v Coventry City (a) - 4/10/2023

[Herbie6590]

Ricoh* Related Ribaldry in here…

 

 

* I know…

[joey_big_nose]

I reckon we are well into "may as well get hung for a sheep as a lamb" territory now. If we were going to adjust our formation / tactics we would have done it for Leicester and we did not.

Fully expect gung-ho to continue. We really could do with dropping one of our four forwards Markanday, Szmodics, Sigurdson, Moran (based on form obviously Dilan) and picking one of Garrett or Tronstad to play as a proper third midfielder. Straightforward change, wouldn't disrupt the system too much. We'd still let Garrett or Tronstad get forward to support the overloads in the channels and whatnot, but also expect them to not over commit and get back to help out. Plus as Sammie, Moran, Sigurdson are all scoring I don't see why we need to be so utterly kamikaze. It's not like when we were not scoring at all.

But again if we were doing it we would have done it by now. We are through the looking glass I feel. Let's see what happens.

[1864roverite]

One thing is for sure, Wednesdays game cannot be any worse than we did here last season. Alongside the Wigan away match, it was the poorest performance on the road.

Its another tough one for us, not expecting anything other than a loss.

Just hoping the journey back home isn't too long a drag with evening closures coming back north.

 

[roversfan99]

We need to reign in the gung ho approach, be a bit more willing to counter attack and focus more on being solid like against Watford. Could do that within a 4231 but with Markanday, Telalovic and Dolan not being Chmpionship standard, I would favour a change of shape to either a midfield 3 or a back 3.

Wahlstedt

Hill Hyam Wharton

Brittain Travis Wharton Pickering

Moran Sigurdsson Szmodics

Scott Wharton lucky to start, but thought process being that a third centre back (you ideally want a left footer in there and Carter deserves dropping) might help not only to keep them out but from set pieces, and it allows the wing backs to push up and provide the width, with the 2 number 10s working around Sigurdsson who isn't the quickest but gives us more of a physical focal point.

I expect Dolan for Markanday, maybe Sigurdsson rested but otherwise, more of the same.

[Guest]

This Rovers side under JDT rarely goes on long runs without a win in the league, so I am going to stick my neck out here and predict that due to techtonic shifts in JDT's post match demeanour after yesterday's circus, the long run (well it feels like one) without a run will continue on Weds evening. I noted the cheeky chappie was not present in the post match presser, but a rather more sober and glum bloke instead.

Coventry 2 or 3 more goals than we score. 

JDT is clearly gaslighting / goading someone 'upstairs' with his tactics and, as I said yesterday, the definition of madness is to carry on doing the same thing and expecting different results...

 

[Penwortham Blue]

I like JDT, think he is a good coach and could have easily taken us up, they just needed to give him a small amount of backing, say £3/5m and maintained the wage budget. Even as it stands, I don’t think we are far from being a good team and on our day, we can undoubtedly beat anyone in this league.

Unfortunately, very little seems to run for us on the luck front and you can’t keep missing guilt edge chances and slipping sloppy goals, without being at the wrong end of the table. I am desperately hoping for a minimum 4 point haul from Coventry and QPR but in all honesty, I can’t see us turning the tide until the next Ewood fixture. Truly hope that I am wrong.

[Penwortham Blue]

8 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

We need to reign in the gung ho approach, be a bit more willing to counter attack and focus more on being solid like against Watford. Could do that within a 4231 but with Markanday, Telalovic and Dolan not being Chmpionship standard, I would favour a change of shape to either a midfield 3 or a back 3.

Wahlstedt

Hill Hyam Wharton

Brittain Travis Wharton Pickering

Moran Sigurdsson Szmodics

Scott Wharton lucky to start, but thought process being that a third centre back (you ideally want a left footer in there and Carter deserves dropping) might help not only to keep them out but from set pieces, and it allows the wing backs to push up and provide the width, with the 2 number 10s working around Sigurdsson who isn't the quickest but gives us more of a physical focal point.

I expect Dolan for Markanday, maybe Sigurdsson rested but otherwise, more of the same.

I wouldn’t disagree with this at all but it is a toss of a coin which of Hyam or Carter to drop out, both been poor recently.

[Hasta]

Anyone have any idea of when Ennis / Leonard are expected back?

I know Gally is at least November and Hedges next year.

 

 

[roversfan99]

Tomasson said that Leonard should be back after the international break. He said Ennis should be back "on the grass" this week but im sure he has said that for the last 2 weeks.

[wilba23]

Leonard was after the international break I think, not sure on Ennis. Wasn't he playing with injections last year at Plymouth which has compounded his injury issues with us?

This will be my first live game of the season and as 1864 says it can't be any worse than the performance here last year which was abysmal. Hoping for a couple of changes in personal and result. 

[arbitro]

12 minutes ago, Penwortham Blue said:

I wouldn’t disagree with this at all but it is a toss of a coin which of Hyam or Carter to drop out, both been poor recently.

There seems to be a blind spot from many over Hyam. At times he is so far off the pace of the game I question whether or not he is fit. Both Hill and Scott Wharton could feasibly start at Coventry if the team was being picked on form over the last four of five games. In my view Hill could also play the role of defensive midfielder the consensus feel we need.

[arbitro]

12 minutes ago, Penwortham Blue said:

I wouldn’t disagree with this at all but it is a toss of a coin which of Hyam or Carter to drop out, both been poor recently.

There seems to be a blind spot from many over Hyam. At times he is so far off the pace of the game I question whether or not he is fit. Both Hill and Scott Wharton could feasibly start at Coventry if the team was being picked on form over the last four of five games. In my view Hill could also play the role of defensive midfielder the consensus feel we need.

[Penwortham Blue]

11 minutes ago, Hasta said:

Anyone have any idea of when Ennis / Leonard are expected back?

I know Gally is at least November and Hedges next year.

 

 

Given all his issues since joining, I keep forgetting that Ennis is a Blackburn Rovers player ! His playing career at the club certainly hasn’t started yet !

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

4 minutes ago, arbitro said:

There seems to be a blind spot from many over Hyam. At times he is so far off the pace of the game I question whether or not he is fit. Both Hill and Scott Wharton could feasibly start at Coventry if the team was being picked on form over the last four of five games. In my view Hill could also play the role of defensive midfielder the consensus feel we need.

I agree with you regarding Hill in the defensive midfield role. He looks mobile enough to play there.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

18 minutes ago, Hasta said:

Anyone have any idea of when Ennis / Leonard are expected back?

I know Gally is at least November and Hedges next year.

 

 

Gally ? He’s the most injury prone giant I’ve ever seen. Then in another code you see that French scrum half wanting to play with a fractured cheek bone.

[briansol]

Pratical questions. Travelling over from Norway to attende the match. Are there any pub supporter are meeting up before the game? 

[roversfan99]

Hyam has been poor this season, both be and Carter have been crap. Now obviously players can and will have changes in form, but to me thats no coincedence considering how we are playing as a team. Both are being left far too exposed, they dont have the protection we had last season.

One of Hyams main weaknesses is that he is slow, you leave him to defend one on one and he will naturally be vulnerable. He also doesnt strike me at all like a leader so maybe with the expectation of being one with who left in the summer (perhaps especially Ayala) and the young group we have left is not ideal.

[superniko]

           Wahlstedt

Brittain Hill Hyam Pickering

   JRC Wharton Travis

Moran Szmodics Sigurdsson

[arbitro]

Just now, roversfan99 said:

Hyam has been poor this season, both be and Carter have been crap. Now obviously players can and will have changes in form, but to me thats no coincedence considering how we are playing as a team. Both are being left far too exposed, they dont have the protection we had last season.

One of Hyams main weaknesses is that he is slow, you leave him to defend one on one and he will naturally be vulnerable. He also doesnt strike me at all like a leader so maybe with the expectation of being one with who left in the summer (perhaps especially Ayala) and the young group we have left is not ideal.

We shouldn't be picking a midfield to cover his infallibility though.If Hyam is slow replace him with a player who is quicker is the solution. Personally I think one of his main weaknesses this season has been his poor reading of the game and positional play (perhaps the two are interlinked).

[roversfan99]

20 minutes ago, arbitro said:

We shouldn't be picking a midfield to cover his infallibility though.If Hyam is slow replace him with a player who is quicker is the solution. Personally I think one of his main weaknesses this season has been his poor reading of the game and positional play (perhaps the two are interlinked).

I think both of the centre backs look really poor but my point is that both were very good last year when they were being adequately protected and I feel like any of the 4 would struggle in the current tactics.

[davulsukur]

----------------Wahlstedt

Brittain-----Hill-----Hyam----Pickering

-------Travis---Tronstad---Wharton

Moran--------Szmodics-----Sigurdsson

Gotta switch things up a touch. Give Carter a rest and give Hill a shot at staking a claim.

Tronstad seems to be hardly used and I don't know if he's just not good enough but we have limited options. Hoping a holding midfielder might make some difference in stemming the flow of goals we concede, as well as putting 3 in the middle. Let Travis and Wharton do their thing.

Front 3 all have to start.

[Dreams of 1995]

One day this squad will 'click'

There are goals available in abundance. It is strengthening that gap between midfield and defence that we need to work on

Coventry will be the game this happens

[Wheelton Blue]

If we set up as we have been doing, we'll lose again.

If Tomasson recognises that he needs to stiffen the midfield up, we may get a draw.

[Miller11]

In our last 5 league games we have conceded 15 goals, lost 4 and won 1. This coincides with Rankin-Costello’s injury and subsequent loss of starting 11 place.

[chaddyrovers]

            Wahlstedt

Brittain Hill Hyam Pickering

          Travis Tronstad

     JRC   Moran   Sigurdsson 

             Szmodics

Subs:- Hilton, Carter, Wharton, Wharton, Garrett, Dolan, Markanday, Telalovic, Glisenan,

I would play 4-2-3-1 and have 2 holding midfielders protecting the back 4. That's the change formation I would do. I deffo wouldn't play 3 at the back. I still want us to creating plenty of chances and play the attacking game we have in recent games.