[Archived] Rovers v Oldham

[JAL]

15 minutes ago, Waggy76 said:

Maybe Mowbray and his entourage , want to go to Wembley ?

It could have been the plan all along , Venkys at Wembley , whoud a  thout that !!

Yep ! Plus the Agents get to showcase their players in the shop window all makes financial sense 

[bazza]

Travis was MOM and he only played for 45 minutes. 

I'm afraid it's going to be a struggle to the end of the season. If we do make it to an automatic promotion place we will have been extremely lucky. That leaves a play-off place

I said this at the start of the season that Charlton Athletic will be our undoing. Mark my words.

[darrenrover]

I think my confusion from the team selection and formation was mirrored by the players. Was it 3 or 4 at the back? I felt that it was 3 (or was it 4?): Mulgrew, Williams and Downing with Nyambe and Bell as wing backs, Bennett and Smallwood as deep (too deep) sitting midfielders with Dack and Payne playing (somewhere) behind Graham. In the first half Dack, Payne and Bell looked as confused as I was and didn't appear to have a clue what their role in life was or where they were playing.

Personally, I'm sick to the back teeth of all this 352, 442, 41311,32221 bollocks. All we need is a keeper who can command his area and stop shots but takes no shit, a commanding centre half who the opposition fear. Both need to exude authority (we've got neither).

We've an abundance of skillful attacking players but no real backbone anywhere and that will be our downfall because it's what the rest is built on. Football's not rocket science but Mowbray is still trying his best to re-invent the wheel when he knows full well a square one doesn't roll, god knows why?

 

[JBiz]

2 hours ago, OnePhilT said:

I'm not sure if you watched the game today (not being funny BTW), but Payne was out on the right side, yet constantly caught out of position when Oldham got forward down the flanks. Nyambe had very little support in that respect. Payne was quite poor, defensively, and I think he's being played out of position out wide.

I'm beginning to wonder about our wide forwards, as we STILL don't have the right players for those positions, it seems. IF Tony is going to tinker, I'd propose the following...

                                    Raya

Nyambe      Downing      Mulgrew      Bell

                              Smallwood

                   Bennett             Travis

                      Dack            Payne

                             Graham

I reckon Payne and Dack in their best positions, centrally and behind behind Graham, could be devastating; they've both got the ability and skill to play in tight spaces, so why we mess about with wide forwards who are ineffective and out of position, I don't know.

For width, I'd encourage Bell and Nyambe to get forward, and Smallwood/Bennett/Travis can help cover.

IF we have to go long ball, which we often seem to do anyway (and we're not the only ones), then at least we could have a better chance of picking up the second ball with an extra player in the centre.

What have I just written? Is it a load of bollocks? 

Yes agree that Payne looked lost in front of Nyambe today where as the other two (williams  bell) are a solid but not so adventurous pairing.

I might’ve had one too many but I felt Payne improved in the second half. More central, more his suiting. I still think Travis looked immense RCM also! It’s good to see such depth.

[roversfan99]

Just now, darrenrover said:

I think my confusion from the team selection and formation was mirrored by the players.

 

Totally agree, and its a major reason why I feel a drastic formation change as many are suggesting would cause chaos.

[chaddyrovers]

52 minutes ago, darrenrover said:

Just a minor point but did Travis not come on and play right back, even though he's a central midfielder, or am I totally confused.com?

Started at right wing back. Then went to centre midfielder. 

He is right back/wing back and can centre midfield. Seen him play all 3 positions and good for under.23s

[Exiled in Toronto]

18 minutes ago, blueboy3333 said:

...and yet we battered them 2nd half with most of the 'fancy dan loan players' on the pitch. .

A “battering” that forced one half decent save from the keeper other than a free kick he should have saved and our one move that deserved a goal.

[davulsukur]

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

Started at right wing back. Then went to centre midfielder. 

He is right back/wing back and can centre midfield. Seen him play all 3 positions and good for under.23s

Which is his main position? Right back?

[JAL]

7 minutes ago, Biz said:

Yes agree that Payne looked lost in front of Nyambe today where as the other two (williams  bell) are a solid but not so adventurous pairing.

I might’ve had one too many but I felt Payne improved in the second half. More central, more his suiting. I still think Travis looked immense RCM also! It’s good to see such depth.

 

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

Started at right wing back. Then went to centre midfielder. 

He is right back/wing back and can centre midfield. Seen him play all 3 positions and good for under.23s

In the main Rovers under 23's are not good enough for League one standard.

[darrenrover]

Just now, davulsukur said:

Which is his main position? Right back?

He's a central midfield player. The fact we're debating it says it all IMO.

 

[chaddyrovers]

1 hour ago, JAL said:

Three at the back ? 

If the clubs had the skills at first team level to effectively play this way unfortunately chaddy Mowbray and his staff have proved that they can't do this effectively Christ Mowbray doesn't know what his strongest team is.

Have you totally forgotten what happened early season.

 

3 at the back is the best formation for us. 

Under 23 and 18 play this system. 

[rossyrover]

What an outstanding second half from Lewis Travis,but Amari'i Bell is never a wide left side midfield player,Rovers first half awful second half thanks to young Travis getting grip of midfield much more like it.      

[JAL]

20 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

3 at the back is the best formation for us. 

Under 23 and 18 play this system. 

They have better coaches to implement this .

Plus what have the under 23' & 18's won by playing this way ?

[blueboy3333]

9 minutes ago, Exiled in Toronto said:

A “battering” that forced one half decent save from the keeper other than a free kick he should have saved and our one move that deserved a goal.

Semantics. They were on the back foot most of the 2nd half. 

[Stuart]

22 minutes ago, darrenrover said:

I think my confusion from the team selection and formation was mirrored by the players. Was it 3 or 4 at the back? I felt that it was 3 (or was it 4?): Mulgrew, Williams and Downing with Nyambe and Bell as wing backs, Bennett and Smallwood as deep (too deep) sitting midfielders with Dack and Payne playing (somewhere) behind Graham. In the first half Dack, Payne and Bell looked as confused as I was and didn't appear to have a clue what their role in life was or where they were playing.

Personally, I'm sick to the back teeth of all this 352, 442, 41311,32221 bollocks. All we need is a keeper who can command his area and stop shots but takes no shit, a commanding centre half who the opposition fear. Both need to exude authority (we've got neither).

We've an abundance of skillful attacking players but no real backbone anywhere and that will be our downfall because it's what the rest is built on. Football's not rocket science but Mowbray is still trying his best to re-invent the wheel when he knows full well a square one doesn't roll, god knows why?

 

You and Bell had just about the same idea of what was required. A winger he ain’t.

Mowbray owes us 5 unexpected points I’m afraid.

[darrenrover]

1 minute ago, chaddyrovers said:

3 at the back is the best formation for us. 

Under 23 and 18 play this system. 

Chaddy, Can you not see how naive that statement is?

Irrespective of Under 23s, Under 18s, (it's fine for under 10s because that's only 6 a side!) and Chelsea, how without at least one dominant, no nonsense central defender and a commanding goalkeeper, how is it the best formation for us? 

[Mark45]

When I make visit to watch in Uk first time in this season

		Team	P	GD	Pts
1		Shrewsbury	16	14	37
2		Wigan	16	20	36
3		Bradford	16	7	30
4		Charlton	15	7	30
5		Scunthorpe	16	5	26
6		Rotherham	16	7	25
7		Blackburn	14	9	24

 

 

 

 

I will be in portsmouth next week - see table - Superb.

As It Stands

		Team	P	GD	Pts
1		Wigan	29	40	63
2		Shrewsbury	30	17	61
3		Blackburn	31	25	60
4		Scunthorpe	32	12	54
5		Rotherham	31	15	53
6		Bradford	32	-2	49
7		Charlton	30	3	47

 

[JAL]

Should Oldham have had a first half penalty.

[tomphil]

3 hours ago, Preben said:

Nearly It isn't possible to lose points at football unless they are deducted. Anyway I think we are probably all bored with this.

It seems that TM has been trying to stop us conceding goals by tinkering but it has never looked like working. We have the players to win matches and our tactics should be all out attack a la Keegan. If we win more, lose the odd one and stop bloody drawing I think we won't "drop" as many points overall

Bang on.

I just can't fathom the mentality at times, we have a goal set out to achieve and it's achievable but they don't look like they want it at times or maybe have the bottle for it. We aren't a team drilled into being hard to beat nor are we a good footballing side the style is somewhere inbetween.

Yet we are actually a strong attacking side when it's set out to attack with it's attacking players on so again I question what the manager is doing constantly playing strikers, midfielders or defenders on the wings. In that unbeaten run we rescued a lot of games like today that we were on the verge of throwing away and sooner or later they'll turn into defeats unless they up the ante and start imposing on sides from the off.

[47er]

Remember Tom? I said this is exactly the sort of game we tend to stuff up and you said it was exactly the sort of game we tend to win?!

Sorry, couldn't resist!

A wonderful opportunity to make ground against our promotion rivals and once again we fail to take it. Maddening.

Has to be down to the manager this one. We have the players to smash a team like Oldham so long as they are selected and in their natural position.

He can't resist tinkering to counter imagined threats from the other side and its costing us.

[tomphil]

It's all down to hard work and basics in this league yet he approaches every game like we are in the Prem or Champions league, no need for chess match tactics down here at all and all it's doing is playing into oppositions hands in the first half of a lot of games.

His constant meddling with the team is annoying but he's got away with it largely due to one or two star players performing and he isn't the first Rovers manager under Venkys to have this policy. More worrying is the altering of actual match tactics game in game out well drilled teams don't need to do that and again he's focusing on accommodating the very modest opposition instead of focusing on playing to our strengths.

There's many good things about TM but over egging things that don't need it isn't one of them, shame because there'd be a top manager there if he could find a balance and stick to it.

[JBiz]

56 minutes ago, JAL said:

 

In the main Rovers under 23's are not good enough for League one standard.

Personally, I’d argue our youth output is better than anyone else in this league and is likely to be our main “saviour” long term.

[DeeCee]

I'll say it again, clean sheets, defence is s h one T

[AAK]

Thought smallwood was poor today, has been for a few games, hes so slow, and that central midfield of him and bennett was embarrasing at times, totally overrun. Travis made a massive difference, because he gets on the ball turns and gets the ball moving, smallwood and bennett are lazy in their play sometimes. I would go with either travis or tomlinson in the centre at pompey. Them two havent got the speed, pace and intelligence for pressing and counter attacking opponents (smallwood and bennett). 

[Tom]

57 minutes ago, Mark45 said:

When I make visit to watch in Uk first time in this season

		Team	P	GD	Pts
1		Shrewsbury	16	14	37
2		Wigan	16	20	36
3		Bradford	16	7	30
4		Charlton	15	7	30
5		Scunthorpe	16	5	26
6		Rotherham	16	7	25
7		Blackburn	14	9	24

 

 

 

 

I will be in portsmouth next week - see table - Superb.

As It Stands

		Team	P	GD	Pts
1		Wigan	29	40	63
2		Shrewsbury	30	17	61
3		Blackburn	31	25	60
4		Scunthorpe	32	12	54
5		Rotherham	31	15	53
6		Bradford	32	-2	49
7		Charlton	30	3	47

 

Superb would be top of the league, top two minimum, as it is we are failing to be where we need to be!

Not far off but not quite