roversfan99

Playing with and against kids in an uncompetitive environment is a means to an end for a player like Dack, or indeed any senior player. As long as he is getting in minutes without getting injured, that is all that matters. Hopefully he will be back in the squad either at Fulham or for the 3 home games that follow, as we need his ability to sniff out chances and put them away even if it is in cameos initially.

Norwich are gone, nowhere near enough quality and Watford are battling uphill really despite a credible draw yesterday and the appointment of Hodgson who has kept teams up before. Assuming there is one place left, I can see Burnley potentially and annoyingly surviving, I think they have the best manager of all the teams and with Weghorst joining Cornet, they now have goals in their team. Everton could be in big danger. Lampard was a strange appointment with 2 average jobs on his CV (but a big name as a player and a reputation as a media darling) and he was very lucky to get a big transfer budget to be able to demand that Dele Alli was brought in. He seems a busted flush and a waste of money and cant even get in the team. Leeds are also in trouble and I can see Brentford getting really dragged into it. Newcastle will be fine.

I suspect it wouldn't be as high as you would think as for much of our winning run, Brereton and Khadra were the 2 forwards, with Buckley as the false 9.

It turned out to be good logic. Suppose Johnson was the natural replacement for Rothwell and was outstanding. I havent seen much if any criticism of him, what has been said? Very good today, does need to provide more in terms of goals/assists though but so much energy.

Agreed although very difficult for the sort of fee and presumably wages that Markanday cost.

Really good performance today and to be honest a one nil win flattered QPR. Mowbray got his tactics and subs spot on and it was really pleasing to get an overdue win. Khadra can be so wasteful and needs to improve his end product, but so pleased for him to score the winner. The thing about him compared to Dolan and Gallagher was that he was posing far more of a threat to begin with, he was getting in great positions, something the other 2 need to work on. Dolan did really lead by example from the front and was shattered at the end and is always a threat. Johnson was also very impressive, as was Van Hecke. A good team performance really.

Totally agree on the Vale point but why is it down to Mowbray's arrogance that we didn't sign a striker in January? I do think that we should have got one and I was disappointed that we didn't but I am under no illusions that with a minimal budget, it was a very tough task to bring in a striker that could improve us. We spent around 700k, 500k was on a young player with no first team experience for us to mould who unfortunately got injured. The other 200k was for an attacking player due to the desperation of his club to get a fee. Its not much, perhaps there are loans we could have got but it isn't as clear cut as many make out.

There is a growing push it seems for Vale to play. We are desperate and maybe it is worth a go but for perspective, he scored 1 in 10 this season in non league. I get that he can score against kids but it would be a huge ask. And this nonsense about hating Nyambe keeps cropping up. 9 times out of 10 he starts.

His best form came as a false 9 in the exact same position as he is playing now. He is playing shit now and should be dropped, but lets not re create history.

@Mercer is this you? Rothwell out for at least 2 games?

Do you agree that automatic promotion hopes are gone?

.

Based on their goalscoring records and our recent attacking displays, you are easily pleased.

Brereton was clearly in the right position hence the 20 goals. How is pressing suited to a deeper role? Surely its best high up when as we have seen on a number of occasions this season can lead to us creating chances very quickly once we win the ball. Totally agree on his shooting, prior to the last month he did add to the attack with his passing although aside from the ball for the Brereton goal when he strayed offside v West Brom, even that has gone off the boil. Hence why he should be dropped.

I do think that people are underplaying or forgetting his high standard to which he played whilst as a false 9 throughout our winning run. He started the season well as the most advanced of a midfield 3 but his performances improved when he went as a false 9 and our form skyrocketed us up the table. His main 2 strengths are his ability to win possession back and his ability to play a through ball in behind a defence, both of which do suit that false 9 role, or at least a role as an attacking midfielder. Im not convinced how he would adapt to play deeper, he played there away at Hull (granted next to Rothwell which isnt the most balanced duo) and was totally ineffective. The problem is that his main weakness is his inability to score goals or strike a ball and it really must improve for him to be properly effective. If everyone was fit, for me he would probably be a sub in the main simply because Dack is in a different league to him.

To clarify, I have been very critical of his performances lately and he certainly needs dropping. I was just saying in general that he has always played further up really, that is where he impressed up until a month or so ago. His pressing was also coupled with us carrying a goal threat mainly through Brereton with Buckley often slipping him through. To play him deeper would very much be asking him to do something he has never proven to be able to do, it would be a new position for him. Im not convinced that he would dictate games and to be honest we arent a team that suits dictating games anyway, I wouldnt drop Travis or Rothwell for him to try him there.

Gallagher is crap though, at least Khadra makes things happen. I suppose we dont have great options though in attack in general.

So its not even a holiday.

Play him deep and you dont have his pressing. All of his good performances have been higher up, maybe he can play a deeper role but its an unknown.

At one point he very much merited his place as a false 9, he played there and was very important during our winning run. Him being there now isn't Mowbray meddling or coming up with weird experiments, it is the continuation of a successful tactic. That being said, his performances in recent weeks have been as bad as anyone so he needs dropping.

I'm sure that wont stop. This messageboard is essentially a place for us all to air our grievances and debate things, but its the people in the stadium that matter. And the support is very much there in the ground.

We have the 2nd worst disciplinary record in the league, now of course that doesnt totally correlate with aggression but I think its an easy and perhaps misguided conclusion to suggest that we have a soft team. Football ultimately has changed massively even from the Souness/Hughes days when we had senior leaders throughout, full of aggression when needed. @Bigdoggsteel you say that "You need hardy boys , battlers to get out of this league." Is that true? Would you consider Norwich, Brentford and Watford to be bunches of "hardy boy battlers" last season? The main reason for our poor form is an inability to score at the moment, not helped by our main striker being out. I also think that having had such success playing on the counter attack, our opponents are perhaps wising up and when we have to break teams down, we can struggle. I don't necessarily think that there are many questions about spirit or heart.

I know he missed the penalty, but Khadra was far more effective than Gallagher. He won the penalty after a mazy run, he nearly scored with a curling shot at the end, he put in a ball at the start of the second half that was dying for a striker to tap in, (Gallagher was nowhere near) he hit a decent free kick in the first half, he got someone sent off and he got to the byline a couple of times, once with a very good cut back that Buckley got in Rothwells way for. What did Gallagher do bar win 2 free kicks miles out?

I would be really wary of moving away from the back 3 which even recently has not been leaking goals. We don't have that good an attack in the absence of our 2 primary goal threats, to try and overcompensate for that at the expense of defensive stability is a big risk. We definitely do need to change things, Hedges needs to start, Buckley needs dropping and Gallagher too. But I would probably keep the back 3.

If he has gone away, its probably for a week before coming back and getting involved with the rest of the team again. He was at the (eventually called off) game at the weekend, its a few days away to rest, its hardly leaving the rest of them in the lurch. I imagine its common and with Brereton, he was looking tired anyway so maybe going to get some sun or whatever is what he needs to have is what he needs, a quick break and then he can begin his rehab. Its a mental break as well as the physical rest, his last 12 months have been so intense. Ultimately, everything is micro analysed nowadays, to make out that it is weak management is just bizarre to me, looking for reasons to criticise unjustifiably, but seemingly we will not agree on the issue so maybe best to agree to disagree. Off the back of him being given a few days leave on the back of getting a bad injury? I think its obvious based on his contract that he will leave but I very much doubt that anyones opinion has changed on the back of such a trivial issue.