v Cardiff City (a) - 20/02/2024, 19:45

[roversfan99]

Drab, lifeless performance and another painful watch with a poor set of players with no idea on how to attack. Cardiff were equally terrible and when games like this tend to cost £25-30 it is little wonder that both struggle to get people into the ground.

Garrett is useless, shouldnt be near the side. Chrisene and especially Ayari are examples of how we borrow the cheapest players possible and end up with dross. Szmodics looks like a player both on the brink of injury and totally fed up with the new tactics and Tronstad is a shadow of himself without Wharton. Hyam also was all over the place.

Buckley was a huge improvement when he came on, McFadzean is proving to be a wise sticking plaster in the defence and Wharton was solid albeit is the polar opposite of his brother on the ball. Pears made a few fairly routine saves competently and the clean sheet against an impotent Cardiff is at least a step in the right direction there.

[Groundhog]

6 minutes ago, M_B said:

You've got to take it in context though, we'd taken 5 points from Tomasson's last 11 games, we've taken 5 points from Eustace's first 4. You have to consider the form and morale of the team when Eustace took over. 

Exactly. Well put. 

[simongarnerisgod]

1 minute ago, Exiled_Rover said:

The taps have been turned off for over 18 months. 

If they don't turn them on again in the summer we're going down I'm afraid. 

to spend no money and rely on free transfers you need  really good scouting and recruitment staff,ours are useless so yes,we probably will go down

[superniko]

11 minutes ago, Groundhog said:

But that was in the cup, with the pressure off and two changed sides...can't compare them.

I admit teams with quality would have put us to the sword, but the side is shot of confidence. We actually had a decent chance to snatch it, and we defended well on the whole, the offside trap working.

They need to get together as a squad, find some confidence that they ain't going to ship 2 goals a game, and build from there.

There is no recency bias at all - look at Sheff Utd, Rotherham, Reading, Dingles away last season as three examples off the top of my head. One flowing attack in those games doesn't not make me feel any better about those memories, some of the worst moments as a Rovers fan in recent years. 

I loved the way we played under JDT, it was the hope and the ambition and it was nice to see that happening at our club, but I didn't like the way we committed men forward and I didn't like getting hammered week in week out with zero fight. 

People critiquing the style of play and the manager after 3 games really need to take a deep breath. Judge it next season.

 

I mean come on, your argument loses a bit of credit on that sentence.  Some grim individual performances (which in fairness is your point), but we saw exactly that and far worse under every other manager, was it 7-0 against Fulham under Mowbray. Worst memories as a Rovers fan is over doing it I think. 
He took us as close to the playoffs as we’ve ever had under Venkys and further in the cups too, despite all the off-field turmoil at the same time. 
 

Anyway, I’m not particular against Eustace, it’s about as good an appointment as we could make. More just sick to death of how this club is being run, then you spend 2 hours watching pure Sunday league shite and it’s just the cherry on the top 

Edited February 20 by superniko

[bluebruce]

29 minutes ago, Torgeir said:

How much better than Wahlstedt is Pears? Imagine where we had been with him all season instead of that Swedish dud.

 

Never thought I'd say that...

How much better? A little bit. Imagine where we would be? I'd say about 3-5 points better off.

He made a few saves tonight but I'd say only one was any kind of test.

[Groundhog]

Definitely can't read too much in Szmodics looking angry and fed up etc, he's seems like one of those rare players that is as close as you're going to get to watching an actual normal "fan" playing football - stick any of us on the pitch and we'd be moaning and screaming at our team mates to pass the thing to feet. I think he just feels it like the rest of us.

He'll definitely be off at the first chance though, but to be honest, if we'd had a striker all season do you think he'd have scored as many? He's scored goals in spite of the team's issues, forced into that role, of which we're all grateful. 

[LeftWinger]

Trying to look at the positives.

Hughes took over a failing side and had to make us ugly and hard to beat at first before he got his own players in and put his own stamp on the side.

Only difference is that he was always going to get backed by the owners.

[joey_big_nose]

Just now, simongarnerisgod said:

to spend no money and rely on free transfers you need  really good scouting and recruitment staff,ours are useless so yes,we probably will go down

Yes this is probably our biggest worry imo. Up to and including the window where we got Szmodics and Hyam our recruitment by and large has been pretty goo. But since then I've got increasingly worried. Tronstad is quality, and McFadz looks a very shrewd signing, but beyond those two its been really really poor in the last 2 windows.

Another poor window in the summer will see us in the conversation for relegation I think.

[Blue blood]

4 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

The taps have been turned off for over 18 months. 

If they don't turn them on again in the summer we're going down I'm afraid. 

Wouldn't disagree with that at all. Said for a while now this season I think we are safe but bricking it for next. 

Thankfully to be the 21st best team in the Championship you dont have to be very good. But what happens when you take out Rotherham and a basket case club of Sheff Weds? Who is going to step up when one of the Sams go? Or both? What do you do when zero money is reinvested every year? It's been pretty miraculous we haven't collapsed the last 2 years and the academy can't keep bailing us out. 

We don't have a Championship level keeper. Only half the squad are at a championship level at best. And the squad is thin. You are spot on next season is a disaster waiting to happen without change. 

[Exiled_Rover]

9 minutes ago, Uddersfelt Blue said:

And I’m sure he doesn’t have to prove himself. Despite what many think he is a good player and for some reason JDT couldn’t see that

I'm not entirely sure that's the case.

He was certainly behind Tronstad and A. Wharton in the pecking order - and I gathered that to be able to afford Moran they had to ship out someone. I don't think JDT was happy that it was Buckley.

I'd also argue that we need to cool off on the Buckley hype - he's flashed like this before. He needs to do it over 5+ games before I think he's turned a corner. 

[Tricky]

1 minute ago, LeftWinger said:

Trying to look at the positives.

Hughes took over a failing side and had to make us ugly and hard to beat at first before he got his own players in and put his own stamp on the side.

Only difference is that he was always going to get backed by the owners.

Love how you still managed to end on a negative 

[jim mk2]

6 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

Theres no way we're going down... Cardiff themselves are appalling and 14th, we're 16th. There are just so many rubbish teams, as long as we defend competently (and the signs on that are good) we will stay up.

 

I wish I had your confidence. There's so many sub-standard players in the Rovers team. Looking at the fixtures to the end of the season we're going to have to take a point or 2 off the top teams and I can't see how we're capable of doing that 

[Groundhog]

6 minutes ago, superniko said:

I mean come on, your argument loses a bit of credit on that sentence.  Some grim individual performances (which in fairness is your point), but we saw exactly that and far worse under every other manager, was it 7-0 against Fulham under Mowbray. Worst memories as a Rovers fan is over doing it I think. 

Rotherham away, Reading etc and Turf Moor, the 4-1 at home to Preston - there was just something about those defeats that will always stick with me, the fact that after the first goal goes in you know you have zero chance of getting back in it, sat there for the rest of the game just taking it...

I also said recent worst memories, and it's all relative for each of us, without giving away my age.

Yes the 7-0 at home was a disgrace, but we went down to 10 men against a top side in the division, a freak result, not a steady familiar pattern.  I agree injuries etc but we have to pick up points somehow and build, JDT wasn't doing anything about that. 

Edited February 20 by Groundhog

[davulsukur]

5 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

I'm not entirely sure that's the case.

He was certainly behind Tronstad and A. Wharton in the pecking order - and I gathered that to be able to afford Moran they had to ship out someone. I don't think JDT was happy that it was Buckley.

I'd also argue that we need to cool off on the Buckley hype - he's flashed like this before. He needs to do it over 5+ games before I think he's turned a corner. 

Needs to stay fit for a good few games too. He's another that loves an injury.

[Blue blood]

4 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

Yes this is probably our biggest worry imo. Up to and including the window where we got Szmodics and Hyam our recruitment by and large has been pretty goo. But since then I've got increasingly worried. Tronstad is quality, and McFadz looks a very shrewd signing, but beyond those two its been really really poor in the last 2 windows.

Another poor window in the summer will see us in the conversation for relegation I think.

I'd disagree that the Hyam and Sammi window was good. We'd let 3 players go for nothing and spent all our money on replacing them. Certainly no adding to the team or addressing the weaknesses, or bringing in a striker. Don't disagree they are two good signings - and I don't rate Brittain - but standing still at best, if that doesn't seem a great window. It was another one of going backwards imo albeit not at the astounding rate of the last few windows. 

[Exiled_Rover]

3 minutes ago, Groundhog said:

Rotherham away, Reading etc and Turf Moor, the 4-1 at home to Preston - there was just something about those defeats that will always stick with me, the fact that after the first goal goes in you know you have zero chance of getting back in it, sat there for the rest of the game just taking it...

I also said recent worst memories, and it's all relative for each of us, without giving away my age.

Yes the 7-0 at home was a disgrace, but we went down to 10 men against a top side in the division, a freak result, not a steady familiar pattern.  I agree injuries etc but we have to pick up points somehow and build, JDT wasn't doing anything about that. 

We went down to 10 men and Mowbray didn't alter his tactics or formation at all. He really was a stubborn, arrogant prick. 

[superniko]

27 minutes ago, M_B said:

You've got to take it in context though, we'd taken 5 points from Tomasson's last 11 games, we've taken 5 points from Eustace's first 4. You have to consider the form and morale of the team when Eustace took over. 

I enjoyed watching some of the football under Tomasson, but we were going down. 

It’s an extremely simplistic view you’re taking though, not looked at teams played, players available or anything, and taking a specific sample size. 
Fair enough, if people think this is the start of some sort of revitalised ‘hard to beat’ Blackburn Rovers they can. To me we’ve looked shite, but thankfully played Stoke and Cardiff who have similar form to our poor run under JDT. We lost in xG in 3 of the 4 (this helps with small sample sizes) and showed our usual weak under belly versus PNE, and Eustace wasn’t even picking the team or managing in our win. 

It’s absolutely not on Eustace though (yet), I’m not saying it is as it’s far too early for that. But if you play that type of football you absolutely have to get results, if not then it’s rock bottom, so let’s hope we do miraculously start grinding out some points. Personally, I’m not holding my breath 

Edited February 20 by superniko

[DaveyB]

On the plus side we actually tried to pass the ball to one another tonight instead of just smashing it downfield all game. 
The downside however was that we did it with so little pace or tempo and with no one making forward runs at all and so we very rarely got past the centre circle. 

I know that the last couple of months under JDT it all seemed to go tits up, but the second half of last season and the start of this one I genuinely felt like we were building something and moving in the right direction. In the space of two weeks this new manager has sapped all of the hope and enthusiasm for Rovers out of me. I hope I’m proved wrong and that, in time, he can imprint his style on this team and get us playing some good stuff, but I fear that this might be all that there is and that this actually is his ‘style’. 

Oh, and one last word on tonight’s game. As good as a defender as McFadzean is, he isn’t half shit on the ball. Couple that with Scott Wharton next to him, who must be one of the most limited players we’ve ever had, and it’s like playing with 9 whenever we’re in possession 

[simongarnerisgod]

7 minutes ago, DaveyB said:

Oh, and one last word on tonight’s game. As good as a defender as McFadzean is, he isn’t half shit on the ball. Couple that with Scott Wharton next to him, who must be one of the most limited players we’ve ever had, and it’s like playing with 9 whenever we’re in possession 

as long as a centre back can head a football and tackle i don`t particularly care, if they can pass a football and defend,fantastic,though they probably would`nt be playing for us if they had the complete set of skills

[Exiled_Rover]

I went out for the second half - tell you what, that's a cracking save from their 'keeper for the Dolan chance. 

[Exiled_Rover]

9 minutes ago, Blue blood said:

I'd disagree that the Hyam and Sammi window was good. We'd let 3 players go for nothing and spent all our money on replacing them. Certainly no adding to the team or addressing the weaknesses, or bringing in a striker. Don't disagree they are two good signings - and I don't rate Brittain - but standing still at best, if that doesn't seem a great window. It was another one of going backwards imo albeit not at the astounding rate of the last few windows. 

We upgraded on quality, like for like, but it cost us £4m to do so and the squad depth didn't improve. 

[Paul Mellelieu]

Eustace has really arrived into a very difficult situation.  A demoralised team, a bag full of injuries and a disaster of a transfer window.  And the rest..... he was honest about tonight's game, but I'd have taken five points from the last four games.  Let's hope he can get some attacking pattern into the team ASAP.

[M_B]

13 minutes ago, superniko said:

It’s an extremely simplistic view you’re taking though, not looked at teams played, players available or anything, and taking a specific sample size. 
Fair enough, if people thing this is the start of some sort of revitalised ‘hard to beat’ Blackburn Rovers they can. To me we’ve looked shite, but thankfully played Stoke and Cardiff who have similar form to our poor run under JDT. We lost in xG in 3 of the 4 (this helps with small sample sizes) and showed our usual weak under belly versus PNE, and Eustace wasn’t even picking the team managing in our win. 

It’s absolutely not on Eustace though (yet), I’m not saying it is as it’s far too early for that. But if you play that type of football you absolutely have to get results, if not then it’s rock bottom, so let’s hope we do miraculously start grinding out some points. Personally, I’m not holding my breath 

There's no doubt Tomasson suffered from injuries, especially Dolan and Gallagher(who some wanted to give away for a million). 

I'm not particularly backing Eustace, or having a go at Tomasson, but we need points, however they come. A decent team tonight would probably have seen us off, but maybe Eustace saw it as a chance to rest 2 or 3 whilst still nicking a point? If that is the case, and it certainly looked that way, it's maybe the Championship nous we've been short of. 

 

[roverblue]

The last few games have really showed how much we miss Adam Wharton, without him orchestrating things we just play shit balls sideways and create nothing. 

Buckley took it by the scruff of the neck but he's hot and cold, plus injury prone. Hopefully he can be the man till the end of the season.

The squad itself is simply devoid of any quality forward thinking players, they all want to quickly move it on and play it sideways. We have no pace, power, dribbling skill, individuality. Something we should be targeting as a priority in summer.

[Paul Mellelieu]

1 minute ago, roverblue said:

The last few games have really showed how much we miss Adam Wharton, without him orchestrating things we just play shit balls sideways and create nothing. 

Buckley took it by the scruff of the neck but he's hot and cold, plus injury prone. Hopefully he can be the man till the end of the season.

The squad itself is simply devoid of any quality forward thinking players, they all want to quickly move it on and play it sideways. We have no pace, power, dribbling skill, individuality. Something we should be targeting as a priority in summer.

We do have the Division's highest scorer.