Kinell! For some reason gooz has found a reason to give me the review armband for a coup[le of games. Here goes and it won't be pleasant.
I, along with I suspect a number of others expected the newly restored BRFC to get at least a point tonight. Bristol with nothing to play for would be pressured with the type of endeavour and spirit that we have seen the Rovers produce in the last few weeks. It was nothing of the sort, it wasn't even a defeat of note, it was a humiliation plain and simple. The Rovers were never at the races, disjointed, clueless, surrender monkeys whichever disparaging terms can be used to describe them are valid! Bristol for every minute of the game were first to the ball... and the second ball and often even the one after that. A performance of abject dross whichever way one looks at it as a rovers fan. No spirit, no desire, no idea and even worse in my book, no pride!
Lets just pity the poor ever faithful who travelled all the way down to Bristol and likely won't be home yet.
Anyway sod em, enough said and onto the marks.
Pears ... 6 Could do sod all with most of the goals and especially with that shower of a defence in front of him.
Brittain... 4 Poor and his mistake lead via Hyam's stupid lunge to gift Bristols second goal.
Hyam... 2 and that 2 is an act of kindness! Never have I seen a worse display from a centre half in the blue and white halves. I'd say he was directly responsible for 4 out of the 5 Bristol goals! A shocking and unprofessional performance to easily outdo Shane Duffy's display at Brighton..
Wharton... 6 For some reason Scott developed a bad back and had to go off. Why Carter wasn't preferred at that point to Hyam and even Macfadzean I can't begin to explain.
Pickering... 4 Poor performance and his mistakes almost lead to a couple of goals.
Tronstad .... 5 Largely anonymous. Is he really a stronger influence than Trav? Just as an aside exactly why DID JDT pack him off to Ipswich?
Rankin Costello... 5 Tried hard to lead by example, earned a booking as a result and was wisely not risked by Eustace for the second half.
Dolan.... 4 He's been a real bonus of late but tonight his form had gone badly awol this evening.
Markanday... 5 Arguably Saturday's MoM but not tonight. Little of what he attempted actually came off.
Szmodics... 5 Couple of chances that he got he spewed with profligate finishing. The rest of the time he cast an anonymous figure.
Gallagher... 4 Two left feet for most of the night and never troubled the Robin's defence one bit. Back to the type of performance that resembles Bambi on ice.
Subs
Buckley... 6 (45 mins JRC) Became the fulcrom of midfield but struggled to build anything productive with his teammates being so far off the pace.
Chrisene... 4 (45 mins Dolan) Second touch is all too often a tackle. I don't want to see him next season.
Moran... 3 (45 mins Markanday) Did he even come on? If he did I didn't notice.
Macfadzean... 5 (45 mins Wharton) Comic cuts handball moment that lead directly to the second penalty. Booked for apparently telling Madley that his decision stunk.
Garrett.... N/A
Manager John Eustace.. 3 Just as I thought he'd turned the squad and the results around this abomination! Tonights team was never at the races from start to finish. Where was the squad unity and spirit that we've seen of late? The team were never even close to competing with City. The attitude of the team that he sent out was disgraceful.
Referee Robert Madley... 4 Not his finest hour but pretty much in keeping with his usual refereeing of Rovers matches.
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