Tonights game (blackpool)

[roverstillidie91]

Not one to moan usually as I believe we have made a solid start to the season and I don't actually go many games due to work.

However lowest scorers in the top half it's clear to see we haven't got enough goals in our strike force if we are wanting to challenge for the top 6.

[Copps is Magic]

Thought Blackpool did a complete job on us tonight then a sucker punch.

Win, lose or draw - the evidence has been clear in every single game - we need a striker. Its going to cost us over the course of the season.

Oh well, we move on.

[bpoolrover]

While second half was better we hardly tested the keeper, against teams that attack us 1 up front is fine but tonight sadly showed how we were lacking in attacking options

[Filo]

Numerous time tonight we gave Blackpool the ball, eventually we gave it away once too often and paid the price!

[NickDRFC]

Numerous time tonight we gave Blackpool the ball, eventually we gave it away once too often and paid the price!

I thought we passed it around brilliantly at the weekend and there were hints of it tonight but too often it ended sloppily. Poor pass from Whiteman for their goal and you’d expect better from a) your captain and b) someone who is as good as him.

Not the end of the world but need to improve to stay in or around the play-offs. Think it’s a bit of a reality check after coming away from Ipswich talking about the top two.

[bpoolrover]

Really just need a couple more players and we’re there without them over a long season we won’t last in top 6,Ennis ran all night but our option to replace him is kiwoma need better

[Copps is Magic]

Rovers problems stem from the front. Solid at the back. Once the game settles down, we usually dominate possession, with Sheaf and Whiteman having time to play from the back. But today there were no outlets upfront.

People are going to slag Haliday (I can anticipate it) but at least he kept running and running and trying to make an opening. Alright his passing was off. You can't blame him if none of the attacking players are showing. May and Sadlier were very disappointing I thought, and Ennis got physically bullied. Taylor was good first half, but knackered the 2nd.

[bpoolrover]

There was a massive gap between Ennis and the midfield until copps came on

[glosterred]

That was some of the worse football I’ve seen rovers play for a good while. We could not string two passes together and got what we deserved!


COYR

[Jonathan]

Only Sadlier had the brains to get on the ball in between the lines in the first half. The game was crying out for Coppinger but I’d have taken May off in the circumstances.

Frustrating. Lots of territory, moved them about a bit but something missing up too.

We almost asked for what happened in the end after so many wasteful passes.

[eastender]

They played 3 at the back , giving them an extra man in midfield and it showed.
At times it looked as though they had 2 extra , they defended in numbers and attacked in numbers and we did nothing to counter it.

[sha66y]

Playing Sadlier in the hole was not the wisest of moves, he looked out of place all the first half....I blame Darren for not playing his strongest 11 ...
Coppinger gets rested when he has sustained numerous bone breaks and fractures....and not ever when he’s fit....

Everyone played good and bad....

[john_donc857]

It wasn’t all that bad was it. So close to having back to back clean sheets. Game could have gone either way and in the end it was a wayward pass from our captain that cost us.

[pib]

One of those nights. A tight game that probably should’ve ended 0-0 or 1-1 but we lost it through a series of mistakes right at the end.

Whiteman was sloppy giving the ball away and Anderson should’ve gone back into position instead of trying to go up and score the winning goal.

Even so, these things happen. Doesn’t feel like a crushing defeat and I don’t think it’s something to massively worry about. It wasn’t our best game tonight and we were sloppy at times, but it was really an even game against a decent and very well organised team, that we should’ve taken at least a point from.

We are lacking something up front still though. If Anichebe is half the player he was at Everton and Sunderland he will add something to this team.

[Filo]

It wasn’t all that bad was it. So close to having back to back clean sheets. Game could have gone either way and in the end it was a wayward pass from our captain that cost us.

One of many wayward passes tonight, even Lawlor got in on the act and gave the ball to their Centre Forward, god inows what he was trying to do

[Dare to dream!]

Didn’t think the performance was that bad.

We should have exploited the left more as James and Taylor showed some great link up play in the first half but we seemed to keep going down the right hand side.

Both bens were good as you would expect.

Halliday is terrible, new right back needed ASAP.

[jackthelad]

I didn't think it was a terrible performance, in fact I cannot believe we managed to lose the game. We actually gifted it to Blackpool tonight at the end there.

We should've been out of sight though well before that happened.  We need to be more clinical and stop messing about with it, our build up play was fine but we seemed to panic everytime we got in or around the penalty area.

Halliday just is not good enough, I would like to see somebody else play RB because time and time again he is going to cost us if we persist with him. Poor signing from GM.

[5 on Tour]

I think the tactics were wrong. No need, at all, for 2 holding players against a flat 3-5-2. One would have been fine and added an extra outlet which was the issue for the whole game. They doubled up very well on James/Taylor and it meant we ran out of ideas very quickly. Ennis should have scored though and it would have been a very different 2nd half if he had.

2 players had particularly bad games though IMO - 1) May lacked everything that he has been praised for recently. He couldn’t even trap the ball for most of the 2nd half 2) Ben Sheaf - wow. Just wow. How on earth can one player make the same mistake over and over and over. I know he’s young but that doesn’t forgive repeated piss poor passing.

Special mention to that Lawlor pass... haha.

Anyway. Let’s hope we learn from it and move on.

[Lesonthewest]

Blackpool did their homework, hunted us down at the back stopping us from playing out, leading us to giving away possession time & time & time again. Improved second half playing with a bit more urgency, but nowhere near good enough to deserve the win, best team won.

[jackthelad]

If Sheaf was any more laid back he would be horizontal, he was very poor tonight and May looked like the Alfie May of last season rather than the new Alfie.

Sheaf is steady away but I've seen nothing to suggest he's brilliant as some have portrayed and he has a lot to learn.

May, Sheaf and Halliday all poor tonight, Ennis battled well and was so unlucky not to score. Whiteman was unusually average and Anderson and John didn't look as solid as we've come to accept.

[sha66y]

I thought Blackpool were shoit!
Pretty crap all over the park....they only materialised has a football team when we cocked up....which was quite frequent! ....

[South East Rover]

Didn’t think the performance was that bad.

We should have exploited the left more as James and Taylor showed some great link up play in the first half but we seemed to keep going down the right hand side.

Both bens were good as you would expect.

Halliday is terrible, new right back needed ASAP.

I though Halliday had a good game not far off MOTM.

[5 on Tour]

Is Halliday just a scape goat this season? How can people praise Ben Sheaf and slate Halliday. I don’t get what people are watching at all.

[Campsall rover]

Only Sadlier had the brains to get on the ball in between the lines in the first half. The game was crying out for Coppinger but I’d have taken May off in the circumstances.

Frustrating. Lots of territory, moved them about a bit but something missing up too.

We almost asked for what happened in the end after so many wasteful passes.

Agree. Thought he should have kept Sadlier on and taken May off. ( even though he was an early sub himself ). Sadlier is better coming in from wide positions and Alfie just doesn’t score or goes past people.
Disappointed with Reece James tonight as he didn’t seem to want to take his man on and get crosses in from behind their defence.
We just lacked a bit of quality and quite frankly those who are saying Ennis isn’t good enough, well your joking aren’t you. No one is going to tell me John Marquis would have scored tonight.
If the striker doesn’t get the service he ain’t going to score. Simple as that.
Ennis is top quality and will score goals with the right service. He didn’t get it tonight.

It just was not meant to be and we fell for sucker punch at the end. It happens. We move on to the next game. Bring it on.
We will have learnt a lot from that match and it is no bad thing to be brought back down to Earth with a reality check.

[DonnyOsmond]

Is Halliday just a scape goat this season? How can people praise Ben Sheaf and slate Halliday. I don’t get what people are watching at all.

The people slagging off Sheaf are also slagging off Halliday. Both seem to be scapegoats.

[drfchound]

Only Sadlier had the brains to get on the ball in between the lines in the first half. The game was crying out for Coppinger but I’d have taken May off in the circumstances.

Frustrating. Lots of territory, moved them about a bit but something missing up too.

We almost asked for what happened in the end after so many wasteful passes.

Agree. Thought he should have kept Sadlier on and taken May off. ( even though he was an early sub himself ). Sadlier is better coming in from wide positions and Alfie just doesn’t score or goes past people.
Disappointed with Reece James tonight as he didn’t seem to want to take his man on and get crosses in from behind their defence.
We just lacked a bit of quality and quite frankly those who are saying Ennis isn’t good enough, well your joking aren’t you. No one is going to tell me John Marquis would have scored tonight.
If the striker doesn’t get the service he ain’t going to score. Simple as that.
Ennis is top quality and will score goals with the right service. He didn’t get it tonight.

It just was not meant to be and we fell for sucker punch at the end. It happens. We move on to the next game. Bring it on.
We will have learnt a lot from that match and it is no bad thing to be brought back down to Earth with a reality check.

Have to agree with that summary Campsall.
Pretty fair that.

[phil old leake]

I thought that tonight at times we over complicated things and lost the ball. It’s good to see them having the confidence to play tricky football but there is sometimes a time to do it simply
As I’ve mentioned in another thread and it’s mentioned on here.  We desperately need a striker

[Campsall rover]

Didn’t think the performance was that bad.

We should have exploited the left more as James and Taylor showed some great link up play in the first half but we seemed to keep going down the right hand side.

Both bens were good as you would expect.

Halliday is terrible, new right back needed ASAP.

Rubbish. Completely disagree. Seems as though some on here can’t live without a scapegoat.
He played very well. Final ball not great but he did more than James tonight in offensive play.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Halliday was OK. The back 7 was OK, we just lacked in the final third with players not quite on song and sometimes not taking responsibility. Sadlier, Taylor, May not having their best games.

I still thought we'd sneak a winner but alas we were not quite on it tonight. Shit happens, next!

[DonnyOsmond]

Didn’t think the performance was that bad.

We should have exploited the left more as James and Taylor showed some great link up play in the first half but we seemed to keep going down the right hand side.

Both bens were good as you would expect.

Halliday is terrible, new right back needed ASAP.

Rubbish. Completely disagree. Seems as though some on here can’t live without a scapegoat.
He played very well. Final ball not great but he did more than James tonight in offensive play.

Wonder if we can compile a list of scapegoats for every season.