League Two Rovers v Cambridge

[bigmart]

Mullin is bound to score and I think we will lose again as our defence now looks far from secure.

 

[aldoes mustache]

oooh we are a positive lot arnt we

 

[Higgy]

Score draw is my best hope. Said elsewhere, but if we play as if Nugent/Lewis are doing a good impersonation of Vaughn we'll surely struggle for goals. So yep maybe we have to play a different way to suit strikers available. More radically we could forget the nice footie we've been employing and go more direct by sticking Sid or Manny up top. May have come in handy defending long throws last week.
Plenty of centre backs have converted more successfully to a role as striker eg Paul Warhurst, Dion Dublin, John Charles and our very own Ronnie Moore. I could put up with the ale house stuff if we could sneak a few wins that way. As it stands the best I ever expect lately is a draw.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I had not realised, but Nugent did actually play twenty four games for Preston last season in the Championship, albeit some of them as substitute I would imagine. Will he eventually come good for us as he regains match fitness ?

Perhaps I am clutching at straws.

 

[drwhoman]

Score draw is my best hope. Said elsewhere, but if we play as if Nugent/Lewis are doing a good impersonation of Vaughn we'll surely struggle for goals. So yep maybe we have to play a different way to suit strikers available. More radically we could forget the nice footie we've been employing and go more direct by sticking Sid or Manny up top. May have come in handy defending long throws last week.
Plenty of centre backs have converted more successfully to a role as striker eg Paul Warhurst, Dion Dublin, John Charles and our very own Ronnie Moore. I could put up with the ale house stuff if we could sneak a few wins that way. As it stands the best I ever expect lately is a draw.

And of course to us older folk - John Manning!

 

[Higgy]

And of course to us older folk - John Manning!

Wow. Watched John Manning as a kid, but didn't know that. Great shout.

 

[Brightonian]

Of course the Cheltenham mugging was very disappointing but the beauty is all can change in the next game. We played Cambridge off the park at their place despite being goalless, so let’s be optimistic. Personally I haven’t given up on Nugent yet and he just might come good and turn from villain to hero (clutching at straws I know).
Seems to me that we miss Paul Lewis in his combative midfield role and he offers most with his box to box running. Whatever the lineup feel Danny Lloyd has more of a goal threat than most, is dynamic to get us out of the blocks quickly and would start with him. Seem to treat Danny very cautiously if starting coming off after an hour: he is supposed to be one of the fittest, wonder if he carries an injury ?
My perhaps naive prediction 2 -0 Rovers DN brace!
Another one for the defender to striker list is Trevor Stornton in the Ron Yeats era with Ronnie in defence . He didn’t score many but it worked well as he made space for others and held up play to build around him . Ronnie Moore actually started making his first few games as a striker, then reverted to an excellent quick defender and then back to a top free scoring target man.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Wow. Watched John Manning as a kid, but didn't know that. Great shout.

Yes, the first time I saw him play he was a defender. It was a preseason friendly against New Brighton at The Tower. Also making his debut was a young Ray Mathias!

 

[FridayNightMemories]

The forecast suggests it will be fairly gusty at 3pm. Hopefully there will be fewer balls lobbed in the air. That does remind me of an away game at Cambridge in the 80s. Our goalkeeper kicked the ball (from a goal kick) as a Cambridge player was walking back towards the centre, as were our defenders. The wind was so strong, the ball blew back and the Cambridge player noticed this first, turned and ran after it and took our goalkeeper by surprise, scoring. Worst goal conceded I have seen!

 

[ADD]

Hill has to do something different that is for sure - trouble is I doubt he will.
I would start with with Burton. Can't be any worse than how toothless we have been recently - he has pace and looked good in his cameo earlier in the season.
Suspect in any event we wil lose - going for 2-0 to Cambridge with Mullin for sure scoring one at least.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

I'm going against the trend. I said we'd win both Easter fixtures, so it's double or quits for me. Two-nil to Rovers with Mullin NOT scoring (unless at the wrong end ).

Where there's faith .....

 

[aldoes mustache]

he only got 8 games and still not starting or scoring think we will be lucky if he comes good would love it if he got the winner in the 90th min of the playoff final

 

[Higgy]

Of course the Cheltenham mugging was very disappointing but the beauty is all can change in the next game. We played Cambridge off the park at their place despite being goalless, so let’s be optimistic. Personally I haven’t given up on Nugent yet and he just might come good and turn from villain to hero (clutching at straws I know).
Seems to me that we miss Paul Lewis in his combative midfield role and he offers most with his box to box running. Whatever the lineup feel Danny Lloyd has more of a goal threat than most, is dynamic to get us out of the blocks quickly and would start with him. Seem to treat Danny very cautiously if starting coming off after an hour: he is supposed to be one of the fittest, wonder if he carries an injury ?
My perhaps naive prediction 2 -0 Rovers DN brace!
Another one for the defender to striker list is Trevor Stornton in the Ron Yeats era with Ronnie in defence . He didn’t score many but it worked well as he made space for others and held up play to build around him . Ronnie Moore actually started making his first few games as a striker, then reverted to an excellent quick defender and then back to a top free scoring target man.

The Nugent signing seemed good news at the time - so just hope he does come good.
Great background info on Ronnie and Trevor Storeton. Thanks Brightonian.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Lloyd and Monthe start, Ray and Morris dropped. O'Connor still in midfield, Lewis still up front. CBT on bench.

 

[Sparky]

Monthe in for Ray. Lloyd presumably on the left so Lewis up top again. CBT on the bench

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

If Hoolahan does not start, do we really need O'Connor in midfield ?

Not thrilled by that side to be honest.

 

[Sparky]

If Hoolahan does not start, do we really need O'Connor in midfield ?

Yes I was thinking this. A bit negative perhaps albeit against a decent side. Hopefully Lewis works as if it doesn’t again then Keith hasn’t learnt the lesson

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Hoolahan confirmed as on the bench, so I would rather have Morris in midfield. Did Keith realise he would not play today ?

 

[Ian]

Bloody Lewis again! Morris getting dropped is a disappointment. Good to see Lloyd back in but where are the goals coming from?

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Obviously Mullin faces us but also Declan Drysdale is on the bench. He’s the last one from our youth set-up to make it in league football.