Lincoln fans

[Getridorit]

Reading their comments on social media, and their forum.
I've never seen a group of fans spit the dummy out and throw their toys out of the pram as much.

Not even the Brentford fans were this bad after THAT match, or even the Leeds fans after we schooled them at Wembley.

Quite something to read

[idler]

The difference is though we weren’t under the cosh for most of those games like we were yesterday.
It is what football is all about and has happened to us many times in the past. They just have to go again in their next game. It won’t have done their confidence or morale much good though which helps us.

[steve@dcfd]

They play Hull on Tuesday in EFL Trophy at Hull so they will have to see if they can perform like that again. Both teams will want to get through to the semi final.
Their performance was good yesterday I would say the one best against us this season. I would say their pitch was awful as well. I believe it affected our passing game but their closing down put pressure on us which in some cases we failed to deal with. So their supporters can feel aggrieved but you have to score.
There was a gap between their defence and midfield in the middle of the pitch which Richards and Madger exploited at times with better passing judgement we  could have put more chances on goal.

[Filo]

They play Hull on Tuesday in EFL Trophy at Hull so they will have to see if they can perform like that again. Both teams will want to get through to the semi final.
Their performance was good yesterday I would say the one best against us this season. I would say their pitch was awful as well. I believe it affected our passing game but their closing down put pressure on us which in some cases we failed to deal with. So their supporters can feel aggrieved but you have to score.
There was a gap between their defence and midfield in the middle of the pitch which Richards and Madger exploited at times with better passing judgement we  could have put more chances on goal.

Appletons interview is on youtube, he says thats the best they have played since he’s been there

[Big Fey]

They play Hull on Tuesday in EFL Trophy at Hull so they will have to see if they can perform like that again. Both teams will want to get through to the semi final.
Their performance was good yesterday I would say the one best against us this season. I would say their pitch was awful as well. I believe it affected our passing game but their closing down put pressure on us which in some cases we failed to deal with. So their supporters can feel aggrieved but you have to score.
There was a gap between their defence and midfield in the middle of the pitch which Richards and Madger exploited at times with better passing judgement we  could have put more chances on goal.

Appletons interview is on youtube, he says thats the best they have played since he’s been there

it was their cup final..

[roversdude]

I’ve little sympathy especially after the way their fans were deluded last season at the KMS thinking they were going to roll over us

[Chris Black come back]

They had four shots on target the entire match. We had two. That was not a dominant performance by Lincoln. You can have 70pc possession but you did nothing with it and were prevented from doing anything with it. Sup it up losers.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Lincoln were excellent yesterday. But as I've said in another thread, performances mean nowt in games like that. It's all about the result.

[Dr Fundlekrotch]

As SOD once said, it’s about possession efficiency, not just possession

[Michael Shaw]

How can any manager who loses a game say that they made the opposition look ordinary?

If the winning team were “ordinary” and he is stupid enough to say about his own team “It was arguably the best performance since I’ve been here”, then how good is his own team.

Lincoln are a joke.

[Padge_DRFC]

For years the same has been done to us. Nice to win a game where we offered nothing going forward and won through an excellent all round tactical defensive display

[donnievic]

Yes on another day it could of been differant if they had put their pens away and their crosses had been a lot better then no doubt we would of all been moaning how poor we played.we have done it may times before been the one not to be able to break teams down the come and just defend,I know we didn’t just defend but at times we do like to sit back and hit teams on the break which we did.

[rover-n-out]

The fact of the matter is, we scored, they didn't.
Did they think we were just going to roll over and let them waltz through our defence and score at will? We put up the barriers and defended magnificently and not "desperately" as the home commentator said on several occasions. We even gave them 2 chances to win the game from the penalty spot ( I thought for the first one Grant conned the ref and got his peno) but to no avail, as Ellery was superb in saving both of them.
So there you have it you sour faced Imps, look at your own team and ask them why they could't win the game given the chances they had.
The answer is, they came across a team who did a number on them, and were not going to give up what they'd taken lightly. Well done the Rovers I say!

[Donnybob]

I'll would say we gave them two chances to draw level, not win. Once they had missed the first they still needed two goals. Let's not get carried away.

[Getridorit]

Yes on another day it could of been differant if they had put their pens away and their crosses had been a lot better then no doubt we would of all been moaning how poor we played.we have done it may times before been the one not to be able to break teams down the come and just defend,I know we didn’t just defend but at times we do like to sit back and hit teams on the break which we did.

But on another day they would have got no penalties, and still created few clear cut chances.

For me, I'll remember this match for how immense the defense were.
They really stepped up and won the points for us, after we were short on bodies in attacking positions.

[silent majority]

I thought Lincoln were exceptionally good in passing the ball around in areas where it didn't really matter. Once they were in the final third I though they were very ordinary, if not sloppy. Look how many times they passed the ball into touch or beyond the goal line for instance.

No, it was very pretty football , but not where it mattered.

[rover-n-out]

Donnybob, if they had converted both those penalties, they would have more than likely won that game, that was my point.

[Juddy]

Would have been brilliant in the away end after the penalty misses and for five or so minutes after the final whistle when the players would have come over towards us

[pib]

I do sympathise with them in a way.

We’ve had it ourselves numerous times over the years when we’ve played the better football in a game or dominated territorially, but not been able to break down the opposition and come away losing by the odd goal. It’s one of the most frustrating things ever as a football supporter.

But it happens! For those of them trying to degrade our league position or what we have done so far this season, it’s just sour grapes. If the boot was on the other foot and they had played as we did and won 1-0, they would be saying it’s the sign of a good team and the result is all that matters.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I don't get this "we offered nothing going forward" line.

After 25-30 mins, we could have been 3-0 up. Richards messed up a 3-on-3 very similar to the position he scored from. Should have played to Halliday who was screaming into the box unmarked.

We had that scramble in the 6 yard box where a toe end would have been enough.

And there was a clear handball in the box that blocked a cross from the left.

[Donnybob]

Lincoln were gifted two opportunities to equalise and failed to capitalise on either. Take them away and what are you left with? A lot of pretty huff and puff amounting to nothing (or should I say nil).

Defending is an art. As much a part of the game as attacking. They go together.

It is refreshing to see a team set up in an manner alien to its philosophy and do it so well. Once the goal went in the onus was not on us to score another, it was on them. Indeed chasing a second to kill off the game could have left us exposed.

Lincoln were allowed to tire themselves out, huffing and puffing in front of us. At half time we had actually achieved more attempts on and off the goal than they had.

It's what you do with the ball not how long you have it. A team can be good without the ball. It's not all about possession and good intentions. It's about being effective, and should anyone forget, results. The history books now say 0-1 and will do so forever.

Lincoln are a good team, be in no doubt, for League One. But if they cannot penetrate our defence they are not going to find the Championship any easier.

We move on. Oxford. In great form. Difficult one. Bet we play very differently.  Horses for courses. Trust in Darren.

[Donnywolf]

I don't get this "we offered nothing going forward" line.

After 25-30 mins, we could have been 3-0 up. Richards messed up a 3-on-3 very similar to the position he scored from. Should have played to Halliday who was screaming into the box unmarked.

We had that scramble in the 6 yard box where a toe end would have been enough.

And there was a clear handball in the box that blocked a cross from the left.

I too have posted elsewhere that they said we were lucky

However this is football - the ball has to cross the line to be a goal and it is a Team game including those in Management and back room positions.

I would deffo include the Scout or those who survey the films of the opposition in that "team" so who failed to notice Taylor Richards has a "penchant" for running at defences and shooting often from outside the area with some success it has to be said ? Well they either didnt spot it (more fool them) or they did and told the Centre Backs / Midfield about it and if they did then those defenders were to blame and who do they play for ? Lincoln

Result - 0 - 1 as TR did just that - they backed off and off and he ran on and on and let fly

Now this is no criticism as he struck it well but lets face it if a Rovers keeper had let that in the Forum would have been going mad. He saw it clearly - it was all along the floor and well struck. Maybe the wind bent it in right at the end because I thought it was going to go wide

.... and who does the Keeper play for - oh yes Lincoln

Then Lincoln are awarded 2 Penalties - both justly given. 2 different Players take one each and both fail to score from 12 yards - and both saved diving by Keeper first one way and then the other (legally according to the Ref as there were no retakes)

They were well struck no doubt but resulted in no goals. Well saved the Keeper who plays for Rovers and 2 chances spurned by 2 players and who do they play for - Lincoln - so I dont see how that makes US lucky in any way whatsoever

[nortikorner]

Where do you get we were lucky the Defence did what they are there for  END OF

[karlos]

As good as our defence was I thought Lincoln were excellent. They never let us settle on the ball and attacked at speed a little like West Ham did although West Ham had far superior players. In all I thought both teams were exceptional and as someone said before if Lincoln had played like we did and got the result they would have been more than happy. Fortunately we got the result so suck it up imps.

[CantleyRed]

No idea what all the fuss was about. Lincoln had a couple of chances but that was all. One might say that fortunately they
suffered from the Rovers disease of never shooting when another pass will do, but that's their problem! And they are as bad at corners as Rovers! After the first penalty miss I thought we mostly controlled thegame. And I reckon the first pen was a dive - James never moved his foot, the guy just threw himself over it and had already passed the ball in the
other direction. And for the second one Balcombe definitely plays the ball quite firmly - if it had been a defender doing that everyone would have said what a good tackle. NID!

[roversdude]

We beat a very good side on their own pitch end of really. I hope Lincoln are up there at the end of the season

[RoversAlias]

Lincoln were very good in the game but our defence did its job, we restricted them largely to efforts outside the box and they did not take any of their better opportunities through a combination of poor finishing and good defending by us. I'm not sure it all needs a deep inquest.

If the roles had been reversed yesterday our forum would be awash with posts decrying our lack of luck, the anti-football of the other side and other excuses to make ourselves feel better.

They will move on. Darren Moore has got the better of his mate Appleton on successive occasions now.

[BobG]

Hear hear Alias!!

BobG

[sha66y]

I too have read all 39 pages of the Lincoln fans bemoaning their ill fated loss, it was a strange game, it was very one sided if you looked at attacking play as the predominant ingredient, and it was very one sided  if you look at the effectiveness of disciplined resolute defending...

The key ingredient being able to switch from one to the other, and maintain the new mentality...we did that perfectly,

Yes we were chasing shadows in the 2/3rds of the pitch that didn’t matter, but in that last 3rd we were kings, we allowed them their dominance and quite sublime passing, we allowed them to look great for their own fans but we wholeheartedly denied them a whiff of the spoils, them points were ours and no matter how much show ponying was going on....we were keeping them...

[selby]

  I just looked at the results in this mornings paper, and we won 1-0, what is hard to understand.