Pre season 23/24

[arbitro]

It was good to watch some football again although in terms of performance it wasn't too good, understandable given it's our first match. Too often players touches weren't good enough but again that will take a few games. It was good to see some of the kids get game time and I thought they did well.

I spoke to Adam Wharton who told me that he has a slight hamstring strain and is staying behind next week for treatment. I said to him we need him fit and well for August 5th and he smiled and said "I will be".

[WacoRover]

15 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Firstly, it was good to get back to watching Rovers today. 

First game was ok game. Ash Phillips was our best player on the pitch. Tronstad look decent enough. Not good enough up front. . Kaminski made a couple of good saves. 

Second game, we started poorly and Pears should have done much better with their first goal. Wharton was caught out for both goals. Second goal was a pen. Then that sort of woke Rovers up and we scored very good goals cos we upped their tempo of our possession. JRC our best player. Dolan scored a good goal as did Hedges. Almost scored with the last kick of the game with JRC 's free kick which I think was going in. 

So from both games I will say Rovers need more signings in forward area. Still need a main 9 striker and right side attacking player. Still think we need another left back more than centre back for me. Batty not ready yet. 

I will say that Stanley's food is reasonable price and simple menu. Tho I couldn't watch Stanley play regular. Not for me. They had 6 players on trial today. Such a dull team to watch. 

Good report, Chaddy. I am glad to read your comments, re: Ash Phillips. 

[BigBar]

How did Markanday and Buckley get on?

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

1 hour ago, USABlue said:

Bit worried about the season, lost or losing proven championship quality for gambles.  Also there seems to be a few teams in the past who have just missed out on playoffs or lost in the playoffs only to struggle the next season.

My thoughts exactly Blue..we have lost a hell of a lot of quality up front.

[chaddyrovers]

26 minutes ago, WacoRover said:

Good report, Chaddy. I am glad to read your comments, re: Ash Phillips. 

thanks 

[Mattyblue]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

Firstly, it was good to get back to watching Rovers today. 

First game was ok game. Ash Phillips was our best player on the pitch. Tronstad look decent enough. Not good enough up front. . Kaminski made a couple of good saves. 

Second game, we started poorly and Pears should have done much better with their first goal. Wharton was caught out for both goals. Second goal was a pen. Then that sort of woke Rovers up and we scored very good goals cos we upped their tempo of our possession. JRC our best player. Dolan scored a good goal as did Hedges. Almost scored with the last kick of the game with JRC 's free kick which I think was going in. 

So from both games I will say Rovers need more signings in forward area. Still need a main 9 striker and right side attacking player. Still think we need another left back more than centre back for me. Batty not ready yet. 

I will say that Stanley's food is reasonable price and simple menu. Tho I couldn't watch Stanley play regular. Not for me. They had 6 players on trial today. Such a dull team to watch. 

To be fair just like you can’t judge our team on the back of a mid July kick about, you certainly can’t judge one with six trialists playing.

[neophox]

48 minutes ago, WacoRover said:

Good report, Chaddy. I am glad to read your comments, re: Ash Phillips. 

Remember both Sigurdsson and Ennis was absent. Forwards who could be in our starting eleven come August..

[chaddyrovers]

6 minutes ago, neophox said:

Remember both Sigurdsson and Ennis was absent. Forwards who could be in our starting eleven come August..

we still need 2 more attacking players like Main 9 striker and right side attacking player signings

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just got back. One awful game and one poor game. Maybe I expect too much but a lot of the passing was dreadful. It looked like two bottom division teams scrapping it out, not one bottom Div team and one Championship team. We only turned it on for the last 15 minutes of the second game when we got around their right hand side twice to score two good goals. Before that we’d just played in front of our opponents as usual. No goal threat at all.

Pluses- Phillips , without a doubt he looks like he’ll be pushing for a place this season.

Minuses - Gally , he’s gone backwards. Somebody threaded a nice pass through to him and he got it caught between the divers boots he must have been wearing.  Batty, I expected more, he’s not ready. Vale, not a left winger, did his best but kept having to come inside all the time. Wharton, badly at fault for both of their goals, went missing for the first and then got turned again for the pen. He must be behind Phillips now. Him and Carter looked a bit shaky.

JRC, Hyam, Sammy, Hedges, Dolan, Brittain, Pickering all did ok. None of the kids are knocking on the door apart from Phillips. Leonard never got a touch. Buckley strolled through the game when it needed more effort.

The new Norwegian guy looked ok but nothing special to me. Early days though, he only played 45 minutes.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

23 minutes ago, neophox said:

Remember both Sigurdsson and Ennis was absent. Forwards who could be in our starting eleven come August..

Sigurdsson had better be good. We were crying out for some creativity in centre midfield. Somebody who can make things happen instead of just moving the ball ( and responsibility ) on. Wharton the younger was badly missed.

[Mattyblue]

Have we ever put in a top performance in the first kick about of pre season? I can’t remember one, so expecting anything at all is expecting too much.

A pure fitness exercise, even the game format is a clue to what the respective managers want to get out of it.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 minute ago, Mattyblue said:

Have we ever put in a top performance in the first kick about of pre season? I can’t remember one, so expecting anything at all is expecting too much.

A pure fitness exercise, even the game format is a clue to what the respective managers want to get out of it.

I was discussing it with my son on the way back. We’ve seen some real dogshit pre-season games in the past, especially when we’ve played at Rochdale, and this was just the same.

[Exiled_Rover]

You can't tell me JRC is playing RB there.

He has to play CM (or further forward) this season, he has the potential to grab games by the scruff of the neck.

 

 

[Andy]

To be fair, some nice work also there from Wharton and Dolan.

Good goal.

[Sweaty Gussets]

2 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

You can't tell me JRC is playing RB there.

He has to play CM (or further forward) this season, he has the potential to grab games by the scruff of the neck.

 

 

That's an excellent goal.

JonBall

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 minute ago, Andy said:

To be fair, some nice work also there from Wharton and Dolan.

Good goal.

Dolan helped make one and scored the other. It wasn’t an easy chance either.

[M_B]

2 hours ago, BigBar said:

How did Markanday and Buckley get on?

Thought Markanday showed up as well as anyone going forward In the first game. His cracking run and cross first half would have brought a goal but for a great save. 

Buckley got on, that was the main thing. A real bonus to see him out there. 

[Gav]

16 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Dolan helped make one and scored the other. It wasn’t an easy chance either.

That lad had some real quality, like all our players he needs some consistency, but he could be a very good player if he pushes on.

Hope you enjoyed the day Tyrone.

Edited July 8, 2023 by Gav

[bazza]

4 hours ago, R0verb0y said:

If the weather at the Wham Stadium's anything like it is in BB2 at the moment, serious respect to anyone who's there.

(I would have been; but I'm 77 and recuperating from surgery.)

Hope you are ok. Get well soon, Fella.

[roversfan99]

25 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

You can't tell me JRC is playing RB there.

He has to play CM (or further forward) this season, he has the potential to grab games by the scruff of the neck.

 

 

There is a modern tactic though where full backs like to naturally float into midfield and help a team to dominate, and he is brilliant at that from right back, so I would be reluctant to move him. He is also just as effective defensively as Brittain is, maybe even more.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

12 minutes ago, Gav said:

That lad had some real quality, like all our players he needs some consistency, but he could be a very good player if he pushes on.

Hope you enjoyed the day Tyrone.

It wasn’t great Gav. Not exactly like having teeth pulled but part way through the first game I caught myself thinking - “ If football had have been like this when I was a kid I might have concentrated on playing cricket ! “

This was after several bouts  of centre half to centre half to goalie triangular keep ball !

Edited July 8, 2023 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

17 minutes ago, M_B said:

Thought Markanday showed up as well as anyone going forward In the first game. His cracking run and cross first half would have brought a goal but for a great save. 

Buckley got on, that was the main thing. A real bonus to see him out there. 

Yes, that was a great bit of play. It was a decent save from their trialist keeper but really the chance should have been buried.

Edited July 8, 2023 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[LeftWinger]

42 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

You can't tell me JRC is playing RB there.

He has to play CM (or further forward) this season, he has the potential to grab games by the scruff of the neck.

 

 

It was noticeable that the full-backs were tucking inside into midfield roles when we had the ball, a style Man City have previously played, obviously we just weren't as effective. Pickering was picking up the ball centrally in the first game.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Tomasson:

“With the situation we’re in at Rovers, where we don’t have the financial resources to spend and spend, we also need to create our own players and we like that. It’s part of the plan and I love to build things. I know it’s a difficult project, but I love a good challenge."

Tomasson:

 " We need maybe four Players"

Edited July 8, 2023 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Penwortham Blue]

https://twitter.com/bbclancssport/status/1677802645392687109?s=46&t=JHaMfgKU6CTevl1pjA6TEg

Just love JDT, infectious enthusiasm and night and day contrast with the Teeside curmudgeon 😊