Let's talk about the Bradford City game

[tommy toes]

Watched it in a bar in Tenerife with some Wensdy fans who were watching the other TV.
Thought Bradford did a job on us. They were in our faces all game, stopped us playing and made it a poor game to watch.
If we’d scored either one of our early chances then it might have been different.
Never mind.
We are NOT going down.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

On another day either side could have won that comfortably, really nothing between the teams but a good finish, something we couldn't find.

I thought there were some average performances.  Maxwell, Broadbent weren't great for me and the subs were fairly ineffective.  McGrath, the keeper and Gotts would be my picks.

Frustrating, overall we are no worse than the sides up the top as we've proven, but they just have that bit more clinical edge that we don't.  It'll be a travesty if we go down.

[Padge_DRFC]

Broadbent is a passenger now Gotts has took his position up.

[RoversInSpain]

On another day either side could have won that comfortably, really nothing between the teams but a good finish, something we couldn't find.

I thought there were some average performances.  Maxwell, Broadbent weren't great for me and the subs were fairly ineffective.  McGrath, the keeper and Gotts would be my picks.

Frustrating, overall we are no worse than the sides up the top as we've proven, but they just have that bit more clinical edge that we don't.  It'll be a travesty if we go down.

Totally agree nothing between us and Bradford today. So pleased McGrath played very well, hopefully shut some folk up. He’s a great young prospect and should start every game and he’ll learn a lot at this higher level. Also  before all the meltdowns go into operation, our recent good run has left us 2 points off 16th with a crunch match on Tuesday. Exciting stuff!

[In the box]

I disagree , there was something between us today 1-0 . We never seem to find away not to loose . Bradford weren’t that good in front of goal , Sharp up front isn’t a threat . Why wasn’t
Adelakun Running the line for 69mins with Hanlan , McCann when is McCann going to change , weve just lost a hat full of games playing this way but Adelakun could have made the difference as he’s a handful in the right place   Yet Adelakun who played well but was allowed to run all over  the place barely offering a threat .

[ForsolongaRover]

People seem to focus on McGrath’s history of defensive errors when making judgement, rather what he does in attack and in his performances in general. Harlan came on and drifted around as though we were just preserving a lead. He plays effortlessly in the worst sense of the word, never seeming to reach 100% even when he has only just come on.

[PDX_Rover]

That has to be one of the worst officiated half’s of football ever. Wow.

I'm struggling to think of a half where so many unarguable mistakes were made by the officials.

Not seeing the handball for their "goal"
Curtis Tilt falling over with clear daylight between him and Sharp and a foul being given
Molyneux put into row Z and the linesman giving a foul against him.
Ball going miles over the touchline and the linesman missing it.

Those were as bad a set of decisions as you'll ever see. There are bats in caves on the far side of the moon who saw Jackson bring that ball down with his arm. It was literally impossible to control it any other way.

Then on top of that there were at least half a dozen 70:30 decisions that they gave to the 30. Both ways.

He’s called Tilt for a reason

[Chris Black come back]

Both teams were pretty poor there. Shout out to the 4th official adopting VAR in L1.

Putting the technology to one side. Is the fourth official meant to be correcting refereeing decisions? I thought they were just there to pretend to look interested in whatever crap the managers were throwing at them, not to actually be involved in making real decisions. Let alone from the Rovers’ data guy’s tablet.

[colincramb]

I thought we threw away a point at least to be honest. They really aren’t a great side at all but yet again we had 2 or 3 really good chances that we didn’t take. Only ourselves to blame

[selby]

  The goal being disallowed for hand ball preserved McGrath's reputation today, don't know what he was doing there.

[RoversInSpain]

  The goal being disallowed for hand ball preserved McGrath's reputation today, don't know what he was doing there.

Clearly McGrath was in exactly the right place, because to stop the ball whizzing past McGrath and the forward, the forward had to block/control it with his arm. Bizarre statement, every defender is crap and would be out of position if the forward can use his arms to control a cross.

[RoversInSpain]

Watched it in a bar in Tenerife with some Wensdy fans who were watching the other TV.
Thought Bradford did a job on us. They were in our faces all game, stopped us playing and made it a poor game to watch.
If we’d scored either one of our early chances then it might have been different.
Never mind.
We are NOT going down.

Christ, Wednesday fans telling you it’s a poor game to watch, heard it all now. Thought it was a good solid game won only by a cracking finish, hardly did a job on us.

[Draytonian III]

McGrath had a fairly good game today and good marks on the supporter bus’s for Man of the Match

[Ryaldinhio]

McGrath had a fairly good game today and good marks on the supporter bus’s for Man of the Match

I thought McGrath had a good game today, again

[Sammy Chung was King]

The quality difference between the teams was negligible, Bradford sitting in fifth, ourselves in the bottom three. Both sides were terrible, could barely put a pass together. One true piece of quality won it.

[roversdude]

Thought Jay was our MOTM today, been critical of him recently but was mainly very good - you can tell he needs an experienced CH with him (no disrespect to Owen) as a few times he wandered out of position

[mpc123]

The quality difference between the teams was negligible, Bradford sitting in fifth, ourselves in the bottom three. Both sides were terrible, could barely put a pass together. One true piece of quality won it.

Rather harsh for both sides, based on league 1 norm

[Prez]

The quality difference between the teams was negligible, Bradford sitting in fifth, ourselves in the bottom three. Both sides were terrible, could barely put a pass together. One true piece of quality won it.

Rather harsh for both sides, based on league 1 norm

Very harsh.

The pitch was shocking, very difficult to play slick football on that.

[Filo]

Both teams were pretty poor there. Shout out to the 4th official adopting VAR in L1.

Putting the technology to one side. Is the fourth official meant to be correcting refereeing decisions? I thought they were just there to pretend to look interested in whatever crap the managers were throwing at them, not to actually be involved in making real decisions. Let alone from the Rovers’ data guy’s tablet.

Have you forgot Tommy Rowe being sent off on the word of the 4th official

[Pancho Regan]

  The goal being disallowed for hand ball preserved McGrath's reputation today, don't know what he was doing there.

That’s rubbish Selby.

McGrath did plenty to enhance his reputation today. Arguably our man of the match.
Please stop trying to trash him just to suit your blatant agenda.

[donnyguy]

Fot Mob gave him Rovers man of match with  8 out of 10 and said he won most duels in the game which was 17

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Lee Turnbull on RS and DFP both gave McGrath praise for his performance too.

You only have to view the number of threads that appear after a match to see how hypercritical fans can be of our players. Looking for the negatives while ignoring the positives probably just helps people blow off steam and helps them justify the loss.

[GazLaz]

Lee Turnbull on RS and DFP both gave McGrath praise for his performance too.

You only have to view the number of threads that appear after a match to see how hypercritical fans can be of our players. Looking for the negatives while ignoring the positives probably just helps people blow off steam and helps them justify the loss.

Jay played well yesterday. No coincidence it came against the team that “plays the most long balls in the league” according to GM. Jay is decent in the air, that’s his strength. Bradford played to it.

[idler]

Thanks for all the good wishes lads. Op went OK but took 2.5 hours instead of the expected 90 mins.I think that the extra anaesthetic must have got to me because they let me out yesterday tea time instead of Friday. The hard bit will be remembering that I can’t lift anything weighing over 2 pounds for six weeks. Hopefully back watching the Rovers by mid March.