All Activity

I've lost track of when injured players are meant to be back, but if Ismael sends the team out in that same system on Saturday then Watford will win at a canter.

We'll probably smash Watford 5-0 and he'll get awarded a 3 year contract. 🤣

Another 3 points go begging. Mowbray JDT and Eustace would have stolen a win last night- Swansea were there for the beating. Goals 1 and 3 needed a proper left back on the field and we had two on the bench. All 3 goals would have been prevented by a decent centre half providing leadership and he plays for Wrexham now but George Pratt would have done better but he too was sitting on the bench. Powel did well, Jorgenson is lightweight currently but got himself where it mattered for our equaliser. Despite the Pasha Gestede demolition job, I think we have the squad to stay up but seriously doubt VI's managerial ability to use them to save us from relegation and pray the treatment room are doing their stuff properly.

For me last 5 games or so there has been a really noticeable dip in intensity and confidence. I would say a combination of : - The key players for the system to work are unavailable (Alebiousu, Hedges, Gudjonsen. To some extent Mori as well) - Exhaustion from so many games, and so many young players coming in, and lack of battle hardened experience in the squad of coping with 14 games in 9 weeks or whatever madness it is. - Crucially, the senior players (which given all the injuries and disastrous transfer policy etc is basically just Tronstad and Ohashi) have lost belief in the manager. We've weakened and weakened ourselves, but managed to look reasonably competitive in midfield and defence up till October-ish. But now - very very very predictably - just got to the point where the whole squad is broken, moral sapping away, and we just don't have any experience to help dig us out.

I think Rovers are as good as down even if they do sack Ismael because a large amount of damage is already done...but at least a change might mean they go down with a fight rather than a whimper.

Too late now but was any thought given to handing out leaflets outside the ground (after previous matches). I imagine it was but was deemed at risk of causing too much agro.

I'm extremely disappointed by Alan Myers personally. Whys he released a statement at that time, the timing is extremely off with me. What's his angle? I don't understand.

I remember speaking to a few fans at the ground about it when it happened, but in a funny way that run of 3 wins on the bounce (Soton/Leics/Bristol) has done us in, in that it gave Ismael a breather or a reset with some fickle parts of the fan base, like when Kean won at Old Trafford and drew at Anfield. The idea that things aren't too bad and that we'll turn a corner. Yes without those three wins we'd be currently adrift under VI, but he might have been potted sooner.

This squad has been assembled to get relegated!

They won’t sack him as it’ll bring the radar back on Pasha and Rudy, they’ve got the perfect shield who can take all of the blame in Val.

Even the likes of the ever supportive Henry Winter have gone very quiet on us over recent weeks - all despite our nosedive down the table coupled with the wider continuous shit show at the club. Feels like it’s going to take relegation to get any kind of decent media attention again and as we all know, that will be far too late as there’s no chance we bounce back this time whilst that lot are still around.

I'm not sure what else can be done at this point. I know nationals (some meetings with them) and local newspapers running with it later this week. Obviously its on been on social media, on the radio, Sky, domestic TV and going to be run on there again in lead up to the game. We have seen a few posts similar too and share your concerns.

Regarding his latest ‘but when the injured players come back we’ll shoot up the table’ comments - I’m sure my memory serves me correct that (roughly) six weeks ago he said once Cantwell and Tronstad return to fitness that we would be fine. Well, we’re not. He needs kicking out of the club with a kind sized rocket shoved right up his arse today. Of course it won’t happen but at any remotely normal club he’d have been gone months ago.

I feel that winning the battle in the middle of the park can help set the tone for the whole team. We can’t do that with the current players. Baraji looks skillful on the ball but doesn’t have any fight at all. Loses the ball and watches the player run away from him, Cantwell does exactly the same. We probably have the weakest squad in the league. Our best 11 is lower mid table but the overall squad is weak. That weak squad has led to us having to try to play the best 11 every game with no rest, shock horror we then end up with injuries. I’m also convinced our training and rehab is nowhere near what it’s been in the past so the injuries are more common. in short a couple of signings may cover the cracks but we all know the problems are running deeper. If we keep signing average players then the starting 11 are still under pressure to start every game. Cashin doesn’t start for me when our CBs are fit so it’s a pointless signing, O’Riordan was pulled back from loan and again is probably only on the bench if all are fit. Jorgensen probably doesn’t start if Gudjonssen and Ohashi are both fit (maybe ahead of Ohashi at a push). Last season I’m not sure we signed a single player who was better than what we already had in that position. Some would save Alibiousi, but we had Brittain who was one of the best in the RB position we actually signed the player to play in. Change in formation has been good for Ryan but as a RB I think Brittain has the edge. There are no quick wins, a couple of signings will not get us out of this mess.

I had to write something to get it out of my system. That was simply awful…but what now?

What Next For Rovers? Read the full article on the front page and let us know your thoughts.

The defence look shocking to me now. Bereft of confidence and prone to shipping soft goals. Im afraid we have seen the last of the clean sheets for the foreseeable.

I genuinely don’t think it’s a lack of effort on the part of the players. They’re just crap, that lack of ability in turn leads to terrible decision making alongside poor execution. 1 or 2 of our team get in other champ teams on a good day. Therein lies the problem.

Look at his track record of tenure lengths. He’s got the smug look of a bloke who’s stumbled across the one club in world football where results don’t matter and just ‘giving minutes’ to young lads and waifs and strays from god knows where whilst mouthing platitudes about ‘projects’ and ‘transitions’ gets you to see out a three year deal.

Not sacking him today is utterly ridiculous, last 2 results/performances have shown the whole thing has fallen apart completely. Managed decline, they want us down.

His refusal to pick players that he has evidently fallen out with (like Pickering) is making a bad situation worse. Watching last night showed how poorly coached we are - when playing a high press you have to ensure you are set up for when they break that high press. Time and time again, they broke the high press and then went through our non- existant midfield like a knife through butter. This was Swansea, a mid to lower Championship team not b£%%^y Arsenal.

I agree that injuries have affected the team, and we can sympathise with Val on that. But it’s hard to understand why he says that while still leaving out better players like Pickering and persisting with underperformers like De Neve. He’s sticking to a system that hasn’t worked in about 20 games, and any other manager would have adapted by now. The one piece of data they seem to be ignoring is the actual results on the pitch.

Instead of a post Xmas collapse, we've just had a full season one.

TBH - this is where we find out if any small way Gestede lives up to his title - as any other DOF would get rid of Ismail. (Before anyone says it - I appreciate Gestede is part of the problem - but he has the chance to show for once he can live up to his job title)