when we went down to League 1 when we did play deeper that was only because that Lenihan was injured and our only 3 centre backs were Ward, Mulgrew and Downing, all slow players. So if he did play a back 3 I suspect that Ayala could play in the middle, but it is such a complex formation that it requires continuity and it seemed that it was done last night more out of necessity due to the players remaining.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

12 hours ago, WacoRover said:

1-1, I feel pretty good about that result, I agree that the young guys getting quality time is a huge positive for this club… we are young, and getting younger, it seems. 

Which makes it even stranger why these young lads weren't given game time in the last couple of dead rubber games last season -rather than playing players who have since been released.

[Parsonblue]

17 minutes ago, arbitro said:

I don't think Ayala can play in a three. Mowbray saw similar deficiencies in Ward and had to play a deeper back four to accommodate his lack of pace and turning ability as he was worried about forwards running in behind.

To be honest I would prefer to see Magloire and Carter being given opportunities this season instead of Ayala.