v Southampton (h) - 6/4/24

[cesus]

I thought we played very well against an extremely strong team whose subs that came on would probably all get into our first team. 

I was worried about Hedges going off for his denfensive cover but I thought Markanday was excellent and randomly loved a crunching tackle!

Brittain had a great game, he has a very unenviable role of having to hold onto the ball for long periods of time without having a forward out ball. 

Sammie didn't seem fit at all, I thought he would have been off when he went down early.

My daughter loved the day, although she thought the tannoy announcements in the Riverside were too loud. We've gained a new fan!

[alcd]

2 hours ago, AspRover said:

We've only seen him in the odd cameo appearance but Markanday is improving this season. 

He'll presumably come good in the last season of his contract, score a bunch of goals and leave on a free, such is the Rovers way.

Contracted to 2025 plus one year option.

[M_B]

Apparently that's the first time in 30 odd games that Southampton have failed to score. 

Defensively, the turnaround has been remarkable. 

[simongarnerisgod]

im`e massive jdt fan but we would`nt have got anything out of todays game with him charge,credit to eustace for the tactics and team shape,he got everything spot on

southampton are a very good side but badly managed,they did`nt turn us round or get behind us once,for a side with their personel it`s a damning indicment of manager obsessed with possesion and nothing else

gallagher as mom😂whoever chose him must have spent the 90 minutes on the beer!!!!

[Ossydave]

2 minutes ago, M_B said:

Apparently that's the first time in 30 odd games that Southampton have failed to score. 

Defensively, the turnaround has been remarkable. 

Absolutely, almost like a builder sorting the foundations, you cannot fault JE for the work he's done there, I dare say we'd have conceded 4 today under his predecessor. 

Wharton was barking orders and playing with absolute confidence, looks like his interview on JDT has some relevance. Brittain again looks so much better defensively. 

[roversfan99]

A good, solid performance today against strong opposition although it seems that results out of our hands have actually meant that overall have made it a day that have left us closer to the drop.

We should limp over the line which I don't think would be a particularly impressive achievement really considering the buffer Eustace came in with, he has averaged less than a point a game since he came in and won only 1 which is relegation form but I can start to see signs of development and green shoots.

Defensively we did really well to limit Southampton to few clear chances and Pears had little to do. The centre backs were solid especially Wharton, Hyam was lucky to get away with a big mistake but otherwise his form has improved. Both full backs were really good too against quick and dangerous wide men. When Eustace came in we had no composure on the ball in defensive areas but now we dont just punt it up the pitch but equally dont (aside from the Hyam mistake) try and play it out at all costs.

Tronstad was really good and is crucial to how we play, JRC grew into the game and although he wasnt at his best, he is our best all round footballer. Our decision making in the final third cost us a win, Dolan had a typical Dolan game, worked hard and did some good work but also his constant over elaborate showboating before turning back round is often a bottleneck to our attacks. Hedges going off was a blow, Markanday did some brilliant work going back but like Dolan was hit and misd going forward. Szmodics is always our main threat but seems to be carrying an injury, you think back to games like on Monday where he should have been wrapped in cotton wool and managed better. Gallagher grafted as always and made a big chance with some brilliant pressing but wasnt that involved in general play. The attacking players pressed well and seemed well drilled against a side that always gives you a chance to nick the ball away so it was a shame that we didnt have the quality to punish them.

The lack of squad depth due to the owners is a real hindrance. Using only 1 sub with some of our players being run into the ground, we could have used some fresh quality in attack during the second half.

Edited April 6 by roversfan99

[davulsukur]

A good result for us. The other results today has taken the shine off it a bit but we just need to keep picking up points. 

If we back today up with a win on Wednesday, we've had a good week.

[philipl]

Frustrating that when we were breaking on Southampton we never made the right decisions or played a ball with the right weight but otherwise a first class performance and a thoroughly deserved point.

[chaddyrovers]

Great to see MGP back at Ewood Park today

 

 

[scotchrover]

Another hard fought point, that would have been 3 on another day. 
 

This John Eustace team reminds me of the early days of the Hughes period- not exactly gifted, but willing to die to get points on the board. 

Time for another bev 👍

[martonrover]

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

We should limp over the line which I don't think would be a particularly impressive achievement really considering the buffer Eustace came in with

What is evident is that you really don’t like Eustace and haven’t got over JDT leaving.

Look at the results for a sustained period leading up to JDT’s departure. They were truly shocking and we looked like relegation on a stick.

We couldn’t defend to save our lives - one of the worst defensive records in the league.

We didn’t get any new manager bounce, but compare that to Millwall who did, but are now really struggling again.

We are fighting and grinding out results, (Sunderland excepted), which is our realistic path to safety.

The job is far from done, but we look far more likely to stay up now than we did just before JDT left.

 

[Herbie6590]

 

[tomphil]

2 hours ago, M_B said:

Apparently that's the first time in 30 odd games that Southampton have failed to score. 

Defensively, the turnaround has been remarkable. 

Yet constantly questioned and belittled in some quarters ..'Euesless' etc

Fact is we are suffering constantly from the lightness of the squad and lack of a genuine central over 5'5" goal threat.  Of course this more solid style takes away from the attacking fluidity but that's going to happen whoever is in charge and it was the same when Hughes took over from Souness years ago.

Big change in tactics but there is method there and to improve it then it will need adding to in the right areas and until that happens ( or likely doesn't ) we wee with this willy and stay in this league, just.

We haven't had the quality or set piece ability to nick games for years and years and that is something that costs us year in year out.

Edited April 6 by tomphil

[superniko]

2 hours ago, M_B said:

Said coming off today, the Wednesday game may actually turn out to be a must not lose. 

Yeah, a draw against them would mean only 4 games for Wednesday to gain 5 points on us. 
Would defo take that, though I’d hope we don’t set up that way

[DaveyB]

3 hours ago, wilsdenrover said:

Because their manager is Russell Martin and his teams only play ‘the right way’

I don’t know if it’s been mentioned already, but did anyone else spot that Martin came out to greet the away fans before the game - followed by someone videoing it for their social media - and he chose the exact moment that MGP was introduced to the crowd to step onto the pitch, no doubt to make it sound like he was getting the rapturous reception that he believes he deserves

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen someone quite so narcissistic as Russell Martin 

[scotchrover]

15 minutes ago, DaveyB said:

I don’t know if it’s been mentioned already, but did anyone else spot that Martin came out to greet the away fans before the game - followed by someone videoing it for their social media - and he chose the exact moment that MGP was introduced to the crowd to step onto the pitch, no doubt to make it sound like he was getting the rapturous reception that he believes he deserves

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen someone quite so narcissistic as Russell Martin 

He’s a terrible loser. He’s always thought he’s better than what he is. That video -prior to a JDT masterclass at Swansea- said it all when he was going in about us eventually stopping running. I think we won 3-0 that day? 

In some respects, I hope he takes them up, because they’ll get an absolute pasting with their style of play, and his post match interviews will be hilarious.

With how quiet their fans were today too, it shows how riveting their style of play is. I’m not sure I remember a quieter away end at Ewood? 

[Bethnal]

4 hours ago, Bbrovers2288 said:

Just looked at all the fixtures, 

id be worried looking at Plymouth, millwall and qpr’s run ins. 
still loads of games between each other to go
if I could pick 2 to go it would be Birmingham and Huddersfield 

Birmingham going down after the USA investment couldn’t be any funnier. Genuinely hilarious.

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, martonrover said:

What is evident is that you really don’t like Eustace and haven’t got over JDT leaving.

Look at the results for a sustained period leading up to JDT’s departure. They were truly shocking and we looked like relegation on a stick.

We couldn’t defend to save our lives - one of the worst defensive records in the league.

We didn’t get any new manager bounce, but compare that to Millwall who did, but are now really struggling again.

We are fighting and grinding out results, (Sunderland excepted), which is our realistic path to safety.

The job is far from done, but we look far more likely to stay up now than we did just before JDT left.

 

Whilst obviously amidst the general shit show of the club the managerial situation felt as minor as it ever could, I was relieved when Tomasson left, so you couldnt be more wrong on that. The situation had becone untenable. I was also happy enough with Eustace as I felt he was one of the better candidates that we could realistically get.

My point about the scale of any achievement keeping us up isnt even specific to any manager. Because we had accumulated enough points by November to be 7th, to drop to 22nd or below between then and May would take an incredible drop. Teams may have dropped from that high at a similar stage but I bet its very rare. Our form since then has been absolutely horrendous yet even then, we still arent in the drop zone.

Eustace's overall record though is of less than a point per game which is relegation form. You mention grinding out results but it cant be escaped that over his full short tenure, his results arent that good hence that poor points return. Those hailing potential survival as a big achievement are presumably assuming that Tomasson's terrible last 8 games would continue at the same rate for the rest of the season. If 50 points secures survival, and it might not even be that, then the task coming in was to get 15 points from 16 games. I think even with Tomasson in charge, we would have been more likely than not to get them. Especially with a number of key players having recently returned from injury.

I mentioned that I have now started to see genuine clear green shoots under Eustace so hopefully we can continue to progress. Obviously the problem is that he will have his work cut out working under these owners.

 

[tomphil]

It's a long old haul from Southampton to Ewood to be fair and they are an entitled bunch these days so no surprise they were quiet.

[martonrover]

18 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

I think even with Tomasson in charge, we would have been more likely than not to get them

That is where I disagree.

i think we would’ve gone down had Tomasson stayed.

Eustace’s results haven’t been great, but they are better than Tomasson’s had been over a sustained period.

We were cannon fodder and it’s pretty obvious that he had lost the dressing room.

We haven’t won enough games to get clear under Eustace, but he has made us harder to beat.

Hopefully, that will be enough come May.

[47er]

4 hours ago, Ossydave said:

but nothing to worry about against Sheff Weds. 

Our record against lower sides (of which there are not many!) is terrible. No guaranteed points there--as QPR found out).

[47er]

5 hours ago, Bbrovers2288 said:

Just looked at all the fixtures, 

id be worried looking at Plymouth, millwall and qpr’s run ins. 
still loads of games between each other to go
if I could pick 2 to go it would be Birmingham and Huddersfield 

Birmingham in the worst form of anyone. The club most likely to slip into the bottom 3 at the death. I hope!

[superniko]

54 minutes ago, Bethnal said:

Birmingham going down after the USA investment couldn’t be any funnier. Genuinely hilarious.

Tom Brady rocking up at Barrow 😂 

[roversfan99]

32 minutes ago, martonrover said:

That is where I disagree.

i think we would’ve gone down had Tomasson stayed.

Eustace’s results haven’t been great, but they are better than Tomasson’s had been over a sustained period.

We were cannon fodder and it’s pretty obvious that he had lost the dressing room.

We haven’t won enough games to get clear under Eustace, but he has made us harder to beat.

Hopefully, that will be enough come May.

With Tomasson, I think our results may have picked up when players came back as they have under Eustace.

Had he stayed and not kept us up, the whole thing had massively soured and he was not hiding how unhappy he was which probably didnt help the dressing room. Like I said, I felt that him going as a standalone issue aside from the real issues was a good thing. 

But whoever came in without the baggage that Tomasson had having been let down and the public mess that had unfolded, the task of keeping us up baring in mind that 50 points required less than a point a game and with returning players was not a really difficult one even allowing for the form we were in at the time.

[M_B]

27 minutes ago, martonrover said:

That is where I disagree.

i think we would’ve gone down had Tomasson stayed.

Eustace’s results haven’t been great, but they are better than Tomasson’s had been over a sustained period.

We were cannon fodder and it’s pretty obvious that he had lost the dressing room.

We haven’t won enough games to get clear under Eustace, but he has made us harder to beat.

Hopefully, that will be enough come May.

I've no doubt we were going down under Tomasson. 

We were never going to just start winning, we were crash landing into League 1. Much has been made of the lack of wins, but to lose 3 in 12, only conceding 12 goals has been a commendable effort.