arbitro

We weren't sure at the time but suspected something as per MarkBRFC reply below.

Missed chances and poor defending cost us dearly last night. The amazing sight of seeing two Rochdale players substituted in the first minute is something new for me after watching thousands of games. I counted four really good scoring opportunities but our finishing was poor. The positive side to that was the passing and movement to create them. For the three Rochdale goals we should have defended much better. On the night there were too many 6's when we needed a few more 7's and 8's. It's been a bad start to the season for the under 21's and there needs to be a bit improvement all round if we are to pick up some results.

I saw Ipwich's 5-0 win on Friday and until the first goal went in Sheffield United were the best team. The goal had a real touch of fortune about it but the finish from Philogene was really good. From then on Sheffield looked like a team absolutely bereft of confidence and the question was rightly asked about players not playing for the manager. As ever tempo is important and we need to start quickly. For the opening periods of every game so far we have been second best so coming out of the traps with intensity is vital. As in most Championship matches the first goal is important.

Mr Woo from Benidorm and Ryoya Morishito. Maybe not in true likeness but the laugh is remarkably similar.

I was actually going to write what they got away with in the Championship. 😃

The kit man's celebration explained.

Burnley defended ever so well against an impotent Liverpool but to down to a last minute penalty. I chuckled when the Neanderthals were singing 'Premier League, corrupt as f***' for what was a clear penalty. And Liverpool played the game at testimonial pace.

There were almost 1000 in attendance which is about the average I think. As usual they were vocal which was appreciated by the players and staff. Edited to add this.

Posts like that do you absolutely no favours. We weren't poor yesterday and that is the thrust of the debate. I don't think anybody has said they enjoy 'bobbing along between 15th and 21st' - that's your spin to suit your own narrative. There is a lot to be critical of at Rovers for sure but having a dig a supporters who enjoyed a win and good day out is frankly childish.

Does anybody know why the kit man celebrated joyously in front of the Rovers fans at the final whistle?

You speak for yourself when you say relief but I can assure you everyone I saw and spoke to at the game really enjoyed it. It is six points from five games but as we have been talking specifically about yesterday it was a day to enjoy as a Rovers fan.

Tavares had a little spell in the first half when he got sloppy in possession but overall he did a good job. It was difficult to make a judgement on Gardner-Hickman given the amount of time he played but having seen him play against us several times I think he will be an asset to us with his Championship experience.

Slightly contradictory there. Enjoying a win but then it's a bit pointless? Almost everyone knows the issues at the club but days like yesterday are a release from the off the field issues. I think it's fair to say some supporters get far more pleasure from winning than others.

No it's not all rosy again but surely we are allowed to enjoy a win and very good performance. If you can't enjoy Rovers winning it says more about you than the ones who do enjoy it.

In all honesty I would have taken a draw before the match as I was worried about our centre back pairing and their lack of game. Well I got it completely wrong and the cornerstone to the win was Wharton and Carter who were both excellent. I call it proper defending, head it, kick it and physically dominate your opponent. They did that in spades and I was particularly pleased for Scott who has had a torrid time with injuries. His post match body language in front of the fans looked quite emotional. Yesterday we were pretty much everything I want us to be. Full of energy, aggressive and playing quickly. Aside from a short spell in the first half when Watford had a good in midfield we were dominant. Ismael was smart with his substitutions I thought and although we went to a back five (I actually predicted he would just after we scored) but we still looked dangerous on the counter. There were lots to admire about yesterday and collectively we looked good but aside from our centre halves I thought Hedges and Cantwell were really good. Hedges in particular gets some unfair criticism but hopefully his start to the season will change some minds. Cantwell is thriving with the responsibility of the captain's armband which looks like a masterstroke from Ismael. What struck me yesterday was that there seemed to be a togetherness about the squad despite losing some strong characters recently. Certainly Ismael was as buoyant as I have seen him at the end of the match as he came over to the fans. We have only concerned one goal away from home so far which is a real feather in Ismael's cap as he seems to know how to set us up to play on the counter. Perhaps that tactic might suit us at home.