v QPR (h) - 3/2/24

[roversfan99]

Is being unwilling to change your principles and make changes upon such a bad run a positive thing?

[Lancaster Rover]

2 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Is being unwilling to change your principles and make changes upon such a bad run a positive thing?

It’s the definition of naivety or stupidity depending on how you look at it. 
 

When your principles and patterns of play can be so easily picked apart by QPR (who are shite) then the obvious answer is the principles aren’t actually up to much. We honestly made Colback look like a world beater yesterday which is staggering.

Edited February 4 by Lancaster Rover

[Torgeir]

Well, I've thought about what went to shits in the game versus QPR and I think by trying to objectively break down the team then I see so much weakness that everyone has to be on top of their game in order to win against any division rival.

 

Pears - quick and has definitely improved, but still a pretty poor shot stopper and not the tallest plus a bit weak physically. Lower Championship level.

JRC - Rusty and a bit heavy-legged after just having returned from injury. Probably shouldn't start at this stage but we don't have anyone else. Will get going soon and has to. Championship level.

Hyam - Played decent but really slow and don't think he commands his co-workers enough as captain. Championship level.

Wharton - Slow on and off the ball. Not the strongest, tallest or fastest. League One level.

Chrisene - Motm!? Not for me. He has potential but offered little going forward other than the chance he scuffed in the first half. Only option atm. Lower Championship level.

Moran - Unreliable and so many passes goes astray. Doesn't look a threat but has some raw attributes that might make him a decent player down the line. Not ready for a starting spot in the Championship, but must be in his contract. League One level.

Tronstad - Our best player in recent weeks but had a poor game. Didn't click with Moran and lost some important duels. Smart enough to know when he has to foul; look at the yellow card he took when he lost the ball clumsily. Top Championship level.

Szmodics - Was a shadow of himself. He kept running but his teammates lack the footballing IQ to look for him in goalscoring positions. Worst game he's played in a good while, but not only his fault. Top Championship level.

Sigurdsson - Worst player on the pitch. Offer nothing, nothing... Has no pace and no trickery to play on the wing. Never crosses the ball, just cuts inside and gets muscled off the ball or gives it away. I wonder what his favourit position is because he's terrible on the LW. League One level.

Dolan - Thought he was the worst player on the pitch initially but a lot of action around him at least. Like a hornet buzzing around but without the sting. Only interested in marketing himself and doesn't care about the team. Head must be elsewhere. Could've played Szmods 1 on 1 in the first half but opted to get his shot blocked instead. Needs to improve and find a higher low for his performance levels. League One level.

Gallagher - after a great game versus Wrexham (same as Dolan) he was back to his worst. Unable to do his job; hold the ball up, get his teammates involved and get in the box to convert crosses. Got a goal off a richochet, and looks hungry for goals, which is good. Has to know his limits and must stop losing the ball so easily by turning inside. T R A P the ball ffs. Championship level.

 

Telalovic - Doesn't look like scoring anytime soon. League One level.

Ayari - Some promise. Interested in making things happen, even if that means he'll lose the ball once in a while. Championship level

Markanday - Not worse than Dolan but that doesn't mean it's a compliment. Fails to make an impact from the bench nine times out of ten. Lower League One level.

[Groundhog]

I thought Moran was again incredibly frustrating, he's obviously got some talent in there, but he's raw and young and is obviously playing the game plan as opposed to playing the actual game in front of him. Can be said for a lot of them, they're over-coached for me, they're just sticking to a one-dimensional system and they over commit forward to try and force something, leaving us light at the back and easy to pick off.

Any criticism of Tronstad is unwarranted for me, the guy is playing almost as a one man midfield, and just by the law of averages everything has to go through him so he there's always the increased chance he will make mistakes.

Ayari showed some promise, but was also too petulant and frustrated to keep a calm head when it was needed. His little clash with the imp Colback was just depressing all round. I'd like to call him something else but it's a family show. 

The whole team are constantly teetering on the edge of having any confidence. The style of football we're playing requires a quick move and a killer final pass, and when you have no confidence and are under-pressure, especially with the feeling in the ground, you play safe or take a touch and we're then slow and predictable. That to me sums it all up. How many times do we see the ball go back to the Hyam and Wharton, we see Gally making a run, or Siggy pull out wide into space, and no one picks them out - they can obviously see the run as there's a lot of apologising going on after, but no one wants to risk a long diagonal.

The Ewood crowd don't mind an overhit forward pass, they do mind an overhit bobbling back pass to the keeper who then plays an even worse overhit pass back out square to the full back who's now under pressure - it gains the same result, albeit a throw-in to the opposition in our own half, as opposed to one down near their own corner flag. Big Sam's percentages again. 

[Lancaster Rover]

Tronstad doesn’t deserve criticism for his collective performances to date but he was bloody awful Saturday. His touch was miles off it, continually tried to pass through gaps that weren’t there and got caught several times receiving the ball and trying to turn (into Colback) his normally brilliant awareness had deserted him Saturday. There were no doubt contributing factors in playing alongside Moran and trying to cover the huge gaps JRC was leaving when trying to do his Poundland Trent Alexander Arnold impressions. It was however Tronstands worst game in a rovers shirt by some margin