v Luton Town (h) - 1/5/23

[booth]

5 minutes ago, Spankus Munky said:

Its an expensive squad player to have. He cant be the one to lead our frontline as he is not prolific enough. We cant use him out wide as his final ball and first touch is poor and he doesn't have raw pace to skin his man! Thus he is a bench player who is one of our highest earners. Move him on if we can get something for him, otherwise we a stuck with a player who is not going to lead a side to the play-offs as a minimum

Replace Gallagher with a better all round striker and we'd be in the play offs, simple as.

I'll never understand why people who want to the club to kick on, also want to perservere with the same old faces that have let us down for years. I saw someone defending Travis the other day and he's been really poor when it's mattered the most. If we have any ambitions of promotion you can't keep expecting these players to suddenly be much better than what they are in their mid 20's.

[RevidgeBlue]

35 minutes ago, JHRover said:

Has Waggott or Broughton ever explained why, even if we are to accept the deadline day cock and bull stuff, we did nothing after that to bring in a free agent or two to bolster our options?

No. 

Hardly anyone asked either. The appeal charade was an incredibly convenient distraction.

[RevidgeBlue]

31 minutes ago, M_B said:

I've seen calls to get rid of him, I wouldn't do that,he's an important squad member and can do a good job. 

He needs adding to. 

Keep saying this, because I need to, because certain people keep defending him, one of the worst players I've ever seen in a Rovers shirt, and that's over 52 years of watching us.

The Jason Lowe of strikers. Absolutely useless, but managers seem to love him.

[Eddie]

43 minutes ago, JHRover said:

One is the claim in the Fans Forum that budgets have already been set for next season. At a normal club you might celebrate forward planning but here it means that Venkys (or more likely their financial gurus) have already determined that the Club is getting very little if anything beyond essential funding. 

I don't understand this criticism. Considering the fact that shortlists and transfer targets should be determined at least a month or two before the window opens, then it makes sense to have budgets set long before the season is finished. These might involve setting multiple potential budgets depending on how the end of the season goes, but I can't understand criticising the club for proper planning - especially when you consider how out of character it is.

In all honesty, it feels like either approach would be criticised. Had they announced that budgets had yet to be set then there would be people on here questioning why we were leaving things so late. 

[Mike E]

Don't think we've been on the EFL highlight show tonight. Blessing?

[Sparks Rover]

4 minutes ago, Eddie said:

I don't understand this criticism. Considering the fact that shortlists and transfer targets should be determined at least a month or two before the window opens, then it makes sense to have budgets set long before the season is finished. These might involve setting multiple potential budgets depending on how the end of the season goes, but I can't understand criticising the club for proper planning - especially when you consider how out of character it is.

In all honesty, it feels like either approach would be criticised. Had they announced that budgets had yet to be set then there would be people on here questioning why we were leaving things so late. 

Fair point.  Greggy is under severe pressure this summer in my opinion.   He needs to deliver some quality signings .....I'm not confident,  think he talks a good game but not come up with anything good since he's been here.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Sparks Rover

[RevidgeBlue]

19 minutes ago, Mellor Rover said:

We've got a decent one in JDT, him walking sends us into another Coyle like spiral imo and ultimately ends in another L1 visit. 

Whilst I hope JDT has far more integrity than Lambert and hasn't used us as merely a convenient stepping stone back into the job market, this season has eerie parallels to the one Lambert was here, tailing off miserably and likely to be on July 1st without a single credible striker on the books.

If he does walk out the next appointment would have to be a lot more Warnock than Coyle otherwise as you say League 1 awaits and I'm not sure we bounce back so readily if it happened again.

[booth]

4 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Keep saying this, because I need to, because certain people keep defending him, one of the worst players I've ever seen in a Rovers shirt, and that's over 52 years of watching us.

The Jason Lowe of strikers. Absolutely useless, but managers seem to love him.

I agree with your first bit wholeheartedly. His only plus point is when defending a corner he's a big bloke in the box.

Mowbray dropped a bollock by spending so much on him, to the point he had to save face and play him even if that meant as a wide player.

He's obviously JDT's reluctant first choice as a senior centre forward. His other choices are to play the likes of Dolan or Szmodics out of position, or a kid with little experience. None of them good choices.

I doubt either love him.

[onlyoneDuff]

If O'Brien was in the lineup in the last 10 games we would have playoffs sealed..still waiting to see who will be sacked for what could be a multi million dollar mistake..

[JohnD]

5 minutes ago, onlyoneDuff said:

If O'Brien was in the lineup in the last 10 games we would have playoffs sealed..still waiting to see who will be sacked for what could be a multi million dollar mistake..

Why must someone be sacked?

[bluebruce]

17 minutes ago, JohnD said:

Why must someone be sacked?

Why wouldn't someone be sacked for a mistake of such magnitude?

[USABlue]

5 hours ago, Bethnal said:

Let’s hope he’s just throwing down the gauntlet.

How did that work out for the last Spurs boss.

[all you need is duff]

9 hours ago, Penwortham Blue said:

I’ll make the point again, until JDT omitted Thomas, we were winning and haven’t won a match since 🤷‍♂️

As someone who has coached a bit at junior level, when in a bad run and unsure of how to get out of it I often go back to the team I was playing the last time we were on a good run which for various reasons I may have drifted from. JDT may have done the same minus Buckley when he dropped BBD against Preston if Gallagher was fit 

[cesus]

6 hours ago, booth said:

Replace Gallagher with a better all round striker and we'd be in the play offs, simple as.

With the absolute calamity of the last 10 games you can say the absolute same with regards to BBD. Arguably even more so!

[Penwortham Blue]

52 minutes ago, all you need is duff said:

As someone who has coached a bit at junior level, when in a bad run and unsure of how to get out of it I often go back to the team I was playing the last time we were on a good run which for various reasons I may have drifted from. JDT may have done the same minus Buckley when he dropped BBD against Preston if Gallagher was fit 

We were winning when Thomas was playing wide and making a difference. We haven’t won since he was dropped to the bench.

[Bbrovers2288]

6 minutes ago, Penwortham Blue said:

We were winning when Thomas was playing wide and making a difference. We haven’t won since he was dropped to the bench.

But he isn’t very good 

[cesus]

24 minutes ago, Bbrovers2288 said:

But he isn’t very good 

He offers very similar qualities to Ryan Giles who was here last season and looked useless. I'm pretty sure Giles is topping the assist charts again this season. I'm seeing a theme.

[chaddyrovers]

9 hours ago, roverandout said:

Football that creates chances

we do created chances tho. 

9 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

We didn't beat Coventry and PNE due to blatant cheating and a fluke. We didn't draw against Burnley due to incompetent refereeing. The football has been very good - we simply don't have any quality in the front 3.

We've CLEARLY progressed as a team - if you can't see that then I can't help you. 

Totally agree

9 hours ago, Tom said:

Can we have a new captain next season please? Travis just isn’t captain material, many weeks he’s barely footballer material 

Far too focus on who is captain for me. More than happy with Travis and Hyam. We have bigger problems then who the captain is for next season

9 hours ago, Miller11 said:

What constitutes “good football”? Passing it round but mostly backwards to no avail?

Despite what TV pundits and viewers would have you believe, the point of a game of football is scoring more goals than your opponents. Good football = goals. What’s good about what we are doing?

We lack that Quality striker that we lack since January if we had that then we would have already got playoff place if not challenge Sheffield United for 2nd place. 

We are possession based team who control the game and looks to get into the right area but remain patient with it. We played some good stuff at times and its good to watch. 

[Penwortham Blue]

58 minutes ago, Bbrovers2288 said:

But he isn’t very good 

He’s been awful in his cameos from the bench but before the Sheffield match in which he was cup tied, he was playing well but more importantly, the team was winning.

[Mattyblue]

It’s not ‘good to watch’ though, is it. And I’m someone who couldn’t care less about aesthetics as long as we get the win, but as we haven’t done that for nine games either (five league goals since that last win against Reading in mid March too), it’s pretty clear that this isn’t an ‘entertaining’ side.

Edited May 2, 2023 by Mattyblue

[booth]

1 hour ago, Penwortham Blue said:

We were winning when Thomas was playing wide and making a difference. We haven’t won since he was dropped to the bench.

When Thomas was wide and Dolan was wide we seemed to play more coherently. Not perfect but everyone seemed to know what they were supposed to be doing at least.

[Mercer]

8 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

Far too focus on who is captain for me. More than happy with Travis and Hyam. We have bigger problems then who the captain is for next season

 

Successful teams all have excellent captains - Liverpool (Souness), Man U (Keane), Arsenal (Adams), Rovers PL winners (Sherwood).

They make a huge difference both on and half the field.

Just one example.  IMO, Brereton has needed a rocket up his arse and there is no way in the world the likes of Souey, Keane, Adams or Sherwood would have allowed him to saunter about like he's done in most games since Christmas.

We need players metaphorically who will lie down and die for the cause.  That comes from the manager and captain.  To say it's like a feckin holiday camp is probably a bit OTT but you surely get my drift.

 

[Miller11]

19 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

We are possession based team who control the game and looks to get into the right area but remain patient with it. We played some good stuff at times and its good to watch. 

We play some dreadful stuff at times that is painful to watch too. And how often the good outweighs the bad is very much up for debate.

[booth]

21 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Far too focus on who is captain for me. More than happy with Travis and Hyam. We have bigger problems then who the captain is for next season

Travis shouldn't be captain as he shouldn't be first choice on the pitch. I'd keep him as back up to a better midfielder and you never know it may prompt him to work on his game and improve. He makes so many mistakes every game and struggles to keep up.

[chaddyrovers]

9 hours ago, JHRover said:

A couple of things that ring alarm bells with me

One is the claim in the Fans Forum that budgets have already been set for next season. At a normal club you might celebrate forward planning but here it means that Venkys (or more likely their financial gurus) have already determined that the Club is getting very little if anything beyond essential funding. 

That means we are stuck with the academy and loan routine again.

 

People complained season after season that we wait too long to find out what our budget so next season we already know what the budget and hopefully can get our transfer business done early this summer or vast majority of it. 

9 hours ago, JHRover said:

Has Waggott or Broughton ever explained why, even if we are to accept the deadline day cock and bull stuff, we did nothing after that to bring in a free agent or two to bolster our options?

very few quality free transfers available the January window closes

57 minutes ago, Bbrovers2288 said:

But he isn’t very good 

I think he is actually old fashion winger who need people in the boxes and if we had the quality striker like Undav from January onwards then I think you would have seen Thomas have more of an impact