Thoughts on yesterday...

[BillyStubbsTears]

...now that I've calmed down from the game being ruined by two ridiculous red cards.

1) We didn't handle the 35 mins to half time well. We looked a bit leaderless and the structure was inviting constant pressure. Something to learn from.

2) Once the game was evened up, we looked a division and a half above them. Pretty much one way traffic, intelligently stretching them.

3) If the game had gone on another 10 mins, we'd have won 3-1. We looked more dominant at 10-10 than they did at 11-10.

4) Olowu and Sbarra were excellent and made a big difference.

5) Overall, I'm feeling quite comfortable after that. I think we are going to be alright.

[Chris Black come back]

Minute for minute contribution, Olowu probably man of match. Absolute beast in his 20 mins.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Forgot 6)

I would rather live in a dustbin in the old Denaby backs than like in Milton Keynes.

[tommy toes]

Oluwu should be in the starting 11 every game.

[mushRTID]

...now that I've calmed down from the game being ruined by two ridiculous red cards.

1) We didn't handle the 35 mins to half time well. We looked a bit leaderless and the structure was inviting constant pressure. Something to learn from.

2) Once the game was evened up, we looked a division and a half above them. Pretty much one way traffic, intelligently stretching them.

3) If the game had gone on another 10 mins, we'd have won 3-1. We looked more dominant at 10-10 than they did at 11-10.

4) Olowu and Sbarra were excellent and made a big difference.

5) Overall, I'm feeling quite comfortable after that. I think we are going to be alright.

Agree with all this, especially point 2.

[danumdon]

Oluwu should be in the starting 11 every game.

Oluwu would be if he was as consistent in games as yesterday.

My thoughts,

Still not convinced by the keeper,

Mols has been found out a couple of times now, needs to be less obvious,

Gibson needs to remember he's playing a team sport,

Bailey needs to impart his temperament onto Clifton,

Clifton needs to impart his urgency and aggression onto Bailey,

McGrath could end up being our find of the season.

Thought overall we finished the stronger team after labouring for long periods until their sending off and GM's restructure at the back, instantly made us more threatening and dangerous. Like BST said we should of ended up winning that if we had played a few more mins.

Would like to see us start with the same urgency and drive as we finished this game with, next time out, we need to dominate the middle right from the off to get us firing correctly.

[Butchers Red]

Agreed but you forgot point 7.

Ben Close - was absolute class yesterday - both offensively and defensively.

[ncRover]

Oluwu should be in the starting 11 every game.

Oluwu would be if he was as consistent in games as yesterday.

Olowu has been consistently good ever since he came in for Anderson after his crazy red card away at Crawley last season.

[Usher wide.]

Harry Clifton knew his schoolboy like second challenge, in an area where there was no threat so need for that challenge, could have cost us the game as he walked off the pitch.

If he hasn’t learned by now at this stage of his career that ‘you’re asking for it’ from the referee (especially at this level) then perhaps it would be better for him to have some time out of the team to reflect.

I thought we ‘dug in well’ after they scored the goal that seemed inevitable was coming after the sending off, to keep it to 1-0 at half time.

Once the man in black ‘evened’ his first half decision up & the game went to 10 v 10 there was only one team pushing for the 3 points.

Molyneaux ran his blood to water with MK doubling up,on him time & time again yet he still managed more often than not to deliver a ball into the box.

Gibson’s final ball was much better than in the Harrogate game (in fairness it couldn’t have been much worse) & the ball into the box that Moly couldn’t get a head to, would have been buried had it fallen to Ironside, Ironside who yet again showed his worth to this team by winning more flick on headers than I could count.

Billy seemed to be running down ‘blind alleys’ when he came on. It’s so rare he’d be playing up front alongside Joe ‘normally’, perhaps he didn’t get close enough to him to take advantage of those flick ons?

Anderson & McGrath were immense throughout. Tom looks back to his “I’ll run through a brick wall to win” best & Jay seems to ‘grow a year’ every game & but for a finger tip save by the MK keeper right at the death could have won the game for us. Him & Tom look more comfortable on the ball coming forwards especially Tom. He gestures players to make runs to enable him to play a decisive forward pass so well it’s a massive plus for the midfield players to take up good positions to receive the ball.

Jay is a tad more ponderous on the ball without looking in danger of losing possession but let’s not forget he’s 21.

Olowu had a lot of the ball on the right hand side when he came on & we were pushing for another goal however, all too often he chose the option to play the ball backwards. I don’t think he has Jay’s confidence to realise he can affect games if he could change that ‘safety first’ mindset. Only my opinion.

Sbarra’s corner from which Anderson scored from was a brilliant almost Christian Eriksen esq delivery. Players who can deliver a dead ball with that pace & accuracy are a rare commodity.

Bailey was everywhere. Billy Bremner once said of Alan Warboys “I wish I had eleven of him”. Bailey is in that mould in that he can play almost anyw& not let you down.

I can’t wait for Saturday & the game against Chesterfield with a noisy Keepmoat (I can’t bring myself to call it the eco-power stadium) & a full away end.

We lie 6th & a win will put us well into ‘the pack’ where I expect us to be all season.

Good times to be a Rovers supporter……at last!

[LincolnDonny]

Molyneaux ran his blood to water with MK doubling up,on him time & time again yet he still managed more often than not to deliver a ball into the box.????????????????

REALLY?


The Ball Only got to the first defender IF he got past the man he was trying to beat......watch the game again and you will see!

[Usher wide.]

Molyneaux ran his blood to water with MK doubling up,on him time & time again yet he still managed more often than not to deliver a ball into the box.????????????????

REALLY?


The Ball Only got to the first defender IF he got past the man he was trying to beat......watch the game again and you will see!

Will do.

[RoversInSpain]

Molyneaux ran his blood to water with MK doubling up,on him time & time again yet he still managed more often than not to deliver a ball into the box.????????????????

REALLY?


The Ball Only got to the first defender IF he got past the man he was trying to beat......watch the game again and you will see!

Molly skinned their defender every time in addition to getting back to defend.
Molly and Sterry are being asked to do 2 jobs every match so for gods sake take this into consideration, before slagging them off.

And please don’t ask any of our players to show the same aggression as Clifton, that wasn’t constructive aggression, it was I’ve lost me head and going to let the team down.

[IDM]

Saw the thread title in the listings, and my instinctive thought was “Strawberry Switchblade”.!!

[GazLaz]

We’ve played Gills, Vale and MK recently, who are all top 6 sides, and looked better than them all.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Who we think should be top 7 trams and who are performing like it at the moment are two different things. We cannot judge purely on our performances against them at the moment.

Only after 12 games, when every team will have played a mix of all contenders will be see who's performing or underperfoming.

For example, Gills results have been better than their performances, whilst Chesterfield are visa versa. Barrow are up there again for the second season, is this a other fluke?

It doesn't matter what resources teams might have, or the size of their fanbase, it's managers and players who can find a formula and blend that works and gets results consistently.

Even after 12 games, much can and probably will change that will make betting odds and preseason predictions look silly.

[GazLaz]

Who we think should be top 7 trams and who are performing like it at the moment are two different things. We cannot judge purely on our performances against them at the moment.

Only after 12 games, when every team will have played a mix of all contenders will be see who's performing or underperfoming.

For example, Gills results have been better than their performances, whilst Chesterfield are visa versa. Barrow are up there again for the second season, is this a other fluke?

It doesn't matter what resources teams might have, or the size of their fanbase, it's managers and players who can find a formula and blend that works and gets results consistently.

Even after 12 games, much can and probably will change that will make betting odds and preseason predictions look silly.

Look at underlying numbers the teams in the top 10 are the teams you would expect.

Fleetwood are very good and are likely to end up top 7.

[danumdon]

Just seen a full blooded tackle between two players in the Fleetwood v Morecambe match, both went flying in on what looked a genuine 50/50 ball, both ended up needing treatment.

To me the tackles from both looked at best illegal and at worst straight reds, one was yellow carded the other got nothing!

The consistency of refs in this league is unfortunately predictable.