v Rotherham United (a) - 14/1/23 k/o 12:30pm

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

10 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Nothing highlighted how powder puff Rovers are than yesterday it was pathetic but when you look at the two midfielders it's no wonder. It's like a schoolboys team in there i struggle to think of a tackle Morton has made let alone won he is a real weak link in this side and Garret is out of his depth.

The engine room has no engine and the coaches just want soft slow little passes instead of a ball winning mentality.

I’d have had one of them off and Travis on at half time. Plus Vale off, Gally up the middle and Dolan on the wing, also at half time. The subs were left till the game had gone again.

[JHRover]

I think JDT has overachieved with his results so far. But he seems further away than ever from a settled side or solutions to conceding first or stopping these atrocious away performances.

 

We are that bad at times and that short on options I think we are a bad managerial appointment away from a serious relegation battle. You look at the ease with which dross like Rotherham, Wigan, Cardiff have overcome us and the business being done by some clubs down there it is worrying.

All hail the project, which now appears to involve more loaning

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

6 minutes ago, Ossydave said:

For Rathbones goal, as good as it was to be fair, there must have been 3 maybe 4 players stood watching. When I played football I'd never, ever let a player shoot from that distance if I had the physical means to stop it.

We’d lots of chances to clear the ball before it got to Rathbone, nobody went for the ball with any conviction. They just walked through us.

Edited January 15, 2023 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Guest]

28 minutes ago, Herbie6590 said:

It’s where we have possession that is crucial…it’s rarely in the opposition penalty area for sure…

It's no good passing out from the back when the midfield doesn't know what to do with it when it eventually reaches them. We are so static in the final third. It's no surprise that we have such a low xG figure. Yet I read silly statements such as having a front four that would grace any side in the Championship. They are simply not delivering, and we are awful at creating chances.

[Ossydave]

1 minute ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

We’d lots of chances to clear the ball before it got to Rathbone, nobody went for the ball with any conviction. They just walked through us.

Absolutely, I wanted to jump through the screen and throw a tackle in. Colin Hendry would probably cry watching us yesterday. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

32 minutes ago, arbitro said:

I looked at half time and we hadn't even fouled an opponent and I mentioned this to several people who were aghast. I always found as a referee that when a team is losing, not playing well and being out fought I needed to heighten my awareness because invariably the players would be angth and want to kick their opponents. Our lot just melted and to me it speaks volumes about the players and management.

I remember the infamous Spurs game under Kean when we committed an extremely low number of fouls and Gary Neville couldn't believe it.

I’d be one of the angry ones Arbi and you could bet your house somebody would know I was playing.

[tomphil]

5 minutes ago, Ossydave said:

For Rathbones goal, as good as it was to be fair, there must have been 3 maybe 4 players stood watching. When I played football I'd never, ever let a player shoot from that distance if I had the physical means to stop it.

Funnily enough as that ball went in for their first goal i knew nobody would clear it they were all ball watching for that. As a centre back surely the first instinct is to meet the ball and clear it but no it was watched then Hyam just stuck a foot out. The tone was set for the day right there, good finish by the lad but he shouldn't have been anywhere near that ball.

On Rathbone i thought he must've grown up to be a dingle he was like a man possessed yesterday. According to their fans he's always like that but my god could we do with some of that.  Why is it that successive Rovers manager seem terrified to have a few physical bully boys in the team ?

We are trying to play polished football with kids and average players and it's plain silly because 50% of the time we come off second best.  You learn from defeat they say, well our lot should be on triple A level+ standard already, what they seem to be learning is to accept defeat far too easily.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

3 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Funnily enough as that ball went in for their first goal i knew nobody would clear it they were all ball watching for that. As a centre back surely the first instinct is to meet the ball and clear it but no it was watched then Hyam just stuck a foot out. The tone was set for the day right there, good finish by the lad but he shouldn't have been anywhere near that ball.

On Rathbone i thought he must've grown up to be a dingle he was like a man possessed yesterday. According to their fans he's always like that but my god could we do with some of that.  Why is it that successive Rovers manager seem terrified to have a few physical bully boys in the team ?

We are trying to play polished football with kids and average players and it's plain silly because 50% of the time we come off second best.  You learn from defeat they say, well our lot should be on triple A level+ standard already, what they seem to be learning is to accept defeat far too easily.

We were seriously looking at Rathbone when there was talk of Travis leaving.

[tomphil]

9 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I’d have had one of them off and Travis on at half time. Plus Vale off, Gally up the middle and Dolan on the wing, also at half time. The subs were left till the game had gone again.

That's word for word almost to what my mate texted whilst it was going on.

Gally is useless in games like that so get him in the middle and it at least gives us a outlet, Dolan is the one and only guy we have capable of coming on and doing something.  That's ridiculous in itself but has been the way for a while now.

Travis is Travis yes hes been off form but he isn't going to get it back sat there watching games run away from us and he remains the only one who can put a tackle in.

Development style and experimental style football should be played in the U21s, points winning football is all that matters at first team level.

[AllRoverAsia]

Lancs Live:

Has it [the scoreline] shocked you?

JDT: "No because we had a couple of those moments during the season so far. We need to be better at that. Of course it's not an excuse but we have a really young squad, you could see how young the team at the end was. it's something we need to learn.

It's not an excuse"

The truth: we started with just 3 players who could be labelled young and inexperienced. None in defence.

We finished with 6 due to one injury and subs JDT made after going 0-2 down.

JDT has loaded the midfield with the young and inexperienced. He is the one who has made Morton the midfield fulcrum.

How can they have the brass cheek too claim there is a long term project that is built around someone else's player who will be off, and TTFFT, in just a few months time.

If Morton was a product of our academy he would struggle to make the bench and probably in L1 on loan.

They are not building any project.

It is a con by grifters.

Yesterday was the first time I have ever, in 60+ years, left a Rovers match early. O k it was only by switching channel but I was glad to get away from that shitfest and would have been down the pub if there in person.

12 years and counting of being fooled has taken its toll. Whether the current trainee stays as manager or fucks off with Rip Van Winkle is up to them. I couldn't care less.

Edited January 15, 2023 by AllRoverAsia

[cesus]

6 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Funnily enough as that ball went in for their first goal i knew nobody would clear it they were all ball watching for that. As a centre back surely the first instinct is to meet the ball and clear it but no it was watched then Hyam just stuck a foot out. The tone was set for the day right there, good finish by the lad but he shouldn't have been anywhere near that ball.

On Rathbone i thought he must've grown up to be a dingle he was like a man possessed yesterday. According to their fans he's always like that but my god could we do with some of that.  Why is it that successive Rovers manager seem terrified to have a few physical bully boys in the team ?

We are trying to play polished football with kids and average players and it's plain silly because 50% of the time we come off second best.  You learn from defeat they say, well our lot should be on triple A level+ standard already, what they seem to be learning is to accept defeat far too easily.

Agree with all that, I see somebody like Rathbone and it infuriates more that our main stay in midfield is a lad who openly states that he is here for the learning process. Give me a dog of war any day over a kid that's here to learn ahead of 6 annual appearances off the bench for Liverpool at best. 

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I’d have had one of them off and Travis on at half time. Plus Vale off, Gally up the middle and Dolan on the wing, also at half time.

It's depressing that somebody of your good standing is suggesting this as an answer.

I think it boils down to something that was mentioned previously - that JDT is trying to implement a style of football that this lot simply cannot execute. JDT is never going to get the funds to bring in the players to do it. He's got to be more pragmatic. Unfortunately, I think both him and, perhaps more so, GB, are obsessed with a style of play over results. They believe results will come once our style is fully implemented.

That's never going to happen, is it?

[Sparks Rover]

3 minutes ago, goozburger said:

 

I think it boils down to something that was mentioned previously - that JDT is trying to implement a style of football that this lot simply cannot execute.

Can you explain the style you mention?  I see no style or patterns of play...

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

In retrospect I am now leaning towards there being something very wrong with this team/setup behind the scenes.The manner of that horrific and embarrassing defeat yesterday was simply inexplicable but its not the first time is it?

Players simply going through the motions like they couldn't give a fook,sitting third in the League...whats that all about?.The fans of our Club are being made fools of and led a merry dance.We're being mugged on and off the field of play!

I feel nothing but distain towards this set of Players and Manager masquerading in our Colours right now.

😠

Edited January 15, 2023 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

3 minutes ago, goozburger said:

It's depressing that somebody of your good standing is suggesting this as an answer.

I think it boils down to something that was mentioned previously - that JDT is trying to implement a style of football that this lot simply cannot execute. JDT is never going to get the funds to bring in the players to do it. He's got to be more pragmatic. Unfortunately, I think both him and, perhaps more so, GB, are obsessed with a style of play over results. They believe results will come once our style is fully implemented.

That's never going to happen, is it?

I didn’t believe what I was advocating was an answer. But something had to happen. You can’t keep rewarding failure. There has to be consequences. You’re not doing it - you get the shepherds crook. Having said that you could have subbed every starting player with the exception of Dack and they couldn’t have complained. Who was it said - “ Put them all in a big sack and beat it with a club, you won’t be punishing the innocent ! “ ?

[OldEwoodBlue]

We once won the Premier League at Anfield.

Enter Venkys

Now we are happy to be Liverpool's academy.

 

We were beating Arsenal, ManU, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Enter Venkys

Now we are getting "hammered" by Rotherham, "thrashed" by Preston and "smashed" by Burnley.

 

Without getting into the attendances, the pitch, the stadium, the local economy, there is only one place to lay the blame.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

7 hours ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

In retrospect I am now leaning towards there being something very wrong with this team/setup behind the scenes.The manner of that horrific and embarrassing defeat yesterday was simply inexplicable but its not the first time is it?

Players simply going through the motions like they couldn't give a fook,sitting third in the League?.The fans of our Club are being made fools of and led a merry dance.We're being mugged on and off the field of play!

😠

I don’t think they believe in JDT and the football he wants them to play but nobody has the balls to confront him.

Edited January 15, 2023 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

Can you explain the style you mention?

No.

But if I had to guess... It's drawing the opposition in by passing it around at the back and stretching them when we get through their press. We are just devoid of ideas even when we do punch through the opposition's press. We haven't got the personnel or pace to do it.

Edited January 15, 2023 by goozburger

[G Somerset Rover]

32 minutes ago, Ossydave said:

Absolutely, I wanted to jump through the screen and throw a tackle in. Colin Hendry would probably cry watching us yesterday. 

Andy Todd would have been arrested in our changing room.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

Andy Todd would have been arrested in our changing room.

You mean in theirs !

[den9112]

35 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

We were seriously looking at Rathbone when there was talk of Travis leaving.

The club had him watched a couple of times when he was at Rochdale ,this i know for a fact ..

 

[OldEwoodBlue]

13 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

Can you explain the style you mention?  I see no style or patterns of play...

Must be blind if you can't see the boring and horrible style / patterns of play. It is the exact same week in, week out.

 

They pass it about at the back and wait until they see a half opening. Then they play a long diagonal pass forwards to get the runner in behind.

This is dependant on the long pass being perfect, the run being perfect (and not being offside), the control of the ball being perfect (that's Gally out), the defender being asleep and finally the finish being clinical.

Most times it doesn't work.

Often the passes are way short (Pickering yesterday after 28 seconds).

Often they never get as far as the long pass and get caught at the back. Basically every team which has pressed and bullied us has beaten us.

I think this is also why he is playing 2 in midfield because they are generally playing past them rather than through them. It may even be because we only have skinny kids on the books and no proper men mids.

That is only OK where the opposition allow us to play our game. There isn't an alternative style. In the second half yesterday we had zero shots on target. That isn't the stats of a side trying to come from behind.

The style is most likely because Liverpool play this way. Although they are struggling now Mane has gone (he was the PL best player IMO).

Players seem to be bought based entirely on their stats in a database these days. I doubt there is any system link between the individual player stats and the actual match results. So if we play in a PL style, the bullshit stats will indicate to the part time computer nerds that they are worthy of buying. Ignoring the fact that if you watch them with good old fashiined eyes, that they are actually shit.

Project increase value.

AKA fucking bollocks.

[K-Hod]

3 hours ago, Herbie6590 said:

Thoughts on brunch, why it’s called New York and abject defending…

https://www.brfcs.com/magazine/articles/500-words-after-rotherham-(a)/341

Good effort. Could definitely have saved your pen and summed it up in less than five words though 😏.

[den]

2 hours ago, arbitro said:

I looked at half time and we hadn't even fouled an opponent and I mentioned this to several people who were aghast. I always found as a referee that when a team is losing, not playing well and being out fought I needed to heighten my awareness because invariably the players would be angth and want to kick their opponents. Our lot just melted and to me it speaks volumes about the players and management.

I remember the infamous Spurs game under Kean when we committed an extremely low number of fouls and Gary Neville couldn't believe it.

Yep. In a word “weak”.

[den]

I hope the manager and players read this thread.