Praise or grumble

[MrFrost]

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.

This

[RedJ]

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.

Reece Brown was a midfielder when we had him.

[Chris Black come back]

No, that wasn't my point.

My point was that he has replaced seasoned defenders with midfielders, who are teenagers.

If we had taken teenage defenders on loan that wouldn't have been nearly as bad - and there have been good and bad examples of our doing that in past.

The fact we have taken teenage midfielders on loan is troubling - as it was last season when the answer to defensive injuries and failures was to bring in Gooch and Calder.

[PDX_Rover]

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 

Doh! Not as bad as I thought then Dutch...

[dickos1]

No, that wasn't my point.

My point was that he has replaced seasoned defenders with midfielders, who are teenagers.

If we had taken teenage defenders on loan that wouldn't have been nearly as bad - and there have been good and bad examples of our doing that in past.

The fact we have taken teenage midfielders on loan is troubling - as it was last season when the answer to defensive injuries and failures was to bring in Gooch and Calder.

The fact that he played very well seems to be irrelevant,

[BillyStubbsTears]

CBCB

Forgive me. I didn't see the word "midfielder" in your original post.

[BillyStubbsTears]

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.

This

Frosty. Aye. When someone has missed the point, I kind of expect you to pop up and agree with them.

[swintonrover]

Billy, my point was about isolated examples. You can look at all the defenders Rovers have ever signed. Some good, some shit, some other. You made it seem like we've only signed talented kids and shit older players.
I think, particularly in League 2, that you need a 9 foot tall psycho who'll stick his head where I wouldn't put my feet and to give people a bollocking and organise the defence. Most of the time that will be an older player.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Swinton

No, I wasn't saying that we only sign talented kids and shit older players.

I was saying that we sometimes sign talented kids and sometimes sign shit older players. 

[wilts rover]

All of which is irrelevant to yesterdays game - in which all of their goals are due to midfield players making mistakes. Calder looses the ball and makes a powder puff effort to get it back, then no-one else closes their guy down as he has all the time in the world to pick a pass for the first. Is that supposed to be an effort to close down the left back by Coppinger before he hits the second (compounded by the goalkeeping error). Blair is asleep as the goalscorer goes free behind him for the third.

[Chris Black come back]

CBCB

Forgive me. I didn't see the word "midfielder" in your original post.

No problem.

[BillyStubbsTears]

You're welcome.

Was it a typo you corrected in that post this afternoon? We all make 'em.

[Sammy Chung was King]

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

If we don't get more experienced players, and have to rely on a core of Etheridge 21/Houghton 20/Mason 19/Garrett 19/Lund 19/Calder 20/Mandeville 19/Beestin 18/Middleton 21, the yes we would go down.
They are good young players, but if we don't get at least half of those injured back for most of the season, we would struggle. He has a lot of very young players in the squad, good, for the future, but in this league you need to keep the experienced guys, fit to win leagues.

[dickos1]

We wouldn't go down,

[The Red Baron]

We wouldn't go down,

I realise I said that last season but I really can't see relegation being an issue. Though missing out on promotion might feel a bit like it.

[Chris Black come back]

You're welcome.

Was it a typo you corrected in that post this afternoon? We all make 'em.

From memory it was correcting "seasons defenders" to "seasoned defenders".

[Sammy Chung was King]

We wouldn't go down,

Opinions that differ. I'm hoping those injured, are fit soon anyway, we played well against accrington, we just left too many gaps, all over the field, and didn't score when on top.
Forest give the team a chance, to make up for that game, and show that when players are fit, they will have to battle to get back in. We need solid at the back and clinical up front, to beat forest, or anybody else.

[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.

Giving this a bump back up.

Again. Last minute defeat.

How often last season? Both games this season.

The 2012/13 promotion season we won games in the last minute (Swindon at home was it? Stevenage away? Brentford, final game). We have since become as fragile as cracked Ming vase. Blow on us and we shatter.

No real change despite new players and good periods of play. Concerning.