11 minutes ago, rigger said:

That free-kick.

That brown away kit. 

George Courtney gave us the penalty at Wembley cos of the stick he got walking out at Bradford. 

57 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

I know on BRFCS we love an excursion into language pedantry and one of my peeves is the outrageous misuse of "decimated". It literally means "to reduce by one tenth" as "deci" derived from the Latin for the suggests. It comes from the somewhat harsh ancient Roman legion practice of summarily executing 1 of 10 of their own legionnaires after a particularly humiliating defeat or act of insurrection.

Its often used today to mean "enormous reduction" but it's just wrong to do so. If the argument is we lost 12 players from a say 30 man squad then it's a manifestly insufficient term!

(Apologies, I was going to let it pass but it's been used half a dozen times on this thread incorrectly and I just couldn't stop myself).

That's actually the second definition given,the first one is kill, destroy or remove a large proportion of,i did check before I quoted Atko. 

I'm sure he was going with the first one,unless he was deliberately meaning to be outrageous. 

8 minutes ago, Atko's Engine said:

My own point regarding the squad being decimated was with regards to comparing TM's last squad to JDT's first.  Clearly now it's a stronger squad than on day one, though arguably still weaker than last season.  I think that's unarguable. 

Clearly the first 10 games were coloured by a lack of options & being forced to give debuts to teenagers & play men out of position. Despite that, we got 5 wins (+ 2 cup wins), which I think is a very solid return in context, and more than comparable to what Kompany or Beale have achieved, for example.

Now we have a fixed squad for 3 months, the next portions of games pre- and post-world cup are about getting them to gel, developing plans a, b and c, whilst also planning for the January window to bring in ripe & ready players that can slot neatly into the squad & give us the chance to better cope with inevitable injuries & suspensions & have a strong finish to the season. 

Sounds like a reasonable plan to me, and we're in decent shape to build on a solid start.

I think we're in a good place, a good platform from which Tomasson can work from and hopefully improve. 

I just never subscribed to the theory that the squad he inherited was as weak as was made out. 

Yes we lost the fun boy 3,and the loan players, but the rest were just fluff  used to try to prove a point.

Any new manager would want at least half a dozen of his own players anyway, whether he thinks they're fit or good enough to displace the players already here is up to him. 

1 minute ago, Gav said:

Tomasson could have all manor of reasons to not be playing the players to mention M_B and I know for sure he wouldn't want to be relying on the likes of Philips and Wharton if he didn't have to.

Last season we clearly lacked quality and numbers when injuries and suspensions hit, we are worse off this season in my opinion and that could lead to a relegation scrap this time around. 

 

I'm not saying he didn't have reasons for leaving them out Gav. As I say, I'm not for one second having a go at Tomasson, I'm quite happy at the moment. 

My argument is that a manager with a supposedly decimated squad does not have the luxury of willingly leaving out the mentioned players, whilst putting in that really good performance against Watford with the same starting 11.

It's an excuse which is trotted out every time we have a stinker, but isn't mentioned when we outplay Watford. 

That's the point I'm making, and I think the evidence backs it up. 

12 hours ago, Atko's Engine said:

That's a bit sneaky, as Brittain has been injured for the last few matches & would clearly have started yesterday but for that. Likewise Szmodics would've had more game time but for his concussion.  Hyam & Morton have been trusted (admittedly with varying degrees of success in Morton's case), there's only really Mola who has failed to figure yet & Hirst, both of whom were very late window signings.

Clearly the squad is stronger now than it was on July 30th, but surely there can be no argument that the lost of 12 squad players (inc 5 of the preferred first 11) equates to its decimation??

Phillips can't be loaned out until Jan; I'm sure that won't happen without us being numerically secure if he does, and clearly there's a strong argument for it to be in his & the club's best interests, given the successes of Scott W & Carter.

I'm quite happy how it's going, when it's gone well,  there have been some really good signs and we've played some exciting football. 

I'm just not having "decimated" when players who are clearly able to play, are being overlooked for ones who were originally here. 

You're giving excuses for the new signings not playing, Brittain is valid although he did come on against Luton. 

Szmodics played on Saturday for the under 21's. 

Mola is a new recruit, but came on against Watford. 

Hirst likewise on Saturday. 

Wharton was left out, as was Markanday,as was Dack. 

I'm not unhappy with Tomasson, I just don't agree that a manager with a "decimated" squad would have the luxury of voluntarily leaving out the above players, especially his main signing. Then, whilst leaving out the above players, managed to play each one of the starting 11 in his preferred position (Carter is arguable). 

That isn't evidence of a decimated squad. 

4 hours ago, Atko's Engine said:

Is that what JDT did though? Do we know 100% that Szmodics is 100% after his concussion 2 weeks ago? Do we know that his reason for not including 18 y/o Wharton was to ensure he was fit for England? I think (and stand to be corrected) that's just suspicion or conjecture; they could also be decisions purely with the players' own welfare in mind.  

For the majority of the 10 games played in the league we've had a decimated, stretched squad where we've had LBs at CB, midfielders at RB, a 17yr old at CB & an 18 year old at CM. several 18 yr old academy players have made their debuts out of necessity rather than choice. There can be no argument there surely, albeit I agree that's not the reason we lost & played poorly yesterday.

Joint 5th as you put it is a more than acceptable start IMO, with some good performances mixed in with some poor ones. Time & patience is key.

I don't know for a fact that Szmodics was 100% fit, but surely that isn't the point. He was fit enough to turn out for the under 21's, if the squad is decimated, then he would have played for the first team. Same goes for Wharton, Tomasson wouldn't have had the luxury of making the choice. 

Injuries don't come into it, they're part and parcel of getting through the season, we're now talking about loaning Phillips out to give him games. 

I just don't subscribe to the theory that Tomasson inherited a decimated squad. 

Young, light on numbers maybe, but when he signs 6 new players and only 2 are starting games, then it doesn't really add up does it? 

7 hours ago, Atko's Engine said:

I stand by my beliefs and am not missing any point in the argument. To be frank, I'm astounded that this is controversial in some people's eyes.

I said I was generally content with the start made in the context of where we were when GB & JDT arrived. We've had games (like Blackpool, QPR, Watford), where we've dominated & looked great, other games like today, Reading & Sheff Utd where we've looked the opposite. 

We can't ignore the context. We were told project, 3 to 4 windows, build a platform for a sustainable PL club; where we are now is a club in transition, exactly as was said on the tin. The starting point was a decimated squad missing half an 8th placed team, where 4 or 5 academy players have since made their first team debuts in a dozen games, and 4 players arrived in the last week if the transfer window (6 league games into the season) because we had no head coach until mid June, no DoF until 2 weeks earlier &  a head of recruitment who's only just joined! 

Against Watford, Blackpool, QPR & W Brom we've seen a lot of good football, pressing, 1 & 2 touch passing. I believe that's what he wants to develop, but it'll take time to get a young, still small squad to be able to adopt a consistent version of that, especially when it's 2 games a week.

 

A manager with a "decimated" squad doesn't leave out his most expensive signing for two games when fit,and prioritise England u19's over a league match at Luton. 

Let's have it right, the squad is there as shown on Tuesday, he's having to leave supposedly important players out of the squad, never mind the team. 

He's got the players at his disposal, nobody expects miracles and joint 5th is a more than creditable start, but the decimated squad argument needs leaving behind, it's been disproved already. 

Give him time, he's only been here 2 minutes. 

It's actually a good sign of how strong the squad is, when Tomasson's most expensive signing can't get in ahead of the existing players. 

It's also good that Tomasson doesn't feel the need to force him in, he may need time to acclimatise, a bit like Hedges. 

24 minutes ago, rigger said:

Mowbray may have done a decent job in your opinion. That does not mean he actually did a decent job. In my opinion, I would expect more than decent, paying someone a good wage to perform their job.

I was more making the point that it's odd that there are 100 pages of it.

10 hours ago, Gav said:

Why not turn your attention to someone like Coyle who actually was a dolloper, instead of Mowbray who was a manager who had taken us as far as he could, no harm in that really.

It is a strange phenomenon that this thread has reached 100 pages,when the bloke did a decent job. Why people have to keep trying to prove some kind of point is anyone's guess,it's all a bit odd. 

I notice the calls of him leaving the squad in a bad state have gone quiet, seem a bit silly after Tuesday night's performance and being 3rd.

He's left a good platform from which Tomasson can hopefully take us onwards and upwards. I could understand it if it was Steve Kean. 

1 hour ago, Exiled_Rover said:

We're 10 games into the season and Tues was the first match where JDT had an actual choice on who to start / bench and omit from the squad.

3 matches a week has been brutal on our small squad.

Small but quality, what a nice position for Tomasson to work with and add to in January when he's had a good look. 

He raised the bar on Tuesday, showing just what this squad is capable of. The knack now is obviously to find the consistency. 

1 hour ago, rigger said:

I never want a team above us in the league, to win

I never want a team to go above us. 

Come on Norwich and Sunderland, I quite like 3rd place 

20 minutes ago, BlackburnEnd75 said:

Fair play to Pickering I've given him some stick recently but he played well tonight. Similarly dolan imotessed tonight and has stepped up with another assist after going through a period of stagnation. 

Carter is a player and good back up for Brittain. I'm very happy with the 4 Centre half's we've got.

If Carter keeps that up, Brittain will be his back up. 

Good thread.

Hard to tell, most of the others are as inconsistent as we are.

I'm tempted to say the top half of 7th - 13th,but given that we're 7th after such a disastrous run of injuries, I can actually see us threatening the top 6 up until the break,if players come back OK. 

Anything 10th or above will mean a good start for the new regime. 

18 hours ago, SuperBrfc said:

From what I can remember, Zurab covered a few games at right back, but not at left back. Lucas Neill played some games at left back though, quite well too.

Putting his exit to one side, Neill was a solid defender. No nonsense, comfortable in any role along the backline and he got forward well. We could do with him today (and plenty of others).

The one that used to scare me was seeing Dominic Matteo at left back. There was even one game where Souness had him on the left wing, bizarrely. That was a sight 😁.

Cracking player Lucas Neill, hard as nails. He's coaching the girls teams at Stanley. 

9 hours ago, Herbie6590 said:

At Rotherham when we were “chasing” promotion…lost of course…on the way out of the ground an elderly Rotherham fan said: “At least tha’ll know weer to come next season now…” 😆

Can't beat that Yorkshire humour, is that why you moved there? 😁

I think that match is the one where you noticed my UFO Bob hat before you recognised me😅

1 hour ago, Gav said:

Not something you come across on matchdays in my experience M_B, mostly confined to social media (The land of make believe).

I feel a song coming on.....

Go on, I'll count you in. 

41 minutes ago, Armchair supporter supremo said:

Awww how lovely 🥰 maybe you can confince him to find a job for Waggot up there as well

I'll see what I can do, may be better if I try to convince him though eh? 

Was at Rotherham a few years ago, we were both struggling and the weather wasn't brilliant.

Queued up at a burger van for a brew, an old fella with a Rotherham hat on stood next to me.

I said we've come over the hill, but we're not expecting a thriller.

He said in his best Yorkshire accent, "well it's a good job lad, cos tha's not  getting one".

Could badly do with winning this one,if Boro win tomorrow we'll be 7th,but only 4 points above the relegation zone. A win would keep us bobbing along nicely, Tomasson has enough on his plate without table pressure becoming a factor.

Apparently, Hedges turned his ankle in the warm up yesterday.  Hopefully he's fit,  he sets the tone and I'd fancy us more if he plays.

We're more than capable of winning at Wigan, 0-2 Rovers.

I'm right next to the away bench, and he'll certainly get a warm return from me, he certainly did more good than bad.

It's a strange phenomenon that our supporters seem compelled to  have to counter Tomasson's decisions by making out they know what Mowbray would have done.

What is that all about, it's weird,how long will it continue, and who gives a shit anyway?

Looking forward to seeing Hirst,hope he plays. 

Need a win tomorrow, we can't be letting a 98th minute equaliser go to waste. 

Always thought that Brereton would be more likely to go for more money in January, when a team near the bottom of the Prem gambles for safety. 

If he stays beyond January, I would assume he will have had a good enough season up to that point, for Venkys to keep him, hoping for a decent league finish. 

With either of those outcomes, nobody could argue that the £6 million wasn't money well spent. He's turned into a cracking player.