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

[Mike E]

'Never in 50 years'.

Bollocks.

Bad day, piss-poor, rank bad. Yes.

'Never in 50 years' pretends 0-7 to Fulham at Ewood didn't happen. Or the many times we just backed off under Kean. Or Ince. Or Kidd.

[RevidgeBlue]

8 minutes ago, Mike E said:

'Never in 50 years'.

Bollocks.

Bad day, piss-poor, rank bad. Yes.

'Never in 50 years' pretends 0-7 to Fulham at Ewood didn't happen. Or the many times we just backed off under Kean. Or Ince. Or Kidd.

Hear what you're saying Mike, but it COULD easily have been 6 or 7 and it wasn't Ferguson's Man Ure or a top.of the table Fulham.

Every cloud though, we're still top and last night's drubbing might concentrate a few minds on the transfer front.

[roverstdt]

Tonight was bound to happen one day or another. I don’t blame the team it is very young. We had vale Dolan Philips Buckley all out there.

for me Buckley looks tired and didn’t do the basic, this is a game Wharton would have loved. Pickering needs to find his confidence and Brittain actually look alright.

i actually agree with JDT wrong decisions cost us. Whether it was the penalty on Philips/Edun or the failed pass from Diaz to Dack who was unmarked in the box, to no one closing Hoilett down. 
hurts more that two ex rovers scored, and thst it was Ince.

we need more bodies and older bodies

[booth]

7 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

It's 1 game. I won't be OTT in any criticism tonight. I believe we are going in the right direction under JDT. 

Onwards and upwards under JDT's Blue and White Army 🔵⚪️

 

It's the match thread for this game and saying we were diabolical last night isn't OTT.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

6 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

Some observations from the long trip to Reading last night - my first sight of Rovers live this season

1. Paul Ince did an excellent job on us. No doubt advised by his ex-ManU mate Steve Bruce after the West Brom match, he had Reading in our faces from the kick-off and they kept it up for the full 90 minutes. I've never seen a Rovers team bullied and intimidated like that in 50 years' watching. Our nice boys just sank back and wilted 

2. We're in a false position at the top of the league. We need at least 4 or 5 signings (good ones) to sustain a promotion challenge over 40 plus games. The squad is too thin in both quality and quantity

3. The manager got his starting XI seriously wrong. Vale and Dolan are League 2 standard - and that's being kind. He made the right subs at half time (which Mowbray wouldn't have done) but if that's our best XI it's not good enough to get out of this league

4. I liked Nyambe but the new right back is clearly a better player. As for Zmodics (sp) what can you say except meh? He looks like a few other meh midfielders we've had in recent years. Travis was just about the only player who could hold his head up last night - the rest went missing in action

5. I'm not sure of the Rovers turnout but there were lots of empty spaces and I've never heard Rovers fans so quiet. We were/are top of the league so they had plenty to sing about but it was all very odd. Reading fans loved it....."top of the league, you're having a laugh"...

Not a good night to be a Rover

 

The only other time I've seen rovers bullied like that was at Ewood in 2020 (I think)- against Reading.  They had a number of big, quick  athletic lads playing that night and completely over ran us. 

We lost 4-2 but that flattered us. 

 

Have to wonder whether this new found leniency by refs is going to be detrimental to our younger players. This lot have developed during the days of 'falling over for a foul' which appear to have gone - thank God. 

There is little steel outside of CB anywhere in our squad.  It's a little bit powderpuff. 

 

[Mattyblue]

6 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

5. I'm not sure of the Rovers turnout but there were lots of empty spaces and I've never heard Rovers fans so quiet. We were/are top of the league so they had plenty to sing about but it was all very odd. Reading fans loved it....."top of the league, you're having a laugh"...

1,200 - cracking turnout for a midweek down there.

[Gav]

On 16/04/2022 at 10:54, jim mk2 said:

I walked out the ground before the end I was so disgusted …. And I’ve never done that in 60 years watching football 

 

6 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

I've never seen a Rovers team bullied and intimidated like that in 50 years' watching. Our nice boys just sank back and wilted 

Which was worse?

The last away game you went to at Peterborough or last night at Reading? I'm beginning to think you're a jinx 😉

I'm not sure what posters are expecting really, we have a worse squad than last season, we are significantly down on numbers and a manager that was 5th choice who needs time to settle in. If we finish mid-table this season with this current squad we'll have done extremely well in my opinion.

A club with absent owners and no money, is still the same club regardless of who the manager is. 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Gav

[BigBar]

8 hours ago, yankfan said:

Feel Morton should have come on for Buckley at the half. Bucko put in a massive shift on Sunday. Worked hard in the middle then under pressure for the second half at right back. We should have a solid rotation there between Trav, Bucko and Morton. It was obvious he was off it today. 

He was anonymous against West Brom too. Let's not rewrite history. He isn't a right back so he can have a pass there but did nothing in midfield. Working hard isn't good enough. 

[joey_big_nose]

Will be very interesting wgat we do against Sheff Utd. Mowbray would probably stick with the same system despite the one loss... I wonder if JDT and Remy will go for an instant switch? I think they will want to. I'm sure Utd will mimic Readings tactics, they've got all the players to do so....

Only got two days to prepare though. And no defenders for a 352/343.

Tricky 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

If you’re going to play four at the back it’s imperative that all four can defend.

[K-Hod]

9 hours ago, Sparks Rover said:

Should have bought Whiteman when we bad chance.  First name on the nobbers team sheet, links the whole team together and takes no fuckin shit like our soft shites....had to be said.

You say that as though it’s the first time you’ve brought it up…..

[Sweaty Gussets]

Who's Whiteman, and have we missed out on him? 

Edited August 18, 2022 by Sweaty Gussets

[RoversClitheroe]

Have to say, we got absolutely bullied last night.

Hoilett destroyed Pickering, who I would be looking to sell.

Brittain didn't look fit enough, exhaustion probably impacting him still.

Phillips couldn't win a header, if we're being brutal at fault for the first goal at least.

Trav and Buckley got outdone by there midfield.

Personally think we came into the game thinking we'd win 10-0, got a rude awakening.

[BigBar]

Is Whiteman doing well at Preston @Sparks Rover? Haven't seen much of him at all. 

[Sweaty Gussets]

'Set traps' - Paul Ince outlines how Reading FC outsmarted Blackburn Rovers - LancsLive

Outsmarted by Paul Ince and his two staff. They don't even have a dugout FFS!

Come on JDT, don't make me stop loving you. 

 

[imy9]

I was watching All or Nothing Arsenal yesterday and it made me reflect on a number of things.

we are moving away from one style of football and playing something different. JDT has had weeks and this season will be a transitional one.  We need players who are used to his style of play and that takes time and will take a couple of transfer windows. 
 

my biggest worry is left back and Pickering. The last few games it’s apparent that the opposition is targeting him and all he does is get the ball and play it backwards. Having seen him last year I can only think that this is a confidence issue because I do feel he is technically good enough to pass the ball to feet at pace.

I am interested to see the reaction from the players but ideally need a couple of new signings in Before the United match.

[Sparks Rover]

13 minutes ago, BigBar said:

Is Whiteman doing well at Preston @Sparks Rover? Haven't seen much of him at all. 

First name of team sheet and the fans favourite to be captain instead of Browne...they love him....we could have bought him and he'd be sitting at the base of our midfield dictating the play letting Bucko go send his pea rollers in

[K-Hod]

15 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

First name of team sheet and the fans favourite to be captain instead of Browne...they love him....we could have bought him and he'd be sitting at the base of our midfield dictating the play letting Bucko go send his pea rollers in

Pea roller like this one, you mean?

(skip to 39 seconds).

[Paul Mellelieu]

Still on hols, so following the game via this site whilst tucking into some lovely rabbit pasta.

Not great to be out-smarted by Paul Ince, but we know that the squad is mid-table at best currently and much needs to be done.

There are additional worries as I see it, the floundering form of our left back and the underwhelming contribution of the new boys.  I also do wonder how much JDT thought he could get out of a starting line-up with Dolan and Vale.  Much to ponder and a good performance needed at the weekend.

 

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

3 minutes ago, Paul Mellelieu said:

Still on hols, so following the game via this site whilst tucking into some lovely rabbit pasta.

Not great to be out-smarted by Paul Ince, but we know that the squad is mid-table at best currently and much needs to be done.

There are additional worries as I see it, the floundering form of our left back and the underwhelming contribution of the new boys.  I also do wonder how much JDT thought he could get out of a starting line-up with Dolan and Vale.  Much to ponder and a good performance needed at the weekend.

 

 

Yeah starting with Dolan and Vale up front had me scratching my head too.

[USABlue]

Inread something on here if a bust up, JDT and Hedges, true? Could that have affected the performance.  Interesting comment the the players did not do what was talked about. Why?  That needs sorted.

Did not watch, listen or follow the game, got home from work and knew it was bad when I saw 32 pages in the match thread.  Think I will pass on the match replay.

Edited August 18, 2022 by USABlue

[chaddyrovers]

1 hour ago, booth said:

It's the match thread for this game and saying we were diabolical last night isn't OTT.

I was talking about myself 

This is a new management team and JDT is getting used to the championship and adapting to it. I think he would have learnt more about these players after last night defeat then winning 

[The Gull]

Football really is a magical thing, and people believe in different types of magic as well as having differing views.

We win 3 games and all is good, still needs some additions but those who said we wouldn't get a point before Sept 1st couldn't wait for the first defeat to throw the players and club under the bus.

Last night was poor, Mowbrayesque if you like, toothless, energyless, feckless, but I will still give it some time to judge the new management team and the impact they will have.

Under Mowbray that would be the start of 4 or 5 games without a win, if we get 4 points from the next two games I'd say we are in a fantastic position, 3 very good, 2 decent first 5 league games of the season, 0 disaster.  All of those scenarios would be slightly better if we get 3 or 4 first team players in, by the same token, if we get 6 points and no signings I would extremely concerned for what is to come.

Pickering obviously has a target on his back for many, I don't think he was the worst player on the pitch last night, that for me was Buckley, who I am a big fan of, he offerred nothing in that position last night, gave the ball away, wasn't incisive, didn't control the game as he needs to.

Travis, Ayala and Phillips were all left exposed and looked like it was them 3 against the reading 11 at times as most other players didn't turn up.

That is my opinion on what I watched and where we are right now, not celebrating and not throwing myself off a cliff, I have watched Rovers for best part of 40 years and know we have good times and we have bad times, I'm hopefull we are transitioning from a bad time but will need to have patience for the "project" as JDT has said many times.

I do wish we had different owners, but it is what it is and quite frankly the Walker Trust are to blame for that IMO, it is not healthy to get so wound up, swinging from ecstatic to depressed on 1 result.

Edited August 18, 2022 by The Gull

[Sparks Rover]

17 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

Pea roller like this one, you mean?

(skip to 39 seconds).

Any more?  No, just the one...🙄  after a 4 month break too

Edited August 18, 2022 by Sparks Rover

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Sparks Rover said:

Should have bought Whiteman when we bad chance.  First name on the nobbers team sheet, links the whole team together and takes no fuckin shit like our soft shites....had to be said.

 John Buckley is better than both Ben Whiteman and Stefan Mols. Had to be said 😉