Let's talk about the Stockport County game

[CJK]

That was a clear red card, no excuses and the ref bottled it. That changes the game and we draw or even win the game if the ref makes the right call.

[In the box]

Very poor quality from us tonight, many off colour and some missing completely (yes i'm looking at you Gibson) We made a very average side look good when all they had to do was bully us off the ball and wait for us to make the mistakes which they capitalised on.

Olowu had that absolute shocker foul on Bailey that was reckless, high and out of control, how the ref managed to find it a yellow we will never know but im thinking incompetence has a large part to play, Sharp and Mols got no protection from him and they both managed to get booked with their inevitable retaliation, for experienced payers this is poor.

We looked slow, weak and very timid throughout,  game to forget, roll on Jan because we need reinforcements to stay in this league on our current trajectory.

I can’t understand why we keep selecting so obviously, most teams we play could select our starting 11. Is it because we haven’t got sufficient cover or players who can step up to claim a place . We were our ran , out played and out classed . I dint think we had a shot on goal … wtf !!

[roversdude]

We were beaten by a better team tonight thought they did what they needed to do. Ref was abysmal all game never let it flow at all (for both sides) honestly thought Olowu should have had a red.
Does that booking mean a ban for Broadbent ?

[Chris Black come back]

One match ban for Broadbent - on Saturday.

[Albert Trousers]

We need to better at defending or we are in trouble, yes we need bodies up front but our giant cenrte backs are far too easily beaten & it will end up costing us.

[In the box]

We need to better at defending or we are in trouble, yes we need bodies up front but our giant cenrte backs are far too easily beaten & it will end up costing us.

We need A STRIKER!!!!!!!!
We’ve defenders who are getting swamped because teams know we can’t convert our chances . Billy is half a yard off the pace and has no one around him to play too or off .

[i_ateallthepies]

McGrath needs to stop giving the ball away all the time with his Hollywood passes.  Drives me bonkers.

[Chris Black come back]

I assume he has been told to hit the early diagonal long balls to our wide players, which is essential to the McCann tactical plan. He seems to struggle to execute this though. Not easy mind.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

It shouldn't be the centre half's responsibility to be making probing passes to try and get things moving while our midfield absolve themselves of that responsibility too often.

We allow the opposition to get too comfortable, we voluntarily concede territory so all they have to do is wait for us to make mistakes, particularly in that critical period after half time.

Both teams play were littered with mistakes in the first half, possibly aided by the conditions but come the second half we have to make a better effort of gaining the initiative. Even when presented with free kicks, we refuse to play the ball into attacking areas and press them into making mistakes. We keep playing the ball sideways or backwards. To add to that, our corners last night were particularly woeful.

It's too easy to look at recruitment and say we need this or that  but that's not addressing the mindset and motivation of players to produce the level of performance they're capable of.

What's really frustrating is we seemed to have dug ourselves out of hole with recent performances, but in one stroke we're back to square one.

McCann called it as it was but he's allowed it to happen and doesn't seem to be able to address the blindingly obvious during games or get the right messages across at half time.

[ncRover]

McCann again saying the players just need to believe.

How many of our players would have got in to the Stockport starting XI last night?

[steve@dcfd]

McCann again saying the players just need to believe.

How many of our players would have got in to the Stockport starting XI last night?

Bailey that's it
I sorry to say Grant believes more into these players than he should but he plays the same system every game. Stop our wide players and we stop the attacking threat.
McGrath was responsible for both goals the first he kicks the ball against one of our players that drops to the midfield player. The second his pass is intercepted in midfield and they score the second.
Grant also made the mistake of starting Crew and Sharp instead of Clifton and Hanlan. It might have been different but marginal. We are what we are a mid to bottom league one side who might just avoid relegation.

[pib]

McCann again saying the players just need to believe.

How many of our players would have got in to the Stockport starting XI last night?

How many of ours are being paid comparably to what Stockport are paying their players?

They are very well funded and have a mix of established/experienced players, and players that are at their peak and very much belong at the top end of this division.

Unfortunately we're not in the market for players like Diamond, Lowe, Mothersile, Wootton, Moxon, Osborn, Hills etc etc. I could go on.

Comparing ourselves to them is pointless because they are miles ahead of where we are as a club at the moment in terms of the kinds of players they can attract, but I thought we matched them for 60+ mins last night and for the most part they looked very ordinary. The difference was they had the quality to make the breakthrough when it mattered and had another gear to go to. Osborn who scored the first goal has played his entire career in the Championship and Premier League before this season.

[drfchound]

Last season, the long diagonal ball by a CB to the opposite side winger was a feature of our attacking play and eventual title win.

[Alan Southstand]

Pib:

They are very well funded and have a mix of established/experienced players, and players that are at their peak and very much belong at the top end of this division.


Then why kid ourselves into thinking we’re top end L1? It’s becoming increasingly clear that we’re simply not at this level, certainly nowhere near top half for sure. There’s more to it than ‘belief’ - what about physicality, technical ability, skill and pace?

January presents our last chance to correct some of the imbalances. Get recruitment wrong again and we’re looking like trap door material.

[pib]

Pib:

They are very well funded and have a mix of established/experienced players, and players that are at their peak and very much belong at the top end of this division.


Then why kid ourselves into thinking we’re top end L1? It’s becoming increasingly clear that we’re simply not at this level, certainly nowhere near top half for sure. There’s more to it than ‘belief’ - what about physicality, technical ability, skill and pace?

January presents our last chance to correct some of the imbalances. Get recruitment wrong again and we’re looking like trap door material.

I've never thought we are top end L1 this season. GM might have said that in the media but how much of that is bravado? Doesn't send a great message out to the players/supporters if he says we're aiming to finish one place above the bottom 4.

[Alan Southstand]

Never suggested you did say that - I was referring to what GM has preached to the squad. He obviously believes the squad is good enough, but the evidence is now telling all of us (and, secretly, GM as well) that we’re well short. Mistakes have been made with recruitment and that needs correcting in January. To start with Billy as the main man up top was ludicrous, for example.

We wait with baited breath!

[i_ateallthepies]

Last season, the long diagonal ball by a CB to the opposite side winger was a feature of our attacking play and eventual title win.

That long diagonal ball to the opposite side winger only hit its target once last night, every other time it simply handed possession back to the opposition... and that is not counting the short passes that did the same.

[GazLaz]

Never suggested you did say that - I was referring to what GM has preached to the squad. He obviously believes the squad is good enough, but the evidence is now telling all of us (and, secretly, GM as well) that we’re well short. Mistakes have been made with recruitment and that needs correcting in January. To start with Billy as the main man up top was ludicrous, for example.

We wait with baited breath!

Grant has been telling us that Billy’s form has been great.

[mushRTID]

Seeing a lot of comments Stockport weren’t that great.
I thought they were good, strong, organised and very direct which caused a couple of our yellows.

I thought we had to work REALLY hard first half just to compete with them.

Then they wore us down. Some of our lads looks shattered.

I’d be very surprised if they are not top 3 or 4.

[grayx]

Seeing a lot of comments Stockport weren’t that great.
I thought they were good, strong, organised and very direct which caused a couple of our yellows.

I thought we had to work REALLY hard first half just to compete with them.

Then they wore us down. Some of our lads looks shattered.

I’d be very surprised if they are not top 3 or 4.

I agree. Not sure ive seen a better side in this league so far.
The conditions were awful with the ridiculous strong wind which they seemed to deal with better than us.
Like others have said, the team selection was baffling. It wasn’t the right game to start with Crew instead of Clifton, and Sharp showed nothing apart from signs of frustration. Whats happened to Middleton? . When Gibsons having an “off day” he’s the obvious replacement.

[Barmby Rover]

It took Stockport 81 minutes before they got a shot on target, Rovers never got one at all. It was an awful football match to watch, I am not at all sure whether Bailey was lucky to stay on the field with that foul late on, it didn't look good from where I was sitting, a foul born out of real frustration with his own side as much as with Stockport.
Without a shake up in January and at least a coupe of additions in vital places There is going to be a horrendous struggle to stay up this season.

[drfchound]

It took Stockport 81 minutes before they got a shot on target, Rovers never got one at all. It was an awful football match to watch, I am not at all sure whether Bailey was lucky to stay on the field with that foul late on, it didn't look good from where I was sitting, a foul born out of real frustration with his own side as much as with Stockport.
Without a shake up in January and at least a coupe of additions in vital places There is going to be a horrendous struggle to stay up this season.

Let’s be fair about this, yes Stockport were one of our better opponents this season but had the ref done his job properly and dismissed Olowu in the tenth minute we could have been playing eighty minutes or more against ten men and the outcome would probably been very different.

[Alan Southstand]

That’s stretching it a bit hound. We didn’t look like scoring all night and, with ten men, it would have been a case of them closing ranks and a complete bore fest (which it was anyway).

Their keeper didn’t have to make a save until the 71st minute! And that was it.

[Prez]

It took Stockport 81 minutes before they got a shot on target, Rovers never got one at all. It was an awful football match to watch, I am not at all sure whether Bailey was lucky to stay on the field with that foul late on, it didn't look good from where I was sitting, a foul born out of real frustration with his own side as much as with Stockport.
Without a shake up in January and at least a coupe of additions in vital places There is going to be a horrendous struggle to stay up this season.

81 minutes before Stockport got a shot on target??

[drfchound]

That’s stretching it a bit hound. We didn’t look like scoring all night and, with ten men, it would have been a case of them closing ranks and a complete bore fest (which it was anyway).

Their keeper didn’t have to make a save until the 71st minute! And that was it.

Perhaps it could have meant them closing ranks Alan but I feel sure it would have given us a better chance of winning the game.
It’s all about opinions though mate.

[selby]

  Hound, we won the championship last season in the last few months of the season, and Anderson's distribution and defensive ability in our long run to the end of the season with Bailey alongside him was a marked step up defensively and possession wise from what happened before they were thrust together.   Before that we were slipping back and in danger of missing out on even the play offs and were shipping goals.
 The odd Hollywood ball across the width of a pitch is always a 50 50 ball and if intercepted can be a nightmare gift and chancy.

[drfchound]

I know that it is a risky ball but the players we had in those advanced positions made it an effective attacking weapon.

[Spud]

It took Stockport 81 minutes before they got a shot on target, Rovers never got one at all. It was an awful football match to watch, I am not at all sure whether Bailey was lucky to stay on the field with that foul late on, it didn't look good from where I was sitting, a foul born out of real frustration with his own side as much as with Stockport.
Without a shake up in January and at least a coupe of additions in vital places There is going to be a horrendous struggle to stay up this season.

81 minutes before Stockport got a shot on target??

Surely that's a typo lol, 61 minutes?

[Prez]

It took Stockport 81 minutes before they got a shot on target, Rovers never got one at all. It was an awful football match to watch, I am not at all sure whether Bailey was lucky to stay on the field with that foul late on, it didn't look good from where I was sitting, a foul born out of real frustration with his own side as much as with Stockport.
Without a shake up in January and at least a coupe of additions in vital places There is going to be a horrendous struggle to stay up this season.

81 minutes before Stockport got a shot on target??

Surely that's a typo lol, 61 minutes?

they had a at least one shot on target in first half and also they missed a great chance just after half time.