Rovers 1 Oldham 2

[DIW]

Depressingly poor, no decent effort on goal, no saves made by their keeper. 90 minutes of hoofing it up to what is quite obviously a complete carthorse - only 22 more games of that to go although at this rate the last few will be academic anyway. Player analysis is as follows

Neilsen - at fault for both goals, beaten by a weak free kick on the side he was guarding, then at his near post, nearly cost us another with a ridiculous mix up with defender. Not good.

Cresswell - not too bad

Goodison - seemed to be scowling his way through the game, some good tackles and clearances and a couple of his usual wobbly moments.

Mclaren - useLESS, we are going down if this joker is going to continue getting a game

Showunmi - he may win header and battle about but this guy is not going to score.

Welsh - battled well and got stuck in

ITM - scored but struggled. he's a good player but there was crap all around him. And I've just read he has stuck in a transfer request.

Gornell - this lad is never going to be good enough for this level.

Wood - very shaky and seemed to be getting a bollocking from Goodison all the time. can't see how that will have helped his confidence.

Darville - frequently out of position

Labadie - got stuck in as well but didnt see enough of the ball.

Fraughn - looked okay when he came on, better than Mclaren anyway.

Only one game in so there is clear room for improvement and not time to start panicking but that was very very poor - not quite the dross of the Barnes days, but very very poor indeed and against another poor team. Huddersfield away up next and I'll be amazed if we get anything there and then an opportunity against Bournemouth the week after. We have to take home points if we are to survive what quite honestly is going to be another relegation battle.

 

[roverstillidie]

Well that was truely awful and to be honest embarrasing! This Showunommi is like Ricketts without the first touch - he's dreadful. Were a team with no organisation, no quality and no spirit. I think we're going down this season, the decision to appoint Les Parry as manager was stupid. Yes, he's a great bloke and did a fantasic job keeping us up last season but he clearly can't coach the team, sign decent players - look at the lot out there today (The only exception to the rule been Labadie), organise the team or make the appropiate changes during matches.

This fetish for 4-3-3 is simply bizzare, we don't have the players to play 4-3-3. In the squad we have 3 central midfielders and 3 senior strikers - to play 4-3-3 with that squad is ridiculous. We simply don't have the quality or the management team to stay in league 1.

he only positives today for me were Goodison's performance, who had a good game and the keeper who looks fairly solid, the rest were dreadful.

Next game Enoch must be dropped - he's not a footballer and McLaren needs to be told to get lost, he does absolutely nothing apart from kick people and hoof set pieces off the pitch - get rid ASAP.

God help us.

 

[DIW]

the keeper who looks fairly solid,

You have got to be joking. He looked anything but solid.

 

[roverstillidie]

You have got to be joking. He looked anything but solid.

He made a few decent saves, his only mistake was that mix up with Wood (who has the presence of Shuker). I think the keeper will be ok, it's the rest I'm worried about!

 

[SonkORLY?]

he only positives today for me were Goodison's performance, who had a good game and the keeper who looks fairly solid, the rest were dreadful.

:?

What game were you watching?

 

[roverstillidie]

:?

What game were you watching?

He was ok, blaming the keeper is just going to get you sidetracked from the real problems. I've seen far worse goalkeepers play for Rovers.

 

[DIW]

He made a few decent saves, his only mistake was that mix up with Wood (who has the presence of Shuker). I think the keeper will be ok, it's the rest I'm worried about!

Look I would agree that there are big issues with some of the outfield players and I wouldn't blame the defeat on the goalkeeper but he did not have a good day today.

Firstly the free kick should have been saved. It was to the side of the goal he was supposed to be guarding, it wasn't particularly well hit and it was no where near the corner.
The second goal was not brilliant either from his point of view. Average shot from out side the area, beat him at the near post and it wasn't in the corner. I can overlook the mix up with the defence - that sort of thing can happen, especially when knew to a side, but he needs to do a lot to convince me he is any good after that display today.

 

[SonkORLY?]

He was ok, blaming the keeper is just going to get you sidetracked from the real problems. I've seen far worse goalkeepers play for Rovers.

Keeper positioning was questionable for the first goal IMO. From that range you have to trust your wall to look after one half of the goal and just cover your corner. No idea why he shimmied away from his post towards the middle of the goal. If their lad can get it up and over from 20 yards out then more power to him, but if you give him an incentive to go the other way then you're asking for trouble. A few other times he looked dodgey, think he fumbled a cross. And it's not as if he had a lot to do. He struggled.

Goodison had a few shakey moments, generally did OKish considering he was playing along a sunday league player. Wood won't make it at this level - this is the risk you take when you sign players you know nothing about on permanent contracts. Right back was rubbish too, poor distribution and no real awareness of what was going on around him. Cresswell MOTM left back.

We looked better as a unit after going 4-4-2. It would be OTT to say that Fraughan changed the game but he did well and provided some semblance of width and creativity. Our transition from defence to attack is much better when we play 4-4-2; in the 4-3-3 all 3 midfielders have generic/interchangable roles and it's not a system most players are accustomed to playing in anyway. Ball tends to bypass midfield when we're going forward. 4-4-2 encourages us to use our wingers and play a little less direct. I think I'd be inclined to start the next game with the team that finished today's game rather than the one that started it, but I expect a reversion back to 4-3-3 with Mclaren returning. Labadie did well but didn't see enough of the ball, Welsh grafted but doesn't look very fit. Mclaren is Mclaren.

Tonight I will have vivid and disturbing nightmares involving Enoch Showunmi and Terry Gornell trying to play football.

 

[SCooperSomersaults]

Have to be honest and say that was poor. I've been trying to be positive and more upbeat over the last few weeks but there's glaring problems which are more apparent after the first competitive game.

Of the new signings, I don't like the look of any of them.

Today, Nielsen had communication issues and like has been said, was positioned poorly for the goals. The free kick didn't even go into the corner of the net, it was embarrassing. Not sure if the wall did much good either but the keeper should have saved it.

Wood looks shaky and nervous. He's a tall lad but got bullied constantly by the Oldham strikers. His clearances weren't great and Goody was constantly on at him cos he went missing on a couple of occasions.

Not sure why Darville has been signed. He looked poor in a game against a bunch of kids from Liverpool. If that's good enough to come in and play, then give me a game. I'll look poor against them too! He, again, played poorly, poor passing, no tackling.

Labadie even had a poor game. Probably not fully fit (such are the desperate times we find ourselves in) but backed off their players when the ball was there to be won. We're seriously going to need goals from him and so need him to attack the ball more in those situations deep in opposition territory.

Enoch was awful today. Poor touch, never held the ball up once, but to be honest, if he had there were barely any options for him to play it off to.

We need to improve and fast. 2nd half was much better but still we didn't really create anything of note. It was a good header by ITM for the goal, and we had a little bit of pressure but couldn't capitalise when Oldham were on the back foot.

Gornell is not a winger, he's not really a centre forward in my book either! Cresswell is not better than Zoom in my opinion and they should swap roles. Hopefully Les will have a look at some things soon. A possible new signing who is a Welsh U21 striker may be coming in next week. We'll see if that improves anything.

On the positive, the only way is up. Oh, and did anyone read my column in the programme? Hope you enjoyed the read!

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I agree that the only real bright sparks today were Labadie and Fraughan in midfield, but they simply weren't given the ball often enough. Oldham are a mediocre side but atleast they attempted to play the ball through midfield on occasions whereas we made the schoolboy error of hitting it long to Enoch every time.

I can't see how Showunmi is going to fit into a 4-3-3 system as he looked dreadfully isolated for most of the game. Whatever you say about Bas he was mobile and capable of drifting out wide, but Enoch looks more of your stereotypical lower division target man. Maybe playing two up front, with ITM getting closer to him is the answer (that is if he is still here - it never rains but it pours). Showunmi doesn't look cute or skilful enough to hold the ball and bring others into play without someone getting right up along side him.

I have sung Fraughan's praises all pre-season and believe he should start ahead of McLaren, who was awful even by his low standards today, but I can't see it happening.

I hope to God some of the comments on here are prematurely pessimistic, but it looks like being another grim season.

 

[Boz]

I'm afraid it was as bad as the pessimists on here like myself had feared. None of the new recruits had good performances, although I've seen worse keepers than Nielsen in a Rovers shirt. None of the familiar faces stood out positively either. I do feel sorry for Terry Gornell, he's not cut out for the Curran role, but did do a fair bit of tracking back and made one decent tackle, breaking up an Oldham attack. Up front, aside from the goal and one turn and shot late on, I don't think their keeper had a shot to save.

Oldham played very much "in your face" as you'd expect for a side managed by Paul Dickov. Mid-table at best, it's a real worry that there was such a gulf between us today.

 

[Ian]

we made the schoolboy error of hitting it long to Enoch every time.

Yep, and that was exactly what Les was trying to avoid, or so he told the press a couple of days ago.

It wasn't good was it. I can't argue with most of the comments, which share a similar theme. Which was 'the new players don't look great and we didn't play very well at all'.

Darville was hopeless in all honesty, he makes Cresswell on the other side look good in comparison. Caught out of position, struggled to defend and distribution hopeless.

Wood not much better. Doesn't even look div 1 standard. I never thought I'd day this but get Broomes back in ASAP.

Showunmi struggled for most of the game. To be fair to him, he got nothing from the clueless referee all game. But really, his position in the team is all wrong.

I've a horrible feeling with him playing, he'll be feeding off scraps and chasing hopeless long balls. Why was Terry playing on the right? By god, the slowest footballer in history was chasing balls down the right. Come on Les, what's all that about? Someone close likened Terry to a slab of concrete. lol

Felt it a little for the abuse ITM was getting so was pleased for him to score even if the game was over.

We are going to struggle this season. With those players and that formation. It won't work. I don't think we managed 1 shot on target in the first half. :shock: For the home side playing mediocre opposition, that's really not good enough.

Ahh, it's good to be back \\/

Enjoyed the column Coops. Nice read

 

[roverstillidie]

Cresswell MOTM left back.

What game were you watching?

 

[SonkORLY?]

What game were you watching?

I think we watched the same game but perhaps we watch football differently. Everyone's complaining about the long ball and yet Cressa is the only defender we have who's willing to try and pick out a pass when he's in posession. And his range of passing is good. For all his good attributes Zoum is very guilty of punting the ball as far up the pitch as he can when he has time to look up and pick someone out. In the 4-3-3 it's really important that our full-backs get forward when possible and Cressa did a much better job at that than the lad on the other side. I thought he played well.

Why was Terry playing on the right? By god, the slowest footballer in history was chasing balls down the right. Come on Les, what's all that about? Someone close likened Terry to a slab of concrete.

They're right, but who would you have played instead?

I have sung Fraughan's praises all pre-season and believe he should start ahead of McLaren, who was awful even by his low standards today, but I can't see it happening.

Bit of a liability/waste in the center IMO but would happily play him as part of a front 3 or wide left in a 4-4-2.

 

[Ian]

They're right, but who would you have played instead?

I wouldn't have 3 up front. With the players we have, it's a waste.
I would go 442 and stick an extra man in midfield. Leave ITM and Showunmi as the two front men.

Playing Gornell in that position really is a complete waste. You may as well play with 10 men or 10 men and a goat. At least with 442, you have more chance of using that player in midfield to support the front two.

Is is wrong that Showunmi reminded me a little of Ricketts today? #-o

 

[roverstillidie]

Is is wrong that Showunmi reminded me a little of Ricketts today? #-o

He's Ricketts!! All he's done is changed his name, when he came onto the pitch yesterday it was like a dark cloud had returned.

 

[Boz]

A few thoughts in relation to points raised on this thread.

New arrivals.
Wood was brought in as a squad player, but because of the injuries to Ash Taylor and Broomes has been thrown in at the deep end and unsurprisingly struggled.
Darville hadn't played with any of the defence before. He has had first team experience on loan at Rotherham and in any event is a stop-gap.
Showumni doesn't go to ground as readily as Ricketts or seem quite as unfit as he was. Ok, I'm clutching at straws here8-[

Cresswell. I agree with much of what SonkORLY? says, although his crossing was not at it's peak yesterday. However there were a couple of times where he didn't push out with the rest of the defence, playing an Oldham lad onside.

Fraughan. Agree that things improved when he came on. In part that can be attributed to McLaren being so poor and Welsh looking more confident operating from the centre of a midfield 3. However he just hasn't the physical strength to play in the centre of midfield at present.

Gornell. I think some of the comments are a little unfair. Given he was being played out of position did rather better than Showumni imo, although I accept that's not saying a great deal.

 

[roverstillidie]

The criticism of Gornell is a bit unfair to be honest, as Boz says, he's playing out of position. He's spent his entire time in the reserves and youth as a target man. Since he's got into the 1st team he's been played as a winger which he clearly isn't. Yesterday he was even playing right back at times! Whilst I have doubts over whether Gornell will ever make it, as I believe he lacks a change of pace, playing him out of position will not benefit anyone.

We need to go back to 4-4-2 as we clearly don't have the players to play 4-3-3. We a bit better in 4-4-2 yesterday, although that doesn't say much really:roll:, hopefully Les will wake up and realise his 4-3-3 will have us down by Christmas.

P.s Can we organise a Supporters fund/petition to pay off/get rid of McLaren?

 

[SonkORLY?]

I wouldn't have 3 up front. With the players we have, it's a waste.
I would go 442 and stick an extra man in midfield. Leave ITM and Showunmi as the two front men.

Playing Gornell in that position really is a complete waste. You may as well play with 10 men or 10 men and a goat. At least with 442, you have more chance of using that player in midfield to support the front two.

Is is wrong that Showunmi reminded me a little of Ricketts today? #-o

Don't get me wrong I agree with all of this, but I'm curious to know who you'd play on the right in a 4-4-2?

 

[roverstillidie]

Max Power down the right side? I know he's a centre midfielder but playing him on the right might be a good way to help him learn the game without him getting too involved in the physical battles at centre mid.