v Luton Town (h) - 1/5/23

[BigBar]

3 minutes ago, RTM08 said:

I hate this framing. This framing implies we've fought for where we are. The actual facts are, since they first started talking about "cup finals" and "big games" at the FA cup QF, we have won ZERO games. A SINGLE win in any of those and we're probably in the play-offs. Yet again we had a massive advantage and completely and totally bottled it.

Instead, we have to watch this turgid, lethargic, tippy tappy football with absolutely no urgency to suggest that we actually want promotion. Taking the table out of context completely distorts what has actually happened.

Spot on. Look at how our involvement has gone when it matters. Complete and utter implosion of epic proportions. 

[Sweaty Gussets]

4 minutes ago, RTM08 said:

I hate this framing. This framing implies we've fought for where we are. The actual facts are, since they first started talking about "cup finals" and "big games" at the FA cup QF, we have won ZERO games. A SINGLE win in any of those and we're probably in the play-offs. Yet again we had a massive advantage and completely and totally bottled it.

Instead, we have to watch this turgid, lethargic, tippy tappy football with absolutely no urgency to suggest that we actually want promotion. Taking the table out of context completely distorts what has actually happened.

The actual facts are what I stated. The 'framing' is all on you. 

[roversfan99]

1 minute ago, chaddyrovers said:

Why does it matter whether match Mowbray's points total when our team has been different this season and the league has 6 different teams in it compare to last season

JDT has had a year in the league, understand the league plus we put in the recruitment team in place and done the scouting and research that wasn't there last summer. 

Players will learn from this situation and not let it affect them again. Players and JDT won't want to experience this again. 

just as bad as BBD who hasn't look interested, committed and weak in challenges but no comment on that yet again.. Maybe Leonard should have started, lets hope Gallagher is back next week for the Millwall game

His understanding of the league you would think should improve as the season goes on. 0 wins in 8.

If the players dont "want" to experience it, why has it happened again? Why are you confident that it will not happen next season?

Again, the issues go far deeper than Tomasson I would say. Terrible owners and staff above him. But still, like Mowbray, deserves criticism for what has happened towards the end.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Losing to Sheff Utd in the cup in such fashion did a hell of a lot of damage mentally.

[Ewood Ace]

7 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

He's the only manager of the last 10 years that's taken our involvement in the play-off race to the last game of the season. 

Didn't Bowyer do so as well on one occasion? I seem to remember us beating someone at home in a high scoring game (it might have been Wigan or Ipswich) but we needed other results to go in our favour which of course they didn't.

[Exiled_Rover]

5 minutes ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

He's had some backing; the signings of Brittain,Hyam and Szmodics will have cost in the region of £4.5m.

And he had us 2nd at the World Cup break. Why wasn't he backed with a quality striker on loan? Preston have 3 of them ffs. 

We'd be comfortably in the playoffs, if not pushing for automatics, with a goal scorer. 

[superniko]

2 minutes ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Losing to Sheff Utd in the cup in such fashion did a hell of a lot of damage mentally.

Shows how weak and fragile they are then. No leaders, no captain 

[booth]

6 minutes ago, RTM08 said:

I hate this framing. This framing implies we've fought for where we are. The actual facts are, since they first started talking about "cup finals" and "big games" at the FA cup QF, we have won ZERO games. A SINGLE win in any of those and we're probably in the play-offs. Yet again we had a massive advantage and completely and totally bottled it.

Instead, we have to watch this turgid, lethargic, tippy tappy football with absolutely no urgency to suggest that we actually want promotion. Taking the table out of context completely distorts what has actually happened.

 

In that case, you'd imagine a decent midfielder and a striker would have got us at least one extra win. And for that reason I blame the shambles of a CEO and his minions over the manager over the tippy tappy stuff.

On occasion we do go more direct, and we still miss, we continue to miss, then we bring on some subs, and they miss. We've seen it all before.

With all of his faults we'd have still made the play offs or challenged for the automatics had he been backed.

[Tugayisgod]

Off topic a bit but thought Bell today was unrecognisable from the player we bought.

Given much more licence to get forward and caused us plenty of problems, especially 2nd half

[AllRoverAsia]

1 minute ago, SIMON GARNERS 194 said:

Losing to Sheff Utd in the cup in such fashion did a hell of a lot of damage mentally.

It should not have been enough to take the players eyes of the primary target, promotion.

Good cup runs were a welcome unexpected gift.

[booth]

2 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

Didn't Bowyer do so as well on one occasion? I seem to remember us beating someone at home in a high scoring game (it might have been Wigan or Ipswich) but we needed other results to go in our favour which of course they didn't.

I'm pretty sure Bowyer never had us in the play off positions at any stage. Always just threatening to creep in but never did, which is criminal when you consider the players we had.

[Sweaty Gussets]

3 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

Didn't Bowyer do so as well on one occasion? I seem to remember us beating someone at home in a high scoring game (it might have been Wigan or Ipswich) but we needed other results to go in our favour which of course they didn't.

Didn't think he took it to the last game but happy to be corrected. He did get 70 points though, which is still the most of any manager since Venky's... 9 years ago in 13/14...what a fun decade we've had!

Edited May 1, 2023 by Sweaty Gussets

[Exiled_Rover]

12 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

His understanding of the league you would think should improve as the season goes on. 0 wins in 8.

If the players dont "want" to experience it, why has it happened again? Why are you confident that it will not happen next season?

Again, the issues go far deeper than Tomasson I would say. Terrible owners and staff above him. But still, like Mowbray, deserves criticism for what has happened towards the end.

He can't score the goals for them - and I suspect he'd be our best CF if he put his boots back on.

Hedges, Dolan, Gallagher, Vale and Thomas aren't goal scorers. Brereton-Diaz was before he mentally switched off when he signed his contract in Spain - oh and Dack is finished.

I would have liked JDT to give Leonard more game time, but again that's asking an inexperienced 19 year old Academy graduate to win the game for you - they're already asking all of the play to go through A. Wharton. 

Edited May 1, 2023 by Exiled_Rover

[Exiled_Rover]

3 minutes ago, superniko said:

Shows how weak and fragile they are then. No leaders, no captain 

They're just honestly not good enough. There's no shame in it as they're trying their hardest (bar Brereton-Diaz), but Mowbray left the cupboard bare. 

[Gamst]

I must say I’m slightly surprised that my emotions are so incongruous with others on here as I’m usually fairly negative, but  with 5 mins to go we were out of it and now we have a chance. Perversely, I think our chances are slightly less slim than they look…due to the weight of expectation I think the pressure is on Millwall and they’ve struggled at home recently when the pressure has been on. WBA and Sunderland have tough away games and again they are under pressure and could easily bottle it. Bizarrely, I almost prefer our chances of winning at Millwall after not winning tonight as it lowers expectations (that doesn’t say much for how we cope with pressure mind…). Stranger things have happened! 

[Exiled_Rover]

4 minutes ago, Tugayisgod said:

Off topic a bit but thought Bell today was unrecognisable from the player we bought.

Given much more licence to get forward and caused us plenty of problems, especially 2nd half

I was embarrassed for Hedges when he couldn't stand Bell up when one-on-one. That's grounds for retirement.

[booth]

3 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

They're just honestly not good enough. There's no shame in it as they're trying their hardest (bar Brereton-Diaz), but Mowbray left the cupboard bare. 

Enabled by a CEO with the emotional investment of a lobotomised snail.

Edited May 1, 2023 by booth

[DE.]

5 minutes ago, booth said:

I'm pretty sure Bowyer never had us in the play off positions at any stage. Always just threatening to creep in but never did, which is criminal when you consider the players we had.

We were in 6th for maybe one game under him at some point, that was it though. With that said - not sure if it's better or worse to be in the playoffs for most of the season and then crash out, as opposed to never quite breaking into it. At least with the latter you have lower expectations towards the end.

Closest we got under GB was 13/14 I think. We won our last three games and ended the season unbeaten in 12, winning 5 of our last 7 matches. However we came 8th and finished 2 points below Reading in 6th. I believe that run in is best remembered for the dire 0-0 draw against Yeovil at home, in a match we desperately needed to win. However, even if we had won our GD was significantly inferior to Reading's, so we likely would have missed out on GD anyway. 

Edited May 1, 2023 by DE.

[jim mk2]

4 minutes ago, Tugayisgod said:

Off topic a bit but thought Bell today was unrecognisable from the player we bought.

Given much more licence to get forward and caused us plenty of problems, especially 2nd half

His game has matured at Luton. He showed glimpses of if at Rovers but needed a manager who believed in him. He was outstanding tonight

[BigBar]

We have also been fortunate that it's been one of the lowest points requirements in recent years to secure a playoff place. It's flattering on the outside that we are still involved in the mix.

2016 74 points

2017 80 points

2018 75 points

2019 74 points

2020 70 points

2021 77 points

2022  75 points 

69 points will be enough to secure a spot this season. Makes our collapse look far less drastic to the naked eye.

[Penwortham Blue]

8 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

And he had us 2nd at the World Cup break. Why wasn't he backed with a quality striker on loan? Preston have 3 of them ffs. 

We'd be comfortably in the playoffs, if not pushing for automatics, with a goal scorer. 

Spot on

[AllRoverAsia]

Just now, Gamst said:

I must say I’m slightly surprised that my emotions are so incongruous with others on here as I’m usually fairly negative, but  with 5 mins to go we were out of it and now we have a chance. Perversely, I think our chances are slightly less slim than they look…due to the weight of expectation I think the pressure is on Millwall and they’ve struggled at home recently when the pressure has been on. WBA and Sunderland have tough away games and again they are under pressure and could easily bottle it. Bizarrely, I almost prefer our chances of winning at Millwall after not winning tonight as it lowers expectations (that doesn’t say much for how we cope with pressure mind…). Stranger things have happened! 

I agree. We can beat Millwall and Preston and Swansea are capable of at least a draw at home in their final games.

[roverandout]

1 hour ago, Gav said:

My expectations didn't include a tremendous FA Cup run that brought some pride and passion back to club and town or a league finish above 14th, Sammie Szmodics or Dom Hyam.

How about yours?

An fa cup run that ended him fucking it up.  We have ultimately achieved nothing.  Jdt has proven he can't win key matches or see out matches. I like him and I really want him to succeed and I'm probably going to give him one more season but let's not pretend this has been some swashbuckling season where we've swept aside all before us.  We barely score. We play turgid sideways football.  He has given youth a chance, fair play.  And it's not all his fault. That cnut Broughton fucked January up.  Jdt took cup games seriously, Mowbray didn't, that's been the only difference 

Edited May 1, 2023 by roverandout

[Exiled_Rover]

3 minutes ago, Gamst said:

I must say I’m slightly surprised that my emotions are so incongruous with others on here as I’m usually fairly negative, but  with 5 mins to go we were out of it and now we have a chance. Perversely, I think our chances are slightly less slim than they look…due to the weight of expectation I think the pressure is on Millwall and they’ve struggled at home recently when the pressure has been on. WBA and Sunderland have tough away games and again they are under pressure and could easily bottle it. Bizarrely, I almost prefer our chances of winning at Millwall after not winning tonight as it lowers expectations (that doesn’t say much for how we cope with pressure mind…). Stranger things have happened! 

Honestly, it's over - the players looked absolutely gutted on the lap of honour. They clearly didn't want to come out. 

[Penwortham Blue]

6 minutes ago, booth said:

I'm pretty sure Bowyer never had us in the play off positions at any stage. Always just threatening to creep in but never did, which is criminal when you consider the players we had.

Think we had a chance last match of season, we won but I think Reading took the place with a win, at Doncaster I think.