v Hull City (a) - 29/12/23

[arbitro]

52 minutes ago, frosty said:

Now and after Rotherham away just less than 12 months ago - 0-4 hammering, and we’d been playing poorly and hardly creating much for a couple of months prior. The Burnley and Preston results were still fresh in everyone’s minds too and I bet the match thread after Rotherham, despite still being in a good league position, read pretty similar to the Huddersfield one.

However just a few weeks later we were outplaying a Premier League team on their own patch, deservedly beating a side that went on to automatic promotion, and stringing consecutive wins together, playing a lot better in the process.

So all hope is not lost but I agree with your plan for Hull, a 1-0 smash and grab à la Watford away would be just what the doctor ordered. We’ve got to be much harder to both play and score against.

In truth I really had doubts about Tomasson around that period last season as the style and his method of playing clearly wasn't working. The penny must have dropped as suddenly we were playing with pace and intensity and we looked a different team. Also at this time JRC came into the team and added another dimension to our attacking play. JRC has been a huge miss undoubtedly and his qualities might have been the difference in some of those close defeats. Whoever has played at right back since just can't step into midfield like he can and get forward from central positions too. 

Hopefully Tomasson can come up with a plan to see this bad period through even if it means temporarily abandoning his principles.

[JHRover]

At the end of the day we concede too many goals. The second most in the division and it is now one clean sheet in the last thirteen games and only four all season long. 

Until or unless we sort that side of things out we are going to struggle. 

Unfortunately I genuinely believe that there is more interest at Brockhall in persisting with our 'style' in an effort to enhance individual reputations and values than there is resorting to a less attractive style but being able to grind out results.

In times gone by I'd expect to see a focus on a clean sheet at Hull and if that means a boring 0-0 so be it but I just don't think there's any intention or desire to focus on that here.

[Hasta]

12 hours ago, Andy said:

Under JDT we tend to flit between win/loss streaks, so we are due a win.

Err. No we don't. It's the first time we've lost 3 on the bounce in 15 months.

Weirdly, our longest streak under JDT is 4 draws !

11 hours ago, JPTSwindon said:

Hull have a great record against us s

 Hull have won 2 of their last 9 against us . 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Hasta

[rigger]

3 hours ago, NeilInBristol said:

It's a statement dropping Leo. How far is it until pears is available?

I've not seen Hilton play. Could he be any worse than Leo?

I have seen Hilton play, and he is not as good at his best, as Leo at his worst.

There is no definative proof, it is just an opinion.

Edited December 28, 2023 by rigger

[Wheelton Blue]

14 minutes ago, arbitro said:

In truth I really had doubts about Tomasson around that period last season as the style and his method of playing clearly wasn't working. The penny must have dropped as suddenly we were playing with pace and intensity and we looked a different team. Also at this time JRC came into the team and added another dimension to our attacking play. JRC has been a huge miss undoubtedly and his qualities might have been the difference in some of those close defeats. Whoever has played at right back since just can't step into midfield like he can and get forward from central positions too. 

Hopefully Tomasson can come up with a plan to see this bad period through even if it means temporarily abandoning his principles.

JRC is the biggest miss by far of all the injured players.

[Mercer]

Our form is dire, our options are very limited, we have players who unbelievably, for professional athletes, are out on their feet and our goalie is so mistake ridden that we will need at least one goal to draw  and two goals to win and we have no recognised striker of note.

This has Hull winning by 3 or 4 goals to 1 written all over it, to emphasise, yet again, what a feckin state our club is in.

Hopefully, 2024 can only get better.

Edited December 28, 2023 by Mercer

[arbitro]

2 minutes ago, Wheelton Blue said:

JRC is the biggest miss by far of all the injured players.

Totally agree. 

[rigger]

2 minutes ago, Mercer said:

Our form is dire, our options are very limited, we have players who unbelievably, for professional athletes, are out on their feet and our goalie is so mistake ridden that we will need at least one goal to draw  and two goals to win and we have no recognised striker of note.

This has Hull winning by 3 or 4 goals to 1 to emphasise, yet again, what a feckin state our club is in.

Hopefully, 2024 can only get better.

At least we have got the digital FA cup to look forward-to.

[NeilInBristol]

1 hour ago, Wheelton Blue said:

JRC is the biggest miss by far of all the injured players.

totally agree

we need to remember this. he epitomises how JDT wants us to play. He drives the play from back to front and even gets a few goals. unfortunately he will always get an injury so we shouldnt be depending on him 

[MarkBRFC]

1 hour ago, Hasta said:

Err. No we don't. It's the first time we've lost 3 on the bounce in 15 months.

Weirdly, our longest streak under JDT is 4 draws !

 Hull have won 2 of their last 9 against us . 

We lost 4 league games in a row back in september/October.

We also won 5 in a row in all competitions back in February/March.

[davulsukur]

Is the game on the red button/Rovers TV?

[M_B]

1 hour ago, Wheelton Blue said:

JRC is the biggest miss by far of all the injured players.

We are missing him obviously, but the form of both the team, and Szmodics has nosedived since Dolan got injured. 

He'd be my first choice if I could have anyone back for Hull. 

[Wheelton Blue]

10 minutes ago, M_B said:

We are missing him obviously, but the form of both the team, and Szmodics has nosedived since Dolan got injured. 

He'd be my first choice if I could have anyone back for Hull. 

If you had the choice of either Dolan or JRC coming back into the team, you'd pick Dolan?

I certainly wouldn't. JRC offers far more.

[lraC]

34 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

Is the game on the red button/Rovers TV?

It’s on Rovers TV for those watching from overseas. 

[Sweaty Gussets]

Was the Hudds game on the red button?

[joey_big_nose]

6 hours ago, arbitro said:

I'm still struggling to come to terms over how bad we were on Boxing Day. Not one player in my view comes out of that with any credit as they quite often struggled with the basics, things like passing the ball five yards to a team mate. And at the back of my mind I know we are nowhere near as bad as we showed at Huddersfield but we simply have to cut the mistakes out and start to rebuild some confidence by doing the basics right. 

Undoubtedly in my view this is the most testing time of Tomasson's reign so he too had to react in the right way and perhaps change his footballing emphasis and try to frustrate Hull by defending properly and playing more on the counter.

I agree but dont think he will do it though, never seen a manager at Rovers so invested in one particular style for better or worse.

We need a win in the next two games, or I think panic really may start to set in

[lraC]

I have had to watch most games this season on Rovers TV due to living abroad,?so can’t really tell if it was a one off or not, but I saw the Stoke away game at their stadium. That day Tronstad was outstanding and sat in front of the back 4 protecting right the way across. Was that a one off and the clean sheet we got that day as a result? On TV it isn’t as easy to see, but he doesn’t seem to have been covering like he did that day, in any game since. 

[Hasta]

47 minutes ago, MarkBRFC said:

We lost 4 league games in a row back in september/October.

We also won 5 in a row in all competitions back in February/March.

So we did. I took the Cardiff cup game as being a league game. Apologies original poster.

[chaddyrovers]

15 hours ago, Miller11 said:

This is kind of the worry. I think there is potentially a good keeper in Wahlstedt but his current form is frightening. If he continues to give goals away we risk him being ruined for Rovers, if not completely. I think he needs taking out of the firing line for a spell, and I expect he’s nervous as hell about another costly mistake - when that worry creeps in it tends to become a self fulfilling prophecy. I’d give whichever of our young lads has the most potential a go and let them concentrate on the basics.

Or maybe Wahlstedt wants to right his wrongs and prove people that they are wrong to right him off. 

1 hour ago, Mercer said:

This has Hull winning by 3 or 4 goals to 1 written all over it, to emphasise, yet again, what a feckin state our club is in.

Rovers win then. 

8 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Was the Hudds game on the red button?

no

[rovers11]

We are dire at the moment so I expect another loss tomorrow.

We are the softest team in the division and have got the balance all wrong this season. We have too many 'artists' and not enough 'soldiers', and the focus is entirely on playing attractive football and "creating value" in the playing squad rather than getting results. 

The season was a write off from day 1 in reality when the budget was slashed significantly and we didn't bring in any real quality in the transfer market. Your entire season often hinges on having a good summer window.

Trondstad has been excellent and Hill has been good. Leo, Siggy, Moran, Ennis, and Telalovic have all been duds so far. The GK and striking options we have are probably up there with the worst in the division. We are missing Dolan up there, at least he is lively

The problem has been allowing our best players to run down their contracts and leaving on a free. It's left us snookered with no money to replace them or to re-invest in the squad. And of course having Venkys as owners is a curse. 

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by rovers11

[M_B]

1 hour ago, Wheelton Blue said:

If you had the choice of either Dolan or JRC coming back into the team, you'd pick Dolan?

I certainly wouldn't. JRC offers far more.

I'd have either, but the form held up without Costello, it fell off a cliff once Dolan got injured, as did Szmodics finding the net. 

 

 

[Hasta]

27 minutes ago, M_B said:

I'd have either, but the form held up without Costello, it fell off a cliff once Dolan got injured, as did Szmodics finding the net. 

 

 

 

It didn’t hold up. It seriously declined once JRC was absent (w3 L6). It then fell off a cliff completely when Dolan went missing a couple of games later)

It’s also noticeable when we didn’t start JRC earlier in the season Rovers W1 and L4

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Hasta

[tomphil]

49 minutes ago, rovers11 said:

We are dire at the moment so I expect another loss tomorrow.

We are the softest team in the division and have got the balance all wrong this season. We have too many 'artists' and not enough 'soldiers', and the focus is entirely on playing attractive football and "creating value" in the playing squad rather than getting results. 

The season was a write off from day 1 in reality when the budget was slashed significantly and we didn't bring in any real quality in the transfer market. Your entire season often hinges on having a good summer window.

Trondstad has been excellent and Hill has been good. Leo, Siggy, Moran, Ennis, and Telalovic have all been duds so far. The GK and striking options we have are probably up there with the worst in the division. We are missing Dolan up there, at least he is lively

The problem has been allowing our best players to run down their contracts and leaving on a free. It's left us snookered with no money to replace them or to re-invest in the squad. And of course having Venkys as owners is a curse. 

 

Nailed it.

The main problem with the 3 forward signings it non of them fit the JDT way so why bring them in ?

We only seem at our best when Szmods is fit and Dolan is in and we have the high energy press, Dack couldn't do it and was frozen out, BBD spent most of his time on first name terms with the touchline but did have his busy spells, Vale was useless starting but contributed with closing down up top from the bench.

So now we are missing the key component of JDTs style and he'll just have to alter it to get the best out of what is available now.

[sharpysharps86]

With the way we're playing at the moment I can't see anything other than a Hull win. I still think we'll do enough this season to not get sucked into any relegation battle.

2-1 Hull. Szmodics for Rovers.

 

[bigbrandjohn]

Watched the Ipswich v Leicesrer game. Some sublime football played.

Leicester are Premier League, and Ipswich have owners with a vision, a good CEO who recruited a future Premier League manager.  They have bought three or 4 players for a round a million each.  The manager has got a tune out of all them quickly, including Hirst. 

However frustrated we are with JDT, he has up until recently had us punching above our weight. If we get no incoming players in this window, then we will be lower mid table obscurity. Significant signings will only happen if we sell Wharton. Either way, I think JDT will be off to a club that matches his ambitions. 

As for Hull, hoping for 1-1