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

[oldjamfan1]

7 minutes ago, roverandout said:

I wouldn’t call Sheffield utd a free hit. There's nothing to fear over them.  We have a better manager.  Their players are nothing special.  We are in better form.  I would go there with real expectation 

No, certainly nothing to fear from them, I just meant absolutely pressure-free in the sense that if we lost that game then 9 points from 4 games would still constitute a decent return.

[Admiral Nelsen]

12 minutes ago, roverandout said:

I wouldn’t call Sheffield utd a free hit. There's nothing to fear over them.  We have a better manager.  Their players are nothing special.  We are in better form.  I would go there with real expectation 

 

Expectation would be too far for me. I wouldn't call it a free hit either, but they have some very good players at this level, and a deeper squad than us after for what will be our third game in six days. 

 

If we won vs Reading and got a draw from Brammall Lane I'll be doing cartwheels. 

[Danny O.Brien]

Yeah four points from these two away games would be class. We owe sheff united after last season. Their manager is terrible but they've got arguably the best squad in the league.

[1864roverite]

Tough game on the back of yesterday added to Reading getting a kicking v Rotherham. I would take a point but 3 would be absolutely brilliant!

 

[JacknOry]

Its tough because we had such a difficult game in such hot weather just a few days before, picked up some knocks and are looking bare. I think we will make changes for this. Dolan probably comes in for Hedges perhaps and I reckon the liverpool lad will start. At the back...well, normally i would rest Ayala for this one but we dont have anyone else. 

As for Diaz, well, he's Chilean so is accustomed to hot weather 🙂

Edited August 15, 2022 by JacknOry

[RV Blue]

Dack for Sammy will be the only change I reckon, I don’t think you’ll see the two of them on the pitch at the same time much this season.

[JacknOry]

24 minutes ago, RV Blue said:

Dack for Sammy will be the only change I reckon, I don’t think you’ll see the two of them on the pitch at the same time much this season.

Nah, i think at least a couple need a rest. Sheff Utd coming up a few days later. Dack is an option but i still don't think he will start yet. 

[RV Blue]

6 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Nah, i think at least a couple need a rest. Sheff Utd coming up a few days later. Dack is an option but i still don't think he will start yet. 

He’s never going to be ready to start if he doesn’t start, no better chance to give him a go than against Reading when a lot of our players will be exhausted after yesterday. Dolan is okay as a sub when some energy is needed but he shouldn’t be a starter at this level, which I believe Tomasson has already realised.

[JacknOry]

2 minutes ago, RV Blue said:

He’s never going to be ready to start if he doesn’t start, no better chance to give him a go than against Reading when a lot of our players will be exhausted after yesterday. Dolan is okay as a sub when some energy is needed but he shouldn’t be a starter at this level, which I believe Tomasson has already realised.

I agree that normally Dolan is best suited off the bench. I just think after that tough game in hot weather and the limited squad size we have - we have to make a few changes. Dolan can come in for Hedges and the latter can come on later. Dack, yes i get it but it depends if JDT trusts him to start, not sure on whether he does yet. 

Even Markanday has picked up a knock - we are thread bare at the moment so think we have to at least make changes where we can. 

[roversfan99]

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.

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, 1864roverite said:

Tough game on the back of yesterday added to Reading getting a kicking v Rotherham. I would take a point but 3 would be absolutely brilliant!

 

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.

[JohnD]

Same team as yesterday, injuries excepted, win 1-0

[roverstdt]

2 hours ago, TruRover said:

Likewise first game of the season for me! As a LDN based Rovers fan you have to savour every game. 
 

Anyone know how many we’ve sold for this? Tickets are at a decent price for once.

There always seems to be a few of us in London! I think what was great i use to go to the match with a French mate of mine who the fellow Rovers fan once picked him up and crowd surfed him to the from row when we equalised against Fulham. To which every other game i took him to they kept getting him smashed by buying him a drink. (My french mate has now moved to Australia to stay safe from the Rovers fans) hahaha

[RevidgeBlue]

39 minutes 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.

Yeah. We surely have to be targeting a win here.

[rigger]

Reading is the next game. Play our strongest team, get the three points. Then move onto Saturday.

[booth]

We should destroy them but we know how these things go. Always a risk being over-confident when you support Rovers.

[Herbie6590]

3 hours ago, only2garners said:

Can this thread be merged with the one Jim started yesterday?

Yeah…I missed it when I looked to see if one in existence 🤦‍♂️ @jim mk2 alerted me 

[BankEnd Rover]

Heading down to this one…Anyone know how many we’ve sold? 

[Admiral Nelsen]

1 hour 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.

 

Yeah, we've got to be going for three points against a team that got spanked 4-0 by Rotherham. Sometimes you'll get away games where you respect the value of a point a little more, but this isn't one of them. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, booth said:

We should destroy them but we know how these things go. Always a risk being over-confident when you support Rovers.

There’s always a risk of being over confident full stop. Confident -yes, over confident - you’re heading for a fall. I expect JDT will know that, he just needs to get it over to the players. Just don’t go full on Mowbray and tell them Reading are a wonder team.

[chaddyrovers]

Looks like no new signings will be sign in time for this game. 

Very simple. Same team as the WBA game. No reason to change after a win

[Ossydave]

10 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

 No reason to change after a win

Apart from injuries and fatigue 😏

[chaddyrovers]

2 minutes ago, Ossydave said:

Apart from injuries and fatigue 😏

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

[Exiled_Rover]

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.

Are we targeting promotion?

JDT has called for patience (and 5 more players, tbf). I think we COULD push for the Playoffs and of course it's wonderful to be top of the league at the moment... but our squad is wafer thin AND carrying passengers (I won't single them out, but you all know who they are).  

Two games a week is an incredible ask of them. 

[Exiled_Rover]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

There’s always a risk of being over confident full stop. Confident -yes, over confident - you’re heading for a fall. I expect JDT will know that, he just needs to get it over to the players. Just don’t go full on Mowbray and tell them Reading are a wonder team.

He's judged it perfectly so far - clearly he's a fantastic man manager (that little hug with Phillips, encouraging Dack to close people down when he came on [after starting him mid-week against Hartlepool], the players running their blood to water).

I've no worries about him managing our resources - I just wish we'd pull our finger out and give him more. Three more of the same quality as Brittain and we're laughing.