v Stoke City (h) - 6/11/2024

[Groundhog]

12 minutes ago, DaveyB said:

Couple that with an absolute lack of creativity in the squad (Cantwell is skilful and tidy in possession, but I haven’t seen any real creativity from him yet) 

Cantwell is the only player who can loft the ball in behind and drop it on a dime for the onrushing forward, or play a 35 yard crossfield pass first time. Those are things that should be a given for a footballer, the default, we've been spoilt with them in the past. He's working with little around him. 

[Ghost7]

Surely Stoke won the toss and decided that?

[lraC]

3 hours ago, booth said:

Cringing at the post-match interview.

"I thought the performance was outstanding from the first minute."

"The most important thing is that we were very good tonight, and we were doing all lot of right things."

"We've made a lot of strides forward this season."

"The result wasn't there but the performance was excellent."

"We could have won the game by 5 or 6."

Not with those forwards John.

Signing off, I feel like I'm in some bizarro world.

That’s precisely why I have not been able to listen to a single interview since he arrived. After JDT and his honesty in front of the camera, this guy just makes me feel like the final piece in the jigsaw, is now in place.

They feed him what they like and he fronts up and defends it. No sign of a backbone and his horrendous record at home last season, is now back. We can’t score and we can’t defend. It’s already the annual tailspin, but earlier than normal.

I see another blank on Saturday and he will no doubt come me out and defend that. We are in for a long hard winter. 

[AllRoverAsia]

I stayed up to watch this 2.45 am kick off.

Then, post match, couldn't sleep with a mind racing trying to work out how Gueye did that magic trick.

I've just read the managers post match comments, well, its not as bad as that cock head Gestedes recent offering.

I've got nowt of any sense or value to add but it will be a rainy day in hell before I stay up late just to see fucking wankers like Baath and Hyam do their donkey routine taking turns to be the arse end 

 

[lraC]

4 hours ago, Hasta said:

No one was clamouring for him to start up top in the summer.  But when your choices are Yuki, Gueye and Leonard, there’s a chance he’s better than the other 2. One of them has to start.

We are out of options now, as we have strikers, who can’t score.

I would definitely give Leonard a start on Saturday, just to mix things up. 

[Blow-in]

6 hours ago, London blue said:

You could argue it either way, I think.

We're in dire straits right now. Losing tonight is a sad indictment of the current squad.

I would be more confident of Eustace picking up enough points here and there to keep us up. I think JDT was a zealot wedded to a style that was not going to work with a view of receiving a better job offer, which he eventually got.

That said we are in for a bumpy ride because I think there will be nothing available in January and I expect there will be outgoings.

[DanielMB]

Am I the only who gets a bit pissed when our coach uses “excellent” and “fantastic” after we just lost 2-0 at home to Stoke?

[Forever Blue]

6 hours ago, DE. said:

I could understand calling it bad luck if we'd drawn 0-0 whilst missing a hatful of chances... but we lost 2-0 - to a team that I believe hadn't scored away in the league since August? - so clearly the manager did something wrong, whether we missed a bunch of sitters or not.

The sign of a team in trouble is when you're playing OK but still losing (and even worse if you're not scoring either).

One night fluffing your lines you can put down to bad luck. 3 goals in 7 matches is more down to poor management and coaching (these players are capable of directing the ball into the net, they've done so earlier in the season and in the past, Gueye aside it isn't beyond any of them).

Eustace's tactics have never worked away from home this season. Now they aren't working at home either. He needs to adapt or he's going to take us down. Venky's will still be 100% to blame, but nonetheless, we're only heading in one direction at the moment.

There was nothing wrong with his tactics. We dominated them and missed some very good chances. The problem is lack of investment in players than can put those chances away. 

[G Somerset Rover]

7 hours ago, DE. said:

One night fluffing your lines you can put down to bad luck. 3 goals in 7 matches is more down to poor management and coaching (these players are capable of directing the ball into the net, they've done so earlier in the season and in the past, Gueye aside it isn't beyond any of them).

2 in 7, DE 🤮

[davulsukur]

8 hours ago, Mercer said:

Didn't say he was.

My point is Johansson showed the value of having a very, very good goalie between the sticks.  Pears is not and has cost us time and time again just as he did last Saturday when he parried the shot straight back to a SU player for their 2nd goal - how many times have we seen that happen!?  Good goalies push their saves as far wide as possible and not straight back into the danger zone.

After the obvious, this was the biggest take away of last night. 

Even more infuriating is that we paid like 100-200k less for Toth, than what Stoke paid for Johansson. And Toth can't even displace Pears. What a difference it would have made to have spent just a bit more and signed Johansson instead.

Poor recruitment for Rovers once again coming to the fore.

[sharpysharps86]

Incredibly frustrating and infuriating game. I felt angry at full time.

Personally speaking I'm not angry at Eustace though. In the last 3 games I feel like he's set the team up reasonably well. In 1 of those games he came up against simply a better team in Sheffield United and manager in Chris Wilder, who always seems to have had Rovers number over the years. However, against Watford and Stoke I think Eustace has been sorely let down by his players inability to put the ball in the net. These chances spring to mind:

• Watford - Hyam blasting it against the bar from about 3 yards out
• Watford - Wiemann through on goal dinks it over the keeper but also the crossbar
  
  These two chances were before Watfords penalty and would've won the game. Then onto last night:
   
• Stoke - Ohashi strike in the first half at a tight angle, saved by the keeper
• Stoke - Ohashi racing through on goal, slips
• Stoke - Travis strike from distance saved by the keeper
• Stoke - Dolan strike from distance, saved by the keeper
• Stoke - THAT header miss from Gueye
• Stoke - Weimann shot across goal, saved by the keeper
• Stoke - Leonard chance when the game was already gone

Rovers created enough chances to win 2 games last night, but the anger should be directed firmly at those above Eustace. Aside from running onto the pitch and scoring himself, I don't know what more Eustace could've done last night to set the team up.

That being said, Stoke had 4 clear cut chances off the top of my head, and scored two of them. The guy who scored their first had enough time to check nip to into a wardrobe and visit Narnia before shooting, and then we had the Hyam and Batth horror show to concede the pen. Thought Pears generally did ok again, he keeps being put into trouble by this CB pairing and its clear how much we miss Hayden Carter when he's not there.

On the players:

• Pears - Did ok for me, keeps getting put into trouble by Hyam and Batth. Never fills me with confidence but he is at least playing better this season than last IMO.
• Brittain - Put some good balls into the box, shame we have no one capable of getting onto the end of them
• Batth - Really poor
• Hyam - Pretty poor, neds Carter alongside him.
• Pickering - Meh
• Travis - Typical Trav performance. Lots of doing 'stuff' with very little at the end of it.
• Tronstad - Standard performance.
• Hedges - Can't cross, can't shoot. What exactly does he do?
• Weimann - 2nd half chance aside, very quiet. Not a starter for me.
• Cantwell - Clearly a class above. Someone mentioned they haven't seen much creativity from him...well if the players around him could actually put the ball in the net then Todd would have several assists by now.
• Ohashi - There's talent, and we know he can score different types of goals judging by early season form. Cant fault his effort to the cause but he's a 10 goals max striker. Would like to see him alongside another striker or perhaps wide left over Hedges.
• Gueye - Can't for the life of me see him scoring. The early season promise has faded into nothing. That header will define his time at Rovers. A poor mans Rudy Gestede (which feels ironic). The only difference between this guy and Sam Gallagher at the moment is that at least he's not constantly injured. Oh and Gally did notch one or two goals at least.
• Dolan - Well at least he actually had a shot and was a bit more direct this time round....but still the Antony of the Championship IMO.
• Leonard - Needs to hit the ground running and become the main man. Sadly that's where we are at.

The bottom line is, Rovers sold Szmodics in the summer and didn't replace him with a proven goal scorer. That's not on John Eustace though, and we all know who is responsible. The concerning thing is that I don't think they're playing particularly badly, so when you're playing ok and losing without even scoring a goal....yeah that's a big worry.

They have to take a minimum of 4 points from the next 2.

Edited 2 hours ago by sharpysharps86

[K-Hod]

8 hours ago, Torgeir said:

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/24706258.eustaces-defiant-blackburn-rovers-verdict-despite-defeat/

Bottom line though John, 3 successive defeats and no midweek wins since last December.

[arbitro]

29 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

After the obvious, this was the biggest take away of last night. 

Even more infuriating is that we paid like 100-200k less for Toth, than what Stoke paid for Johansson. And Toth can't even displace Pears. What a difference it would have made to have spent just a bit more and signed Johansson instead.

Poor recruitment for Rovers once again coming to the fore.

Excellent point.

[Old Codger]

Football is a game of skill, teamwork, individual flair, tactics, commitment and creativity, bound together by a big dollop of luck and the rub of the green. A major factor too is the confidence of the players, in themselves and in each other to produce the chances that ultimately turn into goals and win games.

When there is a lack of any of these elements, heads can quickly go down, with a consequent impact on all of the other elements and resulting in a downward spiral in momentum and team spirit.

What we have seen in the last few games is clear evidence that some of the basics mentioned above are sadly lacking in this Rovers team, or at least in the team selections made by the manager. I think we are seeing the unravelling of whatever meagre plan the tin-pot faceless folk behind the scenes (including the Maggot) had hoped might pull a rabbit from the hat this campaign.

My prediction is that, without a significant upturn in fortunes (including somehow something going in the net for our toothless strikers soon) we will see an exodus rather than an influx in January. It is clear that Cantwell is head and shoulders above the standard of anyone else in our team, and it is perhaps only a matter of time before someone turns his head toward a brighter future elsewhere. As for the rest, ho hum, would we even notice (or care) if they were gone?

Sad days, painful capitulation once again, and a clear trend towards looking downwards and reminiscing about the past rather than upwards and forwards to a brighter future.

I take full responsibility for the shit show - I don't see anyone else offering to do that, so if you want to vent, people, empty your spleen on me, even though I am as disenfranchised and powerless as the rest of ye.

Hoping for an upturn starting soon, but not holding my breath. 

Come on, please, you Blues.

[martonrover]

8 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

thats why we are in trouble,loads of possesion without any end product and now we can`t keep the goals out at the other end,eustace needs to change the system to get more players forward,either or sit really deep and try to counter attack

We created a host of chances and simply didn't have the quality of attacker to finish them.

When that happens it's almost inevitable that you will get stung at the other end.

[Bbrovers2288]

The difference between Gallagher and gueye is that Gallagher worked hard and was actually really good at helping defend but for him doing that it cost us actually having him in positions to score. Gueye gets in the positions to score but he isn’t good enough to do so. Ultimately neither are good enough to be our focal point up top and we better have a plan to get somebody who will score in January or we will drop. 
 

ohashi papered over some cracks early season but I don’t know if it’s now burnout or what but he has lacked quality the past month, he is becoming very frustrating to watch as chances are being wasted that he should be doing better with. 
 

quite simply we need more pace, more direct and much more composure from the front lot. I think baker should come in for one of sonny or travis and push a bit further on. Hedges can’t be playing, I said this when we signed him, he is crap. 
 

really need the Brighton winger in who looks like he could give us some drive , sadly been robbed of him with Injury’s 

[ruggles1995]

There is no defending any of our attackers last night, including the ones off the bench. They all missed sitters. 
Yuki, Hedges, Weiman are just not good enough, and they shouldn't be starting. You have to feel for cantwell, he has some poor players around him. Our lack of wingers and the ones that play there are abysmal. Think it needs 2 strikers to try and help each other out and I would probably get another midfielder that can turn on the ball and pass forward. 

Yuki cost us for the first goal, him slipping over on the attack led to them going up the other end and scoring. Then Gueyes miss led to them going up the other end and getting a 2nd. As Much as I agree with the lack of technical ability of Gueye, I think Yuki needs some criticism, hes looking more and more a non league player. If they play they need a strike partner to give them a hand. 
 

Tronstad and Trav are work horses and are good at breaking up play, but at home against oppo you have a good chance against I dont understand why we need them both on the pitch, and for every minute of it. Eustace needs to be braver, using the same recycled 14 players. Its not looking good now, Hes getting it wrong, and we now cant put the ball in the net. We are slow at the back, and we are slow up front, its looking bleak. After the cardiff and pompey games that on paper looking winnable I dont see us winning another game till new year ON PAPER (but its a funny old game).  Was a massive loss that. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

10 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

it`s a different game to what i grew up with,which was get control of midfield,get it wide and get it forwards quickly,the main point of it was to get centre backs running towards their own goal,which they hate!!! really simple

It’s a massively different game. In the U-21’s game Barrett in goal had more touches than any outfield player. He had probably ten times more touches than the wingers. We were just knocking it around the back four and the keeper for way too long. You could see the Dale players streaming back to get into position whilst we fannyed around with the ball.  
Then they’d play it forward to a midfield player invariably running back towards our goal who would be unable to turn with the ball because they were all marked up by then.  So they would either play it back again to the centre halves/keeper or square to the full backs. 

It was awful to watch and completely ineffectual.  Pep has a lot to answer for.

Edited 57 minutes ago by Tyrone Shoelaces

[roverandout]

9 hours ago, booth said:

Cringing at the post-match interview.

"I thought the performance was outstanding from the first minute."

"The most important thing is that we were very good tonight, and we were doing all lot of right things."

"We've made a lot of strides forward this season."

"The result wasn't there but the performance was excellent."

"We could have won the game by 5 or 6."

Not with those forwards John.

Signing off, I feel like I'm in some bizarro world.

Signs of Mowbray 

[K-Hod]

2 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

It’s a massively different game. In the U-21’s game Barrett in goal had more touches than any outfield player. He had probably ten times more touches than the wingers. We were just knocking it around the back four and the keeper for way too long. You could see the Dale players streaming back to get into position whilst we fannyed around with the ball.  
Then they’d play it forward to a midfield player invariably running back towards our goal who would be unable to turn with the ball because they were all marked up by then.  So they would either play it back again to the centre halves/keeper or square to the full backs. 

It was awful to watch and completely ineffectual.  Pep as a lot to answer for.

Just on this, I honestly don't understand why managers don't have the intelligence to want to change things up and not just all do the same thing. Guardiola does that because he has some of the best players in the world at his disposal.

Managers in The Championship definitely do not.

[Tom]

A goalkeeper having a great game and making saves isn’t about luck, and as others have said especially when we needed a keeper and many pointed to that one pre summer.

Having said that I thought we were pretty good last night, some of the saves were great but others we shouldn’t have given him a chance with.

Eustace needs to work on a plan though as he seems to lack ideas when chasing a game.

Hedges has far far more minutes than he’s warranted as he’s just not contributing right now.

[arbitro]

15 minutes ago, ruggles1995 said:

There is no defending any of our attackers last night, including the ones off the bench. They all missed sitters. 
Yuki, Hedges, Weiman are just not good enough, and they shouldn't be starting. You have to feel for cantwell, he has some poor players around him. Our lack of wingers and the ones that play there are abysmal. Think it needs 2 strikers to try and help each other out and I would probably get another midfielder that can turn on the ball and pass forward. 

Yuki cost us for the first goal, him slipping over on the attack led to them going up the other end and scoring. Then Gueyes miss led to them going up the other end and getting a 2nd. As Much as I agree with the lack of technical ability of Gueye, I think Yuki needs some criticism, hes looking more and more a non league player. If they play they need a strike partner to give them a hand. 
 

Tronstad and Trav are work horses and are good at breaking up play, but at home against oppo you have a good chance against I dont understand why we need them both on the pitch, and for every minute of it. Eustace needs to be braver, using the same recycled 14 players. Its not looking good now, Hes getting it wrong, and we now cant put the ball in the net. We are slow at the back, and we are slow up front, its looking bleak. After the cardiff and pompey games that on paper looking winnable I dont see us winning another game till new year ON PAPER (but its a funny old game).  Was a massive loss that. 

Incredibly harsh. How can Ohashi cost us a goal by accidentally slipping in the Stoke penalty area? On both occasions Stoke had a lot to do but how about several players not closing down for the first goal and an awful pass from Hyam for the second coupled with Baath running in sand. Blame Ohashi and Gueye for missing chances by all means but to lay the concession of both goals at their door is frankly ridiculous.

[roverblue]

For me it's a combination of poor quality wide players and a lack of getting bodies in the box when we attack.

The former we are stuck with thanks to our overlords pocketing every penny they can and investing nothing.

The latter however is on Eustace and he has to find a way of playing that means our only striker doesn't find himself out wide or back in midfield. I've seen enough now to know its time to try 2 up front so why doesn't he?

[islander200]

1 hour ago, davulsukur said:

After the obvious, this was the biggest take away of last night. 

Even more infuriating is that we paid like 100-200k less for Toth, than what Stoke paid for Johansson. And Toth can't even displace Pears. What a difference it would have made to have spent just a bit more and signed Johansson instead.

Poor recruitment for Rovers once again coming to the fore.

We don't know we didn't enquire about Johansson other championship clubs were in for him.

His transfer fee similar to Toth but guaranteed he will be on double the money, I'm also pretty sure the new recruitment team weren't even in situ when Stoke signed him .

No money leads to poor recruitment. What did Ohashi cost £200k?Gueye £600k...I don't see players at other clubs who cost similar money tearing up the league 

[arbitro]

The scourge of midweek results continues. Roll on Middlesbrough on November 27th 😄