roversfan99

They are, but thats causation rather than correlation. We changed system at that time.

Do you genuinely believe we are at the "start of an overhaul" which is very much parroting the guff that Gestede came out with, when he also said that the squad is now stronger which I am guessing even you disagree with. 18th probably isnt far off what I expected before the season started. At one point, it did look that such a finish would be beyond us. But 6 points is quite a lot so soon into the season. But I dont think its the platform for us to grow and become stronger season on season. We will probably lose more key players next summer. And we are due another "project" change.

He was literally here last season and was appalling. He showed a poor attitude and lack of work rate and offering nothing in terms of attacking ability. He had half a good season 3 or 4 seasons ago which escalated his reputation but since its been a mixture of not playing at all or being massively underwhelming when he has. I cant get my head around a Rovers fan suggesting his return. Id understand supporters of other clubs without having seen him at their club thinking hes worth the risk a bit, but we need to steer well clear. Albeit replacing Kargbo isnt hard.

I suggested that we will not get what we need in January as is proven by repeated failure You countered that point by highlighting 2 signings (a bang average left back and some cover at centre back) in a window that was the final straw in seeing a very talented manager leave, and also a young lad we had on loan who again barely played. As if that disproves my suggestion than January transfer windows at this football club are anything other than awful. On your first point, no it was not clear to me in the way that you put it as to whether you think we just need O'Riordan back or O'Riordan AND a Hyam replacement. Thats why I asked.

What do you think might have changed in the last 6 months of not being involved with a football club that will have turned Dennis into anything even slightly resembling a Championship footballer? Cantwell shouldnt be let go, hes still absolutely key and if hes fit he should be playing

He might be a starter here now but only because we let our best 2 centre backs go and didnt replace them. But either way, it doesnt refute my claim that we dont get what we need in January every year.

I dont think most clubs would go from 7th to 10th/12th and consider that a good season but it shows the direction of travel here. 10th-12th is good but being 18th isnt doing that bad.

But he definitely doesnt prove that we tend to get exactly what we need and/or upgrade our team in January. That was my initial point, there might be the odd serviceable squad player in that time admittedly.

So you agree that we need a Hyam replacement AND a second centre back that could potentially be O'Riordan. My comments about what we need arent necessarily aligned with whether its likely in January. But we are massively short at centre back, we were even before we changed formation. We are short at right wing back. And we are now massively short up front because we play 2 instead of 1. The last response shows that you are really reluctant to accept the reality of how the club operates nowadays. Trying to spin signing players like Sanderson as proof that we do sign quality that we need in January and being bored by the suggestion that we dont get what we need.

It isnt a factor, I specifically said it doesnt matter. Points per game is the important one, obviously. Im guessing you think that 18th in the table is above or at least on par with where youd place this set of players in the table.

The change in formation has undoubtedly had a positive effect on performances and results. The last 5/6 games in isolation certainly make things seem more optimistic. But due to the make up of the squad and also a few injuries, the squad looks even thinner so looking forward ita a massive worry. Miller, McLoughlin, Alebiosu, Ohashi and Gudjohnsen will pretty much have to play every minute in each 2 game week due to a lack of credible alternatives, thats half a team. Add to that, is a defence of Miller, McLaughlin and Pratt protecting Pears strong enough even without injuries? We know what January will spit out. Excuses, disappointment and negligence.

Hes up with them, many of them didnt play anywhere near as much as Gueye has.

Yesterday was a really good win and the recent run of form has been impressive and much needed. The current team looks much more well balanced and some of the players we already had (Hedges, Ohashi) have stepped up following the change in system. I have also seen some merit in some of the signings. Alebiosu has always looked very good, but Morishita (who I always felt contrary to a number of the others looked like he had some ability and something about him) has also started to contribute. Gardner Hickman has been ok, Miller and McLoughlin are serviceable and useful Championship players, and Gudjohnsen still is often underwhelming in general play but has a knack of scoring poachers goals which is the most important thing in a striker. De Neve, Henriksson and Tavares still look nowhere near it and Baradji is obviously a bit of an enigma/parody. But I am wary of getting carried away. I still have big fears about how the squad is going to cope in particular over this next month. The subs bench looks so weak. Defensively, we are in a position where it is critical that Miller and McLoughlin play every minute, and its going to be an enormous ask to expect Pratt to maintain a good standard twice a week for a prolonged period of time. Alebiosu is also going to have to play every minute. Up front, again Gudjohnsen and Ohashi are pretty much going to have to play every minute. If we need a goal and need to change something, we dont have any serious options to change it up.

If you think that those named signings prove that we do add quality in January then again, I think we have different standards. Ayari was not the player he is now, Sanderson was just back up who barely played and Ribeiro is bang average. None of them improved us particularly. Kargbo as a striker? What a frightening thought. Those behind the goal should be prepared to duck for cover (if his hamstrings dont go again). We needed a centre back regardless, not a young lad back from loan, we didnt replace selling our best one. Playing 3, I think we need 2, if the second is O'Riordan then fine, but we need a first choice one to slot straight in. I am assuming that we are making the decision to build a squad around playing the formation we are at the moment. Therefore, we need a couple more strikers as you need 4 to compete for 2 places. Because of the change in formation, some of those players dont need directly replacing, but no one will want them anyway so they will be stuck here. The 2 left backs are no longer needed in our formation. A (really poor) winger in Kargbo is no longer needed in our formation. Henriksson is behind Cantwell and Morishita, and Tavares behind at least 5 midfielders. We wont get what we need, we never do, but I think that is what we need.

I think he deserves credit for sure for recent results, and the change in formation certainly has really helped. I dont think he is doing a good job overall though, no. His record in charge still is poor, but it was terrible before recent results. And this doesnt matter but I also find him incredibly difficult to warm to. Very much the type of manager that suits these owners and this board, willing to talk rubbish publically to protect them. Im guessing that you think hes doing a good job.

He is definitely not doing a "great" job.

We wont add 2 or 3 quality players in January. We never do. I think the change in formation being successful increases the number of players that we need. 2 centre backs, 2 forwards and right wing back cover. No idea where 7 or 8 came from. A number of Gestede's crap in Gueye, Henriksson, Kargbo and Tavares can all leave for me. Pickering and Ribeiro also become surplus to requirements, although I'd keep the former in case we ever want to go back to a back 4 occasionally, he can also provide extra centre back cover but it seems hes the next on the cull list for earning normal wages.

You would expect him to take great pleasure in beating us. Beating a club (ie owners and management) that massively let him down and a fanbase of which a big chunk has given him lots of stick in the 2 games since he moved.

We need more than just defenders. You look at the bench and how weak it was last night. Gudjohnsen and Ohashi seem to benefit from the current system (as do a few others) but there is absolutely no credible alternative to the pair of them. If we are sticking to the current system then we badly need most likely 2 more forwards.

Michalski played one game and looked nowhere near ready at his age. Pears is certainlg not good enough to start at this level but as backup hes probably passable.

Great result and unexpected once the team was announced. In the first half hour we were poor, and once we conceded so sloppily seconds after scoring I feared the worse but we rallied at the start of the second half and saw the game out pretty comfortably. Tronstad was our best player and back to his best. Pratt deserves immense credit for slotting in so comfortably considering the level hes been playing at. Hedges is certainly suited to a wing back role, Morishita and Ohashi are both pests and Gudjohnsen lacks in general play but is developing a great habit of pitching in with important goals. Our side feels like its patched together and the subs bench highlights how thin on the ground we are going into such a busy period so whether we can maintain this is another question but a very enjoyable night to push us away further from the bottom 3.

Based on what we have seen, which isnt enough for me to say with any certainty, I dont think hes up to the level, by quite a bit. You dont count the cup games when defending Ismael's record so presumably they dont count here. Even if they do, graduates starting games is at best seldom happening and only in low priority games. Im not saying they should or shouldnt be playing, but Ismael has said that they purposefully didnt fill the full squad for that (stupid) reason. My point was about the contradictory rubbish that the likes of Gestede and Ismael have come out with and keeping coming out with to try and defend the shambles of a summer.

Everything they say is just full of contradictions, and ultimately full of shit. Ismael is a proper lap dog, nothing likeable about him. Setting yourself a self imposed squad limit, less than the one that is in the rules? Bizarre, purely to cut costs. Its a tough season, you need the full quota of senior bodies. They then compound that by signing an injured player, signing a veteran not suited to starting games, knowing we already have injury prone players, and signing players that need time to "adjust." But they say that its to ensure that young players play? I call bullshit. When we are short of centre backs, does a graduate step up? No, its square pegs in round holes, even a winger at centre back. Montgomery was constantly being bigged up in the summer, I don't rate him but thats what they were doing, hasnt started a game. Has any youngster started a game this season from the academy? They have also tried to claim that Miller was signed as a centre back. Why did he just happen to sign within hours of Brittain leaving, and start featuring at right back initially? Why did we sign only one right back otherwise, when we had already said we wanted cover in that position as one of the priorities in the summer? A couple of months ago, never mind now, Ismael said he wouldnt consider the free agent market as it takes time to get up to speed. Why did he want Baradji then?

Why is it harsh? Im not having a go at him personally (im not Ismael) and I appreciate that he wont be enjoying the situation, far from it. But he is a waste of space in terms of as a resource for a football club. He cannot even get through a week of training without picking up a new injury. Obviously, any anger at the situation should be aimed 100% at those who knowing the injury records of our 3 centre backs (which isnt enough anyway) allowed the summer window to unfold as it did.

Its very unfortunate for him, he doesnt want to be injured. But he is the very definition of a waste of space to us. He is never fit to contribute, he cant go a week of a training post one injury before breaking down again.