PLAYER WATCH v Blackpool (H)

[tonyoz]

PLAYER WATCH v Blackpool (H)

Each incident in the match was rated on the following scale: 

+5 GOAL 

+4 Excellent play 

+3 Very good play 

+2 Pleasing/good play 

+1 Decent play 

  0 Routine stuff 

-1 Sloppy play 

 -2 Disappointing/poor play  

 -3 Very poor play 

 -4 Terrible play 

 -5 Own goal 

The ratings for each player were then combined to produce a measure of the players overall contribution to the match. 

 
Ratings       

Key incidents per player = coloured stars              Overall contribution = numbers

Kaminski                 ******      13                              

Nyambe(61)           *******  *****     2

Lenihan                   ********************  *********    20     

van Hecke               ********************  ***********     11

Wharton (               ********  **********     -6

Pickering                ************* ***********     -6

Travis                      *************** *******     9

Rothwell                 **********  ***********     -3

Dolan (61)              ****  *     2    

Gallagher                ******************* *******     20

Diaz                         *******  *********    -4

 

Buckley (61)           ****  ********     5 

Dack (61)                ******  *     7

Giles (80)                *  **     -1

Hedges (91)            *       -2

 

Highlights and Lowlights 

(A justification for the main ratings given above)

 

06 All pretty quiet but Rovers are having most of the ball…….. until Wharton, the last defender, midway in our half is dawdling carelessly and allows Hamilton to rob him and head for goal. (Kaminski was actually outside the D when Scott was robbed!) Kaminski has made it back and comes out and spreads and blocks the shot with his leg on the 6 yard line. No wonder Hamilton is holding his head in his hands! 

07 The corner comes in and drops to Thorniley near the penalty spot, his footwork beats Lenihan;  Dolan and van Hecke can’t get a touch. His shot whistles past the left post. We’re living dangerously and should be one down!

09 A long punt downfield by Kaminski goes over the defender and turns out to be perfect for Gallagher. His first touch is excellent allowing the ball to run on but his second, into the box, is heavy and he pushes it almost too far but he just manages to get there before the keeper and dink it over him into the left side of the net. Sam’s 8th of the season.

11 A totally dumb push in the back foul by Pickering on the winger.

13 Wharton, near the centre-circle, threads a nice ball through the middle for Gallagher who’s on another good run. He leaves it for Diaz who takes it into the box and goes down as the challenge comes in. No penalty - correct shout.

Van Hecke misses out on an aerial challenge and Lenihan completely mis-kicks as he tries to tidy up. Lavery is clear to run into the box and Wharton’s challenge goes in. Lavery goes down! Lenihan blocks a couple of half-shots in the subsequent confusion until someone hoofs it away! The commentators are convinced it was a penalty. But the ref disagreed so we have to say it was a good challenge by Wharton that saved the day again. 

16 Another weak free-kick conceded by Pickering on the winger.

17 Wharton and Pickering allow Blackpool to attack down their right and Hamilton slides a low cross into the box but Travis is the only man around and he clears.

18 It’s a Blackpool long throw which is misjudged by Wharton and van Hecke; fortunately, as it bounces, Travis is there again to boot clear.

24 A well-delivered corner by Rothwell to the far post and a Blackpool man does well to head off the line as Dolan and Diaz challenged.

25 Another good corner by Rothwell from the left to the far post where Diaz, unchallenged and a few yards out, heads over. Bad miss! Several Rovers are holding their heads this time.

28 For the umpteenth time Hamilton does Pickering and delivers a cross…too long this time.

But Blackpool keep the ball and another dangerous cross comes in and Kaminski punches clear acrobatically.

The corner comes in and again we are not winning these aerial balls. A Blackpool man flicks it on but this time they stuff up and it’s a goal-kick.

31 Another good dispossession by van Hecke and another (yawn!) sideways pass from Rothwell. Then he drills a long punt forward, straight to the keeper.

34 Some poor defending again by Rovers but Wharton picks up and tries to run it out of the D but he’s too lackadaisical again and is dispossessed. Van Hecke blocks the shot.

43 Rothwell’s corner is to the near post and Diaz’s glancing header is well over.

44 Hamilton turns Rothwell too easily and then does a kick and rush down the wing. This takes Wharton out of the game and there’s only Travis chasing…….eyeballs bulging as he gives it everything. He manages to get in a sliding challenge and it’s a corner. Good stuff.

Half time. We don’t really deserve to be leading but I’ll take it. 

28% of aerial challenges won!!!

 

45 Here we go again. Three indecisive aerial duels, then Diaz is done by the Blackpool man at the byline. The cross comes in and van Hecke’s header is straight to Hamilton 15 yards out and he volleys the ball over the bar.

47 Lenihan commits 2 soft fouls in 1 minute. The free-kick comes in and van Hecke and Wharton get in each other’s way and JP’s header hits a Blackpool man, Diaz does a panicky air-kick, Lavery shoots from 14 yards and it hits Lenihan and goes just past the left post. We are getting murdered here.

48 Well that’s it! The corner comes in. Van Hecke is out jumped, then Lenihan can’t a good header in and it falls into a crowd of bodies just outside the 6 yard box. No one takes control and it’s serious pinball. Lenihan, Nyambe, Pickering, Gallagher were all there….but a Blackpool foot goes in and the ball ends up in the net. Disaster but it’s been coming. Blackpool deserve it I’m afraid. 

53 Good chase and tackle by Gallagher wins the ball, Travis slides the ball nicely to Diaz, just outside the box. He tries a shot but it’s blocked out for a corner.

55 It’s a long punt by the Blackpool keeper and Wharton heads it down to the feet of an opponent. Thankfully his shot is blocked by Lenihan. Nyambe gives away a soft foul on the wing.

58 More comedy defending. Van Hecke gives the ball away near halfway and the ball is punted down their right wing for Hamilton. Travis manages to hold him up briefly but he still squares to Connolly just inside the box. His shot is blocked by Lenihan; van Hecke and Travis clear. It breaks well for Rovers and Diaz slips it to Dolan and they’re both flying downfield. It all comes to nothing though as Dolan’s  attempt to find the final killer pass, near the box, is awful. Dolan has been poor today.

59 More poor work by Rothwell as he runs into a blind alley on halfway and is dispossessed. 

Blackpool are pushing us back continually and you have to ask “where is the heart of this team?” We look lost. Diaz is trying to wave his teammates forward as he’s the only Rover in the opposition half.

61 Dolan and Nyambe(!) off, Dack and Buckley on.

62 Gallagher gives away a dumb free kick just outside the box, hurling his opponent to the floor! Yellow card. It’s about 12 yards out but Blackpool stuff it up.

69 Van Hecke stands on the ball and loses it, just inside the Blackpool half. Dack wins it back close to the box, Travis takes it on and squares across the box to Gallagher who takes 2 touches and that’s enough time for the defenders to get back to block his shot.

71 A nice long pass down the wing from Pickering to Diaz. He feeds Buckley who loops a cross to the far post where it, more or less, hits Gallagher’s head and drops into the keeper’s arms.

73 Buckley controls well on halfway and sends a nice pass to Diaz. He moves towards the box but his shot is fluffed 90 degrees off target and goes out for a throw.

74 A nice jinking run by Diaz and he lays off to Buckley just outside the box. His shot is weak and straight at the keeper.

75 Lenihan is running down the wing and collects the pass from Travis. His through ball to Dack doesn’t look strong enough but it is! Dack collects, turns away from his man beautifully, and puts it over the keeper into the net. He was offside! Rats!

78 New sub Bowler goes past Pickering and Travis easily and slides it left to Anderson who’s shot hits Lenihan.

 

79 Some nice football from Rovers: Dack to Rothwell to Diaz on the left wing. He drives inside and into the box but he’s out-numbered 3 to 1 and loses the ball. Bowler embarrasses Pickering and the Rover has to foul him to prevent him running away with the ball. Yellow card. Harry’s had a tough day.

80 Wharton has been off with a face injury and he isn’t coming back. Giles on.

83 Dack controls and passes for Gallagher to chase to the right corner flag. He feeds Travis who takes it to the byline just outside the box where he lobs a nice ball square but it skims off Diaz’s head. Pickering lofts the ball back into the box, Gallagher goes up in the goalmouth, then Dack but neither make good contact. Eventually Giles puts in a decent cross but Dack was offside again. He wasn’t going to get there anyway.

89 Where’s the urgency?

90 Anderson beats van Hecke easily and feeds Bowler in the box. Pickering is struggling but he manages to deflect the shot and (I think) it hits the outside of the right post. Gallagher heads clear from the corner.

91 Gallagher off, Hedges on. (Wharton was a concussion injury apparently so we have the extra sub).

92 The ball is fired to Husband on their left and there is no one anywhere near him! He squares it to a teammate who smashes a shot from over 30 yards. Kaminski parries the swerving ball and Lenihan whips it off the toes of Madine near the penalty spot. Darragh is making up for a mediocre first half!

96 Final whistle. We have become a pale shadow of the team that went on that amazing run. We were becoming used to a poor first half followed by a decent second half but today it was poor throughout. It’s crazy that we are still in touch with the top 6! Our recent form is relegation fodder.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Thanks as always Tony. Very depressing reading, it must be harder to write.

[Herbie6590]

The evidence of my eyes borne out with Pickering & Rothwell…didn’t think Wharton had had such a poor game…

[tonyoz]

52 minutes ago, Herbie6590 said:

The evidence of my eyes borne out with Pickering & Rothwell…didn’t think Wharton had had such a poor game…

He made some bad errors first half….and, for the first time ever, I judged he made more negative contributions than positive. I know we all come away from a game with different views and none of us are completely objective. That’s why I provide a commentary to let readers decide if they are on a similar wavelength.

[tonyoz]

21 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Thanks as always Tony. Very depressing reading, it must be harder to write.

Yes but not long to go! The lack of “fight” was depressing. It shocked me…..especially after the players’ ecstatic celebrations after the goals at Coventry!

[yankfan]

4 hours ago, Herbie6590 said:

The evidence of my eyes borne out with Pickering & Rothwell…didn’t think Wharton had had such a poor game…

He nearly gave them 2 goals in the first half getting caught in possession. 

[yankfan]

I think this is pretty spot on.  They lads were very poor.  Rothwell has been a drain since January.  Have to image 9 of Gally's 20 came on the control, and the goal.  The rest of his game was disappointing.  In my mind, taking into account opponent, it was one of the, if not the worst performance of the season.  Sure, we got trounced by Fulham, but they actually have good players

[rigger]

2 minutes ago, yankfan said:

He nearly gave them 2 goals in the first half getting caught in possession. 

Funnily enough Pratt did exactly the same for the U23s, perhaps that is something they practice at training ?