v Stoke (h) - Saturday 27th August 3pm

[davulsukur]

Hopefully Wharton is back to play.

BBD starts on the left instead of Markanday, if he's still here.

[WacoRover]

Kaminski… no worries with him in goal. 

I feel very safe with Britain, Ayala, & Wharton at the back. Less so with Pickering, obviously, we need more depth. 

Bucko & Travis are good, need some quality & depth there, too. Dacky is still good on occasion, but he’s not the same after two surgeries. 

I would like to say 2-1. Still two holes in our defending, I’m afraid. 

2-2. 

 

[J*B]

42 minutes ago, WacoRover said:

Dacky is still good on occasion, but he’s not the same after two surgeries. 

 

I’d like to quantify this with some opinion…

If he hadn’t have done his first ACL I reckon he would have been a premier league player. In a weird, slightly sick kind of way… his 2 ACLs may mean he stays with us for the best bit of his career. 

[arbitro]

Scott Wharton won't be fit for Saturday. There is an outside chance Carter will.

They have known Wharton wouldn't be fit for this game and still no incoming centre half. It really looks like Ayala and Phillips again.

[Andy]

It's a fair point.

I'm sure I'd heard at the time that Spurs were planning on taking him in the transfer window, around the time of his injury.

Shame for him, but I still think he can be one of the best players in this league.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

11 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Scott Wharton won't be fit for Saturday. There is an outside chance Carter will.

They have known Wharton wouldn't be fit for this game and still no incoming centre half. It really looks like Ayala and Phillips again.

I thought it had been widely reported Scott wouldn't be back till the middle of next month?

We need reinforcements!

[roversfan99]

If Phillips starts again on Saturday then it really is unacceptable.

[arbitro]

19 minutes ago, Proudtobeblue&white said:

I thought it had been widely reported Scott wouldn't be back till the middle of next month?

We need reinforcements!

Thomason said in an interview earlier this week that Scott would be back next week. Calf injuries are notoriously fickle and having had a few I know they can take longer than originally diagnosed. The lack of a centre half signing is a huge source of frustration for me. We have another three games in seven days next week and could feasibly without Wharton for at least two of them if not all three. Flogging Ayala and Phillips will end in tears. My belief is that we are still hanging on for Van Den Berg but we really are at the mercy of Liverpool. They are hoping for something that just might not happen and it doesn't appear we have a plan B.

[Ossydave]

24 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

If Phillips starts again on Saturday then it really is unacceptable.

Why?

[simongarnerisgod]

24 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

If Phillips starts again on Saturday then it really is unacceptable.

you`ll have to explain yourself,what has he done wrong???

[BankEnd Rover]

47 minutes ago, Ossydave said:

Why?

 

46 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

you`ll have to explain yourself,what has he done wrong???

I think it’s more the fact that we still haven’t got a CB in and we are relying on a 17 year old youngster….

Don’t get me wrong, Phillips is okay and I think will be become a great player but we need & should of had someone in by now! 

[Ossydave]

Think its clear we're waiting on Van Den Berg to be honest. Philips is effectively plugging a gap till Wharton is fit anyway, then there's also Carter although the BRFCS mafia will label him as shite no doubt. 

If Van Den Berg doesn't come after all this waiting though we've got a big problem. Had an interesting talk to someone earlier who informed me Liverpool can be right dicks with regards to loans too. Heard about a young lad having a loan deal all done and dusted to sign for Crewe, he'd sorted his digs and everything out but they pulled the plug because Crewe wouldn't pay them 50k up front.

[roversfan99]

55 minutes ago, Ossydave said:

Why?

 

54 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

you`ll have to explain yourself,what has he done wrong???

It's not a slight on him He clearly isn't ready in general at his tender age and in the last 2 games he has really, really struggled and in the second game, we had to try and overcompensate by changing the formation and making the team even more dysfunctional.

He is also nowhere near ready physically for the grind of consecutive first team games, he had to play 3 games in 7 days and it took only the most random defensive partnership that I can ever recall to give him a break last night, and even then he had to come on, I don't think he has ever if I recall finished the full game in any of his starts due to physically struggling and flogging him again on Saturday wouldn't be fair on the player as much as anything.

Tomasson has even said that this shouldn't be happening with Phillips and also seemingly grows more and more frustrated with each interview regarding the lack of incomings, we are so stretched it is untrue.

The constant narrative is that we want 2 defenders in which case, why isn't one over the line whilst we wait for Van Den Berg? I am not convinced that Van Hecke is a live target but if our 2 defensive targets are both loanees, I don't think that is wise in itself.

I am unconvinced that much more will be spent nor that everything is being done above Tomasson to get deals done.

[Andy]

Was just reading a Stoke fans perspective on a match preview that popped up on FB.

Majority are shitting themselves for Saturday, some even hoping for a big defeat so that they might get rid of their manager.

[Crozzy]

This is a must win game simply because my father in law to be is a die hard Stokie and I’ll never hear the end of it if they beat us at Ewood again 🙄

Apparently Delap is a bit of a beast so hopefully we can contain him and Gayle

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Van Hecke played for Brighton tonight.

[JohnD]

1-2 away win

[simongarnerisgod]

31 minutes ago, Crozzy said:

This is a must win game simply because my father in law to be is a die hard Stokie and I’ll never hear the end of it if they beat us at Ewood again 🙄

Apparently Delap is a bit of a beast so hopefully we can contain him and Gayle

gayles legs have gone,delap is a strange one,southampton allegedly had a 20 million bid turned down for him,next month he`s on loan at stoke????????

[Upside Down]

Optimistic time.

Rovers win 3-0 with a Dack hat-trick.

[lraC]

I think we will win this one and maintain the 100% home record. 

[JacknOry]

8 hours ago, Andy said:

Was just reading a Stoke fans perspective on a match preview that popped up on FB.

Majority are shitting themselves for Saturday, some even hoping for a big defeat so that they might get rid of their manager.

Reading fans said similar. 

[yankfan]

13 hours ago, moerpho said:

Who is back from inury? If it is Wharton I am very happy

Wharton out has been a massive blow. Ash has done fantastic for a 17 year old, but his limitations are obvious. JDT had clearly asked Buckley and Trav to provide cover. Also neither Ash or Ayala look to play the ball forward and into feet. Both go sideways, backwards or root 1. As poorly as we’ve played the last two league games a part of it is directly related to missing Wharton’s distribution from the back. 

[yankfan]

10 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

you`ll have to explain yourself,what has he done wrong???

He’s been great for a 17 year old but he has yet to develop an ability to play the ball forward. It’s all very safe…good enough as you don’t want to give it away but far from the finished product or the technical ability Wharton possesses. The play in the middle is decisively restricted with him and Ayala vs Ayala and Wharton. 

[J*B]

2 hours ago, yankfan said:

He’s been great for a 17 year old but he has yet to develop an ability to play the ball forward. It’s all very safe…good enough as you don’t want to give it away but far from the finished product or the technical ability Wharton possesses. The play in the middle is decisively restricted with him and Ayala vs Ayala and Wharton. 

Wharton was very similar when he first started, everything was sideways. It'll come over time. 

[G Somerset Rover]

O'Neill sacked ahead of Saturday. Talk about timing.