Middlesbrough away 28th August

[Paul Mellelieu]

17 minutes ago, tomphil said:

800+ there on the day.

Looked about 400.

[Parsonblue]

A good point in the end.  I thought we looked better after we brought our three subs on.  I suspect Championship football is going to come as a shock to Poveda and Clarkson who looked completely lost at times.  We desperately need seasoned pros who can put themselves about or we are going to get bullied in this League on a regular basis.  I thought we looked better with Buckley and Dolan who at least put themselves about.

Gallagher looked better in the middle, worked hard and scored a cracking goal.  Brereton was awful and for a so called international footballer his first touch is shocking.

I thought Ayala was excellent again in the centre of defence and we desperately need to keep him fit.

Eight points from the games we've had is a decent return considering the squad we have.

[tomphil]

10 minutes ago, matt83 said:

I suppose if they were vocally well supported that’s fine. But for me I always thought less than 1,000 on a Saturday afternoon for rovers anywhere in the country is my line in the sand for being a joke. £30 + covid + Mowbray + venkys = this. That said went boro before or after a millennium stadium game 500 max, Everton away after Rotterdam same. Defo niche examples but I suppose less than 1000 is the ‘new normal.’

Last few times iv'e been there was around 6/700, been countless times and the most i think iv'e seen there is 1400 ish.  That was when Hughes was manager although i agree with what you are saying.

Not the dearest but for a Northern team it's always at the higher end of the scale. They can get away with it up there though they know only hardy travellers will go. On the home front they had a good crowd in but as someone mentioned earlier the catchment area is there and they believe in their ownership.

[Bigdoggsteel]

37 minutes ago, JoeH said:

Would have to disagree on Pov. He’s got that individuality that we only have in Rothwell. He’ll shine this season and he looked very lively in the first 30 minutes. 

Clarkson I think I’m more inclined to agree with. What’s he bringing that Buckley doesn’t already?

Hard to know yet, but the fact he has played for Liverpool would suggest there's something 

[tomphil]

10 minutes ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

Looked about 400.

You're the opposite of a Burnley fan.

[Fraserkirky]

Great point considering I don’t think we were at the races today. Can’t believe the ref sent Carter off, he didn’t even see the boy, very harsh. Morsy is a horrible wee player but every team needs someone in the middle of the park kicking people.

Pickering is starting to scare me know, was embarrassed a few times in the first half by dicksteel.

Lenihan was so poor again today for me. Didn’t lose many headers but on the deck was a horror show. 
Ayala was immense again.

Nyambe hopefully back after the break. We need him. Would not be surprised to see a PL team come in for him on deadline day.

Poveda looked great first 25 mins or so. Assist on the first game isn’t bad. Faded badly.

Someone already alluded to it but that was a very Buckleyish performance from the Liverpool wonderkid today. That wont cut it Leighton.

Rothwell didn’t do anything until he got hammered by one of their boys. 

Brereton was mince 

Gallagher looked good through the middle. 

Edited August 28, 2021 by Fraserkirky

[Gav]

14 hours ago, Gav said:

As for todays game, I've been delighted with the start we've made to this season, much better than anyone anticipated.

1-1 draw 

Plenty of us picked the score today, but how many had money on it?

I would imagine Steve Gibson is scratching his head this evening after shelling out £10m in the summer and coming up with only 1 point against a depleted Blackburn Rovers side. 

A goal for Sam Gallagher, coupled with several for Diaz so far this season, who needs Armstrong?

It’s been a tremendous start, better than anyone could have expected and long may it continue. 

Onwards and upwards.

[rovers11]

Good away point today against a decent Boro team. We've started the season better than I expected but its a long season and we're well short on numbers and quality. It's looking like there are at least three worse teams than us though. 

[JacknOry]

1 hour ago, JoeH said:

Would have to disagree on Pov. He’s got that individuality that we only have in Rothwell. He’ll shine this season and he looked very lively in the first 30 minutes. 

Clarkson I think I’m more inclined to agree with. What’s he bringing that Buckley doesn’t already?

Doesn't matter on what people think players will bring. TM utilizes them wrong. The Columbian is as much  false nine as Dolan is (actually Dolan is better), we aint Barcelona. Name another side in this division that plays 5ft wingers up front and 6ft strikers on the wing.

TM has to go.

[JacknOry]

53 minutes ago, Parsonblue said:

A good point in the end.  I thought we looked better after we brought our three subs on.  I suspect Championship football is going to come as a shock to Poveda and Clarkson who looked completely lost at times.  We desperately need seasoned pros who can put themselves about or we are going to get bullied in this League on a regular basis.  I thought we looked better with Buckley and Dolan who at least put themselves about.

Gallagher looked better in the middle, worked hard and scored a cracking goal.  Brereton was awful and for a so called international footballer his first touch is shocking.

I thought Ayala was excellent again in the centre of defence and we desperately need to keep him fit.

Eight points from the games we've had is a decent return considering the squad we have.

Didn't Poveda play a part in Leeds promotion? I don't think he wasn't integral though - which suggests he isn't all that. Our Dolan did better. 

Edited August 28, 2021 by JacknOry

[JacknOry]

8 minutes ago, Gav said:

Plenty of us picked the score today, but how many had money on it?

I would imagine Steve Gibson is scratching his head this evening after shelling out £10m in the summer and coming up with only 1 point against a depleted Blackburn Rovers side. 

A goal for Sam Gallagher, coupled with several for Diaz so far this season, who needs Armstrong?

It’s been a tremendous start, better than anyone could have expected and long may it continue. 

Onwards and upwards.

A Blackburn side with 12 million worth of attackers...mind you. 

[tomphil]

With so many kids to fit in and obligations to other clubs to meet along with the more physical resolute style the rotating and tinkering will be off the scale.

Not like we aren't used to it by now though.

[G Somerset Rover]

9 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Didn't Poveda play a part in Leeds promotion? I don't think he wasn't integral though - which suggests he isn't all that. Our Dolan did better. 

To be fair, I think he was about 18-19 then, so understandably he only had occasional sub appearances.

Expecting (hoping!) for better from he and Clarkson soon though, otherwise I fear we’re just preventing more of our lads from progressing.

[Gav]

11 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

A Blackburn side with 12 million worth of attackers...mind you. 

The experts on here say they’re a waste of money, so we can’t count them Jack can we….

😀

Edited August 28, 2021 by Gav

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

At least we had Gallagher playing in the one position he’s likely to actually do something.

[DeeCee]

25 minutes ago, rovers11 said:

Good away point today against a decent Boro team. We've started the season better than I expected but its a long season and we're well short on numbers and quality. It's looking like there are at least three worse teams than us though. 

Good post but I hope it's not the continuing race for the bottom....

 

[JacknOry]

Point is, they shouldnt be a waste. We paid 12 million for them though.

[Uddersfelt Blue]

Rubbish performance today. Can’t see what Clarkson is going to add to the team compared with Elliott last season. Povieda too faded after a bright start.

Boro will be kicking themselves that they didn’t win this game. They were exactly what I would expect a Rovers team to be but without the cutting edge. 
 

What a difference with Buckley and Dolan on the pitch

[Mattyblue]

1 hour ago, HowieFive0 said:

But Matty ..the bar setting  of success for fans from Lancaster ..the Fylde coast  and other surrounding areas  outside Blackburn which boosted our PL attendances  etc .etc.. wasnt set at success at League One ..they were used to PL . The coaches from far and wide around Lancashire are now non existent. They used to fill the land in front of the Fox n Hounds pub.They aint interested in League One success.

You ll only see a filling (not even a full house ..no where near ) at Ewood if we re coasting to Promotion or back in the so called Promised Land ..regardless of price.

As for Tomphil ..i get where you are coming from regarding keeping the base of Rovers ST holders ..but when you re down to a base of 10000 ? there are lots of factors that can influence that figure give or take 1000..regardless of price...which makes a big impression on such a small ST fan base.

As daft as it is (i know it is !) but if Rovers put on a free bar or 2 quid a pint for two hours before the game serving decent ale i still maintain that that would have more upward influence on attendance figures  than a cheaper ticket. Its a sad indictment of these times but no different what Stanley are doing by reducing beer prices to  2 quid a pint after the game if they win ..  i know living in the Accy area what a draw to the game that is   ! It really does drag people in ..

I agree, doing well in the third division isn’t ‘success’ here, but it wasn’t me that said merely winning games pulls in the punters.

So a combination of being down to just c6000 ST holders, sky high match tickets and a pretty bang average team says we ain’t seeing a decent crowd this season - indeed a decent team at the top end wouldn’t either due to the fact we’ve sold so few STs and it’s £30/£40 if you just fancied taking in an attractive fixture.

Great point re the Accy Stanley ‘experience’. Ewood really is a generally soulless, dilapidated place these days, and that isn’t just because of the numbers, Accy have shown what you can do on a match day even with a core of less than 2k.

[RevidgeBlue]

36 minutes ago, Gav said:

The experts on here say they’re a waste of money, so we can’t count them Jack can we….

😀

Nor can we ignore the fact that Mowbray spent£12m on them and they've yet to really deliver.

[arbitro]

I agree with the consensus that it's a good, hard earned point. Although there were no 9/10 performances I thought there enough 6's and 7's to get us the point. Gallagher seemed a different proposition in the middle to what we have seen for too long on the wing. For the first half hour I thought he was our best player but faded and ultimately disappeared as Mowbray shunted him wide in favour of Dolan. The two loanees looked way out of their depth and not really ready for Championship football particularly against physical teams like Middlesbrough. Personally I thought Kaminski looked suspect throughout and his distribution was poor.

A special word however for the referee. After seeing awful performance the night before at Leyland I thought would be a while before I would see one as bad. How wrong I was. The new tolerance they are showing has simply led to huge inconsistencies when judging and punishing foul play. Today the referee looked like he was struggling with what is it isn't a foul and angered both sets of players, officials and fans. I know from personal experience that takes some doing.

[47er]

2 hours ago, Gav said:

The experts on here say they’re a waste of money, so we can’t count them Jack can we….

😀

The experts said Gallagher should play in the middle! Wrong were they (we)?

[TheRoversReturn]

9 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

The goal...

"It was just what Sam needed. Play him down the centre, not out wide, as a number 9."

We can see it, Graham can see it. Gally'll be on the wing next game, and someone like Clarkson or Dolan will be in the middle.

Tony'll just not accept the blindingly obvious on this, will he?

 

[TheRoversReturn]

This was a decent point and against a wily old operator in Warnock. Despite not being the best side, and under the cosh at times, the fact that we did leave with something hints at a growing resilience which was completely absent in the second half of last season. I think Mowbray got his line-up right, but alas couldn't help by ruining it a little later, more of that in a moment.

Man of the Match

- I'm going to give this to Sam Gallagher, who was a nuisance throughout and earned us the point with his strike. He had some commanding runs as well, showing a turn of pace allied with strength and, you can tell that when he goes get moving that he worries the opposition. He's also a handful at other times. Even when his first touch goes awry (and it certainly happens quite a bit) then he's at least giving the opposition backline something to think about, keeps them on their toes and wears them out a little. As soon as Tactics Tony went into Blinkered Tony by putting him on the wing for the final half hour, we didn't look the same threat. MOTM was between him and Ayala, but I think Sam deserves it as, unlike him, he hasn't played Ayala out of position for years and generally done his incompetent best to undermine his confidence and understanding of his role as a footballer in our team. It doesn't matter how many times you tell a chicken that it's a eagle Tony, it's still gonna be chicken. Ayala = our player of the season so far, however, he's been a huge part of our resilience and new-found ability to grind out results.

New Players

- Poveda started well and looked lively, but again it's hard not to wonder what the point of Harry Chapman at Rovers is...he was sent on loan and did well, but still doesn't get a league start. Poveda waltzes in and is immediately on the wing. Why renew Chapman's contract? Why send him out on loan? Clarkson was weak and, again, makes one wonder why the likes of Butterworth and Davenport get so few chances, or if Buckley is deemed so highly then why not keep him in the team? He was certainly better when he came on. The two lads will no doubt improve, but by the time they're hitting their stride they'll be back at their clubs, who will gain from us developing them while our own kids while still be there, waiting and waiting for an opportunity. Neither look like another Harvey Elliot, to be honest. 

Tactics Tony

Tony put Sam up front! Sam worried the opposition! Sam was a handful! Sam even scored a wonder goal, which to be fair none of us would have predicted. But we all would have predicted he'd cause more problems up there than a Dolan or a false nine, which he did! After being our most dangerous player, Tony moved him out to the wing! Is that one step forward and two steps back or two steps forward and one step back? Nobody ever knows with Tony, we do know he's not the quickest in seeing the obvious, but is he a bit slower or a bit quicker on the uptake than we think? We have a championship-standard striker in Gally, play him there. Not a top-quality standard player like an Armstrong, a Toney or even a Keiffer Moore, but he'll do the job and always be a handful. Keep playing him there Tony and stop screwing up his career like you're doing with Chapman.

Nyambe a big loss

We missed Nyambe badly and Carter was willing and tried hard, but his inexperience showed today. His first yellow was reckless and totally needless, meaning there was always a decent chance of a second. The second was a tiny bit harsh, but don't still be sticking your foot in the air like that when you're on a yellow. 

Overall

Overall, we have to be happy with the result, even though the performance wasn't great. Ben got himself into some great positions, but his finishing was poor today and it looks like he could really benefit from his enforced rest over the international break. After his Copa America exploits, he's probably not had a moment to sit back and relax. As for result...we would have lost that last season, especially in the second half of the season. Determination is there and so is a willingness to dig deep. Ayala has been a big part of that and having a fit Travis is another aspect to it. Message to Tony: Football's not rocket science, so stop playing big lummox strikers on the wing and nippy wingers as target men. 

Decent start to the campaign, overall. I'm very much TM out, but he's obviously not going anywhere and we'll hear about his new "rolling" one-year-forever contract whenever they feel like telling us, but at least the toxic atmosphere around the club has started to lift. And that's, at least, something!

COYB!

[Roverthechimp]

Anyone have an eye on the bench. Is TM running the show or are there signs that subs are chosen by Venus/Lowe for example?

I ask because I have never seen TM this active on touchline but also we are playing more "pragmatic" football with some (far from all) sensible decisions and a better allround spirit (tbh think part of that linked to the return of fans)