v Millwall (a) 14/8/21

[Sparks Rover]

  On 16/08/2021 at 09:39, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

No mate, that must be Mike England. He started out at right back for the first team, played a few games at inside right, got established in the team as a left half, made the centre half position his own when Matt Woods called it a day and later on played successfully as a striker in a crisis.

The only positions he didn’t play were on the wing and in goal, if Mowbray had have been managing us then he probably would have got a run out on the wing with him being 6 ft 2 ins tall.

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Phil Jones can play a few positions..  Well not at the moment like.  I bet he could play CM, CH, RB, RWB

[oldjamfan1]

  On 16/08/2021 at 09:39, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

No mate, that must be Mike England. He started out at right back for the first team, played a few games at inside right, got established in the team as a left half, made the centre half position his own when Matt Woods called it a day and later on played successfully as a striker in a crisis.

The only positions he didn’t play were on the wing and in goal, if Mowbray had have been managing us then he probably would have got a run out on the wing with him being 6 ft 2 ins tall.

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Sutton was a top class centre half, a very clever and brave centre forward and if I remember correctly he won the game at Ewood for Celtic by playing a deeper midfield role and nullifying Tugay. He certainly played all over the pitch at Celtic, who were a good team and played in the champions league back then. In all of those positions he was as good as anyone else at the club (with the possible exception of Shearer up front) and wasn't put there in a crisis as such. Very very rarely is anyone that versatile. Its not like chucking big Samba up top for the last ten minutes when we were getting beat, for example.

Sutton also scored a century with the bat in a charity cricket game while at Rovers. 😲

I bet the other lads hated him at school.

 

[USABlue]

  On 15/08/2021 at 07:58, lsp82 said:

Good to see refereeing has improved this season! 

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That one blew my mind, I could not believe it, what next.  Can we foul our own attackers in the box for a penalty.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

  On 16/08/2021 at 10:13, oldjamfan1 said:

Sutton was a top class centre half, a very clever and brave centre forward and if I remember correctly he won the game at Ewood for Celtic by playing a deeper midfield role and nullifying Tugay. He certainly played all over the pitch at Celtic, who were a good team and played in the champions league back then. In all of those positions he was as good as anyone else at the club (with the possible exception of Shearer up front) and wasn't put there in a crisis as such. Very very rarely is anyone that versatile. Its not like chucking big Samba up top for the last ten minutes when we were getting beat, for example.

Sutton also scored a century with the bat in a charity cricket game while at Rovers. 😲

I bet the other lads hated him at school.

 

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Mike England also played cricket to a decent level. I think it was for East Lancs but I could be wrong. Jim will know I suppose.

[RevidgeBlue]

Decent point on Saturday but realistically there won't be many if any other games this season where we can get away with only having two efforts on target and coming away with a point.

[Bigdoggsteel]

How many more points would we have gotten last season if Ayala was fit? One of ,if not the best centre half we have had in recent memory. 

Brereton has come back a new man from the Copa America. Great to see! 

[chaddyrovers]

  On 15/08/2021 at 21:04, roversfan99 said:

My point was that fairly predictably, he was invisible against a more pragmatic midfield as he often is. Until he is capable of impacting games like on Saturday, instead of only being of any use some of the time, he cannot be relied upon and trusted as a regular.

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Tbh, all our attacking players struggling to impact the game for most of that. 

[roversfan99]

  On 16/08/2021 at 13:43, chaddyrovers said:

Tbh, all our attacking players struggling to impact the game for most of that. 

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They did, but there is a recurring theme with Buckley against a particular type of opponent. Did you watch and what did you make of Buckley if so?

[chaddyrovers]

  On 16/08/2021 at 13:46, roversfan99 said:

They did, but there is a recurring theme with Buckley against a particular type of opponent. Did you watch and what did you make of Buckley if so?

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No I listened to game on Radio Lancs. But spoken to a number of people who watched the game live and went to the Den and all said we struggled to attack them. I've seen 12 mins highlights on Sky and for all Millwall shots and possession, Kaminski didn't have much to do. 

We got a good point at a ground and team style we won't face much this season 

[Blue blood]

Pleased with this point more than the Swansea game (although obviously 3 points is better). Much more of a challenge - physical opposition, an astute manager and a tough atmosphere. A far cry from a much depleated Swansea team favouring style over effectiveness. 

Of course the worrying signs are all there to see with the daft tactics and formation but to be picking up points despite that is a positive sign. It suggests we could stay up this season. 

[Blue blood]

  On 16/08/2021 at 13:53, chaddyrovers said:

No I listened to game on Radio Lancs. But spoken to a number of people who watched the game live and went to the Den and all said we struggled to attack them. I've seen 12 mins highlights on Sky and for all Millwall shots and possession, Kaminski didn't have much to do. 

We got a good point at a ground and team style we won't face much this season 

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Millwall, Stoke, Boro, Cardiff off the top of my head play that way. 

Unsure if other teams do as well. Luton? QPR? Forest? I imagine it's not that rare at this level. 

[rigger]

  On 16/08/2021 at 15:57, Blue blood said:

Millwall, Stoke, Boro, Cardiff off the top of my head play that way. 

Unsure if other teams do as well. Luton? QPR? Forest? I imagine it's not that rare at this level. 

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Hull, Preston, Sheff Utd

[Admiral Nelsen]

  On 16/08/2021 at 12:12, RevidgeBlue said:

Decent point on Saturday but realistically there won't be many if any other games this season where we can get away with only having two efforts on target and coming away with a point.

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Definitely. For now though I'm going to enjoy doing to other teams what seemed to happen to us all the time last year - have 20 shots and still throw points away via a set piece! 

 

  On 16/08/2021 at 13:18, Bigdoggsteel said:

How many more points would we have gotten last season if Ayala was fit? One of ,if not the best centre half we have had in recent memory. 

Brereton has come back a new man from the Copa America. Great to see! 

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Staying fit for two games doesn't absolve us from the poor decision to sign him last year, but his performances so far underline why they found it so tempting to take the gamble on signing him in the first place. Been a long time that we've seen a centre back dominate in the air and look so assured doing the basics of defending. Even the one-on-one chance that Swansea had in the first half which looked to be his fault was fairly clearly offside, so I'll give him the benefit on looking flat-footed on that one.

 

Swallows, summers etc. If he plays 30 games this year though he will make a massive difference.

[Bigdoggsteel]

  On 16/08/2021 at 16:28, Admiral Nelsen said:

 

Definitely. For now though I'm going to enjoy doing to other teams what seemed to happen to us all the time last year - have 20 shots and still throw points away via a set piece! 

 

 

Staying fit for two games doesn't absolve us from the poor decision to sign him last year, but his performances so far underline why they found it so tempting to take the gamble on signing him in the first place. Been a long time that we've seen a centre back dominate in the air and look so assured doing the basics of defending. Even the one-on-one chance that Swansea had in the first half which looked to be his fault was fairly clearly offside, so I'll give him the benefit on looking flat-footed on that one.

 

Swallows, summers etc. If he plays 30 games this year though he will make a massive difference.

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The lack of bodies mean he was rushed in. He definitely knows he has to look after himself and keep fit. Apparently Paul McGrath used not train much ,if at all, during the week. Wasn't Ledly King similiar? I would try to be very careful with him. He makes a huge difference to the team. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

  On 16/08/2021 at 13:53, chaddyrovers said:

No I listened to game on Radio Lancs. But spoken to a number of people who watched the game live and went to the Den and all said we struggled to attack them. I've seen 12 mins highlights on Sky and for all Millwall shots and possession, Kaminski didn't have much to do. 

We got a good point at a ground and team style we won't face much this season 

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So they have copied our style from last season? That's a risky strategy cotton, let's see if it pays off for them 

[Admiral Nelsen]

  On 16/08/2021 at 19:01, Bigdoggsteel said:

The lack of bodies mean he was rushed in. He definitely knows he has to look after himself and keep fit. Apparently Paul McGrath used not train much ,if at all, during the week. Wasn't Ledly King similiar? I would try to be very careful with him. He makes a huge difference to the team. 

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He does. I have to admit I wasn't immediately gushing about him after Swansea, but then you get back from the game, realise that he won something like 14 out of 15 headers and realise that that's exactly what we've been missing for years.

 

No issue with wrapping him in cotton wool either. The only thing I worry about that comparison is that both McGrath and King were (before the injuries) pretty agile and athletic for centre backs. There were times last year where Ayala looked very clumsy and an accident waiting to happen against opposition forwards with a bit of pace about them. I wonder if Ayala needs to be properly fit to cope with those sorts of players?

Guess we'll find out anyway. Certainly much happier with him on the pitch than on the treatment table. 

Edited August 16, 2021 by Admiral Nelsen

[JacknOry]

  On 16/08/2021 at 13:18, Bigdoggsteel said:

How many more points would we have gotten last season if Ayala was fit? One of ,if not the best centre half we have had in recent memory. 

Brereton has come back a new man from the Copa America. Great to see! 

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Ayala has always been a top CB at this level, its just the injuries. Guess Boro got fed up with it in the end. 

[Bigdoggsteel]

  On 17/08/2021 at 08:23, JacknOry said:

Ayala has always been a top CB at this level, its just the injuries. Guess Boro got fed up with it in the end. 

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He played more than 30 games most seasons, up until his last one with them. Hopefully he gets above 30 this season. 

Edited August 17, 2021 by Bigdoggsteel

[JacknOry]

  On 17/08/2021 at 09:15, Bigdoggsteel said:

He played more than 30 games most seasons, up until his last one with them. Hopefully he gets above 30 this season. 

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Yeah but always injured around Xmas time according to their fans. We found that out too.