Rovers v Maidstone

[Sparky]

Rovers entertain Maidstone on Saturday with an opportunity to get back to winning ways. The opposition currently lie 7th in the last play-off place and have had a good season overall so far by their standards. Aside from a decent 4-2 away win at L2 Cheltenham in the FA Cup, there last 2 away games have seen wins at Halifax and Torquay in between a home draw with Solihull and Tuesday nights heavy home defeat to an in form Boreham Wood (0-4).

They won’t fear us though given our recent form and their excellent away record – 6 wins from 9 games.

Maidstone’s front 2 are decent at this level in the form of ex West Ham youngster Zavon Hines and the lanky Joe Pigott who is a free kick specialist and has a number of goals this season.

The visitors are 5 points ahead of us so this is another chance to close the gap towards the teams above us.

I don’t want to say it’s a must win game but an expectant crowd will think we should be beating the likes of Maidstone. If things don’t start well, the frustration of recent results and late goals conceded will I fear spill over into an ugly atmosphere with more pressure heaped on the manager. Could a defeat see Micky given his marching orders??

As for the team, Big Mac is suspended so I’m hoping Gumbs comes in and not McEveley who is a liability in my view. Expect Clarke to keep his place as Ridehalgh still not fit I understand. Harris serves the last game of his ban. DMH has gone off the boil a bit recently but I am expecting a 4-4-2 of:


Davies

Buxton Sutton Gumbs Clarke

DMH Norburn Banks Cole

Cook Norwood


Will be nice for the home crowd to hopefully see a bit more of a fit Larnell Cole along with Banks. Hopefully DMH can get back to his early form but if we create chances – will they be taken?

Prediction: a nervy affair but rovers to claim a much needed win.

 

[Boz]

Maidstone seemed to be going well until the thumping by Boreham Wood and as Sparky highlights, they travel well. Also a footballing side, who played their part in an entertaining 2-1 win for Rovers last season.

Micky gave a very long pre-match interview, but didn’t say much significant. Apparently, as of today, we only have 15 players available for the game. Don’t know if that means Cole, Green, McEveley are currently unfit too, while McNulty joins Harris on the banned list. I think the starting xi will be as Sparky suggests, save with Jennings replacing Cole.

Prediction: The Stones bring a reasonable travelling support so would expect about 180 or so, in a crowd of about 4.6k. Think this will be a tight game, but one that Rovers might edge.

 

[aldoes mustache]

Looking at mm s post match interview . From mack. I get the feeling one or two home truths where said . It wouldint suprise me if we scored 6 on saturday . Mm looked and sounded piss off. . One thing i would like to ask mm is wye do you always seem to scratch or rub his chest . Must be a nervous thing or a stress thing or he got crabs lol

 

[Sparky]

A number of occasions he mentioned missed chances which I understand, but he didn't really mention our poor defending or lack of concentration late in games in as much detail.

I hope he doesn't just blame the likes of Nors and Cook and not the defence

 

[Ian]

I really don’t see the point of these interviews. The questions are too easy for the manager to waffle on. To be fair the few times they have asked more risqué questions, Mellon sulks and refused to answer.

A few months back someone asked him why Jeff Hughes was constantly taking corners. His reply was ‘your just nitpicking now’.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Say what you like about MM, but I do find the content and style of his interviews boring. He is occasionally illuminating, but you have to wade through 10 minutes of waffle to learn anything you didn't already know or was completely obvious.

 

[aldoes mustache]

Must say it makes ya wont to sleep watching him . He does have goes at the defence . But he is so stubborn with so e things he does . Bet cook is on the bench again on Saturday. When he could out score most ifhe is let loose . Oh well im not gonna be there to see mutch footie after saturday . Will be around xmas when i see the whites again . But will be online every day

 

[Cowshed Kid]

I think it's so difficult for managers these days. More so the upper leagues, but they are expected to give press conferences virtually daily.
In the old days before we had all the social networking, a manager would give a few words to the local rag maybe once a week.
I'm pretty sure it was the reverse midweek fixture in September, we lost, and MM was collared for the usual post mortem. He clearly wasn't prepared and basically held his hands up and said he didn't know where we went from there.
Brutally honest, but then gets castigated because he's "lost the plot".
Hence he, and other managers, play interviews with a very straight bat. They say what the club and fans expect them to say.
There are a few that break the mould eg Klopp but does MM want to be on YouTube all the time?

In the scheme of things we need to avoid defeat tomorrow. We'll then have players returning, hopefully injuries clearing up.
I don't think McEveley is a bad player...he just hasn't adjusted to the bun fight that is the NL and at mo his confidence is shot. On that basis would prefer he was given a seat on bench.
Gumbs alongside Ritchie hopefully.
We'll sneak it 3-1, two goals in added time to ease the pain!

 

[Ian]

This pre-match comment is a classic..

“It’s going to be a tough game” before every game.

 

[Cowshed Kid]

This pre-match comment is a classic..

“It’s going to be a tough game” before every game.

Exactly!
It's standard fodder from all managers.
"We've worked on the training ground" (where else?)
"We'll respect them" (we think we should piss it but we'll cover our backs)
"We're well prepared" (haven't a clue who's playing where yet).
Seriously, is part of the problem that managers quite rightly want to chest their cards even if it appears to the fans that they're body swerving?

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I think there are some harsh comments above about MM. I do find his interviews interesting a lot of the time, particularly when he talks about tactics, where he has more to say than his four or five predecessors.

To me, the standard of the interviewers is the problem. A lot of journalists, such as the BBC interviewers, don't know enough about the club to ask anything interesting, and are often too close to the club to be challenging. On Tuesday night Mellon was clearly fuming and was ready to criticise the team, but was diverted by a load of nonsense about Liam Ridehalgh, the fans and looking forward to Saturday.

Back to tomorrow's game, and it is one where we can definitely pick up three points. Maidstone are having a decent season but are hardly world beaters in terms of the quality in their squad. I think we will start with the team suggested by Sparky; Jennings may be preferred to Cole, but I doubt it as Larnell has been impressive in the last couple of games and his strike rate is impressive given how few starts he has made.

Although the last week has been depressing, the fixtures are quite favourable over the next month or so, with Torquay, Fylde and Guiseley to follow, and there is a real opportunity for us to push into the play off places. A big few weeks.

I agree with Boz's attendance prediction and I think we will win the game.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

I think there are some harsh comments above about MM. I do find his interviews interesting a lot of the time, particularly when he talks about tactics, where he has more to say than his four or five predecessors.

Fair point, RLC. He is one of the game's thinkers who has more tactical variations than the last four managers put together. It's a shame his recruitment and player management occasionally let him down. He genuinely tries to answer all the questions he is asked and treads a fine line between frankness and diplomacy, even under extreme pressure. But I just wish his quotes were as memorable as Kingy's.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I actually think his comments that 'I know the nature of the job' and 'I will keep doing the job without being distracted' are quite revealing. Suggests more than a little pressure from above......

 

[Boz]

Generally, I've no issue with Mellon's interviews,though don't always agree with the points he makes and RLC makes a pertinent point about the quality of the questions.The Maidstone pre-match one is long and rambling though.

If Larnell Cole is fit,then agree that he should start this one ahead of Jennings. If there's any doubt, think MM mentioned a hamstring issue, then it is better to play Jennings rather than aggravate it.

 

[Cowshed Kid]

But I just wish his quotes were as memorable as Kingy's.

So say all of us.
And I wish his team could prove to be as memorable as Kingy's

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Heavy rain forecast tomorrow, so could be some doubt about the pitch.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Hope it goes ahead or we'll have three weeks without a game.

 

[aldoes mustache]

We have to win the game . No ifs or buts nothing else will do we need to start playing properly and stop messing about . Recon if melon got into them it could be a good day if the boys wont to prove a point i think a 5.0 win . Hope norrs can get some as well as cookie

 

[Ian]

Hammering down here. Not looking good if this continues.

 

[Boz]

The forecast suggests a break in the rain mid-morning and another around ko. No national weather warning for the NW. I’ll delay coming over pending updates, but fingers crossed.