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

[RoversClitheroe]

Have to say controversially - I don't think JRC should play in midfield.

What's happening with Tronstad?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 minute ago, RoversClitheroe said:

Have to say controversially - I don't think JRC should play in midfield.

What's happening with Tronstad?

Not a lot. I’ve only seen him in the cameo at Accy but the second coming of David Batty he isn’t. He’s also another short arse in a first team squad of small players.

[booth]

8 minutes ago, RoversClitheroe said:

Have to say controversially - I don't think JRC should play in midfield.

What's happening with Tronstad?

JRC hasn't impressed in midfield so far. Not the same player as some of his barnstorming midfield cameos from last season. Not match fit?

[rovers11]

Blackburn are the best team we’ve played this season by some distance IMO. We’ve had to work very hard for this lead. #safc #rovers

We'll see this type of quote a lot this season. Opposition fans and managers will be very complimentary about us... yet many will beat us comfortably. I don't like us being the nice side that everyone likes to watch but are really easy to score and create chances against. Every time we've lost the ball in the final third in the last few games, the opposition has a free run at our defence, who are left horribly exposed. Our two best managers in the past 20 years - Hughes and Allardyce - both started by making us solid and hard to beat, and then adding the magic from there. 

The new signings have had zero impact so far which is also a problem. We're relying on the likes of Dolan and Markanday to make a difference, both are miles off it. Telalovic looked miles off the required level when he came on against Boro too, he couldn't even run. But hopefully he'll come good.

On the positive side, I do think a front line of Siggy, Ennis, Szmodics, and Moran is top 6 potential. Can we get them all on the same pitch on a regular basis? 

 

[Hasta]

46 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Your viewpoint would contradiction his comments about Telalovic after he signed his post match comments on Saturday 

JDT's actions speak louder than words. We desperately needed a goal and another striker last night and he didn't fancy him.

Edited September 21, 2023 by Hasta

[47er]

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/23803406.mowbray-praises-blackburn-rovers-despite-sunderland-victory/

Mowbray with some nice words.

Ultimately not the first manager to say stuff like this. When other managers are regularly saying how well you played after beating you by 2 or 3 clear goals, it becomes less of a source of pride and more a worry. Soft touch.

Yeah"You're the best football team we'll beat all season"!!

[tugayislegend]

30 minutes ago, rovers11 said:

Blackburn are the best team we’ve played this season by some distance IMO. We’ve had to work very hard for this lead. #safc #rovers

We'll see this type of quote a lot this season. Opposition fans and managers will be very complimentary about us... yet many will beat us comfortably. I don't like us being the nice side that everyone likes to watch but are really easy to score and create chances against. Every time we've lost the ball in the final third in the last few games, the opposition has a free run at our defence, who are left horribly exposed. Our two best managers in the past 20 years - Hughes and Allardyce - both started by making us solid and hard to beat, and then adding the magic from there. 

The new signings have had zero impact so far which is also a problem. We're relying on the likes of Dolan and Markanday to make a difference, both are miles off it. Telalovic looked miles off the required level when he came on against Boro too, he couldn't even run. But hopefully he'll come good.

On the positive side, I do think a front line of Siggy, Ennis, Szmodics, and Moran is top 6 potential. Can we get them all on the same pitch on a regular basis? 

 

Its absolute madness to play so open expansive football especially when we dont have a proven striker.

Untill Sigurdsson and Ennis come into the starting line up and get a run of games i feel we should be bit more cautious about the style in which we play, including keeping Travis back for protection. 

Playing this open will get us relegated. We have to be able to keep clean sheets to pick up points, we are conceding far too many goals and dont seem to have a defensive SHAPE when the opposition team has the ball

[Groundhog]

When we got it back to 1-1 we were still looking to go forward with the same pace and for some reason we just lost our heads, seemed to stem from a couple of loose passes from Travis and Wharton, and the game turned. We went from totally in control, frightening at times, to completely under the cosh. A real Jekyll and Hyde performance in that first spell. It needed someone to just put their foot on the ball, take the sting out of the game, regroup and build again. It was horrible to watch.

It's the hope that kills you - that first 25 was some of the best football I've seen in recent years, the pace in which we attacked was fantastic, lots of incisive balls inside the full backs. JDT must have told us to just go out and blow them away, our best chance of building a lead - but when we don't take our chances, as many have said already, we have no plan B.

We're always looking to play those killer three passes up the pitch even when we're struggling and need to keep it tight.

Seriously what happened in that first half? We totally lost it around 35mins, it was insane. 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Groundhog

[Exiled_Rover]

1 hour ago, booth said:

JRC hasn't impressed in midfield so far. Not the same player as some of his barnstorming midfield cameos from last season. Not match fit?

He's been fantastic in his other CM cameos this season.

It was a difficult game to come on in as Garrett didn't pull up any trees either - and they were left with Dolan and Markanday as outlets. Zidane would struggle with those two upfront.

[Exiled_Rover]

1 hour ago, Hasta said:

Last night clearly tells me JDT has looked at Telalovic over the 2 weeks he's been here and has him 5th on the striking pecking order. 

When people say "No signing is made without JDT's approval" I'm starting to doubt if that is fully the case. I suspect it was a case of "you either take this guy or nothing" approaching deadline week.

He's going to need time to get up to speed - it's a big jump he's making.

That said, JDT persists with Pears in goal despite him being shite, so he's not infallible.

[Gav]

Its never great losing and I maybe in the minority here, but I really enjoyed the game last night, end to end and plenty of open attacking play. We should have been winning after the first half, lets not forget that, with a depleted side too, but Sunderland got on top, Mowbrays done a great job up there. 

Onwards and upwards. 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Gav

[Groundhog]

Garrett was soft as shit when he came on last night, one late tackle and the rest powder puff, beaten too easily. 

I really enjoyed the game up until those subs killed it. 

It was fantastic entertainment  for a neutral, but I feel sick this morning. 

We were watching two of the youngest sides in the division, Sunderland just as "inexperienced" and young as us in relative terms, yet somehow they managed to dig deep and weather that early storm and assert themselves on the game, something we can't seem to do. I don't think it's down to Mowbray, they just seemed to have a "no fear" mentality. 

[martonrover]

34 minutes ago, Gav said:

We should have been winning after the first half, lets not forget that, with a depleted side too,

I wager we will be saying that on a good few occasions this season, and not just after the first half.

Both sides had players missing. Our squad is unable to cope.

[jim mk2]

I don't see how anyone can "enjoy" a match - any match - that Rovers lose. Last night was a well worn script - we played well for a while, failed to score, then crumbled under the slightest pressure. The second half was awful to watch - so much for "enjoyment".

I'm even more pessimistic than usual about the season. We're weaker than last year, we don't have any decent forwards, Pears is always likely to make a mistake and worryingly, the midfield looks a mess too. 

[Groundhog]

Anyone close to the bench see Travis's reaction to being subbed? From the riverside I just saw a shirt being flung to the floor...

[Exiled_Rover]

1 hour ago, Gav said:

Its never great losing and I maybe in the minority here, but I really enjoyed the game last night, end to end and plenty of open attacking play. We should have been winning after the first half, lets not forget that, with a depleted side too, but Sunderland got on top, Mowbrays done a great job up there. 

Onwards and upwards. 

 

 

Agree to disagree. My head was in my hands when they scored their soft second - I had to walk into the concourse for their penalty cos it was so unjust.

I've rarely left Ewood so deflated - we smashed them, but couldn't put three tap ins in the back of the net and they scored with every bloody shot.

[Exiled_Rover]

13 minutes ago, Groundhog said:

Anyone close to the bench see Travis's reaction to being subbed? From the riverside I just saw a shirt being flung to the floor...

Influence the game more then if you're going to have a paddy if you're taken off. 

His final ball is a disgrace.

[Tugayisgod]

1 minute ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Influence the game more then if you're going to have a paddy if you're taken off. 

His final ball is a disgrace.

Obviously as frustrated as we are atm.  I thought last night was a time to maybe give him a rest as he didn't look 100% after the injury at the weekend. 

 

[SpaceBarSlam]

23 minutes ago, Groundhog said:

Anyone close to the bench see Travis's reaction to being subbed? From the riverside I just saw a shirt being flung to the floor...

Also in the Riverside and clocked this. I'm not convinced he was 100% from Saturday (spent more time with the fitness coaches in the warm up than the other players) and I don't think he was ever going to play 90 mins. Just frustration that we couldn't turn it around, I think, especially after that shot he had saved. 

[Safc in peace]

Hi, 

 

I tried to sign up to the site a few days ago, to have a pre match chat, but the account as only approved this morning. So rather than a preview, this will be a review.

Two clubs with the youngest squads in the Championship, who like to play football the right way. Blackburn had an average age of 23.8 and Sunderland had an an average age of 22.5.

One post on our boards put it this way.

 

• Focus and trust in youth - two youngest sides in division
• Specific focus on youth in middle of the park - that Adam Wharton looks brilliant
• Focus on their own youth products as well - so many academy players in squads from both sides
• Both managers want their team to press aggresively but not without creating gaps behind
• Both managers want their team to play good football, but direct and get the ball up the pitch quickly, rather than mess about with it at the back
• Two managers who look miserable as feck but seem nice guys
• Large clubs from working class areas that deserve to be in the Premier League

 

The general feeling is that you are the best team we have played this year, better than Preston. You worked very hard in the first half to close us down, but you expended too much energy in doing so and from about 35 mins we were able to start to find the space to play our game and in the second half there was a difference in the quality we could bring off the bench.

If you had scored one of those early chances it might have been different, however we are a yea who never give up, that is the beauty of a team of kids. I still find it hard to believe that Bellingham is only 17, he is not his brother but will be a very good player in his own right.

 

Good luck for the rest of the season and I look forward to popping back before the game at our place.

[LDRover]

3 hours ago, LeftWinger said:

Genuine question - is our style of play burning us out by half time?

In the last 4 games we've had more expected goals in the 2nd half once - compared to the opposition having more expected goals in the second half in all 4 games. 

Thought this myself and it does appear we visibly lose intensity after half an hour or so. However, last night I felt that heads dropped when Sunderland got their 2nd and it was more of a mentality issue. 

Oh, as well as some shite substitutions.

[AllRoverAsia]

Jack Clarke is an expert penalty con artist. Yes, he was kicked, he made damn sure of that. I wonder how many cons the cheating scumbag gets over a season. I wish him nothing but ill. 

Edited September 21, 2023 by AllRoverAsia

[Butty]

6 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Jack Clarke is an expert penalty con artist. Yes, he was kicked, he made damn sure of that. I wonder how many cons the cheating scumbag gets over a season. I wish him nothing but ill. 

You okay, mate? 😂

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

13 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Jack Clarke is an expert penalty con artist. Yes, he was kicked, he made damn sure of that. I wonder how many cons the cheating scumbag gets over a season. I wish him nothing but ill. 

Must admit it was a well won penalty - he knew what he was doing. But if it had been the other way around, I would be congratulating the Rovers player that won it.

[roversfan99]

31 minutes ago, Tugayisgod said:

Obviously as frustrated as we are atm.  I thought last night was a time to maybe give him a rest as he didn't look 100% after the injury at the weekend. 

 

I think Elliott Jackson is keen to maintain good relations, borne out by his match ratings.

Why do they reduce the concern of the goals conceded? We have looked massively vulnerable to counter attacks all season, which has made us look far more brittle. We have a small team so will naturally be vulnerable to set pieces, and by the way, our attacking ones continue to frustrate. And the error was from passing it out from the back.

As a team, not just from the goals conceded, we look far less secure this season, and Hyam and Carter have looked much shakier as a result.