v Hull City (h) 15/4/23 @ 19.45pm

[NeilInBristol]

6 minutes ago, RoverInverness said:

Add to the problem above two other factors:

1. Our academy has done a wonderful job of producing defenders and midfielders, but for some reason seems to struggle to produce forwards of the same potential.

2. GB has failed in two consecutive windows to sign a striker. 
 

This creates yesterday’s painful 0-0 home draw against a well organised Hull. They were defending well, but hardly doing much else.

I don’t think the set up or instructions from the management are the issue. We just don’t have literally any players at all who offer a serious goal scoring threat. Hedges, Dolan, Szmodics, Gallagher will score a few goals every season, but are nowhere near capable of being relied upon to produce goals regularly and consistently. Similarly the defence and midfield will chip in with the odd goal. More often than not this will be enough, but also sometimes it is very painful and frustrating to watch us trying to score when we actually have no natural goal scorers on the pitch.

The only players in the entire club who have the natural instinct of scoring regular goals are BBD and Dack. One is injured - a lot - and the other goes through dry patches (sometimes lasting for over an entire season) when his striking instinct seems to totally desert him and he becomes about as potent in front of goal as Sam bloody Gallagher. He is lucky to get his big move, like others have said, as soon as Villarreal fans see the non-scoring version of his game, he could be in for a very rough time out there.

I presume the manager is struggling to trust that Leonard can do enough of the hard graft and physical stuff to warrant a starting spot. Although he persisted with giving Hirst and Vale so many chances, you have to wonder just why he is so reluctant to give Leonard the same opportunities.

When is Dack back? Can he play as an emergency centre forward? When is Ayala back? We may as well stick him in the centre forward position, at least he would be unpredictable up front. 

 

 

Leonard shows he has the ability. He just needs a run in the side now. 

 

[Atko's Engine]

That was so frustrating. Much like the Huddersfield game, we could / should have won that game two or three times over.

I know we're short on out & out strikers (as in don't have any following January) but every player of an attacking persuasion ought to have the confidence to shoot. The number of times Travis in particular refused to shoot when in and around the 18 yard box is unforgivable. Anything could happen if you shoot, it might get deflected, parried or rebound off the woodwork.

Hey it might even go directly in!!  Who'd've thought?!

Don't shoot, don't score, simple as that.

On another note, again I thought JDT's subs, whilst right in terms of personnel, were made too late IMO, it's becoming his most annoying feature.

The best thing to be said is that it's still in our hands, but all breathing space is gone & looking at our remaining fixtures, you couldn't choose a much worse run-in if you tried, especially whilst (not) firing blanks.

Just go for it Rovers, have no fear.

And BBD, do something positive now to leave us with something tangible from your time here, otherwise you risk tarnishing the goodwill that has built up over a rather unique few years.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Atko's Engine

[Sweaty Gussets]

26 minutes ago, arbitro said:

One little incident summed up the lack of urgency last night. After a tepid 45 first half minutes the board goes up for one additional minute and we get a corner. Dolan takes the ball to the corner but stands there with it waiting for Morton to literally amble over as presumably he is the only one on the pitch at that time who can take a corner. Morton has to set the ball again and eventually gives it to Dolan and they try and play Szmodics in on the edge of the box. It breaks down but we win another corner and the half time whistle is blown. Morton's corners were shocking last night but surely at that stage of the game we get the ball in or let somebody else take the bloody thing.

Rovers infuriate me at times. 

Wharton's corners were shocking at Hudds. He never cleared the first man. No idea if that's the plan - floated effort to the near post - but it isn't working. 

[Penwortham Blue]

11 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

We have no divine right to finish above anybody, and both those clubs you mention have forwards who are scoring goals. 

If the forwards that the manager inherits aren't very good then there's not much he can do until replacements are brought in. We create opportunities, the final ball/finishing is just poor. 

Good post, we all know it. Dack is the only one who can put the ball in the onion bag and he’s never on the pitch.

[Ossydave]

26 minutes ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

I think its looking more and more likely that with some proper financial backing from the venksters and some decent centre forwards,next season will be the one for posssibly real celebration.

Like most I wanted it this season but what I have witnessed these last three games has convinced me we just dont have what it takes sadly.We will have to bide our time further...as galling as that may be.

The backing was there, this ain't on the nobheads in India. The ones in the UK let the manager down.

[arbitro]

7 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Wharton's corners were shocking at Hudds. He never cleared the first man. No idea if that's the plan - floated effort to the near post - but it isn't working. 

Have we actually scored from a corner this season? I can't remember any. Sky out a graphic up on Friday during the Middlesbrough v Norwich match and I think there were several teams who had or were close to double figures in goals from corners.

[Penwortham Blue]

20 minutes ago, RoverInverness said:

Add to the problem above two other factors:

1. Our academy has done a wonderful job of producing defenders and midfielders, but for some reason seems to struggle to produce forwards of the same potential.

2. GB has failed in two consecutive windows to sign a striker. 
 

This creates yesterday’s painful 0-0 home draw against a well organised Hull. They were defending well, but hardly doing much else.

I don’t think the set up or instructions from the management are the issue. We just don’t have literally any players at all who offer a serious goal scoring threat. Hedges, Dolan, Szmodics, Gallagher will score a few goals every season, but are nowhere near capable of being relied upon to produce goals regularly and consistently. Similarly the defence and midfield will chip in with the odd goal. More often than not this will be enough, but also sometimes it is very painful and frustrating to watch us trying to score when we actually have no natural goal scorers on the pitch.

The only players in the entire club who have the natural instinct of scoring regular goals are BBD and Dack. One is injured - a lot - and the other goes through dry patches (sometimes lasting for over an entire season) when his striking instinct seems to totally desert him and he becomes about as potent in front of goal as Sam bloody Gallagher. He is lucky to get his big move, like others have said, as soon as Villarreal fans see the non-scoring version of his game, he could be in for a very rough time out there.

I presume the manager is struggling to trust that Leonard can do enough of the hard graft and physical stuff to warrant a starting spot. Although he persisted with giving Hirst and Vale so many chances, you have to wonder just why he is so reluctant to give Leonard the same opportunities.

When is Dack back? Can he play as an emergency centre forward? When is Ayala back? We may as well stick him in the centre forward position, at least he would be unpredictable up front. 

 

 

Few goals from midfield and defence is spot on. I’d take one of our CH’s or 6ft 3+ forwards winning a header from an attacking set piece, rarer than rocking horse shit.

[tomphil]

Just enough is enough .

Same old crap go out there play the favs try not to lose. every other side with something to play for goes for it, Mowbrays Rovers.. sorry JDT's  Rovers don't.

Weak mindset = weak efforts and it all starts at the top.

Having said that the very worst thing that could happen yesterday was that kick off time.

[Blow-in]

We are on the same number of points after 41 games this season as last, with a goal difference that's 12 worse. We finished with 69 points last season, are we going to pick up 6 more points between now and the end of the season?

JDT has been lucky this season. I am not convinced.

I am not advocating rolling the dice again, but I won't lose much sleep if he decides he has had enough.

[Sweaty Gussets]

4 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Have we actually scored from a corner this season? I can't remember any. Sky out a graphic up on Friday during the Middlesbrough v Norwich match and I think there were several teams who had or were close to double figures in goals from corners.

I can't remember either. Can't remember our Centre Halves smashing in many headers off corners. Probably because it hasn't happened! Our corners, and set-pieces in general, are shite. 

[superniko]

24 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

We have no divine right to finish above anybody, and both those clubs you mention have forwards who are scoring goals. 

If the forwards that the manager inherits aren't very good then there's not much he can do until replacements are brought in. We create opportunities, the final ball/finishing is just poor. 

Nobody is talking about divine right, it’s excuses and the lines we’re being fed and it’s reflection on the table (which we’ll see in a months time)
The manager shouldn’t be saying “we have no right to be up here, we have no budget” when we’re below Luton and Millwall and around the same mark as PNE, Coventry and Sunderland. 

Also not sure who you mean regarding Sunderland’s forward, if it’s Stewart he’s only played 13 times all season. They’ve basically had a midfielder upfront all year (like Mowbray did here)

Edited April 16, 2023 by superniko

[Herbie6590]

Match report from our very own @SanDimas1988

https://www.brfcs.com/magazine/articles/rovers-toothless-against-tigers/396

 

[47er]

19 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Have we actually scored from a corner this season? I can't remember any. Sky out a graphic up on Friday during the Middlesbrough v Norwich match and I think there were several teams who had or were close to double figures in goals from corners.

Did Ayala score one? Certainly wouldn't have been a forward!

[superniko]

13 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

I can't remember either. Can't remember our Centre Halves smashing in many headers off corners. Probably because it hasn't happened! Our corners, and set-pieces in general, are shite. 

Maybe the Hyam scorpion kick? Though it was off an Ayala header. 
Scott Wharton seems to be the only one who is an attacking threat on crosses - agree though, every time we get a corner I am expecting nothing to come of it 

Edited April 16, 2023 by superniko

[Sweaty Gussets]

4 minutes ago, superniko said:

Nobody is talking about divine right, it’s excuses and the lines we’re being fed and it’s reflection on the table (which we’ll see in a months time)
The manager shouldn’t be saying “we have no right to be up here, we have no budget” when we’re below Luton and Millwall and around the same mark as PNE, Coventry and Sunderland. 

Also not sure who you mean regarding Sunderland’s forward, if it’s Stewart he’s only played 13 times all season. They’ve basically had a midfielder upfront all year (like Mowbray did here)

Re Sunderland - Clarke, Diallo, Gelhardt, Roberts - all quality forwards. S'land scored 4 against Hull 2 weeks ago. 

As for JDT, it's just manager spiel to take the pressure off the younger players. It does grate though, Mowbray came out with the same stuff. I suppose it depends if it matters. He has got lots of excuses if he really wanted to use them - the failure of the January transfer market and the failure to bring in a striker. 

[Mercer]

Only one man is to blame for our descent into a Mowbray style 'death spiral' and that, IMO, is JDT.

Read Sharpe's article about JDT justifying his team selection - think it's utter bullsh1t.

Why would you change from the team that played superbly against Huddersfield in the 2nd half?   That performance level would have rolled Hull over by half time.

Changes were needed at half time.

FFS, what do you expect Adam Wharton and Leonard to do when brought on with only minutes to go.

IMO, Gallagher is not a footballer and shouldn't play for Rovers again.  Think Brereton has been dreaming of Spain for too long and we don't need him and FFS STOP DIVING and committing stupid fouls and then claiming innocence.

Adam Wharton and Leonard MUST start against Coventry.  Wharton showed with one pass last night he's got more in his locker than Morton ever will.  As at Huddersfield, Leonard showed he gets in the right places to score goals and given a run, I believe he will score goals for fun at this level.

Wake up JDT and smell the coffee before the spineless and useless bottlers and can't be arsed you select allow our season to bow out with a whimper with a glorious opportunity spurned. 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Mercer

[J*B]

2 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Re Sunderland - Clarke, Diallo, Gelhardt, Roberts - all quality forwards. S'land scored 4 against Hull 2 weeks ago. 

As for JDT, it's just manager spiel to take the pressure off the younger players. It does grate though, Mowbray came out with the same stuff. I suppose it depends if it matters. He has got lots of excuses if he really wanted to use them - the failure of the January transfer market and the failure to bring in a striker. 

They had Marcus Coco in the Directors Box last night. So we can safely assume he’s likely to be here next year. 

[Sweaty Gussets]

4 minutes ago, J*B said:

They had Marcus Coco in the Directors Box last night. So we can safely assume he’s likely to be here next year. 

Never heard of him but he's out of contract in the summer and off somewhere. Us or Rangers maybe? 

Marcus Coco on Rangers transfer hitlist as Nantes man insists decision time is approaching (msn.com)

[superniko]

1 minute ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Re Sunderland - Clarke, Diallo, Gelhardt, Roberts - all quality forwards. S'land scored 4 against Hull 2 weeks ago. 

As for JDT, it's just manager spiel to take the pressure off the younger players. It does grate though, Mowbray came out with the same stuff. I suppose it depends if it matters. He has got lots of excuses if he really wanted to use them - the failure of the January transfer market and the failure to bring in a striker. 

We scored 4 plenty of times under Mowbray last year with the same attacking line up.

4-0 Peterborough, 4-0 Birmingham, 4-1 PNE, 5-1 Cardiff.

Diaz, Gallagher, Dolan (last nights 3) featured in those matches, with the odd bit of Khadra and Buckley as false 9. 

Either way, I agree to the extent that we need a number 9 - there is no denying that - just not sure those guys are number 9s (appreciate you said forwards)

[sharpysharps86]

Reverting to Gallagher out wide last night was almost on a par with playing Bradley Johnson as a False 9. Gally has been shocking since we resumed after the international break, as has BBD, who for me quite simply doesn't deserve to be in the team at the moment.

Granted Huddersfield where poor but I thought we looked a far more solid side with the 3 in the middle, so not sure why we switched back to 2. Wharton didn't deserve to be dropped at all. I think having that third man really helps our transitional play, because you can see that we struggle to play out from the back due to a lack of movement / space in midfield, which is why the back 4 give the ball away so much. Hyam in particular has been really guilty of some poor passes, some down to complacency and others I think are simply down to a lack of option.

The substitutions seemed to help us play more direct, but it all happened too late. Make those change at half time and it could've been a very different story. It might be in our hands on paper but our run-in says that it is anything but. I struggle to see us picking up another win this season based on last night.

[Commondore]

Dolan's miss from that Brereton direct pass is near unforgivable, an attacking winger/forward has to be able to fold his body and put a chance like that in the far corner barring a great save.  

[rigger]

28 minutes ago, J*B said:

They had Marcus Coco in the Directors Box last night. So we can safely assume he’s likely to be here next year. 

They had players posing for arrival photos in January, look how that ended. I wouldn't safely assume anything about our club.

[tomphil]

1 hour ago, martonrover said:

And, once again, that message is continuity from the likes of Bowyer and Mowbray.

Negative mentality.

Exactly.

It's a convenient veil to hide behind yet the man himself told us a few games ago hey we are up there so we have to try and grab it.

Big decisions need to be made and the first one is benching that bloke he claims he comes from Chile.

[rigger]

I don't mind Diaz leaving for nothing, as long as he takes Gallagher with him.

[BankEnd Rover]

25 minutes ago, sharpysharps86 said:

Reverting to Gallagher out wide last night was almost on a par with playing Bradley Johnson as a False 9. Gally has been shocking since we resumed after the international break, as has BBD, who for me quite simply doesn't deserve to be in the team at the moment.

Granted Huddersfield where poor but I thought we looked a far more solid side with the 3 in the middle, so not sure why we switched back to 2. Wharton didn't deserve to be dropped at all. I think having that third man really helps our transitional play, because you can see that we struggle to play out from the back due to a lack of movement / space in midfield, which is why the back 4 give the ball away so much. Hyam in particular has been really guilty of some poor passes, some down to complacency and others I think are simply down to a lack of option.

The substitutions seemed to help us play more direct, but it all happened too late. Make those change at half time and it could've been a very different story. It might be in our hands on paper but our run-in says that it is anything but. I struggle to see us picking up another win this season based on last night.

It was defiantly the lack of options as to why we couldn’t play it out from the back. 3 in the middle helps the back 4 but also brings the best out of Morton. I’ve slightly calmed down now but it was unforgivable form JDT to switch it back after such a dominating performance.
Im hearing comments on A Wharton from the manager about his Defence duties. If you stick him in a 3 then we have the 2 others to clean up after him - It’s really that simple!  A Wharton has the ability to split defences open, we just cannot afford to have him sat on the bench. There is no excuse to dropping him!

I’m hoping the manager sees light on the next game, we MUST have a midfield 3 otherwise Coventry will tear us apart, their CMs are some of the best in the league. 

Edited April 16, 2023 by BankEnd Rover