On 03/04/2024 at 09:55, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

He doesn’t really have be dirty, he just needs to use his size. He needs a few lessons off Shearer. He was brilliant at using his physicality although he wasn’t the biggest bloke around.

He had the opportunity to learn off Danny Graham when he was here. He needs to watch a few videos of Mark Hateley or even Mick Harford in their prime.

15 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Denial of a goalscoring opportunity surely. The double jeopardy rule only counts if a genuine attempt is made to play the ball.

Clear penalty and probable yellow card but if the foul hadn't occurred and it had played out, the player had to control the ball then turn past Brittain and beat the keeper. It wasn't a clear goal scoring opportunity and shows what a silly pull of a shirt it was.

9 hours ago, Upside Down said:

If you're in the box and you're not interfering with play then you shouldn't be on the pitch. 

Thank you Mr. Clough

Genuinely cannot see where the next win will come from. Soft goals conceded few goals being scored.

JRC cannot play midfield as he constantly forgets to get back in position when we lose the ball. 

People can look at stats but it is still no wins for Eustace. The only win being Johnson's since he started. Will picking up draws be enough?

15 hours ago, philipl said:

You don't need Jerome to find them a buyer.

I know of two potential buyers.

But you wouldn't want them at Rovers because the club would just be a feeder in an international stable of clubs.

But is that not what we are now in all but name? Wharton and Philips transfers case in point. 

4 hours ago, Upside Down said:

To me this season has all the hallmarks of when they deliberately relegated us from the Premier League. 

They've offloaded any decent players we have with only Szmodics to go in the summer.

They've managed to get shut of the manager that openly challenge, questioned and called out all of their bullshit.

They've hired a guy who's got absolutely no pedigree and an absolute yes man.

They've tried to once again shift the blame on to the fans.

We've been here before. Our relegation will be this year or the next and it is 100% deliberate. Just like it was when they first took over.

 

Also the same we the season we went down to League One when Coyle took over instead of Warnock.

3 minutes ago, windymiller7 said:

Just trying to put a bit of a positive spin on tonight's game (extremely difficult, I know), my daughter can't make it as she's on holiday & only gets back tomorrow so my stepson said he'd use her ST & come along.

Now, he's not a Rovers fan (Manure - blame his mother!) but has been to a few games with me over the years & generally we have a good record when he comes along. The games we haven't won have been against prem opposition where we have given a good account of ourselves (Mourinho's Manure & Newcastle last week). His first ever visit to Ewood saw us beat Reading 4-2 with goals from Benni Mac (2), RSQ & Tugay.

Just hoping his streak continues!

Wasn't the game against Mourinho the season we went down? All things are alining for a trip to Wigan next season!!!

The simple fact this set of players are mentally too soft. How many times this season or last has it recovered from a losing position? This club has no fight so we will go down with a whimper there is no backbone. There is no one at this club you would want to be alongside you in a battle.

Everything Ive seen from Eustace just reminds me of Bryan Kidd and we all know how that happened. Just like then we have a centre forward who should be bullying opposition defenders with his physique but they cant wait to face him. Just like then we have midfielders who have no fight. 

11 hours ago, Upside Down said:

Is it just me or are all the players who left on free transfers after the owners turned down cash offers for them all Mowbray signings?

 

Nyambe and Lenihan weren't, they were already at the club before Mowbray

7 minutes ago, alex l said:

Ennis to stoke reported by Bayes. That's like an RKO out of nowhere. 

Someone on Twitter reporting it as a permanent transfer following his old boss to stoke. Usually dont believe but the person did call the yank fiasco first.

2 minutes ago, rovers11 said:

I hope that we don't invest too much money in this window from the Wharton sale. Its a terrible window to do business in. This is the biggest chance we've had to properly had to get some quality in so rushing that process with 2 days to go would be unwise. Realistically, this season has gone for us. We just need to make sure we stay up, which we will. 

We then need to have a proper go at in the summer window. 

I'd focus on loan deals to plug the gaps for now and then re-set in the summer. The US guy would be the exception as I think he's been on our radar for a while, so he's not a panic signing.

I dont get this. You dont wont to waste money but then suggest we bring in loans. I see the loans as the biggest waste of money of the lot. Borrowing a player for a couple of months, paying a loan fee then returning the player and your money is gone. This is not to mention there is probably an agents fee as well. Borrow 4 this window, borrow 4 next window at approx 1 million then thats nearly half the Wharton money gone and there is no resale value.

19 minutes ago, gazza1981 said:

Well the Brighton coach did call Moran the Irish Phil Foden . That's some praise.

And Steve Kean called David Goodwillie the Scottish.........means naff all

15 hours ago, rigger said:

I think the last point is the most relevent.

Actually think all are equally relevent as each other. If you know your keeper is weak on crosses you need to stop the crosses. This should be done by being organised and do some basic defending.

Coaching takes time but a defensive general who controls the shape of the defence will help but that will only work if our full backs are not being utilised as midfielders

8 minutes ago, rigger said:

I agree with you about Wahlstedt. What he is really missing at the moment, is self-confidence. I don't know what needs to be done to give it to him, but whatever is being done at the moment, isn't working.

A Kevin Moran type centre half who organises his back four, a pair of full backs who can prevent crosses coming in and a goalkeeping coach who can teach him how to deal with crosses would be a start

14 minutes ago, joey_big_nose said:

Szmodics is a striker.... He's constantly our furthest forward player. He's not Frank Lampard coming in and pinging the goals in from the edge of the bx. He leads the line and scores strikers goals.

In the last two Championship games his average position has been further forward than the supposed number 9 (in this case Telalovic), and that can be seen all season.

 

 

 

I agree that fundamentally that Szmodics is a forward and we are playing as a 424. This is why we are so wide open defensively.

Then if our forwards aren't good enough, which none of the presently fit ones are, then we need another midfielder in the team rather than any one of them to help protect defensively.  

20 minutes ago, BankEnd Rover said:

Will be known to the new Pilgrims manager, ex-England youth team

19 hours ago, arbitro said:

I agree entirely. Surely there will be CCTV covering the back of the Riverside where it appeared to come from. There should be a proper investigation done involving the police and as you say it was just luck that nobody was injured.

The smoke was coming from further back and would be hidden by trees. I personally think if this is where the firework came from I think it was likely a mis firing firework probably aimed  above Ewood rather than the pitch as the Riverside would prevent a direct aim.

2 minutes ago, matt83 said:

I see rovers bought on a 15 year old. Youngest ever player. I suspect it’s more to do with the crèche mentality than being good enough but still he’s in the history books

or trying to get a highly sought after youngster that he has an instant first team route at the club so please...please sign a contract before he goes somewhere else

10 hours ago, Blow-in said:

Which is the point he made, that GB has to go or that the players had been scouted before GB's arrival?

or are we entering into another power struggle between Waggott and Broughton? We've been here before and it doesnt end well.

11 hours ago, superniko said:

Looks like he could play until Christmas and still not score. 

Which year?

1 hour ago, roverblue said:

Yeah I get the argument for that. For me the positions he occupies on the pitch makes me consider him more of the attacking forward 4 than in midfield. 

Totally agree about it being a front 4 rather than a 4-3-3 and is the reason defensively we struggle because how many teams play a 4-2-4 or when the full backs are inverted 3-3-4?

1 hour ago, roverblue said:

Wharton can’t play the Tronstad role, his tackling, stamina and defensive positioning is nowhere near good enough. When he tried it earlier this season we got murdered even more than we do lately.

Travis has all the right attributes but is poor at taking on the ball under pressure. If we played 3 in midfield then Tronstad or Wharton could do this bit and we overall massively improve the defensive side of our game.

This should be the change we make to stop the rot this season. But JdT has shown no willingness to adapt and it instead looks like we will sell one of our best midfielders.

we will regret it

 

We wont change from a 3 man midfield as people forget that Szmodics is the attacking midfielder of the 3. It would mean going to a midfield 4

5 hours ago, Wheelton Blue said:

Our dire run has to come to an end eventually. This won't be easy at all and Rotherham will fancy their chances, but I think we'll get the win to ease the nerves a tad.

2-1 Rovers.

Doesn't necessarily mean  tomorrow though 😱

1 hour ago, Rover8T4 said:

Brittain is a good footballer. Just feel what he's being asked to do is above his level. Difference between this season and last is the inverted fullbacks. I understand it's a good way to create more chances. Just we are not outscoring the opponents 

He is suffering from not playing a consistent position one week to the next.