Bristol Rovers v Rovers

[Boz]

With the extra time off due to the cancellation of the Bury game, hopefully MM will be able to work out some alternatives before the difficult trip to Rotherham. It may be we get another player in before the transfer deadline. Was a bit surprised there weren’t more substitutions but with the 9 men battling hard and the long break before our next league game can see why he didn’t.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I don't think it matters who we play at the moment, if we ignore the five against the kids, we seem to be having big problems creating chances and putting the ball in the net.

It's still early days so MM has time to make changes.

A measured and sensible response, compared to some of the hysterical and completely predictable ones above.....

 

[Ooh Johnny Johnny]

A measured and sensible response, compared to some of the hysterical and completely predictable ones above.....

Your condescension knows no bounds!

 

[Charlton1975]

What was so frustrating was that Bristol Rovers were so very poor - but we were poorer on the night. In hindsight, the game was winnable but it was never going to happen with Micky starting with his oh-so-predicable 4-4-1-1, leaving a hard-working and enterprising Ferrier isolated.... yet again!

No meaningful chances created by Rovers in the first half, appalling crossing, a clear lack of organisation at the back (Manny and Wilson in particular), a failure to hold onto the ball, a lack of any creativity and a lack of spirit. This Rovers team is so guileless and spineless. If it wasn't for the opposing team's poor finishing, we would have gone in 3-0 down at half-time.

The two red cards were entirely justifiable despite the ref's otherwise incredulous performance. Banks' second yellow was entirely avoidable. Banks? Irresponsible, inconsistent in passing (that's being charitable), late in tackles (when he makes them), slow (he got absolutely skinned on the flank in the 27th minute to give away a dangerous free kick and go into the book). It's only a pity that he picked up two yellows rather than a straight red - he'll only miss one game rather than three. And will then return as one of Micky's 'favourites'. CBT's sending off was a case of deja vu (Hepburn-Murphy). Ironically, we should have levelled the score in the 71st minute when our gentle giant, Monthe, should have scored with his head when left unmarked on the back post. We did have our best spell when we were down to 9 men. Typical Rovers - too little too late!

It's now time to make wholesale changes in on-field personnel and tactics, giving a chance to the likes of Nelson, Gilmour, Potter and Mullin.

We must live in the present. We are in this division because we achieved two successive promotions on merit. Talk such as "we got promoted a year too early" is utter nonsense. There is no room for nostalgia. Micky needs to fix it... and quickly.

Couldn't agree more, we were second best in every area of the pitch in the first half against one of the poorer teams in the league. Whilst the referee was poor, there was no excuse for the constant fouling which gifted them dangerous free kicks time and time again, and both red cards were absolutely deserved. Our defence was bullied by their number 9 and the rest of their attackers looked far sharper than we did.

Ferrier and Jennings tried hard but there was very little support for either of them.

Whilst I am still remaining positive, if anyone had any doubt then this game showed exactly why this will be a long and tough season, and we need to cut out the ill disciplined side of our game quickly!

 

[ADD]

I didn't post last night as I wanted to calm down. It says a lot when our best spell was 10 minutes when we were down to 9 men! We did not have 1 shot on goal and our only decent chance was when Monthe headed it way over. That was it. Ferrier upfront alone is simply not going to work - he had 2 on him all the time - MM has to change it. Also why on earth did we make only 1 change and leave Mullin/ Payne on the bench??
Please also do not blame the referee. Yes he was fussy but our players should be bright enough to understand that and adapt - we committed so many silly fouls it was unreal - even TRFC Radio commented on it! . As for the 2 sendings off well I hope they are fined big time - CBT especially should be read the riot act - I looked at it again this morning and their player did absolutely nothing. Banks will be a blessing in disguise as MM will have to play Potter or Gilmour or Maddox if he is fit by then in his place for a game which should help.
I fully expected us to struggle in this League this season but the start has been far worse than expected. Bristol were so average it was unreal and they look on that performance like certain relegation candidates to me but unless we pull ourselves together quickly we will finish below them for sure. Very disappointing to put it mildly.

 

[Sparky]

A couple of things I noticed.

Ferrier understandably lost his rag with CBT and gave him a rollicking. Morgan is a feisty character and you do wonder how he’ll deal with playing up front on his own away from home.

I’ve felt Nelson was unlucky not to be in the side. I wasn’t at the game but have seen the penalty Ray gave away which was a rash challenge in the box

 

[aldoes mustache]

but he has gone and got taking ferry boy out a mo all of the front boys 3 oh them he dont wana use ferry boy is his option . the coventry lad whats the bloody point of having him around . and payne to . mm plays 1 up top and we have 5 forwards . stupid or what . oh well giong to the pool .

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I did not think we were as bad last night as some people are suggesting, but at the same time we did not really do anything to convince me we can get results at this level.

I don't think we got it wrong tactically and I don't think we were out played in the first half. The 442 with Jennings just off Ferrier was exactly the same as on Saturday, but we were up against a real defence last night and our link play was not imaginative enough when we reached the eighteen yard box to create chances (Ferrier was not isolated in the first half in my view). Our build up through midfield was decent at times in the first half, but moves broke down on the edge of the box because of a reluctance to shoot, poor decision making or a lack of conviction. Bristol were very ponderous and poor in possession but did have some genuine width and put two or three decent balls into the box which created chances, notably for the goal.

The referee's performance did affect the outcome in my view. He allowed Bristol to build up a head of steam by giving them a succession of free kicks around our box after minimal contact from Rovers players: his performance reminded me of the guy at York a few years ago, who seemed desperate not to give us a single decision from around ten minutes in.

I think the players deserve some credit for the display with nine men. There were some exceptional individual performances, both in terms of commitment and quality, from Jennings, Ferrier (who I thought was immense), Morris and Perkins in the second half, even if the overall display was not good enough.

My view is that Mellon has not been sufficiently backed in each of the last two summer transfer windows. Last year the coaching staff brought about a massive improvement in the performances of players like Monthe and Caprice, which to an extent masked the fact that we had been scraping the barrel a bit with our recruitment. We only got genuine quality into the club in January, with the signings of Perkins and co, and Micky performed a minor miracle in achieving promotion with a fairly limited squad.

This summer, finances again appear to be stretched: the better signings (Ferrier, CBT) only arrived at the last minute and none of the 'marquee' deals that were mooted (Maynard, Lang, Woodburn) materialised. Palios has basically said to Mellon, 'work your magic again', but the gulf between Leagues One and Two is enormous, and at present the squad does not look strong enough to compete. To put things in perspective, even Bristol Rovers have a reported wage budget of £4 million plus, which would be roughly double ours.

I am not sure this squad is good enough to survive, and it is going to be a long old season, but all we can do is show patience with the manager and players as they try to adapt. Surely they deserve more than four games ?

 

[Boz]

I saw the CBT sending off differently to ADD, in that there was contact from their player to delay him getting to the ball, but an over-reaction from Corey resulted in an inevitable red card. If we’d kept eleven on the pitch at that point, might Rovers have clawed something back? The Banks second yellow was entirely down to the player, seemed to commit a string of fouls while on the yellow, before getting his marching orders. Should Micky have been more proactive there and taken him off? It didn’t seem Banks offered much in an attacking sense while he was on the pitch and his suspension will mean other midfield options need looking at, which isn’t such a bad thing. The referee Gavin Ward has a history of dire performances in Rovers’ games, another one to add to the list here.

It sounds like there was quite a lot said by Micky to the players after the match, with suggestions that the Bristol stewards had to calm things down. I broadly agree with RLCs analysis of the current position, but feel that the recruitment hasn’t produced a well-balanced squad with a defensive midfielder lacking as the biggest omission.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I’ve felt Nelson was unlucky not to be in the side. I wasn’t at the game but have seen the penalty Ray gave away which was a rash challenge in the box

I don't mind Ray, but one area where Sid definitely scores more highly than him is defending crosses. We conceded another goal to a cross last night, a goal from a corner at Pompey, a headed goal after a few seconds against Hull..... I think Nelson is better in the air than either Manny or Ray and has more of a desire to go and stick his head on things, similar to McNulty and Ellis.

 

[Mungy's Hairdresser]

Great input by all which is why this is the best forum! I know this is a super paranoid statement but I’ve been following the Bury/Bolton plight with morbid interest I guess. The EFL do seem to operate on a favouritism basis although I understand their processes to date with both clubs but am just hoping Mark’s tweet RT’d by the club about the state of the game following the Bolton match doesn’t impact on our ‘on-field treatment’ by way of ‘subjective officiating’ (my words) as they do seem to be a fairly incestuous body. So for someone as highly regarded as Mark to make a critical comment, which was exactly to the point & I agree with, could I suppose work one of two ways either positive or negative. Probably irrelevant in which case please move on, lol.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

I have yet to see the team play myself so have to rely on others on this forum. Recent tweets are far more negative than earlier ones. The problem is that we had great momentum last season, particularly after the January transfer window. Even after the occasional setback, the team bounced back to battle on to secure promotion. Are we now saying that momentum has been reversed and the team has lost confidence and is about to slide downwards? I agree with RLC's comments about the transfer window, but we recruited some decent quality in July. I remain hopeful, but the rumours of investment from Indonesia seem to have gone quiet. With the current squad, we will indeed be among the also-rans. Assuming Bury and Bolton are doomed, are there two other sides in L1 worse than us?

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Assuming Bury and Bolton are doomed, are there two other sides in L1 worse than us?

Staying up this season would probably be a greater achievement than either of the two promotions.

We just need to survive, by the skin of our teeth if necessary, and then continue to build.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Staying up this season would probably be a greater achievement than either of the two promotions.

We just need to survive, by the skin of our teeth if necessary, and then continue to build.

Agree with the second statement but not the first.

Promotion from the NL was what the pundits expected, although the way we achieved it in the playoff final was heroic. Promotion from L2 last year was against most people's expectations and a significant over-achievement. Given that it's almost certain that both Bury and Bolton will be expelled or relegated, we only need to finish above two other teams to stay in L1. Surely that is not asking as much as getting promoted last year? I think we'll do it, but I expect us to finish in the bottom half.

Personally, I'd settle for 20th like a shot. We have had seven consecutive seasons either challenging for promotion or battling to avoid relegation. Anything for a quiet life.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

we only need to finish above two other teams to stay in L1. Surely that is not asking as much as getting promoted last year?

I think it is really, purely because of the financial gulf between Rovers and the majority of clubs in the division, even those near the bottom. We have already lost to two of the sides predicted to struggle and have not been convincing in either game. I think we will do it, but it will be a major challenge.

 

[ADD]

I saw the CBT sending off differently to ADD, in that there was contact from their player to delay him getting to the ball, but an over-reaction from Corey resulted in an inevitable red card.

Boz but it was it was their free kick not ours as you seem to be suggesting so it was CBT getting in the way and dancing over the ball...

 

[ADD]

I think it is really, purely because of the financial gulf between Rovers and the majority of clubs in the division, even those near the bottom. We have already lost to two of the sides predicted to struggle and have not been convincing in either game. I think we will do it, but it will be a major challenge.

RLC that I think sums it up in a nutshell - we dropped almost £1m last year cash wise (not profit) so there is undoubtedly cash pressures which explains the recruitment. That is no surprise as Mark and Nicola will not accept us being in a Bury situation... it is also our first year in L1 so have less EFL money than the other teams and whilst a decent fan base it is nothing like the Sunderland's or Ipswich's of this world... Ipswich took over 4k to an away game already this year in the holiday season!

 

[drwhoman]

On Ipswich I see Norwood scored again (groan!).

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Boz but it was it was their free kick not ours as you seem to be suggesting so it was CBT getting in the way and dancing over the ball...

In fairness, if you watch the replay I don't think CBT could get out of the way and was pushed by the Bristol player, so he was provoked. Of course, he was naive to react the way he did.

 

[Boz]

Boz but it was it was their free kick not ours as you seem to be suggesting so it was CBT getting in the way and dancing over the ball...

Ah. That wasn’t clear from the footage, but I was being hopelessly optimistic to think Gavin Ward would ever give us a free-kick!