v Leicester City (a) - 1/11/25

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

23 minutes ago, Ossydave said:

Some of his crosses are dreadful - not knocking him one but, I'm a massive fan, but they are.  I would say Brittain edges it on crossing ability, but for me Alebiosu is a better all round player - his pace is a defenders cheat code.

Don’t forget that excellent bit of fullback play when he put a great block on a goal bound shot very early on. He didn’t dive in to the tackle but he stood off his opponent slightly to give himself some reaction time. The lad’s a game changer.

[Tomphil2]

48 minutes ago, Herbie6590 said:

Toth’s save turned the match

As he did at Hull in that invaluable win.

The difference between a good keeper and an average one is massive to us.

[Mattyblue]

Yep, a cast iron rule of football, another lesson this regime has ignored for a decade.

[KentExile]

12 minutes ago, Tomphil2 said:

As he did at Hull in that invaluable win.

The difference between a good keeper and an average one is massive to us.

And a difference that those in charge will find out again either in January or next summer, when the inevitable sale of the player who will by then be known as "Greedy Greedy Toth" comes back to bite us on the behind

[Tugayisgod]

3 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

We need to sign another right back/right wing back in January 

Spot on, Alebiosu is probably the most important player in the side with this current system. If he gets injured we have nobody who can play that role. Duru would have been the obvious choice but of course that is our of the window (at least for the moment). 

If Ismael doesn't fancy Duru then we definitely need cover at rwb in January 

[Tomphil2]

36 minutes ago, KentExile said:

And a difference that those in charge will find out again either in January or next summer, when the inevitable sale of the player who will by then be known as "Greedy Greedy Toth" comes back to bite us on the behind

Yep keeper and right back will be paying for next years running costs.

[KentExile]

6 minutes ago, Tomphil2 said:

Yep keeper and right back will be paying for next years running costs.

Possibly add Cantwell to that too, as no chance he is signing a new contract either

Edited 7 hours ago by KentExile

[roversfan99]

3 hours ago, arbitro said:

Bloody hell mate just enjoy the fact we have had a really good win, a win very few of us expected. The performance was of a high standard yet within a few hours you are decimating the squad.

Football can be enjoyed sometimes you know.

I did enjoy the win. I commented as such soon after the game that it was a good win and overall a good performance. A few players in particular I really praised. Notably Gudjohnsen who I felt was a different player yesterday.

The post you quoted was off the back of a discussion about the squad. The team we played yesterday is competitive. The issues I forsee down the line come when you peel beyond that team as the fixtures pile up, has been the case before for us and will likely happen again.

I can have these thoughts on the squad whilst still enjoying the win, the post you quoted wasnt my immediate takeaway from the game.

Edited 7 hours ago by roversfan99

[roversfan99]

3 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Why doesn't the 3 players in defence convince you? 

Miller is looking a good player and suited to his current role. 

McLoughlin looks comfortable at left centre back and solid..

Wharton is probably best suited to the centre role.

The back 3 is suiting the players, better organised and picked 6 points from 2 ganes despite my overall preference being 4-2-3-1 which I think the squad is more suited and what we signed players for. 

Why? His he is injury prone? 

Cos the squad was build to play 4-2-3-1. Ismael has changed to back 3 and that's seen better performances but also back to back wins. 

I think his performances have overall good and puts in a proper shift every game 

Work in progress I guess and like I say Yesterday performance wasnt perfect as with better passes or better finishing we could have won by more 

The squad definitely was built for a 4231 rather than a back 3 so some issues in terms of the squad build relate to a squad built for a different formation, and some are just poor recruitment.

I dont see that back 3/4 keeping clean sheets like last seasons back 4 did, purely on quality. But yes, Carter is beyond just injury prone. Our issues of cover in this position are mainly because we sold Hyam and simply didnt replace him. If we had kept him then we would have a bit of cover and more balance and quality there. We also signed 2 right backs, one is an excellent wing back, one is needed in the middle. We need a right wing back and at least one if not two centre backs.

In midfield, the issues relate to who we signed as we would be playing 2 midfielders either way. Tavares has been very poor, Baradji is a waste of time. TGH is a certain downgrade on Travis, I think hes a useful player to have, would be a good squad player. But the issue in this position is whats beyond the main 2.

Up front, we expected to play one up front, now we play 2 we have no cover. Thats definitely just a result of building a squad for one formation and then changing.

We do have players in Ribeiro and Pickering who dont fit into the current formation which youd expect, if you build a squad for one formation then change to another, you will have the odd player that falls through the cracks.

So in regards to issue with depth. Defence is down to selling a key player and pocketing the money. Midfield is down to poor recruitment. Up front down to the formation change.

 

 

[roversfan99]

9 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

RB is the big problem position - should have kept hold of Duru.

Tyjon has a better chance of getting game time if we employ a front 2. Obviously Gueye should play more too. 

Gueye should not play more. 

[joey_big_nose]

14 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I wouldn’t say he has a better crosser than Brittain. That was the real strong point in Brittain’s game. However Alebioso is better in every other regard. Could you see Brittain having the pace and strength to create our second goal ?

Brittain also had an incredible first touch at this level. Better than a lot of Premier League players.

But he couldnt beat players on the outside through sheer pace and power like Alebiouso and (to a lesser extent) De Neve and that is the most powerful thing as a wing back as it turns their entire defence. Also means they can recover to help out the defence in a way Brittain didnt have the pace for.

I would definitely choose Alebiouso over Brittain now. I still have seen a full back who can manage him, whereas a decent amount of teams could shut Brittain down.

[roversfan99]

I still think Brittain across the whole of last season was excellent. Hes as good as youll get at this level. Technically very good, more refined that Alebiosu, was obviously a big threat in attack, had really improved defensively too.

I wouldnt expect any replacement at a fraction of the price to instantly be at that level. I dont think Alebiosu has gone beyond the level that Brittain consistently showed last season. But I feel like hes as good as you could reasonably expect such a replacement to be and he still has room to grow. A really good addition.

[joey_big_nose]

2 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Gueye should not play more. 

We will have to play him quite a bit in the next few months just due to the volume of games.

We need to figure out how to fit him into this system. With the two up front and a number 10 in behind I reckon we could get some use out of him.

 

[London blue]

1 hour ago, Tugayisgod said:

Spot on, Alebiosu is probably the most important player in the side with this current system. If he gets injured we have nobody who can play that role. Duru would have been the obvious choice but of course that is our of the window (at least for the moment). 

If Ismael doesn't fancy Duru then we definitely need cover at rwb in January 

I can't help but feel watching Duru play that role when we've gotten used to Alebiosu will be a shock to the system.

[roversfan99]

Just now, joey_big_nose said:

We will have to play him quite a bit in the next few months just due to the volume of games.

We need to figure out how to fit him into this system. With the two up front and a number 10 in behind I reckon we could get some use out of him.

 

That will be a worry if he has to play. He is nowhere near good enough and there is no use to him.

I suggested yesterday as a somewhat desperate measure, just to provide cover now we have changed formation. To maybe sign Bamford on a short term contract just to give us some cover now we play 2 up instead of 1.

Alternatively, we would maybe rejig it to play 1 up front if either Ohashi or Gudjohnsen couldnt play or needed a break, with 2 inbehind.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

16 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

We will have to play him quite a bit in the next few months just due to the volume of games.

We need to figure out how to fit him into this system. With the two up front and a number 10 in behind I reckon we could get some use out of him.

 

He nearly scored what would have been a great goal yesterday. If the pass from Gudjohnsen had have been anything like half decent he would have been in a one on one. Gudjohnsen is like lots of strikers, they only lend you the ball.

Edited 6 hours ago by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

42 minutes ago, London blue said:

I can't help but feel watching Duru play that role when we've gotten used to Alebiosu will be a shock to the system.

He’ll definitely be a downgrade. Not as big, not as strong, not as fast.

[arbitro]

3 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Of course ‘99 doesn’t have ‘an agenda’, apart from wanting the best for the club, so surprised at that comment.

He’s obviously a passionate Rovers fan or he wouldn’t be spending so much time on here (like the rest of us)

Just enjoy the win then.

[Mattyblue]

Just now, arbitro said:

Just enjoy the win then.

Didn’t he?

[arbitro]

1 minute ago, Mattyblue said:

Didn’t he?

I hadn't seen his earlier post where he said he did. So I accept he did it that's what he posted.

[USABlue]

3 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Don’t forget that excellent bit of fullback play when he put a great block on a goal bound shot very early on. He didn’t dive in to the tackle but he stood off his opponent slightly to give himself some reaction time. The lad’s a game changer.

I do not think Brittain holds off the challenge, beats the man and gets in that cross, he fails at the challenge IMHO.  Like this lad, still got some rough edges but he is the best of our summer signings to date.

[Herbie6590]

Your BRFCS POTM is Balazs Toth...⚪🔵 🧤

[briansol]

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

The squad definitely was built for a 4231 rather than a back 3 so some issues in terms of the squad build relate to a squad built for a different formation, and some are just poor recruitment.

I dont see that back 3/4 keeping clean sheets like last seasons back 4 did, purely on quality. But yes, Carter is beyond just injury prone. Our issues of cover in this position are mainly because we sold Hyam and simply didnt replace him. If we had kept him then we would have a bit of cover and more balance and quality there. We also signed 2 right backs, one is an excellent wing back, one is needed in the middle. We need a right wing back and at least one if not two centre backs.

In midfield, the issues relate to who we signed as we would be playing 2 midfielders either way. Tavares has been very poor, Baradji is a waste of time. TGH is a certain downgrade on Travis, I think hes a useful player to have, would be a good squad player. But the issue in this position is whats beyond the main 2.

Up front, we expected to play one up front, now we play 2 we have no cover. Thats definitely just a result of building a squad for one formation and then changing.

We do have players in Ribeiro and Pickering who dont fit into the current formation which youd expect, if you build a squad for one formation then change to another, you will have the odd player that falls through the cracks.

So in regards to issue with depth. Defence is down to selling a key player and pocketing the money. Midfield is down to poor recruitment. Up front down to the formation change.

 

 

Some fair points, though I would probably say the squad is somewhat unbalanced for both formations. The 3-5-2 works well with current fit core group, but as you rightly point out the coverage is thin or leave players unsuited (Pickering/Ribeiro). Lewis Miller's best position is probably right of a three, also according to the Hibs fans and where he played the last part of his spell there.

On the other hand, the 4-2-3-1 had bigger problems with the current squad. Especially in the winger positions which is very weak. There has been a large improvement in wing-play with Alebiosu and the De Neve/Hedges combo. We don't have a good focal point for the lone striker role, which has been somewhat offset with the two striker combo of Ohashi and Gudji. 

Coverage in all central positions looks in general very limited in numbers or ability. 

The Baradji case is strange, Rudy and Ismael must really have a lot of faith in him. They knew he was injured and would take a lot of time. In addition Rudy admitted he didn't quite fit the new transfer profile when it comes to speaking English. 

On the positive side, several players have made positive strides  from what looked like a relegation squad:

Toth - Hugh upgrade from Pears, game-winning saves and yet to make a big fumble (as far as I can recall)

Alebiosu - Biggest positive so far. Paid peanuts, had a poor CV and was behind on match-fitness. Have replaced one of the best Championship right-back and many will claim he might even be better. 

Wharton - Brought much needed leadership and the central position suits him better in avoid being caught out for pace.

Miller - Looks much better suited for a back three and seemed to have much better decision making and less rashness.

De Neve - Probably the biggest turn-around from the first matches. Didn't expect him to play again and be shipped off, but has really stepped up as a capable wing-back. Which was probably his best position anyway. Somewhat limited but I love the endless energy and full pace both offensive and defensively. Also seem capable of putting in a cross while running at pace a bit like Wilcox.

Hedges - New lease of life as a wing-back. Strange that he's been a forward/winger when his obvious attributes is much more suited a more defensive role like wing-back/full-back.

Gudhjonson - Unlike Gueye, clearly has a football brain. Was unsure if he had many goals in him as his first outings was spent outside the box and rarely getting into the right positions. Latest matches has shown a predatory side which looks very promisinig.

Montgomery - Two positive contributions from the bench. Probably the only option from the midfield that can drive forward with the ball. There is an argument for him learning on the job with his lack of experience, but for now he looks the third best option of the players available. 

Negative:

Trondstad - Has looked off a couple of games. Haven't been his usual consistent self, but still too important to get dropped.

Morishata - Can clearly see there is a ball player there, but going to need time to adapt to the pace and physicality. Had hoped it would be an easier transition coming fully-fit and European experience.

 

 

[roversfan99]

24 minutes ago, briansol said:

Some fair points, though I would probably say the squad is somewhat unbalanced for both formations. The 3-5-2 works well with current fit core group, but as you rightly point out the coverage is thin or leave players unsuited (Pickering/Ribeiro). Lewis Miller's best position is probably right of a three, also according to the Hibs fans and where he played the last part of his spell there.

On the other hand, the 4-2-3-1 had bigger problems with the current squad. Especially in the winger positions which is very weak. There has been a large improvement in wing-play with Alebiosu and the De Neve/Hedges combo. We don't have a good focal point for the lone striker role, which has been somewhat offset with the two striker combo of Ohashi and Gudji. 

Coverage in all central positions looks in general very limited in numbers or ability. 

The Baradji case is strange, Rudy and Ismael must really have a lot of faith in him. They knew he was injured and would take a lot of time. In addition Rudy admitted he didn't quite fit the new transfer profile when it comes to speaking English. 

On the positive side, several players have made positive strides  from what looked like a relegation squad:

Toth - Hugh upgrade from Pears, game-winning saves and yet to make a big fumble (as far as I can recall)

Alebiosu - Biggest positive so far. Paid peanuts, had a poor CV and was behind on match-fitness. Have replaced one of the best Championship right-back and many will claim he might even be better. 

Wharton - Brought much needed leadership and the central position suits him better in avoid being caught out for pace.

Miller - Looks much better suited for a back three and seemed to have much better decision making and less rashness.

De Neve - Probably the biggest turn-around from the first matches. Didn't expect him to play again and be shipped off, but has really stepped up as a capable wing-back. Which was probably his best position anyway. Somewhat limited but I love the endless energy and full pace both offensive and defensively. Also seem capable of putting in a cross while running at pace a bit like Wilcox.

Hedges - New lease of life as a wing-back. Strange that he's been a forward/winger when his obvious attributes is much more suited a more defensive role like wing-back/full-back.

Gudhjonson - Unlike Gueye, clearly has a football brain. Was unsure if he had many goals in him as his first outings was spent outside the box and rarely getting into the right positions. Latest matches has shown a predatory side which looks very promisinig.

Montgomery - Two positive contributions from the bench. Probably the only option from the midfield that can drive forward with the ball. There is an argument for him learning on the job with his lack of experience, but for now he looks the third best option of the players available. 

Negative:

Trondstad - Has looked off a couple of games. Haven't been his usual consistent self, but still too important to get dropped.

Morishata - Can clearly see there is a ball player there, but going to need time to adapt to the pace and physicality. Had hoped it would be an easier transition coming fully-fit and European experience.

 

 

The squad is definitely lacking in players for either formation, I would agree there.

At centre back, we knew we had left ourselves massively short either way when we let Hyam go and didnt replace him. I am not as convinced that Wharton is best suited centrally, he has always had a mistake in him so I think if he was competing for the left hand side, as he is particularly left footed, at least he would have someone to help cover in the middle. Had we kept Hyam, we would look much more balanced and well covered.

Some of the issues for either formation are just down to poor recruitment. If Gueye was even competent, we would at least have some depth up front. Kargbo doesnt fit this formation but he has been poor and is again out long term so theres no need to consider him. I think we are light of quality in midfield too but we shouldnt be having signed 3. One is average (TGH) one has looked terrible (Tavares) and one we signed knowingly with a bad injury (Baradji). We look really thin in quality there with the main 2 close to a suspension.

Morishita was seemingly signed as a winger but the change means that we technically have 3 players in him, Henriksson and Cantwell for one position. However, the first 2 have struggled so far.

Hedges and De Neve definitely suit the new formation and Alebiosu has been freed up by it.

[chaddyrovers]

2 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

The squad definitely was built for a 4231 rather than a back 3 so some issues in terms of the squad build relate to a squad built for a different formation, and some are just poor recruitment.

Ismael had to change tactics and formation in order to get results. That's clearly the right thing to do

2 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

I dont see that back 3/4 keeping clean sheets like last seasons back 4 did, purely on quality. But yes, Carter is beyond just injury prone. Our issues of cover in this position are mainly because we sold Hyam and simply didnt replace him. If we had kept him then we would have a bit of cover and more balance and quality there. We also signed 2 right backs, one is an excellent wing back, one is needed in the middle. We need a right wing back and at least one if not two centre backs.

The team is different to last season, playing a different way and different player. don't get this obsession of your comparing to last season team. in the first 12 games of this season to last, its more to last season team. Hardly ground breaking is it. Maybe move on with that point. 

Yes we need a Hyam's replacement in the last window and I hope we bring one in or recall Connor O'Riordan back to the squad. That's give us 5 which is more than enough. 

2 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

In midfield, the issues relate to who we signed as we would be playing 2 midfielders either way. Tavares has been very poor, Baradji is a waste of time. TGH is a certain downgrade on Travis, I think hes a useful player to have, would be a good squad player. But the issue in this position is whats beyond the main 2.

I don't your points on Baradji or TGH to be honest. its pointless comparing to Travis. Travis wanted out and he gone. Tavares has been disappointed so far 

2 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Up front, we expected to play one up front, now we play 2 we have no cover. Thats definitely just a result of building a squad for one formation and then changing.

yes we need another striker in as discuss previously