Hahaha wtf am I reading here ???No still wrong. Your answer could only be accepted if I'd said "What questions" as in plural not singular.
Pink..... Aspirins will be in the kitchen cupboard.
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NEXT GAME: Sheffield Wednesday FC
Sunday April 21st 2024
Kick off 12.30 pm
Ewood Park
Championship
Rovers v Rovers Saturday 25th November.
- Thread starter Drog
- Start date
Don
Don't worry about it Pink. It's been sorted.
Lol ok
I'll leave the comments on the match to Drog except to say that Graham did his best to prove me wrong when he came on by looking lively and winning a lot of long balls. Samuel too looked an improvement on Nuttall and the manager confused me again by playing three defensive central midfielders and no wingers??????? We looked better when the changes were made.
Bristol looked a decent team who attacked well down their left. Again targeting Nyambe who is still a weakness in defence and completely incapable of beating a man going forward. Their number 9 looked a real handful and a guy who would be an improvement on anything we have. I was also impressed with their number 7.
Sorry Gord I finished up typing a lot more than I intended to but there is still a lot for you to comment on.
Bristol looked a decent team who attacked well down their left. Again targeting Nyambe who is still a weakness in defence and completely incapable of beating a man going forward. Their number 9 looked a real handful and a guy who would be an improvement on anything we have. I was also impressed with their number 7.
Sorry Gord I finished up typing a lot more than I intended to but there is still a lot for you to comment on.
Pretty bang on Al.
I’m about to extend the old exercise in alliteration which suggests that Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance…. Alternatively as I watched events unfold on the pitch yesterday I was extending this to read Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Plodding Passing, Pitiful Play and Perplexing Piss Poor Performance.
I’ve stated many times already that we are the 3rd Division’s Jeckyl and Hyde team, good one week and dreadful the next, but Mowbray’s men have now managed to emulate that famous example of extreme schizophrenia into two halves of one match! It’s a complete mystery how we managed to get to HT at 0-0. We could hardly have grumpled had Bristol been 2 or even 3 up. A baffling decision when the Ref gave a goal then disallowed it at least 30 seconds later and a header onto the bar that was one of those efforts easier to score than to miss. (To be fair though Bradley Dack managed the same feat in the second half.)
Questions which I would love to ask the manager is
1. Why he persists in selecting the obviously disinterested Whittingham on the right side of midfield before the honest endeavour and energetic willingness of Elliot Bennett who brings more natural 'balance' to the midfield? Whittingham thinks that he is on his Grandad’s yacht imo and I can’t understand why both Bennett and Tomlinson aren’t before him.
2. Was his intention to play a muddled 4-5-1 or was it an attempted and equally muddled 4-3-2-1? Either some of the player’s hadn’t been told what to do, or they didn’t understand or they ignored the Manager’s instructions. Dack fizzed about as usual but Nuttall didn’t appear to be on the same wavelength. Whittingham meanwhile turned inside into midfield the entire 1st half which squeezed Smallwood and Evans together and cluttered the middle and ended any hope of Nyambe joining the attack. Pity because Bristol’s Number 3 appeared to be better suited to Park football. Meanwhile Williams and Antonnson gave their worst display together for some time on the left.
3. What possessed him to play Nuttall on his own up top at Ewood against a Bristol Rovers team who haven’t picked up a point in the league since early October?
Whatever Mowbray intended it again became the same ponderous, uninspired sideways and backwards passing game that has served us so poorly in too many matches this season. Opposition managers appear to have us sussed as yesterday Darrell Clarke emulated Rossler's tactics when Fleetwood came to town by defending in numbers, letting us get on with our stagnant passing game in front of them whilst solidly defending their penalty area. A lone free running striker running the channels and holding up the ball until his teammates breaking at speed and numbers streamed forward pressed us back. I dare say that with scouts of upcoming opponents littering the Directors box that this tactic will come to prove the norm for visiting teams this season. Mowbray and his team are going to have to learn how to combat it.
I said to an aquaitance who I join in the concourse at HT most matches, that if Mowbray didn’t replace Whittingham and Nuttall for the second half we would lose the match. He didn’t of course, at least not until Bristol inevitably took the lead, he then immediately replaced the pair with Graham and Samuel. The change was devastating as the subs came out of the traps full bore and immediately set about terrorising the Bristol back line. Graham won the aerial battles immediately and bullied the centre halves into errors whilst Samuel was fast and mobile in support. Just eight minutes later we were 2-1 up! If it was Mowbray’s intention to motivate his two first choice centre forwards by dropping them for a novice it worked a treat. Maybe he is a better psychologist than tactician? Still Bristol didn’t lie down and die as a team with their recent record might have been expected to do and we all gave a collective sigh of relief after the 5 mins extra time when Referee Joyce finally blew his whistle and ended Bristol’s hopes.
We still look suicidal when attempting to run the clock down. It takes practice and the requirement to find and use space is even more important and requires more effort than when chasing the game. We simply don't appear to be able to cotton on to that fact.
Raya… 6. A couple of blinding save and generally good handling but still he felt the need to punch away a cross double handed. Surely if he can get both hands to the ball he can catch it? Could do little about Harrisons excellent strike.
Nyambe… 4. Struggled against a Bristol team who had decided quite correctly that both full back positions are our weakness. One excellent run forward aside he contributed little to the attack although as I’ve already said having Whittingham in front doesn’t help him one bit.
Downing…5. Did most things asked of him and he and Mulgrew dominated Harrison in the air. A 1st half bollocking directed at Harrison by the manager and two coaches resulted in Harrison reverting to the game plan by running the channels. Once he was up against a fast and mobile opponent Downing struggled and imo Harrison then became 0verall MoM.
Mulgrew… 6. Usual capable and intelligent performance from Mulgrew capped off with a perfect penalty kick (awarded for a clumsy and rather unnecessary barge into Samuel that the defender will surely get a rollocking for) to equalise.
Williams…4. And I’m being generous. A bad day at the office.
Whittingham.. 3. Looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. Didn’t just play badly but he dragged Smallwood and Nyambe down to his level. They say Wiki can be inaccurate…. This load of bollox is conclusive proof. “Peter Michael Whittingham is an English professional footballer who plays for Blackburn Rovers. His primary position is as a central midfielder, although he can operate as a winger on both the left and right, as well as a second-striker.”
Smallwood… 6. Effort and endeavour as usual but stifled by having Evans and Whittingham within spitting distance for 60 mins.
Evans… 4. Another poor performance from Evans. I don’t know what they do at Brockhall but it certainly isn’t practising the art of keeping a shot from 20 yards under the bar. He and Nyambe were trapping balls further than I can kick em all afternoon.
Antonsson…4, Another who didn’t turn up yesterday. Played in perfectly twice by Danny Graham and squandered both chances weakly, once when Samuel just needed a square pass when faced with a certain open goal.
Nuttall…4. Resembles Marcus Rashford a little but played like George Weah’s cousin’s…. sister! Obviously he’s raw and has time to improve but on yesterdays evidence he’s no good up top on his own. Impact sub should be his role. I must say at this stage that if Nuttall wants to learn from his experience yesterday he needs to emulate the efforts of Bristol’s Harrison whose pace and movement proved a problem for our ponderous slow back four all afternoon and saw him rewarded with an excellently taken goal.
Dack…. 6. His usual all action game, buzzed about manfully but severely inhibited by the lack of class around him. It’s difficult to play one two’s on your own.
Subs
Graham…7 Obviously stung at warming the bench whilst Nuttall and Antonnson were preferred over him. Gave the defence a tousling when he came on and set up Antonnson with excellent centre forward play a couple of times only to see the chances squandered.
Samuel… 7 See above. Came on stung and raring to go with an obvious point to prove. Given the warmth of their goal celebration and the ensuing embrace I'd say him and Danny must have been simmering on the bench whilst witnessing events on the pitch.
Bennett … 6. Came on for Dack at 2-1 for the last 15. Did OK but nothing spectacular but still looked twice the player that Whittingham did. Wound up the Bristol right back into picking up a stupid and unnecessary booking. Another player who might incur Darrell Clarke’s wrath for unprofessionalism.
Oh and Waggy…. I know that Mowbray has got us to 5th in the table and that we are on a good run but you just needed to have been there in that first 60 minutes! I think I’d like TM as a person but as a tactician he appears clueless and simply does not appear to know his best team. The 3rd Div Tinkerman.
I’m about to extend the old exercise in alliteration which suggests that Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance…. Alternatively as I watched events unfold on the pitch yesterday I was extending this to read Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Plodding Passing, Pitiful Play and Perplexing Piss Poor Performance.
I’ve stated many times already that we are the 3rd Division’s Jeckyl and Hyde team, good one week and dreadful the next, but Mowbray’s men have now managed to emulate that famous example of extreme schizophrenia into two halves of one match! It’s a complete mystery how we managed to get to HT at 0-0. We could hardly have grumpled had Bristol been 2 or even 3 up. A baffling decision when the Ref gave a goal then disallowed it at least 30 seconds later and a header onto the bar that was one of those efforts easier to score than to miss. (To be fair though Bradley Dack managed the same feat in the second half.)
Questions which I would love to ask the manager is
1. Why he persists in selecting the obviously disinterested Whittingham on the right side of midfield before the honest endeavour and energetic willingness of Elliot Bennett who brings more natural 'balance' to the midfield? Whittingham thinks that he is on his Grandad’s yacht imo and I can’t understand why both Bennett and Tomlinson aren’t before him.
2. Was his intention to play a muddled 4-5-1 or was it an attempted and equally muddled 4-3-2-1? Either some of the player’s hadn’t been told what to do, or they didn’t understand or they ignored the Manager’s instructions. Dack fizzed about as usual but Nuttall didn’t appear to be on the same wavelength. Whittingham meanwhile turned inside into midfield the entire 1st half which squeezed Smallwood and Evans together and cluttered the middle and ended any hope of Nyambe joining the attack. Pity because Bristol’s Number 3 appeared to be better suited to Park football. Meanwhile Williams and Antonnson gave their worst display together for some time on the left.
3. What possessed him to play Nuttall on his own up top at Ewood against a Bristol Rovers team who haven’t picked up a point in the league since early October?
Whatever Mowbray intended it again became the same ponderous, uninspired sideways and backwards passing game that has served us so poorly in too many matches this season. Opposition managers appear to have us sussed as yesterday Darrell Clarke emulated Rossler's tactics when Fleetwood came to town by defending in numbers, letting us get on with our stagnant passing game in front of them whilst solidly defending their penalty area. A lone free running striker running the channels and holding up the ball until his teammates breaking at speed and numbers streamed forward pressed us back. I dare say that with scouts of upcoming opponents littering the Directors box that this tactic will come to prove the norm for visiting teams this season. Mowbray and his team are going to have to learn how to combat it.
I said to an aquaitance who I join in the concourse at HT most matches, that if Mowbray didn’t replace Whittingham and Nuttall for the second half we would lose the match. He didn’t of course, at least not until Bristol inevitably took the lead, he then immediately replaced the pair with Graham and Samuel. The change was devastating as the subs came out of the traps full bore and immediately set about terrorising the Bristol back line. Graham won the aerial battles immediately and bullied the centre halves into errors whilst Samuel was fast and mobile in support. Just eight minutes later we were 2-1 up! If it was Mowbray’s intention to motivate his two first choice centre forwards by dropping them for a novice it worked a treat. Maybe he is a better psychologist than tactician? Still Bristol didn’t lie down and die as a team with their recent record might have been expected to do and we all gave a collective sigh of relief after the 5 mins extra time when Referee Joyce finally blew his whistle and ended Bristol’s hopes.
We still look suicidal when attempting to run the clock down. It takes practice and the requirement to find and use space is even more important and requires more effort than when chasing the game. We simply don't appear to be able to cotton on to that fact.
Raya… 6. A couple of blinding save and generally good handling but still he felt the need to punch away a cross double handed. Surely if he can get both hands to the ball he can catch it? Could do little about Harrisons excellent strike.
Nyambe… 4. Struggled against a Bristol team who had decided quite correctly that both full back positions are our weakness. One excellent run forward aside he contributed little to the attack although as I’ve already said having Whittingham in front doesn’t help him one bit.
Downing…5. Did most things asked of him and he and Mulgrew dominated Harrison in the air. A 1st half bollocking directed at Harrison by the manager and two coaches resulted in Harrison reverting to the game plan by running the channels. Once he was up against a fast and mobile opponent Downing struggled and imo Harrison then became 0verall MoM.
Mulgrew… 6. Usual capable and intelligent performance from Mulgrew capped off with a perfect penalty kick (awarded for a clumsy and rather unnecessary barge into Samuel that the defender will surely get a rollocking for) to equalise.
Williams…4. And I’m being generous. A bad day at the office.
Whittingham.. 3. Looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. Didn’t just play badly but he dragged Smallwood and Nyambe down to his level. They say Wiki can be inaccurate…. This load of bollox is conclusive proof. “Peter Michael Whittingham is an English professional footballer who plays for Blackburn Rovers. His primary position is as a central midfielder, although he can operate as a winger on both the left and right, as well as a second-striker.”
Smallwood… 6. Effort and endeavour as usual but stifled by having Evans and Whittingham within spitting distance for 60 mins.
Evans… 4. Another poor performance from Evans. I don’t know what they do at Brockhall but it certainly isn’t practising the art of keeping a shot from 20 yards under the bar. He and Nyambe were trapping balls further than I can kick em all afternoon.
Antonsson…4, Another who didn’t turn up yesterday. Played in perfectly twice by Danny Graham and squandered both chances weakly, once when Samuel just needed a square pass when faced with a certain open goal.
Nuttall…4. Resembles Marcus Rashford a little but played like George Weah’s cousin’s…. sister! Obviously he’s raw and has time to improve but on yesterdays evidence he’s no good up top on his own. Impact sub should be his role. I must say at this stage that if Nuttall wants to learn from his experience yesterday he needs to emulate the efforts of Bristol’s Harrison whose pace and movement proved a problem for our ponderous slow back four all afternoon and saw him rewarded with an excellently taken goal.
Dack…. 6. His usual all action game, buzzed about manfully but severely inhibited by the lack of class around him. It’s difficult to play one two’s on your own.
Subs
Graham…7 Obviously stung at warming the bench whilst Nuttall and Antonnson were preferred over him. Gave the defence a tousling when he came on and set up Antonnson with excellent centre forward play a couple of times only to see the chances squandered.
Samuel… 7 See above. Came on stung and raring to go with an obvious point to prove. Given the warmth of their goal celebration and the ensuing embrace I'd say him and Danny must have been simmering on the bench whilst witnessing events on the pitch.
Bennett … 6. Came on for Dack at 2-1 for the last 15. Did OK but nothing spectacular but still looked twice the player that Whittingham did. Wound up the Bristol right back into picking up a stupid and unnecessary booking. Another player who might incur Darrell Clarke’s wrath for unprofessionalism.
Oh and Waggy…. I know that Mowbray has got us to 5th in the table and that we are on a good run but you just needed to have been there in that first 60 minutes! I think I’d like TM as a person but as a tactician he appears clueless and simply does not appear to know his best team. The 3rd Div Tinkerman.
Barmitzvah Boy
Global winner of the 2021 Christmas Quiz 👊🤩🤩
Only 10,350 Home fans on Saturday. The fans are not yet returning to watch a winning team.
A
ABBEY
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I don't give a shit if we win the champions league I for one will return the second they leave .