v Charlton Athletic (h) - 4/1/26, 15:00 k/o

[Gav]

1 hour ago, Parsonblue said:

Disagree on that one.  Charlton were very good at their place earlier this season and absolutely overwhelmed us with the high pressure, high intense and physical football.  This would be a tough one with a fully fit squad.  

Absolutely, they hammered us earlier in the season, why would anyone think this is a pushover 🤪

Edited Saturday at 16:05 by Gav

[Old Codger]

20 minutes ago, Gav said:

Absolutely, they hammered us earlier in the season, why would anyone think this is a pushover 🤪

Oh, that's easy - Blue & White tinted spectacles, and an over active case of confirmation bias.

As long as we go down fighting,..Oh, and not wearing that stupid shirt 😉

COYB!

[StHelensRover]

After 270 minutes without scoring and two truly stinking performances this week, I have a feeling we'll somehow win this game 1-0 and that will keep donkey Val in for slightly longer as we'll be 'turning a corner' (we're not).

Not sure who will score from us, maybe bungled in from a goalmouth scramble or an own goal.

On paper I'd fancy Charlton. Their team is well organised because they have a better manager and that's half the battle, but I just have a feeling we will get something from this game.

We need to get to 50 points asap, I won't rest til the table reads 50pts. I won't rest ultimately until I'm told the club is being sold. 

[aletheia]

3 minutes ago, StHelensRover said:

I have a feeling we'll somehow win this game 1-0 and that will keep donkey Val in for slightly longer as we'll be 'turning a corner' (we're not).

It's the Venky way, like a cat toying with a mouse.

[aletheia]

Further to my post above on dealing with high intensity/pressing/physical teams, I'm reminded of how we played Leeds away last year. I don't think this side could do that. 

[simongarnerisgod]

lack of cutting edge and goals will likely scupper us tommorow,needs a rethink because we ar`nt creating let alone scoring,might be a time to stick cantwell up front,tell him to find some space and work with a tired yuki,drop the hapless henrikson and then just hope it works

[aletheia]

Everybody checked their thermals? Supposedly 0 degrees but feeling like -4 degrees with possible snow shower thrown in. 

[Roverthechimp]

Given the abject failure of the current formation given absent players i would be very tempted to try the following:

                            Toth

Miller   McCloughlin Pratt  Pickering

              Tronstad     TGH

Cantwell                              De Neve

             Ohashi      Baradji

Pickering and Pratt given strict instructions to avoid drifting inside and TGH instructed to be the cover. Leave De neve as far upfield as possible and aim every "ooff type" clearance at the left hand corner flag...

The above is based on VI point blankly refusing to play Gueye and/or Tyjon.

Desperate? Absofuckinglutely but time to try something different even if only a one off to confuse the opposition first 30 mins...

[Bohinen1983]

Chuck Higgins in.. 

[KentExile]

5 minutes ago, Bohinen1983 said:

Chuck Higgins in.. 

Joseph is further along at present, especially physically

Higgins has a higher ceiling, but missed a large chunk of the season with injury

[Waggy76]

1 hour ago, Roverthechimp said:

Given the abject failure of the current formation given absent players i would be very tempted to try the following:

                            Toth

Miller   McCloughlin Pratt  Pickering

              Tronstad     TGH

Cantwell                              De Neve

             Ohashi      Baradji

Pickering and Pratt given strict instructions to avoid drifting inside and TGH instructed to be the cover. Leave De neve as far upfield as possible and aim every "ooff type" clearance at the left hand corner flag...

The above is based on VI point blankly refusing to play Gueye and/or Tyjon.

Desperate? Absofuckinglutely but time to try something different even if only a one off to confuse the opposition first 30 mins...

De Neve should be an unused sub, very week. 

[BRFC.]

2 hours ago, Roverthechimp said:

Given the abject failure of the current formation given absent players i would be very tempted to try the following:

                            Toth

Miller   McCloughlin Pratt  Pickering

              Tronstad     TGH

Cantwell                              De Neve

             Ohashi      Baradji

Pickering and Pratt given strict instructions to avoid drifting inside and TGH instructed to be the cover. Leave De neve as far upfield as possible and aim every "ooff type" clearance at the left hand corner flag...

The above is based on VI point blankly refusing to play Gueye and/or Tyjon.

Desperate? Absofuckinglutely but time to try something different even if only a one off to confuse the opposition first 30 mins...

None of them (bar Toth and tronstad) get a game for the side last season… but the team is better this season Ismael says 🤡

[Andy]

1 hour ago, KentExile said:

Joseph is further along at present, especially physically

Higgins has a higher ceiling, but missed a large chunk of the season with injury

I do think we should include either/both.

The recent performances of both O'Hashi and Henriksson...I genuinely can't believe that the young lads would be doing any worse.

[aletheia]

I wonder if Val has 2 lists.

One we have seen, the other if we win?

 

Edited Saturday at 20:12 by aletheia

[Athlete]

I fear for us in this must win game we were devoid of anything V a under strength wrexham side

This is a classic relegation 6 pointer

 

[Old Codger]

23 minutes ago, Athlete said:

I fear for us in this must win game we were devoid of anything V a under strength wrexham side

This is a classic relegation pointer

 

Fixed that for you Mr Athlete.

[Roverthechimp]

2 hours ago, Waggy76 said:

De Neve should be an unused sub, very week. 

He shouldn’t make the bench tbh but the only positives I have seen were attacking wise and a bit of pace. Can’t be worse than trying the same crap that failed at SW and Wrexham (minus hedges and Litherland). Bring Dlmini(?) on at 60 mins if not working (or Ribeiro after 20 if it is that bad…)

[RTM08]

2 hours ago, Andy said:

I do think we should include either/both.

The recent performances of both O'Hashi and Henriksson...I genuinely can't believe that the young lads would be doing any worse.

We keep pulling off Henriksson when it's really Ohashi who needs the breather. Works endlessly but he's been on empty for a while because we have no backup. 

Especially in games where we're not even having shots, there really is no downside to giving some of the young lads a go and allowing Yuki a little respite. The less said about Henriksson's contributions the better. 

[Tomphil2]

Remember when Charlton were sliding away in their managed decline phase ?

Well here we are now so anyone who thinks this should be a routine win needs to think again.

They are the favourites in this one so i'll take anything we can get.

[RevidgeBlue]

8 minutes ago, RTM08 said:

We keep pulling off Henriksson when it's really Ohashi who needs the breather. Works endlessly but he's been on empty for a while because we have no backup. 

Especially in games where we're not even having shots, there really is no downside to giving some of the young lads a go and allowing Yuki a little respite. The less said about Henriksson's contributions the better. 

It's not lack of freshness that's Ohashi's problem, it's a frequently poor first touch and general lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.

Edit: With the benefit of hindsight that's probably why we picked him up for a reported £250k.

Edited Saturday at 22:36 by RevidgeBlue

[Ossydave]

Monday will be one of the most depressing days in a long while for many, I’ve worked a fair bit in between Xmas and NY though so I’m sound on that count. Rovers have the potential to tip folk over the edge tomorrow, in 2 minds wether to watch. I’m pretty positive in life though so will take the standpoint it can’t get any worse than the last game (insert Mick McCarthy GIF). 
 

2 nil home win, somehow. 

[RTM08]

10 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

It's not lack of freshness that's Ohashi's problem, it's a frequently poor first touch and general lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.

Edit: With the benefit of hindsight that's probably why we picked him up for a reported £250k.

Which arguably is exacerbated by running him into the ground. His finishing was fine last season and seems to have dropped off a cliff and has got worse as we've gone on.

He was much more effective when we had options to rotate and use tactically(regardless of what you feel about those options).

[M_B]

53 minutes ago, RTM08 said:

Which arguably is exacerbated by running him into the ground. His finishing was fine last season and seems to have dropped off a cliff and has got worse as we've gone on.

He was much more effective when we had options to rotate and use tactically(regardless of what you feel about those options).

Spot on, it's as much the way he plays as anything.

There are certain positions where players can play a full 90 minutes game in, game out. It should be obvious to anyone   that Ohashi's role isn't one of them,without it affecting performance. 

Edited Saturday at 23:43 by M_B

[lraC]

3 hours ago, Tomphil2 said:

Remember when Charlton were sliding away in their managed decline phase ?

Well here we are now so anyone who thinks this should be a routine win needs to think again.

They are the favourites in this one so i'll take anything we can get.

Rovers are around evens with Charlton around 3/1 with most bookies.

They don’t often get it wrong, but think this is priced wrongly, as I see us firing blanks again and will concede.

[RoversTilliDie]

18 hours ago, wilsdenrover said:

Couldn’t it be all three?

There's definitely  something wrong, we've 10 players injured. Incompetence could drop us into league 1.