Cardiff v Rovers: 4th October 2012

[Barmitzvah Boy]

The morning after the night before and a few comments from me.

JDT says: “We're improving slowly.”
BB says: “We appear to be going backwards. However we must give JDT time.”

I do believe that JDT is trying to get us to play Premiership style football. However that is a big mistake. The Championship is a very different league, it is a battle and the big, battling, physical teams tend to get the upper hand against our pretty (or not so pretty) passing football.

We started the season well but then teams found us out very quickly. All the teams who have adopted a press against our passing defenders have caused us problems. This tactic leaves us with a massive gulf in midfield and it is obviously not working to all eyes except JDT and his coaches and analyst. He needs to move to a Plan B quickly; I just hope he has a Plan B.

BBD appears tired and disinterested, he also appears to have reverted back to BB rather than BBD. Why we chased Szmodics is beyond me, he looks like a basic League 1 footballer. I have yet to see a footballer in Hirst, yes we need to give him time but our ‘boo boys’ will soon be on his back unless he shows us he can actually play football.

Thank goodness for Ayala, he was immense last night. Travis and Buckley have both gone awol with their under-hit passing, goodness me I could do better.

We were lucky to get away with a 1-0 defeat last night. If we converted that penalty it would have been a travesty. Indeed a 3 or 4 goal victory to Cardiff would have better reflected the evenings play.

We are just over 1/4 of the way through the season and it is already a damp squib.

Carol is not happy.

 

[Drog]

As it stands I'm no great fan of JDT. In fact I much preferred TM as manager. I hope time will prove me wrong but I have to say that the last time I sussed a new manager out so quickly was Paul Lambert v Rotherham in 2015. Lambert's diamond formation was ridiculous and hopeless then, JDT's formation and tactics now is unfathomable. We should have been awarded a goal, we weren't and we should then have equalised from the spot but in all fairness we deserved nowt from this match against a very poor Cardiff outfit who tbh were there for the taking.
I watched MoTD this weekend where Shearer and Wright outlined Liverpool's lack of energy and aggression during the match against Brighton as the reason for their current malaise and tbh I saw the same faults in the Rovers tonight. No aggression, no running into space off the ball, no getting goal side of your opposite number when possession is lost and seemingly no enthusiasm or stomach to win personal battles and grind out a result with a professional performance.
I missed the win against millwall but apparently our 3 centre halves looked very strong together. So why split them up and revert to a more conventional back 4? Worse still why not reunite them at ht when Callum Robinson was proving to be too hot to handle?

Kaminsky... 7 No chance with the goal but kept his goal well throughout.

Brittain.... 6 A decent enough match.

Hyam... 6 Defended capably in the main

Ayala.... 6 Again defended well, he is a colossus at the back at this level but why is a short ball to him the first choice for Kaminsky? Ayala isn't at all comfortable as a playmaker and on the ball seems to me to be an accident waiting to happen by frequently taking one touch too many?
Other teams will certainly be watching and taking note.

Pickering... 7 Solid enough performance and especially given that Scott Wharton wasn't alongside.

Travis.... 6 I don't know what JDT expects of him or instructs him but he seems like a fish out of water in his present role.

Buckley ... 4 what's happened to this lad since last season? He doesn't have the composure and influence that he displayed last season. Too many careless passes and lost possession in that first half. Ironically he seemed to be playing a little further forward and looking more like his old self when he was replaced by Morton on 57 minutes.

Szcmodics.. 5 Doesn't appear to me to have 'fit in' as yet to what is required of him.

Brereton Diaz.... 4 poor touch and had very little input into proceedings. Was subbed on 68 mins. He deserved to be as he was having a mare but how galling for the rovers that he is currently our first choice penalty taker?

Hedges... 6 Most attacking came through him despite a few naive and lacksadaysical defensive moments.

Dolan.... 6 No lack of energy as always for the cause. Tried an 'Armstrong lob' long lob over the keeper's head to convert a difficult chance but whilst his mind was alert to the chance he dragged the chance high and wide. Shame because a simple pass instead to give hedges a free run on goal was VP spurned.

Subs

Morton (Buckley 57) 6. Showed some good touches and good passing but couldn't influence proceedings.

Hirst (Dolan 57) 5 A willing runner up front but looks no improvement on jack vale. Would Vale have converted that pen? We'll never know of course but it does seem a feature of football that new players are frequently preferred to home grown talent. Managers trying to justify their purchases imo.

Dack(Brereton 67) 6 everybody's hope to win the match but despite getting into the danger area a number of times couldn't quite find the time to pull the trigger. His instinct for finding himself in the right spot is thankfully still there.

Gallagher (szmodics 66) 4. Didn't influence the match.

Manager JDT. 3. Needs to do much better than this. He was left with a decent squad by Mowbray but they currently look to be a disorganised rabble. He doesn't appear to know his best side neither does he seem able to change systems and influence proceedings during matches. Even worse I noticed last night that we have reverted to ponderous 'overfootballing' when in our opponents half of the pitch. We were guilty of that under TM for a season, have we learned nowt? Pratting about in tiny triangles does nothing but play into opposing defenders hands! It's fast play and incisive passing that defences fear most and works best for us. BBD had a crap night, his control is poor but we know how dangerous he can be when a break is made at pace. Last night's performance requires an inquest but with JDT being the man in the dock.

Referee John Brookes 6 A decent performance although getting a number of decisions wrong and a little too picky. Big bloomer at the end by blowing up for the pen instantly and before the ball was struck home. He had to stick with his decision of course once he had blown but a ref at this level should know better than blow until the action is finished.

 

[Barmitzvah Boy]

Drog, is that a 0 for Buckley?

 

[Drog]

Oops

 

[Dunnfc]

I’ve just realised what last night reminded me of. Paul Ince away to West Ham.

 

[frwjd]

I’ve just realised what last night reminded me of. Paul Ince away to West Ham.

Ouch!

 

[Old Darwen Blue]

So the highest finish that Tony Mowbray managed for us in five years was eighth. Jon Dahl currently has us in sixth and correct me if I’m wrong I don’t think we have been below eighth during the few months that he has been in charge. His squad is largely inherited and the new players haven’t settled in yet. In brief moments just like against Watford we are playing some fantastic football and you can see what the managers intentions are.
There should be no pressure on JDT for at least a couple of seasons, after all TM was given five. Anyone calling for the managers head knows nothing and is an idiot with a short memory indeed.

Just my opinion of course.

 

[Old Darwen Blue]

Drog, is that a 0 for Buckley?

Buckley was pants last night and I wonder if he his starting to absorb the hype from the fans too much. He needs to buckle down (see what I did there) and try and get his form back.

 

[Old Darwen Blue]

As it stands I'm no great fan of JDT. In fact I much preferred TM as manager. I hope time will prove me wrong but I have to say that the last time I sussed a new manager out so quickly was Paul Lambert v Rotherham in 2015. Lambert's diamond formation was ridiculous and hopeless then, JDT's formation and tactics now is unfathomable. We should have been awarded a goal, we weren't and we should then have equalised from the spot but in all fairness we deserved nowt from this match against a very poor Cardiff outfit who tbh were there for the taking.
I watched MoTD this weekend where Shearer and Wright outlined Liverpool's lack of energy and aggression during the match against Brighton as the reason for their current malaise and tbh I saw the same faults in the Rovers tonight. No aggression, no running into space off the ball, no getting goal side of your opposite number when possession is lost and seemingly no enthusiasm or stomach to win personal battles and grind out a result with a professional performance.
I missed the win against millwall but apparently our 3 centre halves looked very strong together. So why split them up and revert to a more conventional back 4? Worse still why not reunite them at ht when Callum Robinson was proving to be too hot to handle?

Kaminsky... 7 No chance with the goal but kept his goal well throughout.

Brittain.... 6 A decent enough match.

Hyam... 6 Defended capably in the main

Ayala.... 6 Again defended well, he is a colossus at the back at this level but why is a short ball to him the first choice for Kaminsky? Ayala isn't at all comfortable as a playmaker and on the ball seems to me to be an accident waiting to happen by frequently taking one touch too many?
Other teams will certainly be watching and taking note.

Pickering... 7 Solid enough performance and especially given that Scott Wharton wasn't alongside.

Travis.... 6 I don't know what JDT expects of him or instructs him but he seems like a fish out of water in his present role.

Buckley ... 4 what's happened to this lad since last season? He doesn't have the composure and influence that he displayed last season. Too many careless passes and lost possession in that first half. Ironically he seemed to be playing a little further forward and looking more like his old self when he was replaced by Morton on 57 minutes.

Szcmodics.. 5 Doesn't appear to me to have 'fit in' as yet to what is required of him.

Brereton Diaz.... 4 poor touch and had very little input into proceedings. Was subbed on 68 mins. He deserved to be as he was having a mare but how galling for the rovers that he is currently our first choice penalty taker?

Hedges... 6 Most attacking came through him despite a few naive and lacksadaysical defensive moments.

Dolan.... 6 No lack of energy as always for the cause. Tried an 'Armstrong lob' long lob over the keeper's head to convert a difficult chance but whilst his mind was alert to the chance he dragged the chance high and wide. Shame because a simple pass instead to give hedges a free run on goal was VP spurned.

Subs

Morton (Buckley 57) 6. Showed some good touches and good passing but couldn't influence proceedings.

Hirst (Dolan 57) 5 A willing runner up front but looks no improvement on jack vale. Would Vale have converted that pen? We'll never know of course but it does seem a feature of football that new players are frequently preferred to home grown talent. Managers trying to justify their purchases imo.

Dack(Brereton 67) 6 everybody's hope to win the match but despite getting into the danger area a number of times couldn't quite find the time to pull the trigger. His instinct for finding himself in the right spot is thankfully still there.

Gallagher (szmodics 66) 4. Didn't influence the match.

Manager JDT. 3. Needs to do much better than this. He was left with a decent squad by Mowbray but they currently look to be a disorganised rabble. He doesn't appear to know his best side neither does he seem able to change systems and influence proceedings during matches. Even worse I noticed last night that we have reverted to ponderous 'overfootballing' when in our opponents half of the pitch. We were guilty of that under TM for a season, have we learned nowt? Pratting about in tiny triangles does nothing but play into opposing defenders hands! It's fast play and incisive passing that defences fear most and works best for us. BBD had a crap night, his control is poor but we know how dangerous he can be when a break is made at pace. Last night's performance requires an inquest but with JDT being the man in the dock.

Referee John Brookes 6 A decent performance although getting a number of decisions wrong and a little too picky. Big bloomer at the end by blowing up for the pen instantly and before the ball was struck home. He had to stick with his decision of course once he had blown but a ref at this level should know better than blow until the action is finished.

Callum Robinson too hot to handle? Callum Robinson won’t be a striker in a month of Sundays, he is a winger. He couldn’t hit a barn door if he was sat on the handle. We were never threatened by him.

 

[Drog]

There should be no pressure on JDT for at least a couple of seasons, after all TM was given five. Anyone calling for the managers head knows nothing and is an idiot with a short memory indeed.

Just my opinion of course.

Short memory? A couple of seasons? I'll turn it around and enquire how short is yours ODB to forget or discount the lessons learnt from plonkers like Ince, Kean, Appleton, Lambert, Berg and Coyle? We've had more bad managers than good ones since Hughes. In fact the ratio is 2:1 bad with only Allardyce, Bowyer and Mowbray being any bloody good and our owners were foolish enough to sack the lot of them! t

Let's take last nights performance as an example. Cardiff are pretty bang average imo. We sat deep and defended and then countered like tortoises. To sit deep and defend successfully we have to be out of the traps like lightning. We used to do that well not too long ago, in fact Swansea will testify to that. So what's happened since? Only once last night did I see us attack with pace when Dolan hared fwd, avoided a desperate lunge and crossed for Szmodics to bring a good save out of their keeper.

 

[Drog]

Callum Robinson too hot to handle? Callum Robinson won’t be a striker in a month of Sundays, he is a winger. He couldn’t hit a barn door if he was sat on the handle. We were never threatened by him.

Well he made their goal didn't he? I call an assist a threat tbh. Plus he was also the best striker on display last night.

 

[frwjd]

Although we might not agree with it JDTs explanation of team selection and performance in the LET is to be welcomed.

 

[tonygreenbank]

My way of coping with this inconsistency is to persuade myself that we’re not promotion material yet and to expect a mid table finish. We did look so poor last night and it was a game I was really looking forward to as I can’t get to see the team live very often.
I was hoping for so much more but felt quite deflated at full time.
I’m no football expert by any means but I can’t see the reasoning behind Dolan leading the line with the left footed Hedges on the right and BBD on the left.
Cardiff’s defence must have been inwardly laughing at us and it was embarrassing to watch. Only Dack offered a bit of hope for me when he came on.
Needless to say I’ll be full of optimism on Saturday. Perhaps, I might get to read about Markanday’s debut! He’s a player who gets the fans excited.

 

[steve w]

and Mowbray being any bloody good and our owners were foolish enough to sack the lot of them!

TM wasnt sacked - he was just not offered a new contract?

 

[Drog]

True but it's virtually the same thing.

btw no idea whats going on at Watford but they are still playing Swansea after 20 mins extra time!

FT 1-2 for Swansea who scored on 90+8 mins which lifts them over us on goal diff.

 

[frwjd]

My way of coping with this inconsistency is to persuade myself that we’re not promotion material yet and to expect a mid table finish. We did look so poor last night and it was a game I was really looking forward to as I can’t get to see the team live very often.
I was hoping for so much more but felt quite deflated at full time.
I’m no football expert by any means but I can’t see the reasoning behind Dolan leading the line with the left footed Hedges on the right and BBD on the left.
Cardiff’s defence must have been inwardly laughing at us and it was embarrassing to watch. Only Dack offered a bit of hope for me when he came on.
Needless to say I’ll be full of optimism on Saturday. Perhaps, I might get to read about Markanday’s debut! He’s a player who gets the fans excited.

What did Dack contribute?

 

[blueandwhitehalves]

My way of coping with this inconsistency is to persuade myself that we’re not promotion material yet and to expect a mid table finish.

Thats exactly my opinion (probably minus the "yet" as I think the long-term trajectory of the club is unfortunately downwards). We're a mid-table side so that's where I predicted us to finish under JDT because its a decent bet that most managers are average (hence it being the average). We had a good one, we inexplicably got shut, inexplicably supported by many fans, exactly like Big Sam. If we now have an average one, at least thats an improvement on history repeating itself with Kean/Berg/Appleton.

 

[Drog]

What did Dack contribute?

Johnny on the spot twice. We rarely have anyone there. Once he was just beaten to the ball by the gk and the next time he scored but was ruled out by the Ref. btw I would imagine John Brookes has been feeling pretty foolish since. Dack should be playing in the hole with special instructions not to go too deep which he tends to do through frustration when we are under pressure. Any extra defensive duties can be shared amongst the younger players.

 

[Old Darwen Blue]

Well he made their goal didn't he? I call an assist a threat tbh. Plus he was also the best striker on display last night.

He’s rubbish.

 

[frwjd]

Johnny on the spot twice. We rarely have anyone there. Once he was just beaten to the ball by the gk and the next time he scored but was ruled out by the Ref. btw I would imagine John Brookes has been feeling pretty foolish since. Dack should be playing in the hole with special instructions not to go too deep which he tends to do through frustration when we are under pressure. Any extra defensive duties can be shared amongst the younger players.

It would be good if he could fit into the managers plan but that doesn't look possible.