34 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Is the reading manager a rovers fan?

Does he fancy coming to manage here on a full time basis? ?

Just now, unleaded said:

Pears has signed on a 4 year deal ! Let that sink in ... 

Don’t think he could have done any better for any of the goals. Feel for the lad having to make his debut when that half has just gone the way it has ? Kaminski be back in for Saturday hopefully anyway but I wouldn’t be to critical of Pears.

I know Reading have been clinical this season but Jesus that was a quickfire 3 goals, defence been awful. I said it on Saturday, for as much as Darragh puts himself about I’d start Ayala alongside Williams. We need an early goal in the second half or we’re done in this game. Credit to Reading. 

43 minutes ago, A Northern Horde... said:

Reading the Bookies favourites for this but I think we can cause an upset.

 

2-1 Rovers.

They aren’t on Sky bet, we are just under evens to win where as reading are over 2/1. EDIT: We are even money and reading are 13/5 

Top goal scorer ✅

Highest Home win ✅

Highest Away win ✅✅

We’re only a few games in but I don’t think anyone would have predicted that at the start of the season ? Tonight is a big test of our credentials and one I’m optimistic of us passing, I think we can put an end to their good run and I’m predicting a 3-1 Rovers win ??

I’m not a big reality TV fan myself but I like Dacky as a person, seems a good guy really and I love how football seems to be his life and his #1 priority (as it should be) can’t wait to see him back in a Rovers shirt. 

1 hour ago, joey_big_nose said:

Obviously most important thing is a win, but if we do lose or draw it would be good to come out feeling we saw a semblance of a plan for handling a massed defence.

I reckon we will probably play 10-15 more games against teams who want to sit deep and counter. So having a solution to this conundrum is going to play a big role in whether we get top six or not.

It would be great to have a Gestede sort we could wheel out if the oppo are camped on the edge of their box and scare the hell out of them.

Wouldn’t have minded picking up Kieffer Moore from Wigan. He went to Cardiff and won everything when we played them a few weeks ago, proper big lump ideal for when you need to go a bit more direct. 

1 hour ago, dallydally said:

Is the game on Sky (red button)?

Yes ?? 

Played some great stuff today, fantastic result and £10 well spent, few beers watching the UFC tonight and hopefully we can produce another big performance against a Reading side who are flying, on Tuesday. COYB, Ben Brereton MOTM today. Looks a different player, never wanted a player to do well for us more than I do Big Ben, I hope he keeps this form up ??

I honestly think when Ayala is fit I’d play him and Williams at the back, Ayala has looked solid and Williams is more suited to that left centre back spot, Derrick hasn’t put a foot wrong this season. On this game we’ve got to kill it off in the second half because they’ll get one chance and knowing our luck they will score it. I love the way Trybull sits deep and spreads the ball, not seen him misplace a pass yet and Holtby is an absolute class above. 

6 minutes ago, Mercer said:

You are right, we should.

Mowbray talks about how we'll look 12 matches down the line.

My prediction, 16 points from the next 6 games to shoot us comfortably into the top 6:

Coventry (A) win, Reading (H) win, Swansea (A) draw, M'boro (H) win, QPR (H) win, Luton (A) win

This is very doable given those fixtures and the players we have.  Don't cock it up Mowbray or lose your bottle.  The time is now, seize the moment.

You’ve changed your tune ??

10 hours ago, Sparks Rover said:

So, Mowbray has won lads.

You've been indoctrinated and now youre accepting a very low bar....?

He's literally done you. Good luck with Super Del. Short short memories....

Short short memories? Give him a break, he was an awful left back but he’s put in a lot of good performances at centre half when he’s played there. He’s a more than capable back up option for us at centre back, a lot more capable than Wharton that’s for sure. 

2 hours ago, Mercer said:

Tough game this.

Robins has done a very good job there.

Coventry have played 4 of the top 7 in their opening 6 matches and, given the run of difficult opening games, a 5 point return isn't bad for a newly promoted side.

Both teams desperately need to avoid defeat so a draw looks likely.

With all these games coming up in a short space of time, I fear for Rovers as I still see many teams, IMO, with a superior mental and physical fitness.

Rovers at 5/4 though Merce? Away banker get a little lump on it. 

With Trybull looking the type to sit in the holding role and spread the ball, Holtby a bit further forward doing what he does and then Rothwell driving on. That midfield three will be our best by a long stretch. 

4 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

You don't need to dominate the ball to beat Rovers. Sides are happy to sit back, lets us have the ball and then hit us on the counter. We have only won one game this season when we have had more possession and perhaps not coincidently the only game where we didn't have the majority of the possession produced our best performance of the season.

Ben Foster is a top goalkeeper who should be in the Premiership. He played for one of my local clubs on loan at step 3 nearly 20 years ago now he was an excellent goalie then and knowing a few of the lads that played with him they spoke highly of him. It just shows how a non league loan can help a young player develop, I think we should be looking into that for the likes of Buckley.

Agreed on Buckley, nowhere near ready yet. 

Just now, bazza said:

We are simply not good enough if Watford are a top six side. We cannot defend. We are oh so slow on the counter attack. Generally poor.

Lenihan had a bad game. My first choice of CB would be Williams with either Lenihan who plays well with him or Ayala.

Nyambe is so frustrating. I can see why TM drops him. He gets to the halfway line and ALWAYS stops and passes back or sideways. JRC is better in that position.

Elliott seemed to have a quiet game. Dolan is a one trick pony. He needs time in the under 23s.

It is so frustrating watching Rovers because this squad is capable of playing better.

Bell played extremely well and doesn't deserve to lose his place.

My MOM......Holtby

 

You could see the talent was there, there’s not many people in the side who could play the pass he played through to Armstrong when Foster tipped it over the bar. He will be a good player for us will Elliott. 

1 minute ago, Ewood Ace said:

We have one point and one goal from our last 3 games. For me that is not positive. Tonight we were comfortably beaten by a Watford side who never needed to get out of 2nd gear, if they needed to they had a few more gears to go up. We have a good squad of players but under this manager we will not achieve anything.

Cardiff and forest we were poor I’m not disputing that but tonight we battered Watford, I don’t think they could go up another gear when they barely had the ball or barely attacked. Just one of those nights tonight. I knew as soon as the penalty was given Foster would save it.

Just now, Ewood Ace said:

How is he going to get ready if he doesn't play? 

He’d have got some minutes tonight if we didn’t need to replace Ayala. How can you be so negative after that performance honestly I don’t get it ? I can be very negative about Rovers but as Big Ron once said on Sky “If the lads need it I’ll whip em, but I ain’t whipping them for that tonight” 

With Douglas to come in for Bell and Rothwell to come back in. A midfield three of Holtby Rothwell and Trybull and Douglas in at left back will make us a lot stronger, no need to over react over a defeat in a game which we absolutely dominated, it’s early days in the season yet and as much as it’s frustrating to come away with nothing tonight all the signs are there that this team can get in the top 6 this season I believe. Heads up boys, we play like that on Saturday Coventry will be put to the sword. 

Just now, LDRover said:

No Paul, but he can identify a left back who is an absolute liability

Douglas WILL be our starting left back soon enough, he only signed on Friday but he will be playing soon, he can think himself lucky he didn’t have to make his debut against Sarr, no left back in this division could live with him. 

Just now, Ewood Ace said:

FT 3-1

Time to go Tony. 

Are you on crack?

We’ve been the better team, they are just so dangerous when they break with Sarr, no defender in this division will be able to stop him when he starts running at you. If we play like we did in the first half, we can get back into this. Come on boys. 

11 minutes ago, BlackburnEnd75 said:

Just thinking to freshen things up a bit. I'm not a big Chapman fan anymore since he lost his pace.

But playing gally on the right and Chapman through the middle like tony did Saturday isnt the right way to play them

Yeah it’s a shame isn’t it, he used to be electric quick, in his first spell here he was class, I don’t think he’s good enough for this level these days, Chapman. I agree on your last statement to.

2 hours ago, BlackburnEnd75 said:

Without Rothwell and Holtby again I think we need a rethink formation wise until they return. We need to keep the intensity and creativity of earlier games.

With what's available I'd go:

                   Kaminski

Nyambe   Ayala    Lenihan    Douglas

Chapman   Trybull    Evans    Elliott

              Gallagher   Armstrong

Either play Gally through the middle or dont play him. Replace evans with Johnson if you prefer, but he looked very leggy late on Saturday proof of which was his assist for their goal. 

Despite Dolans last two performances being pretty quiet there’s no way I’d start Chapman ahead of him and I’d go Johnson instead of Evans purely for the fact Johnson can’t play worse than he did yesterday surely ?

3 minutes ago, JoeH said:

List of Rovers players who played well:
- Amari’i Bell
- Daniel Ayala
- Darragh Lenihan

End of list.

Nyambe was our best player today. All the back four played well to be fair. The rest not so much, Johnson had probably the worst performance I’ve seen from a Rovers player in a while, so many sloppy passes. We can bounce back Wednesday though, it will suit us a lot more playing a side who is going to attack us rather than park the bus.