Cardiff City vs Doncaster Rovers

[Norfolk N Chance]

The best back four is JOC / Martis / Thomas / Chambers ....

[MrFrost]

ruby12345 wrote:

mr frost i dont want to get into an arguing match with you but against bristol city i remember the team as a whole not at thier best.i also dont remember much wrong with the defending that day either.bristol had only a limited number of chances.

Apart from the goal when the marking was non existant!

Martis was really good when he was on loan with us, and I think its more of a confidence thing with him.

Lockwood is decent back up.

Hird as above

Thomas - not seen enough to comment, although reports today suggest he was poor.

Friend - seems to have been a weak link so far. I'm sure SOD will work his magic though. I'd prefer Chambers in however.

I think a Mills/Shackell type centre back will sure up the defence, and make it more organised as a whole.

Lets face it though, if we were brilliant in every department we would be topping the league.

[ruby12345]

im sure the return of chambers and jimmy moving to cb will see us fine.also in any team the midfield and to a certain extent the 2 wide strikers we use in 4-3-3 have a big responsibility to protect the back 4 when we havent got the ball.

[Norfolk N Chance]

I want Oster back after all midfield can help the defence !!

He is back in training get him in the Hull game.

[ruby12345]

the goal against bristol was from a set piece.we had all outfield players bar billy back defending it.so not completley a reflection solely on the back 4 players.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

No one. Not Mr Frost, or me have been ripping in to the team. If you can'r debate the strengths and weaknesses what's the point in having a forum where you can discuss these issues.

Everyone has their opinion and it's good to air them.

Even you Norfolk, Martis and Thomas at the back ? Mmmmm, I've thought about that for 2 mins and I've decided I'm right. Martis and Thomas are unlikely to be the best combination.  

Rare as rocking horse muck do you have big centre forwards anymore. Certainly you need to combat any aeriel threat but pace  passing and crosses are the killers. That's why you need a footballing centre half to compliment the big guy.

As most have indicated, JOC returning to CB would help.

[Woodhead Passer]

The best back four is JOC / Martis / Thomas / Chambers ....

Disagree with that IMO

JOC Locky Thomas Chambo

Locky has been decent this season, not sure about today as ive not been to the game. but i'd easily have him ahead of Martis

[RoversAlias]

adam3rovers wrote:

The best back four is JOC / Martis / Thomas / Chambers ....

Disagree with that IMO

JOC Locky Thomas Chambo

Locky has been decent this season, not sure about today as ive not been to the game. but i'd easily have him ahead of Martis

Based on today's performance, I'd never play Locky and Thomas together again. Doesn't matter if you play Cardiff or Carmarthen, they're defending today was utterly appalling. Martis' is better than the pair of them on his day, he just isn't on form at the minute.

Norfolk, ruby, what do you expect from the fans when we perform like we did today and get a 4-0 hiding? Nobody has come out and claimed it's the end of the world or that we're going down, or that the manager and players need sacking etc. All people have done is point out quite rightly where we are going wrong, and discuss areas where we are weak.

I'd much rather read a thread discussing these things than seeing a line of posts that just say 'oh well, in SOD we trust. All the players are wonderful. RTID.'

[NorthNorfolkRover]

Am I the only person who didn't think we played that bad ?

[VivaRovers]

Match report from this game now up here on Viva Rovers. I'll let that put my opinon across.

[NigelJ]

Excellent report Glen.
As you stated, the first half was even, with chances to both sides, which resulted in both keepers being called upon. Bothroyd's first goal was certainly fortunate, with the ball falling very kindly for him. The second goal was poor defending, as the cross was put in far too easily, and Bothroyd was able to pick his spot unopposed. Lockwood will have been disappointed with the third. As you stated, he was almost static, as the ball soared over him to set Burke clear. The fourth, I actually missed, as I looked away at the wrong moment, only to hear the roar when the ball hit the net.
In summary, we matched a very good Cardiff side for most of the first half, and up until the first goal, actually looked marginally more likely to score. The second goal was the killer though, as it not only gave Cardiff a two-goal lead, but also the confidence to run at our defence more often. So, a 4-0 defeat, but I am not too despondant, as Cardiff will certainly be a top six team come May. They are as strong in attack most premiership teams, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them score 80+ goals this season.