League Two Gillingham (2) v Rovers (0)

[Rockford's Love Child]

Hendry said that they were guessing were the ball was going to land and that Gillingham were often first there.
He accepted collectively there wasn't enough quality all over the park. Tactful I thought as there were certain areas were the lack of quality was woeful and I think that impacts those that can play.
I'm not sure Hendry thought the ball was on the deck enough, but acknowledges there was the odd occasion they knocked it about....but not enough of them.

Hendry played well and offered enough creativity over the ninety minutes. Our hapless strikers did nothing with the ball when he fed it to them, which is the real issue here.

 

[dollar'sbloke]

I don’t disagree with much of what you say, though Pools fans always had Byrne down as a steady eddy and he seems to be doing ok at Stockport.

However, I’m still keenly awaiting your list of pound shop Andy Cook style target men, who we could have recruited to pair with Hemmings.

Sorry missed that bit, it was purely hypothetical I'm afraid. My knowledge of the lower end of the EFL is very poor. The point was a journeyman who could feed off the endless long balls happily and hit the back post for Cogley's crosses would be a game changer. Mumbungo did so briefly and the pitch opened up for Hemmings, he scored a couple. Sadly the big lad seems on a different planet at times and Hemmings when not injured is the only thing defences need to worry about.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Sorry missed that bit, it was purely hypothetical I'm afraid. My knowledge of the lower end of the EFL is very poor. The point was a journeyman who could feed off the endless long balls happily and hit the back post for Cogley's crosses would be a game changer. Mumbungo did so briefly and the pitch opened up for Hemmings, he scored a couple. Sadly the big lad seems on a different planet at times and Hemmings when not injured is the only thing defences need to worry about.

We've probably had our fair share of "pound shop Andy Cooks" over the years, the last one being Manny Dieseruvwe. Remember Stefan Payne, Ishmail Miller?

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Miller was ok to be fair.

 

[Keith Hill (Bolton)]

Miller had a career ending injury within the first month of him signing. I thought it would have been a great deal, if he had stayed fit.
He gave us a lot more options, something we haven't had since the January window before covid!

 

[bigmart]

Miller was ok to be fair.

He scored on debut then got injured next match and never played again for us if I remember correctly

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

He scored on debut then got injured next match and never played again for us if I remember correctly

Yes, scored at Cheltenham and looked really good and then immediately got injured.

 

[drwhoman]

National League is the proper level for Manny as is the case with a number of our past and present players. We can blame the strategy but it all comes down to money. Years ago good players came through the youth set up but these days anyone decent is hoovered up by the big clubs. They develop them as potential PL players but they then often find it hard to cope with the hustle of L2 when they get released. I have a view that the Liverpool Academy is really a youth employment scheme. Few if any make it at a top level and there must be a lot of emotional fall out for young men when they leave the de luxe training facilities at Kirkby and have to get used to something else!

 

[drwhoman]

Reflecting further, I was thinking of Morton and Woltman. The former may well have a decent career at senior level, seemingly doing well at Blackburn, but you wonder about Max, who had an unsuccessful loan at Doncaster. Would he have been better building his career at Rovers? We will never know!

 

[drwhoman]

Reflecting further, I was thinking of Morton and Woltman. The former may well have a decent career at senior level, seemingly doing well at Blackburn, but you wonder about Max, who had an unsuccessful loan at Doncaster. Would he have been better building his career at Rovers? We will never know!

Sorry. Both from the Wirral.