v Coventry City (h) - 27/4/24

[rigger]

I thought we played quite well today.

[roverblue]

Thought we did ok today but just had no luck in the box with lots of missed/blocked chances. Its largely down to a lack of attacking quality as we have mentioned loads of times, the final ball or finish poor most the time.

Just feel flat and have done for a while, want the season declared safe and over but rovers just keep prolonging the agony. Its slim that all the results go against us next week but would be just our luck it happens.

[Torgeir]

18 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

And sadly neither has a footballing brain.

JRC appears to have lost his while injured as well. One-touches 'passes' randomly and has been really poor the past two matches. Would prefer Ayari starting over him atm.

Never thought I'd be crying out for Hedges but we're so slow and predictable it hurts to watch. This squad needs some heavy investment.

[simongarnerisgod]

19 minutes ago, Bethnal said:

Agreed. Think Dolan bulked up a bit too much and he’s lost some of his agility. I hope there’s a deal lined up for Gally to leave, it’s been long overdue.

dolan is saveable,just stick him out wide and give him one job,attack the full back and try to get a cross over

gally is a basket case,get rid of him

[Ossydave]

Would be a very Rovers thing to do, to go down on GD here. The shit show at Bristol that wiped out the Sunderland game may well come home to roost 🤮

[pick32]

Some bookies offering 20/1 for us to go down, I’d offer 40/1 m. Very confident we done the business well down lads 👍

[Riverside under the drip]

As regards the game, I just wish we had more than one player who had even the slightest idea about how to shoot. I also wish we had a bench with at least forward on it to come on and try to change things up top (Telalovic isn't that).

But my post is mostly about why I wasn't in my usual seat.

In my Blackburn school, the overwhelming majority of football-mad children (seriously obsessed) are Liverpool or Utd fans with the odd City fan. During a recent poll as part of a computing database lesson, I was the only one in the whole class to show a preference for Rovers (10 for Liverpool, 14 for Utd, the rest for "whoever Ronaldo plays for"). They have absolutely no clue about the subtleties of being a supporter beyond saying, "We're better than you!". The 'die-hard' Liverpool kids have honestly never heard of YNWA and the City boy freely admitted he didn't actually care about City at all but Haaland was amazing.

I say this because all that matters is the glory-hunting, fashionable aspect of this. Their entire football knowledge comes from online or on Sky beyond break-time kickabouts. Matchday visits are all but unheard of for any of them. Which brings us to the Ewood Express...

At no point in my entire childhood was I EVER as excited to watch a game as the 6-11 year old kids I took today (or against Plymouth the other month). Starting their own chants, joining in with the singers below (up to a point as they're good, naiive kids who don't swear), willing Rovers on. They loved it (one lad did ask where the commentary and spider-cam was). Ignore the EDL-supporting, knuckle-dragging cretins on Twitter moaning about Islam. Kids of every background absolutely had the time of their lives today. The desire to support their local team is bubbling under. They want to go again .

It won't matter though. Until we have a Premier League team, they will always choose the big city reds and Rovers will be a 2nd club like we might have a patronising fondness for little Accy Stanley. They all ask me about Rovers every Monday like, "Poor old Sir needs comforting; let's show some solidarity." The older generations' apathy (one parent actually asked me at pick-up what stadium we were going to and whether it was a game even though he'd signed up and paid the £8) is NOT present in the kids and this lot would definitely start attending in ten years time IF we had the right 'product' but they will not stop the fanboy/girling for CR7 or Salah in favour of Sam bloody Gallagher.

Yasir's work is for nothing without actual success.

Edited April 27 by Riverside under the drip

[neophox]

Ipswich now leading 3-2...Hull soon nothing to play for same with Norwich..

[neophox]

1 hour ago, Mercer said:

Comes down to who will have both the bottle and the desire.

I am less optimistic than most of the postings on here post match.

My thoughts:

• Brum - they'll kick Norwich off the park to get a result, Brum win
• Plymouth - who gave them a chance against Leicester?  Hull might have nowt to play for and even if they do, fancy Argyle to get their win
• Owls - they've shown they have plenty of bottle and desire, can't see then failing to get a point at Sunderland who we hammered  5-1 not too long ago
• Rovers - Leicester will want to put on a show, think we will be lucky to lose by no more than 3 goals

My huge fear is we hit the bottom three on goal difference for the first time on the last day of the season when it will be all too late to do anything about it.

Sad, depressing and all too worrying times.

Copy paste this on Sunday... It's spot on even if I really want us to stay up.

[Andy]

Feels inevitable, to be perfectly honest.

[Exiled_Rover]

13 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

dolan is saveable,just stick him out wide and give him one job,attack the full back and try to get a cross over

gally is a basket case,get rid of him

You extend Dolan's contract because a) it'll be very cheap (his own fault for holding out) and b) we need warm bodies.

Gallagher should be shown the door though. Sadly they won't let us spend his wages on other players - they showed that when Ayala, Dack and BBD left and weren't replaced.

[DE.]

19 minutes ago, Torgeir said:

JRC appears to have lost his while injured as well. One-touches 'passes' randomly and has been really poor the past two matches. Would prefer Ayari starting over him atm.

Been a purple patch player for some time, just harder to detect because he's also incredibly injury prone. When he's on form, he's really on form, but he's not consistent and at 24 he should be by now. Granted his regular injury layoffs won't help with that. Long story short, we can't rely on him, and that's a shame because a fully fit, consistent JRC would be a key player for us. I just don't think we'll ever get to see that. 

[Torgeir]

9 minutes ago, neophox said:

Ipswich now leading 3-2...Hull soon nothing to play for same with Norwich..

Think Norwich will want to avoid Leeds in the double-header.

[Exiled_Rover]

29 minutes ago, Torgeir said:

JRC appears to have lost his while injured as well. One-touches 'passes' randomly and has been really poor the past two matches. Would prefer Ayari starting over him atm.

Never thought I'd be crying out for Hedges but we're so slow and predictable it hurts to watch. This squad needs some heavy investment.

I think JRC is trying too hard to be the creative force at the moment, hence the first-time passes that aren't on. As much as I think Tronstad is a great Championship player, he's not a creative one and in a midfield two that puts pressure on his partner to make things happen. 

I've always thought Hedges is a good option to have on the bench, but you're in trouble if he's your nailed on starter as his end product just isn't there. 

Edited April 27 by Exiled_Rover
too

[Torgeir]

1 minute ago, DE. said:

Been a purple patch player for some time, just harder to detect because he's also incredibly injury prone. When he's on form, he's really on form, but he's not consistent and at 24 he should be by now. Granted his regular injury layoffs won't help with that. Long story short, we can't rely on him, and that's a shame because a fully fit, consistent JRC would be a key player for us. I just don't think we'll ever get to see that. 

I agree, but he's never set the world alight in CM for us. His best performances have come at RWB so think he flatters to deceive a lot of the time. When he continued in the same way as versus Owls, I would've subbed him on for the more dynamic Ayari. Ayari had a point to prove against Coventry too, it's just that Eustace forgot about it when preparing for t he game....

[broadsword]

2 hours ago, Exiled in Toronto Mk2 said:

Pears - didn’t chuck one in huzzah. Now clear off

Brittain - taken a real dislike to this fella, not fit to lace Heaton’s or Brannigan’s boots. Eff off.

Carter - the only defender who makes a forward worry what might happen if he traps the ball.

Mcfad - a worthy past it successor to MacNamee, a real captain’s performance.

Hyam - worst captain in our history. Only not a spineless disaster when he has no-one to mark and got his dad beside him to tell him what to do. Get rid.

Pickering - too timid to play wing, too slow to play back. Cheerio.

JRC - I like him as the extra attacking midfielder, not convinced by him being the attacking midfielder. Play him in a 3.

Tronstadt - Automatic pick

Dolan - when he plays 1/2 touch he can be really effective, once the triple salko’s start he’s Sunday league.

Sammy - start carving the statue

Gally - oh, there’s the statue. Sayanora, finally.

Is it wrong that this made me laugh?

[broadsword]

1 hour ago, Mercer said:

Comes down to who will have both the bottle and the desire.

I am less optimistic than most of the postings on here post match.

My thoughts:

• Brum - they'll kick Norwich off the park to get a result, Brum win
• Plymouth - who gave them a chance against Leicester?  Hull might have nowt to play for and even if they do, fancy Argyle to get their win
• Owls - they've shown they have plenty of bottle and desire, can't see then failing to get a point at Sunderland who we hammered  5-1 not too long ago
• Rovers - Leicester will want to put on a show, think we will be lucky to lose by no more than 3 goals

My huge fear is we hit the bottom three on goal difference for the first time on the last day of the season when it will be all too late to do anything about it.

Sad, depressing and all too worrying times.

I guess it's inevitable we'll stay up now. 

 

Which would just be a stay of execution. This is an absolutely piss poor squad, which will be weakened further over the summer. And if we're in the championship next season, surely we're going to get tonked right from the off? It's only our half decent early season form that's saving us at the moment. Our form since Christmas must make sobering reading?

[DE.]

11 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

I think JRC is trying to hard to be the creative force at the moment, hence the first-time passes that aren't on. As much as I think Tronstad is a great Championship player, he's not a creative one and in a midfield two that puts pressure on his partner to make things happen. 

I've always thought Hedges is a good option to have on the bench, but you're in trouble if he's your nailed on starter as his end product just isn't there. 

JRC can be very good creatively, but he's never really been consistent - again, though, I'd put a lot of that down to repeated injury disruption. His versatility may also hinder him somewhat as well, as it did with the likes of Phil Jones at United. Becoming a jack of all trades but master of none isn't ideal. It can work if you're a James Milner type with incredible fitness, but when you're injury prone as Jones was and JRC is then it becomes a bit more problematic. 

10 minutes ago, Torgeir said:

I agree, but he's never set the world alight in CM for us. His best performances have come at RWB so think he flatters to deceive a lot of the time. When he continued in the same way as versus Owls, I would've subbed him on for the more dynamic Ayari. Ayari had a point to prove against Coventry too, it's just that Eustace forgot about it when preparing for t he game....

He's had a couple of games in CM where you think, yeah, he could be superb in this role. Unfortunately tends to be followed be a string of anonymous matches before getting injured. I'd agree that he's more effective in the RWB role, but it's a demanding position for somebody with a fragile body.

Edited April 27 by DE.

[Torgeir]

2 minutes ago, DE. said:

JRC can be very good creatively, but he's never really been consistent - again, though, I'd put a lot of that down to repeated injury disruption. His versatility may also hinder him somewhat as well, as it did with the likes of Phil Jones at United. Becoming a jack of all trades but master of none isn't ideal. It can work if you're a James Milner type with incredible fitness, but when you're injury prone as Jones was and JRC is then it becomes a bit more problematic. 

He's had a couple of games in CM where you think, yeah, he could be superb in this role. Unfortunately tends to be followed be a strong of anonymous matches before getting injured. I'd agree that he's more effective in the RWB role, but it's a demanding position for somebody with a fragile body.

Our match before this one was against Sheff W. where we put in a shit performance, yet the only change Eustace made was a forced one; today's MoTM McFadzean for Wharton. He did the same after our beating in Bristol and fielded the same side versus Leeds and while it was a performance full of fight, we were a bit lucky not to concede.

 

With that said I think the effort was there today, just feel as if the quality is lacking and we've become so reliant on Smods.

[alex l]

Hull rescuing a draw just now gives them something to play for next week but they need to win. Could lead them to win or leave them open to defeat by chasing the win. 

[DE.]

3 minutes ago, Torgeir said:

Our match before this one was against Sheff W. where we put in a shit performance, yet the only change Eustace made was a forced one; today's MoTM McFadzean for Wharton. He did the same after our beating in Bristol and fielded the same side versus Leeds and while it was a performance full of fight, we were a bit lucky not to concede.

 

With that said I think the effort was there today, just feel as if the quality is lacking and we've become so reliant on Smods.

Since December we've been a bottom three team - both in form and in terms of points collected. The points JDT gained us from August - November will, maybe, just about save us. It's been a truly abysmal five months. The quality is definitely not there, and unless there is a dramatic and ruthless clear out in the summer, followed by actual investment (one can dream), it will be even worse next season. 

[Torgeir]

I think Hull will win at Plymouth and Norwich get a point versus Birmingham. Sheff W in form so might well survive. 

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, Ewood Ace said:

A pound shop Tony Pulis

 

2 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

eustace the type of manager if you gave him 50 million quid to spend,he`d still play the same way,like a lower league david moyes,boring tactics thus boring football

He doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as either of those two managers. We can only dream of having someone like Moyes and, as for Pulis, even with all of the awful football he at least had a clear system and plan and an idea of how he could exploit weaknesses in the opposition.

Eustace is just shoving men behind the ball, not pushing forward, and hoping for a 0-0. 

[OsloRover]

40 minutes ago, Torgeir said:

Think Norwich will want to avoid Leeds in the double-header.

Why? Leeds are so shit atm even we beat them

[roversfan99]

When JRC played under Tomasson it was clear he had instructions on how to play and he followed them and thrived.

Eustace doesnt seem to have any plan on how to attack and JRC is new to the midfield position which he might prefer but he is not as good in at this moment. He looks like he has gone from a player who knows exactly what he needs to do to one who has no clear instruction from a clueless manager.