joey_big_nose

I was dead against him when he joined as I couldn't really see the need, but he's grown on me. Like Dack he knows how to find space in the box - just him and Brad have that ability. Also works very hard. Decent technically too. I wonder if when he's fit if we will play him and Dack together up front? Would seem a bit odd as they are similar players and neither of them strikers, but can see it happening as Vale is struggling and Gallagher unfit/unfavoured.

Yeah agreed..... not at all a priority position for us even if he's decent. So strange if we sign him.

Yes this was always good - just the links, no comment allowed...

Sadly true, can't think of any player who has regressed so much. He did fine under JDTs system at the start of the season, I am not really sure it's the system thats an issue... seems like confidence.

Problem with that is we lose all our width... I don't really want to change our system again but if we wanted to play two up top the way to do it is 352 as then the wingbacks can provide the width.

Huge respect to Dack for coming back from two ACLs and probably putting in more yards each game than he ever has for us. Dack's been well managed by JDT imo. Shame we don't have someone up top like Graham who Dack could thrive working with. I am still really bemused that we don't seem to be looking for an old school number nine - it's what the team really really needs from lots of different angles (partner to Dack, someone who can get on the end of crosses and worry defences, a plan B if the opposition are defending deep and we can't pass through them).

To qualify this miserable post I would try a couple of things actually... let's give Morton a rest, try Adam Wharton in there, bring back Dolan and Gallagher. Give BBD a rest as he has been really struggling for form. Gallagher gets a lot of very valid stick - poor touch, lacks scoring instincts, not good in the air. But he gives defences a lot more to worry about than Vale just through his athleticism. I cant really see why Vale would ever start ahead of him tbh. Team for me Kaminski JRC Carter S Wharton Pickering Buckley A Wharton Hedges Dack Dolan Gallagher

I just dont really see where the chances let alone goals are coming from at the moment and we're shaky at the back.... Cant even think of any potential changes to the side that will make an inpact - unless we sign someone. Not confident. But Ill go and freeze my knackers off anyway.

I think other clubs have figured out if we cant get behind them weve got very little to offer. So as long as they keep a pretty deep line then we arent scoring. Also explains why we cant back into games as oppo just sits deep. Figuring out how to create chances when the opposition is sitting in is our number one challenge imo. Thats why Id say our number one recruitment target is someone who really worries the opposition in the box, who makes them want to push out. If we had someone like that it then 1) theyll score goals from crosses 2) the opposition trying to push up in turn makes opportunities for others to score on the break. That said, as you say, we seem to have gone backwards on our bread and butter which is breakaway goals. For a long under Mowbray then JDT we were really really good at them, but last few months we slow the move down or misplace passes.

Id say really we need 2 strikers before any other positions. Undav and a proper Graham/Gestede style target man. Indeed of we only signed those two Id be happy enough. I think if we had more teeth up front our midfield issues would melt away and we don't really need a CB or GK at all tbh.

Thought JDT looked angrier and more pissed off on the sidelines yesterday too, which is good to see.

Yeah that is it really... but instead of "clearly not ready" the idea is that as they get game time they will improve. Agree Jury is out on this theory as Scott Wharton has gone backwards, and theres been no real recent discernible improvement from Buckley, Garrett, Vale, Dolan etc. But this is the direction of travel, so we will see how it works over a longer time fram. What I am a bit confused by is why many are so keen to sign "experienced players", how many of them over the last 10 years have been better than the players we have now? If I look across the last 10 years of experienced signings theres only really a handful Id choose us to sign now - Gestede, Rhodes (not that we'd have the money at the moment), Josh King, Scott Dann (again would we have the money?), Graham (would be absolutely perfect for us now). We have however signed loads and loads of "experienced" players not any better than we have now (Etuhu, Murphy, Evans, Smallwood, Bennett etc etc) I don't really think singing experienced players will necessarily solve our problems.

JDT's took the job, so obviously subscribes to the idea that you can build a successful team without big investment as that was the brief, and he would have had other opportunities if he wasn't on board. Also people are saying the players aren't good enough, but we've spent the majority of the current and last couple of seasons in the top six. So while I guess its possible to ague it's been a bit fortunate (but for two seasons in a row under two different managers?) it seems reasonable to say the players are broadly there or thereabouts. Obviously we need additions - especially at striker - but it doesn't seem like a total overhaul.

Thought we were very lucky to get a draw really. Very tight offside call. In generally worried about just how toothless we are. ... If we had a really effective central striker I think a lot else in the side would improve as a side result. But teams can just sit deep and we play in front of them. Need to do everything we can to find one, if not two, good strikers who worry a packed defence.

we are really really bad at generating chances.....

Picking Vale ahead of both Gallagher and Dolan is a real surprise. Both Gally and Dolan have attributes to worry defenders in different way.... Vale does not. Otherwise probably our best available team. A lot will come down to if Wharton, BBD and Buckley find some form.

Reckon every club has that group....

Seems its not just Rovers fans who are decrying the way the games going https://www.theguardian.com/football/when-saturday-comes-blog/2023/jan/18/lower-league-football-premier-league-pyramid

I had a look around online and realised- although there's no real official data I could find, just estimates - that actually we are probably lower mid table Championship in terms of wage spend.

Is anyone we would expect to have more money than us in for him? I mean we don't have a lot, but still more than 70% of the Championship.

Feels like an opportunistic thing because he is available, and presumably rated. His contract expired in December so just free. If he's good no problem with it, but hope we haven't been expending much resource on it as keeper is way down the priority list at the moment.

Had a look at the dreaded You Tube highlights.... seems to score mostly on the break, seems to be someone who can find a bit of space. He's also only 5ft 9. I know its a bit reductive to just say we need strikers who are over six feet. But I would be much happier if it was someone who can beat a centre back in the air in a congested box. Doesn't look like someone who can be a plan B if the opposition are sitting deep.

Good to see finally being linked to someone who scores regularly.

Also RSC and McCarthy were exceptional proven quality. Not really sure how Hughes swung them. But thats part of what made him such a good manager. I mean he got shaquiri to go to Stoke!

And in a non priority position..