Thin squad or not, the 11 that have started the last 3 games have not been able to retain or pass the ball at any stage of the 270 minutes. 

Just waiting for numerous posters to say how we should be grateful, because we are in the top half after 5 games.....bring it on....

It's not the player's fault, but can we please have some comment from the Edun fanclub, who along with JDT, and based on his recent performances, have seen enough to start him today. 

I don't agree that JDT had no choice. 

If JDT got all the plaudits in the 1st 4 games......?

The only 2 players who would put their foot on the ball, Dack and Morton,  haven't been considered.

JDT has hoped for the best, but that's our job, not the job of the messiah.... 

Better.

Need 48 minutes of it....

1 minute ago, Exiled_Rover said:

When their guy comes in late and polaxes our player it's not being bullied, it's an easy yellow card. 

This is an important point, and exactly the same thing happened last year. Yellow card challenges are not even given as a foul. 

Weak referreeing.

That doesn't excuse our pathetic performance, however....

It seems obvious when we have been totally dominated that we add Dack into midfield and remove an attacker. I include Szmodics as an attacker, and would remove him. 

Our midfield would then be slightly less likely to be overrun. 

It's the fact that we don't look like we have a clue, whoever plays, that is the most worrying. 

For the last 3 games, we haven't looked remotely like we could keep or pass the ball. 

Not a clue. 

Usually, in 90 minutes, a team would have a 10 minute spell where they have control of the game, but that has not happened in the last 3 games. 

We have made all 3 teams look like dangerous,  talented, possession-based champions. 

Last season, in this game, an out of form, confidence-light Rovers dominated Sheff U for much of the game. This is difficult to watch.

We were also kicked out of the game in the end. Today, we have led down before they have started kicking, but their unpenalised ugly deliberate fouling game is starting.  

On Wed. I was waiting for the changes to be made to alleviate Reading's dominance. That didn't happen. 

Today, I will expect the same, but I'm not holding my breath.....

I feel like JDT is not expecting or demanding that we retain possession, or accurately pass the ball. 

Pitiful.

44 minutes ago, neophox said:

Hopefully Edun and Brittain can come in with crosses today...

....can't remember Edun ever sending in an accurate (or any) cross. 

Ever! 

35 minutes ago, neophox said:

Hopefully Edun and Brittain can come in with crosses today...

How desperate are we to have to play Edun.

He has given the ball away dangerously already. 

So many on here still think he's a player. 

We are always down to 10 men when he plays, as someone has to constantly cover for him, as Diaz had to on Sunday. 

Anyone but Edun. He must be bloody good in training. 

This is looking worrying.....

3 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

Sorry, which players have gone backwards?

According to many on here, Dolan, Pickering, Buckley, and possibly others haven't kicked on under JDTs stewardship. 

I know this sounds a bit provocative, and my personal view is that all 3, and others, are playing as they have been playing since January. Averagely. 

I've already given my thoughts on Buckley, that he is covering and running too much for Szmodics, Dolan, and our threadbare defence to be able to perform more effectively and progressively. 

Our passing and ball retention in the last 2 games has been poor, and JDT, under pressure due to a heat exhausted and threadbare squad, picked the wrong side at Reading, so we lost.

I hope this is short lived, as most managers would struggle to win games with so few quality defenders, so big big pressure on the management to pull a lot of very talented rabbits out of the transfer hat, who are able to hit the ground running, as if we lose Ben, we lose our source of goals and assists. 

My view is that our season could still go either way, and I thought the JDT love-in was premature, and have said this since Sunday evening, after seeing my 1st live 90 minutes of the season.

I hope JDT is a good young manager that keeps us in the top 7 all season, but so far it's 50/50, and the transfer activity is only part of the story....

3 hours ago, toogs said:

Wow. 
The tide turns quickly on this site. 
 

 

....see above, it's just comment on what we see and feel.

We all want JDT to succeed, and until that happens we'll sing our hearts out home and away, and express our ongoing, considered thoughts on here.

1 hour ago, rigger said:

Most people who are criticising Pickering, are questioning his lack of pace. Would they be happy starting Jake Batty ? He has pace a plenty and is quite aggressive.

I personnally don't think Batty is ready yet. In a couple of years time, maybe.

Pickering is just one of a number of players that are going backwards under JDT, but that observation doesn't mean there is someone in the squad who could replace him.

Unless we sign a good left back, Pickering will not lose his place, as Edun is considerably worse, and maybe that is one reason for his 2 or 3 relatively complacent performances. 

This is something that may not improve this season, or at least not til Jan. 

14 minutes ago, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

Problem with the squad at the moment is we have too many 'bench players' and not enough genuine first teamers.

Kaminski

Ayala

Wharton

Travis 

Dack (and that's on past glory)

Brereton

Brittain (because there are no alternatives).

Hedges on current form. 

After that we struggle. 

Buckley should be a first teamer but he's inconsistent. 

 

Gallagher 

Dolan 

Zsmodics

Pickering

Morton

Carter

Phillips

Garret 

Adam Wharton 

JRC

They are all squad players or better coming off the bench.

 

At best we have 7-8 genuine first teamers. 

Definitely need at least 4 this window to be competitive.

 

This is a really important point. Very few were saying this until last night. 

In my view Buckley is a first teamer. He needs the midfield support to allow him to pull the strings with his control and passing. 

At the moment, he is too busy trying to help Trav do his job, as the other midfield/forwards (and defenders, actually) are awol, for differing reasons. 

One short statement from our DoF, however brief and inconclusive, would take the pressure off for a few days. 

4 signings that will improve our current position is a serious challenge. 

Crazy that what happens this week will have a massive impact on my over-winter mental health. 🤞🤔

We were poor on Sunday, in terms of ball retention, so I assumed that he would play 3 midfielders tonight, adding Morton or Dack to Trav & Buck.

JDT got it badly wrong, but the lack of quality and strength in the squad is partly to blame. 

We only need 2 forward players away from home, as long as we retain some midfield possession, as Diaz & Hedges or Gally will gladly run onto & chase the increased number of more accurate through balls that a 3 man midfield would provide. I think it was decided that Gally didn't have the strength to play 90 min after his heat exhaustion on Sunday, and Btittain was prob in the same condition. 

Reading are decimated by injuries, transfer embargo, and having Ince as manager, and JDT managed to make them look like world beaters. 

I really fear for us on Saturday, as much of the already thin squad is showing signs of mental fatigue. 

Time for our manager to step up, in acutely challenging circumstances. Not easy. 

51 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

It's pretty premature to say this of Broughton at this stage. So far he has made two permanent signings, both players already tracked for a while by the club, and bid on previously if I recall. Both players were from relegated sides, which made it easier to do than in the past. And a lad on loan from Liverpool, which has been part of our transfer policy for 2 years too....

I feel the same about JDT.

He has had a good start, but I'll judge his progress at Xmas. 

Sunday was my 1st live game as I've been away, so judging by the understandable euphoria surrounding the club, I expected flowing football, and quality all over the pitch, but I was disappointed by our inability to keep the ball at any stage of the game. 

I know this will improve, but it reminded me that we have to keep our feet on the ground, at least until the end of the transfer window. 

Tonight is a big test, especially as this game really confirmed our fall from grace last season (oops, wrong thread 😬).

So, optimistic, but guarded, until we start passing the ball effectively, and we need 3 more v good players to help with that. 

Ok, I'm off to the correct thread now, sorry....

Just now, Realistic Rover said:

Phillips to Tottenham would really wind me up. 
 

They never give youngsters a chance. Look at that Tanganga, can’t get a sniff. He’s so much better signing a 3 year deal here then getting his big move.

Hopefully, this is his agent ensuring he is offered a much better deal by us....

46 minutes ago, islander200 said:

...£8 million for him in the first place and wages and bonuses received by the player throughout his contract we will be lucky if we make £4-£5 million profit on him. 

This is the pivotal point. 

Is his overwhelmingly positive influence on the team not worth 4 or £5m?

If we happen to go up, and it's a very, very big 'if', I really believe he would sign a new contract and stay. 

How can a young championship reserve who's never played a game be worth £7m but the best striker in the Championship, playing for the side top of the league, is worth less than £15m? 

With him, we have ambitions of top 2.

Without him, we have ambitions of the play-offs.

All for the sake of less than we paid for Gally.

He is irreplaceable, given our current circumstances. Almost regardless of who replaces him. 

I really think he will do a lot of JDTs job for him, if we can only keep him. 

5 minutes ago, Sparks Rover said:

What about that ghastly "I'm Blue"...?

🤣🤦‍♂️

1 hour ago, Bohinen1983 said:

Can't keep riding our luck. We need to start taking control of games.  We're extremely light at centre half, centre mid and upfront.   I'll feel a lot more positive after we've reinforced the squad with some more quality.  If we don't this won't carry on.

I agree to some extent. 

We lacked fluency, despite some pleasing passing triangles, which meant that we just couldn't keep the ball when we were 2 nil up.

This will come, though, as the players get used to JDT's philosophy, and each other. 

Lots of away games on the horizon, we'll know how good this squad is by September. 

Top result today...

54 minutes ago, Oldgregg86 said:

I hated the song until rovers started winning now it’s a family fave 

I'd be ok to revisit One More Time - Daft Punk....

35 minutes ago, Waggy76 said:

It should be wah ,'Story of the blues 

 

Good call. Pete Wylie...

3 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Cant help but think that the music upon victory needs changing.

Surely, when we have won, we don't need music for 10 minutes, before sweet Caroline is played. We want to hear the crowd react to the win. 

It was soooo loud today, until the music drowned out the BB End. 

4 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Bit harsh, Edun has been decent this season. Defence was makeshift at the end and they had quality on both flanks in Wallace and Dangara. 

Fair comment, but his positioning, control and passing aren't there for me. 

Really good, tenacious win.

Just about managed to hang on despite the increasing injuries. 

We struggled to keep possession throughout, although WBA were impressive at closing us down. Really need composure on the ball when Dack is not playing. 

Despite reports of an improvement on last season, I maintain that any player in the squad would have performed better than Edun. JDT, like Mowbray, is obviously fooled into thinking he's a player, but so far he's a liability, and we win despite his questionable efforts. 

Without BBD, we will find it difficult to maintain this brilliant run, so the recruitment this week is pivotal to our chances of staying at the top. 

We'll  be a real force if we can find a flow and a few defenders. 

COYB. 

2 hours ago, rigger said:

So what would you do, just write him(Edun) off ? I don't think we are in a financial position to do that.

In terms of how he has performed in the 17 games, yes, I would let him go or give him half a season in the reserves. 

He has cost us a number of points this season, or should I say Mowbray's blind selection of him has cost us points, it's not Edun's fault I suppose. Although I believe any other squad player would have played as well as him, unfortunately. 

Any signings from lower divisions must be of Dack's and Rothwell's quality.

Anyway, that's me done on here til next season, I haven't been able to stomach the 17 points from 19 games Death spiral introspection since the Forest game, I bow to anyone that has been able to still discuss our plummet. 

Unfortunately, TM has managed to get out without having to justify his inability to get more than one point per game since Xmas. 

The most pathetic run of results in any european league, from any team not relegated. 

See you in August, I'm off to Old Trafford.....🏏

Sound crazy, but I'm almost relieved to have to accept that we just do not have the quality to go up.

Today has shown that more than any other game. 

We don't have the quality to go up.

We would have to play to our full potential to challenge the top six, and I just dont think the manager or players have the wherewithal to do that.

We don't have the collective or individual quality to go up.