booth

No one ever challenges the keeper, including Gallagher who is usually the biggest bloke on the pitch.

People say we aren't creating anything but there's been plenty of crosses been going in over the last five games with no one even attempting to get on the end of them. That's a striker problem, and also why Thomas looks worse than he is. We do need a decent midfielder but it's been clear for some time that we don't have any players in the squad capable of scoring regularly.

Yep, the truth is that when Brereton was out we were beating decent teams and playing good attacking football. Szmod was clearly frustrated with Brereton against Burnley.

Amusing and interesting chat about title wins (and lack of for Lineker) here. I don't think it's been posted anywhere else but if there is a Shearer thread please merge it mods 👍

Grown man at the end of his career trying to ruin the career of an 18 year old.

With their plastic cup 😄

You'd be stringing up the Captain because the General hadn't sent enough bullets.

It's pretty special!

I get the criticism of Tomasson but you can't say we would have been contenders had the club backed the manager SIMPLE AS, then in the next sentence blame the manager. Even with every mistake Tomasson has made this season, we would have been in the play offs or above if we'd had a striker or two, as the teams around us have. Mercer didn't say JDT out did he? Considering Ainsworth's record at QPR, and their spectacular drop down the league, along with some of the embarassing results they've had, you may want to choose who to champion more carefully.

He’s good but he was never going to score the goals required as well. Rovers currently have the worst set of attacking players I’ve ever seen in a Rovers squad.

The morning after. In one dugout a man who had been given a bottomless pit of money to win the league. In the other, a man whose recruitment team got the paperwork for an excellent loanee midfielder wrong, and couldn’t even be bothered with his main request for a centre forward. This meant that against our fiercest rivals we didn’t have a single senior striker in the squad. But that’s not the full story. We still outfought and outplayed them despite our obvious limitations on and off the pitch. The difference was a well taken goal by a €4m substitute. Not many teams in this league can do that. In contrast we brought on a 19 year old academy lad. I would hope Steve Waggott and Gregg Broughton had a sleepless night, knowing that they are responsible for the failure to achieve at least a play off place from our January position. They’ve let the club, the fans, the players and the manager down. Though I’m sure they slept soundly.

Enjoy it while you can. I’m still hoping Pace pockets the cash and Kompany leaves for a team like Crystal Palace - and fails 👍🙂

Having doggedly followed Rovers under the ownership of Venkys, I can easily believe it sadly.

He gave an interview after the Jan window clearly pissed off that we'd sent out two attackers and only brought in Thomas.

He was on a yellow which may have made a difference, but Pickering vs Benson (or any tricky winger) is only going to end one way.

I agree with much of this but harsh on JDT considering he hasn't been backed. He clearly wanted an extra option in midfield and a striker in January and didn't get them. So I'd say the season has been sabotaged but not by the manager. A couple of players could have made a massive difference. Also Wharton is only 18 and clearly struggles to play a full 90 and we shouldn't be relying on a teenager at a professional football club when there were resources available. I do agree that it's frustrating to not see Adam Wharton more (and Morton's costly mistakes), but even with him, as we saw tonight, we would have still struggled to get the ball in the net. Jack would be deeply disappointed that his family enabled this continuing nightmare to happen.

Scored because they brought on a player they signed for around £4m and conceded none because we haven't invested in a striker since 2019. Had Benson not been on the bench it would have ended 0-0.

He's only 19, Vale is 22. It's ludicrous that we're having to bring on a 19 year old against the team at the top of the table tbf.

He hasn't had 5 years to build a team. He didn't decide that playing without centre forwards was the way forward. He didn't f*** up the January transfer window. I don't think roverfan99 is one for context.

Yeah as I said that wasn't my point.

Every team has played Rovers for about 18 months knowing we struggle upfront. The opposing manager knows he can go at us without much fear, and that's why you see lowly teams looking shocking against other teams, then they come to us and are under orders to have a go as there's always a chance.

And for good reason.

That wasn't my point. On the night we needed a goal, he scores for someone else and plays out of his skin. I just remember him jogging about like a schoolboy who'd won a competition.

We've improved at playing football, but regressed with scoring goals, which was the same as last season. You'd think Waggott would have highlighted that as a priority considering that's how we missed out on the play offs last time.

George Hirst scored tonight and apparently played very well. Football can be cruel.