v Cardiff City (h) - 15/3/2025

[Old Codger]

Ok, so match prediction thoughts...

Cardiff are a meh, neither here nor there outfit, with a few 'flair' players but mostly anonymous journeymen (who are we to talk eh?) with an anxious eye on the trapdoor directly below them, and therefore more likely to be up for a scrap. Rovers have simply lost the plot, and the arrival of Valerien Ismael and his sidekick Dean Whitehead appears to have done nothing to install greater resolve in our previously resolute bunch...perhaps it has served only to put heads down and cause confusion in the ranks.

So, this afternoon's fare has more riding on it for the Bluebirds than it does for the Blue & Whites, I think that much is for sure.

If Rovers can assert their home advantage, and remember what made them tick before, perhaps we will see a win. More likely, given the three turgid performances since VI came to town, that we huff and puff individually, play like a team of Frankenstein's monsters (all stitches and badly fitting parts, with no particular sense of purpose) until Cardiff inevitably breach our fragile rearguard. Then heads go down, the aerial bombardment redoubles with no discernible effect, and we huff and puff ineffectually till 4.45 and out..

Or, somehow the players galvanise themselves into the performance of the season, and we run out comfortable winners over a demoralized and introspective gaggle of Bluebirds.

My money, based on recent form, is sadly much more on the first scenario..

Bluebirds singing all the way home: Rovers 0 Cardiff 2

Blue & White trumps Blue balls: Rovers 2 (Ohashi, Cantwell off his bum)  Cardiff 1 (late penalty) baying foul back to South Wails..

Blues all round bore fest: Rovers 0 Cardiff 0

Allez les Bleu et Blanc!

 

[rovers11]

Think we will win today being back on home soil and against a Cardiff side that is nose diving into league one.

Another club that has been ruined by rogue owners.

2-1 Rovers

[simongarnerisgod]

i can see this panning out as a flat game with cardiff being determined but not very good and not troubling anynsley the flapper to much,same 2nd half ,though we create nothing and in the last 15 minutes,cardiff capitalise on poor defending from a set piece and score,thus going away with 0-1 victory in a game of extremely poor quality

[USABlue]

Not even sure I can stand to watch this anymore. I will give it to half time an if it looks ni better I won't bother anymore.

[Exiled_Rover]

Comfortable away win.

A team fighting for it's life vs a team in complete disarray having once again capitulated and thrown away it's playoff chances. 

[OnionBalaji]

Predicting we will have a howler in the first 10 mins, Pears pass out from the back to Hyam, Hyam back to Pears, Pears to Hyam and Hyam to one of theirs 10 yards from the edge of the box… Hyam shits out of the challenge, Pears flaps, 1-0 Cardiff

we kick off again, Dolan breaks down the flank, does too much - loses possession 

Cardiff break, we flap, cross comes in, Pears punches it to one of theirs, they smash it and it’s wide, goal kick to Gueye, play’s Dolan in to run at defence, he spins, twists and turns and loses possession

we pass the ball around to shadows 

before the break we have a good chance, pass played forward Gueye offside 

 

somehow we scramble an equaliser, time waste for 30 mins, end of game - 1 point in, fuck all to play for, VI talks about observing improvement and resolve 

Chaddy is buzzing that we got back into it and optimistic for next season 

[Neal]

Friend just sent me this... Rovers randomly picking one of my old bands songs for their playlist today...

 

Torrents - He's a victim

 

It's as if they can sense how pissed off I am 😂

Edited 8 hours ago by Neal

[WacoRover]

I’m not real excited about this; then I see we’re missing 8 guys. Not sure we would get all 3 points, with everyone healthy…

[G Somerset Rover]

1 hour ago, Ossydave said:

Doesn't look like it

JRC Hyam Carter Ribeiro 

Hyam and Carter are both fairly decent individually but play like the chuckle brothers as a pairing. 

[damo100]

Joke of a club strikes again, unable to purchase tickets online. 

Refreshed web, logged into my account etc, nothing. 

What an unprofessional outfit.

Or, do they want me to pay the waggot tax at Ewood?

[booth]

So now we're down to just one defender that got us into the top 6.

At least Forshaw and Cantwell aren't starting.

Looks like we've gone 4-2-4! Gueye, Ohashi, Dennis and Dolan.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, booth said:

So now we're down to just one defender that got us into the top 6.

At least Forshaw and Cantwell aren't starting.

Looks like we've gone 4-2-4! Gueye, Ohashi, Dennis and Dolan.

That makes us looks a bit thin in midfield then. 

[booth]

Just now, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

That makes us looks a bit thin in midfield then. 

Speaking of thin, you should see the bench...

[roverandout]

Dennis at right back?

[roverandout]

8 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

That makes us looks a bit thin in midfield then. 

According to BBC Dennis is playing rightback/right wingback

[roverandout]

Should have quoted booth my mistake 

[bluebruce]

24 minutes ago, G Somerset Rover said:

Hyam and Carter are both fairly decent individually but play like the chuckle brothers as a pairing. 

Weird isn't it. Don't think they understand each other well at all, despite playing a lot together.

[davulsukur]

4 minutes ago, roverandout said:

Dennis at right back?

Nar, Rovers always announce the lineup in formation order.

[bluebruce]

4 minutes ago, roverandout said:

According to BBC Dennis is playing rightback/right wingback

Christ I hope not

[roverandout]

4 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

Nar, Rovers always announce the lineup in formation order.

 

[AspRover]

Rankin Costello will be RB, I'd guess Dolan on the right, Dennis on the left, Yuki at 10, play pretty narrow

[alex l]

38 minutes ago, damo100 said:

Joke of a club strikes again, unable to purchase tickets online. 

Refreshed web, logged into my account etc, nothing. 

What an unprofessional outfit.

Or, do they want me to pay the waggot tax at Ewood?

I had no issue buying online. Contact the club (during the week) and they should be able to look into it. 

[damo100]

8 minutes ago, alex l said:

I had no issue buying online. Contact the club (during the week) and they should be able to look into it. 

At 13:30 on a matchday?

[jim mk2]

Is Brittain injured?

That's another off the wall line-up, probably as bizarre as the Stoke match

Stoke lost earlier BTW. They've won one in 6 - against Rovers of course!

 

[ben_the_beast]

Not really excited about this game. The line up doesn't look bad, but we are a better team when sitting in rather than pressing like Ismael has us doing. The players have looked uncomfortable with what they're being asked to do. Hopefully there will be a change today or it magically begins to click. It's mad that a win today and we're still there knocking on the door of the playoffs. I really can't see the team getting anywhere near though.