v Cardiff City (h) - 1/1/23

[chaddyrovers]

9 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

We have struggled (both on the eye and backed up by admittedly flawed statistics) to create clear cut chances all season. I see very little evidence of whatever we do in training to develop attacking effectiveness is paying off, unlike the organisation which is paying off much more evidently.

Like I said all season when we play with quick tempo in our passing we create chances and move the ball quickly teams we are playing struggling. When we play slowly we struggled. 

9 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

I don't doubt that todays win like any was satisfying and its all about results. But equally I can say Tomasson's management is not condusive to entertainment. Hopefully Sky will click soon and leave us alone.

I accept a long time ago games being moved from various reasons over the last 30 years supporting Rovers. It is what it is. 

9 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Why arent all pitches like ours? Revamping it WOULD have helped, but Venkys like to cut corners.

I haven't watched alot of football over the Christmas to comment on teams pitches. Have other teams been training on the ground pitch? I don't know. Maybe we need to invest in under soil heating for 1 pitch at Brockhall maybe or better indoor pitch to allow them to train on it if JDT wants to

9 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

With Garrett, his yellow was an example of his rashness. The tackle was superb though. Whether he stayed or was loaned out, I still think we are dying for a proven performer. Step forward a Ben Pearson type, a proven top level Championship midfielder.

Yet Garrett managed his tackling after the yellow card brilliant 

I would look more in the final third for creatively or pace in the final third instead of centre midfield

[only2garners]

2 hours ago, Shirley Crabtree Wrestler said:

Millwall, Luton and Sunderland all in sniffing distance now (Millwall can leapfrog us if they win their game in hand. Bugger.

So can Luton, although the game they have in hand is against each other, so they can’t both.

[roversfan99]

24 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Like I said all season when we play with quick tempo in our passing we create chances and move the ball quickly teams we are playing struggling. When we play slowly we struggled. 

I accept a long time ago games being moved from various reasons over the last 30 years supporting Rovers. It is what it is. 

I haven't watched alot of football over the Christmas to comment on teams pitches. Have other teams been training on the ground pitch? I don't know. Maybe we need to invest in under soil heating for 1 pitch at Brockhall maybe or better indoor pitch to allow them to train on it if JDT wants to

Yet Garrett managed his tackling after the yellow card brilliant 

I would look more in the final third for creatively or pace in the final third instead of centre midfield

Well we must play slowly most of the time, because (backed up by chances created etc) we have struggled to create chances throughout the season.

Revamping the training ground pitches is a sensible suggestion, presumably Venkys wouldn't fund it like the pitch at Ewood.

I think we also do need attacking reinforcements as well as an experienced midfielder. 

[Atko's Engine]

16 hours ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Is Jan 2st now "White Flag Day"?

It's not a must win game ... well not if you're happy with finishing the season 7th or lower or find it ok to finish 30 points behind Burnley as reasonably predicted by a Dingle poster on here.

I can only assume that those who don't play to win don't play.

(Sorry for the delayed reply, I started writing this at HT and have not had chance since then to finish it until now!)

Come off it, no league game on 2st(!) of Jan is must win.  If we finish 7th then it's an improvement on anything Mowbray achieved in his tenure & in far more difficult circumstances. The brief when he arrived was not to finish top 2 or even top 6, so why is he now being judged against that benchmark? If anything you could argue he's a victim of his own success if this is the sort of OTT reaction that comes from a short run of bad form that sees the top two press ahead whilst we stay at the head of the chasing pack.

It's almost like if he had us 8th or 9th with a record like W11 D5 L8, with the 2 defeats to Burnley & Preston being draws, some people would be happier & calling it a solid start to his tenure. Yet that team would be 4 points worse off than we currently are.

As for Burnley, let's stop obsessing with them for now; for many reasons that are nowt to do with JDT, right now sadly they're in a different league to us in all but name, so let's just focus on us. 

On that point, great result today in difficult circumstances. We were comfortably the better side & could've won it more comprehensively, but a win is a win. Many around me were complaining it was not intensive, entertaining or convincing enough, but in context it was a great result. 3rd game in 7 days, the 2nd of which was with 10 men for a half, on a v leggy pitch with another poor ref against an opponent who, albeit bottom 5, had drawn their last 4 and were technically in better form than us. JDT was urging the players to get out faster towards the end but I don't think they had the legs, so it wasn't a tactic of his to sit so deep I don't think. I was a bit concerned at changing formation when JRC went off but we needed Travis' steel in the middle so when JRC went off there was sense & logic to switching to 3CBs & wingbacks. We lost some momentum but never really looked in trouble.

A good time now to give some rest to Ayala, Gally, BBD, Pickering & Dack, to bring in the Whartons, Edun, Mola, Hirst & Markanday etc. for the cup next weekend. 

[roverandout]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

The players shown up today and dig in for the win. Sometimes the ugly wins are the best one. Plus taking into account that Rovers have played 3 games in 6 days and not much rotate in the team today was never going to entertaining affair. 

Not really any revamp would have stand up to them training on it in the last 2 or 3 weeks, 4 games in 21 days and this awful weather. Maybe we need to invest in a pitch at Brockhall with undersoil heating to allow them to train there and not at Ewood Park

I never thought you were having a go at fans

I have to disagree that he not good on the ball. Played some lovely passes today whether its was short and keeping simple or long passes find the targets. 

on the rash, I disagree. He made some good well timed tackles including a last ditch tackle to save a certain goal. 

Garrett is showing the potential I have seen he got. I want to keep seeing in the first team squad whether as starter or sub

In some games we created a few good chances and in others granted. You see bits of the quick tempo and move and into the forward areas. Its work in progress from that viewpoint. 

JDT is building from back. Whilst he improve the attacking side and bring his the type of attacking players he wants and develop the young players here

?

But all our wins are ugly. There hasn't been a performance of any real quality all season 

[chaddyrovers]

15 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Well we must play slowly most of the time, because (backed up by chances created etc) we have struggled to create chances throughout the season.

Like I said all season when we play with quick tempo in our passing we create chances and move the ball quickly teams we are playing struggling. When we play slowly we struggled and to make chances. That is my viewpoint

15 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Revamping the training ground pitches is a sensible suggestion, presumably Venkys wouldn't fund it like the pitch at Ewood.

Just one pitch would do and Venkys could do cos they owned the training ground through their parent company

15 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

I think we also do need attacking reinforcements as well as an experienced midfielder. 

I think we need creatively in attacking area. Someone like Cantwell or Lowe would be good. 

[chaddyrovers]

Just now, roverandout said:

But all our wins are ugly. There hasn't been a performance of any real quality all season 

Plenty of quality of performance in our wins. But each to their own opinions

[K-Hod]

4 minutes ago, roverandout said:

But all our wins are ugly. There hasn't been a performance of any real quality all season 

Watford at home.

[roverandout]

Just now, K-Hod said:

Watford at home.

Yes I suppose.  Forgot about that one and I guess Sunderland at home and Blackpool away

[Atko's Engine]

12 hours ago, matt83 said:

Also the manager says himself we’re not aiming for the play offs despite being there for most of the season. So if the manager is happy with midtable nothingness from 3rd hardly a good incentive to get bums on seats. 

Every manager near the top of the table plays down their chances in public! Kompany's brief was to get promoted, as was Heckingbottom, neither of them will say they've nearly done it. Arteta has only recently admitted being in a title race and they're a similar distance ahead of City as we are behind top two, having been top all season! I very much doubt that behind the scenes JDT is telling the players "try your best, but don't worry if it's too much, I'm here for 3 years." 

You could see today, the way he was urging the team to push up on 90 mins, that he shows passion & desire to succeed, but he just doesn't yet have the right raw materials to be able to find a consistency of performance.

I think JDT is a victim of his own success to a point, and is also a victim of the stagnation (at best) that has plagued the club from before he arrived. He can't do much more with this squad than have us where we are IMO and, after everything that's gone on at this club in the last decade, if folk aren't tolerant of being in 3rd position at just past the halfway point with a comparatively young, threadbare squad that was tipped by many to be fighting relegation when JDT arrived, then I truly do not understand that rationale.

[roversfan99]

The question then is, are folk not tolerant of being 3rd in the league?

[Atko's Engine]

12 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Jake Garrett?! I just don't get it at all.

He had a great game, esp as he was on a yellow since about the 10th minute. I've not read beyond here yet but I hope you've acknowledged since that this was a bit of a hasty point of view.

[roversfan99]

Just now, Atko's Engine said:

He had a great game, esp as he was on a yellow since about the 10th minute. I've not read beyond here yet but I hope you've acknowledged since that this was a bit of a hasty point of view.

Definitely his best game for us, I thought his performance v Sunderland was massively overhyped, today was much better than that. Stupid yellow card picked up early one and his rashness really worries me but managed very well on a booking and his tackle in the first half was superb. On the ball, still think he is limited but he was better today in that respect. It was a scrappy game on a boggy pitch so it perhaps suited him that it wasnt that sort of game.

I still feel that we need an experienced head in there and I would still prefer him to go out on loan to League 1.

[JHRover]

Give me another 10-11 of those this season and I'll be delighted.

Give me more of those performances and wins rather than the so called nice football under Mowbray where we let precious points slip in the last 5-10 minutes on countless occasions.

Early kick off, low gate, quiet atmosphere, horrendous pitch, playing a defensively solid side struggling at the wrong end - all the ingredients there for a frustrating afternoon. Not many of these Championship games end up comfortable.

We got through it. Job done and on we go. We deserved more than 0 points from Sunderland and Middlesbrough. In days gone by we might have let 2-3 slip today. I'm happy. Just hope we can build on it now in the next 4 games which look attractive if you mean business in this league.

[ageoftherover]

I find it bizarre when challenges like the studs to Garretts groin get yellows. Like, fair enough if the officials are unsighted and only give a foul or wave play on, but how can you see an infringement worthy of further punishment occurred and not realise that reckless studs in the jewels should be worthy of a straight red? Its like the ref realised that everyone in the stadium but him and the linesman saw what it was and he's just given a token card in reaction to the reaction. Was one of about 3 bizarre non decisions that went against us.

 

In terms of the game, I dont get to watch much rovers (down in Australia), but I thought we played a composed, even varied game. Plenty of quality through balls in the middle third troubled them greatly, and in defense we hoofed it out when needed rather than pathologically playing it out from the back. It wasn't super fluent but we were good value for the scoreline and were never going to concede against a choppy opposition and pitch. Hyam was my MoM but Dack, Garrett and Hedges weren't far behind. Garretts last gasp challenge was an outstanding bit of play, particularly when on a yellow. The kid has a pair on him, thats for sure.

[Atko's Engine]

10 hours ago, Sparks Rover said:

Boos at half time.....

OMG, they were for the ref!!!

[mr bishi]

44 minutes ago, Atko's Engine said:

He had a great game, esp as he was on a yellow since about the 10th minute. I've not read beyond here yet but I hope you've acknowledged since that this was a bit of a hasty point of view.

Maybe he needs to play with the mindset that hes already on a yellow. He can be fairly rash in the tackle from what I've seen.

[Exiled_Rover]

52 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Definitely his best game for us, I thought his performance v Sunderland was massively overhyped, today was much better than that. Stupid yellow card picked up early one and his rashness really worries me but managed very well on a booking and his tackle in the first half was superb. On the ball, still think he is limited but he was better today in that respect. It was a scrappy game on a boggy pitch so it perhaps suited him that it wasnt that sort of game.

I still feel that we need an experienced head in there and I would still prefer him to go out on loan to League 1.

He's was everything today I hoped Travis would be in this formation - neat and tidy on the ball, able to play in tight spaces, covered a lot of ground and put in a good tackle or two.

Considering the circumstances that was comparable with the performance Wharton put in against Blackpool - he bossed the midfield today.

[Songman]

3 hours ago, roverandout said:

Yes I suppose.  Forgot about that one and I guess Sunderland at home and Blackpool away

Swansea away.

[Dan]

3 hours ago, ageoftherover said:

I find it bizarre when challenges like the studs to Garretts groin get yellows. Like, fair enough if the officials are unsighted and only give a foul or wave play on, but how can you see an infringement worthy of further punishment occurred and not realise that reckless studs in the jewels should be worthy of a straight red? Its like the ref realised that everyone in the stadium but him and the linesman saw what it was and he's just given a token card in reaction to the reaction. Was one of about 3 bizarre non decisions that went against us.

Seems to be most games we have a terrible referee. It’s gone on for seasons. I don’t watch much non Rovers Championship matches; are they that bad across the whole league? 
 

So much money at stake and nothing ever seems to get done. I’m 50/50 with VAR, but I’m starting to think it’s a necessity. 
 

If Dack’s goal hadn’t have gone in the net, it should have been a penalty for handball, but I’ve no faith that it would have been given. 

[Dan]

5 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

The pitch has been crap for years - I don't know what's going on with the drainage, but it can't handle any significant amount of water anymore. The Preston game last year was a disaster. 

Pre-Venky’s I seem to remember us having a nice pitch(though it was very ropey during some of the 90’s!). You’d thing with the football JDT wants to play that it would be a priority, maybe as important as signing an extra player. 

[Upside Down]

15 minutes ago, Dan said:

Pre-Venky’s I seem to remember us having a nice pitch(though it was very ropey during some of the 90’s!). You’d thing with the football JDT wants to play that it would be a priority, maybe as important as signing an extra player. 

We had one of the best pitches around. It got a bit tired during the winter months but compared to old trafford or stamford beach it was like a snooker table.

Yet another thing left to deteriorate under Venkys. 

[AllRoverAsia]

5 hours ago, Atko's Engine said:

(Sorry for the delayed reply, I started writing this at HT and have not had chance since then to finish it until now!)

Come off it, no league game on 2st(!) of Jan is must win.  If we finish 7th then it's an improvement on anything Mowbray achieved in his tenure & in far more difficult circumstances. The brief when he arrived was not to finish top 2 or even top 6, so why is he now being judged against that benchmark? If anything you could argue he's a victim of his own success if this is the sort of OTT reaction that comes from a short run of bad form that sees the top two press ahead whilst we stay at the head of the chasing pack.

It's almost like if he had us 8th or 9th with a record like W11 D5 L8, with the 2 defeats to Burnley & Preston being draws, some people would be happier & calling it a solid start to his tenure. Yet that team would be 4 points worse off than we currently are.

As for Burnley, let's stop obsessing with them for now; for many reasons that are nowt to do with JDT, right now sadly they're in a different league to us in all but name, so let's just focus on us. 

On that point, great result today in difficult circumstances. We were comfortably the better side & could've won it more comprehensively, but a win is a win. Many around me were complaining it was not intensive, entertaining or convincing enough, but in context it was a great result. 3rd game in 7 days, the 2nd of which was with 10 men for a half, on a v leggy pitch with another poor ref against an opponent who, albeit bottom 5, had drawn their last 4 and were technically in better form than us. JDT was urging the players to get out faster towards the end but I don't think they had the legs, so it wasn't a tactic of his to sit so deep I don't think. I was a bit concerned at changing formation when JRC went off but we needed Travis' steel in the middle so when JRC went off there was sense & logic to switching to 3CBs & wingbacks. We lost some momentum but never really looked in trouble.

A good time now to give some rest to Ayala, Gally, BBD, Pickering & Dack, to bring in the Whartons, Edun, Mola, Hirst & Markanday etc. for the cup next weekend. 

If you are happy to wave a white flag then crack on.

You must have been delighted Mowbray threw the L1 title.

Weird behaviour.

In life you take the opportunities if and when they arise and also in football. Take advantage of this being, apart from the top 2, a mediocre standard in the Championship and go for it or someone else will.

Anyway we won this inconsequential game or we would now be 5th and quite possibly out of the playoff positions by the end of today games.

But some it appears are ok with that.

For the record any game at any level is must win or just don't bother.

I see Chaddy liked your post. What a suprise ...... I rest my case

Edited January 2, 2023 by AllRoverAsia

[arbitro]

6 hours ago, mr bishi said:

Maybe he needs to play with the mindset that hes already on a yellow. He can be fairly rash in the tackle from what I've seen.

Garrett has probably made the best two tackles of the season so far (against Sunderland and yesterday) and has only played in a few games. He is still young and learning so we can expect challenges to be wayward at times. I wish we had a squad with the commitment  and wholehearted attitude of Garrett. It's an asset and one which will stand him (and hopefully us) in good stead throughout his career.

[47er]

3 hours ago, Dan said:

Seems to be most games we have a terrible referee. It’s gone on for seasons. I don’t watch much non Rovers Championship matches; are they that bad across the whole league? 
 

So much money at stake and nothing ever seems to get done. I’m 50/50 with VAR, but I’m starting to think it’s a necessity. 
 

If Dack’s goal hadn’t have gone in the net, it should have been a penalty for handball, but I’ve no faith that it would have been given. 

The ref was odd yesterday. Ignored quite a few tackles I thought were fouls. I suppose that's better than stop-start but the difference between Championship refereeing and Premier League is quite stark.

Why? there's no different rule-book is there?