Assessment of TM

[MattAF]

I understand this man is under pressure, bad run of results have not helped but surely he deserves another season. Someone on Brfcs or this board compared him to Coyle!
In my opinion TM deserves chance to restructure this summer to enable us to compete! Let’s be honest we weren’t favourites for promotion this year when we began so not sure what everyone was expecting?

 

[steve w]

There seems to be a real modus operandi with TM, Most previous clubs fans love him as a man but after a great start he seems to lose his way?
I like him very much and think if you look at the overall picture he has done a fantastic job and certainly deserves another season.
My main concern is his loyalty to players that in truth, are just good div 1 players. This could be his downfall - he has given them contracts that tie us to players that aren't good enough and obviously wont move to free up funds for new blood.
The great team spirit that got us up and gave us such a great start this season now seems to have evaporated and without that (and with this squad) we could struggle big time next season.
A new manager would only inherit that squad but without any goodwill - we are in a tricky position?

 

[Wilpshire Blue]

I was hoping to be around where we are now or possibly a couple of places higher.
I obviously wanted to avoid relegation and would prefer to avoid the dogfight around that area of the table, which we are doing.
ToMo should definitely get the summer to recruit and build a team to compete at the higher end of this division, which is what he has said he wants to do.
I think he has done fine for our first season back with most of the same players we came up with but I'm very concerned regarding his ability to set a team up not to lose.
I hope I'm proved wrong by the start of next season.
If he recruits the players he wants and we still struggle to keep a clean sheet then the writing may well be on the wall.

 

[MattAF]

I get the whole argument about square pegs in round holes but with 4 signings (df, df, cm &st) i think we’d be a good side.
Bereton gets flack but he’s played nothing so far (maybe TMs fault) but he can be a decent player at this level I believe. Should be experimenting now as this season dwindles out.
Personally next season I’d like to see an old fashioned 442

 

[Drog]

There seems to be a real modus operandi with TM, Most previous clubs fans love him as a man but after a great start he seems to lose his way?
I like him very much and think if you look at the overall picture he has done a fantastic job and certainly deserves another season.
My main concern is his loyalty to players that in truth, are just good div 1 players. This could be his downfall - he has given them contracts that tie us to players that aren't good enough and obviously wont move to free up funds for new blood.
The great team spirit that got us up and gave us such a great start this season now seems to have evaporated and without that (and with this squad) we could struggle big time next season.
A new manager would only inherit that squad but without any goodwill - we are in a tricky position?

There is an old saying amongst football managers.... "If you don't get rid of poor players, they'll get rid of you" TM needs to consider that.

As to your final point steve, team spirit evaporates like spit on a griddle with weekly defeats. Victories are what builds team spirit. I recognised that with Wigan last week. No way do they have the mojo that they turned up with last season.

 

[OnlyOneTugay]

I understand this man is under pressure, bad run of results have not helped but surely he deserves another season. Someone on Brfcs or this board compared him to Coyle!
In my opinion TM deserves chance to restructure this summer to enable us to compete! Let’s be honest we weren’t favourites for promotion this year when we began so not sure what everyone was expecting?

I agree . TM has done everything asked of him . If he keeps Rovers in the Championship this season then that should be more goodwill in the bank . I know I’ve said this until I’m Blue ( and White ) in the face , but we should build from the back . If finances allow , a new goalkeeper & couple of new defenders , defenders of character & resilience, who won’t accept the sort of defensive capitulations we’ve seen on our travels this season .

My worry is that with the likelihood of just 10,000 season ticket sales if we’re lucky , finances will be a problem. It’s going to be incredibly difficult to improve on this season.

You can’t get a better unit than a solid and organised 442 with a dependable goalkeeper, the latter being of utmost importance

 

[Drog]

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co....on-why-joe-rothwell-isnt-starting-for-rovers/
I could understand Mowbray's opinion on this if playing two attackers with defensive capabilities was working well. Truth is that with 44 goals against from 20 matches it isn't! How can any team hope to be successful when they need to score 3 to win an away match? Especially so when all 4 midfielders are being selected for their defensive qualities!
Bearing in mind I'm not at Brockhall on a daily basis, as far as I can see from my position in the stands (or on the sofa for away matches) is that Bradley Dack has become virtually untouchable in his position playing off Graham. That simply should not be! Making him the first name on the team sheet every week appears to be having a negative effect on his goals for record too. https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=66118

Having favourites doesn't do squad morale any good whatsoever, nor does it ever improve a player's form imo. Throughout a season most players have a dip in form for one reason or another and 'resting' them is a valid and necessary management tactic. Also projecting a policy that there is "no 'I' in team" serves to encourage the entire squad to strive for a place in the squad! No successful team can afford to have any sacred cows. With the season running down and seemingly little at stake now is the time to give other players their chance and no one deserves it more than Rothwell imo.
Maybe passing 50 points will give Mowbray the necessary shove to start with Rothwell in support of Danny Graham or even Adam Armstrong there with Rothwell on the wing. One thing that Rothwell's inclusion would guarantee is an injection of pace up front which we all know is not one of Bradley's strong points by any means! (His lack of pace will as I have stated before prevent him from furthering his career in the Premier League. )

 

[Drog]

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co....on-why-joe-rothwell-isnt-starting-for-rovers/
I could understand Mowbray's opinion on this if playing two attackers with defensive capabilities was working well. Truth is that with 44 goals against from 20 matches it isn't! How can any team hope to be successful when they need to score 3 to win an away match? Especially so when all 4 midfielders are being selected for their defensive qualities!
Bearing in mind I'm not at Brockhall on a daily basis, as far as I can see from my position in the stands (or on the sofa for away matches) is that Bradley Dack has become virtually untouchable in his position playing off Graham. That simply should not be! Making him the first name on the team sheet every week appears to be having a negative effect on his goals for record too. https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=66118

Having favourites doesn't do squad morale any good whatsoever, nor does it ever improve a player's form imo. Throughout a season most players have a dip in form for one reason or another and 'resting' them is a valid and necessary management tactic. Also projecting a policy that there is "no 'I' in team" serves to encourage the entire squad to strive for a place in the squad! No successful team can afford to have any sacred cows. With the season running down and seemingly little at stake now is the time to give other players their chance and no one deserves it more than Rothwell imo.
Maybe passing 50 points will give Mowbray the necessary shove to start with Rothwell in support of Danny Graham or even Adam Armstrong there with Rothwell on the wing. One thing that Rothwell's inclusion would guarantee is an injection of pace up front which we all know is not one of Bradley's strong points by any means! (His lack of pace will as I have stated before prevent him from furthering his career in the Premier League. )(2/4/19)

Seems Tony's now come around to my way of thinking! Mowbray.... "There’s no reason why Joe Rothwell can’t play every week and become a really fast Bradley Dack and create a profile for himself."
https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2019/april/confident-rothwell-a-joy-to-watch/

I do get the 'he's got to learn to defend' bit and largely agree but other managers (mainly foreign) might build a team around a talent like Rothwell and allocate the defensive duties to others. For example with Mowbray taking so long to split the Evans / Smallwood deep defensive pairing the Rovers have been crying out for Rothwell's pace and attacking instincts once Dack started his mid season slump in form. Rem Eyal Berkovic? I never saw him make one tackle nor even appear in our own penalty area but as a provider of chances for the strikers he was a creator supreme and one of the best that I have had the privilege to see. Players like them frequently make their teammates play better.

 

[Drog]

Listened to his interview on Radio Lancs. He warned of BWFC on Monday as relegated teams sometimes have a resurgance in form. Plus he gave fulsome praise to the Rovers travelling supporters. Over a 1000 at QPR apparently despite tickets being a ridiculous £35, the match being on Sky's red button and all sorts of shit on the railways and MWays. Hats off to those lads.

I've often wondered how easy it would be being a fan of a Midlands team as few away matches being more than a two hour car journey. It's tough for our fans of course but it must be hell for supporters of the North East and South West clubs. City fans in particular this season having lots of unnecessary treks to Wembley at massive cost fiested upon them this season. That shit will never happen to me btw as I made a promise to myself never to set foot in Wembley the day they decided to rebuild it on the old site and not near the NEC in the Midlands.

 

[MattAF]

I’m a lurker I go between both boards not saying anything just interested in rovers and the performances plus key players (I live in Australia and from Northern Ireland).

Can’t say I watch live football

Can’t say I saw the last of any before it games

FACTS

Tony M is the man for this job, not perfect but quite honestly got us out of a shit hole!

I’d like to see, and how I hope it transpires is the end of DG, possibly 442 with attach mindset and although he is the ‘star’ sell Dack. We will win games with him but possibly do so much better without him. That’s TM’s problem not mine.

To call out brfcs for people bad mouthing and wishing bad of a record signing,

Blue boy
Matt-blue
Stuart (gobshite)
47er

Feel free to add a few

Plus chaddy was never that bad, as up and coming forum should get him involved as he contributes daily. Probably ABBEY too. Let them fight.

Peace till next time

 

[Drog]

Been bottling all that up by any chance have you Matt?




btw I certainly don't agree with seeing the end of Danny Graham. He's a few people's choice for player of the year! I guess you must need to see matches live to appreciate him.

 

[Barmitzvah Boy]

I agree with you re TM, he has done so much to make the fans proud of our club again.

Re DG I cannot see him lasting more than a season.

 

[Drog]

Clocks ticking down on his career I suppose but he's as fit now as I have seen him since he came. I guess TM's impressed upon him the need to stay fit to get another couple of seasons income into his kitty.

 

[steve w]

Been bottling all that up by any chance have you Matt?




btw I certainly don't agree with seeing the end of Danny Graham. He's a few people's choice for player of the year! I guess you must need to see matches live to appreciate him.

I've voted for him, never scared to admit I got it wrong. I thought he was way past it......but he has been different class, grafted,bullied, held up and scored a decent number of goals......class act

 

[OnlyOneTugay]

Danny Graham has been the heartbeat of the team over the last two seasons. He’s my type of centre forward . Mixes it with the opposition centre halves as best he can , leads the line unselfishly, scores his fair share of goals and is one of the few leaders we have , Lenihan is developing into the other .

In my opinion he’s a country mile in front as player of the season . I just wish he was 25 , but I guess if he was , he wouldn’t be at the Rovers .

 

[MattAF]

DG definitely should be player of the year since he has been great at our particular style of play but that doesn’t mean we could get better.
I believe we are stuck in a rut of one way playing (hoof) and DG is the only man that can do this for us, well done DG he carried us this season.
But to get better...? Or progress? Not sure current tactics warrant promotion next year. I think TM might be about to change things up.

Young forwards (with speed) running the lines, getting in behind (playing like Bournemouth) is the way to go. We have the clever/fast players to do this at our disposal already.

New signings needed - defender first.

 

[OnlyOneTugay]

I ageee Matt as first priority we need a new defender- I’d say a centre half . I’d also add to that a new keeper. One who is dependable, dominates his six yard box and doesn’t make basic mistakes. Those sorts of goalkeepers improve a defence no end , just knowing as a defender you have that type of keeper behind you , gives you much more confidence in your own game .

On the style of football being played by Rovers at the moment. I have to say I was bored to tears on Saturday by the possession football served up . I understand, because Graham was on the bench we couldn’t play long , precise high balls up to Brereton, because he isn’t the type of player that can hold that type of pass , but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water ..

Long , precise , high passes aren’t necessarily ‘ hoof ball ‘ . During my time watching football some of the best stuff I’ve seen is wingers running onto long balls , centre forwards ( Graham )winning long balls and laying off to smaller , skillful inside forwards ( Dack ) .who then release speedy wingers ( Armstrong and Rothwell )

I was a big fan of Big Sam’s pragmatic style , a mixture of possession and long ball , dependent on the circumstances. Sean Dyche is the same at the Dingles and there are other examples . They are crucified because of the fashion for possession/ tiki taki . However possession/ tiki taki is great if you have the players who can play it but you don’t find many of those outside the premier league .

I thought the most ridiculous example of it was the stuff Lampard’s Derby tried to play at Ewood . Their players weren’t good enough to play it . Their tiki taki stuff was either lost or intercepted as Rovers pressed with aggression and intensity . If they did manage to keep possession ,they ended up further back than from where they started .

I don’t think Rovers need to worry about the style of football they are currently playing but should get the defence up to scratch . Like Roy Keane said about Man Utd after the midweek defeat by City , any team that wants to be successful should start by sorting out the back 5 ( goalie and 4 defenders )

 

[Drog]

Amen to that and in particular your last sentence OOT!

Matt... don't over think the long balls / short ball stuff, just think good and bad passes.
None here last time out.... https://www.skysports.com/watch/vid...lackburn-rovers/11700847/blackburn-2-0-bolton
in fact no goals from long ball situations until the 1st v Derby Co and this resulted from an excellent piece of play... https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/11689164/blackburn-2-0-derby

 

[MattAF]

I support Northern Ireland so I don’t mind the hoof! Every throw in, free kick is cherished even if it’s in our five yard box.

I do remember when big Sam was getting stick here about his style and he actually tried a bit of tippy tappy football (memory says jones debut against Chelsea) it was actually ok! Hard as nails though too!

Just think football has evolved from the target man-
Rashford
Augero
Isco
Suarez
Mane
Salah

Firminio collects deep now and lays off to the guys in behind.

It’s pace now, fitness and press.

 

[Drog]

Harry Kane? He's a target man type of CF.
I think the Prem may be more about pace and fitness for sure but those players cost an awful lot of money. Also why imo Bradley Dack won't do well in the Prem should he get the chance.