v Watford (a) - 26/10/2024

[Forever Blue]

3 minutes ago, ABBEY said:

we saw his "alleged " hearing ability after the wasted crossbar chance ...straight at the keeper most of goal to aim at .

Deaf as a goalpost

[ABBEY]

Just now, Forever Blue said:

Deaf as a goalpost

haha stupid auto spell 🤣 😂 🙄 

[onlyonejackwalker]

We stayed up last year winning away at Leeds and Leicester. Two of our best results over the past decade.

We scored three goals in those two games. Or should I say Sammie scored three goals. Three goals from three chances.

We all knew that replacing Szmodics goals would be nigh impossible. And so it is proving.

Keep Szmodics with this squad and manager and we'd have a chance at the last couple of play off places along with five or six others.

Sell Szmodics and replace him with players costing next to nothing and count yourself lucky not to be in a relagtation scrap.

We can chart all this Venky stupidity back to sacking Allardyce for a cheap, useless replacement. Fast forward and we've just sold Szmodics for cheap, useless replacements. 

[AllRoverAsia]

1 hour ago, rigger said:

It is also, a not very good player issue. Did you see the item about him in training, the other two were constantly taking the piss, at how poor Gueye was.

Yes, I saw that. Wasn't a good look.

Still, he's somehow on our books so I hope he does something soon.

At times, in previous games, he has received, controlled and passed ok. Even though that's a minimum expectation of a professional.

[AllRoverAsia]

45 minutes ago, ABBEY said:

we saw his "alleged " hearing ability after the wasted crossbar chance ...straight at the keeper most of goal to aim at .

It was very poor. No speed on the ball as it came to him and he didn't create any, just a headed easy save for the keeper. Poor do.

I put that down as an easier chance than Weimans, who messed up with a poor first touch taking him too close to the keeper when he should have low volleyed first time.

[Oldgregg86]

Side note, did anyone see eustaces overhead kick for Watford in the itv highlights show. My word. What a finish

[chaddyrovers]

3 hours ago, J*B said:

The majority of the league are flying or travelling first class on trains, meanwhile our boys are on a coach home and have a £10/head allowance at Knutsford services. 

are Trains even reliable these days given the amount trains are cancelled.  

I get your point and Yes would be great to travel by Train but the coach would still travelled down there to take the players from the hotel to the ground 

2 hours ago, arbitro said:

The coach had dropped the five of them off and they were waiting for friends or family to pick them up. I'm guessing they live in South Manchester. In general I take your point but Watford is a bugger to get to by air or rail.

or Merseyside? Doesn't Travis there 

Edited October 27, 2024 by chaddyrovers

[lraC]

51 minutes ago, onlyonejackwalker said:

We stayed up last year winning away at Leeds and Leicester. Two of our best results over the past decade.

We scored three goals in those two games. Or should I say Sammie scored three goals. Three goals from three chances.

We all knew that replacing Szmodics goals would be nigh impossible. And so it is proving.

Keep Szmodics with this squad and manager and we'd have a chance at the last couple of play off places along with five or six others.

Sell Szmodics and replace him with players costing next to nothing and count yourself lucky not to be in a relagtation scrap.

We can chart all this Venky stupidity back to sacking Allardyce for a cheap, useless replacement. Fast forward and we've just sold Szmodics for cheap, useless replacements. 

The replacement for Allardyce was stupid, but I don’t think he was cheap.

[wilsdenrover]

1 hour ago, den said:

unintentional handball has never been an offence.

There are currently (and farcically) four handball offences only one of which contains the word deliberate. 

[den]

1 minute ago, wilsdenrover said:

There are currently (and farcically) four handball offences only one of which contains the word deliberate. 

I know Wilsden, I’ve read them.

[Herbie6590]

3 hours ago, arbitro said:

That's it in a nutshell Ian. A few years ago that wouldn't have been given as it clearly wasn't deliberate but the muddied waters created by blazers with no feel for the game have killed that. Interestingly I didn't think the referee actually gave it. The delay was almost certainly because he was told over the comms. My initial suspicion was it was the fourth official but I spoke to several Rovers players at Knutsford services last night and they were told it was the far side linesman who I thought had the worst view of the four of them. I'll find out for certain this week.

I wondered whether he was waiting to see if an advantage materialised…🤔

[wilsdenrover]

1 minute ago, den said:

I know Wilsden, I’ve read them.

So why are you saying it has to be deliberate when for three of them it does not?

Personally I wish they’d just go back to deliberate being the only way it can be an offence - it’s one of the many many rules they’ve over complicated for no reason whatsoever.

[JCRovers]

Thought we had some decent spells, especially at the start of both halves. Cantwell is beginning to show his quality and has to start every game from now on. Gueye was really poor and need to start playing simple and get into the box to meet crosses more often. Hopefully Cozier-Duberry is back soon as we lack pace up front and have Weimann being used more as an impact sub instead. Hedges works hard and tracks back but doesn't really offer anything attacking-wise. Carter's injury is a massive blow as we don't have any sort of pace left in central defence, which will affect how high the team can press the opposition. Can only hope we get the balance right and don't get hit on the counter in the following matches. My preferred XI:

                         Pears

Brittain/JRC    Batth   Hyam   Beck

                       Tronstad

               Travis    Cantwell

Cozier-Duberry                Ohashi

                         Gueye

Would like to see Beck and Brittain/JRC push up more and deliver crosses for Gueye but can't see it happening with Carter injured. Double pivot of Tronstad and Travis needs breaking up with Travis acting more as a box-to-box midfielder instead, need more runs from deep attacking the penalty area. Would also like Ohashi to play on the left to cut inside, don't know why Eustace is insisting of not having him and Gueye on the pitch together. 

Edited October 27, 2024 by JCRovers

[Herbie6590]

The POTM supported by @RoversTrust (for the final time…thanks to WATR for their support) is …

[arbitro]

25 minutes ago, Herbie6590 said:

I wondered whether he was waiting to see if an advantage materialised…🤔

I know it's a different era now and I never had any communication equipment but I would have been embarrassed to be effectively overruled by a linesman who was at least fifty yards further away than me. 

[rigger]

32 minutes ago, Herbie6590 said:

I wondered whether he was waiting to see if an advantage materialised…🤔

There is not a lot more advantageous, than a penalty.

[wilsdenrover]

24 minutes ago, arbitro said:

I know it's a different era now and I never had any communication equipment but I would have been embarrassed to be effectively overruled by a linesman who was at least fifty yards further away than me. 

I’d get rid of the communication equipment and go back to the ref having to go over to the linesman for a chat.

At least we’d then know which of the fuckers to direct our anger at 😁

[RevidgeBlue]

Didn't see yesterday's game but listened to the live commentary on Talksport 2 whilst I was driving and it seems obvious we now look as though we haven't got a goal in us.

Going to be a long hard grind to 50 points regardless of our deceptively good start I fear.

When's the next install.ent of the Indian Court Case due? I wonder what the excuse for not spending any money will be if the requirement to provide personal guarantees to cover funds sent over is lifted on that date.

[wilsdenrover]

6 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Didn't see yesterday's game but listened to the live commentary on Talksport 2 whilst I was driving and it seems obvious we now look as though we haven't got a goal in us.

Going to be a long hard grind to 50 points regardless of our deceptively good start I fear.

When's the next install.ent of the Indian Court Case due? I wonder what the excuse for not spending any money will be if the requirement to provide personal guarantees to cover funds sent over is lifted on that date.

13th November 

[arbitro]

8 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

I’d get rid of the communication equipment and go back to the ref having to go over to the linesman for a chat.

At least we’d then know which of the fuckers to direct our anger at 😁

Agreed. All this new fangled technological assistance they now have and we still see the same errors. I stood behind a linesman at an under 21 game and the nonsense they come out with over the comms was eye opening. Things like 'he's onside' and 'goal kick' when it's bloody obvious would have driven me crazy. The use of the flag used to tell me.

[A Northern Horde...]

Gueye..our very own 6'4 Bambi on ice.

Outjumped for nearly every Ball yesterday.Awful Player.

[Commondore]

Usual Eustace setup away from home: Keep it tight, defense comes first (every attacking player in the lineup bar Cantwell chosen for their defensive work rather than attacking skill), get a draw or sneak a one nil win if the stars are aligned. On a normal day Batth scores that rebound, they ger their penalty, and its one point away from home. Not exactly inspiring stuff, but I’m not worried yet.

Edited October 27, 2024 by Commondore

[lraC]

9 minutes ago, Commondore said:

Ursual Eustace setup away from home: Keep it tight, defense comes first (every attacking player in the lineup bar Cantwell chosen for their defensive work rather than attacking skill), get a draw or sneak a one nil win if the stars are aligned. On a normal day Batth scores that rebound, they ger their penalty, and its one point away from home. Not exactly inspiring stuff, but I’m not worried yet.

You would have to hope he changes that philosophy, as it isn’t working.

Get the away form right and we would be right up there, despite the limitations.

So far 3 points on the road from 6 games, is very poor. Give it a go and try for the win, as I’m sure one win from 6 is achievable with that tactic, which is effectively where we are right now. 

[M_B]

4 hours ago, lraC said:

You would have to hope he changes that philosophy, as it isn’t working.

Get the away form right and we would be right up there, despite the limitations.

So far 3 points on the road from 6 games, is very poor. Give it a go and try for the win, as I’m sure one win from 6 is achievable with that tactic, which is effectively where we are right now. 

I thought we were already right up there.

[lraC]

3 hours ago, M_B said:

I thought we were already right up there.

We are, but imagine if we had have been a touch more adventurous V PNE in the second half and maybe not switched off in the last minute at Plymouth.

A touch greedy perhaps, but those extra 3 points would make very impressive reading, right now.