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

[arbitro]

1 hour ago, AllRoverAsia said:

So go full defensive and concede midfield.

Fecking suicidal.

How did we concede midfield? We ended with three midfielders just like we started with and Brereton dropping deeper. In the latter stages Hedges played as a striker.

[Mattyblue]

7 minutes ago, DavidMailsTightPerm said:

Last time we got into play offs was on the final match (if I remember correctly). Let's hope it is the same this season

I’m clutching at straws a bit here like, we obviously will need to get a result at Millwall, but even with a win yesterday, the fact it’s so congested would still have probably meant we needed one down there regardless.

[jim mk2]

40 minutes ago, Wheelton Blue said:

The reality, though, is that some of our players just aren't good enough

Sometimes, after all the debate about tactics, substitutions, team formation, game management, the manager etc etc, this is what it boils down to.

Better players would not have conceded that last minute Preston goal. A better player than Hedges would not have attempted a pathetic chip into the the keeper's arms and conceded possession and better players would have closed out the game and against Coventry 

It's the small errors that cost you, such as Brereton standing offside near the halfway line that led to Coventry's last attack. Better players do not make these kind of mistakes

Tomasson has made mistakes too but has done well with a limited squad that has had little recent investment. Ultimately, we need better quality players

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by jim mk2

[1864roverite]

The morning after still hurts, there are comparatives with life under Mowbray, jdt is the devil, hedges, Wharton et Al are all to blame etc etc whinge whine moan and groan.

Under JDT we have begun to play some excellent football something never seen with TM apart from times in Div 1. It’s great to watch at times especially after diatribe games throughout the season. We may or not make the play offs but to take a deeper view, if lessons are learned and the right players come in then we have much to look forward to. 
 

In times of need get behind them on Tuesday

[Hasta]

26 minutes ago, 1864roverite said:

The morning after still hurts, there are comparatives with life under Mowbray, jdt is the devil, hedges, Wharton et Al are all to blame etc etc whinge whine moan and groan.

I’ve woke up this morning and sorry but I’m still going to whinge, whine and moan. Hedges showpony finish will infamously go down in Rovers history for a long, long time. What a dick.

Edited April 23, 2023 by Hasta

[Wheelton Blue]

15 minutes ago, Hasta said:

I’ve woke up this morning and sorry but I’m still going to whinge, whine and moan. Hedges showpony finish will infamously go down in Rovers history for a long, long time. What a dick.

To me, Hedges always flatters to deceive. He's often nice on the eye, but nothing much comes of him.

We need winners; he isn't one.

[RevidgeBlue]

3 minutes ago, Wheelton Blue said:

To me, Hedges always flatters to deceive. He's often nice on the eye, but nothing much comes of him.

We need winners; he isn't one.

Spot on, career journeyman, strange signing, not the sort of calibre required if we have serious aspirations of promotion.

Then again isn't Mowbray's son  head of recruitment at Aberdeen? Probably explains a lot.

[superniko]

36 minutes ago, 1864roverite said:

The morning after still hurts, there are comparatives with life under Mowbray, jdt is the devil, hedges, Wharton et Al are all to blame etc etc whinge whine moan and groan.

Under JDT we have begun to play some excellent football something never seen with TM apart from times in Div 1. It’s great to watch at times especially after diatribe games throughout the season. We may or not make the play offs but to take a deeper view, if lessons are learned and the right players come in then we have much to look forward to. 
 

In times of need get behind them on Tuesday

Complete nonsense. Some of the stuff under Mowbray was far superior. The 5-0, 5-1, 4-0, 4-1 victories. Centre Backs like to pass it to one another if that’s what you mean (and they’re not that good at that)
A -2 GD does not suggest good football at all

[Gamst]

Having calmed down now these are a few of my reflections from the difficult last few days. Despite results being erratic we have genuinely improved since the World Cup break. We are competitive every game and playing decent football. We are clearly a midfielder and a striker short of being genuine contenders and the recruitment team have a lot to answer for with their January failings. With 3 or 4 good additions over the summer and if we keep JDT then we will be competitive again next year. The play offs are always a long shot anyway and any team is likely to have to beat a very decent Boro team to gain promotion. We are better off accepting the very likely outcome of us being in the championship again next season and I continue to maintain that it’s the most exciting league to be a part of! 

The last 2 matches have been almost unbearable but these are important learning curves for our young players and in order to genuinely become contenders you have to make mistakes and suffer heartache and learn from it. They make or break you but I’m confident with steady leadership from JDT this can be used to nurture the players. 

Criticism of the manager and players is actually really unfair as they will be hurting too. Errors are made by all players/managers and certainly you could break down each of the last minute goals and wish individuals had done things differently, but incredible bad luck has been the biggest factor. They’ve shown up and battled in both games and were seconds away from winning. I don’t accept that the players or staff bottled it. They just really deserve some luck! 

My last observation is how much harder it is to manage the football gloom when you have a rovers supporting son…he is 5 and has become obsessed and has only really started being interested in football since new year. He wailed in the away end at Bramall lane and there seems to have been misery ever since. I’m immensely proud that he is resisting the overwhelming pressure to support a premier league mega team in favour of supporting his Dad’s team especially as we don’t live locally…I just really wish we’d get a big win for us to enjoy together soon! Poor lad. 

[Mattyblue]

2 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Spot on, career journeyman, strange signing, not the sort of calibre required if we have serious aspirations of promotion.

Then again isn't Mowbray's son  head of recruitment at Aberdeen? Probably explains a lot.

Brother. 

Yep, you can’t imagine Hedges would’ve  been here otherwise.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Twice in the space of a week we have snatced a draw from the Jaws of victory..four precious points surrendered.

Too feckin right it hurts.

[cesus]

Somebody mentioned it on here a few weeks ago and I must admit I thought they must be wrong but after watching yesterday I whole heartedly agree now .... Tyhrs Dolan is not fast, at all!

[RevidgeBlue]

Two equalisers conceded in the 95th minute within three days, you really couldn't make it up.

It's like I said after the Hull game, no matter how badly other teams play, or how many chances they give us, it doesnt matter, we'll somehow contrive to throw it away.

I gave up bothering about this season after the January window. Clearly no-one at the Club is the slightest bit interested in promotion - it's a lot easier for the old blood pressure if you accept we're not going up.

Next season is a completely different matter. Clean slate and all that. Assuming I'm correct in my belief that we will once again skillfully manage to avoid the play offs then in the summer heads SHOULD roll (not the manager's) but probably won't and on we will no doubt plod with the journey to nowhere.

[Bethnal]

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

The tactics wasn't at fault for us conceded. JDT decided to bring on Wharton on cos Preston on 4 forwards on the pitch so he wanted an extra defender on the pitch which most managers would have done. Just imagine this forum if he had done nothing and we conceded this forum would be saying why didn't he bring on extra centre back on. JDT just can't win with some fans. 

The tactical change to five at the back was at fault for the goal, as we were deeper there than we had been in the previous 90 mins and becoming overrun. We looked awkward, frenzied and uncomfortable. We made the same mistake against Coventry this week. It’s an error, just as it would be an error to put Dolan in goal, for instance. In that very extreme example, you’re asking something of a player that they can’t do. These players seemingly can’t do this right now.

Dropping to five at the back when we are a matter of days on from failing to defend a slim lead with five at the back, with a team that the manager publicly acknowledges is young and therefore lacking in nous/experience to see games out, is a mistake.

Your opinion may be different, but on the simplest level, it’s very difficult to argue with “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Luck doesn’t come into it when you have the chance to kill the game and you don’t take it. That’s not bad luck, it’s poor game management.

Morton lying down in the game at Sheffield.

Brererton going off side in the game with Coventry.

Hedges not taking it into the corner flag yesterday. None of those incidents were bad luck, just poor decision making.

Derbyshire made a similarly costly mistake years ago and never played for the first team again. 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Penwortham Blue]

1 hour ago, DavidMailsTightPerm said:

Last time we got into play offs was on the final match (if I remember correctly). Let's hope it is the same this season

1987 we made the play offs by beating Champions Millwall, 1 4 at the Old Den. A similar result would do nicely. The last time was the win away at Plymouth, which relegated them and we got promoted through play offs.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

5 minutes ago, Bethnal said:

The tactical change to five at the back was at fault for the goal, as we were deeper there than we had been in the previous 90 mins and becoming overrun. We looked awkward, frenzied and uncomfortable. We made the same mistake against Coventry this week. It’s an error, just as it would be an error to put Dolan in goal, for instance. In that very extreme example, you’re asking something of a player that they can’t do. These players seemingly can’t do this right now.

Dropping to five at the back when we are a matter of days on from failing to defend a slim lead with five at the back, with a team that the manager publicly acknowledges is young and therefore lacking in nous/experience to see games out, is a mistake.

Your opinion may be different, but on the simplest level, it’s very difficult to argue with “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

It’s pretty obvious going 5 at the back means those 5 will be strung out along the back line. So it’s also obvious where on the pitch we’ll be playing. The other option would have been to trust your players, stay 4 v 4 and mark up. Once you have 5 defenders with 2 defensive midfielders plus Wharton clearly you’re going to spend must of the game in your defensive third. I did wonder wether if we’d have able to bring on Ayala instead of Wharton his experience would have made the difference but unfortunately he’s made of papier mache.

[Leonard Venkhater]

1 minute ago, Penwortham Blue said:

1987 we made the play offs by beating Champions Millwall, 1 4 at the Old Den. A similar result would do nicely. The last time was the win away at Plymouth, which relegated them and we got promoted through play offs.

Saw both of those games...Great days out!

The Millwall match saw a "bumbling" Rovers (The Guardian-after recent poor form) get into the play offs, only to go out with a whimper against Chelsea....

The Plymouth game, however, saw a real recovery in form and confidence, which propelled us all the way through the play offs..

This doesn't feel like Speedie et al. It just doesn't...

 

[Penwortham Blue]

5 minutes ago, Leonard Venkhater said:

Saw both of those games...Great days out!

The Millwall match saw a "bumbling" Rovers (The Guardian-after recent poor form) get into the play offs, only to go out with a whimper against Chelsea....

The Plymouth game, however, saw a real recovery in form and confidence, which propelled us all the way through the play offs..

This doesn't feel like Speedie et al. It just doesn't...

 

We can only hope and pray. ‘Belief is all’ is one of my pals favourite lines.

[rovers11]

Absolutely gutting to drop points with the last kick of the game twice in one week. We're still in a good position but you get the sense those two late goals will ultimately cost us. 

Whatever happens I'm delighted with the progress we've made this season. We've got the best young players in the league, our style of play over the past couple of months has been excellent, and we added 3 very good players last summer - Hyam, Szmodics, Brittain. And a good manager too! With players on long term contracts we're well set whereas previous years it's felt like a re-build every summer.

We're crying out for a couple of quality attacking players who can score goals and an upgrade on Travis in the middle of the park. Get that then I think we'll be competing for top 2 next year. Genuinely think we're only 3 players away. 

On yesterday, I thought Hedges was brilliant when he came on so it's so annoying that he fluffed his lines at the end. It's also interesting how Gallagher is such a limited player but also such a huge influence on results. The win rate with and without him speaks for itself. 

 

 

[Norbert Rassragr]

Bastard. That's all I can say about the result. We went half a season without a draw, and now it's all we're getting.

[Sparks Rover]

52 minutes ago, cesus said:

Somebody mentioned it on here a few weeks ago and I must admit I thought they must be wrong but after watching yesterday I whole heartedly agree now .... Tyhrs Dolan is not fast, at all!

Was me. He's slow but looks like he should be fast😄

[Sparks Rover]

4 hours ago, ossyian said:

No he hasn’t. He couldn’t get near Wharton. He’s bog average at best

I think you and @chaddyroverswill find that's 2 games this season he's dominated our midfield.....not difficult like, full of little boys and a pantomime dame

Edited April 23, 2023 by Sparks Rover

[Ulrich]

The worst part is we've dropped out of the play offs for our own failings. 

[Reginald]

Of course we were much deeper in the last few minutes - Preston were throwing the kitchen sink at us, as evidenced by them gifting the entirety of their half to Hedges, giving him time to change his mind 7 times about what he was going to do. No team in the world continues to play in the way they have for the previous 90 minutes in that situation.