v Stoke City (h) - 18/4/22

[arbitro]

Anybody expecting Dack to start is going to be disappointed again.

It's incredible that we could be in a playoff position at 4.55 pm after the wretched, awful results of the last few months. Conversely we could be 11th. And that to me will be the story of the season, a season that promised so much but ultimately failed us all miserably.

Is your glass half full of half empty? 😁😁😁

[Herbie6590]

https://www.brfcs.com/magazine/articles/they-played-for-both-rovers-and-the-potters/117

[The Mighty Chaffinch]

The lack of dissent towards Mowbray at Ewood is due to a combination of factors. Firstly, those who continued to buy season tickets throughout Venky’s tenure are those who want to watch Rovers regardless of the circumstances. I’m unashamedly in this camp and the people who surround me in the JW upper are probably the same. I can’t speak for the rest of the ground but I’m convinced the majority are there to support Rovers come hell or high water. Secondly, said people are less likely to attend away matches. This season, a supporter who has attended every home game has only witnessed 3 defeats (admittedly one being the worst in our history!). The home form has been good and even in the post Christmas slump we’re still picking up points only being defeated by Forest (ref from hell) and Bristol (robbed). The crowd aren’t going to turn on Mowbray under those circumstances as their football fare has been better than average at Ewood this season. The gutless collapses witnessed at Peterborough, Coventry, Sheff Utd, Reading, Swansea etc are not being taken into consideration by many. I’m not saying this is a good thing…far from it, but I think it’s a reality. This could be construed as apathy; there may be a hardcore group of fans who think: I’ve seen them win the league, league cup, play in Europe etc etc and therefore sit contented by the memories. There are many factors that have neutralised the home fan base. To summarise, away matches since Christmas I’ve had to endure…home games still give me hope. I still want Mowbray out mind 

[rigger]

4 minutes ago, The Mighty Chaffinch said:

The lack of dissent towards Mowbray at Ewood is due to a combination of factors. Firstly, those who continued to buy season tickets throughout Venky’s tenure are those who want to watch Rovers regardless of the circumstances. I’m unashamedly in this camp and the people who surround me in the JW upper are probably the same. I can’t speak for the rest of the ground but I’m convinced the majority are there to support Rovers come hell or high water. Secondly, said people are less likely to attend away matches. This season, a supporter who has attended every home game has only witnessed 3 defeats (admittedly one being the worst in our history!). The home form has been good and even in the post Christmas slump we’re still picking up points only being defeated by Forest (ref from hell) and Bristol (robbed). The crowd aren’t going to turn on Mowbray under those circumstances as their football fare has been better than average at Ewood this season. The gutless collapses witnessed at Peterborough, Coventry, Sheff Utd, Reading, Swansea etc are not being taken into consideration by many. I’m not saying this is a good thing…far from it, but I think it’s a reality. This could be construed as apathy; there may be a hardcore group of fans who think: I’ve seen them win the league, league cup, play in Europe etc etc and therefore sit contented by the memories. There are many factors that have neutralised the home fan base. To summarise, away matches since Christmas I’ve had to endure…home games still give me hope. I still want Mowbray out mind 

A good point, well presented. But do the players have no pride in what they produce ?

Edited April 18, 2022 by rigger

[CrouchingNunhiddenCucumber]

1 hour ago, cesus said:

We all know this is a game we win today, the gap to the play offs stays 2 points. The hope builds again then we put in a horrific performance at Preston live on TV in another punch to the gut.

Honestly can't see a win. I reckon a dire 0-0 and the gap remains the same. Mowbray continues to not look at the table and blames Nyambe and the fans. 

[The Mighty Chaffinch]

5 minutes ago, rigger said:

A good point, well presented. But do the players have no pride in what they produce ?

I’m more inclined to link their recent malaise to Mowbray’s tactics and him asking them to perform roles to which they are not suited. Johnson as a false nine against Derby being a prime example. I don’t think the players are throwing in the towel, rather they’re being badly managed 

[rigger]

6 minutes ago, The Mighty Chaffinch said:

I’m more inclined to link their recent malaise to Mowbray’s tactics and him asking them to perform roles to which they are not suited. Johnson as a false nine against Derby being a prime example. I don’t think the players are throwing in the towel, rather they’re being badly managed 

I agree that the tactics employed and management of the players is bad. But the roles they are being asked to do, is to be  footballers. Even in positions they are not comfortable with they should be able to compete, at playing football !

Edited April 18, 2022 by rigger

[RoversTilliDie]

2 hours ago, Gav said:

I know you're having a bit of a laugh here and you make your own luck in football, but we've been on the end of some awful refereeing this season, the standard has plummeted to the worse I can ever remember. 

It always seems worse when you can't buy a win or score goals, but I'm sure I'm not on my own in thinking they've been awful. 

Rovers 1 Stoke 1 - Players have given up.

I will be there as usual at 3pm hoping they get there act together and give the long suffering supporters something to cheer about. 5-0 rovers.

Edited April 18, 2022 by RoversTilliDie

[rigger]

2 minutes ago, RoversTilliDie said:

I will be there as usual at 3pm hoping they get there act together and give the long suffering supporters something to cheer about.

I woke up this morning, and I think I will do some gardening.

[TonyM]

Was planning to watch this on RoversTV (not really sure why), but doesn't seem to be available, yet ?

[TimmyJimmy]

11 hours ago, Miller11 said:

Brereton and Gallagher are far too wide, they only come anywhere near central when we are in possession in and around the box. 

Get well soon mate.

Fabulous post, nail on head.

Strikers positioned wide, goals positioned in the centre, go figure Mr Mowbray.

If this formation is played every match we'll lose, oh wait a minute.

[chaddyrovers]

10 hours ago, tomphil said:

After watching 2 seasons of that stubbornly imposed possession rubbish nobody would be surprised if they are now back to being drilled into something else just to try and make it work.

I'm glad someone else has noticed the subtle differences that started as soon as a few enforced changes had to be made. We've never gone back to what was working in that great run at all this more resembles what was going on in the period that led to a 0-7 home clumping.

We haven't been playing possession based football this season and when we went through our winning/unbeaten run we would sit back and hit teams on the break but since New Year period teams have sit back against us and give us more possession of the ball and Mowbray hasn't had been able to come up with winning formula. This is one of the reasons I have been pushing for Mowbray and Rovers to move back to 4-2-3-1 pressing high, playing on the front foot. 

5 hours ago, Mercer said:

Don't be such a bloody drama queen.

I think we need a change of manager, and have done so since Mowbray oversaw our relegation to League One, 

Is Alex Neil still on his way here? 

1 hour ago, The Mighty Chaffinch said:

The lack of dissent towards Mowbray at Ewood is due to a combination of factors. Firstly, those who continued to buy season tickets throughout Venky’s tenure are those who want to watch Rovers regardless of the circumstances. I’m unashamedly in this camp and the people who surround me in the JW upper are probably the same. I can’t speak for the rest of the ground but I’m convinced the majority are there to support Rovers come hell or high water. Secondly, said people are less likely to attend away matches. This season, a supporter who has attended every home game has only witnessed 3 defeats (admittedly one being the worst in our history!). The home form has been good and even in the post Christmas slump we’re still picking up points only being defeated by Forest (ref from hell) and Bristol (robbed). The crowd aren’t going to turn on Mowbray under those circumstances as their football fare has been better than average at Ewood this season. The gutless collapses witnessed at Peterborough, Coventry, Sheff Utd, Reading, Swansea etc are not being taken into consideration by many. I’m not saying this is a good thing…far from it, but I think it’s a reality. This could be construed as apathy; there may be a hardcore group of fans who think: I’ve seen them win the league, league cup, play in Europe etc etc and therefore sit contented by the memories. There are many factors that have neutralised the home fan base. To summarise, away matches since Christmas I’ve had to endure…home games still give me hope. I still want Mowbray out mind 

Its an excellent point you make about supporters who have season tickets that they have witness good form and plenty of wins. 

It would be interesting to see the figures of how many away games STH does each season. 

I have just a few this season but not be able to as many as I wanted for a number of different reasons sadly. 

[chaddyrovers]

11 hours ago, Miller11 said:

I’ve been confined to bed all bank holiday weekend, so to further sour my already shit mood I’ve rewatched the Peterborough game.

The tweaks that we made to our play when we hit the good spell of form have now become our weaknesses. The difference between November and now is massive.

The centre backs are now too far apart. Lenihan in particular is obsessed with going out to the touchline and he’s back to engaging with every ball possible like he has done throughout his time as a centre back and all three look far less composed because of this. They get caught out and get in the way. They have also given up on playing simple balls, it always has to be into the channels for Brereton/Gallagher.

Brereton and Gallagher are far too wide, they only come anywhere near central when we are in possession in and around the box. It’s why our build up play is so ponderous and we resort to crap long shots. Gallagher is particularly bad in this role, so why he’s selected when dick head had to bring in 10 “wide forwards” I don’t know. Gallagher is also the softest player I’ve ever seen.

Because we are so overloaded in wide areas, the opposition players pull wide to defend. This almost completely negates the attacking threat of the wing backs. When we were good you’d see Nyambe knock the ball past his man and run, getting us up the field. There are far too many bodies in both coloured shirts to do this now. The only time we really attempt to get the wing backs on the ball is when they have their backs to goal. Again, The long, high diagonal balls into the corner when they are pushed on up next to our supposed strikers.

Buckley was our best player for a spell when he was playing in midfield, but nipping out of midfield and leading the press when they tried to play it out from the back. He’d nick it off their holding midfielder or centre back, but he was in no way shape or form an attacker. He is now completely lost, frustrated and ineffective, because all he is expected to do is chase everything down like prime Paul Dickov. Games are completely passing him by aside from the odd stupid foul and piss weak shot. Our best passer of the ball has nobody to pass to most of the time.

The more we have learnt to play the way Mowbray wants us to, the worse we have got. It’s as though Mowbray has instructed the players to do these things (that should be subtle variations from the way they would normally expect to play) all the time, to only concern themselves with them and to forget everything that comes naturally to them. It’s obviously drilled into them too, we aren’t deviating at all.

Unless we throw Mowbray’s playbook out of the window (like Derby second half) we will lose again tomorrow. 

sorry to hear about the Covid. 

I agree with everything about how we are playing back 5 and reasons why its not woring. Buckley's impact in games has been zero cos of the role he is being asked to play. Both forwards are too wide. This is why I have been saying for weeks now we needed to change formation and go back 4 now. 

So would now be favour of dropping the back 5 formation and moving back 4-2-3-1?

[roverandout]

9 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

We haven't been playing possession based football this season and when we went through our winning/unbeaten run we would sit back and hit teams on the break but since New Year period teams have sit back against us and give us more possession of the ball and Mowbray hasn't had been able to come up with winning formula. This is one of the reasons I have been pushing for Mowbray and Rovers to move back to 4-2-3-1 pressing high, playing on the front foot. 

Is Alex Neil still on his way here? 

Its an excellent point you make about supporters who have season tickets that they have witness good form and plenty of wins. 

It would be interesting to see the figures of how many away games STH does each season. 

I have just a few this season but not be able to as many as I wanted for a number of different reasons sadly. 

Plenty of wins? Not lately.  As for the good football going off what people say on here its turgid 

[Miller11]

9 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

sorry to hear about the Covid. 

I agree with everything about how we are playing back 5 and reasons why its not woring. Buckley's impact in games has been zero cos of the role he is being asked to play. Both forwards are too wide. This is why I have been saying for weeks now we needed to change formation and go back 4 now. 

So would now be favour of dropping the back 5 formation and moving back 4-2-3-1?

I am not sure the back 5 is the biggest issue, and switching to a back 4 wouldn’t do us any good if the other problems persisted. A back 4 with Lenihan and Hedges as full backs would certainly not be an improvement. I’d be much happier if we ditched the wide strikers and false 9 rubbish.

 

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I was thinking about playing with a back four until the defending in the Peterborough game reminded me why we went to five at the back in the first place.

[tomphil]

They found something that worked but strayed away from it then never went back to it.

That's the real issue.

[chaddyrovers]

22 minutes ago, roverandout said:

Plenty of wins? Not lately.  As for the good football going off what people say on here its turgid 

But you aren't looking at this overall the season. Where I was. 

I have seen some excellent performances and wins this season

[chaddyrovers]

12 minutes ago, Miller11 said:

I am not sure the back 5 is the biggest issue, and switching to a back 4 wouldn’t do us any good if the other problems persisted. A back 4 with Lenihan and Hedges as full backs would certainly not be an improvement. I’d be much happier if we ditched the wide strikers and false 9 rubbish.

 

 

Your centre backs are solid anymore and far too wide as you said. If you look at the team I picked where I selected players in their properly positions. That what we need to do today. 

[Upside Down]

6 hours ago, Mercer said:

Don't be such a bloody drama queen.

I think we need a change of manager, and have done so since Mowbray oversaw our relegation to League One, and keep carrying on with Mowbray is akin to continually taking paracetamol for a headache that wont go away and a refusal to go to the doctors only to discover when it's too late that you have a terminal brain tumour.

We already know we have a terminal brain tumour but all we're given is paracetamol.

That is our situation. 

[chaddyrovers]

Rovers have got today's match day prices all wrong again. 

Its should 15 pounds all areas for adults and get fans back today. Its a bank holiday and good day to attract fans in today with the correct pricing policy but charging 25 pounds plus is wrong again. 

Today should be ideal time to get people interested in coming to Ewood Park again. 

[Mattyblue]

I’m all for ticket deals, as I’m sure you lot are all aware of!

However, £15 or £25 won’t make a massive difference when on such a horrendous run. And we’ll see evidence of that with a pitiful take up of £10 tickets in a couple of weeks if we’ve mathematically fallen away by then…

[Devon Rover]

So, in my mind, it is win today or the last bit of (realistic, if not mathematical) hope of a playoff place is gone. Is this fair? From Mr Beaten Down from The South West!

[Sparks Rover]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

Buckley's impact in games has been zero cos of the role he is being asked to play.

Bullshit.  Bucko impact in games is zero because he's not quite good ènough.  A good player makes the best of his position and Bucko isn't a good player, especially when the pressure is on.  Little flicks and shit have gone, he was hanging on the coat tails of BBD, now he's disappeared as soon as the wins disappear. 

[lraC]

12 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

Bullshit.  Bucko impact in games is zero because he's not quite good ènough.  A good player makes the best of his position and Bucko isn't a good player, especially when the pressure is on.  Little flicks and shit have gone, he was hanging on the coat tails of BBD, now he's disappeared as soon as the wins disappear. 

I would say that Buckley is the best player we have and in the right role, he will shine.

The way he has been used and or banished to the bench, reminds me a lot of that happened to Josh King, as he was a wasted talent during his time with us.