Let's talk about the Sunderland game

[selby]

  Sunderland look now to be on a mission, and at last are showing something like the form most expect of a team of their standing. I always say we are great at getting struggling teams back on the straight and narrow, and it certainly looks like we did the trick with losing at the Keepmoat to them over the holiday period.
  And who would bet that by Friday they have signed another four centre forwards, while we have had twenty or more supporters commit suicide because of our lack of signings before the game.
  But that is how it is at the moment, we might have a signing by Friday, we might not, whatever we do this game is not going to be easy and we will just have to get on with it.
  What changes can we make, well on the face of it probably none or at least very few. Ennis had his first poor game for us, hardly a reason
to drop him after one game, will Sadlier be fit probably, Coppinger to start or Gomes probably the most likely change to start the game.
  Like Coventry yesterday they employed the high press well against us at the Keepmoat with yesterdays scorer and our old loan player Lynden Gooch scoring the winner.
 Ozturk will do his usual man handling, and might even catch the ball this time, as he seems to be able to do anything up to manslaughter before getting a red card against us, but with players like Lafferty, Lynch, Power, and McGuire plus  others they should be a top side at this level.
  Can we get our first ever league fixture win this Friday?
  Will we have the option of a new signing or even signings by Friday?
  How will you be viewing? TV or at the game?
  If you go to the pub before the game, will you understand the local chatter?
  Lots to discuss about this game, lot's to look forward to at a great ground, against a good team, please have your say.

[tyke1962]

Well I sincerely hope you put in a better performance up there than you did last season .

With Sunderland breathing down our necks at the time I wasn't amused given you'd given us two significantly hard games last season .

[RobTheRover]

We tried to hit diagonal balls over the top of two of the biggest full backs in the league. Never changed the tactic once. Got what we deserved.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

We tried to hit diagonal balls over the top of two of the biggest full backs in the league. Never changed the tactic once. Got what we deserved.

Aye Sunderland away really was a shocker. For all the good we had last year we were rubbish in a fair few games.

I'm going to this one, tough game and they did a job on us at home this year.  Even their 3rd 4th choice striker would start for us, that's our problem.

[RoversAlias]

This will be my first away game of the season (since Tranmere was called off), so I hope we play better than in the last two meetings with Sunderland. I hope we have a couple of new faces in too but most of all I just hope our confidence isn't knocked by yesterday's result. Will be a fascinating encounter.

[selby]

I didn't think that Sunderland could resist  it until next week, not exactly a centre forward , but a decent experienced defender Bailey Wright, signed on loan from Bristol City.
  I wonder if he had to go through a training session showing how good he was at using his arms man handling players, and catching the ball above his head accidentally before they signed him.

[Monkcaster_Rover]

First league game of the season. Got a good feeling about it.

[i_ateallthepies]

Yes, somebody was on here on Saturday with a good feeling about the Coventry game.

[godlike1]

Well I sincerely hope you put in a better performance up there than you did last season .

With Sunderland breathing down our necks at the time I wasn't amused given you'd given us two significantly hard games last season .

I think this game will be won on tactics surprisingly. I agree that we just have not turned up once when playing Sunderland. I'm hoping that DM gets the tactics spot on like he did for Peterborough and Bristol. On paper it's a home banker for Sunderland but we owe them one and need to prove we're not a push over. Fingers crossed for a shock result I think

[NickDRFC]

Yes, somebody was on here on Saturday with a good feeling about the Coventry game.

Yep, that was me. And I imagine that Monkcaster’s feeling will have about as much of an impact on the game as mine did.

[drfchound]

Yes, somebody was on here on Saturday with a good feeling about the Coventry game.

Yep, that was me. And I imagine that Monkcaster’s feeling will have about as much of an impact on the game as mine did.

I just said it would be a one nil game.

[5 on Tour]

Well I sincerely hope you put in a better performance up there than you did last season .

With Sunderland breathing down our necks at the time I wasn't amused given you'd given us two significantly hard games last season .

Tyke it would take an insane amount of effort to put in a worse performance than last season. We had some bad results last season but that was easily our poorest performance. Game plan fell apart and we got bullied.

To get anything out of Friday we have to combat the bullying and physicality that Sunderland have in midfield. If we stand up to them we have a chance. If we don’t then we lose to them again I’m afraid.

Our defence should, on its day, deal with what they have up front. Like wise so should they. A battle of centre midfield for me.

[roversdude]

Well the ref likes dishing the cards https://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/news/2020/january/officials-confirmed-for-sunderland/

To be fair I thought he was excellent at St Andrews earlier in the season before being replaced by a complete numpty at half time

[drfchound]

I hope the ref is strong enough to pick up on Mr Ozturk and his grappling method of defending.
He got away with it last season and again in the recent game at the KM.

[roversdude]

Oh b*gger just realised he was ref against Fleetwood and what he allowed them to get away with

[Donnywolf]

Yes its him https://www.drfc-vsc.co.uk/index.php?topic=273583.msg891568#msg891568

Tyke was not happy at our capitulation at SOL but decisions went against us as nobody seems to have mentioned yet. Dont forget Marquis was brought down on the edge of their area and Woolmer waved play on and 15 seconds later we were one down for a start

Heres a part of what DRFCHound posted of the Ref (Woolmer) after that game

.......and on that last point, despite people saying the refs are not at fault for a poor team display, they do have a big impact on the outcome of games.
Had he given that free kick early on, Sunderland wouldn’t have gone up and scored as they did.
So the game starts differently.

Also If he had given the pen on Butler and we had scored to make it 2-1 with 20 minutes to play then we may have gone on to get a point.

Conjecture?
Obviously yes but poor officials do influence the way games turn out.

[Donnywolf]

... and I put this (even mentioned Tyke by coincidence)



... and not just for the two Teams involved either. SAFC justifiably won yesterday as we were poor but as you say give the Marquis foul and it would have altered the game even if we shot over the Bar

Give the Butler Pen and if we score who knows 2 - 1 with 20 to go. Squeaky bum time for them and maybe an unlikely draw but it happens

So all other Teams are affected too - Barnsley and Pompey especially. SAFC now right on BFC tail thanks to those extra 2 points. Wonder what Tyke reckons. We still go on about the Dunk tackle and the Charlton abandonment and how our Season(s) were subsequently affected. So that could be what others will think - even though they are not playing their own "fate" is still altered. I realise this happens each week at every kind of ground but it needs sorting

Yesterday 2 keepers caught Balls in similar situations outside the area - one got a straight Red the other (Owl) got a yellow - NO CONSISTENCY.

The only time you see some kind of consistency is when Player takes shirt off and 99.9 % of them are awarded a Yellow Card - all other offences vary Ref to Ref and often vary within a Game by the Ref on duty

It stinks and should be fixed

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Ozturk should have been sent off last season at SOL as well as this at the KM. He must be invisible to refs as they were on only ones in the stadium not to see his assault on Butler in the area and the catch at the KM.

If Sunderland are on their game as they were at the KM then they will be difficult to contain. We cannot switch off like we did when Gooch was left unmarked and, when we backed off the scorer v Coventry.  Other than that, our defending has been excellent overall.

The passing has to be slick and we have to get some shots off. He who hesitates...
.

[IDM]

As much as I was baying for it at the time from the south stand, that hand ball sadly wasn’t a red card offence..

Unless you can argue two yellows for a double handball.!!

[scawsby steve]

Well I sincerely hope you put in a better performance up there than you did last season .

With Sunderland breathing down our necks at the time I wasn't amused given you'd given us two significantly hard games last season .

Tyke it would take an insane amount of effort to put in a worse performance than last season. We had some bad results last season but that was easily our poorest performance. Game plan fell apart and we got bullied.

To get anything out of Friday we have to combat the bullying and physicality that Sunderland have in midfield. If we stand up to them we have a chance. If we don’t then we lose to them again I’m afraid.

Our defence should, on its day, deal with what they have up front. Like wise so should they. A battle of centre midfield for me.

I agree with all of that, apart from the poorest performance of the season bit. That surely had to be at Luton, when we were dicked 0-4, and it should have been 0-10. That was just utter and total embarrassment.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

We rarely seem to get the rub of the green from refs on the big stages and even when we have got good results, it's not often been due to a generous ref, having to do it the hard way. Even in the play off semi v Charlton the ref had a reasonable game until fate decided that he was under instructions to have the pennos taken at the Charlton end!

If we win on Friday, you can bet we'll have deserved every bit of it.

[Donnywolf]

Ozturk should have been sent off last season at SOL He must be invisible to refs as they were on only ones in the stadium not to see his assault on Butler in the area and the catch at the KM.

True - he "rode" Andy Butler for 4 to 5 yards in what was a clear cut Penalty. The b****r gets away with murder

Your last post is also correct - reminds me of Boxing Matches where you have to knock out your opponent on their own patch / in their own Country because you will never win otherwise.

[acacia94]

Hi SS – got to disagree on the most abject away performance. We were bad at Luton but they were doing well and at the top end of the table, so that 4-0 hurt but wasnt completely unfathomable. The worst was the Wimbledon away game who were at the bottom of league 1 and at the time heading for League 2. That was a truly miserable day. Absolute dog of a game.

[Metalmicky]

As expected, DM seems up for it........

https://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/news/2020/january/moore-believes-his-side-will-rise-to-the-occasion-on-friday/

I think we have a decent record in evening games - maybe the atmosphere will help and you never know.  I think most of us thought that we would get stuffed in the semi-final second leg at Charlton last year and we totally bossed the game...

Come on you hoops....

[Monkcaster_Rover]

Pretty poor record on the idiot box in the North East.

Hartlepool & Middlesborough. Nightmare-ish.

More than ready to scran my words after tomorrow night!

[scawsby steve]

Pretty poor record on the idiot box in the North East.

Hartlepool & Middlesborough. Nightmare-ish.

More than ready to scran my words after tomorrow night!

Totally agree mate. Last 3 televised live games in the North East, Middlesborough 0-4; Hartlepool 1-2; Sunderland 0-2.

It wasn't just the results, the performances were garbage as well. Let's hope it changes tomorrow.

[Monkcaster_Rover]

Pretty poor record on the idiot box in the North East.

Hartlepool & Middlesborough. Nightmare-ish.

More than ready to scran my words after tomorrow night!

Totally agree mate. Last 3 televised live games in the North East, Middlesborough 0-4; Hartlepool 1-2; Sunderland 0-2.

It wasn't just the results, the performances were garbage as well. Let's hope it changes tomorrow.

Christ. Somehow managed to forget about our shit show on the TV here last season.

I'm all for us ending this hoodoo tomorrow.

My last away game was Charlton in the play offs and I went with the same sort of feeling. We won on the night so I'd take that in a heartbeat!

Safe journey up, everyone.

[Campsall rover]

Pretty poor record on the idiot box in the North East.

Hartlepool & Middlesborough. Nightmare-ish.

More than ready to scran my words after tomorrow night!

Totally agree mate. Last 3 televised live games in the North East, Middlesborough 0-4; Hartlepool 1-2; Sunderland 0-2.

It wasn't just the results, the performances were garbage as well. Let's hope it changes tomorrow.

Those results are the past.
Let’s have some positivity or there is no point in turning up.
It’s 11 v11
If we play as we are capable then we can get a result. A strong ref will be a big help.

[Pancho Regan]

They quickly sussed our 'play it out from the back' routine at the KM. They pressed hard and chased us down as soon as Dieng played it to a defender, forcing us into errors.

They will be waiting to see if we persist with that again tonight and will look to exploit it.
Their fans are behind the team again now so it will be a tough atmosphere for us.

I'm getting ready for my nerves to be jangling but you never know.
I just hope we do ourselves justice because we certainly haven't done against Sunderland last season or this.

Come on lads, let's give the Mackems a shock.
 

[Colin C No.3]

Kieran Sadler out due to concussion.