v Norwich (h) - Good Friday - 7/4/23, 3pm k/o

[Proudtobeblue&white]

What an utterly gutless performance and a very hard watch. JDT got his team horribly wrong, Hedges/Morton were awful, if I had a £1 for every time Travis gave the ball away, I'd be in profit. We looked far better when Adam came on. The slide has started, the first half was horrific, and the tippy tappy shit at the back, passing back constantly. Norwich were better throughout.

[WacoRover]

We’re still in a playoff place, I understand Tomasson’s position. He has to play the best players available. So right now it’s simply a process of elimination to get the best 11 on the pitch.

But if we lose to Huddersfield and get surpassed on the table by one or more teams, all bets are off, and I would prefer to see our own Academy youngsters over loaners or guys out of contract. 

I trust Tomasson. We will have to wait & see. 

[Mercer]

On 02/04/2023 at 14:20, Mercer said:

This is a MUST win game.

In fact, given our last 5 fixtures, I think we need a minimum of 7 points from the Norwich, Huddersfield and Hull games.  I think Huddersfield will be the most difficult of the 3 games as Warnock has proved the catalyst for their mini revival and no one will fancy going to Huddersfield.

I think we need a further 14 or even 15 points as there's always one team who makes a charge - take your pick from Norwich, Coventry, WBA and even PNE and three of our last eight games are against those teams with games against Burnley, Luton and Millwall thrown in for good measure.

It will be tough but I remain confident PROVIDING JDT gets his team selections right.  I don't want to see Morton starting another game for Rovers, whatever sh1t has been going on with Adam Wharton needs resolving NOW (as I believe he could be the difference in making the play-offs or not - it's clear as day midfield is our achilles heel) and Dack has to be brought into games far earlier than yesterday's 81st minute (30 minutes of Dack almost guarantees you a goal and/or an assist).

 

Sad to say, we've bottled it and blown it.

Warnock's Terriers will maul us on Monday.

IMO, selection of Morton is feckin inexcusable.  He's played one game too many for Rovers now.  Adam Wharton MUST be given the rest of the season - he's the most talented midfielder we have FULL STOP.  Huge, huge black mark for JDT.

As far Gallagher, words fail me.  We must play anyone there bar Gallagher.  Give Leonard a go - look what happens when young lads get a chance, Owen, Rashford etc.

IMO, Waggott, JDT and Broughton all guilty of no ambition, negativity and lacking bollocks.  Our attitude is all too negative - for feck's say when you have an opportunity like we had this season then you grab it by the feckin balls.  We need REAL MEN AND REAL LEADERS from board room to dressing room - ruthlessly hungry individuals with a CAN DO attitude.

A glorious Easter weekend tempered by the muppets in blue and white and their string masters. 

Thank goodness the world has viticulturists and enologists - my solace tonight will be found in a fine red or two. 

 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Eerily quiet Ewood today for the size of crowd.An awful realization that we just aren't good enough come to pass?....

Edited April 7, 2023 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[booth]

13 minutes ago, Hasta said:

Brereton. The one shot on target we had was Brereton centrally coming across his man, cheating the ball down and getting a shot away.  Something Gally just doesn't do .

He plays there for Chile. Its fucking obvious to me.

The same Brereton who has plodded his way along recently?

[Penwortham Blue]

Meanwhile, at Portman Road, Hirst scores another !

[JohnD]

30 minutes ago, West Yorks Rover said:

we've lost 4 of our last 5.

So have Norwich 

[Hasta]

5 minutes ago, booth said:

The same Brereton who has plodded his way along recently?

Yes. But even today where he was shit again he did one thing that Gally didn't. Get across his man and get a shot away.

Gallagher is shit up top. Brereton has been shit on the left and we've got 3 wide players when we only use 1 of them.

We could, of course, carry on doing the same formation with the same players and getting the same result.

Edited April 7, 2023 by Hasta

[Mashed Potatoes]

1 minute ago, Penwortham Blue said:

Meanwhile, at Portman Road, Hirst scores another !

I think we might have been a bit unlucky with Hirst. He lost all confidence here after a poor start but is probably a fair bit better than we thought.

[booth]

Just now, Hasta said:

Yes. But even today where he was shit he did one thing that Gally didn't. 

Gallagher is shit up top. Brereton has been shit on the left and we've got 3 wide players when we o ny use 1 of them.

We could, of course, carry on doing the same formation with the same players and getting the same result.

I think it will be the same result regardless.

If we play Wharton we may play generally better, but we're still pitiful at scoring goals and it's not just this season.

[whalleyrover]

23 minutes ago, booth said:

We were better with Thomas and Wharton in the team. Those two have to start against Hudds.

And just don't play Gallagher, start with ten it'd make no difference - it may actually help.

Thomas can't play against parent club

[Hasta]

1 minute ago, booth said:

I think it will be the same result regardless.

If we play Wharton we may play generally better, but we're still pitiful at scoring goals and it's not just this season.

Maybe, maybe not. Personally I think Brereton would actually make better runs and get in the end of more than Gally does.

But let's not pretend there is no other option and Gallagher has to start up top.

Be brave, try something different.

[booth]

2 minutes ago, whalleyrover said:

Thomas can't play against parent club

I forgot about that, so that means Hedges again...

[CambridgeRover]

No energy or passion. Gallagher, brereton and morton all poor.

Norwich more energy and hard work. A good team. 

Clowns at the top

[booth]

Just now, Hasta said:

Maybe, maybe not. Personally I think Brereton would actually make better runs and get in the end of more than Gally does.

But let's not pretend there is no other option and Gallagher has to start up top.

Be brave, try something different.

I'm not sure if it's brave but I'd prefer neither to be on the pitch at the moment.

[Penwortham Blue]

Just now, Penwortham Blue said:

Meanwhile, at Portman Road, Hirst scores another !

Surely anyone must be better than Gallagher, he ‘might’ work hard but he has no touch, no control, can’t head it and most importantly, simply no striker’s instinct. 
 

Awful performance today. I could have bet my house on losing at B’ham last week but today was simply shocking but unfortunately, typical Rovers. Sadly, the team are losers, until they can find a way to get back into a game after going behind, we are going nowhere. Just one point all season gained after going behind, even that was a last minute set piece, it’s a pretty damning indictment.

[roversfan99]

Terrible performance when we needed a big one. Tomasson has a real weakness in being able to get points from losing positions, when Norwich scored the ref may aswell have blown up.

Must win on Monday but I can only see a defeat.

If we throw away a play off position whereby we were 4 points to go with us having 8 to play and our opponents having 7, then its hard not to directly compare to last season. 

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Devil's advocate mode on:

The owners APPEARED to be prepared to sanction a small fortune in wages to bring O Brien in in Jan - until someone at the Club sabotaged all incoming deadline day business.

Either by negligence or intentionally by design

You don't half come up with some imaginative theories to defend the owners. Why would anyone sabotage a deal on purpose?

And why don't Venkys get rid of anyone they deem to be doing counterproductive things?

[tomphil]

11 minutes ago, Penwortham Blue said:

Meanwhile, at Portman Road, Hirst scores another !

Who cares ?

He's back in league one where he scored a few last season it makes no difference whatsoever to us. He was dire here and one of the most out of his depth players iv'e seen.

[yankfan]

49 minutes ago, alcd said:

There must be something in Morton's loan agreement. There is no other explanation for him continuing to start. He's worse defensively than Wharton could possibly be and offers nothing at all going forward. 

Yet inexplicably takes our set pieces

[martonrover]

So the annual end of season capitulation is underway. I think the only surprise is, given the squad deficiencies, that it's started later than usual.

I had to abort my journey to Ewood Park after my windscreen was broken by a duck on the M6.

I've had better days.

[Hasta]

7 minutes ago, booth said:

I'm not sure if it's brave but I'd prefer neither to be on the pitch at the moment.

But you accept there is a viable option? We don't have to keep playing Gally.

Edited April 7, 2023 by Hasta

[AllRoverAsia]

1 minute ago, martonrover said:

So the annual end of season capitulation is underway. I think the only surprise is, given the squad deficiencies, that it's started later than usual.

I had to abort my journey to Ewood Park after my windscreen was broken by a duck on the M6.

I've had better days.

So had the duck.

[yankfan]

Our most dangerous player in the attack was our right back. All you need to know about the front 3 and midfield 

[AllRoverAsia]

10 minutes ago, booth said:

I'm not sure if it's brave but I'd prefer neither to be on the pitch at the moment.

Agreed. One is useless, the other a RINO.