Praise or grumble

[Sprotyrover]

An idiot rang in tonight and has already resigned himself to the fact that we are heading for relegation.

[Lincoln Rover]

What a plonker.

[murham]

Totally agree with him
We have learnt nothing
3 relegations coming up

[MrFrost]

We won't go down.

I can see why people are thinking that, however. We seem to have learned nothing from last season.

[RedJ]

I'd have money on it being murham. Or raggytash.

[RobTheRover]

Or DonnyGeoff

Collectively known as The Suicide Squad

[dickos1]

Totally agree with him
We have learnt nothing
3 relegations coming up

😂😂😂

[ian1980]

We all thought is wasn't possible last season and that we were too good to go down then....

I don't think we'll go down again but it is worrying that we are so pathetic at defending and don't appear to have improved in this area on last season.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Nothing is impossible in football, a bit early to judge on one game, with multiple injuries meaning no understanding. If we have kids in our side all season, we will go down.
But if we get half of those injured, back fit, we will be nowhere near the relegation zone, in my opinion, and football is all about opinions.

[PDX_Rover]

Panic time. There's only 125 points to play for.

[donnygeoff]

Ok no panic but as other posts have said we have not leant anything. The worrying thing is a Ferguson as we have s number of new players

[raggytash]

Nah not me my friends, but I would like to know why all summer Ferguson as gone on and on about l2 being a physical league with seasoned pros, so what does he do??? Signs a load of kids for our weekest department defence?? As for Mitchell Lund don't get me started.

[RedJ]

The only way Lund should and can ever play for Rovers is in a flat back four. And even then he's not too convincing.

[dickos1]

Who are the load of kid defenders we've signed??
More nonsense

And sammy, we will go down if we play the kids?? Which kids

[Dutch Uncle]

Panic time. There's only 125 points to play for.

Did we lose 13 points yesterday? There are by my reckoning still 135 to play for 

[Donnywolf]

Correct !

On Aug 9th Norwich City having gone up to the Championship lost AT HOME 7-1 to Colchester United and yet I am sure got promoted.

Yesterday the battered Blackburn away 4-1. Who would think they could be relegated after that result ?

Same for us - defending poor - sure but one game is just too soon a) to be booing your own Players and b) saying this will be 3 relegations in a row

[DonnyOsmond]

Let's see where we are after 10 games, without relegating us after 1.

[grayx]

The only way Lund should and can ever play for Rovers is in a flat back four. And even then he's not too convincing.

Totally agree. Lund should be our second choice RB and used as cover whilst he continues to learn his trade.

[Rich_The_Conisbrough_Rover]

We could go on to win the next 45 games, who knows? Football is a funny old game, we've got a new squad what needs to gel, stop been so fickle.

Yes, yesterday was a bit unexpected.

[bobbymax]

Half expected yesterday's result but the fact that we seem to have dominated is encouraging.

Let's see where we are when some of the senior players are fully fit again. If we're still giving away goals for fun then, that would be the time to panic.

[Chris Black come back]

Only a fool would condem us to failure this season on the basis of one game.

However, what is deeply troubling is that the consistent themes of failure in recent seasons have continued:

- Defensive weakness
- Team that is less than sum of parts
- Mental fragility

There has been scant evidence pre-season or yesterday to suggest these deep structural issues that were present under both Dickov and Ferguson have been remedied.

Let's also not forget folks, we are now playing in the lowest tier of professional football.

[dickos1]

Only a fool would condem us to failure this season on the basis of one game.

However, what is deeply troubling is that the consistent themes of failure in recent seasons have continued:

- Defensive weakness
- Team that is less than sum of parts
- Mental fragility

There has been scant evidence pre-season or yesterday to suggest these deep structural issues that were present under both Dickov and Ferguson have been remedied.

Let's also not forget folks, we are now playing in the lowest tier of professional football.

Our two new centre halves are out injured so it can't be said we haven't rectified our defensive frailties,
Judge that when they're fit

[Chris Black come back]

Perhaps. Although as others have also pointed out, losing seasoned defenders and replacing them with teenage midfielders on loan, is something of an innovative approach.

This all comes back to the mystifying obsession with playing 5/3 at the back. I just cannot see at any stage where this has delivered such success to us in night on a year in charge that he feels we must pretty much gamble everything on this continuing at all costs.

[dickos1]

People keep saying that but mason was easily our best defender,
I'm not sure it's an obsession, I would say we've played with 4 at the back more often than 5 under Ferguson

[i_ateallthepies]

Nothing is impossible in football, a bit early to judge on one game, with multiple injuries meaning no understanding. If we have kids in our side all season, we will go down.
But if we get half of those injured, back fit, we will be nowhere near the relegation zone, in my opinion, and football is all about opinions.

Sammy, multiple injuries meaning no understanding surely assumes that we only coach the starting eleven.  The problems on show yesterday were players not doing even the basics right.
And... if last season's defensive frailties were explained by lack of confidence in the keeper, then on yesterday's showing this season promises more of the same.

[The Red Baron]

People keep saying that but mason was easily our best defender,
I'm not sure it's an obsession, I would say we've played with 4 at the back more often than 5 under Ferguson

I can understand him experimenting with formations to an extent last season (although you could argue it was very costly) but by now he should have sorted out his best formation and stuck with it.

By "best formation" I don't mean based on some kind of pre-conceived idea but based on the resources he has available.

Personally I thought he should have ditched 3-5-2 after the game at Burton when Duffy tore our defence a new one and if he hadn't gone to 4-4-2 in the second half we'd have lost.

He also seems to have the same desire as his predecessor to hammer square pegs into round holes. Maybe it's a Scottish thing!

[dickos1]

Good sides should be able to change systems throughout the game, we used to do it a lot under sod.
Regardless of the system we played well yesterday

[BillyStubbsTears]

Young kid defenders that we've had on loan include Matt Mills and David Wheater.

Old head defenders that we've signed include Wayne Thomas, Denis D'Souza and Gary Mackenzie

Just saying, like.

[swintonrover]

Young kid defenders that we've had on loan include Harry Worley and Reece Brown.

Old head defenders that we've signed include Rob Jones.

Data can be manipulated whichever way you like it, you know that Billy.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Swinton

You're missing the point. CBCB was suggesting that BECAUSE we'd lost experienced players and replaced them with young ones, that was a bad policy. That isn't logical.