Thought we played well today, Boro are in decent form and a decent side and while we rode our luck a few times we looked both decent defensively and offered a threat. Pretty rare we've managed to do both in the same game.

The players seem motivated to play, and tactically we were pretty well put together, which is reassuring as I was beginning to get a bit concerned about the manager. Change of shape, good effort from the team and some smart play gives me hope. 

5 minutes ago, BigBar said:

Buckley is utter gash. A nothing player.

Think hes done okay personally - hes won the ball a lot although he should have done better with it.

Feared for us when they were all over us between 10-20 mins but weve come back into it quite well.

Eustace may have a lot of short comings but we definitely aren't a long ball side. Were playing in quite a JDT sort of way without committing so many players forward. Also short passing out of the keeper.

26 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

Assume we've switched to a 4-2-3-1, great to have Tronstad back but let's hope he's not been rushed back.

Could still be 343 with Pickering LCB and Hedges LWB.

I think I'd prefer 4231 though.

2 hours ago, tomphil said:

I've never bought the pride line as the primary driving force as to why they carry on owning Rovers although i do get the 'look at us we are so wealthy we can chuck 20 million a year away on a whim' vibe.

Even that is out the window now though there is no pride to be had owning a struggling club that has now exposed some dodgy dealings. And whatever happens in court - who'd be surprised if it's pushed back again - the whole 15/20 million a year is gone for good even if they got approval they'd be paying 20% in tax instead of avoiding it.

Games up, for them and us.

Yeah this is it - irrespective of outcome of the court case the basic maths of money and effort to keep the show on the road has changed for them significantly. That's why I think we're in the end game. What was barely sustainable has become definitively unsustainable. 

It's a matter of time before something significant breaks, its really imperative that plans are put in place now for new owners and the club on a sustainable footing. Who and how that is done I am not really sure (but very willing to pitch in and help) but probably have 6 months to get something credible together.

I am sure some interested people must already be on the move somewhere with a plan?

4 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Not in the England under 21 squad.He should be 

Surprised by that? I thought he was very established at that level and playing well for Palace in the Premier League? Is he injured?

What's funny / depressing is Tyler Morton has ben called up despite playing at Hull and being - as anyone can see - a much inferior player. 

EDIT - just looked it up and Adam has never played for the U-21 - just the U-20... wow. Pretty amazing a player can be sold for £20M+ and not even get a U-21 call up. Shows the strength England has now in the youth teams.  Harvey Elliott despite playing a key role for the team at the top of the table still not made his senior debut yet.

9 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

I’ll make a prediction… Venky’s will own us in a year.

Alright - I have absolutely nothing to base it on but gut feel that we've hit the tipping point - but I bet you a pint. 

I would say how we play is really more dependent on how Middlesborogh setup. I haven't really seen much of them... If they like to be direct, cross from deep etc then sticking with three at the back makes sense. but if they are like Plymouth and are quick, get down the sides of you etc then a switch to four would be better : 

Irrespective of what we do we at the back should have three in midfield. We need more bodies there. I guess picking a team out of the air I would go, but not really got much conviction about anything to be honest at the moment : 

                              Pears

         O Riordan    Hyam   Wharton  

Brittain    Ayeri    Buckley   Pickering Hedges

                   Dolan      Szmodics

It really feels to me like we have entered the end game now, and that Venkys will not own Rovers in a year. Just too many factors weighing against their continued ownership. Nothing specific - just reached a tipping point that occcurs when you know things will change - sort of similar to when JDT was denied access to the press you knew he was gone in a few weeks. This feels like that just over a longer term.

Id say the vital thing now is to figure out how to give the club the softest landing when the money properly stops as that is surely coming, and get it onto a feasible basis without their support.

What scares me is despite having a very cheap squad we still seem to be utterly dependent on the Venkys money. We really really need to change that. Other clubs have similar low cost squads but are not I believe losing as much money as we are. Why are we so unsustainable? What is our mitigation?

I think there must be enough leverage now to make them sell. Its not sustainable. We need a combination of 

1. A credible buyer

2. Pressure from a UK authority to sell (hopefully the new regulator).

3. Fan alignment that they want the sale also

Reckon theres a way forward for for 2. and 3. - the issue is the buyer. Is there anyone out there? Could a fan consortium do it? How have other clubs in similar situations made it work?

Having thought about it more - are any Rovers fans groups looking at what can be done via the regulator in it's proposed form? Feels to me like the one avenue that may actually be effective. We could probably use Jack Straw and Tim Farron to explore that angle too?

We could line up ready to go to them straight out of the gate as soon as the regulator is stood up?

4 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

The end of the road has to be somewhere...

Feels like if we are continuing on life support or worse at mercy of the indian courts we must have a good case to take to the new incoming football regulator? This must be the sort of daft situation the regulator has been created to intervene in and manage before a crisis occurs.

Has anyone seen any terms of reference about what the regulator will get involved in and how they can be petitioned ?

This article suggests we are a few months away from the regulator getting through legislation but it does sound like our mental situation would be in scope

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-12/sunak-pushes-to-create-football-regulator-after-club-talks-fail?embedded-checkout=true

1 hour ago, Moptop1 said:

So, if they can’t find us, they should be made to sell. 

Here’s hoping…

The end of the road has to be somewhere...

Feels like if we are continuing on life support or worse at mercy of the indian courts we must have a good case to take to the new incoming football regulator? This must be the sort of daft situation the regulator has been created to intervene in and manage before a crisis occurs.

Has anyone seen any terms of reference about what the regulator will get involved in and how they can be petitioned ?

While I don't think most premier league teams would be interested in him he does seem exactly a Luton signing. Works his heart out, a bit of quality where it matters. Can totally see them going for him. 

But as we saw with Kaminski they won't be giving us mega money for him. So we will have to hope someone else is willing to bid for him to drive up the price.

We've had an amazing run of pulling top scoring strikers out of hats. Hard to see where the next one comes from.

Only positive I can think of is this week is the first full week preparation that Eustace has got since he rocked up. So maybe there will be some big improvements in how we are organised and motivated.

We shall see. I do feel he came into as bad a situation as you can inherit as a manager - club in free fall, acrimony, and a relentless schedule. That said simple stuff that shouldnt need loads of prep hasnt looked right.

We live in hope.

10 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

He left to join a big Premier League club who are in Europe, on I am assuming a much bigger contract. Most sane people would take a similar jump if offered. He is also now getting more football than he was here, albeit on loan.

Sort of agree but he could have decided to tie himself a bit more to Rovers when he signed pro terms so Rovers would get a bigger fee when he left. It wasnt a binary situation.

Though to be fair to the lad he didnt need to sign pro terms at all, and could have left us getting very little. So he did help Rovers get 3-4 million quid without really needing to, so its a bit churlish to boo him.

What worried me the most today is that we just don't seem to be learning. We keep on playing the same way even though we have looked unconvincing game after game... 

The way we setup was great for the first 10 but then Plymouth figured out they could just play it down the sides of us or over the top and we couldnt cope.

Most games its a marginal thing to decide if to change up but today it was blindingly obvious we needed some combination of a back four, playing deeper and/or an extra man in midfield.

That Eustace didnt respond until the sending off forced his hand really concerns me.

Have to say it was so obvious what was going to happen with McFadz, when we got forward we played a high line and he was getting beaten for pace all the time.

Hes a good player I think if you sitting deep but it was so obvious he needed to come off at half time.

On the positive side thats Leos best performance already for us...

Its one of those games where clearly we need to change it for second half.

McFadz off Garrett on surely?

Great first 10 mins followed by abject 35 mins.... 

1 minute ago, Exiled in Toronto Mk2 said:

I’d give Clive Dunn the hook at HT, get Garrett in front of a back 4. Hyam is just marking empty space anyway.

I agree we need to go to a back four with an extra man in midfield.

This is a game which McFadz is very unsuited for.

Great goal and we've looked really good. Ayeri and Sigurdsson both have improved the attack and midfield link up hugely.

19 minutes ago, Darwen Rover 007 said:

Surprised people still putting John (slow motion) Buckley in the team.. apart from his come back game he's not been good enough.

Garrett and Ayari in CM for me if we are going with two.

My team would be 

              Leo

Hyam Mcfadzen Wharton

Brittain                         Chrisene

          Garett Ayari 

Siggy   Smodzic Gilsenan

             Telalovic 

 

Options to bring on.. Gally and Dolan

12 players there I think!

We cannot cannot cannot go into this game and just do the same. Let's try and show something different. With Leo in goal we have to remain three at the back, anything else is suicidal. But at least we can try and do something to better link up defence and midfield. Team for me : 

                                Leo

              Hyam     McFadz     Wharton 

Brittain   Tronstad  Buckley   Ayeri    Pickering

               Sigurdsson    Szmodics 

Try and get the ball through midfield and pick passes. Hopefully dropping Gallagher will help our link up play. Get the wide players further up the pitch. At least having the option to bring on Dolan and Gallagher late in the game will give us more legs when the opposition is tiring.

If we start Gallagher, Szmodics and Dolan all again as a three I give up.

Does anyone know if Tronstad will be fit and when JRC and Carter are back?

One thing that worried me last night is McFadz who has broadly been very good was absolutely roasted for their goal. He totally lost track of where their player was and got left behind so easily....

We're playing very conservatively at the moment, controlling the ball, but still give away extremely simple chances. If Millwall had a bit more adventure I think they could have won that. Luckily they didn't really try to test us.

I don't think we can change much at the back - especially now with Leo in goal who needs real protection. But we have to try something different up front. Gallagher, Szmodics and Dolan together just isn't working. I am concerned that despite losing away and drawing at home we are just doing the same thing each game. It seems the thinking is don't worry about the midfield, just hope that the opposition makes a mistake and we can pounce with the three forwards. To be fair that did happen yesterday, but it is a sad state of affairs to be relying on unforced errors to create openings.