v Millwall (a) - Monday 8th May

[booth]

44 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

He left us with no strikers. He also had nothing to do with the development of Carter, Joe Rankin-Costello and Adam Wharton who have all come to the fore this season and been key contributors. 

I have nothing but disdain for the man.

Left us with no strikers which is a key reason why his juggernaut overtook us. If only he had a braincell to rub together it'd be a masterstroke.

[R0verb0y]

After the roller coaster ride which was listening to the Radio commentary on today's match, I'm now buzzing for the middle of next month: when the new fixtures will come out; and for news of what signings up front Gregg has managed to identify to fit in with what JDT requires to provide more of a consistent threat in next season's Championship.

[tomphil]

Don't come on here blowing Mowbrays trumpet, not today.

[booth]

9 minutes ago, SAFCfaninpeace said:

Believe you me this has nowt to do with Alex Neil. We’ve improved 10-fold under Mowbray. Having a young, hungry squad has suited him down to the ground and it’s produced the best footie I’ve seen us play for over a decade. 
 

If we had a striker for more than 15 games and had our CBs fit this team would have finished at least 2nd imo. Injuries have hampered us no end

It's when he builds his own team you should worry. He left us with no decent centre forwards. In January 2022 he stated that a big centre forward wouldn't run the channels. That's the kind of manager you have to look forward to.

"If we had a striker for 15 games." 1 game would have done us, take your pick from any of the Preston, Burnley or Coventry games (Burnley would have been good). We'd be in the play offs now.

[WacoRover]

I was working, so I missed our 2nd & 3rd goals. But Brereton’s final goal, I got to see when it happened. Masterful.

I can’t wait for next season to begin. Yes, we need 3 or 4 better players coming into the squad, but, to be in or near the playoff places for so long, with the personnel on the pitch, makes me conclude Tomasson knows what he is doing. 

Such a young squad- particularly if Brereton, Ayala & Dack all leave. I eagerly anticipate the future of Rovers. 

[Parsonblue]

Despite missing out on the play-offs today was all you could ask from a game of football in terms of emotion.  At half-time we looked completely down and out.  Two substitutions later - the key being moving JRC to midfield - and we looked a different team.  The football in that second-half was some of the best we've played in a long while.  Diaz - after months on the missing list - returned to his best in terms of finishing.  In midfield JRC drove the team forward and young Wharton looked the class act that he is.

If only we had played like this on any one of the recent games that we've let slip away - but what's gone is gone and we can only look to next season.  Everything will depend on the right recruitment - whoever the manager/head coach may be - and that, as we've seen this season, is difficult on a shoestring budget.

If we couldn't get into the play-offs then I had hoped Sunderland would so am pleased for Tony Mowbray that they got there.  However, I think Middlesbrough will be the team to beat as they look a more than decent all round side.

 

[booth]

3 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Why? 

His goalscoring record is poor.

[Exiled in Toronto Mk2]

Quite the game, can’t beat coming back from two down to win, happens very rarely.

As to next season, I’m not too bothered which keeper we retain, I like Brittain, Phillips as the 3rd centre back plus ANO, replace Pickering if we can but low priority. Personally I love a midfield 3 of Wharton, Bucko and JRC, with Garrett backing up. Then we need two strikers, good ones, so an inspired lower league find and a top 6 loanee. Sammy in behind them with Dolan and Hedges on the bench.

Edited May 8, 2023 by Exiled in Toronto Mk2

[Upside Down]

1 hour ago, Penwortham Blue said:

Where’s VAR when needed. Put simply, our play place was unfairly taken by Coventry’s cheating goalkeeper.

Bollocks to that. The ball should have been nowhere near our goal at that stage of the game.

Then we did the same thing the week after. Unbelievable. 

Next season we need to put these shit teams to the sword.

[Exiled_Rover]

1 hour ago, SAFCfaninpeace said:

Believe you me this has nowt to do with Alex Neil. We’ve improved 10-fold under Mowbray. Having a young, hungry squad has suited him down to the ground and it’s produced the best footie I’ve seen us play for over a decade. 
 

If we had a striker for more than 15 games and had our CBs fit this team would have finished at least 2nd imo. Injuries have hampered us no end

Go home, you're drunk.

[Exiled_Rover]

34 minutes ago, Exiled in Toronto Mk2 said:

Quite the game, can’t beat coming back from two down to win, happens very rarely.

As to next season, I’m not too bothered which keeper we retain, I like Brittain, Phillips as the 3rd centre back plus ANO, replace Pickering if we can but low priority. Personally I love a midfield 3 of Wharton, Bucko and JRC, with Garrett backing up. Then we need two strikers, good ones, so an inspired lower league find and a top 6 loanee. Sammy in behind them with Dolan and Hedges on the bench.

The last time we did it was 2005.

[sympatheticclaret]

5 hours ago, Sparks Rover said:

Not sure how old he is but Oliver Norwood would probably  be available...that type to let AW play

Ah, he's 32

Not entirely sure how a lad born and brought up in Burnley, who attended St Theodores RC High School a few years behind both my son and Jimmy Anderson, would feel about pulling on the Blue and White halves ...

[bluebruce]

2 hours ago, Bethnal said:

Can anyone shed any light on the “Travis sacked at half time” thing from much earlier? Just an observation or actually something in it?

Someone said he should be sacked at half time. That's all, nothing to read into.

[bluebruce]

3 hours ago, Aqualung said:

On a side note, I thought the referee had a great game. He certainly had the number on Millwalls cheating diving players giving them nothing. 

 

Including yellow cards. Somehow they only got one.

[lraC]

44 minutes ago, sympatheticclaret said:

Not entirely sure how a lad born and brought up in Burnley, who attended St Theodores RC High School a few years behind both my son and Jimmy Anderson, would feel about pulling on the Blue and White halves ...

He really wouldn’t mind, so long as the money was right. 

[Upside Down]

1 hour ago, sympatheticclaret said:

Not entirely sure how a lad born and brought up in Burnley, who attended St Theodores RC High School a few years behind both my son and Jimmy Anderson, would feel about pulling on the Blue and White halves ...

He'd see it as the highest point of his life.

[sympatheticclaret]

37 minutes ago, lraC said:

He really wouldn’t mind, so long as the money was right. 

I wouldn't be so sure ... here at 4.04 minutes in .. 

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by sympatheticclaret

[bluebruce]

33 minutes ago, sympatheticclaret said:

I wouldn't be so sure ... here at 4.04 minutes in .. 

 

That's not the smoking gun you think it is. He doesn't even describe himself as a Burnley fan, he says they (his friends) are. Most players aren't really fans of anyone, their experience with football is very different to a normal fan's, it's a career. He would come if it was the best move for his career. Not that I'm advocating we sign him, excellent player in this league over the years but getting on now. I'd rather look to the future.

[sympatheticclaret]

2 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

That's not the smoking gun you think it is. He doesn't even describe himself as a Burnley fan, he says they (his friends) are. Most players aren't really fans of anyone, their experience with football is very different to a normal fan's, it's a career. He would come if it was the best move for his career. Not that I'm advocating we sign him, excellent player in this league over the years but getting on now. I'd rather look to the future.

True, I suppose .... we might get Adam Wharton for £3m to replace Josh Cullen for the £15m we've been offered by Leeds/Nottm Forest/Everton, according to Alan Nixon ..

[bluebruce]

21 minutes ago, sympatheticclaret said:

True, I suppose .... we might get Adam Wharton for £3m to replace Josh Cullen for the £15m we've been offered by Leeds/Nottm Forest/Everton, according to Alan Nixon ..

Lol where has Nixon said you might get Adam Wharton for 3 mill? Even he can't be that stupid.

[bluebruce]

4 hours ago, M_B said:

 

It fell short because our recruitment team did a pathetic job, and Sunderland's showed them how to do it. 

The recruitment team headed by the man who used to head our recruitment team, until Mowbray - whilst still our manager - encouraged him to go to Sunderland. He then went on to poach at least one more of our recruitment team.

Fuck Tony Mowbray. Charlatan who even now has some of our fans hoodwinked.

[Upside Down]

3 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

The recruitment team headed by the man who used to head our recruitment team, until Mowbray - whilst still our manager - encouraged him to go to Sunderland. He then went on to poach at least one more of our recruitment team.

Fuck Tony Mowbray. Charlatan who even now has some of our fans hoodwinked.

Tony Mowbray - Dick head. 

[bluebruce]

7 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

Tony Mowbray - Dick head. 

Can't believe one poster above is pleased they made it into the playoffs because of him. Personally, I hope they get dry-bummed in the playoffs and contract a venereal disease. Metaphorically speaking.

[Eddie]

5 hours ago, Armchair supporter supremo said:

In 5 years Mowbray couldn't even get 25% out of JRC than what tommason has got out of him this past few months.

Both jrc & carter would be getting released by the club this summer if Mowbray was still in charge

I think this is the most important point and one of the biggest differences between the two regimes.

No one is going to be able to convince me that these young players would have played as important of a role under Mowbray. Several of them would have been loaned out or frozen out and would be off to join lower-half Championship sides or League One sides this summer.

Then throw in the difference in messaging. JDT was cleary extremely disappointed that we missed out on the playoffs, but still took time to acknowledge the support. Mowbray would have stood there with a frown and told us all how much we had overachieved to even be in the playoff race. 

[Upside Down]

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

I think this is the most important point and one of the biggest differences between the two regimes.

No one is going to be able to convince me that these young players would have played as important of a role under Mowbray. Several of them would have been loaned out or frozen out and would be off to join lower-half Championship sides or League One sides this summer.

Then throw in the difference in messaging. JDT was cleary extremely disappointed that we missed out on the playoffs, but still took time to acknowledge the support. Mowbray would have stood there with a frown and told us all how much we had overachieved to even be in the playoff race. 

Yes then he'd have come out with some insulting bullshit belittling the club and fans.

One poster on here a couple of weeks ago nailed it I think. Mowbray lets the players rule the roost so when times are good and confidence is high the team will do well. We saw that last season. However, when things start to go wrong he doesn't know what the fuck to do and therefore it leads to his famous death spirals. This is why he failed to prevent relegation to league one. This is why he failed to even get us into the playoffs.

There is a lot more belief and positivity at Sunderland. They've just come up, had a good start and most importantly, haven't had venkys come and rip the place apart. We'll see how good he is next season when the buzz runs out and the players start to look for some sort of leadership from him. Also they don't have anywhere near as many derby games as us and we all know how Mowbray used to love bottling it when they came around. 

When he left we had fuck all of a squad left. JDT has done a good job with what he's been given and has shown more respect to this club in five minutes than that dick head did in five years.