Tyrone Shoelaces

5th Sept 1981. Lost 2-0. Team - Gennoe Hamilton, Keeley, Branaghan, Rathbone. Miller, Barker, Stonehouse, Brotherston. Lowey, Crawford. Sub P Williamson. Strange team, no wonder we lost. Who was P Williamson ? He came on for Keeley in his only appearance for Rovers.

It’s hard to escape the feeling that other teams/managers have worked out how to nullify the way we play. It’s not exactly complicated. Having said that I think that Bruce and WBA will want to play an attacking game on Monday. First home game and all that. That should suit us, so on the strength of that I’d gave the 3 at the back another go before I consider it’s time to change things. Nyambe at right back .I think Zefuik might be injured after he limped off the other night, not that I’d pick him over Nyambe. Ayala for Lenihan.

I’m not.

If we’re being honest Gallagher looked a better bet than Brererton going off Wednesday nights performance but would you be prepared to leave him out ?

I thought it was very good.

Yeah it’s about time somebody reported Steve Waggott to the police. He’s stealing a living.

I might give Dolan a go instead of Gallagher. He was really lively when he came on.

Forwards coming deep for the ball wasn’t invented yesterday. It’s been going on as long as I can remember. You need to have a plan to deal with it before the game starts.

I can’t say I’m his biggest fan. You can’t have a player in the engine room who only turns it on now and again.

And that’s when two of their best players, the right winger and right back were relatively quiet.

Egg in pocket ?

I’ve seen teams chucking all the forwards on to try and salvage the game quite often before. It rarely works, you just lose your shape and leave gaps at the back. Just like last night.

Yeah, they played like I want Rovers to play.

In that position I always tried to get my toe under the ball to lift it over where the keepers legs are going to be. A couple of feet off the ground is usually enough.

It wasn’t as easy as the one he missed at Swansea !

We’ve stopped making chances to score. I reckon we had two decent chances last night. Buckley’s and Rothwell’s , other than that it was all huff and puff. Our set pieces bring us nothing. We never look like scoring from free kicks and we’re not much better from corners. They took a corner from their right and deliberately over played it to a guy coming in from wide out left. He totally was unmarked and got onto the ball. The next corner from that side they did exactly the same thing and he was still totally un-marked !

That’s what their keeper had anticipated he do so he’d dived to cover that side.

I might have to call it a day then Gav. That wouldn’t be like the Coyle appointment, when I did temporarily call it a day, but it’s pretty bad. We’ve seen what he can do and it’s not good enough for Blackburn Rovers even if it’s good enough for the Chicken Chokers.

As we’ve discussed in another thread - he never managed to get his body into position for that sort of shot.

It’s hard to say. What I do know is every team we play from now on will be letting our centre halves have the ball and then dropping back to deny us the space up front to play in. We need to work out a plan to deal with that.

His brain wasn’t working but that’s what happens when you’re tired.

I thought he had a good twenty minutes after the sending off but other than that he was pretty quiet. He only plays in brief flashes. Also I thought he was playing too deep.

Look at Garner’s involvement last night and look at Rothwell’s. And to think we nearly signed Garner on loan a year or two ago.

Yes you’re right. It’s harder than it looks to get onto a ball that’s played into you from that angle from behind. If a toe poke is good enough finish for Romario it’s good enough for me.

He shouldn’t be playing anywhere near the goals, it’s not his game.