v Portsmouth (a) - 13/12/25

[rigger]

4 hours ago, RoversTilliDie said:

I've changed my mind, I'll be at the Millwall game, next home game. I said I wasn't going again, after the disappointing Oxford game. It's in the blood, Rovers till I die.

So you stuck by your convictions, for two days.

[JCRovers]

4 hours ago, davulsukur said:

Ismael has got a slight problem on his hands now, as he's already praised the impact of Cantwell and has recently been signing the praises of Mori. He's probably going to have to try and accommodate both of them. If Cantwell is fit to start (don't see why he wouldn't be now), how will he line up so get them both on the pitch?

---------------Pears

-----Miller--McLoughlin--Pratt

Alebiosu----------------------Ribeiro

--------Tronstad---Cantwell

---------------Mori

------Gudjohnsen--Ohashi

I think that's what he'll end up doing.

That lineup is unbalanced in central midfield and Ribeiro is unable to cover an entire flank on his own, as shown in the last few matches where Ismael has changed his position in-game from wing-back to left center back. 

Sorry to say this but Ismael is more or less forced to make a formation switch here to make it work somewhat with Hedges out injured. Either Ohashi drops to become a secondary striker behind Gudjohnsen or Cantwell starts. Central midfield is a f*ing mess right now; risky to start Baradji as well due to lack of match fitness but I would give him at least 45-60 minutes here if he can manage it. Tronstad will probably not be able to play more than 30 minutes or so.

4-2-3-1    

                   Pears

Alebiosu  Miller  McLoughlin   Ribeiro

               Baradji    TGH

Morishita      Ohashi         De Neve

                Gudjohnsen

Subs: Cantwell, Tronstad, Tavares

In possession (final third): 3-2-5 with Alebiosu moving forward, Morishita cutting inside from the wing and Ribeiro staying in a back three.

Out of possession: perhaps a standard 4-4-2 with Ohashi leading the press with Gudjohnsen?

 

 

Edited 15 hours ago by JCRovers

[Elrovers]

Alebiosu has made it to the final squad for Nigeria. Will be a big miss in this busy period. I pray to god that Nigeria don’t go through to the knockouts

[davulsukur]

23 minutes ago, Elrovers said:

Alebiosu has made it to the final squad for Nigeria. Will be a big miss in this busy period. I pray to god that Nigeria don’t go through to the knockouts

Confirmed now by the club.

[NeilInBristol]

7 hours ago, Elrovers said:

Alebiosu has made it to the final squad for Nigeria. Will be a big miss in this busy period. I pray to god that Nigeria don’t go through to the knockouts

That’s good for him

avoid the chaos and carnage that ensews the club

he’ll be sold soon enough, sadly

[MarkBRFC]

15 hours ago, islander200 said:

You said Preston would bully us over the pitch aswell

Trying to predict how games will go in the championship is nigh on impossible

Our recent form isn't bad considering the injury issues we have,  our last 9 games 4 wins 3 draws and 2 defeats 

Seeing the squad at the start of the season I expected us to be in the bottom 3 most the season and eventually get relegated.I think we have done alright certainly recently not to be thinking we are going to get beat in every game. Ipswich and Wrexham were both decent performances, we probably would have gone on to beat Wednesday and Oxford was a deserved draw.

To be fair I think we can win tomorrow.

I just don't fancy us in the games after, especially with our injury situation, you just know Cantwell will "break down" again soon. Alebiosu going to afcon is a huge blow too.

Would love to be wrong and come out of that batch of games with some breathing room, but we'll see.

[Herbie6590]

This raises many interesting questions…👀

[davulsukur]

14 hours ago, JCRovers said:

That lineup is unbalanced in central midfield and Ribeiro is unable to cover an entire flank on his own, as shown in the last few matches where Ismael has changed his position in-game from wing-back to left center back. 

Sorry to say this but Ismael is more or less forced to make a formation switch here to make it work somewhat with Hedges out injured. Either Ohashi drops to become a secondary striker behind Gudjohnsen or Cantwell starts. Central midfield is a f*ing mess right now; risky to start Baradji as well due to lack of match fitness but I would give him at least 45-60 minutes here if he can manage it. Tronstad will probably not be able to play more than 30 minutes or so.

4-2-3-1    

                   Pears

Alebiosu  Miller  McLoughlin   Ribeiro

               Baradji    TGH

Morishita      Ohashi         De Neve

                Gudjohnsen

Subs: Cantwell, Tronstad, Tavares

In possession (final third): 3-2-5 with Alebiosu moving forward, Morishita cutting inside from the wing and Ribeiro staying in a back three.

Out of possession: perhaps a standard 4-4-2 with Ohashi leading the press with Gudjohnsen?

 

 

Completely agree with the midfield pairings but tbh, I'm yet to find a midfield pairing I do like.

Tronstad has to be 1 of the 2 in any pairing but:

Sonny & TGH: Best we can do at the moment. Not enough creativity between them.

Sonny & Forshaw: As above but with slightly less energy as Forshaw hasn't got the legs anymore.

Sonny & Taveres: Just the worst pairing. They both end up occupying the same space. Taveres is the opposite of the high workrate of TGH.

Sonny & Montgomery: Montgomery has the energy and work rate but has gotten lost in games to an extent and also has the same lack of creativity as TGH.

Sonny & Baradji: Feel like this will be the one for a few months at the end of the season before Sonny leaves in the summer and we're back to square 1.

[Silas]

20 minutes ago, Herbie6590 said:

This raises many interesting questions…👀

2 weeks before Xmas feels like a hell of a time to discover I'm not real. 

Then again, if I don't exist, then Venky's don't exist too right. Every cloud. 

[KentExile]

27 minutes ago, Herbie6590 said:

This raises many interesting questions…👀

 

It would explain the strange views of one or 2 online

 

How much would it cost for Venkys/Pasha/Rudy to buy a few hundred pro Venkys "bots" to post on twitter/LT/here?

Edited 1 hour ago by KentExile

[Old Codger]

2 points from a possible 9 in the last 3 fixtures (albeit one abandoned) tells the depressing story - the trajectory is clearly swinging downwards and the fixture pile up, pitch problems on wet days, long term absentees from the matchday squad and a general air of doom and gloom means...  feck all in this league.

We could do with a couple  of sublime Alebiosu / Gudjohnssen combos tomorrow, and a cheeky Mori or Yuki top up to crown another 'unexpected' positive result for Roving Rovers on the Road. 

More likely it seems like the wheels will finally bounce off and we will be left careering towards oblivion.

Not feeling the 'we can beat this lot' vibe at all.

Pompey in circumstantial capitulation 1 Rovers in Rampant Renaissance Running Riot 3

Pomp up the volume 3 Raggedy Rovers 0

Pomp my Rovers Ride, I'm all at sea 0 Realistic Reflection of Resources 0

COYB!

Oh, and to those who think I'm an AI bot..I say, oh bondage, up yours!

 

Edited 8 minutes ago by Old Codger
A bot, I'm not, a body I've got,