Rovers v Latics

[Sparky]

Right here we go then. Couldnt have asked for many bigger games for the 1st one of the season.

Oldham have a new management team and new players and have beaten Preston and Bolton in the last couple of weeks (albeit friendlies) so will bring a few. Attendance I am thinking approx 8000 ish ?

Assuming the doubtful players make it, I am expecting 4-3-3:

Faroe Island guy in goal

Darville (just signed for a month)
Goodi
Cathalina (or if he is injured, Zoom in the middle and Cresswell at LB)
Zoom

Welsh
McClaren
Joss

ITM
Enoch
Gornell​

 

[bigmart]

i guess wood will play centre half im going for 2 1 home win and just under 7000 crowd

 

[Ian]

Yes. 1-0 home win. Nothing to crazy for the first game. Ahh, it's good to be back on the old pre-match threads.

Decent crowd for the first game. Oldham are expected to bring around 2000, such is the buzz around their club ATM.

Let's hope the sun is shining and it's a great game of football!

 

[OneNightInGayParis]

I can't make the game :-({|=, and feel free to call me a doom-meister :-(, but a 0-2 reverse in fromt of 6,800. The joy of being unbeaten in the league for a whole summer to be quickly erased and reality to start setting in after we depart the League Cup at the first hurdle.

Never mind - I'll be in the sun!

 

[SonkORLY?]

0-4 imo

6,754 fans

 

[Ian]

0-4 imo

6,754 fans

we're playing at home :roll:

 

[Mal]

if we lose 4-0 I will agree with Sonkorly's comments, whoever he or she is, for a year. If we draw 0-0 as per my prediction, then..... If we win, I'll be too p****ed to give a toss.:-$

Rule of thumb: NO team can be as bad, imbalanced and concede as many goals as a JB team

 

[drwhoman]

OLDHAM

I live in hope that we get away with a win but after the initial excitement with Labadie signing the small size of of our budget has been only too evident. We are still a couple of players short of a decent squad and the fact that we have a number of key players injured will only make things harder. By way of contrast, Oldham have clearly had the money to sign one or two pretty decent players and this may give them the edge.

On a different note, if anyone is wondering what happened to Gareth Edds - he has returned to Australia, where I live, and is captain of the North Queenland Fury, based in Townsville, where Robbie Fowler played last year. They play in the Australian A League. Robbie is now with the Perth Glory - slightly more convenient for trips back to UK being on the west coast and actually almost as close to Singapore as to Sydney! Chris Greenacre is still with the Wellington Phoenix in NZ - they also play in the A League.

 

[Boz]

Letting Edds go when he could fill in at right-back/midfield and pop up with an occasional goal and compared with what we're currently left with doesn't look so clever. I actually think him and Curran will be missed the most of the departures and hope he does well back in his homeland.

In terms of team selection, Cresswell 's started ahead of Zoum in a couple of the pre-season friendlies and might get the nod at left-back. I think Wood-Goodi will be the central defensive pairing, otherwise as Sparky's XI, injuries permitting.

Home crowds haven't tended to be that good in recent August's, save when Leeds came to town. Even allowing for 1.5k away fans, doubt we'll get much over 6k.

Prediction. We've lost the last three homes against Latics and can't see much changing, indeed losing our first three is a distinct possibility. 1-3, the Rovers goal being a late consolation from one of the youngsters.

 

[Ian]

From the official Oldham website:

Tickets for the Tranmere game tomorrow sold out yesterday at the Latics ticket office.

However we are hoping to recieve a further supply this morning after Tranmere failed to dispatch them earlier in the week.

We apologise to fans for this delay but it is a matter which was out of our hands.

We will let fans know when the tickets have arrived through this web site.

Well at least there should be a decent atmosphere. I tend to put the thought of losing the first game into the back of my head, it's a horrible thought. When you've waited a few months for the season to start again. Losing the first game is liking putting a very large needle into a very large balloon.

Well, not long to go now. Les is hoping to have Goodison back for the game, but Labadie and Cathalina are doubtful.

 

[Higgy]

Les' Strongest 11 and what will turn out Staurday.

Nielson..........................................Nielson
Cathalina....................Darville ...much maligned Broomes good cover across back
Taylor........................Wood
Goodison.....................Goodison
Zoum..........................Zoum

Labadie............................................Labadie (fingers crossed)
Welch...............................................Welch
Mahon (based on probable wages)...........McClaren (would not mind Fraughn)

Gornell.....................................Gornell (would rather see a trialist if still around)
Enoch.......................................Enoch
ITM...........................................ITM

Oldham win 3 -1. Disappointed Willemson or someone like him was not signed....not sure if Connor was even worth a punt?. Enogh will need some feeding in open play.

To be honest lookng at the main pros on the books I think we will struglle big time...only hope would be for one of the youngsters to come through in devasting fashion.

 

[Sparky]

Interesting point about Gornell playing Higgy makes - I would rather someone else if he is playing out wide.

I was always under the impression that Les didnt fancy him - and that he didnt fit into the 4-3-3 unless he was the central striker - which presumably Enoch will be. Gornell simply aint mobile enough to play out wide.

The fact that Shukes, Curran etc left maybe means that Gornell will play as part of the front 3 - only coz there is no one else (unless Fraughan?)

But unless he starts the season well - I reckon Les will be looking at other options.

Maybe he'll get a hat trick tomorrow !

 

[SonkORLY?]

Interesting point about Gornell playing Higgy makes - I would rather someone else if he is playing out wide.

I was always under the impression that Les didnt fancy him - and that he didnt fit into the 4-3-3 unless he was the central striker - which presumably Enoch will be. Gornell simply aint mobile enough to play out wide.

The fact that Shukes, Curran etc left maybe means that Gornell will play as part of the front 3 - only coz there is no one else (unless Fraughan?)

Precisely. This is what I meant in the other thread when I said that, given the two strikers we already have and the system we play, Enoch isn't the style of player we needed to bring in - since neither he or Gornell are adaptable enough to play as one of the wider forwards.

 

[og in oz]

i noticed dadi got released by the new zuuulandd team as well, i looking fwd to a few x rovers in oz this year, and fowler doing his last year over here before coming home selling his houses , buying rovers, sticking mc mannnnammmumm in as manager, signing gerrard, cole, and taking the rovers to the top of the league.

thats what i was told anyway!! is that not happening!! have i been down under for to long?

dodgy cowsheds site, talking *****

 

[Higgy]

Interesting point about Gornell playing Higgy makes - I would rather someone else if he is playing out wide.

I was always under the impression that Les didnt fancy him - and that he didnt fit into the 4-3-3 unless he was the central striker - which presumably Enoch will be. Gornell simply aint mobile enough to play out wide.

The fact that Shukes, Curran etc left maybe means that Gornell will play as part of the front 3 - only coz there is no one else (unless Fraughan?)

But unless he starts the season well - I reckon Les will be looking at other options.

Maybe he'll get a hat trick tomorrow !

Take your point Sparky about Gornell not being a wide type player, but when I have seen him he neither seems robust enough for ram raiding or tricky or clever enough re movement to play down the middle. Just thinking if the M.O. last year was to play a striker (Curran) wide, and there is history from the good old days when Kelly and Bennett both worked wide of central striker. Maybe Les ain't keen on the little guys and wants to keep average height of the team up....ensure we don't get bullied. ITM has enough guile to do the job one side of Enoch, although for me the other "wide" guy should be more conventional.
Even the best strikers need some decent delivery from wide and that is where the conventional wide man is a plus, but given Enoch is never going to that job I thought it might end up being Gornell - Not my choice. I have benged on about it previously, but I was gutted we never took Willemson on.

It will all be over this time Sat......not the season=;

 

[NeverBeatDaveHiggins]

Ok so prediction time, starting with the lineup

Nielsen
Darville, Wood, Blanchard, Bakayogo
McLaren, Fraughan, Welsh
Moore, Gornell, Showunmi

Although I'd much rather see the midfield 3 supplemented by a holding midfielder like Gibbs or Power, especially with the relatively young looking back four. That would mean no Gornell up front, instead Fraughan sitting in behind the front two. But I'm predicting what the lineup will be not what I'd like to see.. so.

Scores:

Halftime will not be 0-0. So I'd gonna go with 0-1. I'd LOVE to say that we have the fight and determination and players coming off the bench to turn that around and make a 2-1 final score, but as I'm not sure we do.. I'll settle for a 1-1 draw and a league point on the board.

Attendance:

7,500

 

[SonkORLY?]

For what it's worth I read that big Enoch had been deployed in Midfield at a previous club (can't remember where). Would assume this to be on one of the flanks rather than in the center. I seem to recall him being pretty fast so perhaps he'll play from the right or left (probably right), leaving Terry G to play through the middle. Last season there was a lot of interchanging between the front 3 anyway, although I wasn't too keen on it if I'm honest - nor am I keen on 4-3-3 in general.

I think we'll lose but I wouldn't 'settle' for a draw, if that makes sense.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

From the comments Les has made I think his intention has always been to play Enoch as the central striker. ITM can obviously naturally fill one of the wide roles but I would guess that Les had two or three other strikers in mind who could fill the other wide position who we couldn't actually afford: the story of our summer. I can't believe it was Les's intention to start the season with only the three strikers we have at present.

Hearing that Oldham have sold out their allocation makes me very twitchy about tomorrow's game, as they are a bogey team for us at the best of times, let alone with our currently wafer-thin and injury-riddled squad. Still, with Les and Summerfield in the dressing room we surely have better direction off the pitch than during the shambles that was the first quarter of last season.

Could be a long campaign though........

 

[roverstillidie]

I'm not looking forward to the season ahead as the squad actually looks weaker than last seasons with the exception of Labadie and Bakayogo! It's quite depressing really and I would gladly take 20th position now.

As for tomorrow, I have no idea how we'll do. I'm guessing we'll line up something like this:
Nielsen

Darville Blanchard Goodison Bakayogo

Welsh McLaren Labadie

Gornell Showunummi ITM

Goodison very rarely doesn't play when he's regarded as a doubt beforehand (sometimes a good thing sometimes not!). Some good news is that Gregan (Who always seems to play well against us) and Taylor are both injured.

As has been pointed out earlier, our squad is alarmingly thin and due to its relative inexperience I fear that if we lose a few games on the trot it could very easily run away to a 9 or 10 game losing streak.

I also don't understand why Fraughan is not been played in the front 3. Surely it would make sense to have him down the left providing width with ITM on the right. Like him or loath him we need a player like Shownummi to provide some presence upfront, hopefully he will prove his doubters wrong (myself included).

A win tomorrow is a must as we need some confidence going to Huddersfield next week who we could catch cold before they get going...

 

[Higgy]

For clarity, apart from youngsters, we seem to have 9 recognised first teamers in squad for defence and it just gets weaker the further forward we go until you get right up front and for the three striker positions we have ITM Enoch and Gornell and.................. Did anyother trialists sign eg Simpson?

I know we have injuries, but was Blanchard a priority if Wood and Goodi available and Broomes not far away.

Just cannot see us scoring goals...........just hope one of the younger ones comes through at a rate that attarcts others, which will mean he is better than any of those playing who range from not good to decent.