v Huddersfield Town (h) - 5/11/22

[Oldgregg86]

24 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

Aye,  a injury to the keeper would be a disaster.  Can Pears play out, he struggles to catch it from my recollection.....?

I doubt it even his positioning is shite

[booth]

1 minute ago, J*B said:

I agree, I suspect if you asked JDT after he finished his second bottle of wine he would say he needs two more forwards and two central midfielders. 

Yes he must be pleased with the defence, which we all should be considering how long it's taken. Pickering is looking a lot better now too. And the really good thing is that all of the defenders are ours, not loanees.

How many transfer windows did he say he'd need? I imagine he'll go all out for a striker in January, I hope so anyway. Then perhaps address midfield in Summer when Morton leaves.

[J*B]

4 minutes ago, booth said:

Yes he must be pleased with the defence, which we all should be considering how long it's taken. Pickering is looking a lot better now too. And the really good thing is that all of the defenders are ours, not loanees.

How many transfer windows did he say he'd need? I imagine he'll go all out for a striker in January, I hope so anyway. Then perhaps address midfield in Summer when Morton leaves.

He said four windows from memory. 

[Sparks Rover]

16 minutes ago, booth said:

Yes he must be pleased with the defence, which we all should be considering how long it's taken. Pickering is looking a lot better now too. And the really good thing is that all of the defenders are ours, not loanees.

How many transfer windows did he say he'd need? I imagine he'll go all out for a striker in January, I hope so anyway. Then perhaps address midfield in Summer when Morton leaves.

He strikes me as a man who wants to do well in a hurry(to be successful).....Greggy needs to come to the party in January and really back his man

Edited November 6, 2022 by Sparks Rover

[Exiled in Toronto]

6 hours ago, arbitro said:

Winning is the name of the game John, always has and always will be so job done as far as Rovers are concerned. My point is that we ended up with a back eight and defended on the edge of our box which simply allowed Huddersfield to push on. I haven't a problem with defending a lead but we just do it far too deep. Another ten yards up the pitch would deny our opponents the room to get at us. I did notice yesterday that Tomasson at times was gesturing to the players to get up the pitch but for some reason we didn't. Yesterday again it was every player back in our box to defend corners and there was no body there to challenge when it was cleared. It also enabled Huddersfield's deepest outfield player be be thirty five yards out.

We all want the best for Rovers and in the view of many these sort of things will make us better.

Perhaps I’m in the minority Tony, I always enjoyed Alamo-style defending, feels more like a real achievement. As to doing the defending ten yards further up, that’s when I start to worry about Ayala having to turn for balls over the top and about Wharton having any time to think - he’s too prone to doing something daft. I think they are both better defenders facing the right way with their backs to the wall.

[M_B]

I'll bet Pickering is glad it's Travis' turn this week. 

 

[Mattyblue]

I’ll bet neither of them have been on here in their life, so can’t say they’ll be arsed!

[arbitro]

1 hour ago, Exiled in Toronto said:

Perhaps I’m in the minority Tony, I always enjoyed Alamo-style defending, feels more like a real achievement. As to doing the defending ten yards further up, that’s when I start to worry about Ayala having to turn for balls over the top and about Wharton having any time to think - he’s too prone to doing something daft. I think they are both better defenders facing the right way with their backs to the wall.

I too quite like a great defensive performance John but yesterday we were playing bottom of the league. I lauded our defensive display in the latter stages of the West Brom game on a boiling not day and some kids out there but in my view it's when circumstances dictate. Tomasson seems to have this mindset of defending deep to protect a slim lead irrespective of who we are playing. Your point about Ayala could have a bearing on Tomasson's thoughts but for me squeezing play would likely deny the opportunity to play it over the top.

[roversfan99]

Great to see us get back to winning ways, the performance was underwhelming although it is sad to see that many are keen to call any one out who wasn't convinced with the performance as "negative."

Expectations will naturally change based on where we are in the league. Tomasson can say what he wants but we are 2nd and therefore are considered part of the promotion push, similar to last season, and if our season fades away then like last season, fans will be frustrated. It's a terrible standard this season in the Championship so why not?

We are very well drilled when we go into the lead under Tomasson and well organised. Huddersfield (who were appalling like many of the teams we have faced) never really looked like equalising.

That being said, we need to be better on the ball in those situations, not aided by a lack of quality coming on. Vale is out of his depth and Dolan is not useful either as a sub in those situations as he lacks the intelligence to be able to keep the ball and run down the clock. The one man we do have on the bench who is very adept in those situations seemingly has fallen out with the manager.

Performance wise, my man of the match would probably be Pickering, the 2 full backs were good as were the whole back 4 in a solid performance. Pickering is underrated but he is reliable and came up with the bit of quality in the match, compared to the likes of Douglas and Bell in particular he is such an upgrade. Brereton after a poor start again was our only real attacking threat.

Travis again was very poor in possession and the price tag on Szmodics' head continues to make you wonder whether he was a wise signing rather than spending that money on a striker.

[Mike E]

4 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Leaders are leaders. Hyam and Ayala are the leaders in that team and they don’t need a bit of cloth on their arm.

I always go back to the team that Hughes built, where every player was a metaphorical captain, and most were actually international captains.

[Exiled_Rover]

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

Great to see us get back to winning ways, the performance was underwhelming although it is sad to see that many are keen to call any one out who wasn't convinced with the performance as "negative."

Expectations will naturally change based on where we are in the league. Tomasson can say what he wants but we are 2nd and therefore are considered part of the promotion push, similar to last season, and if our season fades away then like last season, fans will be frustrated. It's a terrible standard this season in the Championship so why not?

Ignoring his stellar playing career for a moment, JDT is a guy that has won back-to-back Allsvenskan titles - Malmo finished 7th this year, btw - he knows how to win.  

He also works with these players every day. He's (and Remy Reijnierse) quickly worked out what they can and can't do. Yes, we're 2nd in the league, but we've got there by putting in professional performances i.e. nicking a goal then shutting up shop. I'm sure he'd love to play a more cavalier style of football and blow teams away... but we simply don't have those players at the moment. 

Barring an amazing January transfer window, this is how we win games this season - at the moment it's enough to have us in the automatic places, long may it continue. If it doesn't, well we've been told since JDT arrived that this is a project so we shouldn't be too disappointed. 

[roversfan99]

9 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Ignoring his stellar playing career for a moment, JDT is a guy that has won back-to-back Allsvenskan titles - Malmo finished 7th this year, btw - he knows how to win.  

He also works with these players every day. He's (and Remy Reijnierse) quickly worked out what they can and can't do. Yes, we're 2nd in the league, but we've got there by putting in professional performances i.e. nicking a goal then shutting up shop. I'm sure he'd love to play a more cavalier style of football and blow teams away... but we simply don't have those players at the moment. 

Barring an amazing January transfer window, this is how we win games this season - at the moment it's enough to have us in the automatic places, long may it continue. If it doesn't, well we've been told since JDT arrived that this is a project so we shouldn't be too disappointed. 

100%, people love talking about high pressing, playing it out from the back etc in modern day football but to be honest very little of that has been evident by us so far despite that being mentioned in the summer.

For me, by far the biggest strength that I have seen from Tomasson tactically is our organisation once we go a goal up. 12 wins from 12 winning positions is absolutely outstanding.

There are 2 areas of concern, our use of the ball when we are sitting on a lead, massively hindered by having subs like Vale, Hirst and Dolan who simply don't have the ability and intelligence to keep the ball and take pressure away. And of course Tomasson's inability to ever get back into a game after going a goal down.

Pragmatism and moving away from supposed principles has for 2 seasons running benefitted us, last year we became a really effective counter attacking team and this season we have very rigid and organised.

[Paul Mani]

15 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Ignoring his stellar playing career for a moment, JDT is a guy that has won back-to-back Allsvenskan titles - Malmo finished 7th this year, btw - he knows how to win.  

He also works with these players every day. He's (and Remy Reijnierse) quickly worked out what they can and can't do. Yes, we're 2nd in the league, but we've got there by putting in professional performances i.e. nicking a goal then shutting up shop. I'm sure he'd love to play a more cavalier style of football and blow teams away... but we simply don't have those players at the moment. 

Barring an amazing January transfer window, this is how we win games this season - at the moment it's enough to have us in the automatic places, long may it continue. If it doesn't, well we've been told since JDT arrived that this is a project so we shouldn't be too disappointed. 

I lost faith in Mowbray around 15 months before he left. Not because he’s a bad manager, but because I realised that we needed a guy who could help us to overachieve on a mid table budget. An Eddie Howe, Chris Wilder type who have been able punch above their weight…the type that Mowbray never has been or ever will be. Mowbray’s greatest achievement was automatic promotion at the first attempt in League one with the biggest budget…he’s a safe pair of hands who does most of the right things, most of the time!

Step forward JDT, whom I have little doubt will get us up in the next two seasons if we back him and can keep him. My feeling is that he’ll be gone, sharpish if we don’t.

Edited November 6, 2022 by Paul Mani

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

4 hours ago, booth said:

I think he's identified we can't see games out with the players we have/fitness levels, so gets them to dig in when we're 1-0 up and looking tired and uninspired. I see it as a hangover from five years of Mowbray and a way to get through games till these things can be rectified. We desperately need more firepower as I can't see Vale or Hirst coming on and extending leads. Dolan disappoints more often than not.

Maybe I'm that jaded from Mowbray that I'll take an annoyingly cautious 1-0 victory, over being 2-0 up and drawing 2-2 in injury time.

I found Allardyce's defending against inferior opposition frustratingly agonising at times. We had a better, fitter squad then too.

And a lot better opposition.

[chaddyrovers]

7 hours ago, Mellor Rover said:

Stick it on here? We’d all like to know!

Yes we would all like to know

[booth]

45 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

And a lot better opposition.

Part of that sentence was. "Defending against inferior opposition..."

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

5 minutes ago, booth said:

Part of that sentence was. "Defending against inferior opposition..."

When did we do that ?

[booth]

2 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

When did we do that ?

You don't think we played against inferior opposition in the Premier League?

[Hasta]

I’m just looking at the player ratings on the site, and if our two full backs were our best players I must have had a lot more to drink in the pub than I thought. In that second half, every time the left winger went at Brittain he got to the bye line and either won a corner or put a cross in. It was the centre halves and midfielders getting back in the centre and their good positioning that ended up nullifying that threat.

Zaroury and Benson will go past those two for fun next week. It’s whether they can actually deliver a telling ball once they get to the bye line or cut inside.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

51 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Yes we would all like to know

I don’t want to know. If a player ever told me anything in confidence that’s how it would stay.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

4 minutes ago, booth said:

You don't think we played against inferior opposition in the Premier League?

Only when we’d made them inferior by winning. Yesterday we had “ inferior opponents “ but we made them look like a good team in the second half.

I don’t get this slant were Big Sam got slated for racking the cue after being 3-0 up yet the current manager can park the bus against the bottom of the league at 1-0 up and it’s a tactical master stroke.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

8 minutes ago, Hasta said:

I’m just looking at the player ratings on the site, and if our two full backs were our best players I must have had a lot more to drink in the pub than I thought. In that second half, every time the left winger went at Brittain he got to the bye line and either won a corner or put a cross in. It was the centre halves and midfielders getting back in the centre and their good positioning that ended up nullifying that threat.

Zaroury and Benson will go past those two for fun next week. It’s whether they can actually deliver a telling ball once they get to the bye line or cut inside.

The full backs are ok, no better than that. The second coming of Keith Newton they aren’t. Like you say they’ll have to earn their corn next Sunday. The problem with the Dingles is they have enough wingers that they can bring on two completely fresh ones if need be after 65-70 minutes.

Edited November 6, 2022 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[booth]

Just now, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Only when we’d made them inferior by winning. Yesterday we had “ inferior opponents “ but we made them look like a good team in the second half.

I don’t get this slant were Big Sam got slated for racking the cue after being 3-0 up yet the current manager can park the bus against the bottom of the league at 1-0 up and it’s a tactical master stroke.

Because JDT's been only been with us for about 4 months and besides a hurried transfer window, has had to work with what he was left with?

Huddersfield didn't look a good team at any point in the match.

We had inferior opposition when we were in the PL thanks to years of a well ran club. For example don't give me that these charlatans were our equals when we met them.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 minute ago, booth said:

Because JDT's been only been with us for about 4 months and besides a hurried transfer window, has had to work with what he was left with?

Huddersfield didn't look a good team at any point in the match.

We had inferior opposition when we were in the PL thanks to years of a well ran club. For example don't give me that these charlatans were our equals when we met them.


 

They were good enough to spend the last 30 minutes in our half.

[booth]

6 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

They were good enough to spend the last 30 minutes in our half.

It was clear with Wharton coming on for Gallagher that we allowed that pressure onto ourselves. Maybe if we'd had a better option than Vale on the bench it would have been like for like.