v Birmingham City (h) - 29/11/23 - 7.45 pm

[roversfan99]

48 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

There's no proof that we wouldn't have had JDT without GB but if that statement is true he's better at unearthing managers than players.

Szmodics is the leagues top scorer, Hill has been really good and scored, Tronstad and Moran again good, Brittain and Hyam have been good. So not quite the disaster you imply.

No fingers pointed at the owners again? We dont have enough players. The owners slashed the budget and wouldnt even authorise another loan. Do they get any blame for the pathetic lack of depth we have? Half of the players currently playing well were signed under Broughton, I have criticised him at times but your persistent refusal to criticise the owners is so baffling.

[Aqualung]

59 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Great. I better get my boots down from the loft then. How many probably starting players will be missing  ? Pears, Wharton, Hyam, Gally, JRC, possibly/probably Dolan, 

Whilst listening and watching the game tonight the commentary team which included a very knowledgeable Dom Hyam, alluded to 10 senior players out. 

Hyam

Hedges 

Dolan

Pears

Wharton 

Ennis 

Gallagher 

Barnes

JRC 

And one other who I can't be arsed to look up. 

[Exiled_Rover]

9 minutes ago, Aqualung said:

Nail on head post. 

It's such a shame if jdt leaves and back to square one. 

Let's see what this season brings first. No more injuries would be a blessing for a start. 

Like a poster referred to... Its unsustainable to expect the fit players to carry on getting 3 points. Especially over Christmas. Way to much to ask. 

If Broughton is doing his job then he's already scouting replacements for JDT.

I'd expect Carter and Wharton to be sold in the summer for £20m+ too.

[bigbrandjohn]

2 hours ago, booth said:

And lost to Brum at the weekend. It's a funny old game.

🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌. I read the report. They will be all confident now. Barry Bannon is a handful. 

[Exiled_Rover]

58 minutes ago, Groundhog said:

We must be the only team who look more likely to lose the more goals we score. At 3-0 I thought "this has 3-3 written all over it". When we take the foot off the gas, we really do. I don't really know what's happening, just seem to look leggy, we stop keeping hold of the ball, our midfield disappears and it starts to snowball, the opposition smell blood and keep pushing for more. After our 2nd, we started playing simple easy football, keeping the ball, simple passes - after our third we start going all gung ho again, one too many lay offs, balls into danger - we don't seem to sense danger at times, even if the entirety of Ewood does. One moment where Moran laid it off first time straight to them in the middle of the park, when he could of put his foot on it and bear down toward goal, sticks in my mind. BUT I admire us for going for it, the same style, who cares as long as we win, I enjoy watching us play, it's brilliant at times and it gets the crowd going - one particular move of one touching passing in the 2nd half deserved a goal.

I thought Tronstadt was my MOTM, yes I agree he gave the ball away a few times and was sloppy in the first half, and along with Wharton seemed to be completely cut out of the game during Brum's resurgence, but he was always making himself available, always moving and getting the right side of the ball, never stopped doing the basics all night. I enjoyed that little midfielder's union celebration with Adam toward the end of the game too, "job done".

Other than SS's goals and James Hill's enthusiasm at the end, Wharton's outside of the boot pass to Brittain in the second half, like a snooker ball screwing off a cushion, was worth the price of admission alone. 

COYB

 

We struggle because it's a small squad and we're into the busy part of the season where we play 2 games a week.

We can't keep that intensity up for 90 minutes - and sadly in this league when you drop your intensity, which we did at 3-0, other teams pounce.

We seem to have a period every game where we're camped on our own 6 yard box hanging on - I genuinely think it's because we can't bring 5 players on from the bench on 70 minutes that JDT trusts. Every week the opposition seems to make all of their substitutions and we never do. 

[bigbrandjohn]

A familiar refrain. This time from Birmingham fans. 

“Conceding too many goals..can’t play out from the back..98% of goals conceded under Rooney tenure have come from blue’s trying to play out from the back..,can’t play that way..we are incompetent and cannot adhere to the you score 3 we’ll score 4 mentality..if that’s how blues owners want us to be then fgs get rid of WR and get keegan in”

 

[rigger]

I thought Brum had a good following tonight.

[roversfan99]

6 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

We struggle because it's a small squad and we're into the busy part of the season where we play 2 games a week.

We can't keep that intensity up for 90 minutes - and sadly in this league when you drop your intensity, which we did at 3-0, other teams pounce.

We seem to have a period every game where we're camped on our own 6 yard box hanging on - I genuinely think it's because we can't bring 5 players on from the bench on 70 minutes that JDT trusts. Every week the opposition seems to make all of their substitutions and we never do. 

Absolutely. You look at the bench, Duru, Atcheson and Gamble would never have come on and Markanday and Telalovic were very unlikely to. So that just left Sigurdsson and Leonard really, and if Dolan's injury is anything serious then thats likely another kid to be included that wont be used. Travis I think will be banned at the weekend. We will need to keep flogging the current team and opponents will be able to use 5 subs and we wont.

[Exiled_Rover]

1 hour ago, Groundhog said:

A "dud DOF"? Without him we wouldn't have JDT. Crazy comment.

 

Or 3 of the 4 goalscorers tonight.

[tomphil]

5 minutes ago, rigger said:

I thought Brum had a good following tonight.

Not really considering they are such a 'big club'.

[Blue Greyhound]

2 hours ago, neophox said:

Yes he's scored 13.... Adam former rovers player is second with 10 goals.

We breed top goal scorers, every year.

[Aqualung]

33 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Not really considering they are such a 'big club'.

We wouldn't have taken the same numbers down there.... So fair play to the 1400 brummies who made the trip and the costs involved. 

 

[Rover8T4]

If we are around the play off spots come January they need to find a way to back him. If not there's no lessons being learnt 

[XLM]

1 hour ago, jim mk2 said:

I liked the look of Dembele tonight. Big, strong, fast, skilful, we don't have a striker like him

Big? He's 5'8"

Edited November 30, 2023 by XLM
Pic

[doctorryan]

2 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

I liked the look of Dembele tonight. Big, strong, fast, skillful, we don't have a striker like him

 

23 minutes ago, XLM said:

Big? He's 5'8"

 

Maybe Jim MK2 knows something about him that we don't........& that we don't want to know for that matter.

[Cherry Blue]

He let 2 in but Leo made a few decent saves. Their keeper had a bad night. 

[Torgeir]

8 hours ago, BigBar said:

Think everyone was solid tonight, only concern is Siggurdson, involved in the 4th goal but he was poor enough tonight, half arsed and sluggish. It's not really clicked got him since he got off to a flying start. 

Trav also a concern, very limited and hindered us first half, was the right call to replace him.

Not sure JDT appreciates how Travis approached the game. Clattered into Dembele at the first oppurtunity and got himself a yellow high up on the pitch to make our right side an even bigger liability for the rest of the game. The fact that he kept Brittain further up the field instead of playing him in his (previously) natural position at RB, shows how little faith he has in our captain at the moment. Got to say I fully agree with Jon and part of why he does so well is he doesn't do anyone any favours. Also been right to leave Sigurdsson on the bench, he hasn't taken his chance. Garrett probably deserved more minutes last night though...

Playing some good football but we became a lot less dynamic when Dolan went off. Leonard came in and did really well though, and Birmingham looked a good side, so it was really good to come out of this one on top after we've had a few disappointing moments early doors in the season.

[Neal]

8 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

A decent, proper striker wouldn't go amiss......someone better than Hirst, Ennis and the German lad

Can't keep signing forwards Jim when we already have 2 new ones yet to prove themselves, a lad from the academy scoring goals and Gally (when fit). Sign another one and it blocks the pathway for Leanord, Telalovic and Ennis. At some point you simply have to get a tune out of what you have. Keep gambling on forwards that may or may not score goals is not a wise transfer plan and besides, 7 goals in our last 2 games would suggest scoring goals simply isn't a problem. 

 

People are too quick to write off Telalovic. I've learned my lessons on this after writing off Szmodics and JRC. I know some who had written off Tronstadt. Now all 3 would be in everyone's first 11. Our manager is proven at developing players so we should probably hold our tongues in future. 

[Mattyblue]

Odd that anyone ‘wrote Tronstadt off’.

Started the first game of the season, looked neat and tidy even then, if a little off the pace. 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Mattyblue

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

8 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

I think that's unfair - the Hill one he should have saved. The other three he was left out to dry by his defence. He also made an excellent save in the first half from Brittain's curling shot.

He was equally at fault for the first , he came out way too far, too soon. He should have left it to the back four to deal with. 3 and 4 were hardly thunderbolts. If that had have been a Rovers keeper I would have been fuming.

[47er]

36 minutes ago, Neal said:

Sign another one and it blocks the pathway for Leanord, Telalovic and Ennis

Well Leonard has to be nurtured, but the other 2 were desperation signings. We can and should do better.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

7 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Absolutely. You look at the bench, Duru, Atcheson and Gamble would never have come on and Markanday and Telalovic were very unlikely to. So that just left Sigurdsson and Leonard really, and if Dolan's injury is anything serious then thats likely another kid to be included that wont be used. Travis I think will be banned at the weekend. We will need to keep flogging the current team and opponents will be able to use 5 subs and we wont.

It’s going to wreck our season if we can’t get some of the injured guys back asap. That’s almost a full team out injured. In the modern game your bench is as important as your first 11. Last nights bench was beyond weak. You need to be able to rest players on 70 minutes, especially if you’re going well. Flogging them for the full 90 minutes twice a week is only going to lead to more injuries.

Looking down that list I’d forgotten all about Ennis and Hedges !

What happened to Gilsenan ? He looked quite promising.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Crozzy]

Sit near away dugout and saw Dolan come off the bench about 75th minute and go down the tunnel. Was on crutches and had a knee brace on his left knee. Hoping it isn’t really serious, not sure if it was that you’d go back and sit on the bench in that freezing cold if it was. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

3 minutes ago, Crozzy said:

Sit near away dugout and saw Dolan come off the bench about 75th minute and go down the tunnel. Was on crutches and had a knee brace on his left knee. Hoping it isn’t really serious, not sure if it was that you’d go back and sit on the bench in that freezing cold if it was. 

That doesn’t sound good.

[only2garners]

8 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Or 3 of the 4 goalscorers tonight.

There were only 3 goal scorers for Rovers.