v Leicester City (a) - 04/05/2024 - Will We Stay Or Will We Go?

[Waggy76]

  On 04/05/2024 at 16:05, WacoRover said:

I’m afraid you’re right.  

We need Hedges, Siggy, & Trav back (if only for depth), but the roster still needs upgrades all over the place. 

Expand  

We don't need Siggy back !!

[Blue blood]

I think in summary the rwo managers has the following although my maths may be sketchy!

JDT this season 1.1 points per game. 

Eustace 1.06 points per game. 

Then there's the game Johnson had. 

Neither is particularly inspiring nor fills me with confidence going forwards. Fortunately it has been enough this season.

[Mashed Potatoes]

  On 04/05/2024 at 15:54, simongarnerisgod said:

ill apparently,got the sniffles the poor ickle sausage

Expand  

People do get ill, you know.

[aletheia]

  On 04/05/2024 at 14:59, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I thought Leicester gave it a good go from half time until we scored. 

Expand  

Not really. Both goals came from them playing so high (brilliantly taken by Sammie though, especially the first.)

[bazza]

  On 04/05/2024 at 15:47, Waggy76 said:

Why didn't Hyam play ??

Expand  

He and Markanday were ill. What the symptoms were we don't know but you cannot let someone with a high temperature go out on the field, for his sake and for the team's sake. Neither would you want him shitting and vomiting all over the pitch.

If someone isn't 100% fit they don't play. Give the guys some slack.

[DaveyB]

  On 04/05/2024 at 16:17, Exiled_Rover said:

Eustace came in with Rovers in absolute free fall. People argue that JDT's early season results kept us up - he'd just failed to win at home against Huddersfield, Rotherham and QPR (with several thumping away losses in that period too).

Again, I'm a card carrying member of the JDT fan club, but he'd clearly lost the dressing room and his arrogance was on full display during that period - he didn't adapt his tactics at all and was determined to keep Brittain / Pickering bombing on leaving us wide open at the back.

That arrogance is partly born from the fact he knows he can get another good job somewhere with his credentials. Eustace knows that he'd be lucky to get a job managing Kidderminster again if he relegated us - the downside of being an unfashionable English manager - so he had to be more pragmatic. 

Expand  

I don’t disagree with you on JDT - by the time he left I was of the opinion that it was for the best for both parties (although I couldn’t have imagined thinking that back in November)

However, I do disagree with you on Eustace. Yes, there was perhaps a need to be slightly more pragmatic, but it’s more than that - you can see it in our performances under him that it is ingrained in every fibre of his being - he is a do not lose first coach rather than a win at all costs one.
That’s why we just knocked it about at the back when Millwall had 10 men behind the ball and settled for a point, it’s why we kept 3 central defenders on against 10 men Coventry, even after they had taken off their 2 strikers, it’s why our best performances have come against teams where we’re not expected to do well and we can set up to defend first and foremost…

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that necessarily (although it doesn’t fit my own footballing philosophy) but it’s better to be clear about what we’re expecting from him and the team next season. All this talk of ‘give him pre-season’ and ideas about him developing our attacking play are, I fear, building up hopes for something that just won’t happen - he’s not going to change his philosophy over night and so next season will be more of the same - defending deep, keeping it tight and maybe occasionally nicking something on a breakaway. That might well keep us in the league, but it certainly won’t take us up, and it definitely won’t be very entertaining to watch 🤷‍♂️

[aletheia]

  On 04/05/2024 at 14:50, M_B said:

It's been a grind, but any coach who can get 6 clean sheets in 17 out of our team deserves the chance for a fresh start next season. 

Expand  

It's uncontested. He will be here -contract says so and the Raos wont sack someone if it cost them money. SWAG has got his man. The fresh start will be operating under reduced expenditure. (But perhaps JE will fly out to Pune to grovel and pay homage and get some more cash. Who knows?)

[Exiled_Rover]

  On 04/05/2024 at 16:35, DaveyB said:

I don’t disagree with you on JDT - by the time he left I was of the opinion that it was for the best for both parties (although I couldn’t have imagined thinking that back in November)

However, I do disagree with you on Eustace. Yes, there was perhaps a need to be slightly more pragmatic, but it’s more than that - you can see it in our performances under him that it is ingrained in every fibre of his being - he is a do not lose first coach rather than a win at all costs one.
That’s why we just knocked it about at the back when Millwall had 10 men behind the ball and settled for a point, it’s why we kept 3 central defenders on against 10 men Coventry, even after they had taken off their 2 strikers, it’s why our best performances have come against teams where we’re not expected to do well and we can set up to defend first and foremost…

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that necessarily (although it doesn’t fit my own footballing philosophy) but it’s better to be clear about what we’re expecting from him and the team next season. All this talk of ‘give him pre-season’ and ideas about him developing our attacking play are, I fear, building up hopes for something that just won’t happen - he’s not going to change his philosophy over night and so next season will be more of the same - defending deep, keeping it tight and maybe occasionally nicking something on a breakaway. That might well keep us in the league, but it certainly won’t take us up, and it definitely won’t be very entertaining to watch 🤷‍♂️

Expand  

Genuinely, who would you bring on?

Neither JDT or Eustace wanted to play Telalovic. Markanday is shite. Hedges has been injured all year. Leonard has been out injured for months. Moran is mentally back in Brighton. 

It's all well and going for the win, but not if you're bringing on sub-par footballers. 

[aletheia]

  On 04/05/2024 at 15:59, DaveyB said:

turgid football

Expand  

turgid rather than tumescent 🙂

[DaveyB]

  On 04/05/2024 at 16:42, Exiled_Rover said:

Genuinely, who would you bring on?

Neither JDT or Eustace wanted to play Telalovic. Markanday is shite. Hedges has been injured all year. Leonard has been out injured for months. Moran is mentally back in Brighton. 

It's all well and going for the win, but not if you're bringing on sub-par footballers. 

Expand  

I presume you’re talking about the Coventry game - in which case, surely Buckley would have given you more creativity than Hyam, Carter or McFadzean?? Or keep JRC on and put Ayari alongside him & Tronstadt 🤷‍♂️

Or surely having another striker on in Telalovic couldn’t have hurt for the last 5 or 10 minutes when you desperately need a goal (incidentally I still believe that had he had the same number of minutes as Gallagher this season he would have scored more goals)

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

  On 04/05/2024 at 16:42, Exiled_Rover said:

Genuinely, who would you bring on?

Neither JDT or Eustace wanted to play Telalovic. Markanday is shite. Hedges has been injured all year. Leonard has been out injured for months. Moran is mentally back in Brighton. 

It's all well and going for the win, but not if you're bringing on sub-par footballers. 

Expand  

Just look who we had on the bench today capable of influencing the game. Let me just list the bench - Wahlstadt, O’Riordan, Koumetio, Buckley, Moran, Garrett, Timon, Telavic, Ayari.
A dodgy keeper, two totally in-experienced centre halves, Buckley, OK, Moran and Garrett, bit part players, an apprentice centre forward and another centre forward who might as well be an apprentice. Ayari , OK 

Football now is a squad game, you have to have players who can change the direction of the game, we haven’t got any.

Then people expect us to go to the Champions and give them a football lesson.
 

[Tugayisgod]

[ABBEY]

  On 04/05/2024 at 15:47, Waggy76 said:

Why didn't Hyam play ??

Expand  

Fanny hurting

[rigger]

  On 04/05/2024 at 16:35, DaveyB said:

I don’t disagree with you on JDT - by the time he left I was of the opinion that it was for the best for both parties (although I couldn’t have imagined thinking that back in November)

However, I do disagree with you on Eustace. Yes, there was perhaps a need to be slightly more pragmatic, but it’s more than that - you can see it in our performances under him that it is ingrained in every fibre of his being - he is a do not lose first coach rather than a win at all costs one.
That’s why we just knocked it about at the back when Millwall had 10 men behind the ball and settled for a point, it’s why we kept 3 central defenders on against 10 men Coventry, even after they had taken off their 2 strikers, it’s why our best performances have come against teams where we’re not expected to do well and we can set up to defend first and foremost…

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that necessarily (although it doesn’t fit my own footballing philosophy) but it’s better to be clear about what we’re expecting from him and the team next season. All this talk of ‘give him pre-season’ and ideas about him developing our attacking play are, I fear, building up hopes for something that just won’t happen - he’s not going to change his philosophy over night and so next season will be more of the same - defending deep, keeping it tight and maybe occasionally nicking something on a breakaway. That might well keep us in the league, but it certainly won’t take us up, and it definitely won’t be very entertaining to watch 🤷‍♂️

Expand  

A bit like Howard Kendal.

[Paul Mellelieu]

  On 04/05/2024 at 15:09, levi said:

What's he supposed to do stand on the sidelines looking sad?

Expand  

In his position, I'd slip away to the club bar and get in the first round and make my excuses.  It's David May all over again.

[Neal]

Surely EVERYONE is relieved Hyam didn't play, regardless... 😂

[chaddyrovers]

  On 04/05/2024 at 16:16, Blue blood said:

Your last paragraph shows you aren't using common sense as the chances he will get to shape his own squad when JDT, Lambert, Coyle and even TM at times were not allowed to are beyond minimal. 

Expand  

of course he will make signings and improve the squad. 

We made plenty of signings under HDT as head coach which he agreed to sign each and every one of those signings. 

JDT couldn't get a tune out of George Hirst last season but this season(last half of the previous season, Mckenna got him playing and being his number 1 striker. 

[roversfan99]

Tomasson mentioned more than once that he had "said yes to a lot of players" when frustrated that players werent in at that time. He may have said yes to players not because he really really wanted then but because they are better than nothing.

Im sure we will make signings. It doesnt mean that they will improve the squad. We didnt this year.

[onlyonejackwalker]

A scabby win at Leeds and a win at a pissed up Leicester have kept us in this division. 19th place and three points above relegation. Fucking dynamite.

I've seen nothing from this manager to encourage for next season. I'm not bothered if he and the vast majority of the squad departs.

I wasn't nervous today. We deserved to go down. The only reason we haven't is because of one player. Sammie Szmodics. 

The only thing worth celebrating this season is his work-rate, endeavour, attitude, application, effort, belief, confidence, strength, stamina, composure, skillset and ability.

Take a bow Sammie Szmodics. Fair fucking play to you son. A proper professional. You are one ballsy mother fucker, who has single handedly stepped up time and time again. I wish you the very best of luck wherever you end up. All of us will follow your career now going forward. Bravo and thank you.

 

 

 

[M_B]

  On 04/05/2024 at 16:57, ABBEY said:

Fanny hurting

Expand  

Wasn't she a nurse in Carry on Doctor? 

[1874]

  On 04/05/2024 at 16:55, Tugayisgod said:

Expand  

Will Nixon be doing a piece on where we would have been with a decent kepper all season

[Old Codger]

Well done to the men in yellow this afternoon. Pears made a couple of very good saves, especially at one-nil up, when he tipped it onto the bar and away.

Sammie, what a legend! I think it unlikely we will see him in Rovers colours again, which is a shame, as the lad is a natural and does everything that you'd want a Rovers player to do for the team.

Time for some reflection, some realism, and some change.

I'm glad we did the business. It did look like the gods were conspiring against us at half time, but cometh the hour, cometh the man...

Why can't our players show up like that and like against Leeds, every week? It is the great footballing conundrum - if you could guarantee it, we'd probably just complain.

See you next season, boys and girls!

Enjoy the summer..

[chaddyrovers]

  On 04/05/2024 at 17:40, roversfan99 said:

Tomasson mentioned more than once that he had "said yes to a lot of players" when frustrated that players werent in at that time. He may have said yes to players not because he really really wanted then but because they are better than nothing.

Im sure we will make signings. It doesnt mean that they will improve the squad. We didnt this year.

Expand  

Tronstad improve us. Sigurdsson and Moran 1st 3 and half months. Striker wise no we didn't. McFadzean at the back improve us. 

[roversfan99]

The overall squad this season is far inferior to last season. Hence we didnt improve.

We may improve the squad in the summer, we may not, if Szmodics goes we may get worse. Its an unknown.

[Ossydave]

  On 04/05/2024 at 16:35, bazza said:

He and Markanday were ill. What the symptoms were we don't know but you cannot let someone with a high temperature go out on the field, for his sake and for the team's sake. Neither would you want him shitting and vomiting all over the pitch.

If someone isn't 100% fit they don't play. Give the guys some slack.

Expand  

They wanted to take Hyam in case he was needed, he wasn't allowed to travel on the team coach though, that would have been stupidity infecting everyone. He's not had the best season but he didn't cry off like a mard arse today.