v Bristol City (a) - 25/1/2025

[Exiled_Rover]

12 minutes ago, OnionBalaji said:

I hope we never ever see the midfield pairing of Big Bollocks Buckley and Frail Forshaw ever again 

 

Can’t wait to see the excuses come Feb 4 or optimistic spin

 

for once: FFP can’t be an issue, considerable money has come in on transfer fees, we sacked the man who couldn’t hit send or work a fax machine, or drive the paperwork to EFL hq in Preston (so no scapegoat)

wonder if shaggot the maggot and Pasha are sharpening their blades for Gestede to be the scapegoat this time as the work experience lad messing up, but don’t worry he’s a Rover legend let’s forgive 

You're throwing the word 'legend' around there very freely. 

I'll give you ex-player. 

[Exiled_Rover]

9 minutes ago, Ricky said:

Again, with a striker we could have had that game wrapped up. Missed some decent chances before going down 2-1. We were well on top when they scored the winner. Initially I thought it was an awful error by Pears. The replay showed the deflection took it away from him. 

We need wide players more than we need a CF. Ones with pace that can create and score chances. That Dolan miss was absolutely criminal and Hedge is just terrible in the final third.

Gueye had one good cross all game and he headed it onto the base of the post (which Weimann then converted). His other header was goalbound before being deflected - he made the most of a so-so cross there. He's very much someone to build around. 

[aletheia]

9 minutes ago, cesus said:

Conway had a belting whip on him.

Direct from corners -Mulgrew and Gamst. 🙂

[Waggy76]

3 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

You're throwing the word 'legend' around there very freely. 

I'll give you ex-player. 

A not very good one at that! 

[Exiled_Rover]

4 minutes ago, Waggy76 said:

A not very good one at that! 

I'd snap your hands off for the version of Gestede we saw under Bowyer, but yeah in the grand scheme of things he was a middling player. 

[OnionBalaji]

Feeling pretty annoyed

 

can’t work out whose worse… the recruitment team or our midfield of the day

 

we know winter is hard, we know injuries come, we know where we are thin as a squad 

 

we get warm bodies who add nothing and weaken us once again and more maybe maybes from the corporate team 

 

 

[roversfan99]

Terrible first half, huffed and puffed in tbe second before the inevitable sucker punch.

Midfield is a big issue, Buckley is terrible, nowhere near up to it. Forshaw was marginally better but obviously isnt good enough.

Gueye did some really good hold up yet again but its wasted without any pace or quality around him. Obviously didnt score again and when he lays it off he doesnt show enough urgency to get into goalscoring positions. But overall another display to build on. Dolan needs to be sold, Weimann invisible aside from his goal which sums him up really, he at least has the knack of getting into goalscoring positions.

Not impressed by Sanderson who is rash and poor on the ball.

Subs made too late, a good run and cross from ACD aside, little impact.

Obviously need players but even with them, for all the talk about its ONLY about quality, it feels like we have forfeited a number of games and we will just drop down into a bunch of mid table teams that we arent far from.

[Exiled_Rover]

3 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Terrible first half, huffed and puffed in tbe second before the inevitable sucker punch.

Midfield is a big issue, Buckley is terrible, nowhere near up to it. Forshaw was marginally better but obviously isnt good enough.

Gueye did some really good hold up yet again but its wasted without any pace or quality around him. Obviously didnt score again and when he lays it off he doesnt show enough urgency to get into goalscoring positions. But overall another display to build on. Dolan needs to be sold, Weimann invisible aside from his goal which sums him up really, he at least has the knack of getting into goalscoring positions.

Not impressed by Sanderson who is rash and poor on the ball.

Subs made too late, a good run and cross from ACD aside, little impact.

Obviously need players but even with them, for all the talk about its ONLY about quality, it feels like we have forfeited a number of games and we will just drop down into a bunch of mid table teams that we arent far from.

It's been too many games, too often for a very, very stretched squad. 

I think you're being unfair on Sanderson, I thought he was solid and definitely adds athleticism to the back 3/4. Early days, but I'd be asking how much Birmingham want for him in the summer with Hyam on the last year of his deal, Batth in his mid-30s and Wharton perennially injured now. 

As for the midfield, again I think you're being a bit unfair on Buckley and Forshaw. They're not why we lost the game and we didn't concede the midfield today. Obviously they're a big drop in quality from Tronstad and Travis, but I thought they were fine today. Aided by the switch in formation of course, which added more bodies to the mix. 

Gueye just isn't quick enough to lay the ball off then get into the box - he's having to do it all by himself at the moment. If he wins the ball and lays it off, someone else has to make that run into the box or the person he lays it off to has to drive for goal themselves. 

[bigbrandjohn]

 

"It's important we stick together and keep playing like that and when we get a few more players back from injury and hopefully we can bring two or three good quality players into the group as well things will change."

That would be nice if not a miracle  

 

 

[aletheia]

1 minute ago, bigbrandjohn said:

hopefully we can bring two or three good quality players into the group as well things will change."

Bless or that's his attempt to wrest control of the narrative.

[roversfan99]

8 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

It's been too many games, too often for a very, very stretched squad. 

I think you're being unfair on Sanderson, I thought he was solid and definitely adds athleticism to the back 3/4. Early days, but I'd be asking how much Birmingham want for him in the summer with Hyam on the last year of his deal, Batth in his mid-30s and Wharton perennially injured now. 

As for the midfield, again I think you're being a bit unfair on Buckley and Forshaw. They're not why we lost the game and we didn't concede the midfield today. Obviously they're a big drop in quality from Tronstad and Travis, but I thought they were fine today. Aided by the switch in formation of course, which added more bodies to the mix. 

Gueye just isn't quick enough to lay the ball off then get into the box - he's having to do it all by himself at the moment. If he wins the ball and lays it off, someone else has to make that run into the box or the person he lays it off to has to drive for goal themselves. 

Sanderson summed himself up on Tuesday when his first touch took the ball 10 yards in front of him. He smashed into the tackle but really it was a tackle he should never have had to make. Compared to other centre backs who are much calmer, and obviously I appreciate hes not played for a while so is rusty, but he seems so much more rash.

The midfield isnt the sole reason why we lost but its just not of the necessary quality never mind for the top 6 but potentially even as Championship midfielders. Buckley dawdles on the ball, that nearly cost us first half and he just doesnt have the speed of thought to play on the half turn. He also regularly just plays it into touch, often unforced. He does the odd bit of neat and tidy play but especially as a deeper midfielder he isnt up to it. Forshaw I thought was better than Buckley but still not good enough.

Some of Gueye's hold up really was very impressive but he doesnt bust a gut to get into the box, he just admires his initial work. He lacks that strikers instinct. I think a lot of his hold up was wasted by a lack of pace and quality around him though.

[chaddyrovers]

Another game we shouldn't be losing and if anything winning the game. Bristol City had a proven goalscorer on the bench, we don't. 

thought Eustace was late with his subs, 5 mins before the end of the game. 

Well Done to Batth and Brittain are playing when they aren't 100% fit and stepping up. 

We need to put more crosses in for Gueye. Good header by him for Weimann goal 

 

[chaddyrovers]

3 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Forshaw I thought was better than Buckley but still not good enough.

Elliott Jackson praised Buckley again and Dunn done for both

4 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Some of Gueye's hold up really was very impressive but he doesnt bust a gut to get into the box, he just admires his initial work. He lacks that strikers instinct. I think a lot of his hold up was wasted by a lack of pace and quality around him though.

We need pace around him but also if Cantwell plays higher up and when we play it long to Gueye, we need both wingers running beyond Gueye and Cantwell closer to him 

Gueye is getting better as the season goes on. Plus his confidence is there to see

[aletheia]

1 minute ago, chaddyrovers said:

We need to put more crosses in for Gueye.

Agreed. Given the lack of what we have, we may as well keep it simple. Get it out wide, no need necessarily to beat the full back, make sure Mak is always on far post (someone else on near), cross and use his height to hopefully win it and pick up the pieces. Full backs/wide players could hit it early and blind if it is drummed into Mak to be there at far post. Forget too much defensive stuff for him, just make sure he is always there in that position.

[B16Rover]

7 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Another game we shouldn't be losing and if anything winning the game. Bristol City had a proven goalscorer on the bench, we don't. 

thought Eustace was late with his subs, 5 mins before the end of the game. 

Well Done to Batth and Brittain are playing when they aren't 100% fit and stepping up. 

We need to put more crosses in for Gueye. Good header by him for Weimann goal 

 

Can't help but feel sorry for the lack of subs.  All bar ACD were either injured or kids.  

[Cherry Blue]

How was Travis? Didnt get much but did he look the same?

 

Edited Saturday at 18:29 by Cherry Blue

[roversfan99]

11 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Elliott Jackson praised Buckley again and Dunn done for both

We need pace around him but also if Cantwell plays higher up and when we play it long to Gueye, we need both wingers running beyond Gueye and Cantwell closer to him 

Gueye is getting better as the season goes on. Plus his confidence is there to see

Elliott Jackson isnt automatically right on all opinions and Dunn thinks Sinclair Armstrong would be a good signing so best to take his opinions with a pinch of salt. If we are reliant on either or both of the 2 that started today until Tronstad is back, then our strongest part of the team for half a season becomes much weaker.

Gueye has definitely played much better in the last 2 games but he needs to start scoring to really be seen as up to it. Hold up play was very good.

We are seeing why the timing as well as the quality of signings are important. These 3 poor losses in winnable games edge us closer to the pack of mid table mediocrity.

[chaddyrovers]

 

 

 

[Torgeir]

That was shit. 

[K-Hod]

I care a lot more about winning football matches than spirit and togetherness tbh.

[RevidgeBlue]

2 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

I care a lot more about winning football matches than spirit and togetherness tbh.

Agreed, but what can he say?

[only2garners]

Meeting my City supporting brother-in-law and sister-in-law after the game (we were in opposite ends), their first comment was how lucky City were and that the game deserved to be a draw. The winning goal came out of the blue after Rovers had had a good 20 minutes.

I’m with Tyrone on Buckley- overall he had a decent game. Obviously he doesn’t get in the midfield if Tronstad and Travis are fit, but right now I would play him further forward in Cantwell’s spot

[Inferi]

Elliott Jackson giving Buckley's performance an 8 out of 10 is laughable. Thought he was awful.

[chaddyrovers]

13 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Elliott Jackson isnt automatically right on all opinions and Dunn thinks Sinclair Armstrong would be a good signing so best to take his opinions with a pinch of salt. If we are reliant on either or both of the 2 that started today until Tronstad is back, then our strongest part of the team for half a season becomes much weaker.

Address the point David Dunn was making on Sinclair Armstrong about pace in attacking areas which is the same point as you isn't it you? 

Buckley has been fine since coming back into the team and Jackson gave him a 8 out of 10, was that rating wrong in your opinion? 

You were against Forshaw from the start and your opinions has reflected that

13 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Gueye has definitely played much better in the last 2 games but he needs to start scoring to really be seen as up to it. Hold up play was very good.

His performances have been good in recent games and he is having an impact on games. 

 

[DanielMB]

I almost thought we had played a blinder after watching JEs interview.