v Watford (h) 23/12/23

[tomphil]

2 hours ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

We're 5 points off 6th at the half way mark. What were you expecting this season? 

I take it game by game and i don't expect to just keep throwing them away after handing the opposition wave after wave of counter attacks by giving the ball away endlessly on the edge of their box.

I'd also like to spend 800 grand on a goalkeeper who actually has the basic fundamentals of a goalkeeper.

Not a great deal to 'expect' you might agree.

[jim mk2]

5 minutes ago, martonrover said:

I think this is the most lightweight squad, physically and mentally, that I’ve ever seen at Rovers, and a dodgy keeper just adds to the problems.

Lightweight is a good word; soft is another. 

[Sweaty Gussets]

Just now, jim mk2 said:

 

Tomasson's still got it all to prove, flexibility and more pragmatism on tactics, knuckling down when it gets tough, closing out matches. Knowing how to win when not playing well. It's not all about the beautiful game

He did all that regularly at Ewood in the first half of last season. People moaned about the football on offer.

He has since achieved what he said he would when he first arrived at Ewood i.e. a distinctive style of fast attacking football. It doesn't always come off, and doesn't always result in wins, but the identity he has created is there for all to see.

The idea that he is naive, as some have said, is laughable. He plays in a very deliberate way.

[jim mk2]

1 minute ago, tomphil said:

I'd also like to spend 800 grand on a goalkeeper who actually has the basic fundamentals of a goalkeeper.

 

Money badly spent as it stands. A keeper who makes brilliant saves one minutes but then lets in soft goals the next is no use to anyone. 

[Miller11]

17 hours ago, Mike E said:

Thought it was spot on! Any chance of uploading it as a list to Spotify for me to pinch?

Here you go mate…

One different version and one omission (The BRFCS pick - Come With Me by Puff Daddy and Jimmy Page) due to not being on Spotify.

 

 

[Waggy76]

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

rubbish. JDT is the best manager we had since Hughes. His style of football is a joy to watch and the players clearly enjoyed working under him. Maybe listen to Sigurdsson's interview after he signed a new contract last week to understand the players enjoyed it so much under him? 

rubbish. He made a couple of good saves and caught the ball several times yesterday. I don't blame him for yesterday cos if we scored the 2nd goal like we did but bizarrely the ref gave a foul on keeper for no reason then we would have won the game that we dominated the vast majority of 

Rubbish on both paragraphs...

[tomphil]

2 hours ago, joey_big_nose said:

I thought last night was a pretty good tactical evolution imo with the diamond, very different to how we have played recently, and you could see Watford couldn't get to grips with it at all. We were very compact and solid. So feels like a step in the right direction.

What we shouldn't have done imo is once Ennis and Hyam went off kept committing so many players forward. Watfords goals and series of chances in the final quarter from the ganecame from them breaking on us and our midfield being out on its legs so couldnt track back.

JDT and coaching teams homework is to figure out how to tighten up and see out games . I guess the key issue is without pace up front sitting back means we cant get out. But equally we cant be as open as we were in the last quarter of games when we are dead on our feet.

That's where i'm at with it and whilst it's brave and entertaining we were chasing that second goal as if we were losing.  A refreshing change from years of Mowbray were we only chased games we were actually losing but the writing was on the wall all second half.

The amount of counters we conceded something was going to give eventually and it did. Credit to Watford for keep having a go with risky football themselves but they were carving out chance after chance. We defended well for the most part but and the other end we are toothless and powder puff.

Main difference was as soon as they equalised they dropped off and took shape, started shooting and aiming for the big lad sub.

However we just continued to concede counters like no tomorrow.

In my view there just isn't enough smart directions from the sidelines alongside the obvious lack of game changers.  However calling on Leonard and a decent player like Hill Still should be enough to see games out.

Sometimes though it's calling out for tactical reshuffles later in games.

[tomphil]

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

rubbish. JDT is the best manager we had since Hughes. His style of football is a joy to watch and the players clearly enjoyed working under him. Maybe listen to Sigurdsson's interview after he signed a new contract last week to understand the players enjoyed it so much under him? 

rubbish. He made a couple of good saves and caught the ball several times yesterday. I don't blame him for yesterday cos if we scored the 2nd goal like we did but bizarrely the ref gave a foul on keeper for no reason then we would have won the game that we dominated the vast majority of 

Woulda coulda shoulda

IF he does his job we don't concede 2 it's as simple as that.

[martonrover]

4 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

 

Tomasson's still got it all to prove, flexibility and more pragmatism on tactics, knuckling down when it gets tough, closing out matches. Knowing how to win when not playing well. It's not all about the beautiful game, the stuff you can't buy and is not the fault of the owners

Said it before, whilst I certainly don’t blame him for our current situ, Tomasson  probably isn’t the right man for the circumstances.

The lack of finances lend themselves to a wheeler dealer in an orthodox set up of a manager, rather than a Head Coach under Bodo Glimt’s former youth guy bringing in lightweight, young players in this pretence that we are building for the future.

Being linked with a failed loan for a 22 year old from the MLS says it all.
We are trying to play fantasy football on a few bob. It’s going to end in failure to some degree or other.

To be fair to Tomasson, he asked for experienced players in the Summer and after the game yesterday, again stated that the squad is too young.

We need a few wise, older heads who are men, not boys.

We all know that it’s not going to happen.

[Sweaty Gussets]

Just now, martonrover said:

Said it before, whilst I certainly don’t blame him for our current situ, Tomasson  probably isn’t the right man for the circumstances.

Bizarre, you're taking like we're bottom of the league. He's exactly the right man for the circumstances, because he plays good football and gets enough wins to keep us safe in the upper half of the Championship.

Who knows, with a bit of luck, we might even be challenging for PO's again come May like he had us doing last season. 

[islander200]

9 minutes ago, martonrover said:

Said it before, whilst I certainly don’t blame him for our current situ, Tomasson  probably isn’t the right man for the circumstances.

The lack of finances lend themselves to a wheeler dealer in an orthodox set up of a manager, rather than a Head Coach under Bodo Glimt’s former youth guy bringing in lightweight, young players in this pretence that we are building for the future.

Being linked with a failed loan for a 22 year old from the MLS says it all.
We are trying to play fantasy football on a few bob. It’s going to end in failure to some degree or other.

To be fair to Tomasson, he asked for experienced players in the Summer and after the game yesterday, again stated that the squad is too young.

We need a few wise, older heads who are men, not boys.

We all know that it’s not going to happen.

Broughton also said in the summer that experience was needed and wanted.The owners put a stop to Batth and probably any other player over 30 we showed an interest in.

It's new owners we need not a new manager.

[tomphil]

33 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

He did all that regularly at Ewood in the first half of last season. People moaned about the football on offer.

He has since achieved what he said he would when he first arrived at Ewood i.e. a distinctive style of fast attacking football. It doesn't always come off, and doesn't always result in wins, but the identity he has created is there for all to see.

The idea that he is naive, as some have said, is laughable. He plays in a very deliberate way.

The identity now as the opposition see it is one of acres of space to exploit on the counter and a team dead on its feet after 70 mins every game.

Therefore a game v Blackburn is always winnable whoever you are if you keep plugging away to the bitter end, even if you are two or three down.

But yes, it isn't boring.

Edited December 24, 2023 by tomphil

[martonrover]

10 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Broughton also said in the summer that experience was needed and wanted.The owners put a stop to Batth and probably any other player over 30 we showed an interest in.

It's new owners we need not a new manager.

Maybe so, but I have major doubts about Broughton and his ability to do the job. He’s another typical Venkys appointment.

We don’t have a manager, and that’s not splitting hairs, it’s a fact. 

15 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Bizarre, you're taking like we're bottom of the league. He's exactly the right man for the circumstances, because he plays good football and gets enough wins to keep us safe in the upper half of the Championship.

Who knows, with a bit of luck, we might even be challenging for PO's again come May like he had us doing last season. 

I like JDT, and in different, more favourable circumstances, he would thrive.

I have stated that I don’t blame him, but fear “the project” is on a permanent downward trajectory, which is not his fault.

 

[Herbie6590]

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, tomphil said:

That's where i'm at with it and whilst it's brave and entertaining we were chasing that second goal as if we were losing.  A refreshing change from years of Mowbray were we only chased games we were actually losing but the writing was on the wall all second half.

The amount of counters we conceded something was going to give eventually and it did. Credit to Watford for keep having a go with risky football themselves but they were carving out chance after chance. We defended well for the most part but and the other end we are toothless and powder puff.

Main difference was as soon as they equalised they dropped off and took shape, started shooting and aiming for the big lad sub.

However we just continued to concede counters like no tomorrow.

In my view there just isn't enough smart directions from the sidelines alongside the obvious lack of game changers.  However calling on Leonard and a decent player like Hill Still should be enough to see games out.

Sometimes though it's calling out for tactical reshuffles later in games.

Their equaliser was coming for 20 minutes before it actually arrived. It was more down to their poor finishing than anything else that it took so long.

[jim mk2]

3 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

 He is doing a brilliant job

Too many poor results to be doing a "brilliant" job. He's doing a good job, nothing more. 

[chaddyrovers]

1 hour ago, Waggy76 said:

Rubbish on both paragraphs...

You have been anti JDT for over a year now so no surprise you posted this

1 hour ago, tomphil said:

Woulda coulda shoulda

IF he does his job we don't concede 2 it's as simple as that.

Its a simple referring decision and one that he got clearly wrong? how you even dispute this? clearly not a foul 

1 hour ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Bizarre, you're taking like we're bottom of the league. He's exactly the right man for the circumstances, because he plays good football and gets enough wins to keep us safe in the upper half of the Championship.

Who knows, with a bit of luck, we might even be challenging for PO's again come May like he had us doing last season. 

exactly, 

[chaddyrovers]

17 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

Too many poor results to be doing a "brilliant" job. He's doing a good job, nothing more. 

That's your opinion and my opinion is very different to yours. 

[wilsdenrover]

7 hours ago, rigger said:

And still not a killer instinct between the lot of them.

True

Maybe the squad is stretched and lacks a killer instinct.

[Hasta]

Well first of all I thought the day went off really well. I went down to the fanzone for a bit beforehand just to show my face and spend a bit of money on the stalls. Great to see the stands so full and it was just an enjoyable atmosphere right up until it went wrong on the pitch. Credit to all those involved from all parties to make this happen.

Everything has been covered in more detail already, but we ran out of legs, bodies and ideas. If the disallowed goal would have stood that would have been the game, but Leo then drops two errors and we end up behind. You could see it coming though for a while before they eventually scored. Wahlsted wasn’t free (unlike Telalovic), and it looks more and more a poor signing.
 

Wharton and Tronstad were outstanding, and I thought Travis did a decent job filling in at full back. Garrett also showed why he should have been utilised more. We can’t complain that we’re fatigued and short of bodies, and yet he has been in the bench and got 5 minutes here and there all season. Hyam has been a big miss (as has JRC).

As for leaving early, I wish I had left 30 seconds before full time instead of watching us tap it around at the back until the ref blew his whistle. The clock on the scoreboard now shows when time is up, so one of the centre halves should have been left upfront and the ball should have been launched. I don’t mind the way we play under JDT, but our own players seeing the game out in our own half was stupidity. Same against Preston.

Edited December 24, 2023 by Hasta

[wilsdenrover]

8 hours ago, Mike Graham said:

Good point.  We have already agreed an evaluation meeting with the club in the New Year and an analysis of those attending (new fans / returning fans / postcode etc) is part of that discussion.  A follow up with them sounds like something we should definitely discuss.

It will be interesting to see what the club’s response to this is.

[wilsdenrover]

6 hours ago, DE. said:

Late or just first. I wouldn't be surprised if the amount of points we've accrued over the past five years, after going behind first, are in the single digits or very close to. 

This season…

Scored first = 9 wins and 2 defeats (scored 24 conceded 10)

Conceded first = 1 win 1 draw 10 defeats (scored 11 conceded 30)

[NeilInBristol]

9 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

This season…

Scored first = 9 wins and 2 defeats (scored 24 conceded 10)

Conceded first = 1 win 1 draw 10 defeats (scored 11 conceded 30)

There are no good stats out there for us...This is probably the best one!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

11 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

This season…

Scored first = 9 wins and 2 defeats (scored 24 conceded 10)

Conceded first = 1 win 1 draw 10 defeats (scored 11 conceded 30)

As my mum says - “ What can’t speak can’t lie “. Those stats speak volumes about our mentality.

[wilsdenrover]

4 minutes ago, NeilInBristol said:

There are no good stats out there for us...This is probably the best one!

The two games we’ve lost having scored first we were winning with ten minutes to go (yesterday and Hull)