On a side note, there's one young Hull fan who ought to be getting a clip round the ear hole tonight (much like some posters on here probably given the last couple of hours' shenanigans!).

This is a great win, no doubt. It should further breed confidence, and keep momentum going up to THAT game before the WC shutdown. 

Hull were in decent form, with 2 wins on the bounce going into this game & no shortage of goals scored. So to keep a clean sheet & concede no shots on target is quite a performance. There's no reason to think that's because they were rubbish, the stats suggest it's more likely that we defended very solidly.

V happy for Szmodics, he's had a few doubters since he arrived but he's starting to show his true worth to the team. Is that 2 winners he's scored now, plus an assist for another?

It sounds as though Dolan & Gally were below par, but can't expect every player to be faultless every week. At the end of the day, despite having 2 key performers this season out (Hedges & Brittain), we still comfortably beat a confident side in their own backyard.

JDT clearly has the support of the players, and in turn the rewards for them are tangible. He's been quite clear in stating that he is bothered about the team not individuals, and proven that if players are playing well & can help the team then they will play.

I also think JDT is using the squad well, being mindful if some players' inexperience & the physical demands of 2 games every 7 days. He also seems to have the knack of being flexible in his tactical approach, both in prepping for each game & in making one-game changes.

I'm really buzzing; Coventry (or Brum, Burton or Northampton!) is certainly another chance if 3 points if we put in a professional performance.

And that's how it should be.

All good teams have good keepers who prove their worth in games where the rest of the team aren't firing. I don't think I can recall any successful team that has had a poor keeper.

It saddens me a little how quickly some folk are to write players off completely, particularly young forwards.

People are entitled to their opinions of course, but often I feel they're unjustified. Coaching staff & management, who have lived the game all their lives, with not insignificant success in JDT's case & also GB's to a lesser extent, are with these players day in, day out.  They have a wealth of info available to them about those players re fitness, confidence, off-field matters, team dynamics & player relationships (to name a few) in order to take a justified view about who may be good enough & who isn't, as opposed to just 90 minutes or less every week or so. They're not always right of course, but must see talent in all those players that make them worth working with & trying to develop.

It happened with BBD and Gallagher, even alongside of it being also recognised that they were not being played to their strengths, though I think most people now recognise their abilities and value to the squad. Szmodics then went through it, arguably still is, likewise Dolan. Hirst, Vale & Markanday are definitely current recipients, both being dismissed as not good enough by many on what can only be described as scant evidence in terms of first team experience, despite having excellent records elsewhere and / or at lower levels.

We all love the game as a sport, as entertainment, and we all want the best for the club. And like I said, opinions are fine if they can be justified; some are more valid than others, and voicing them on a forum is better than doing so in the ground. But to me many people are way too quick to judge and do so at risk of having to eat humble pie at a later date.

Rant over; I'm going for a 2-0 away win, BBD & Gally to get one each.

1 hour ago, StubbsUK said:

1 whole internet point (No cash value)

Lucky me.

I've spotted the deliberate error in the title, what's my prize??

Missed the match as am on holiday. Chuffed with the result, this was always likely to be a tough match given the form Brum have been in.

Sounds like it was v similar to the Sunderland game, with a bit more squeaky bum time involved as Brum were better up front than Sunderland. 

2-0 is a bit of an Achilles heal for us, probably cos teams think "sod it, might as well go gung ho to get back into the game & risk losing 3-0".  Certainly against Sunderland we should've got a 3rd on the break, it seems we were less likely yesterday though.

Am pleased for TK, he really is a fine 'keeper at this level and he seems to really feel part of things here. Good, successful teams have good, match winning goalkeepers, end of.

Back 3 seemed solid again, save for Hyam being off balance for the goal. 

Adam Wharton looks like a real bonus, I know there was some noise around him last season when Scott came into the team (iirc Scott said he's not even the best player in his family) but I didn't expect anything as smooth & pleasing on the eye as he is.

BBD sounded knackered, but I'm not surprised given the shift he put in on Tuesday. Hopefully he benefits from a free week as we approach the 5 match run to the WC.

I'm well chuffed for Gally. I've been a staunch defender of his over the last 2-3 seasons when despite being played wrong, he's been heavily dissed by a large section of our fanbase. Used correctly, and given service, when fully fit he is a proper handful for defenders & has a good goalscoring instinct, as well as a super shot. He's definitely a 15-20 goal a season man if played properly. 

Joint top going into November is unbelievable, when the team is so young & still finding its feet. There's a huge task to stay there but if we can get to the WC, rest a month & work on shapes & tactics, then strengthen in January I don't see why we can't maintain at least a playoff spot. This time last season we were just recovering from a 0-7 reverse; how times have changed, and long may it continue.

12 hours ago, Upside Down said:

This season is probably the best chance we'll ever get to finally get out of this division. 

I seem to remember this being said in each season since we came back up, be that carrying on promotion momentum, or having consolidated our Champ status, or having been 2nd in Feb last season. Maybe the best chance will be next season, once JDT has built his own squad?

Of course, let's go for it this season though!!

6 hours ago, Upside Down said:

Excellent is not what I would call it. 

That Wigan performance was totally unacceptable and it wasn't the first. 

We do seem to be able to win well though and that is promising. We just need to turn the Ls into Ds.

I can't understand your first sentence. We're joint top with a team of kids and lower league journeymen, working under a whole new management team, having won more games than any other team in the division. Considering we're still very much in a transitional process after 5 years of TM, that is (to steal arbitro's word) phenomenal.

What a great platform on which to build.

Yes we can point to some poor performances and agree they were unacceptable, or to the fact we've lost 7, but to my mind that is part of the learning & transitional process. All good teams put in poor performances & get poor results, but still achieve or exceed their overall goals.

First chance to post on here since Tuesday.

Have to say it was a great advert for Championship football. Without being a 9 goal thriller, both teams went at each other with 100% commitment right into the 95th minute, & there was no shortage of ability on show from either side.

I think we deserved that win, whether or not there was some controversy over the goals themselves (fwiw I think both were valid but could've gone against us, we've had enough 60/40s go against us to be entitled to some luck). I think that it would be picky to be critical of any Rovers player, who all played their part in a really hard fought win.

Standout performances were from Hyam, Morton & Szmodics for me, but credit to everyone. BBD is just a physical beast, the power & strength in his running in injury time testament to his fitness levels, just a shame he couldn't find the finish or final pass.special mentions too to Hedges, Brittain & esp Carter, who I felt had a great debut and didn't look at all out of place. I read some comments on here earlier in the game that he was hiding, I didn't get that impression at all.

TK seems back to his best after a bit if a blip, Carter & Wharton were solid, Gally was quiet but still put in a shift & was crucially involved in BBD's goal.

I think we all wondered what formation we'd have when the team was announced, but it worked really well. Ok it was "only Sunderland" but I think it shows that JDT and his staff have a good amount of tactical nous about them.

The future looks really bright. We started that game with Scott W, Carter & Garrett, finished with Dolan & Vale in addition, with Adam W, Buckley & Phillips unused & the likes of Travis,  & Barnes unavailable. That's some credit to our academy, plus 19y/o loanee Morton directing the midfield.  Even our older players are under 30 (bar Ayala), and all have plenty of time on their contracts bar BBD & Dack.

Whilst there is clearly a long way to go, and some difficult decisions to make off the pitch (northeast the futures of the latter 2 players mentioned), after 16 games we have to recognise we"re in a far better position than we could have expected, and have given ourselves a real springboard for success.

13 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

I would counteract the point about a younger team by highlighting a lack of experience. Dack is not even 30 but he can add some knowhow to a young and naive group. He is also only a year or two older than Szmodics who has signed under Tomasson and was a player lauded for his experience so that doesnt tally up.

Dack is a shade under 2 years older than Szmodics, but also has 2 v serious recent injuries behind him compared to Szmodics. Plus his contract expires in the summer; if the club is looking to the present & future, then arguably Szmodics has more to offer than Dack does (sadly).

As for it being a young squad, whilst in general it is there is still plenty of experience in it, with the likes of Kaminski, Ayala, Hyam, Hedges, Szmodics, Dack, Gallagher. What we don't have is a crop of 30 year olds; we just have Ayala, but we have a good spread of players in their early,, mid & late 20s. 

I don't mind that, and I don't think losing Dack for his experience alone would be that great a loss (which is not me saying we wouldn't miss his footballing ability).

There are some valid points on here re Dack imo. I'm certain if he was selected more then he would repay that in his performances. It would be sad if his time with us ends this Jan or in summer with him having only played a bit part in the season.

But time moves on, he has suffered 2 bad injuries and maybe in JDT's view that's caught up with him. The onus of the club now, rightly, is on the future & relying more on youth than experience. There are so many attacking options available to JDT in the midfield & forward lines that maybe he doesn't see a longer term future for him at the club. His wages may play a part in that.

JDT's mantra since his arrival has been on the team  not the individuals. When all's said and done he has us in 5th place, 1 point off top (albeit having played one game more than everyone else), having not found any consistency as yet. There's clearly room for improvement, but imo the initial signs are very good.

3 minutes ago, M_B said:

In my original post, I actually said I've a feeling tomorrow could be the night for Szmodics. 

 

He's definitely not one to give up on IMO, as many on here were suggesting they would. He's clearly the type if player who becomes a fan's favourite for his effort & commitment. 

Didn't he get 6 goals for Posh last season? He's already a third of the way there after what, 6 starts? At that rate he'll finish on 10-12 goals, which will be none too shabby. If he (2 so far), Gally (2), BBD (7), Dolan (2) & Hirst (0) can score 40-50 between them, and the rest of the squad 25-30 (5 so far), that'll be a good return I'd say.

Plenty of time for him to come back to form, and there will be plenty of opportunities too this season as the games come thick and fast; we may even see him replace Travis tomorrow or Saturday.

He definitely has ability & can see & play a pass. And I'm sure JDT & GB agree otherwise there's no way he would've got a 5 year extension. 

Like others have said above, he struggles in a 2-man midfield but in a 3, and given a licence to roam, he can be very dangerous when our forwards are making runs.

39 minutes ago, M_B said:

Half of Tomasson's(only 6) signings can hardly get a kick in one of the youngest teams in the division, which could go top tomorrow after 16 games in. 

The evidence is there, whether you accept it is up to you. 

Thankfully the "he's left us in the brown stuff" comments have turned out to be unfounded, and have actually subsided. 

I sometimes think there would be more fans happier if we were in a relegation battle, rather than threatening the top spot. 

He definitely left us in a better state than he found us, as comparing his first team to his last is like chalk & cheese. Of course, much of that is down to the development of players from the academy, which in all fairness everyone in a senior management role (inc the owners) can take some credit in.

That said, he should've made more of the superb position we were in last season by at least qualifying for the playoffs.

As for the comment re half of Tomasson's signings hardly getting a kick, that's a bit harsh. Hyam has been an excellent upgrade on Lenihan, & Morton is more than proving his worth. Szmodics has scored 2 & assisted 2 since his late arrival, whilst also hampered by concussion, likewise Brittain is a top signing also hampered by injury. Hirst is clearly the main signing up for debate, but it's still early days & he clearly has something given his performances for Pompey. That leaves Mola, who was never likely to be an immediate hit given his age & lack of match fitness. According to Rigger, he seems to be doing well for the U21s & developing nicely.

So overall I'd say purely from a footballing perspective, TM did a good job overall & improved the squad significantly, and the early signs are positive that JDT & GB can improve us further. The win at Boro shows what the team is capable of when things click, so it is logical that as the players grow together they produce more of that than they do the dross at Wigan etc.

I'd like to see Garrett in for Travis & go with the same approach to the game as at Boro. The only other option would be Dack instead, but I wonder if that might just leave us exposed through a lack of mobility and bite in midfield.

I'd keep Gally up top, he's always had that ability in him, I've been a staunch defender of his against a lot of criticism on here, and that's why. Play him right & that's what he can do.

Tomorrow night's selection will have one eye to Saturday's match too. I suspect we will see significant changes between the two matches as rotation continues with 7 games in the next 4 weeks. These next two games are massive chances to make a statement, but both are big potential banana skins for us too so we'll need to be on our mettle throughout.

56 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

You used to adore him

I think TM's recent comments have sullied his reputation here for those who were supportive of him during his tenure. It's fair enough to change your mind on the back of those comments & particularly on his admission that he actively encouraged a respected senior member of staff to take a "bigger" job elsewhere.

I appreciate TM for what he did in reversing the decline & helping bring some semblance of normality to the club. For that reason, he won't be getting any boos or claps from me. We've moved on, his presence ought really to be an irrelevance, it's just about a very valuable 3 points like any other match.

Erm... 2-2 now!

U21s just gone 2 up with 2 goals in a minute, Leonard & Markanday with assists from Haddow & sub Cirrino (all according to google)

Not sure why Travis is getting so much criticism at the moment? I appreciate he might be going through a rough patch and has his limitations as an all-round CM, but in his 4/5 years as a first teamer he's hardly let us down, and the general consensus on here was that we missed him in the middle when he stood in for Brittain at RB during our 3 game losing run. 

I'm not saying he's undroppable as no-one is (or should be), but on form he's as good as anyone in this division at what he does so I think he's worth persevering with. I would have Garrett on the bench though as he looks like the closest like-for-like replacement in the squad.

I do think Dack deserves a start, but can't see it as he played the full 90 midweek for the U21s.

But I think it will be 433:

Kaminski

Brittain

Hyam

S Wharton

Pickering 

Hedges

Travis

Morton

Gallagher

Szmodics 

BBD 

Subs: Pears, Mola, Dack, A Wharton, Hirst, Buckley, Dolan

Need to find some confidence on the road, away to manager less team in 21st is a good time for that, but we all know they're much better than that.

2 hours ago, rigger said:

He also got dispossesed countless times, broke up our attacks by cutting inside and, when he didn't lose the ball, he more often than not passed backwards. I think he is more likely to reproduce the poor parts of his game (80%), than the good parts (20%). I am of this opinion because from what I saw the poor parts to his game, are the basics.

Fair enough, you saw the match and I didn't but I can't help thinking your analysis is harsh. Granted there's room for improvement; but if a young forward tries things and they don't come off I don't mind that (indeed it should be actively encouraged), so long as he's doing it in the right areas of the pitch. 

Because sometimes those things he tries result in a shot that hits the post that he or a teammate can score from on the rebound, or a penalty, or a goal. If a forward manages to score a goal and get an assist each match, that'll keep every manager happy.

20 hours ago, rigger said:

Markanday in my view was poor, but then scored a cracker.

I'll take poor if it means hitting the post, winning a pen and scoring a goal each game! He clearly has pace & natural ability.

From those highlights Garrett looks v tidy, & Dack's experience was clearly a class above. I do hope he can get himself back involved in the 1st 11.

Disappointing away performance again; still early days for JDT & absolutely no need to panic,but there is clearly lots of room for improvement.

I'm guessing Brittain still isn't 100% after his injury, but them strange he's been on the bench so often?

Playing Hirst here might make sense; he did well in L1 last season & Wigan are more or less L1 opponents.

No reason why we can't win tonight, the dismal record there means nothing when the whistle goes, getting a win of any sort would be fantastic.

I'm going 1-2, BBD & Szmodics. 

10 hours ago, Sparks Rover said:

City's 18 year olds are playing for Sheff Utd and Stoke from the start.  That u21s is tin pot really,  can't see the point myself

Liam Delap at Stoke is 19, he turns 20 in February.

Tommy Doyle at Sheff Utd is 20, he turns 21 next week.

James McAtee at Sheff Utd is 19, he turns 20 next week.

I think my point stands!