v Stoke City (h) - 4/10/25, k/o 12:30pm

[USABlue]

10 hours ago, superniko said:

Hmmm pushed a few straight back into the box today - just that Stoke don’t really have a striker with instinct

Agree, that I think he’s a decent keeper though, and clearly better than Calamity 

So there was no danger then? did not lead to a goal like so many of Ainsleys did.  Not the finished article but better than Pears by some way 

[DaveyB]

Not a bad result to say that we played the first half with 9 men, Gudjohnsen & Morishita were completely anonymous and ineffective (tbh that’s probably being generous to TGH, so it was actually more like 8.5 men)

I was sat throughout the first half thinking that, if this is the way that the manager wants us to play - long balls into (and more often than not, over) the front man, then Gueye would be a much better option than either Gudjohnsen or Yuki - I don’t understand why he’s not been given a chance.

And, if I was Cantwell I’d be banging down my agent’s door demanding he get me out of here - he is so far above the rest of the team it’s almost laughable. And I’m not convinced that it’s that he’s improved massively from last season, I think it’s more that the rest of the squad has just got so much worse. 

Unfortunately I can’t see anything other than us going down with a whimper this season. I was talking with some dingle mates tonight and I think the only interest this season, for any of us, is which of us gets a lower points total in our respective leagues. 

[USABlue]

10 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Completely disagree there.

Properly run we're no less attractive a proposition than any other non parachute team trying to get into the PL They're all a licence to lose shitloads of money.

We should be a good proposition, been there done that and were holding our own in the top league until these pretenders came along.  Should show any potential owner what we are capable if under good stewardship it's just these idiots will never sell.  Their exit strategy is to manage us down till there is no club left to own.  Another Bury?

[USABlue]

7 hours ago, Tomphil2 said:

He's having a mare so far but must have something about scoring goals at International level for a minnow team.

We need to be careful here and remember George Hirst once he found his feet at Ipswich.

So far though this lad looks worse than Telavic.

We missed a trick not starting him immediately after his first two sub appearances, he looked sharp and high on confidence seems to have ebbed with the wait.

[Ghost7]

47 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Your point was about backing him, getting behind him and not getting on his back.

Even if you disagree with the opinion you shared or other opinions, it doesnt mean that the poster or indeed anyone doesnt back him when he puts on the shirt.

 

I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve here? Fans (in the ground and on here) are already on his back after about a game and a half. I heard someone insist he was a dud 30 minutes in. Spreading negativity about a player when they've hardly seen them play isn't backing them - neither is writing insulting comments online like we've seen tonight.

Some of the reactions to Gudjohnsen are irrational, too soon and are well beyond being critical, so I'm glad the people making them aren't anywhere near the training ground.

My only real point was we're guilty of trying to judge players too soon... it's a fair and reasonable point. Certainly feels it since some are already ruling him out.

Szmodics should be enough to make everyone think twice. Brereton too.

[USABlue]

7 hours ago, M_B said:

I said the same, looked a strange one but haven't seen it back.

 

Was a difficult one for sure, he was also in oerfect oosition tonscore but the cross in to him was dog shit and he could not get there a yard and a half further back and he's on the scoresheet.

[USABlue]

5 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

allibiouso.cantwell and toth will all be attracting suitors in january,cantwell especially looks a class apart this season,no doubt  the ghastly duo are already planning the annual january destruction

I think they will hang a for sale sign round Whartons neck too.  Hence the contract bump and slow comeback.

[USABlue]

What irritated me today and leads me to believe we are just not very football savvy and that our leaders aren't too clever.  We had 4ft 9 attackers up against 6ft 15 behemoths in Stokes middle defence.  So knowing this what do we do?  Send in high looping balls to the middle, just meat and drink for Stoke allows them time too.  Surely low or lowish and hard is the way to go preferably in an area that has the defenders turning tontheir goal. Similar to the cross that was just too far ahead of Gudjohnsen so he was not able to get to.  That ilk of cross.  These are the types of crosses that give big defenders fits and allow drop downs, force mistakes and 2nd balls for our lil demons to get on to.  This should not be hard but it is alien to our lot.  Someone mention the same about Millers throws, yes, without BigMac we just can not win those high arcing balls.

Edited 4 hours ago by USABlue

[joey_big_nose]

37 minutes ago, DaveyB said:

Not a bad result to say that we played the first half with 9 men, Gudjohnsen & Morishita were completely anonymous and ineffective (tbh that’s probably being generous to TGH, so it was actually more like 8.5 men)

I was sat throughout the first half thinking that, if this is the way that the manager wants us to play - long balls into (and more often than not, over) the front man, then Gueye would be a much better option than either Gudjohnsen or Yuki - I don’t understand why he’s not been given a chance.

And, if I was Cantwell I’d be banging down my agent’s door demanding he get me out of here - he is so far above the rest of the team it’s almost laughable. And I’m not convinced that it’s that he’s improved massively from last season, I think it’s more that the rest of the squad has just got so much worse. 

Unfortunately I can’t see anything other than us going down with a whimper this season. I was talking with some dingle mates tonight and I think the only interest this season, for any of us, is which of us gets a lower points total in our respective leagues. 

I've been impressed with how Cantwell has got more engaged and comitted as the situation at Rovers got more difficult. The opposite to what I expected. But maybe he is a player who is inspired by trying to dig the team out of a hole. 

He doesn't look like a player who is looking to get out. Part of that he probably knows he's crashed out of several clubs now so needs to redeem himself to some extent to get his career to move forward. 

Some of his close control and passing today was really top drawer. I could take or leave him last year, but this year he looks very very good. 

On why Gueye hasn't been given a chance - my guess is Gueye is not a good at sticking to a managers tactical instructions (particularly pressing), in terrible form and is demotivated and difficult to work with. Understandably this really doesn't work for Ismael who therefore won't play him and would rather swap him out of the club for someone who does what he wants, and they tried in the summer. That didn't come to fruition so Gueye is hanging around.

What is obvious if we are going to get anything out of Gueye we are going to have to adapt the system to him a bit. I don't think Ismael is the sort of guy who has that flexibility unfortunately imo. He's more "my way or the high way".... So expect him to get a few minutes here or there and then leave in January. 

Shame as I reckon the right sort of manager would get a lot out of him. Big Sam for one. Would get him motivated, find the right way to use his physical dominance etc.

Edited 4 hours ago by joey_big_nose

[roversfan99]

54 minutes ago, Ghost7 said:

 

I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve here? Fans (in the ground and on here) are already on his back after about a game and a half. I heard someone insist he was a dud 30 minutes in. Spreading negativity about a player when they've hardly seen them play isn't backing them - neither is writing insulting comments online like we've seen tonight.

Some of the reactions to Gudjohnsen are irrational, too soon and are well beyond being critical, so I'm glad the people making them aren't anywhere near the training ground.

My only real point was we're guilty of trying to judge players too soon... it's a fair and reasonable point. Certainly feels it since some are already ruling him out.

Szmodics should be enough to make everyone think twice. Brereton too.

Commenting on here is the equivalent of chatting to people down the pub. Its a safe space to give opinions as we go, positive or negative, game by game.

The fans in the ground were simply not on his back today, the whole team was backed throughout even at 1 down. Even if you heard people muttering to the person next to them, thats basically on par with on here/down the pub.

If you think the opinions you quoted are wrong, or irrational, then fine. If you think people should totally withold opinion until the player has been here for a period of time, again thats fine, although that only seems to work one way, as if a player starts well, take Alebiosu, you dont get people shutting them down by saying hold off, he might turn out to be rubbish in time. 

But none of the above means that the players wont be backed in the ground. Im not having that Gudjohnsen hasnt been backed in the ground. The aspect of your opinions that I dont agree with is that he isnt being backed. He is, and even if people criticise him either on here, down the pub or even muttering to the person next to him, thats not the same.

Ive never seen the problem with discussing a player no matter how early he is into his time here, good or bad. Its ultimately based on first impressions. Take Miroshita, his performance v Watford in his first start got widespread praise, hes been invisible since. Sometimes a first impression will be wrong, thats fine, but it doesnt mean people shouldnt give them, IMO.

 

[philipl]

Not seen it except the 2 minutes highlights which suggest Toth made decent saves and directed the ball away from trouble. He would have saved the goal looking at how he had come out to block except for the looped deflection.

Robbins seems to think Stoke were at serious risk of losing that game. They would have been nicely tucked in behind the top 3 had they held on.

I was very impressed by Gudjonsson at Watford. Thought he was going to be on a level with Cantwell on that performance.

Good to read Miller, de Neve and Kargbo played well while on the pitch. Kargbo could easily have fluffed his goal and kept his cool giving the Stoke defence and keeper no chance with his placement.

Given the overwhelmingly negative sentiment on here and lack of mention of his name, I take it McLoughin must have been pretty decent...

Pitch looked great despite having been submerged by the River Darwen and suffered a biblical storm in the previous 24 hours.

Edited 2 hours ago by philipl

[RevidgeBlue]

4 hours ago, USABlue said:

So there was no danger then? did not lead to a goal like so many of Ainsleys did.  Not the finished article but better than Pears by some way 

Come off it - Toth didnt know there wasn't going to be any danger before he patted the ball out.

[RevidgeBlue]

6 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Look at my original point Rev. I said we spent around 10m which including reinvesting of money from sales given the original budget was 5m

You're playing with words to make it sound like we spent a lot of money in the last window chaddy.

We didnt "spend £10m" we ended up with a net surplus of £1 - £2m.

I accept that was still better than what we all expected ie. the top earners would be sold and no money spent at all but we have still sold our higher earners and Alebiosu apart bought in Inferior players on lower wages.

[lraC]

6 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Look at my original point Rev. I said we spent around 10m which including reinvesting of money from sales given the original budget was 5m

I didn’t realise we have spent as much as that and thought, much of the business in was  undisclosed .

Genuine question, is this based on assumptions or do we know for sure what We paid for each new signing?