Lets talk about the Oldham game

[selby]

  A game when we can welcome one of the best midfield players to don our shirt in my time watching the Rovers. A player who with the other great players we had at the time played the best football I have seen us play.
  He seems to have started his managerial career well turning Oldhams results around since taking over, and has put together a side that has experienced players at this level throughout the team without spending a lot of money(well hardly any infact).
  He has just appointed Jewell as his assistant who knows the game back to front, and given their past success at the Keepmoat  the game looks to be a tough one for us.
  What changes if any would you make ?
  Can we overcome one of our lack of success against them at the K.M.?
  What reception do you think Wellens deserves if any?
   Please discuss.

[IDM]

A warm welcome before the game, nowt during it..

[selby]

  Oh yes, that goes without saying, and I do not think he would expect anything differently.
  A good pro though, and I expect them to have done their home work on us. Other than against us I hope he does well there.

[drfchound]

Wellens deserves one round of the "one Richie Wellens" song before the game but i fear that he is more likely to get "one greedy bast**d" from those who don't know any better.

[Bentley Bullet]

Aye, I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that sometimes some of our fans make you cringe with embarrassment when they show their lack of class.

[Bezza]

we all know Ritchie Wellens will want to put one over us, lets hope we can come out play with some style and get a result.

[Monkcaster_Rover]

I'd be happy with a point. Ritchie will get their boys fired up. Can't see it being a classic.

I've gone win in the PvO but I can see a scrappy 1-1.

[Alan Southstand]

I can't see anything other than an Oldham win. We are simply not scoring and are always likely to concede.

[GazLaz]

I can't see anything other than an Oldham win. We are simply not scoring and are always likely to concede.

6 scored, 3 conceded in the last 3 games. Healthy enough. 

[drfchound]

I can't see anything other than an Oldham win. We are simply not scoring and are always likely to concede.

6 scored, 3 conceded in the last 3 games. Healthy enough.

4 games.

[Donnywolf]

Wellens deserves one round of the "one Richie Wellens" song before the game but i fear that he is more likely to get "one greedy bast**d" from those who don't know any better.

Could be interesting because it is not that long that the Oldham fans spent nearly all our game with them singing exactly that

Wonder if they still do it ?

[dickos1]

We've scored 5 in our last 2 home games. Conceding 1.

[selby]

  I have been reading Oldhams forum,and it seems as though they played Doyle as a lone striker, with Byrne just behind against Northampton at home and scored 5, a bit more successful than we did a few weeks ago,and would suggest that it could be a midfield battle this weekend.
   This formation took their supporters by surprise, so would suggest  that Wellens picks a formation to fit the opposition, it could be an interesting game this weekend.

[dknward2]

Sorry to say but I think we are going to really struggle no confidence in us scoring and rest of the league know to score against us just hit a hopeful shot from 25 plus yards and you will score

[roversdude]

Is Paul Green still there

[rich1471]

With it been so cold and freezing is there a chance the game could be called off as I cannot see the weather warming up

[drfchound]

The BBC forecast for Saturday is plus 4 degrees so hopefully the pitch should be ok.

Our overall history against Oldham is 9 defeats from the 43 matches played so perhaps they are not so much of a formidable opponent as some may think.

[selby]

 Hound have we ever beaten them at the K.M. as I cannot remember us doing so. They seem to have been a bit of a sticky wicket for us at home since we moved grounds.
  Last weekend at Oxford we did not play badly, it was the way we conceded and right at the death that sickened everyone. But all round we played well and with any luck would have come away with at least a draw and could quite easily nicked it.
  The fact is we gave  away a poor goal,a repeteative goal, Mason giving the ball away when the opposition was only a couple of yards away from him,which was not the first time he did it in the game. And after having a good game up to that point Lawlor beaten  with a shot he should have stopped from distance.
  To me the stand out problem was Beestin and Alfie being no threat at all,and with Coppinger,Rowe ,and Marquis having great games especially in the second half they should have done a lot better.

[eastender]

Hound have we ever beaten them at the K.M. as I cannot remember us doing so. They seem to have been a bit of a sticky wicket for us at home since we moved grounds.
  Last weekend at Oxford we did not play badly, it was the way we conceded and right at the death that sickened everyone. But all round we played well and with any luck would have come away with at least a draw and could quite easily nicked it.
  The fact is we gave  away a poor goal,a repeteative goal, Mason giving the ball away when the opposition was only a couple of yards away from him,which was not the first time he did it in the game. And after having a good game up to that point Lawlor beaten  with a shot he should have stopped from distance.
  To me the stand out problem was Beestin and Alfie being no threat at all,and with Coppinger,Rowe ,and Marquis having great games especially in the second half they should have done a lot better.

We have beaten Oldham twice at the Keepmoat , 3-0 in the JPT 2007 and 1-0 in L1 2012.

[dickos1]

Think we beat them at home the year we won the league, 4/5 years ago

[selby]

  Eastender and dickos, thanks for that,I must have more senior moments than I realise, I cannot remember any of those,but I can remember, was it Kennedy someone we were after at the time, hitting a cracker from distance out of the blue against us.
   Anyway,good news lets hope we repeat a win on Saturday, which is not beyond us if we play well.
   At least we are not going for two in a row that is normally our undoing.

[drfchound]

At the KMS v Oldham.
W2  D2  L2.

[Alan Southstand]

  To me the stand out problem was Beestin and Alfie being no threat at all,and with Coppinger,Rowe ,and Marquis having great games especially in the second half they should have done a lot better.

That is at odds with what Tommy Rowe said after the game:

Rowe also praised Marquis and fellow forwards Alfie Beestin and Alfie May for setting the tone for the rest of the team when it comes to intensity.

Read more at: https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/football/doncaster-rovers/doncaster-rovers-john-marquis-has-been-unleashed-1-8904778

[selby]

  Alan we will have to  agree to disagree,I never said those two played poorly within a team,what I said was that they were no threat at all to Oxford.
  In the full game they did not threaten the goal,when Coppinger Marquis,and Rowe all played well. The only chances they had Beestin was sat on his heels in front of goal when Marquis got past his marker and put a ball across goal,which a natural scorer would possibly anticipated(chance missed).
  The other was a great chance in the six yard box at the far post that Alfie fluffed not even hitting the target.
  Strikers are at a premium,natural ones are rare,those two have to improve in front of goal if they play.
   When non league teams play in the cup I expect enthusiasm and effort and a little skill,sometimes effort and skill overcomes more skillful teams,and we get a shock. I see effort and enthusiasm in those two, but they are not our best strikers at this level, and I think if Fergie persists in playing them as starters we are going to struggle to score goals in most matches.

[Heffs right foot]

Quite agree Selby, your comments are exactly what I have been thinking for weeks now...for me the only out and out finisher at the club at the moment is Mandeville... although there are parts of his game that he needs to improve on massively..had that cross from Marquis  come to him he would have scored no doubt....for me he would start instead of Beestin at the weekend.

[Campsall rover]

Quite agree Selby, your comments are exactly what I have been thinking for weeks now...for me the only out and out finisher at the club at the moment is Mandeville... although there are parts of his game that he needs to improve on massively..had that cross from Marquis  come to him he would have scored no doubt....for me he would start instead of Beestin at the weekend.

 
Agreed, no question Mandeville has to start as he is a finisher. May and Mandeville need to be used off the bench as impact players after 60/65 mins if needed.

[Campsall rover]

That should be May and Beestin as impact players. 

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Everything points to anything but a Rovers win! A win it is then!

[selby]

  It looks like Oldham rely a lot on the loan players of Doyle,Byrne, and Bryan, who have played cery well for them.
  Their supporters are concerned that they will lose all three in January, and are tipping Doyle to go to Bradford.
  It will not be easy on Saturday( no match is really for us in this league), with us having  to play well to compete, but if Rowe and Coppinger carry their form of the last two games into this game, and Marquis plays as he has been doing lately we have a chance.
  Do you think Wellens will have a plan to nullify Coppinger with Knowing him so well?
  I am expecting  a cluttered mid field and an untidy game.

[drfchound]

Recent league results show us with one win in the last five games and Oldham with just one defeat in their last five so the form book suggests they may be favourites.

However, Scunny came to us recently after six straight wins and got thumped so, as we know, there are no givens when it comes to football results.

Wellens was a canny player and i have no doubt that he will use his vast knowledge to try and get at least a point, which in all honesty i think he would be happy with.

I do think that he will have some kind of plan to stop Copps being influential but that may leave other players with an advantage so perhaps someone like Rowe may benefit from that.

I would like to think that it will be an open and attacking game with both teams trying to win it but i actually expect the opposite to take place, with Oldham making life difficult for us to break them down and trying to score on the break.

Marquis is due a strikers run of games when he scores a few so hopefully that will kick in on Saturday.