Jon Dahl Tomasson - Officially No Longer Our Head Coach

[JHRover]

JDT doesn't escape criticism from me, but I think he is merely a cog in the Venky machine. He might not be a great manager, he might be a bad manager. But get rid of him and nothing really changes, we will try to find another 'head coach' who is going to 'play the game'.

Right now he's probably wondering where the backing and funds are to address the issues we face. The answer, once again, is there is no money. They can pretend that the lack of action is due to January being 'difficult' or because we are following a grand plan of development but we aren't. There just isn't enough money to sign the players we need which is why we will sit around through January waiting for generous PL clubs to agree to send their players here for little cost, in return for which we 'agree' to play them regularly and develop their players for them.

The game doesn't involve promotion. It involves working for owners on the other side of the world who have no interest in anything, an assortment of unqualified suits beneath them tasked with cutting costs and managing things on a budget, dollopers like Steve Waggott only interested in hitting their personal targets come what may and this fundamentally flawed policy of a 'project' relying on youth which is just a fancy way of saying 'cost cutting'.

Rivals must be laughing at us as for the second year running we watch the chance of promotion slip not because this is a really tough league that we can't compete in but because we fail to be proactive and address deficiencies in our squad at a key time.

It is worrying for me how many of our players seem to be hitting poor spells of form. If we go back to August, September, October there were times when we played poorly or struggled but there are numerous senior players who seem to be going backwards and quickly. Scott Wharton has struggled having been an integral team member, Travis the same. BBD has hit a barren spell, the defence looks shakey. Adam Wharton a breath of fresh air, now not getting a look in. Too many changes and chopping around. The only one to go against that trend seems to be Dack who has gone from the forgotten man to a regular. 

Until these owners feck off or at least start investing and taking more of an interest it will continue like this. JDT or someone else, they will be hamstrung by invisible owners, cost cutting priority and instructions to work with the academy lads and loans every year.

[broadsword]

7 hours ago, rigger said:

When JDT first arrived and he came out with the "Dutch disease" statement. I thought great, at least he can see one of the problems, and maybe he will cure it. Half a season down the line, and we are trying to play the exact football that he took the piss out of. 

I read this and the first thought that came to mind is, "he's being told what team too pick then".

[Upside Down]

It wouldn't be the first rime.

[rigger]

13 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

It wouldn't be the first rime.

nor reason.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

2 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

you are right,ewood has been subjected to such a torrent of *********** in the last 12 years the whole place is completely apathetic,you never know though,might be a reet good pitch invasion and protest if we lose to blackpool and wigan at home🤣,i doubt there will be a crowd for the birmingham game,they could play it at pleasington it will be that low

I was going to “ treat “ my son and grandson to tickets for the Birmingham game. Three generations down at Ewood. I wouldn’t put the young lad through that, it might put him off for life. Half way through the second half yesterday he said - “ That’s it I’m off up to Rochdale to watch some football “ ! 
 

They lost as well, not his day.

[rigger]

7 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I was going to “ treat “ my son and grandson to tickets for the Birmingham game. Three generations down at Ewood. I wouldn’t put the young lad through that, it might put him off for life. Half way through the second half yesterday he said - “ That’s it I’m off up to Rochdale to watch some football “ ! 
 

They lost as well, not his day.

Or forest Green

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

3 minutes ago, rigger said:

Or forest Green

Yes, I was forgetting them.

[Upside Down]

49 minutes ago, rigger said:

nor reason.

Fuckin smart phones!!!!

[Nuttall is lost]

surprised Sean Dyche hasn't been snapped up.  Can see him going to Everton any day now.

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

24 minutes ago, Nuttall is lost said:

surprised Sean Dyche hasn't been snapped up.  Can see him going to Everton any day now.

 

Nah, they didn’t like Big Sam and Dyche is just Sam Mk 2.

[Nuttall is lost]

10 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Nah, they didn’t like Big Sam and Dyche is just Sam Mk 2.

Well they can play nice football next season in the championship then.  Hard to believe they got Ancelotti a few years ago.  He was way out of their league.

[TheRoversReturn]

People on here say time and again that we lack quality and have a weak, unbalanced squad. Yet with that squad, JDT has us sitting in the play offs in the second half of the season. We had a nice little League Cup run including a win away at West Ham. A nice little FA Cup run might be on the cards in the FA Cup too, but whatever...we've already knocked Norwich out at Carrow Road, it's already our best FA Cup run since...is it 2016/17?!?

Objectively, JDT has been a real success so far. Nobody was predicting this before the season started, even with a downward slide...it'd still be up toward the higher end of expectations. It's a bizarrely unimpressive wild success under JDT at times, but there we are nestled in the play offs. 

Subjectively, I've been bored out my mind at times and felt we've been lucky many times. Rotherham and PNE embarrassed us, we didn't lay a glove (again) on our nearest and dearest, it was a walk in the park for Kompany...Not once coming back from behind suggests something worrying about the desire and grit of this team. Not even one single equaliser in the league all season suggests not all is well. Yet we remain in the play offs despite a poor run...

It's been a strange old season, hasn't it? 

[martonrover]

2 hours ago, TheRoversReturn said:

People on here say time and again that we lack quality and have a weak, unbalanced squad. Yet with that squad, JDT has us sitting in the play offs in the second half of the season. We had a nice little League Cup run including a win away at West Ham. A nice little FA Cup run might be on the cards in the FA Cup too, but whatever...we've already knocked Norwich out at Carrow Road, it's already our best FA Cup run since...is it 2016/17?!?

Objectively, JDT has been a real success so far. Nobody was predicting this before the season started, even with a downward slide...it'd still be up toward the higher end of expectations. It's a bizarrely unimpressive wild success under JDT at times, but there we are nestled in the play offs. 

Subjectively, I've been bored out my mind at times and felt we've been lucky many times. Rotherham and PNE embarrassed us, we didn't lay a glove (again) on our nearest and dearest, it was a walk in the park for Kompany...Not once coming back from behind suggests something worrying about the desire and grit of this team. Not even one single equaliser in the league all season suggests not all is well. Yet we remain in the play offs despite a poor run...

It's been a strange old season, hasn't it? 

If we don’t make a few decent signings the results will become a lot more predictable. Come May we will probably be very grateful for our early season form.

[Sweaty Gussets]

2 hours ago, TheRoversReturn said:

Not once coming back from behind suggests something worrying about the desire and grit of this team.

Good post above but regarding this sentence  - I think it says more about the coaching and how the team are told to play. They've shown plenty of 'grit' defending leads at times, but they are utterly hopeless when it comes to taking the game to the opposition when we fall behind.  In fact they are so bad it's embarrassing. 

I'd like to know what Remy does all day. 

[booth]

2 hours ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Good post above but regarding this sentence  - I think it says more about the coaching and how the team are told to play. They've shown plenty of 'grit' defending leads at times, but they are utterly hopeless when it comes to taking the game to the opposition when we fall behind.  In fact they are so bad it's embarrassing. 

I'd like to know what Remy does all day. 

Probably wishing we had a decent fucking striker.

[DE.]

It was exactly the same under Mowbray though, so I don't think it can solely be put down to coaching. Probably need to recruit a few real winners, players who genuinely feel angry if they lose a contest, rather than just post 'we go again' on social media. 

[simongarnerisgod]

we are dead in centre midfield imo

travis is`nt good enough to play in jdt`s team shape

morton is a tart,who is more concerned about not getting injured,certainly not as good as he`s made out to be

buckley,good footballer but goes missing to much

adam wharton,will be a class act,if he ever plays again,needs game time imo

garrett,very raw

szmodics,lightweight and not good enough

sever lack of beef,mental toughness and will to win,teams are walking through us,to be given the runaround by ollie rathbone who was playing for rochdale last season and other bottom rung players(no disrespect to rotherham) is the most embarassing thing to happen since batty and le saux had their punch up

[Waggy76]

7 hours ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Good post above but regarding this sentence  - I think it says more about the coaching and how the team are told to play. They've shown plenty of 'grit' defending leads at times, but they are utterly hopeless when it comes to taking the game to the opposition when we fall behind.  In fact they are so bad it's embarrassing. 

I'd like to know what Remy does all day. 

I would like to know , what do they do in training ???

 

[RTM08]

On 18/01/2023 at 22:32, Waggy76 said:

I would like to know , what do they do in training ???

 

Based on the games I've seen, the ball never successfully leaves our back 4, so it correlates if this is also happening in training that the forwards wouldn't have a clue what to do with it on the rare occasion it arrives with them.

[rigger]

12 minutes ago, RTM08 said:

Based on the games I've seen, the ball never successfully leaves our back 4, so it correlates if this is also happening in training that the forwards wouldn't have a clue what to do with it on the rare occasion it arrives with them.

If a video of the Rovers training was released to the general public after every session, not many secrets would be given away.

[Exiled_Rover]

On 17/01/2023 at 10:39, Nuttall is lost said:

surprised Sean Dyche hasn't been snapped up.  Can see him going to Everton any day now.

 

He wants a PL job - I assume preferably not one that's deep in a relegation battle.

[Exiled_Rover]

On 18/01/2023 at 21:35, simongarnerisgod said:

we are dead in centre midfield imo

travis is`nt good enough to play in jdt`s team shape

morton is a tart,who is more concerned about not getting injured,certainly not as good as he`s made out to be

buckley,good footballer but goes missing to much

adam wharton,will be a class act,if he ever plays again,needs game time imo

garrett,very raw

szmodics,lightweight and not good enough

sever lack of beef,mental toughness and will to win,teams are walking through us,to be given the runaround by ollie rathbone who was playing for rochdale last season and other bottom rung players(no disrespect to rotherham) is the most embarassing thing to happen since batty and le saux had their punch up

I definitely watch a different game to most on here. Rathbone put his foot through a half chance (that Morton / Kaminski [take your pick] gifted to him) - he doesn't score that goal again in 100 attempts - and beyond that all he did was go around kicking lumps out of our players.

That game, like this Bristol City one and the Boro game were decided by our strikers not being able to finish incredibly presentable chances. That's currently on Mowbray (including saddling us with Gallagher on a new contract!), but after next summer it will be on Broughton and JDT if they can't improve the situation. 

[simongarnerisgod]

15 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

I definitely watch a different game to most on here. Rathbone put his foot through a half chance (that Morton / Kaminski [take your pick] gifted to him) - he doesn't score that goal again in 100 attempts - and beyond that all he did was go around kicking lumps out of our players.

That game, like this Bristol City one and the Boro game were decided by our strikers not being able to finish incredibly presentable chances. That's currently on Mowbray (including saddling us with Gallagher on a new contract!), but after next summer it will be on Broughton and JDT if they can't improve the situation. 

we were watching a different game,rathbone and his colleagues absolutely dominated us by getting in our faces and competing,we were never strong enough physically or mentally to take on the challenge,pathetically,our so called superior players were beaten by a bunch of lower league journeymen

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

19 minutes ago, simongarnerisgod said:

we were watching a different game,rathbone and his colleagues absolutely dominated us by getting in our faces and competing,we were never strong enough physically or mentally to take on the challenge,pathetically,our so called superior players were beaten by a bunch of lower league journeymen

We got out enthused again.

[Exiled_Rover]

2 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

we were watching a different game,rathbone and his colleagues absolutely dominated us by getting in our faces and competing,we were never strong enough physically or mentally to take on the challenge,pathetically,our so called superior players were beaten by a bunch of lower league journeymen

We created the 4 best chances of the game and missed them all.