24th January 2021 Middlesbrough Away 15:00

[Exiled_Rover 2101]

11 minutes ago, darrenrover said:

You're partially right but using your argument, did we have any shot on target, never mind one that worked their goalkeeper.

In truth we really got what we deserved today, NOWT!

No, both teams were poor. I think most Rovers fans knew we were going to struggle with that starting midfield though. 

[Swanson 525]

I feel that if Buckley are our biggest talent, he really should be playing more often at his age, and also making more of an impact on the games. I don't think he will make it at this my level, and he really needs to bulk up a bit.

I could be wrong about him, but I feel he should be further down the line at this stage. 

As for Evans and Gallagher, they really should struggle to get in the matchday squad when everyone is fit.

[darrenrover 2533]

There is no doubt that the squad of players we now have assembled should be capable of challenging for a top 2 spot.

Whether or not Tony and his crew have the ability to mould them into a cohesive unit to achieve that or not, only time will tell. If we're not close to the top 2 this season, then there is only one person to blame.

Generally, Venkys are doing their bit (forget the past), it's all now on Tony's and Waggott's head!

COYB!

and never forget, WE ARE The Rovers!

[Stuart 16225]

Nothing worse than a shite game of attritional football and then not even getting the point.

[Jlee1984 135]

It’s done now, onto Wednesday, The race has just started and there’s plenty of track left to go, we go again ??

[booth 2631]

6 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Yeah i can see that i was thinking about 9th with the new recruits and same as last season before the signings. Difference being i think we'll genuinely flirt with the top 6 at times but ultimately fall some way short.

I think because we are stuck with a handful of bad eggs Mowbray will resort to playing them. Even if it's not often it'll impact on the points tally.

Bell, Gallagher, Brereton and Evans will all play a lot this season despite the majority of fans refusing to believe it.

If one of Gallagher or Brereton looked likely to put a shift in I'd start believing.

Only thing Gallagher did right today was tie his hair up.

[roversfan99 8173]

Absolutely horrendous watch and performance as per the Cardiff game but we couldnt even cling on to a clean sheet.

I get that we had plenty of players unavailable but Mowbray got his tactics wrong again. Firstly, I mentioned earlier that Johnson cannot play on the half turn, his passing is not good enough and he is not a sitter, whereas Evans gets a nose bleed if given any license to attack. Them 2 were played the wrong way around. Also, the Gallagher on the wing shite again was bizarre. If he is to come on, of which we had little alternative due to only having 2 strikers in the squad, then either put Gallagher up front WITH Armstrong, or if you definitely want only one, Armstrong was getting little of the ball so move him out wide, get Gallagher down the middle rather than out wide which he clearly cannot do but only Mowbray thinks he can. Then he brought on a winger, and put him as a number 10 and then left Gallagher wide! Absolutely bizarre and costly.

Buckley had a chance to make a real push for a place today and it couldnt have gone any worse for him, he was absolutely awful, didnt get involved and some terrible passing. I was always wary about the hype that Dolan got after a couple of promising performances, apparently that was being miserable but I felt that even then he seemed so raw and has been really poor in these last 2 games, even doing stupid tricks in the wrong areas. He is so young, so raw and we cant be relying on him to play every week. Take him out the side for now and hopefully he can learn and impact from the bench. Brereton was again absolutely awful too, we cling onto performances when he does little bits of neat play amidst offering zero goal threat, he has reverted back to looking out of place being on a football pitch. 

Lenihan and especially Ayala are not the most cultured defenders but I do feel that we are solid there for the most part, they do the basics well, Ayala looks a very good signing. I thought the full backs both had very mixed games, neither offered a genuine attacking threat, both run forward stop and turn back, Nyambe made a couple of defensive slips as did Bell with sloppy passes.

Alot of snobbery towards Hughton and their style but I felt that Forest edged the game really, they had the decent chances and got very lucky with the goal but were desperately unlucky minutes earlier when Ameobi hit the post. 

Mowbray needs to be brave with his team selection v Watford. Buckley has missed his chance and Dolan and Brereton have been really poor in the last 2 games. Bell is constantly sloppy and obviously the midfield balance is not right. I would like to see Douglas, Trybull, Elliott, Rothwell and Holtby start if they are all available.

He has said post match that "it was a team thrown together" and regarding the internationals, "how are you supposed to put a football team together thats well coached and structured." He is making excuses there. For a start, Hughton managed it, and Mowbray surely has had time to build a structure that doesnt require loads of work each game to be structured and organised, its not as if the new players all started, it was a set of players that have featured regularly so it shouldnt have a feel of being thrown together.

[Hoochie Bloochie Mama 3985]

Just now, darrenrover said:

There is no doubt that the squad of players we now have assembled should be capable of challenging for a top 2 spot.

I'd say there's plenty of doubt. I'd take players like Freeman, Knockeart, Grabban, Lolley etc over most of ours and that's just the team we played today. 

Our squad has been totally over-hyped these past few days. It's a good Championship squad, there are probably 10 other squads just as good if not better. 

[tomphil 12376]

We nicked games like that with the likes of Rhodes we really need a poacher in the ranks as well imo.

[booth 2631]

4 minutes ago, Hoochie Bloochie Mama said:

I'd say there's plenty of doubt. I'd take players like Freeman, Knockeart, Grabban, Lolley etc over most of ours and that's just the team we played today. 

Our squad has been totally over-hyped these past few days. It's a good Championship squad, there are probably 10 other squads just as good if not better. 

I can't see any team challenging for a runners up place with two big money strikers who can't score. It's a big burden to put on Armstrong before Dack comes back.

The only positive I can take is after many years we finally have a decent defence and goalkeeper.

[Miller11 2506]

Kaminski - No complaints. Nothing much to do.

Nyambe - Good performance. Did will at both ends of the pitch.

Ayala - Looks the real deal. Class act.

Lenihan - Will benefit from playing alongside Ayala. Did ok today.

Bell - Another good performance. Candidate for MOTM

Johnson - Please let’s not have a repeat of last year where he started off well and faded badly. Crap today.

Buckley - sad to say, but he’s had a nightmare today. Was really excited to see him deputise for Holtby, but it just didn’t happen. Not helped by those around him and well worth persisting with.

Evans - Woeful first 45. Slight improvement in the second. Can’t function in the oppositions half.

Dolan - his youthful exuberance provided a couple of moments of magic, but a few more naive mistakes. More effective than some though.

Armstrong - starved of service. Largely anonymous.

Brereton - back to his hopeless worst. Drove through the middle third of the pitch a couple of times, and won a couple of free kicks in nothing positions. Positioning is woeful, touch is horrid, finishing a joke.

Chapman - Hopefully seen the last of him with JRC and Elliott as well as everyone who started better bets. Bennett is also more useful on the wing.

Gallagher - gave us a brief bit of impetus when he came on. Soon faded. Should only be used as a centre forward, and sparingly at that.

[Tyrone Shoelaces 11481]

12 minutes ago, Hoochie Bloochie Mama said:

I'd say there's plenty of doubt. I'd take players like Freeman, Knockeart, Grabban, Lolley etc over most of ours and that's just the team we played today. 

Our squad has been totally over-hyped these past few days. It's a good Championship squad, there are probably 10 other squads just as good if not better. 

" A squad of players " is exactly what we've got. We should be building a team.

Edited October 17, 2020 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[The Hypnotic 282]

That was awful. Gallagher was pretty bad and I am beginning to lose any hope of him becoming a decent signing. Forest did well to neutralise us although we didn’t help ourselves by constantly giving the ball away. Buckley did not impress and while nyambe looked very dynamic he didn’t produce enough for me. 

In fairness we’ve got a lot of players we’d expect in the squad out for various reasons and were unlucky to concede at the very end. It was the opposite of entertaining football and tbh I’m glad it’s over now. Hopefully we can get back to winning ways soon and I hate saying this but the less time Gallagher spends in the squad the better. Kaminski seemed good enough when called upon and Ayala was also cool and committed when he was needed. Can’t wait to see Douglas replace Bell as he was not up to standard either.

I still think we’ll be about the top 6 by the end of the season and hopefully results in the next few games bear that out. Can’t wait for Dack to come back!

[darrenrover 2533]

10 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Absolutely horrendous watch and performance as per the Cardiff game but we couldnt even cling on to a clean sheet.

I get that we had plenty of players unavailable but Mowbray got his tactics wrong again. Firstly, I mentioned earlier that Johnson cannot play on the half turn, his passing is not good enough and he is not a sitter, whereas Evans gets a nose bleed if given any license to attack. Them 2 were played the wrong way around. Also, the Gallagher on the wing shite again was bizarre. If he is to come on, of which we had little alternative due to only having 2 strikers in the squad, then either put Gallagher up front WITH Armstrong, or if you definitely want only one, Armstrong was getting little of the ball so move him out wide, get Gallagher down the middle rather than out wide which he clearly cannot do but only Mowbray thinks he can. Then he brought on a winger, and put him as a number 10 and then left Gallagher wide! Absolutely bizarre and costly.

Buckley had a chance to make a real push for a place today and it couldnt have gone any worse for him, he was absolutely awful, didnt get involved and some terrible passing. I was always wary about the hype that Dolan got after a couple of promising performances, apparently that was being miserable but I felt that even then he seemed so raw and has been really poor in these last 2 games, even doing stupid tricks in the wrong areas. He is so young, so raw and we cant be relying on him to play every week. Take him out the side for now and hopefully he can learn and impact from the bench. Brereton was again absolutely awful too, we cling onto performances when he does little bits of neat play amidst offering zero goal threat, he has reverted back to looking out of place being on a football pitch. 

Lenihan and especially Ayala are not the most cultured defenders but I do feel that we are solid there for the most part, they do the basics well, Ayala looks a very good signing. I thought the full backs both had very mixed games, neither offered a genuine attacking threat, both run forward stop and turn back, Nyambe made a couple of defensive slips as did Bell with sloppy passes.

Alot of snobbery towards Hughton and their style but I felt that Forest edged the game really, they had the decent chances and got very lucky with the goal but were desperately unlucky minutes earlier when Ameobi hit the post. 

Mowbray needs to be brave with his team selection v Watford. Buckley has missed his chance and Dolan and Brereton have been really poor in the last 2 games. Bell is constantly sloppy and obviously the midfield balance is not right. I would like to see Douglas, Trybull, Elliott, Rothwell and Holtby start if they are all available.

He has said post match that "it was a team thrown together" and regarding the internationals, "how are you supposed to put a football team together thats well coached and structured." He is making excuses there. For a start, Hughton managed it, and Mowbray surely has had time to build a structure that doesnt require loads of work each game to be structured and organised, its not as if the new players all started, it was a set of players that have featured regularly so it shouldnt have a feel of being thrown together.

I think that's an excellent, well thought out post and very much mirrors my own opinions.

I predicted the starting line up and worried about the outcome of the game if it was correct, which it was.

We were dire as an attacking force but generally defended well. I thought we'd be happy with a point and in truth, can have no complaints really that we finished with nothing.

[simongarnerisgod 1612]

lets look on the upside,we`ve the lad from liverpool to come in,a proper left back and dack back soon,im`e off for a few beers and some online poker?

[The Hypnotic 282]

45 minutes ago, Neal said:

Well. Garbage game. Forest were as poor as us. Neither team deserved to win. 

 

First, positives (if there are any)... Feel sorry for the back 4, didn't deserve to concede. Didn't really put a foot wrong, thought Ayala was rock solid again. Didn't look like they were going to concede. 

 

So many players I could gladly never see again. Evans can f*ck off on the next train to Stoke. Nothing sideways footballer. Gallagher should retire. He won't even get 5 goals this season. He's never ever in the game, just running round like bambi on ice, 5 Mill utterly wasted... Just go away fella, sick of looking at you. Buckley needs to go on loan, I've not seen anything from him to suggest he will make it at this level. Chapman is a league 1 player and will never be anything more. 

 

As much as I blame Johnson for today, his performance was beyond words, looked hungover... Yet, he's shown enough this season to have the opportunity to put it right. Maybe Brereton too, who was also absolutely crap. 

 

Felt sorry for Armstrong, he had nothing round him, worked hard, held it up well at times but got nothing. A truly thankless task. 

 

As a window closes, this game highlights the importance of the next one or at least next summer. A lot of deadwood primadonna's. 

 

Seriously, does Evans want a lift to Stoke? I'd kick the f*cker out the door half way down the m6. Useless. Just get out my sight. 

Evans wasn’t great but I think others were far worse. At least Evans got involved, even if he was technically lacking. 
Johnson was truly awful, I’m beginning to think he’s very much a hot and cold type player. Chapman showed nothing. Absolutely a waste of a sub and a squad place. 

[darrenrover 2533]

8 minutes ago, tomphil said:

We nicked games like that with the likes of Rhodes we really need a poacher in the ranks as well imo.

You're right but we created nothing: not even for a sniffer.

[Mattyblue 13904]

Once the new signings are up to speed and others back from quarantine/injury/paternity, I doubt we’ll be seeing much more of Chapman and Buckley (or Dolan starting).

[WacoRover 309]

21 minutes ago, booth said:

I think because we are stuck with a handful of bad eggs Mowbray will resort to playing them. Even if it's not often it'll impact on the points tally.

Bell, Gallagher, Brereton and Evans will all play a lot this season despite the majority of fans refusing to believe it.

I disagree. The upgrades we got yesterday will put most of these 4 on the pine. There is no way Liverpool let Elliott out on loan, for us not to play him regularly. Trybull & Douglas are playing for their future, since they are out of contract next summer.

it will be sorted out. 

[darrenrover 2533]

9 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

" A squad of players " is exactly what we've got. We should be building a team.

Exactly. It's Mowbray that's assembled them, so it's absolutely down to him to get a tune out of them.

I think there are the constituent parts to be top 2 if the selections and tactics get the best of the sum of the parts!

[jim mk2 8244]

1 hour ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Agree to disagree. 

At the end of the day I turn up / tune in to be entertained. I HATED the Allardyce era at Rovers. 

 You're on your own there matey. If you want entertainment go to the circus

[islander200 2009]

52 minutes ago, booth said:

He's a striker that doesn't score, it's as clear as that with me. Fair enough he's 21 and has time to develop. I can't see it but there's a chance it'll happen. Sam Gallagher on the other hand is 25 and realistically we are now stuck with the bastard child of Ashley Ward and Rodney Trotter. 5 millions worth of him.

Tony Mowbray's school of football management.

Sign a striker on a big contract for big money - balls it up. Sign another striker on more money upfront to disguise the other striker that can't score - balls it up. Chance upon a young player so everyone forgets earlier misfires - WIN. Entire team has a shit day - end game playing with both strikers that you pissed away most of our funds on, both of which can barely stand up properly never mind play football.

After today I fully expect both of them to be playing next game and for the majority of games this season.

When I saw Gallagher lining up I thought he was going to swap him with Brereton.

Johnson and Evans should have been replaced a long time ago. Buckley is in the same camp as Brereton, not ready and maybe never will. We certainly shouldn't be pinning our hopes on players like that to do jobs for us.

We had a load of players unavailable today.Trybull and Elliot have not joined to sit on the bench.Holtby Rothwell and Dack to come back also.

Elliot has been signed to play,Dack and Armstrong certain starters.

Brereton and Gallagher don't play as strikers for us.I don't think Brereton will ever be a 7 million man but think he has something to offer just not goals.

The lads who have been signed will come into the team and Rothwell and Holtby will play also.Both of them where missed big time today . Johnson and Evans shouldn't play in the same team together.For me Evans shouldn't play at all and don't think he will play much .Why Davenport wasn't loaned out or sold is beyond me.Mowbray can't rate him 

[jim mk2 8244]

Have to say, the new signings won't make much difference because of Tony's well documented faults over poor selection and tactics and motivation. Unless some of the new lads such as Douglas who knows what is takes to get us promoted and can galvanise the dressing room, we're likely to end up in mid table again. We shouldn't have lost today and I just don't us getting anywhere this season - and that's all down to the manager. 

[Ewood Ace 4029]

1 hour ago, Paul Mani said:

Buckley needs to play. 

Just not for us. He's miles out of his depth in the Championship.

[rigger 2861]

11 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

 You're on your own there matey. If you want entertainment go to the circus

No he isn't.