Bristol Rovers (H)

[dusan nikolic]

After the Carlisle debacle I never in a million years thought we would be top of the league 7 games later and I.E would have 2 manager of the month awards in the bag , that gives me hope after these 2 poor showings that we can go on another good run . My main concern is our struggle to recover in games after going behind and the apparent mass panic that happens in our back line after we concede a goal .

Luckily the division in my opinion is considerably weaker this season ( I still think the 3 promoted teams last year would be top 3 in this division) and everyone seems to take points off everyone else . 

COYWM

Edited December 16, 2023 by dusan nikolic

[Farnywhite]

4 minutes ago, desperado said:

I got it. Keep JDB on. He olds it up better. Get another man behind the ball so we can build and not get caught on the break.  And this showed in the 2nd half to me.

They just had a crazy spell with and without the changes at the end of the first half.

That’s how I saw it really at the time  Most teams when  you go a man down take a striker off when you are playing two up front .
The problem is we don’t tend to hit it long for anyone to hold the ball up so may be take bod off and leave Charles on if we’re still playing it into feet 

[ZiggyStardust]

FWIW, I have no problem with taking Charles off, if he wanted 3 at the back. JDB is probably better at holding the ball up if you are one up front.

He hasn't put a foot right since the miss on Monday, and TBH doesnt look 100% fit. I'm sure there was doubts about his fitness over the last couple of weeks.

Hopefully it puts the JDB as a starter to bed.

At the time, I thought Santos fucked up his touch when he realised where Baxter was, but on the replay, he just fucked up.

Baxter shouldnt have been where ws though.

 

Now, if someone could explain why the ref thought it was ok for both teams to wear blue shorts, white sleeves, and half the shirts in white I would be most thankful.

On the first of the volley of corners we had, there was a clear pull of a shirt, visible through the mass of players, but as it was a white shirt being pulled, I have no idea which team was fouled, and I have a feeling the ref didnt either.

 

[jeep]

26 minutes ago, gonzo said:

 

Have you got the screenshot when Santos is fucking about with it?

Santos proved today why he is playing L1 rather than Championship soccer....

[Johnnyrotten]

2 hours ago, Farnywhite said:

We need to spend in Jan and a few decent loan signings. We need a couple of players of championship quality coming in to get over the line 

It seems a bit early to say "get over the line" as if we just need a few wins.  Conservatively anyone other than Pompey need another 50 points for promotion!  Every team in the top 8 minimum, Pompey aside, will be saying they just need a couple of championship loans, easier said than done or all 8 would do it.

[ZiggyStardust]

High(low)lights.

https://www.skysports.com/football/bolton-wanderers-vs-bristol-rovers/483851

 

[radcliffe white]

59 minutes ago, Casino said:

Well williams and vic are out of the way, so we need another one

 

Predictable 

[captainmed]

Under IE we have made progress every year.

I ain’t his biggest fan but those are the facts.

Not a great job but a good job so far I would say.

7/10.

[bolton va va]

My take on the Charles substitution was to sacrifice a forward to try & keep it to 0-1 for 75ish minutes & then go for it, but it failed because we immediately conceded a 2nd........& Charles was chosen to go off, in the hope that Bod would hold the ball up better, but it failed because Bod should only be an impact sub.

All good in theory but a mess in practice.

A bad day, but we'll go again as we did after Carlisle.

[radcliffe white]

Just now, captainmed said:

Under IE we have made progress every year.

I ain’t his biggest fan but those are the facts.

Not a great job but a good job so far I would say.

7/10.

Its simple don’t go up we move on 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

Just now, bolton va va said:

My take on the Charles substitution was to sacrifice a forward to try & keep it to 0-1 for 75ish minutes & then go for it, but it failed because we immediately conceded a 2nd........& Charles was chosen to go off, in the hope that Bod would hold the ball up better, but it failed because Bod should only be an impact sub.

All good in theory but a mess in practice.

A bad day, but we'll go again as we did after Carlisle.

Aye, me too.

I also don't think he wanted his prize goal scorer running himself into the ground with a busy period ahead.

 

[Johnnyrotten]

2 hours ago, gonzo said:

It was shit before the sending off.

Bod is never a starter in the memory of man, dont care what anyone says. Hes a luxury player and man off the bench. Hasnt got the minerals or physique to be a foil for a number 9.

Vic and Dion had us top of the league, theres was no reason to change it.

Bod started at Pompey and was our best player 1st half.  Vic has been poor most games, and I want him to be good, nothing against him, good attitude.  But let's not confuse being fleetingly top with Vic's contribution to those points gained, Fleetwood aside.  Williams was playing too, and he's also not upto scratch (Iredale poor today of course so I can't bang the drum for him based on today). 

For all Bod was hardly involved today he still produced a couple of superb pieces of skill and hold up play 1st half, and a couple of decent efforts on goal 2nd half, feeding off minor scraps.  

[Casino]

3 minutes ago, radcliffe white said:

Its simple don’t go up we move on 

Do you actually believe this?

[Casino]

2 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Bod started at Pompey and was our best player 1st half.  Vic has been poor most games, and I want him to be good, nothing against him, good attitude.  But let's not confuse being fleetingly top with Vic's contribution to those points gained, Fleetwood aside.  Williams was playing too, and he's also not upto scratch (Iredale poor today of course so I can't bang the drum for him based on today). 

For all Bod was hardly involved today he still produced a couple of superb pieces of skill and hold up play 1st half, and a couple of decent efforts on goal 2nd half, feeding off minor scraps.  

Another one

Youve got the changes you wanted and its def not got better

Not your fault, obvs, its on IE

[radcliffe white]

1 minute ago, Casino said:

Do you actually believe this?

Absolutely 

[captainmed]

17 minutes ago, radcliffe white said:

Its simple don’t go up we move on 

Agree but I think we will.

Prob is I think Pompey have gone.

He can’t start a 5th season with 3 at this level.

I don’t want to harp back but we were bloody lucky to go up and he was lucky we weren’t in the ground.

Edited December 16, 2023 by captainmed

[desperado]

4 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Bod started at Pompey and was our best player 1st half.  Vic has been poor most games, and I want him to be good, nothing against him, good attitude.  But let's not confuse being fleetingly top with Vic's contribution to those points gained, Fleetwood aside.  Williams was playing too, and he's also not upto scratch (Iredale poor today of course so I can't bang the drum for him based on today). 

For all Bod was hardly involved today he still produced a couple of superb pieces of skill and hold up play 1st half, and a couple of decent efforts on goal 2nd half, feeding off minor scraps.  

I feel for Morley and JDB (could throw in Iredale too) as they have been a part of the the team(s) that have lost these last 2 and weren’t a regular part of the great run previously. 

But I think they’ve actually done ok! 

Anyway good drink before and after with @CSW. Put the world to rights and decided good runs don’t last forever. The squad seemed good enough a couple of weeks ago, so no drastic change of thought required.  The next 3/4 will get us back on track 👏

[Johnnyrotten]

1 hour ago, ianofcleveleys said:

I could understand up to a point why he made the Charles sub, a text book coaching response based on wanting to keep it at 0-1 till last 10 mins then maybe go aggressive with last couple of changes to pinch a draw. Evatt couldn't legislate for the aberration that followed a minute later.

I must admit, as much as I was hoping the sending off would mean 4 at the back, I'm surprised at the backlash to the substitution of Charles.  Every coach under the sun takes a striker off when down to 10 men.  That doesn't mean we agree with it, every coach brings 11 back at corners and us mere mortals wonder why.  It was more a resigned acceptance from me that its what they all do, it was inevitable.  And Charles was struggling to trap a bag of cement which didn't help his case for staying on the pitch.  I thought we got some decent possession in their half 2nd half which maybe wouldn't happen with one less player in the engine room.  I would have left 2 up front personally, but a big over reaction to a routine substitution.  

[Johnnyrotten]

18 minutes ago, Casino said:

Another one

Youve got the changes you wanted and its def not got better

Not your fault, obvs, its on IE

Iredale was poor today, I think we are a bit short at LWB whoever plays.  RWB similar, just my opinion.

On Vic/Bod, maybe its just coincidence, that we played the best team in the league away in the first game, and had a player sent off 1st half in 2nd game?  You may think today's starting X1 is incapable of winning a home game v Bristol Rovers, I'd be happy to start again tomorrow with the same team, 11 players on the pitch I think we're better than them.

But as I've said before if others prefer Vic I've no problem with that, I prefer Bod, its not a competition, I just want whatever's best for the team.  We have lost the occasional game with Vic starting too.

[gonzo]

24 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Bod started at Pompey and was our best player 1st half.  Vic has been poor most games, and I want him to be good, nothing against him, good attitude.  But let's not confuse being fleetingly top with Vic's contribution to those points gained, Fleetwood aside.  Williams was playing too, and he's also not upto scratch (Iredale poor today of course so I can't bang the drum for him based on today). 

For all Bod was hardly involved today he still produced a couple of superb pieces of skill and hold up play 1st half, and a couple of decent efforts on goal 2nd half, feeding off minor scraps.  

I just think hes better off the bench and doesnt improve overall team play.

Looks better on the eye like but we were top for a reason. 

[Mounts Kipper]

22 minutes ago, captainmed said:

Agree but I think we will.

Prob is I think Pompey have gone.

He can’t start a 5th season with 3 at this level.

I don’t want to harp back but we were bloody lucky to go up and he was lucky we weren’t in the ground.

I don’t think they’re uncatchable, whether it’s us that catches them is another matter. 

[Casino]

Exactly @gonzo

Even though team was made up of shit players and we had better on the bench, we were top

Fwiw, todays team could easily go on a similar winning run and we had the odd shit defeat in us with my favoured 11, but I just dont get why he fucked about with it

 

 

[Johnnyrotten]

16 minutes ago, desperado said:

I feel for Morley and JDB (could throw in Iredale too) as they have been a part of the the team(s) that have lost these last 2 and weren’t a regular part of the great run previously. 

But I think they’ve actually done ok! 

Anyway good drink before and after with @CSW. Put the world to rights and decided good runs don’t last forever. The squad seemed good enough a couple of weeks ago, so no drastic change of thought required.  The next 3/4 will get us back on track 👏

Yes, good reasonable comments.  One of Forrester's few league starts was v Carlisle, a deflection and a pen that he had no hand in goes in and he's part of a losing team.  It happens, results aren't always a reflection of individual performances.  FWIW I thought Tomo was excellent today and I'm not his biggest fan (should stop attempting any passing with his right foot!).  As bad as today was overall, I still enjoyed some of our football, never a shot at the end of it but some of the passing and build up was still worth being there to see, Tomo and Maghoma especially.

[Mounts Kipper]

2 minutes ago, Casino said:

Exactly @gonzo

Even though team was made up of shit players and we had better on the bench, we were top

Fwiw, todays team could easily go on a similar winning run and we had the odd shit defeat in us with my favoured 11, but I just dont get why he fucked about with it

 

 

 

 

Because it’s a long old season… Evatt has the stats on each and every player, trusts the whole squad and rests every player in the squad… except Baxter. 

[Casino]

2 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said:

Because it’s a long old season… Evatt has the stats on each and every player, trusts the whole squad and rests every player in the squad… except Baxter. 

Yeah, maybe