v Watford (a) - 27/8/23

[Colt Seavers]

Changes needed. None of the front four are good enough to win this game for us. Sigurdsson, Ennis, Gallagher and Moran looks much better on paper if/ when all are fit

Dolan and Leonard off at half time for Gallagher and Moran please.

[roversfan99]

Not enough quality. Dolan is terrible and Leonard is nowhere near ready. 

[BigBar]

Super block from Hyam to keep it level. Quality player.

[Sweaty Gussets]

Get Gally on for Dolan. 

Leonard isn't ready. Ennis is far better with his back to goal. 

Hedges is just a bit meh

Szmodics hasn't been great.

Hopefully Siggy and Moran can make a big difference and we can sign a quality striker. 

 

 

[CambridgeRover]

Wharton has missed some passes and a bit weak defensively but been brilliant on the ball most of the time

[BigBar]

Make the changes now, fuck their ego giving them 7 or 8 mins into the second half. Gally and Moran on please.

[Give 'Em the Axe]

47 minutes ago, 47er said:

Summary—-we’ve shown some great approach work, got ourselves into promising positions but have no physicality upfront. Dolan as ineffective as I’ve ever seen him, Hedges ordinary, Leonard anonymous.

Travis flirting with a yellow or worse.

Where’s a goal going to come from?

You've nailed it there.

Some good intentions, but failure to deliver. The lack of edge in the final third is telling. It is hard to be a Dolan fan on days like these, I have to admit. Really want him to come good as I admire his energy.

Hedges is a game lad, and I appreciate that he tries to spread play, or do something a little bit clever, but he ought to be an auxiliary option rather than the creative focal point.

Harry Leonard - well - we all have big dreams for the chap, but he's been out of it for most of today thus far.

As for the Wharton discussion. Player like him - ya simply have to live with his misplaced passes. Some of them will be his fault, but I reckon a fair amount will be down his speed of thought trumping that of his colleagues. I think he's potentially a very special player. Certainly among the best we have, for definite.

Hard to know what can be done to change things in the second half. I fear we don't have the personnel currently to implement major changes in approach.

Love to be proven wrong, of course.

Edited August 27, 2023 by Give 'Em the Axe

[speeeeeeedie]

I agree with the prevailing opinions so far. 

If this Rovers teams had a 20 goal a season striker playing they'd be playoff bound. 

I've said more than once that Dolan doesn't have it. Today is his usual, good performances are an anomaly. 

This game is there for the taking. 

[aletheia]

Enjoy us on the turnover-keep it well, move it quickly forward but then lack that quality final ball/finishing.

Need to watch the opposition stealing when we play it forwards when our player has back to their goal. eg Sammie lost it and they were in, and from one of our 'predicatble' corners, a poor ball forward (from JRC?) to Wharton was stolen and they were in.

Best piece of quality was the strike that hit the crossbar.

[AllRoverAsia]

2 minutes ago, CambridgeRover said:

Wharton has missed some passes and a bit weak defensively but been brilliant on the ball most of the time

He's so good that when he does make an error it shouts out.

Most of the others just make so many errors they largely go unnoticed, just part of our normal play.

[Exiled_Rover]

Oh wow, unceremoniously booted from SKYSports Main Event - I wondered why they were talking about Sheffield Utd when I walked back into the room.

[Andy]

Decent half imo, against a decent side at this level.

Hyam and Brittain have been really good, but Dolan has again been a waste of a shirt, unfortunately. Hopefully Sigurdsson isn’t too far away.

Wharton has flitted between wasteful and brilliant, which is to be expected at this level.

Get Moran and Gallagher on for Dolan and Leonard and we can win this one.

[AspRover]

I think there is a positive in that this is probably the thinnest our attacking options will be all season - Effectively Sigurdsson, Ennis out, Gallagher and Moran unfit/unready to start and hopefully (surely?!) we will sign one more forward, all of whom probably are ahead of Dolan, Leonard and Hedges - and we're still looking alright.

We can absolutely get a 1:0 here, we aren't out of it by any means.

[Polky]

No Buckley in the U21’s either 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Exiled_Rover]

Matheus is like that Burnley lad last year - one trick pony, but it's a hell of a trick. 

[ItsRoverZ]

Watford starting second half very bright 

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

10 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

It would help if he occasionally got a decent pass.

He has had a couple of balls into space and lack of basic control led to him losing it and a throwing. Awful

[CambridgeRover]

Energy levels low at the start of the second half

[Exiled_Rover]

Their #10 just kicked the ball away after fouling Wharton. That was a yellow card in week 1.

[AspRover]

4 minutes ago, Polky said:

No Buckley in the U21’s either 🤷🏻‍♂️

Injured or off then, I guess that if there is a buyer he plays in a position we actually have depth in, I'd rather he was kept as I do think there is player in there but successive managers have struggled to find a role for him. Dear lord if he does go we've got to get bodies in though - Gamble, Garrett and Bloxham making the bench shows how thin the squad is at the moment.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

10 minutes ago, Give 'Em the Axe said:

You've nailed it there.

Some good intentions, but failure to deliver. The lack of edge in the final third is telling. It is hard to be a Dolan fan on days like these, I have to admit. Really want him to come good as I admire his energy.

Hedges is a game lad, and I appreciate that he tries to spread play, or do something a little bit clever, but he ought to be an auxiliary option rather than the creative focal point.

Harry Leonard - well - we all have big dreams for the chap, but he's been out of it for most of today thus far.

As for the Wharton discussion. Player like him - ya simply have to live with his misplaced passes. Some of them will be his fault, but I reckon a fair amount will be down his speed of trumping that of his colleagues. I think he's potentially a very special player. Certainly among the best we have, for definite.

Hard to know what can be done to change things in the second half. I fear we don't have the personnel currently to implement major changes in approach.

Love to be proven wrong, of course.

He's good mates with Tugay's invisible friend😉. 

[Angry_Pirate]

Maybe we'll start playing once Watford score. Still in the dressing room.

[ben_the_beast]

Felt fairly tight with Watford edging it until the last 5 minutes of the half when they stepped it up a gear. In reality it felt as though they had the ability to do that all half. 

Dolan off for Moran and Gally on for Leonard. Feel we're going to need to weather the storm early second half. I'd be very happy to leave here with a point. We're limping through to the end of the transfer window (with hopeful reinforcements).

[Tom]

We look moments away from a self inflicted goal, too many loose passes around the back 

[G Somerset Rover]

Have we been on the piss at half time?