v Birmingham City (a) - 1/4/23

[roverandout]

Fucking hell Morton 

[Exiled_Rover]

I think JDT has switched Dolan and Hedges around to account for Chong.

[Exiled_Rover]

21 minutes ago, Darwen Rover 007 said:

Hedges needs to be more clinical 

He's basically an excellent sub in a very strong Championship team - just not quite good enough to be the difference maker that he teases to be.

[Bethnal]

Not a bad half, not excellent by any means, either. Wouldn’t change anything yet, just tweak the approach. We’re being forced out too wide and need to be more direct to goal. Not got the kind of players on the pitch who gamble or find space for crosses/cutbacks. Play to the strengths.

[Miker]

1 minute ago, Exiled_Rover said:

I think JDT has switched Dolan and Hedges around to account for Chong.

And it's definitely worked... Chong was a constant threat early on, but has been pretty quiet now. Still their danger man though IMO.

[Miller11]

Dolan needs to keep his head here after that silly booking. Absolutely no more ludicrous dives.

[K-Hod]

After a 4.5 hour drive down, it seems like it’s too much to ask for our players to fully commit to 50-50s seemingly. A better side would be 3 up here. Luckily, we are still in it, just not doing enough in the final third for me.

[Exiled_Rover]

11 minutes ago, Bethnal said:

I think I’ve sussed him. He’s an auxiliary and he simply cannot perform in a two. You can use him to bind two combative CMs or you can sit him between two very dynamic CMs and he can play from deep, while kind of disrupting any breakaways.

Can now see why he’s well-liked at Liverpool, as sat between Fabinho and Henderson, he would work. But he’s not what we need.

From this I gather you mean the other two do all the running, tackling and creative work and he just passes it 5 yards between them and the CBs?

'Cos that's all he does for us. 

[Cherry Blue]

1 minute ago, Miller11 said:

Dolan needs to keep his head here after that silly booking. Absolutely no more ludicrous dives.

Due to delays on m6 arrivearrived at ground 330 but not allowed in. 

2 hours ago, Crozzy said:

Hope everyone gets down there ok. Seen some major problems on M6

 

[JohnD]

Just now, Cherry Blue said:

Due to delays on m6 arrivearrived at ground 330 but not allowed in. 

 

City said they would keep the gate open as long as needed 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

We're trying to win away with our best Strikers on the Bench...

[joey_big_nose]

1 minute ago, K-Hod said:

After a 4.5 hour drive down, it seems like it’s too much to ask for our players to fully commit to 50-50s seemingly. A better side would be 3 up here. Luckily, we are still in it, just not doing enough in the final third for me.

Yeah weve had the better of the midfield play but given away a lot of decent opportunities to Brum.

There is something about JDT, so many opportunities we give away would have been buried in previous regimes but we seem to get away with them with Tommason. Every good manager is a lucky manager.

[Crozzy]

3 minutes ago, Cherry Blue said:

Due to delays on m6 arrivearrived at ground 330 but not allowed in. 

 

Ah you’re joking! Sure I saw somewhere they were keeping turnstiles open. Gutted for you and everyone else in this situation 

[R0verb0y]

18 minutes ago, Bethnal said:

I think I’ve sussed him. He’s an auxiliary and he simply cannot perform in a two. You can use him to bind two combative CMs or you can sit him between two very dynamic CMs and he can play from deep, while kind of disrupting any breakaways.

Can now see why he’s well-liked at Liverpool, as sat between Fabinho and Henderson, he would work. But he’s not what we need.

And that sums up for me what's wrong with the loan system from the perspective of the borrowing club.

It seems like we're offered a player whom the loaning club think we can develop in a role they need him to understand, irrespective of our needs.

If the needs of both clubs align, then fine. Which is one reason, imo, why Elliott's loan worked so well. Less so, this season.

[Bethnal]

5 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

From this I gather you mean the other two do all the running, tackling and creative work and he just passes it 5 yards between them and the CBs?

'Cos that's all he does for us. 

Running and tackling, yes, but with that around him, he can find space (has done two or three times that half) receive a ball sharply and quickly move to distribute. His confidence is visibly low, I think the particularly errant pass to nobody on the left wing speaks to that. But he does have the ability in him.

I’m not a fan of him for us, but I think he will thrive somewhere. Again, it’s just not here.

[Exiled_Rover]

8 minutes ago, Miller11 said:

Dolan needs to keep his head here after that silly booking. Absolutely no more ludicrous dives.

I'd take him off for Thomas. He's not been great and that was stupid - he fronted up to the Birmingham player, I've seen red cards given for that. 

Edited April 1, 2023 by Exiled_Rover

[AllRoverAsia]

Is Adam Wharton injured?

The issue with putting a fit Adam on the bench is that if he gets on he will show up Morton for the fracking rubbish he is.

Let him do whatever Liverpool see in him at Liverpool and not at the expense of us.

Ok Morton go on and score, I'll eat my arse on celebration.

[Exiled_Rover]

9 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

After a 4.5 hour drive down, it seems like it’s too much to ask for our players to fully commit to 50-50s seemingly. A better side would be 3 up here. Luckily, we are still in it, just not doing enough in the final third for me.

Only if Haaland and Mbappe were turning out for them. 

[R0verb0y]

14 minutes ago, JohnD said:

City said they would keep the gate open as long as needed 

So where are Swaggott and his cohort of acolytes who go to away games - well, they, certainly did on transfer deadline day - arguing the case for our loyalists?

[Miller11]

Morton annoyed me early on by visibly not fancying what was at least a 70:30 in his favour. I can forgive the passes that don’t come off, but not lack of commitment.

Need to show a bit more composure at both ends. They’ve had the better of the chances for sure, but 3 points are very much there for the taking.

[Exiled_Rover]

6 minutes ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

We're trying to win away with our best Strikers on the Bench...

I mean they're both injured, so...

[Exiled_Rover]

Just now, Miller11 said:

Morton annoyed me early on by visibly not fancying what was at least a 70:30 in his favour. I can forgive the passes that don’t come off, but not lack of commitment.

Need to show a bit more composure at both ends. They’ve had the better of the chances for sure, but 3 points are very much there for the taking.

I'd get him off for Garrett, who I think is a better player, but I don't watch them train every day.

Edited April 1, 2023 by Exiled_Rover

[Bethnal]

3 minutes ago, R0verb0y said:

And that sums up for me what's wrong with the loan system from the perspective of the borrowing club.

It seems like we're offered a player whom the loaning club think we can develop in a role they need him to understand, irrespective of our needs.

If the needs of both clubs align, then fine. Which is one reason, imo, why Elliott's loan worked so well. Less so, this season.

Yeah, something with the loan system is hindering the whole affair. Having said that, they didn’t force him on us and we should have had a genuine plan for him.

Don’t want to labour a point we often make on here, but he’s not better than Adam Wharton in there and he’s very likely the worse option.

[Exiled_Rover]

2 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Is Adam Wharton injured?

The issue with putting a fit Adam on the bench is that if he gets on he will show up Morton for the fracking rubbish he is.

Let him do whatever Liverpool see in him at Liverpool and not at the expense of us.

Ok Morton go on and score, I'll eat my arse on celebration.

He's still coming back from a long layoff with an ankle injury. He has turned out for the U21s and the England U19s in the last few weeks though.

[WacoRover]

The fact both injured strikers are in the traveling squad, seems that they could be of some benefit, even if not 100%. 
I bet one or both get involved before this one is over.