v Portsmouth (a) - 29/3/2025

[chaddyrovers]

14 minutes ago, arbitro said:

In his five games so far there hasn't been any high press with Ismael. Opponents are allowed time to pick options and we just haven't tried to force any errors.

It's almost like anything that was reasonably successful under Eustace has been discarded by Ismael.

He has spoken of playing with high press but as you said rightly we haven't once play with a high press. I think yesterday we might have done 

13 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

How about not scouting players for him, we instead shake hands in May and move on. 

It’s been a mistake, why compound it?
 

well if you think we sack in May why not now otherwise what the points when you spend 3 months scouting players to fit into his prefer tactics, seems a waste of time of Rovers recruitment staff doesn't it? 

if we did as you said who are you appointing Matty? 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Fallen apart in spectacular fashion,the powers that be threw away the Glue that held this lot together Eustace..they didn't give a fook,zero accountability.

Players have given up.

Edited Sunday at 14:17 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Mattyblue]

I’ve no idea, I’m a fan, not Head of Football Operations.

[arbitro]

12 minutes ago, lraC said:

He seems stubborn in the extreme. 

Eustace squeezed every ounce of this squad and realised how to get the very best out of them. Travis and Tronstad were the heartbeat of the team and both played their best football in their time at Rovers. Now both look confused and bereft of confidence - even the basics seem too much for them.

It's almost like Ismael is trying to dismantle this and do it his own way to the detriment of results and ultimately the club.

[chaddyrovers]

ok Matty. Any more questions?

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

PLEASE MATTY DONT!!!

[lraC]

6 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Eustace squeezed every ounce of this squad and realised how to get the very best out of them. Travis and Tronstad were the heartbeat of the team and both played their best football in their time at Rovers. Now both look confused and bereft of confidence - even the basics seem too much for them.

It's almost like Ismael is trying to dismantle this and do it his own way to the detriment of results and ultimately the club.

Exactly.

Anyone, with the remotest humility about them, would now accept that he has got it wrong and return to the tried and tested formula.

I can’t imagine for one minute, we will see any evidence of that though, either on Friday, or in the remaining games.

[Herbie6590]

8 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Eustace squeezed every ounce of this squad and realised how to get the very best out of them. Travis and Tronstad were the heartbeat of the team and both played their best football in their time at Rovers. Now both look confused and bereft of confidence - even the basics seem too much for them.

It's almost like Ismael is trying to dismantle this and do it his own way to the detriment of results and ultimately the club.

I wondered yesterday if part of Ismael’s summer strategy is to demonstrate that the current squad aren’t up to it & need to be cleared out…👀

[arbitro]

5 minutes ago, lraC said:

Exactly.

Anyone, with the remotest humility about them, would now accept that he has got it wrong and return to the tried and tested formula.

I can’t imagine for one minute, we will see any evidence of that though, either on Friday, or in the remaining games.

The last three Rovers managers had a degree of humility about them which went a long way to endearing them to the supporters. This bloke seems aloof and cold.

He could probably get away with that if he was winning matches.

[G Somerset Rover]

18 minutes ago, lraC said:

Exactly.

Anyone, with the remotest humility about them, would now accept that he has got it wrong and return to the tried and tested formula.

I can’t imagine for one minute, we will see any evidence of that though, either on Friday, or in the remaining games.

Boro are back in form and have some fire power. We’re good at losing by the odd goal but I reckon this will be a cake walk for them on Friday. Ewood is going to get ugly (and bring it on).

[Herbie6590]

The BRFCS POTM is Makhtar Gueye…

[Tom]

12 minutes ago, Herbie6590 said:

The BRFCS POTM is Makhtar Gueye…

I think that possibly sums it up, not knocking him but a striker that came on at 1-0 down and when the game finished it was still 1-0 getting the most votes!

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

I’ve no idea, I’m a fan, not Head of Football Operations.

You arent far from having the same experience as the current one, to be fair.

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

He has spoken of playing with high press but as you said rightly we haven't once play with a high press. I think yesterday we might have done 

well if you think we sack in May why not now otherwise what the points when you spend 3 months scouting players to fit into his prefer tactics, seems a waste of time of Rovers recruitment staff doesn't it? 

if we did as you said who are you appointing Matty? 

Is there a point to which in your opinion, results in these last 7 games could be bad enough for you to want a change in the summer? Ie if we win 0 or 1 of what would be 12 games, would you potentially want him out, or is it a free pass until the summer?

It wont happen either way, they wont pay him up, but still.

[M_B]

1 hour ago, Herbie6590 said:

I wondered yesterday if part of Ismael’s summer strategy is to demonstrate that the current squad aren’t up to it & need to be cleared out…👀

I was thinking the same against Plymouth, his lack of animation during what was a very insipid display seemed like it was by design.

If it is his strategy, he needs an extremely strong start to next season.

[dallydally]

3 minutes ago, M_B said:

I was thinking the same against Plymouth, his lack of animation during what was a very insipid display seemed like it was by design.

If it is his strategy, he needs an extremely strong start to next season.

And Venkys to actually spend proper money which itself is a real contradiction!

[booth]

6 hours ago, Tomphil2 said:

Don't think hes lost the dressing room it's more a case of hes never had it and whilst most of the players looked like they'd run through brick walls for Eustace i don't think they'd jog across the road for this fella.

So the excuse he and the club will use is everything will change in summer when he builds his own team.

I doubt in the history of the Championship there's ever been a hierarchy who have blatantly torpedoed a top 6 effort like this lot have.

It's more than sheer incompetence imo.

Three seasons in a row.

[roversfan99]

9 minutes ago, M_B said:

I was thinking the same against Plymouth, his lack of animation during what was a very insipid display seemed like it was by design.

If it is his strategy, he needs an extremely strong start to next season.

You was very consistent with Eustace in not judging him at all until after the summer. The difference was obviously the condition that we didnt go down.

Are you the same with Ismael, you may have already given the answer to this/an opinion on him that I have missed so if so apologies. Ie, is it a clean slate come the summer or would you be more open to wanting him out prior?

[chaddyrovers]

39 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Is there a point to which in your opinion, results in these last 7 games could be bad enough for you to want a change in the summer? Ie if we win 0 or 1 of what would be 12 games, would you potentially want him out, or is it a free pass until the summer?

Then serious questions need to be asked. 

If Rovers appoint him with a free pass this season and they will back him in the summer to overhaul the squad to his tactics and style of play then Gestede should be communicating this to the fan base. Gestede should have being interviews the day Eustace left and the day we appointed Ismael. Rovers yet again very poor with the media and lack of communication with the supporters is shocking. 

What your opinion and would you want a change of head coach if we only won 1 or 2 of the remain games and what the plan for replacement? 

[roversfan99]

3 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Then serious questions need to be asked. 

If Rovers appoint him with a free pass this season and they will back him in the summer to overhaul the squad to his tactics and style of play then Gestede should be communicating this to the fan base. Gestede should have being interviews the day Eustace left and the day we appointed Ismael. Rovers yet again very poor with the media and lack of communication with the supporters is shocking. 

What your opinion and would you want a change of head coach if we only won 1 or 2 of the remain games and what the plan for replacement? 

Im not on about what Rovers will do. We will definitely keep him. Im saying would there be a possibility depending on results over the last 7 games whereby you personally would want a managerial change in the summer, and if so what results would lead to you thinking that? Or is it a case of he gets the summer either way, even if he lost pretty much every game?

I dont think he should have been appointed and would welcome a change now. I dont have the knowledge to know who would be a good replacment, but it would be hard to be worse.

[onlyonejackwalker]

4 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Then serious questions need to be asked. 

If Rovers appoint him with a free pass this season and they will back him in the summer to overhaul the squad to his tactics and style of play then Gestede should be communicating this to the fan base. Gestede should have being interviews the day Eustace left and the day we appointed Ismael. Rovers yet again very poor with the media and lack of communication with the supporters is shocking. 

What your opinion and would you want a change of head coach if we only won 1 or 2 of the remain games and what the plan for replacement? 

How can current results be acceptable? How can he be given a free pass until the summer? How can we allow him to recruit his own players if he continues to lose every week? How many games does he need to lose before we accept it is not working?

We were in 5th position when he took over. We are now 11th. No one has seen anything to think he can put this right. There is no chance the players will start believing in him, or his methods. No chance at all.

We are one heavy defeat away from the entire fanbase giving up on him. Most have already.

 

[Tomphil2]

1 hour ago, booth said:

Three seasons in a row.

This time they've surpassed themselves though.

[chaddyrovers]

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

Im not on about what Rovers will do. We will definitely keep him. Im saying would there be a possibility depending on results over the last 7 games whereby you personally would want a managerial change in the summer, and if so what results would lead to you thinking that? Or is it a case of he gets the summer either way, even if he lost pretty much every game?

I said then serious questions need to be asked about Ismael's future. 

I also said that Rovers should have been out there with better communication with the supporters base and been pro active with interviews explaining every thing to the supporters why Eustace left, what the recruitment process be and why Ismael was appointed. This is what should have been happening in my opinion and it what I would have done. 

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

I dont think he should have been appointed and would welcome a change now.

ok thanks for being honest but wasn't you off the same opinion after Eustace first 5 games? 

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

I don't have the knowledge to know who would be a good replacement, but it would be hard to be worse.

Ok, 

[chaddyrovers]

1 hour ago, onlyonejackwalker said:

How can current results be acceptable? How can he be given a free pass until the summer? How can we allow him to recruit his own players if he continues to lose every week? How many games does he need to lose before we accept it is not working?

We were in 5th position when he took over. We are now 11th. No one has seen anything to think he can put this right. There is no chance the players will start believing in him, or his methods. No chance at all.

We are one heavy defeat away from the entire fanbase giving up on him. Most have already.

 

No one has said results are acceptable but we have only won 4 games in the last 19 games and the players confidence is very low at the minute. 

 

[roversfan99]

6 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

I said then serious questions need to be asked about Ismael's future. 

I also said that Rovers should have been out there with better communication with the supporters base and been pro active with interviews explaining every thing to the supporters why Eustace left, what the recruitment process be and why Ismael was appointed. This is what should have been happening in my opinion and it what I would have done. 

ok thanks for being honest but wasn't you off the same opinion after Eustace first 5 games? 

Ok, 

My question was specifically how many points does Ismael need to get in these 7 games whereby you will happily back keeping him into next season and not ask for a new manager? 0 points? 5 points? 7 points? 10 points? 14 points?

Results under Eustace were poor and I was unconvinced by him. I didnt call for him to be sacked though. He didnt take over a side in the top 6, he didnt have a run of really winnable games to start off with and his results werent as bad.