Pre-season 2024/25

[AllRoverAsia]

Some match action from 3.40 minutes. 

Plus the LTs usual journalistic prowess

 

Edited August 3 by AllRoverAsia

[Paul Mani]

7 hours ago, alexanders said:

What about Ohashi? Bucko? Markanday?

Ohashi is a 9. Think Paul Dickov…very very industrious. Markanday and Bucko aren’t upto it. They don’t play enough to be considered in my opinion.

[Paul Mani]

6 hours ago, Herbie6590 said:

I’d like to see Gueye & Ohashi play together based on what I saw tonight - think they would complement each other…

Absolutely - A cracking big man little man partnership with lots of bite!!

Edited August 3 by Paul Mani

[Paul Mani]

5 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Sigurdsson is a strange one.

He's obviously very talented and the incredibly composed finishes he pulled out at the start of last year made me think we'd signed an absolute gem.

That said his attitude, lack of athleticism and injury proneness means that we're probably better getting rid. 

He just doesn’t effect the game.

Him and Pickering down that left is horrific. Both good technically and neither prepared to take a risk. With Pickering, I feel it’s manufactured as he’s expected to sit back and tuck into three cb’s when we‘re in possession. But Siggy just looks like he’s playing within himself…hugs the touchline, recieves the ball and turns back inside to make a square or backward pass.

A stark contrast to the right side where Carter plays inside to JRC who plays in that DeBruyne role and has Brittain constantly bombing down the line at pace. I can see those combinations working well.

[alexanders]

Will it be either Gueye or Ohashi starting? Hard to accommodate both? 
 

Weimann could’ve replaced both Dolan and Siggy? 

[Forever Blue]

In that video above it’s a worry that they keep saying Big Mak missed some sitters. I think that was the criticism from the Belgian journo/analyst who the LT interviewed when he signed.

[KentExile]

5 minutes ago, Forever Blue said:

In that video above it’s a worry that they keep saying Big Mak missed some sitters. I think that was the criticism from the Belgian journo/analyst who the LT interviewed when he signed.

With the upside being he is a large enough target that our wide players cant seem to miss him and/or he has decent enough movement to be in a position to miss those chances, so even if it does take him 4/5 chances to score one, odds are he may get those 4/5 chances

I have moved into the cautious optimism stage, ready for the inevitable let down in a  month or so 😉 

Edited August 3 by KentExile

[Mattyblue]

End of the day if he has all these attributes folk are describing and he banged a load in he wouldn’t be here. 

The last number 9 didn’t score many either, but never even got in the box to start with, so seeing a striker near the goal being a nuisance will be a novelty in itself.
 

[Paul Mani]

1 minute ago, Mattyblue said:

End of the day if he has all these attributes folk are describing and he banged a load in he wouldn’t be here. 

The last number 9 didn’t score many either, but never even got in the box to start with, so seeing a striker near the goal being a nuisance will be a novelty in itself.
 

100% if he played like that and scored them all, he’d be Didier Drogba! Very encouraging performance…will scare the living daylights out of Championship defenders.

[arbitro]

I thought it was the best we have looked as a team in all the pre season games (although I didn't see the ones in Austria). The fitness levels have improved along with the intensity so from that perspective it's been a successful month. Although it has only been 45 minutes I really liked the look of Gueye. He is a different player to Gallagher it seems. His first touch, movement in and out of the box gives me some cause for optimism. Ohashi also showed up well. His work rate and willingness to run in behind was encouraging. It does seen that the signings last week have given the majority of fans a lift. The squad suddenly looks a lot stronger.

I'm feeling a lot more optimistic today than I was last weekend when I would have shook hands on finishing fourth bottom.

[Mattyblue]

Comes down to strength in depth, decent enough first XI, but when the inevitable months at a time absences of the likes of JRC and Hedges come along then we’ll feel it.

Big few weeks to get ‘bodies in’, loans whatever.

Edited August 3 by Mattyblue

[Paul Mani]

11 minutes ago, Forever Blue said:

In that video above it’s a worry that they keep saying Big Mak missed some sitters. I think that was the criticism from the Belgian journo/analyst who the LT interviewed when he signed.

He got a flurry of chances in the first 15 mins. I can forgive the missed in context…because it was his first game, the first 15 mins of his career and because I haven’t seen a striker for Rovers be in the right place, at the right time for a LOOONNNNG time!

Every time we got the ball into the last third he broke into the box. It was so refreshing.

 

[Paul Mani]

6 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Comes down to strength in depth, decent enough first XI, but when the inevitable months at a time absences of the likes of JRC and Hedges come along then we’ll feel it.

Big few weeks to get ‘bodies in’, loans whatever.

Agreed…

Aside from the obvious signings - GK and cover left back. I feel our season will depend on us getting some pace and guile in…Dembele, Keshinen, Gordon, El Ghazi etc. Sign a couple of decent ones and we’ll have a decent season. Get some crackers in and a midfielder like Ayari and we could, dare I say it, do well.

[Paul Mani]

41 minutes ago, alexanders said:

Will it be either Gueye or Ohashi starting? Hard to accommodate both? 
 

Weimann could’ve replaced both Dolan and Siggy? 

I’d say it will be one or the other. Though they do very different jobs…

Weimann could replace Siggy and offer much more off the left but we need more pace and creativity on that left side for me.

I can absolutely see why we sold a Left wing back in Gent this week though. Would not fit that system at all.

Edited August 3 by Paul Mani

[Guest]

56 minutes ago, arbitro said:

I thought it was the best we have looked as a team in all the pre season games (although I didn't see the ones in Austria).

Performance-wise, we were poor in Austria. A couple of 1-goal defeats flattered us, but we were up against what I considered to be a superior opposition that were a week or two ahead of us in their preseason preparations. Last night, Rovers were probably at where Nurnberg were at when they played against us, which probably allows the team to put in a more rounded performance.

That said, it sounded like Stockport County have a number of injuries, they fielded a weakened side, and they were looking at a few triallists. It was pleasing and relieving to hear that our performance was good, but it's just a friendly against weaker opposition, and the real test comes on Friday in front of the cameras.

[arbitro]

23 minutes ago, goozburger said:

Performance-wise, we were poor in Austria. A couple of 1-goal defeats flattered us, but we were up against what I considered to be a superior opposition that were a week or two ahead of us in their preseason preparations. Last night, Rovers were probably at where Nurnberg were at when they played against us, which probably allows the team to put in a more rounded performance.

That said, it sounded like Stockport County have a number of injuries, they fielded a weakened side, and they were looking at a few triallists. It was pleasing and relieving to hear that our performance was good, but it's just a friendly against weaker opposition, and the real test comes on Friday in front of the cameras.

The main thing for me from last night was the intensity was getting closer to where it should be. Progressively the fitness levels and tempo have improved with each game so from that perspective I feel happier.

[davulsukur]

9 hours ago, alexanders said:

What about Ohashi? Bucko? Markanday?

Buckley and Markanday have consistently shown that they aren't up to it at this level. 

I think we'll end up keeping Buckley just for numbers sake, but if we land a few more attacking targets, we'll try and shift Markanday for sure. He'll end up in league one.

[KentExile]

1 hour ago, Paul Mani said:

I can absolutely see why we sold a Left wing back in Gent this week though. Would not fit that system at all.

I would have still thought that Gent could have done a decent enough job on the left wing (like Hedges last night), especially with Gueye to aim at.  

Have to hope that his sale was only sanctioned because a better left wing option than both Gent and Hedges is coming through the door imminently.  Hopefully one with real pace

[riverholmes]

Will the players really be up to speed having played some league one/two teams in pre-season? (And Nurnberg). Time will tell but seems odd to me.

[Ricky]

Only just noticed that they had Dwight Gayle as a trialist, decent player previously but guess his age is catching up a bit as he was a pacey forward. 

[rigger]

1 hour ago, riverholmes said:

Will the players really be up to speed having played some league one/two teams in pre-season? (And Nurnberg). Time will tell but seems odd to me.

So who should we have been playing ?

[Atko's Engine]

4 hours ago, Paul Mani said:

Absolutely - A cracking big man little man partnership with lots of bite!!

Talking of which...

Edited August 3 by Atko's Engine

[arbitro]

1 hour ago, Ricky said:

Only just noticed that they had Dwight Gayle as a trialist, decent player previously but guess his age is catching up a bit as he was a pacey forward. 

They also had Oliver Norwood who played 27 games for Sheffield United last season as another trialist.

[Paul Mani]

1 hour ago, KentExile said:

I would have still thought that Gent could have done a decent enough job on the left wing (like Hedges last night), especially with Gueye to aim at.  

Have to hope that his sale was only sanctioned because a better left wing option than both Gent and Hedges is coming through the door imminently.  Hopefully one with real pace

Yeah, I think we’ve got our eyes on one or two  plus Weimann and Gilsenan who I bloody love!! 

[Paul Mani]

12 minutes ago, Atko's Engine said:

Talking of which...

The Senegalese Kiefer Moore!! 🤣