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What I couldn't understand was, we were playing against some veteran players, yet played most of the game at walking pace, which suited them down to the ground. I realise that they are trying to play a similar way to the first team, to allow for continuity, but you have to adapt to your oppositions weaknesses if you are going to win games.

Not worth worrying about.

The essential mini-rucksack is here - available in three options... 1. The BRFCS logo 2. The 4000 Holes logo 3. The generic 'let's celebrate something Lancastrian that is 150 years old this year' logo (!) Choose your favourite & see if you can use it when entering a favourite stadium...or a budget airline perhaps. Specification Zippered front pocket Padded back panel Grab handle Padded adjustable shoulder straps Sponge clean only Dimensions: 24 x 33 x 17cm PLEASE NOTE - Orders for these will be taken up to midnight on 30th September & a bulk order will then be sent to the supplier. It is expected that they will be posted out from mid-October.

Amazing the lengths people will go to, to circumnavigate rules! What is this competition exactly?

Tyjon, Joseph and Dunn hopefully can make the grade.

If we had kept Hyam and Travis I think there would be an argument that we could be stronger or ateast the same. Mori, McCloughlin, Alebiouso and Gudjonsen all look very promising. We look to have mitigated Batth, Brittain and Dolan well. Hopefully Gudjonsen can do the same for Weiman. But Hyam for Miller and Travis for Tavares/Baradji is a huge stretch.

I was thinking earlier, despite all the crap going on with the club at the moment, selling anyone of any value, replacing with cheap foreigners...at least were not having to watch Mowbray teams with big lump strikers out on the wing and defensive midfielders as false 9s. Those days were an unbearable watch.

Saka, Foden, Bowen, Palmer, Madueke, Rashford, Eze, Gordon, Grealish, Barnes, Rogers, Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White, Sancho, Elliott... Sure, something could happen to all of those, I guess!

As it stands right now, we are weaker. We've allowed so much championship experience to leave and replaced with hardly any. As the season progresses and the players get more and more games under their belts, the gap should start to close but I think we'll only know for sure by the season end. We'll see how the new boys cope when the games are coming thick and fast.

Not wrong though.

We had a very young side out there with quite a few scholars. First goal poor defending and goalkeeping. Others looked like poor defending.which is maybe what you would expect at this level.

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

Horrible miss kick that led to their first goal.

Thanks for that I've got it on in the van now. Not heard of this pod before

There is a rule that you have to start x amount of players from your last league game in this competition, this was just a way of them getting around that rule. Forest Green went even further and substituted 4 players in the first minute!

To be honest, the cross isn't much better. Awful keeping, and he completely flaps at something that should be pretty straightforward.

Why did that happen??

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 listened to David Dunn on the "I had trials once" podcast yesterday, and he mentioned something about getting fit for a game at Ewood in a few weeks against Old Etonians. Guessing this will be a 150 year tribute game featuring various legends etc, I would say strange how nothing has been announced yet but then I remember who we are.

Tyjon has been hyped up far too much, and because of that people are expecting far to much of him. He's not long turned 17, to be playing regularly for the 21's is a decent achievement. I have no doubt's he will leave in the summer, but ideally he should be signing that first pro contract, concentrating on having a decent season for the 21s, then maybe a loan next season before coming back and making a challenge for the first team in a couple of years time when he will be 19/20.

Match report & highlights from last night https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2025/september/16/report--rochdale-3-2-rovers-under-21s/

Start today for Duru - won 4-2

It's amazing isn't it. For well over 100 years playing left footed players on the left was deemed to be ok but then some revolutionary geniuses decide that was a load of bollocks and we'd all been wrong all along. What next? A return to using long throws, mixing up long and short passing, putting crosses into the box if you have a 6'6" centre forward? Russell Martin et al must be turning in their graves - I know they're not physically dead but (hopefully) professionally. I know the game has to evolve but the best coaches mix up the proven 'old' styles with new ideas. Frank, Iraola and others seem to understand this and are all the more impressive because of it. It also gets the best out of their players as they play to their strengths