Rovers Return

Anything yellow and blue
SmileyMan
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Rovers Return

Post by SmileyMan »

Our first league match in 25 years, punctuated only by last year's FA Cup thrashing. They of course went on to get promoted in the '92 season and win the Premier League a few years later. We...errrrrr...didn't have quite the same trajectory.

But a quarter century has passed, and we're within touching distance in the league. A crucial match tonight - we could in theory end up anywhere from 6th to 14th by 10pm. Despite the injuries, this is our best chance to take our destiny into our own hands and put ourselves in the top six, hopefully to remain there until April.

Let's hope for a good turnout and an even better result! Come on you Yellows!!!
SmileyMan
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by SmileyMan »

Bollocks :cry: :oops:
Kairdiff Exile
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by Kairdiff Exile »

No surprise to see Christian Ribiero call it a day on his career after failing to even make the bench last night. It'd be rumoured for a while, and his last few performances have been decidedly lacklustre. Guess it frees up a wage, although whether we can get anyone in of quality remains to be seen.
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by Kernow Yellow »

Just seen the extended highlights. What a shambles defensively! For the first goal both Ruffels and Henry completely lose their men (one flicks on to the other to score), while Ricardinho is barely looking at the ball as it's delivered after he trotted out to prevent the short corner - he and Tiendalli end up standing at the same post marking no-one!

For the second Martin messes up, but what's worse is that he doesn't even bother trying to get back and make amends - Martin could easily have caught up with the guy who taps in the loose ball but just jogs back vainly (and wrongly) appealing for offside.

And in the second half Ricardinho gets done so easily twice to allow crosses to come into the box, the second of which leads to a goal. He also allowed far too many balls in from his side at Plymouth - much as I love his other contributions he's not doing his main job as a full-back.

Can't comment on the rest of the game and it sounded pretty entertaining, but if you're going to give away goals so easily you're not going to win too many matches.
SWA
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by SWA »

Kairdiff Exile wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:02 pm No surprise to see Christian Ribiero call it a day on his career after failing to even make the bench last night. It'd be rumoured for a while, and his last few performances have been decidedly lacklustre. Guess it frees up a wage, although whether we can get anyone in of quality remains to be seen.

Speechless :roll: :roll:
Good luck with whatever you do in the future Christian - a highly intelligent player.
SWA
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by SWA »

Kernow Yellow wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:06 pm Just seen the extended highlights. What a shambles defensively! For the first goal both Ruffels and Henry completely lose their men (one flicks on to the other to score), while Ricardinho is barely looking at the ball as it's delivered after he trotted out to prevent the short corner - he and Tiendalli end up standing at the same post marking no-one!

For the second Martin messes up, but what's worse is that he doesn't even bother trying to get back and make amends - Martin could easily have caught up with the guy who taps in the loose ball but just jogs back vainly (and wrongly) appealing for offside.

And in the second half Ricardinho gets done so easily twice to allow crosses to come into the box, the second of which leads to a goal. He also allowed far too many balls in from his side at Plymouth - much as I love his other contributions he's not doing his main job as a full-back.

Can't comment on the rest of the game and it sounded pretty entertaining, but if you're going to give away goals so easily you're not going to win too many matches.
Did they show a decent angle of the penalty decision on the extended highlights? Difficult to tell from the SSU on the night and on the short highlights.
Kairdiff Exile
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by Kairdiff Exile »

SWA wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:17 pm
Kairdiff Exile wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:02 pm No surprise to see Christian Ribiero call it a day on his career after failing to even make the bench last night. It'd be rumoured for a while, and his last few performances have been decidedly lacklustre. Guess it frees up a wage, although whether we can get anyone in of quality remains to be seen.

Speechless :roll: :roll:
Good luck with whatever you do in the future Christian - a highly intelligent player.
Intelligent he may have been, but it was clear that his injuries had taken their toll and he could be a weakness as a result. Sad to see him have to retire (I'm sad when any player is forced to give up the game), but it's in the best interests of both parties.
OUFC4eva
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by OUFC4eva »

Kairdiff Exile wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:02 pm No surprise to see Christian Ribiero call it a day on his career after failing to even make the bench last night. It'd be rumoured for a while, and his last few performances have been decidedly lacklustre. Guess it frees up a wage, although whether we can get anyone in of quality remains to be seen.
I would like to sympathise with the young man. Desperately sad news for sure and I wish him well. No wonder
he was struggling - his knee reads like that of an 80 year old man.

Good luck in the future Ribs whatever you choose to do.
SWA
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by SWA »

Kairdiff Exile wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:55 pm
SWA wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:17 pm
Kairdiff Exile wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:02 pm No surprise to see Christian Ribiero call it a day on his career after failing to even make the bench last night. It'd be rumoured for a while, and his last few performances have been decidedly lacklustre. Guess it frees up a wage, although whether we can get anyone in of quality remains to be seen.

Speechless :roll: :roll:
Good luck with whatever you do in the future Christian - a highly intelligent player.
Intelligent he may have been, but it was clear that his injuries had taken their toll and he could be a weakness as a result. Sad to see him have to retire (I'm sad when any player is forced to give up the game), but it's in the best interests of both parties.
Your initial post displayed a complete lack of any empathy. I am glad that you wish him well in the second post.
Kairdiff Exile
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by Kairdiff Exile »

SWA wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 4:04 pm Your initial post displayed a complete lack of any empathy. I am glad that you wish him well in the second post.
Well that's me told! Just to be 100% clear, I gather he's a decent bloke, he gave it his best shot here, and I hope he goes on to succeed in whatever he does next. In the context of our season, I also hope that we can bring in someone (whether at right back or elsewhere) who isn't as susceptible to injuries - our physio's to-do list must be longer than War & Peace by now.
Werthers Original
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by Werthers Original »

Kairdiff Exile wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:02 pm No surprise to see Christian Ribiero call it a day on his career after failing to even make the bench last night. It'd be rumoured for a while, and his last few performances have been decidedly lacklustre. Guess it frees up a wage, although whether we can get anyone in of quality remains to be seen.
That's a slightly charmless response to the situation! He didn't 'make the bench' because he was seriously injured, which would explain his 'lacklustre performances'. Poor chap, he must be in mourning.
Werthers Original
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by Werthers Original »

Sorry, I see this has already been said. Always hard to read tone / get the right tone on the internet anyway. He is a very articulate guy who will do well elsewhere I'm sure.

As soon as I saw the Rovers players lining up tall, strong, confident and experienced-looking and compared them to our motley crew of midgets, beanpoles, crocks and fatties I was worried, and after the first couple of wicked crosses I was fairly sure we'd lose. Given the terrible start I guess we did well to make a game of it, but the folly of our tactics culminated in the spectacle of little Payne trying to dribble through a wall of four shoulder-to-shoulder northern monsters, while a huge gulf yawned on the right wing.
Jimski
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by Jimski »

Yeah, it did look like men against boys. Even more of a difference in class than when we played them 2 years ago, and then there was a two division gap! One felt that if at any point Rovers wanted another goal, they'd probably just get one.
OtmoorYellow
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by OtmoorYellow »

Tippy tappy around the edge of our own penalty area for ages until the opponents close us down, we lose the ball in a dangerous area and look like conceding every time. Repeat at will. That's pretty much a summary of the game. Very similar to the first few weeks of MApp.

The only player that earned his corn was Jack Payne. The rest earned the right to stand in front of a mirror and take a long hard look at themselves.

Very sad to see Ribeiro retire at such a young age. Decent player. Good luck for the future Ribs.
Old Abingdonian
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Re: Rovers Return

Post by Old Abingdonian »

I think it's easy to miss some of the right lessons here. It was humiliating, and there was a real sense in which we were naïve and spineless in the first 20 minutes.

However, in two of their goals, poor technique from Aaron Martin contributed significantly. On this showing, he is simply not good enough. He also played a part in the second Northampton goal. There was also a clear off-side in the build-up to Blackburn's fourth. Early in the second half, Blackburn looked uncomfortable when we moved the ball around a little more quickly.

So we are clearly suffering from Nelson's absence, and I think from Hall's, too. We seemed to lack width and pace, and he brings both.

Priorities, then, would be to get Raglan fit. Generally, I think it's foolish to spend in January, but we now desperately need cover at right back, and probably an out-and-out winner who can cross the ball. Crossing is an area in which several visiting teams have been much better than us.
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