v Preston (a) - 22/4/23 - 17:30 k/o

[DE.]

1 minute ago, arbitro said:

If there has to be a scapegoat it certainly isn't any of the players or management for me. The biggest error of the season was not bringing a striker in during the January window. Step forward Broughton and his recruitment team. I think they have cost us more than anything else.

I tend to agree that our January recruitment is what has ultimately torpedo'd our season. I still don't think we would have been promoted even if O'Brien and a striker had arrived, but I think we would have made the playoffs.

JDT is a young, fairly inexperienced manager learning his trade in a new league. He's going to make mistakes. He needs time to adapt and evolve. He deserves time to prove he can do that.

The players are adapting too. Some have shown they can adapt and potentially evolve alongside JDT. Others haven't. Some will need to go, and others brought in to do a better job.

It all circles back to recruitment. 

[OldEwoodBlue]

JDT smiling in his interview.

Nothing to smile about lad.

[bigbrandjohn]

1 minute ago, OldEwoodBlue said:

JDT smiling in his interview.

Nothing to smile about lad.

Maybe he is joining Diaz in Spain 🤔

[den]

We could do with big Sam back to show rovers how to close a game out. Get it into the corners and keep it there. Keep chipping it over the full back, turning the opposition round and running towards their own goal.

Apart from Hedges - who cost us three points today - their goal was just pure bad luck. 
 

Absolutely gutted tonight. 

 

[arbitro]

1 minute ago, DE. said:

I tend to agree that our January recruitment is what has ultimately torpedo'd our season. I still don't think we would have been promoted even if O'Brien and a striker had arrived, but I think we would have made the playoffs.

JDT is a young, fairly inexperienced manager learning his trade in a new league. He's going to make mistakes. He needs time to adapt and evolve. He deserves time to prove he can do that.

The players are adapting too. Some have shown they can adapt and potentially evolve alongside JDT. Others haven't. Some will need to go, and others brought in to do a better job.

It all circles back to recruitment. 

I think Tomasson has learned a lot this season and he seems to have adapted his style of play utilising the players we have. The Championship is notoriously difficult and Tomasson has had to learn on the hoof. It's easy to allow the frustrations of Coventry and Preston to cloud our judgement but I believe the green shoots are beginning to show and he needs backing properly in the Summer.

[martonrover]

7 minutes ago, Waggy76 said:

That's life but they will be back down soon , without Kompany....

Possibly, but I think this will be the third time they’ve gone up whilst we flounder around under the guise of a “project”.

[bluebruce]

Time to get as wasted as this opportunity, lads

[DE.]

Just now, arbitro said:

I think Tomasson has learned a lot this season and he seems to have adapted his style of play utilising the players we have. The Championship is notoriously difficult and Tomasson has had to learn on the hoof. It's easy to allow the frustrations of Coventry and Preston to cloud our judgement but I believe the green shoots are beginning to show and he needs backing properly in the Summer.

Just have to hope he'll give it another go next season. Your comments regarding what you were told about he and Broughton's relationship are a big concern.

[davulsukur]

23 minutes ago, des said:

I just think it's a game of football there are much more important things to get upset about or worry about.

Like Tuesday, for example

[Exiled_Rover]

31 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

Another game to file under one we would have easily won with a decent striker.

Feel pretty sanguine about it because as long as we can find one or two good strikers we will have a great shot next season. 

Obviously would love to make the playoffs to show progress but I would rate our chances of winning them as zero without a good striker.

Even PNE have 3 strikers that would start in our team - it's galling. 

[RTM08]

7 minutes ago, martonrover said:

Possibly, but I think this will be the third time they’ve gone up whilst we flounder around under the guise of a “project”.

And every time they do the financial gap becomes bigger and bigger. The only way of closing that gap is by getting promoted but the board/owners seem to have no ambition to do so.

[den]

I have to say though, rovers do play some good, eye catching football at times. 
 

Keep talking about it, but Adam Wharton really should have played much more this season. 18 yrs old and so classy. JDT……. You’ve slipped up there mate.

[BankEnd Rover]

1 minute ago, den said:

I have to say though, rovers do play some good, eye catching football at times. 
 

Keep talking about it, but Adam Wharton really should have played much more this season. 18 yrs old and so classy. JDT……. You’ve slipped up there mate.

I think his ball to trav for the build up to our goal is underrated. Unreal talent! 

[den]

2 minutes ago, BankEnd Rover said:

I think his ball to trav for the build up to our goal is underrated. Unreal talent! 

Yes. It was a stand out pass for me. Excellent.

[Sparks Rover]

15 minutes ago, den said:

We could do with big Sam back to show rovers how to close a game out. Get it into the corners and keep it there.

Its like they've all been playing academy football all season when not in the squad....where the result doesn't really matter.  This is a cancer in the first team....JDT making it all the same, shame on him...Wharton playing kids football all season, shame on JDT.

[all you need is duff]

10 minutes ago, den said:

I have to say though, rovers do play some good, eye catching football at times. 
 

Keep talking about it, but Adam Wharton really should have played much more this season. 18 yrs old and so classy. JDT……. You’ve slipped up there mate.

I still think a bust up or something happened pre Burnley. Don’t expect him to play all the time but the amount of times he hasn’t even been on the bench when fit since then is beyond belief 

 

[Reginald]

One thing that struck me today is our seeming obsession with always going wide in the last third and expecting to score from crosses or square balls. After yet another failed attempt Szmodics had a word with Travis, and lo and behold in the next attack Travis played him through centrally and he scored.

[Uddersfelt Blue]

Absolutely gutted after conceding the late equaliser but really impressed with the way that the team are battling. Don’t forget we lost 4-1 to the Nobbers before Xmas. They are a decent team.

We are still in the mix, which is as much as we could have hoped for at the beginning of the season and as someone said, if Adam Wharton had been playing more games, the play offs would be nailed on now. 
 

Tuesday is not a foregone conclusion as evidenced by them losing to QPR, but we need to play 90 minutes as we have in 45 today and recent games. 
 

Someone also needs to ensure that thug Ashley Barnes doesn’t push us around. Oh for Aaron Mokoena.

Regardless of whether we go up or not, we are playing better football albeit with mistakes at times. I’ve been a critic of JDT but with the right players signed in the summer, we are going in the right direction and we’ll be up there sooner than later. 

[all you need is duff]

4 minutes ago, Uddersfelt Blue said:

Absolutely gutted after conceding the late equaliser but really impressed with the way that the team are battling. Don’t forget we lost 4-1 to the Nobbers before Xmas. They are a decent team.

We are still in the mix, which is as much as we could have hoped for at the beginning of the season and as someone said, if Adam Wharton had been playing more games, the play offs would be nailed on now. 
 

Tuesday is not a foregone conclusion as evidenced by them losing to QPR, but we need to play 90 minutes as we have in 45 today and recent games. 
 

Someone also needs to ensure that thug Ashley Barnes doesn’t push us around. Oh for Aaron Mokoena.

Regardless of whether we go up or not, we are playing better football albeit with mistakes at times. I’ve been a critic of JDT but with the right players signed in the summer, we are going in the right direction and we’ll be up there sooner than later. 

I said similar last season but it won’t be as easy in future seasons even if we have a better team. The likes of Watford, Norwich, WBA and the 3 relegated teams will be stronger next season

[booth]

Shout out to Sammy Szmodics, the standout player that gave 100% passion for 90 minutes this evening. I've been critical of him previously, but if only we had more of this attitude within the squad.

Stick him with a decent striker and they'll score loads next season.

[Waggy76]

34 minutes ago, martonrover said:

Possibly, but I think this will be the third time they’ve gone up whilst we flounder around under the guise of a “project”.

Couldn't agree more 

[BankEnd Rover]

5 minutes ago, booth said:

Shout out to Sammy Szmodics, the standout player that gave 100% passion for 90 minutes this evening. I've been critical of him previously, but if only we had more of this attitude within the squad.

Stick him with a decent striker and they'll score loads next season.

What a turnaround from the lad. He’s proving to be a good signing. Defiantly one the first on the teamsheet.

Edited April 22, 2023 by BankEnd Rover

[rigger]

26 minutes ago, den said:

I have to say though, rovers do play some good, eye catching football at times. 
 

Keep talking about it, but Adam Wharton really should have played much more this season. 18 yrs old and so classy. JDT……. You’ve slipped up there mate.

I thought today overall Adam Wharton had a poor game, but when he does something right, it is sublime.

[Miller11]

Obviously lack of strikers is a big issue, but we overcame that today. We were persistent in our attacking, found a bit of quality where it mattered and managed to get the goal.

Unfortunately our good work was undone at least in part by a tactical change that has been tried several times, never worked, and has led to us conceding goals on every occasion we’ve done it.

[booth]

Just now, Miller11 said:

Obviously lack of strikers is a big issue, but we overcame that today. We were persistent in our attacking, found a bit of quality where it mattered and managed to get the goal.

Unfortunately our good work was undone at least in part by a tactical change that has been tried several times, never worked, and has led to us conceding goals on every occasion we’ve done it.

Not sure if we overcame it. Some of Dolan's decision making was terrible in the first half and he wouldn't have been playing there had we had a decent centre forward. Our lack of firepower means we can't kill off teams.