v QPR (h) - 28/09/24

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Good to see somebody having a pop from distance into a crowded goalmouth. How many times have you seen a deflected goal on the end of it.

[Exiled_Rover]

2 minutes ago, KentExile said:

No. 

Eustace has one full back who tucks in to make a back 3, and 1 who goes forward to overlap.  both Carter and Pickering do the tucking in role, and therefore an overlapping option was required

Carter wasn't tucking in much!

[rovers11]

6 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

I still don't think we quite have enough to seriously challenge (we still lack pace), but to use some baseball parlance, we're no longer an easy out.

Pears had one save to make today, and that was a weak shot from range. He barely had anything to do against PNE either. Eustace has focused on the defensive side of the game and made us very difficult to beat - that'll always stand you in good stead come the end of the season. 

I don't think we're top 2 material but I certainly think we're top 6 material. I don't see many good teams about in this league this season. 

Any team that is solid and efficient, which we are, will go very close this season. We also haven't really seen Cantwell and ACD yet this season and they are our two best attacking talents imo. When they are fully fit and firing, they will take our attacking play up a level or two. I don't think a front line of Weimann, Hedges, Dolan, Ohashi is quite good enough and we saw that first half today.

[wilsdenrover]

Sunderland behind, up to 2nd, end the season now 😁

[KentExile]

11 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Carter wasn't tucking in much!

Pickering is a serviceable Championship standard left back, who has good positional play, but is limited by a lack of pace. 

Both Beck and Carter are potential Premier League talents, and would be my first choice pairing in the full back positions in Eustaces system.

However, a squad is needed over the course of a season, and Brittain and Pickering are as good or better a 2nd choice pair of full backs as 90% of teams in this division

Edited September 28, 2024 by KentExile

[bluebruce]

11 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Good to see somebody having a pop from distance into a crowded goalmouth. How many times have you seen a deflected goal on the end of it.

Lampard was a master of it.

[Tugayisgod]

Really is a wide open league this season, don't see anybody running away with it like Burnley did a couple of seasons ago, they are not the team they were by a long shot.

Also thought Dembele for them was completely anonymous, hardly touched the ball before being hooked due to the sending off. 

[Forever Blue]

Good to see the bitter biters getting beat at Millwall. 

[aletheia]

1 hour ago, jim mk2 said:

Cantwell reminds me of Duncan McKenzie

Does he have a ciggy at half time?

[bluebruce]

20 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

 

Pears had one save to make today, and that was a weak shot from range. He barely had anything to do against PNE either.

?? He was Man of the Match against PNE. By quite some distance if you look at this site's ratings (1.2 higher than anyone else, with an 8.2 rating). Three important saves if I remember rightly, and the stats say Preston had 5 shots on target.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

9 minutes ago, KentExile said:

Pickering is a serviceable Championship standard left back, who has good positional play, but is limited by a lack of pace. 

Both Beck and Carter are potential Premier League talents, and would be my first choice pairing in the full back positions in Eustaces system.

However, a squad is needed over the course of a season, and Brittain and Pickering are as good or better a 2nd choice pair of full backs as 90% of teams in this division

Both of the fullbacks were at fault for the really good chance they missed early on. Carter got done on the outside for the winger to put the long cross in initially and Pickering was fast asleep ball watching to  allow their guy to put the ball back across goal for the striker to nearly open the scoring.

I’ll excuse Carter because he’s not really a full back but things like that happen too often with Pickering.

[arbitro]

That was as comfortable a home win as it gets. Pretty much total dominance all over, the only thing lacking was more goals. Being critical the first half seemed a carry on from Preston as our play was too sedate for me at times. Unlike last week the sending off just before half time was a major turning point because we made it count unlike last week. Eustace was braver today and made the change at half time and it paid dividends. Our attacking suddenly had far more purpose and Cantwell was the catalyst for most of it. Chances aplenty were created and the first goal takes some pressure off and pass the ball in a more adventurous way. Carter was more of a right winger for long spells and offered a great outlet, something he hardly did in the first half. The second goal allowed us to rest players with two games coming up next week and also give some minutes to others. Three clean sheets on the bounce, adding two points per game and fourteen league goals. That start is beyond my wildest dreams and I really like the solid look we have and now a fit Cantwell could be the key to open doors when we need it.

A special word from me though for Dolan. Last Sunday aside he has had a great start and his work rate, endeavour and attitude isn't lots on Eustace.

[RevidgeBlue]

14 minutes ago, aletheia said:

Does he have a ciggy at half time?

Happier Days.

Can you imagine a £100m asset being allowed to jump over a Mini these days?

Lol.

[yankfan]

The depth of the squad vs 8 months ago is night and day. When Eustace came on board outside Szmodics our best attacking players were JRC and Brittain. Today they’re not in the starting XI. The goal scoring “threat”of Gally and Telalovic replaced by Ohashi and Gueye. Add Weizmann and TC and it’s clear GB was either inept or hampered by the owners or both. 

[Andy]

Win your home games, draw your away games and you finish in the top 2.

Obviously it's highly unlikely we'll be able to maintain this form over a season, but we are 7 games in now and averaging just over 2 points a game.

3 consecutive clean sheets and both ACD and Cantwell starting to get up to speed.

Hard not to be a little bit optimistic at the moment. Well done JE, he has us well organised.

[CambridgeRover]

On our bench at this point last season we had Wahldest, Markanday, Garrett, Telalović, Edmonson, James Hill, Dolan and Rankin Costello 

This game we had. McFadzean, Cantwell, Gueye, Rankin-Costello, Balázs Tóth, Buckley, Cozier-Duberry, Duru, Baker 

Night and day 

[simongarnerisgod]

eustace has us well organised,credit to him

i loved the way we played under jdt.but it was all out attack and must have been a nightmare for a centre back,hence hyam looks a different player this season,he never gave qpr`s big c/f a sniff,with eustace more pragmatic approach.same with travis

[M_B]

26 minutes ago, arbitro said:

That was as comfortable a home win as it gets. Pretty much total dominance all over, the only thing lacking was more goals. Being critical the first half seemed a carry on from Preston as our play was too sedate for me at times. Unlike last week the sending off just before half time was a major turning point because we made it count unlike last week. Eustace was braver today and made the change at half time and it paid dividends. Our attacking suddenly had far more purpose and Cantwell was the catalyst for most of it. Chances aplenty were created and the first goal takes some pressure off and pass the ball in a more adventurous way. Carter was more of a right winger for long spells and offered a great outlet, something he hardly did in the first half. The second goal allowed us to rest players with two games coming up next week and also give some minutes to others. Three clean sheets on the bounce, adding two points per game and fourteen league goals. That start is beyond my wildest dreams and I really like the solid look we have and now a fit Cantwell could be the key to open doors when we need it.

A special word from me though for Dolan. Last Sunday aside he has had a great start and his work rate, endeavour and attitude isn't lots on Eustace.

Dolan man of the match for me, I'll be voting accordingly. 

[M_B]

11 minutes ago, CambridgeRover said:

On our bench at this point last season we had Wahldest, Markanday, Garrett, Telalović, Edmonson, James Hill, Dolan and Rankin Costello 

This game we had. McFadzean, Cantwell, Gueye, Rankin-Costello, Balázs Tóth, Buckley, Cozier-Duberry, Duru, Baker 

Night and day 

Excellent recruitment. 

[roversfan99]

Really satisfying to win all 4 home games off the back of some valid question marks over Eustace who was unable to win a single home game last year. A very impressive start.

Thought it was a game of 2 halves today. First half we were poor, I was underwhelmed with the first 11 and we (not unexpectedly) were flat in attack. Hedges was really poor, Weimann struggled to get involved and Ohashi was again invisible, Dolan was the one bright spark but we didnt really create anything of note.

After the game changing red card, we did everything this week that we should have last week to capitalise on the man advantage. We from the start came out aggressively on the front foot, moved them around and created chances. Cantwell was a catalyst and looked much fitter with his class a level above anyone else. We got fortunate with their disallowed goal as it wasnt a foul on Batth but we deserved the win.

Travis again was good albeit getting needlessly involved in his usual antics, Tronstad was solid beside him and the defence (beside Batth's big and thankfully not costly mistake) gave Pears an easy day. 

I have felt this season that we have struggled with the balance of the 3 behind the striker which I put partly down to the lack of fitness of signings made especially towards the end of the window. Hopefully with fitness building, Hedges can be removed from the team as he isnt good enough. Cantwell has to be built around, and I also thought that Cozier Duberry showed flashes in his cameo of what he can give us that no one else in the squad can.

The striking position is a bit of a conundrum. After the initial excitement over a pair of unknown foreign signings, the jury is out as to which is better. Ohashi struggled again and was totally anonymous, lacking any physicality but we know that he can finish. Gueye was no better and needs to get off the mark.

[chaddyrovers]

Good solid win. 

Sending off changed the game but second half, Eustace bringing on Cantwell was game changer. It lifted the crowd also. 

Well done on Travis for shooting for end of the box and Cantwell's pass for Batth's header goal was sublime 

4 home wins in 4 games this season and unbeaten this season. 3 clean sheets in the last 3 games 

Dolan my man of the Match

Edited September 28, 2024 by chaddyrovers

[tonyoz]

1 hour ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Good to see somebody having a pop from distance into a crowded goalmouth. How many times have you seen a deflected goal on the end of it.

Absolutely…..the reluctance to shoot drives me crazy! The effort from Cantwell caused mayhem too.

[Tom]

Lovely results around us today and we stay in 3rd, Sunderland and West Brom lost and Burnley only drew 

[tonyoz]

29 minutes ago, M_B said:

Excellent recruitment. 

Yes, I wonder who’s responsible…..Gestede? It’s transformed the team and given us all something to dream about. 
Let’s hope that Cantwell can do that every week, a bit of guile has been sorely missed.
I went down to Brunton Park to watch him last Tuesday….he was ok but it was basically Carlisle’s youth team! Duberry was sharp though.

[M_B]

4 minutes ago, tonyoz said:

Yes, I wonder who’s responsible…..Gestede? It’s transformed the team and given us all something to dream about. 
Let’s hope that Cantwell can do that every week, a bit of guile has been sorely missed.
I went down to Brunton Park to watch him last Tuesday….he was ok but it was basically Carlisle’s youth team! Duberry was sharp though.

It is incredible, we lost Szmodics and to a lesser extent Gallagher, spent next to nowt yet end up virtually a full bench stronger.