v Reading (a) - 17/8/22 - Mark 1

[oldjamfan1]

4 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Again I can't fathom talk of a "free hit" at Sheffield United regardless of the score at Reading. We could be top of the league having won 4, why are we writing off games?!

It comes back off talk of yesterday where many would have taken a point at home and even a narrow defeat was mentioned.

In a bang average league, we are a team who have so far won every game and are supposedly targeting promotion, at least the play offs. There are NO games we should consider to be free hits.

It was me who described the Blades game as a ‘free hit’. If you think it means the same as writing it off I think you must have gone to a different school to me.

[Bethnal]

Hope the recovery work today has been effective, although if they had a day off after the effort yesterday, I wouldn’t begrudge them.

A week’s rest and I’d be expecting a cricket score against Reading, but it’s tough work busting a gut in heat like that then doing another 90 minutes 75 hours later. If the next two are draws, I wouldn’t be too disappointed.

[tomphil]

I don't concur with the free hit analogy it was used last season several times over and look what happened there.  As well as the old it's ok we've got x games in hand so when we win we'll ......

Said exactly the same last season as well that whilst we know we can't win every game we have to expect to aim to get a result in every one.  

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 minute ago, tomphil said:

I don't concur with the free hit analogy it was used last season several times over and look what happened there.  As well as the old it's ok we've got x games in hand so when we win we'll ......

Said exactly the same last season as well that whilst we know we can't win every game we have to expect to aim to get a result in every one.  

There aren’t any “ free hits “ when you’re top of the tree. Everybody wants to knock you off your perch. The sooner the players get their heads around that mentality the better.

[Burrells Boy]

One game at a time, time to think about Sheffield after Wednesday.

[Aqualung]

I'll be well chuffed if Reading score 0.

[tomphil]

25 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

There aren’t any “ free hits “ when you’re top of the tree. Everybody wants to knock you off your perch. The sooner the players get their heads around that mentality the better.

Well this guy is no shoulder shrugger so at least we know he'll be trying to drum a new mentality into them.

[DeeCee]

Will JDT want to play Phillips for 90 minutes with Sheffield Utd at the weekend? Tough call.

[Aqualung]

Just now, DeeCee said:

Will JDT want to play Phillips for 90 minutes with Sheffield Utd at the weekend? Tough call.

Maybe Wharton will be back for that game. 

[Guest]

Top of the league has a very strange and unfamiliar ring to it for us down-trodden-long-suffering-patience-tested football fans of Blackburn Rovers, but only really for most of our lifetimes 😉 ! It is a nice feeling to think your team has somehow suddenly acquired that thing that makes a group of players into an exciting prospect to watch. Call it man-management, call it planning and strategy, call it alchemy, it all adds up to the same wonderful nerve-shredding, forward-looking, roller-coaster riding experience that generally has the stadium rocking. This, if it can somehow magically continue for long enough this season, will be the magic that brings Ewood back to life and possibly the secret to unlocking a much brighter future for our wonderful club.

But back to reality - Reading are in woeful form, managed by a former associate of our own club whose passion for the game cannot be questioned, but whose approach we have seen all to well at first hand is somewhat hapless at times (PI-SHOOOOOT!!)

It is a banana skin, to be honest. I have no doubt JDT will have the Rovers players well drilled and industrious for this one, just like any other (ssshheeett they even SOUND like professional footballers who know what they are doing now, going off Gally's interview on Rovers TV!!). But hey, football has a tradition of slapping folk in the face when you expect an easy ride. So this is a test of JDT and his philosophy, just as much as WBA was on Sunday, and Sheff Utd will be at the weekend. 

But isn't it wonderful to be looking forward to the game again?!! Oh yeah!

COYB!!

Allez les BLUE!!

[roversfan99]

If we were playing in the Premier League, we could treat games v City and Liverpool as free hits, anythings a bonus against opposition so superior. 

In this average league, there is no reason for an inferiority complex at all. We finished 8th last season and all signs are good with our new manager. 

[JacknOry]

Reading the Reading boards, they are just as thread bare as us if not moreso. Tons of injuries there apparently (especially in defence). They are not looking forward to it and are clinging onto xG of all things. Ours is the lowest in the division apparently and they are 9th. 

[JacknOry]

Also, their new keeper had a nightmare last time out. Ironically, signed from Boro. Do they even train keepers down there or is it their plan to fool people into buying duds that can barely catch a ball? 

 

[WacoRover]

The Madjeski (sp?) is the site of my only Rovers game thus far, a 2-1 Rovers win, with Armstrong & Dack doing the honors. Our son saw Rovers win by the same score a few years earlier, while a student at Reading, with Jordan Rhodes scoring. 

Methinks we will be happy with a similar result this time around, I will say 3-1.

COYB! 

[Ossydave]

7 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

That's something we don't if certain players are carry minor injuries. 

Good job we got a very good performance director then. 

Plus it's will much cooler..

Let's just win this game. Let's should be the focus for me

Don't really understand your post sorry. 

What I will say is I'm willing to bet that last season Phillips would have stayed on the pitch longer, maybe even Brittain too (both wrongly of course).

We seem to have a more cautious approach this season, I'm convinced our old manager overruled advice from performance/medical staff at times. Pure speculation of course and not based on any facts.

[1864roverite]

12 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Why would you take a point? We have won 3 out of 3, Reading have lost 2, have a poor side, are expected to struggle and have the leagues worst keeper and the leagues worst manager. Surely any dropped points would be frustrating if of course not catastrophic.

The effect of the efforts v WBA cannot be underestimated and therefore I would be happy with a point, ecstatic with 3 and miffed if we lost ! We all know Rovers have been great since day 1 however it’s a big ask to bury the reading hoodoo following such a strength sapping game 3 days later

[BlackburnEnd75]

I think with 5 subs we've got to look to play the strongest side available both here and at Sheffield utd on Saturday. Use the bench earlier to freshen things up or to 'rest' players, stick with the bulk of the winning team

[AllRoverAsia]

It is more a Venky rather than a Reading hoodoo.

We have lost to Reading a total of 8 times of which 7 happened under chicken owners.

The caveat is that we have only played them 27 times and have won 10.

I don't do pre match predictions anymore.

Edited August 16, 2022 by AllRoverAsia

[roversfan99]

2 hours ago, 1864roverite said:

The effect of the efforts v WBA cannot be underestimated and therefore I would be happy with a point, ecstatic with 3 and miffed if we lost ! We all know Rovers have been great since day 1 however it’s a big ask to bury the reading hoodoo following such a strength sapping game 3 days later

Reading are not only one of the very worst teams in the league but are also probably even more threadbare than us. Their subs bench on Saturday was a sub keeper and 6 kids whereas we at least have Dack, Dolan and Morton to come in should we feel the need to change anything.

As a team with the aim of improving upon 8th place and sitting pretty at the top, we should be feeling confident of beating such a poor opposition both in players and managers and any dropped points would be frustrating.

Reading hoodoo? Come on.

[jim mk2]

1 minute ago, roversfan99 said:

Reading hoodoo? Come on.

In the Venky's era, we've won one and lost 5 in 6 games away to Reading. If it's not a hoodoo it's pretty poor. 

[Paul Mani]

I reckon Rovers unchanged from the XI who started on Saturday. Looking to utilise the bench and all 5 subs from 60 mins. Hopefully we’ll be a couple in front by then!🤞🏽

Reading 0 - 3 Rovers

[Guest]

7 hours ago, JacknOry said:

Also, their new keeper had a nightmare last time out. Ironically, signed from Boro. Do they even train keepers down there or is it their plan to fool people into buying duds that can barely catch a ball? 

 

If they operate a high line like that and commit 8 bodies forward in their press as you can see here against us on Wednesday, we're nailed on to get goals.

[Admiral Nelsen]

Just now, JoeH said:

If they operate a high line like that and commit 8 bodies forward in their press as you can see here against us on Wednesday, we're nailed on to get goals.

 

On course to rocket up that xG table!

 

First goal could be even more important than usual in this, I think. They'll be desperate to right some wrongs, but they will be fragile with their personnel missing and after such a poor defeat. 

[only2garners]

10 hours ago, Aqualung said:

Maybe Wharton will be back for that game. 

Wharton is out until September isn’t he?

[chaddyrovers]

51 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

As a team with the aim of improving upon 8th place and sitting pretty at the top, we should be feeling confident of beating such a poor opposition both in players and managers and any dropped points would be frustrating.

Has JDT has said it project and work under construction. Its been an excellent start and I would hope we get 3 points tomorrow night there