Exiled in Toronto Mk2

All hail the weakest midfield pairing ever to take the field in Rovers shirts.

We’d stopped playing before their first, they were cutting us open at will. Dolan guilty of not trying to block the shot. 2nd Pears is back.

I’m sure the players do prefer just being able to boot it as it absolves them from taking responsibility, being brave, being demanding of others. Make it someone else’s problem. Lets see what Eustace does next.

Great work by the dressing room spokesman there

Well I’m glad we got rid of that JDT tippy tappy shite and started playing to our strengths - we should be 0-6 down.

Well, if the serial puller-outer of challenges and recipient of dickhead sending offs says everything was JDT’s fault, then it clearly must be true!

Lowe played over 500 games and scored over 100 goals, including a season in the top flight.

I’d put Kevin Moran and Tony Gale in the same category of excellent past-it centre half signings.

I had the pleasure of watching McGuire in the flesh for an entire game in October and he was impressive, easily the standout player on the night. Was being marked by Michael Bradley and made him look a total mug. Gets my vote.

When Saint John Williams was elevated to Chairman he was quoted in LET as saying Tom Finn would run the club day-to-day while JW’s main responsibility was getting the club sold, which means it was him who invited the fox into the hen house, and no doubt got a healthy bonus once the sale completed. A bunch of fusty lawyers in Jersey wouldn’t have known Jerome Anderson from Gerry Anderson.

I totally agree. In fact I’ve never liked him since Burnley away when he let some punk winger get away with giving him the 3-0 sign right in his face. No passion. Today he’s been dreadful.

Hyam again. He was the free man, moved toward the flight of the ball under no pressure and then jumped underneath it.

I saw McGuire play in October against Toronto FC, he looked the real deal all game. Scored a couple, including a screamer, and made Michael Bradley, who was marking him, look a complete clown. I’d be excited if this came off.

Get Brittain out of my team - spent the entire half pointing, gesticulating, shoulder-slumping, then sending almost every pass either backward or to an opponent. Two great assists by Siggy

Case in point being the first goal: 5 players got sucked in toward the ball over by the away dug out, they were all within feet of the ball and the middle was empty when Watford wriggled the ball out - mental tiredness. Panic stations, no-one to close down the shooter... The sevond was all Leo though.

So not “never” then. They averaged around 20,000 for three consecutive seasons in Div 2 when they were pushing for promotion under Ian Greaves, at a time when crowds were much lower, because they have a bigger latent support which turns up in good times than do we, which for them is right now again.

Nonsense. When we were both in Div 2 in the mid-late 70s, their crowds were double ours. Look it up.

Personally I didn’t mind JDT’s rope-a-dope Swansea away tactics, but it does depend on defenders defending well. Hill got rinsed at fullback, with no help from the awful Brittain, and I put the first (and fourth) goals down to Wharton Snr. Moran to me is an academy player who only shines through his talent against poor opponents, against experienced good players he doesn’t know how to fight to earn the right to play. Brittain should be fined two weeks wages and the money used to refund the travelling fans. First booking, shirt tug 80 yards from our goal, was almost as brainless as the second. If JDT really means Team First then there have to be consequences for the sending off.

8 of our Premiership winning squad played for them before, during or after our win - amazing! I’m predicting 2-3: John Bailey hat trick of dodgy pens cancelling out Channon and Osgood

I thought it was the best he’s ever played in a back 4.

Man of the match - JDT Cameo of the season - Jake Garrett

Equally, Szmodics was a nailed-on dud at this time last year.

Good definition. Only McNamee in my time could be expected to do that every game. Hughes did it in midfield in the cup final. Can think of plenty from the past who would do that when provoked.

As indeed was Sir Sammy - the current top scorer in the division - this time last year. Its beginning to seem to me that a) it takes time for players to adapt to JDT-ball, and b) especially as the number 9.

Excellent win thanks to three excellent goals, as most of ours seem to be these days, all sweet finishes at the end of great moves. With Hill at CB and Tronstadt in front of him, we have got rid of our soft centre, they both really know their jobs and do them excellently. Young Wharton is an enigma for me; no-one better at receiving, controlling and giving the ball in tight spaces, but his adventurous forward passes pretty much all missed their mark today. And, in the twenty mins after big bro got sent off, Adam might as well have gone off with him. He’s not yet the complete midfielder, easily bypassed and seems to react to rather than pre-empt runners off the ball. Early days though. The keeper debate seems to have forgotten that just 40 miles down the road we also scored three but lost thanks to Pears gifting Ipswich 3 goals. The new lad is nervy but I thought his save from the header crucial so soon after we scored our third. Seen plenty of keepers rooted to the spot for those.