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NEXT GAME:no idea
Sometime in August
Kick off unknown pm
No idea where
Definitely the Championship
Stoke v Rovers: 10th March 2023
- Thread starter Barmitzvah Boy
- Start date
Barmitzvah Boy
Global winner of the 2021 Christmas Quiz 👊🤩🤩
That was dreadful. Why did I bother going?
80+ minutes until he brings Brittain on. Only 2 attempts on goal and we scored with both. We were embarrassed by 3-2 when it could easily have been 5 or 6 to Stoke.
80+ minutes until he brings Brittain on. Only 2 attempts on goal and we scored with both. We were embarrassed by 3-2 when it could easily have been 5 or 6 to Stoke.
Just been saying that husky. 3-2 flattered us.
blueandwhitehalves
Senior Member
The difference between half-decent players and very good players at this level isn't really ability in my opinion, its consistency. Rovers have half-decent players, so like the vast majority of the league, we're inconsistent.
We got beat tonight mainly because Dolan, Rankin-Costello, Pickering, Travis, Buckley, Szmodics and Thomas were all rubbish. Because they can't do it every week because they're not very good players, they've half-decent players who JDT is getting the most out of.
The fact that its a pile on JDT, or Mowbray, or whichever manager we have next whenever we lose, instead of an admission that we're an average Championship team, is probably because fans still refuse to truly accept we're an average Championship club (if that).
We got beat tonight mainly because Dolan, Rankin-Costello, Pickering, Travis, Buckley, Szmodics and Thomas were all rubbish. Because they can't do it every week because they're not very good players, they've half-decent players who JDT is getting the most out of.
The fact that its a pile on JDT, or Mowbray, or whichever manager we have next whenever we lose, instead of an admission that we're an average Championship team, is probably because fans still refuse to truly accept we're an average Championship club (if that).
Teecher.... "Right 5th year. As an exercise today in the use of English literature and for your homework I want you to describe the difference between confidence and over confidence in no more than one paragraph." 
I've said many times that the Championship is a real dog eat dog division, if you aren't at your best anyone can beat you. Particularly so in the Rover's case if the opponents are in the bottom third of the table and prepared to fight tooth and nail on their own turf for the points on offer. We've all seen this before time and again as the Rovers are the Championship's bottom clubs favourite soft touch. This has gone on for decades I'm sorry to say. Is it the Achilles heel of a small squad? Is it another case of after the Lord Mayor's show? Unbeaten in eleven matches since the aberration at Rotherham on Jan 14th which ended in a 4-0 hammering and ending with wins away at Premier League Leicester and top two team Sheff United within a few days of each other.
Anyway I've gone all lazy this week and with the above homework to complete I've cut and pasted this........ It is still relevent unfortunately.
"The word must be doing the rounds of the Championship now. Blackburn Rovers are a bunch of pansies and an easy push over for any team willing to put the boot in, go muck or nettles and generally set out to rough em up. Try to play us at football and we have a good chance of taking the points, leave a foot or an elbow in, a few verbals and a large dose of aggression and we cave in. Proof? Just ask the supporters of Burnley, Wigan, Preston, Sheffield Utd, Luton etc and for more proof question those of the likes of Swansea and Norwich (who incidentally paggered PNE 0-4 at Deepdale today).
The Championship is a fantastic division full of upsets and as I’ve constantly pointed out any club not playing well can get easily get beaten, however no club hoping to be in the top six at the end of the season would dream of losing 13 matches over the course of a season let alone 13 losses by the second week of January and a goal difference of minus 4! It’s not a new issue either as this weakness has been bedevilling us since the good old days of Hughes and Allardyce. How I long for a return to ‘Blackeye Rovers’. "
No prizes for guessing that was pinched word for word from the Rotherham thread!
We can only hope that the Rovers now go on the kind of run they did after the Rotherham match and the similar one after getting their arses tanned 0-7 by Fulham.
As for the game itself the Rovers were first out of the traps and passing the ball about with confidence as Stoke struggled to get into the game. A couple of chances were spurned, most notably one by Sam Gallagher who found himself clear on goal with Tuanzebe struggling to catch up as he bore down on Bonham in the Stoke goal. Alan Shearer in that situation would have moved over to his right blocking Tuanzebe from being able to do anything other than either place his trust in his keeper or drag him down for a certain red card before thrashing an unstoppable shot into the net. Sam Gallagher unfortunately is no Alan Shearer, he's not as good a player for sure but neither is he as savvy as Big Al, nor it seems to me does the basic need to score goals and humble the opposition burn prominently in his psyche. Big Sam wrongly elected to cut back inside and pass to Szmodics and the chance was gone. On 11 minutes Stoke should have gone ahead when Smallbone rattled the bar when totally unmarked on the back post he received a ball from the left and really should have scored. From that moment on Stoke grew in confidence as the Rovers shrank in the same commodity. 1-0 down on the 24th minute as Hoever totally unmarked on the back post received a ball from the left and placed the ball inside far post and past Aynsley Pears. With the Rovers now definitely second best and seemingly unable to counteract Stoke's high press I just wanted to get to HT with no further damage done. Small chance of that once Hoever again when totally unmarked on the back post received a ball from the left and added a second.
HT and would JDT sort out the gaping holes on our left side? Pickering and Dolan both guilty of missing in action! I've rarely seen such sloppy marking being repeated time and again with no one sorting it out! Anyway another piece of dreadfully weak defending down the right flank saw 4 Rovers players playing "after you Maude" and allowing Laurent to get past them all and cross for Campbell to drive the ball in for a 3-0 scoreline. At this point and just like at Rotherham the rovers were facing a real hammering so what a surprise to see the three 60 minute subs combine to add a couple of quick fire headed goals in the last 10 minutes to give Stoke and their fans a fit of the colly wobbles. As it was it was too little and too late and Stoke held on for all three points.
No way did the Rovers deserve to win or even draw this match but it's fair to say it's never over till it's over and it's a fact that without the naive / lazy / unprofessional / unforgiveable (delete as appropriate) defending by messrs Pickering and Dolan the Rovers could have brought all 3 points back up the M6.
Pears... 6 Couldn't do much about the goals but his kicking boot resembled a lob wedge as he spooned a number of clearances.
JRC... 6 Good and bad bits to his game. Some enterprising play but the fact remains that he was murdered time and again down the right. Was he more involved in driving fwd than defending? I'd say so.
Carter.... 5 Poor match and our normally strong central partnership was all at sea.
Hyam... 5 See above.
Pickering... 4 where tf was he? Why had he gone awol when for the last 11 matches our defence has been our strength? Did get an assist late in the match for Gally's goal.
Travis..... 6 Planty of effort but with the defence all at sea his task was enormous.
Buckley.... 5 Poor match by his standards. Gave way to Stoke's midfielders and contributed little creatively.
Thomas... 4 His worst match since he came.
Dolan... 3 Dreadful day defending for the lad who has been playing a star role of late.
Szmodics... 5 Grafted as usual but nothing came off for him.
Gallagher... 5 Should have put the Rovers ahead but still had a presence and headed in a lovely goal from a top quality Pickering cross.
Subs
BBD.... 6 (Dolan 59) Brought a bit of power and pace to the left side and was on hand to nod in Brittains perfect cross on the back stick.
Hedges ... 5 (Thomas 59) Not much impact from a player who was looking good in the autumn.
Morton... 6 (Buckley 59) Unable to influence the match much but was an improvement on Buckley on the night.
Garrett.... (Szmodic 84 ) Two goals for the Rovers within 5 minutes of coming on? Probably just a coincidence.
Brittain.... (JRC 84 injury) Provided a great cross for BBD to nod home. I'd put my house on him starting on Wed night.
JDT.... Sent out a good team selection based on recent results but it seems one unprepared for the battle ahead. We need a plan B from this eternal and frequently error prone passing game along the back line. Teams will have noticed how we are vulnerable to a high press and will no doubt emulate O'Neills tactics against us. There is a time to pass in triangles and a time to put a foot through the ball and the Rovers need to recognise both.
Major niggles
A. 3-2 down in injury time and one or two (Gallagher in particular) gave completely unprofessional and unnecessary fouls away giving Stoke the time to settle down and get a breather when they should have faced a barrage of constant pressure.
B. With a minute to go Carter and Hyam were exchanging passes across the back line! Stoke couldn't have wished for a more complete pair of goons! WTF goes on in their heads?
Referee Matt Donohue 4 Rather an inconsistent Refereeing performer. Looking back I've given him marks from 4 to 8 but today was a 4. Should have issued a few yellows to Stoke players to put an end to some of their rough house tactics before ridiculously showing his first yellow to Morton for the other player play acting.
I've said many times that the Championship is a real dog eat dog division, if you aren't at your best anyone can beat you. Particularly so in the Rover's case if the opponents are in the bottom third of the table and prepared to fight tooth and nail on their own turf for the points on offer. We've all seen this before time and again as the Rovers are the Championship's bottom clubs favourite soft touch. This has gone on for decades I'm sorry to say. Is it the Achilles heel of a small squad? Is it another case of after the Lord Mayor's show? Unbeaten in eleven matches since the aberration at Rotherham on Jan 14th which ended in a 4-0 hammering and ending with wins away at Premier League Leicester and top two team Sheff United within a few days of each other.
Anyway I've gone all lazy this week and with the above homework to complete I've cut and pasted this........ It is still relevent unfortunately.
"The word must be doing the rounds of the Championship now. Blackburn Rovers are a bunch of pansies and an easy push over for any team willing to put the boot in, go muck or nettles and generally set out to rough em up. Try to play us at football and we have a good chance of taking the points, leave a foot or an elbow in, a few verbals and a large dose of aggression and we cave in. Proof? Just ask the supporters of Burnley, Wigan, Preston, Sheffield Utd, Luton etc and for more proof question those of the likes of Swansea and Norwich (who incidentally paggered PNE 0-4 at Deepdale today).
The Championship is a fantastic division full of upsets and as I’ve constantly pointed out any club not playing well can get easily get beaten, however no club hoping to be in the top six at the end of the season would dream of losing 13 matches over the course of a season let alone 13 losses by the second week of January and a goal difference of minus 4! It’s not a new issue either as this weakness has been bedevilling us since the good old days of Hughes and Allardyce. How I long for a return to ‘Blackeye Rovers’. "
No prizes for guessing that was pinched word for word from the Rotherham thread!
We can only hope that the Rovers now go on the kind of run they did after the Rotherham match and the similar one after getting their arses tanned 0-7 by Fulham.
As for the game itself the Rovers were first out of the traps and passing the ball about with confidence as Stoke struggled to get into the game. A couple of chances were spurned, most notably one by Sam Gallagher who found himself clear on goal with Tuanzebe struggling to catch up as he bore down on Bonham in the Stoke goal. Alan Shearer in that situation would have moved over to his right blocking Tuanzebe from being able to do anything other than either place his trust in his keeper or drag him down for a certain red card before thrashing an unstoppable shot into the net. Sam Gallagher unfortunately is no Alan Shearer, he's not as good a player for sure but neither is he as savvy as Big Al, nor it seems to me does the basic need to score goals and humble the opposition burn prominently in his psyche. Big Sam wrongly elected to cut back inside and pass to Szmodics and the chance was gone. On 11 minutes Stoke should have gone ahead when Smallbone rattled the bar when totally unmarked on the back post he received a ball from the left and really should have scored. From that moment on Stoke grew in confidence as the Rovers shrank in the same commodity. 1-0 down on the 24th minute as Hoever totally unmarked on the back post received a ball from the left and placed the ball inside far post and past Aynsley Pears. With the Rovers now definitely second best and seemingly unable to counteract Stoke's high press I just wanted to get to HT with no further damage done. Small chance of that once Hoever again when totally unmarked on the back post received a ball from the left and added a second.
HT and would JDT sort out the gaping holes on our left side? Pickering and Dolan both guilty of missing in action! I've rarely seen such sloppy marking being repeated time and again with no one sorting it out! Anyway another piece of dreadfully weak defending down the right flank saw 4 Rovers players playing "after you Maude" and allowing Laurent to get past them all and cross for Campbell to drive the ball in for a 3-0 scoreline. At this point and just like at Rotherham the rovers were facing a real hammering so what a surprise to see the three 60 minute subs combine to add a couple of quick fire headed goals in the last 10 minutes to give Stoke and their fans a fit of the colly wobbles. As it was it was too little and too late and Stoke held on for all three points.
No way did the Rovers deserve to win or even draw this match but it's fair to say it's never over till it's over and it's a fact that without the naive / lazy / unprofessional / unforgiveable (delete as appropriate) defending by messrs Pickering and Dolan the Rovers could have brought all 3 points back up the M6.
Pears... 6 Couldn't do much about the goals but his kicking boot resembled a lob wedge as he spooned a number of clearances.
JRC... 6 Good and bad bits to his game. Some enterprising play but the fact remains that he was murdered time and again down the right. Was he more involved in driving fwd than defending? I'd say so.
Carter.... 5 Poor match and our normally strong central partnership was all at sea.
Hyam... 5 See above.
Pickering... 4 where tf was he? Why had he gone awol when for the last 11 matches our defence has been our strength? Did get an assist late in the match for Gally's goal.
Travis..... 6 Planty of effort but with the defence all at sea his task was enormous.
Buckley.... 5 Poor match by his standards. Gave way to Stoke's midfielders and contributed little creatively.
Thomas... 4 His worst match since he came.
Dolan... 3 Dreadful day defending for the lad who has been playing a star role of late.
Szmodics... 5 Grafted as usual but nothing came off for him.
Gallagher... 5 Should have put the Rovers ahead but still had a presence and headed in a lovely goal from a top quality Pickering cross.
Subs
BBD.... 6 (Dolan 59) Brought a bit of power and pace to the left side and was on hand to nod in Brittains perfect cross on the back stick.
Hedges ... 5 (Thomas 59) Not much impact from a player who was looking good in the autumn.
Morton... 6 (Buckley 59) Unable to influence the match much but was an improvement on Buckley on the night.
Garrett.... (Szmodic 84 ) Two goals for the Rovers within 5 minutes of coming on? Probably just a coincidence.
Brittain.... (JRC 84 injury) Provided a great cross for BBD to nod home. I'd put my house on him starting on Wed night.
JDT.... Sent out a good team selection based on recent results but it seems one unprepared for the battle ahead. We need a plan B from this eternal and frequently error prone passing game along the back line. Teams will have noticed how we are vulnerable to a high press and will no doubt emulate O'Neills tactics against us. There is a time to pass in triangles and a time to put a foot through the ball and the Rovers need to recognise both.
Major niggles
A. 3-2 down in injury time and one or two (Gallagher in particular) gave completely unprofessional and unnecessary fouls away giving Stoke the time to settle down and get a breather when they should have faced a barrage of constant pressure.
B. With a minute to go Carter and Hyam were exchanging passes across the back line! Stoke couldn't have wished for a more complete pair of goons! WTF goes on in their heads?
Referee Matt Donohue 4 Rather an inconsistent Refereeing performer. Looking back I've given him marks from 4 to 8 but today was a 4. Should have issued a few yellows to Stoke players to put an end to some of their rough house tactics before ridiculously showing his first yellow to Morton for the other player play acting.
Old Darwen Blue
Prediction Champion 2021, 2022 & 2023
I only saw the second half but that ref was a homer.