Rain 1 Notts County 1

[DIW]

That was a let off. First of all the ref was completely right to start the game and then again completely right to call it off when he did. The pitch was very wet as the game started but playable but as it down poured throughout the first half and was visibly far far worse after half time, you couldn't play football on that. Credit to the club as well for announcing that the rearranged fixture will be free to all fans (not sure how that benefits the season ticket holders though).

We got away with it today because

(a) Les picked the wrong team today
(b) we were crap

Robinson was worryingly bad in the first half and capped it off with the worst penalty Ive seen for some time (is that the last three we have missed?). I wasn't sure it was a game for Dale today anyway given the state of the pitch but the decision to bring him on and put him in the left was ridiculous.

Anyway it's all academic now. Just relieved we haven't lost.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Agree with the comments about Robinson. A worryingly awful first half performance which was epitomised by the penalty miss. Let's just hope it was a bit of ring-rustiness and there is much better to come. I thought it was probably sensible to give Dale a rest after all the hype of recent months, but neither Robinson or Lateef showed up.

The first half was truly terrible from our point of view, although obviously the conditions played their part. Other than the penalty, our first effort on goal came in the 40th minute, with the midfield and wide-men in particular seriously below par.

Unfortunately we are now back in the bottom four, but with so many games in hand on those immediately above and below us that we would only have ourselves to blame if we didn't scrape our way to safety.

 

[Tartantranmere64]

I think the conditions were so farcical from about the 15th minute onwards that I am not going to pass judgment on anything I saw today in terms of Rovers performance.

As for Robbo's penalty, well the only excuse I could see was that he had to literally bale a whole lot of water away from the penalty spot before he took it and he obviously wanted to compensate for the wet ground and not roll the ball along the turf.

Don't care about the formation, the performance or the penalty miss because the weather was the determining factor.

I agree though that we have to get some points on the board. Even with games in hand, sitting in the bottom four looks ugly.

 

[Rob]

Glad it was called off as we now have a chance to get something from the game as we clearly werent going to today.

 

[Boz]

Sounds like a good one to have missed. Odd team selection too, though I can see why Jennings may have been given a rest. Results elsewhere didn't really go our way and we've got a string of away games coming up. It's likely we'll still we in the bottom four when the Owls come visiting, along with shiny newish manager. I'm apprehensive...

 

[Mal]

Let's be realistic. The table shows that there are worse teams than us and we we will be well clear with two wins in the next 5 games.

 

[SonkORLY?]

Didn't really like the 'wide' 4-3-3 in these conditions, and wasn't impressed with Notts County's traditional 4-4-2 either. In such conditions as those played in yesterday, there's no place for wingers. Passing is generally very direct (long), fast and through the middle. A Narrow 4-3-3 (or even 5-3-2) would be fine but we don't have the personnel for the former, so I guess I would have gone 5 at the back or 4-4-2 with Jenno and Enoch up top and a very narrow midfield 4 with Welsh, Labadie, Taylor and Lateef. Lined up as we were, Lateef and Robbo were a complete waste of time; to no fault of their own really, although Robbo did not look very sharp and bottled the peno.

Anyway, had we been 5-0 up I'd have admitted that game needed calling off. Quite funny to watch at times I thought.

 

[Boz]

Let's be optimistic. The table shows that there are worse teams than us and we we will be well clear with two wins in the next 5 games.

Mal, your assertion would be closer to the mark, if amended as above. Of the teams below us, only Bristol Rovers are in freefall, with Dagenham and Walsall having not lost between them in the last pairs of games. We've only won 2 in the last 10, so 2 in 5 is upping our game.

Our next 5 are homes with Wednesday and Yeovil and trips to Plymouth, Peterborough and Brentford. The only one I'd be hopeful of a win in is the home game with Yeovil and perhaps drawing 3 of the others. 6 points in the next month isn't going to pull Rovers out of the bottom four.

 

[Mal]

I still think we will win at least two of next 5. Plymouth (4 and at 33) and Swindon (3 and at 31) are in 'freefall' and have played more games than us (figures in brackets). Bristol ahve played 2 more and on 27. Yeovil 2 more and on 33. Exeter/Brentford not much better. And we play most of them soon. So loads of '6 pointers'. We'll see.

 

[Ian]

Pitch was awful wasn't it. Well, it was certainly unplayable at half time really, and got to the point were the ball simply wasn't rolling at all.

Glad it got called off. We didn't fancy it today. Just weren't in the game at all and I'm struggling to remember a shot on target. As bad as the pitch was, County passed it around fairly well and had some chances and an excellent goal by their no.19. So bit of credit goes to them for digging in and getting on with it.

Fixtures are piling up and we just aren't breaking out of that bottom four/five.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Our next 5 are homes with Wednesday and Yeovil and trips to Plymouth, Peterborough and Brentford. The only one I'd be hopeful of a win in is the home game with Yeovil and perhaps drawing 3 of the others. 6 points in the next month isn't going to pull Rovers out of the bottom four.

I think that Wednesday, Yeovil and Plymouth are all winnable, although with Rovers predictions are pointless.

The fact remains that we have taken 31 points from 26 games so far this season, often with injury-ravaged sides, and if that ratio continues until May we will comfortably survive, probably by 2 or 3 points. I suppose the big question is the impact that Moore's departure has on that points per game ratio.

With the table as it currently stands, next Saturday at Plymouth is absolutely massive, and a game which we must not lose.

 

[SonkORLY?]

The fact remains that we have taken 31 points from 26 games so far this season, often with injury-ravaged sides, and if that ratio continues until May we will comfortably survive, probably by 2 or 3 points.

Exactly!

 

[Sparky]

It was our best result of the season !

Like others I wasnt too bothered it was called off - but like DIW says - as a season ticket holder - arguably something should be given to us if everyone gets in for free for the re-arranged game - maybe a free hot dog ?!

The conditions made for a rubbish game lit up by a spectacular goal and the penalty miss. Nobody played well in the first half really and I think the conditions had a lot to do with it.

That said - I was a bit bemused by Les' subs at half time. Neither Robbo or Latieff had done anything great but no-one else was any better plus as we were only 0-1 down, to make such drastic changes at half time, as opposed to say within 25 mins left or something smacked of desperation.

But no need to panic yet - only when our games in hand have ran out.

6 pointer at Plymouth next week tho....