v Sunderland (h) - 20/9/23 - 19:45

[Exiled_Rover]

44 minutes ago, SAFCfaninpeace said:

You played well first half. Ballard kept us in it first 15 minutes and no surprise you scored your goal when he was off the pitch injured.
 

However, we comfortably controlled the 2nd half and we’re way off our best tonight but Jack Clarke is simply different gravy.
 

Don’t get the hate towards Mowbray mind - he’s been brilliant for us since day one and has us playing fantastic football the majority of the time. 
 

Good luck the rest of the season, except at the SOL. 

It should have been 3-0 before the dodgy penalty (he had two chances to even up the score, but didn't blow for the foul on Leonard or Telalovic in the box).

We hate Mowbray because he's a morose cunt. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Goals change games. It’s as simple as that really.

[Exiled_Rover]

42 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

100%.

Bullshitter extraordinaire.

Even Mowbray and Venus's recruitment was better.

So how would you have improved the team with 15% less wage budget than the previous season whilst also having to generate £5m in transfer fees to keep the lights on?

[LDRover]

Not much to add to what has already been said. Game could've been out of sight after 15 minutes with a striker, some of our play was magnificent but once the chances went begging there was an  inevitability on us losing.

Substitutions killed us 2nd half, Markanday nowhere near good enough, JRC very poor and looks a yard off it while you'd be hard pressed to see a worse half hour in midfield than what Garrett produced. German ale house lad looked low on quality and is obviously not fancied.

Elsewhere Wharton was sussed by Sunderland's midfield after 20 minutes and lost confidence, Moran was very good - looks a player, Sammie worked hard as always but made some bad decisions in possession. The rest were much of a muchness in starting well but draining of all belief once we went behind. A word on Pickering as well, he undoubtedly gives us balance at the back but the opposition do look to expose him and he is a weak link for me.

Edited September 20, 2023 by LDRover

[arbitro]

The two main reasons we lost this game for me was awful finishing and poor decision making. In their last three matches Sunderland have scored eleven goals and I honestly think we should have done with the good chances we have squandered in the same number of games. At times our decision making is poor and too often we make the wrong one by playing the wrong pass, not playing it early enough, taking too many touches, not shooting when we should and a host of other things. I thought that is where Sunderland were far better than us. They did the simple things far better. How many times did we get caught in possession tonight? I'm struggling to think of one player who didn't and Adam Wharton was the main culprit closely followed by the likes of Szmodics, Travis, Garrett and Dolan. On the subject of Dolan he appears to be a busted flush now and if he thinks he can hold the club to ransom over this new deal his feet wouldn't touch the ground in January. He simply isn't good enough to do that. Tomasson was also culpable tonight as his substitutions really weakened us. Normally he gets most of them right but tonight I think he was wrong. Not one of the changes had an effect on the game and none of those who came on showed anywhere near enough to be in with a chance of starting on Saturday.

A bad night all round.

 

[Waggy76]

2 minutes ago, DE. said:

Playing badly and still being able to win tends to be the sign of a good team (assuming they don't play badly all the time). Playing well and still not getting results... well, usually that doesn't end so well as confidence begins to ebb away. Taking last season's second half dip into account we've been struggling for consistent form for some time now. Venky's ruined our chances of seriously addressing this in the summer, so it's no surprise we aren't really any further forward. 

Venkys ruined Blackburn Rovers !!

End of !

[Exiled_Rover]

27 minutes ago, Hasta said:

Exactly. We lost our shape and our way when we made the 3 substitutions and went without a recognised striker on the pitch. This despite Greg’s outcome to our summer striker search being sat on the bench. We were clearly the better side with our first 11 but as ever couldn’t take out chances. People are saying Wharton was bad because he wasn’t very good, but Garrett looked leagues below when he came on. 

He's clearly at the bottom of whatever striker list they drew up in the summer - he's a hopeful punt. He's going to need time to settle in - it's a big jump from where he was playing. 

[Mercer]

Started well and should have been 2 or 3 up.  You have to make it count when on top.

Stupid Hedges challenge - makes too many rash decisions and misses too many chances.

Travis good until I think his injury caught up with him.

Wharton doesn't look fit and suffering from not having a proper pre season.

Leonard took his goal well heading back across goal into opposite corner but should have netted at least one of two good second half chances.

First thought was that Pears should have stopped Sunderland's second goal.

Crazy substitutions - we need a goal and our new striker is brought on as 5th sub with minutes to go - think Semir showed in one 'opportunity' there is something there.

Dolan, IMO, is utter sh1te - get him out the club and Garrett is simply not yet at the races.

Sunderland have some tasty players in midfield and up front and, sadly, as I thought, had too much for us.

To me, the alarm bells are ringing.  This season is going to be tough.  Three poor transfer windows are about to catch up with us.  Think we'll be lucky if JDT is with us come Christmas. 

[Inferi]

12 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

You seem keen to avoid putting any blame on us having to go through bargain bins to try and sign a competent striker.

I don't rate Pears, but if JDT wants him to be our first choice keeper it would've made more sense to sign a striker for the Wahlstedt money. Peterborough accepted a £ 800 000 bid for Jonson Clarke-Harris. A backup keeper could've been signed on the cheap, Chris Maxwell or similar. 

Edited September 20, 2023 by Inferi

[jim mk2]

How many would Brereton got tonight? The lad wasn't always great but he scored goals and he would surely have notched a couple tonight. The simple fact is he hasn't been replaced properly. The lack of a natural goalscorer is killing us.

 

[tomphil]

Actually really angry at that tonight i knew it would pan out that way pretty much scripted it.

Naivety all over the place and in the technical area, awful use of subs.

These defeats are becoming self inflicted and that is worrying.

[simongarnerisgod]

2 minutes ago, Mercer said:

Dolan, IMO, is utter sh1te - get him out the club and Garrett is simply not yet at the races.

garrett looked out of place at this level tbh

dolan brings nothing,he continually makes the wrong decisions

[DE.]

8 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Goals change games. It’s as simple as that really.

Certainly in our case, as we continue this ridiculously poor record of being unable to win a match if we fall behind.

2 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

How many would Brereton got tonight? The lad wasn't always great but he scored goals and he would surely have notched a couple tonight. The simple fact is he hasn't been replaced properly. The lack of a natural goalscorer is killing us.

 

As it's the first half of the season he probably would have bagged a couple. If the match had happened after Christmas probably none. 

[Hasta]

8 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

It should have been 3-0 before the dodgy penalty (he had two chances to even up the score, but didn't blow for the foul on Leonard or Telalovic in the box).

We hate Mowbray because he's a morose cunt. 

Dodgy as in it’s a stupid one to give away.  It’s one of the clearest penalties we will see this season. When the ref gave it, the reaction of the Rovers players said it all.

[superniko]

We’re back on the LWLWL train now too! 

[Waggy76]

One of the biggest problems, we have is the fact we cannot win games , when we go behind...

[Mercer]

1 minute ago, superniko said:

We’re back on the LWLWL train now too! 

Think there are leaves on the line and train will get derailed in Ipswich: LWLWLL

[tomphil]

Garret really needed  a loan out i like the lad but he's a headless chicken.

Buckley should have been one to bring on tonight although as i said on Sat this style is too open we desparetly need a holding mid in there.

We signed one and tonight he plays for the U21s !!!

[bluebruce]

22 minutes ago, Oldgregg86 said:

It was like watching a massive underdog land a few good punches in the first two rounds getting the fans excited before the experienced pro grinds him down for the next few and then knocks him out in the 7th round as the under dog runs out of gas and ideas

no prizes for guessing which boxer we where in that analogy

The problem I have with that is we weren't the underdogs. I believe the bookies had us as favourites.

[A Northern Horde...]

An odd result in the end,one thing is for sure with this side..when their Heads drop they really drop.Seen it happen too many times.

[Butty]

We should have been out of sight after 20 minutes, this team is literally a proper experienced centre forward away from finishing in the top six in my view with the amount of chances we create, we just need someone who can stick the ball in the net. Gally has proven he’s not that man, Telalovic is a complete unknown, Leonard is still learning on the job and isn’t going to get you 15 goals or more and Ennis is currently crocked. Roll on the January window 😂

[simongarnerisgod]

looking at the situation,within the laws of average,all these chances are going to start going in and a couple of teams are going to get a hiding

whats the situation with tronstadt,he`s playing with the kids,has he fallen foul of jdt`s fitness regime

[rigger]

52 minutes ago, Aqualung said:

Like who rigger? 

What a silly post. 

Wahlstadt, Sigurdssen, Telalovic,Tronstad. It may in your opinion be a silly post. But it is what I think may be happening. I am not saying it is correct, just that it explains to me some of the recent strange selection and substitute decissions.

Edited September 20, 2023 by rigger

[roverblue]

The writing was on the wall when we failed to score in the first 30mins, playing some of the best football I’ve seen at Ewood for a long time.

Sunderland had all the luck and scored 3 goals with their 3 shots on goal.

Once Travis went off it all went to shit, we have a team of players that can’t tackle other than the back 4. Without him in the side we look really vulnerable and did at Boro on Saturday too. 

It’s early days but concerning with how many goals we concede with this hung ho approach. Especially when we can’t score for shit at the other end.

The whole season is going to hinge on how good the signings turn out to be once fit as the current 11 definitely don’t have the goals in them.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

2 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

looking at the situation,within the laws of average,all these chances are going to start going in and a couple of teams are going to get a hiding

whats the situation with tronstadt,he`s playing with the kids,has he fallen foul of jdt`s fitness regime

Not good enough I suspect.