Stoke (the team not the venue) - 9 Jan 2016

[northern soul]

Just been reading about their team selection Vs Chelsea, and it mentions the only teams that Stoke have beat away from home in the last 2 years are:
Watford
Bournemouth
Hull
Sunderland
Stevenage
Southampton
Doncaster

So I went back to look at the team we played.

What a change from now

Doncaster
12 Stuckmann
38 Alcock
4 McCullough
6 Butler
20 Taylor-Sinclair Substituted for Main at 76'minutes
3 Evina
29 Middleton Substituted for Mackenzie at 89'minutes
18 Keegan Substituted for Chaplow at 77'minutes
22 Grant Booked at 84mins
14 Tyson Booked at 32mins
11 Williams

Substitutes
2 Lund
8 Chaplow
9 Main
17 Mackenzie
23 Marosi
32 Whitehouse
34 Davies

By my reckoning we only have
1 first teamer in Butler
1 sub in Alcock
3 injured in Williams, Marosi and McCullough
2 out on loan never to return Lund and Evina
11 that are no longer with the club.

That's a hell of a turnover of players in under 2 years.

[anne honemous]

Player for player compared to now, that team also looks stronger on paper as well.

It just shows what an absolute catastrophe it was that those players decided to stop functioning near anything that could be considered as a team after the Stoke game and nosedived towards relegation.

[BillyStubbsTears]

No way is that team stronger than today’s.

We’re better now in the following 7 positions at least.

1) Goalkeeper (Lawlor for Stuckmann)
2) Right back (Mason for Alcock)
3) Centre back (Butler for Butler)
4) Centre back (Baudry for McCullough)
5) Left midfield (Rowe for Evina)
6) Central midfield (Houghton for Middleton)
7) Centre forward (Marquis for Williams)

Plus Coppinger who has no obvious comparison in that side.

And I’d take our bench on Friday over that one, any day.

[Bessie Red]

Player for player compared to now, that team also looks stronger on paper as well.

It just shows what an absolute catastrophe it was that those players decided to stop functioning near anything that could be considered as a team after the Stoke game and nosedived towards relegation.

The team we have now would wipe the floor with that team. There is not one player I would swap from the current squad with that lot!!

[Move DRFC]

Just been reading about their team selection Vs Chelsea, and it mentions the only teams that Stoke have beat away from home in the last 2 years are:
Watford
Bournemouth
Hull
Sunderland
Stevenage
Southampton
Doncaster

So I went back to look at the team we played.

What a change from now

Doncaster
12 Stuckmann
38 Alcock
4 McCullough
6 Butler
20 Taylor-Sinclair Substituted for Main at 76'minutes
3 Evina
29 Middleton Substituted for Mackenzie at 89'minutes
18 Keegan Substituted for Chaplow at 77'minutes
22 Grant Booked at 84mins
14 Tyson Booked at 32mins
11 Williams

Substitutes
2 Lund
8 Chaplow
9 Main
17 Mackenzie
23 Marosi
32 Whitehouse
34 Davies

By my reckoning we only have
1 first teamer in Butler
1 sub in Alcock
3 injured in Williams, Marosi and McCullough
2 out on loan never to return Lund and Evina
11 that are no longer with the club.

That's a hell of a turnover of players in under 2 years.

God i hated that team. Honestly my least favourite season as a rovers fan, and what a dull squad list

[Copps is Magic]

Keegan had a blinder against Stoke.

[Chris Black come back]

Williams scored 13 goals in League One that season. We are at half way point of this season and Marquis has 6 goals in League One.

That team also held Premier League Stoke City with a 80pc first team squad to a 1-2 result (and indeed we could well have equalised).

ATS though 🤔

[IDM]

Player for player compared to now, that team also looks stronger on paper as well.

It just shows what an absolute catastrophe it was that those players decided to stop functioning near anything that could be considered as a team after the Stoke game and nosedived towards relegation.

Two points:

One, we played really well vs Stoke with that team and were well in the game.

Two, didn't we pick up FOUR injuries in the next home game vs Gillingham, even then coming from 0-2 down to draw 2-2.??

[RedJ]

A game we'd have won if Williams hadn't shit himself at the end.

[graingrover]

Middleton was MOM ( chosen by  match sponsors ). We were banking on signing Grant on a permanent at that time but he just seemed to fade away and seems still to be struggling to get games .

[anne honemous]

We can't blame injuries every time we go down.

In 11-12, there's some folk who still think we got relegated because Dunk did Sharp on the opening day of the season. Sharp missed no more than half a dozen league games. The reason we went down is because we were crap.

In 13-14, we had more injury problems defensively and people use this as an excuse, yet we actually came within two minutes or so of staying in the league. The reason we went down is because we capitulated in the last half a dozen games where we needed a point.

That season, 15-16, we picked up some unfortunate injuries here and there - McSheffrey being one but the damage had long since been done by that point - but other teams had injuries as well and most of them still managed to finish above us.

In 15-16, we didn't win in 16 consecutive games. Led in only three of those games, failed to score in eight, and looked a shadow of the team that had won eight of the previous 16 league games. Injuries played a part, as did confidence completely falling apart, but we also had a number of experienced players who quite obviously weren't up for a fight when the going got tough.

There were enough players in the squad throughout that season - Butler, Coppinger, MacKenzie, Stuckmann, Chaplow, Tyson, Williams, Keegan, Evina (still relatively experienced for a younger lad) who should have had enough, collectively, about them to take hold of things and get us functioning.

It was an unmitigated disaster, which DF was very fortunate to keep his job after.

[Campsall rover]

I am still to this day trying to figure out how that team of 2015/16 capitulated so badly. 

[NickDRFC]

Player for player compared to now, that team also looks stronger on paper as well.

It just shows what an absolute catastrophe it was that those players decided to stop functioning near anything that could be considered as a team after the Stoke game and nosedived towards relegation.

Hahaha I'd be surprised if you could find one person on this forum to agree with that. No comparison in my eyes, not even close.

[anne honemous]

There's some good individual players in that team who'd be in/around our first team now.

Keegan, for example, despite not being a fantastic footballer is the type of player we've been crying out for, for a lot of the season.

[NickDRFC]

There's some good individual players in that team who'd be in/around our first team now.

Keegan, for example, despite not being a fantastic footballer is the type of player we've been crying out for, for a lot of the season.

Agree with that but man for man there’s no contest as BST has pointed out above. I think he was generous not mentioning ATS as well, I’d definitely rather have Garrett than him. Tyson, Keegan and Grant as he was playing then are the only 3 who would have a chance of playing in the squad right now.

[drfchound]

Just been reading about their team selection Vs Chelsea, and it mentions the only teams that Stoke have beat away from home in the last 2 years are:
Watford
Bournemouth
Hull
Sunderland
Stevenage
Southampton
Doncaster

So I went back to look at the team we played.

What a change from now

Doncaster
12 Stuckmann
38 Alcock
4 McCullough
6 Butler
20 Taylor-Sinclair Substituted for Main at 76'minutes
3 Evina
29 Middleton Substituted for Mackenzie at 89'minutes
18 Keegan Substituted for Chaplow at 77'minutes
22 Grant Booked at 84mins
14 Tyson Booked at 32mins
11 Williams

Substitutes
2 Lund
8 Chaplow
9 Main
17 Mackenzie
23 Marosi
32 Whitehouse
34 Davies

By my reckoning we only have
1 first teamer in Butler
1 sub in Alcock
3 injured in Williams, Marosi and McCullough
2 out on loan never to return Lund and Evina
11 that are no longer with the club.

That's a hell of a turnover of players in under 2 years.

Marosi shouldn’t be on your list of injured players, he is a regular sub isn’t he.

[RedJ]

He was on the bench for both games over the last week, I'm fairly sure.

[anne honemous]

Grant would fit in well with the side this season. Young, inexperienced and leaves everyone not knowing from one week to the next whether he'll be great in a game or absolutely shocking.

McCullough, if fully fit - or if ever fit again, I also reckon would give Baudry a right challenge of maintaining a regular place in the team.

[RedJ]

The Grant of that season would get in the team yes. The Grant of last season was beyond woeful. Genuinely can't remember him having one good game, bar the odd assist.

[roversdude]

Grant would fit in well with the side this season. Young, inexperienced and leaves everyone not knowing from one week to the next whether he'll be great in a game or absolutely shocking.

McCullough, if fully fit - or if ever fit again, I also reckon would give Baudry a right challenge of maintaining a regular place in the team.

You’re entitled to your opinion but can’t agree with either of those Grant somewhere was transplanted with someone who looked like him
Baudry is in every sense a better player than LM who is at the best a squad player

[drfchound]

Luke is a full international and is still a very young man.
When fit I would expect him to be pushing hard for a place in the team.

[glosterred]

Where was Copps that day?


COYR

[RedJ]

Luke is a full international and is still a very young man.
When fit I would expect him to be pushing hard for a place in the team.

Assuming he ever manages to get (and stay) fully fit again.

[roversdude]

Luke is a full international and is still a very young man.
When fit I would expect him to be pushing hard for a place in the team.

Said before I hope he comes good but even allowing for injuries he has not made the progress expected, certainly wouldn’t put him in team in front of anyone who has a shirt already

[The Red Baron]

Where was Copps that day?


COYR

I think he was ill.

[Filo]

Luke's injury problems are the reason we ended up with Houghton