Post-Match Thread and Ratings Bristol Rovers 4-2 Southend United

[Leigh_Seasider]

Basically we dominated in midfield first half and they were all over the shop. Second half, Rovers whacked the ball up front to Clarke-Harris, bypassed our midfield, played to their strengths (and our weaknesses) and stopped trying to knock the ball about. The fact they came out fired up and changed shape and tactics totally threw us. Once the penalty was given my heart sank as I knew if it went in, the heads would drop. Rovers took the game by the scruff of the neck, the likes of Sercombe and Ogogo didn’t stop running. Again, fitness levels were clearly much higher for the Rovers players. It was depressing and familiar. However, we must build on that first half. We showed we can play, we have a few decent players. Hopper is different class and Goodship was excellent I thought. I don’t envy Sol now as he has to somehow lift them (again). We simply are relegated if we can’t get a win in the next 4 games. We have Rotherham, Bolton, MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon. Play like we did first half we can pick up points. But maintaining the intensity and pressure for 90 mins is key. Once we lose confidence and other teams smell blood, we seem to give up.

Edited to say : I’ve refrained from criticism of individuals as I’m still p*ssed off and not sure it’s constructive. We win and lose as a team.

 

[Oakley1]

is it now no clean sheet in 37 games...….sums up the issues at the club, I wonder how many defensive formations have been tried out in that time and then changed the following game

agree we need to pick up maximum points in the next 4 games, not sure we will do that with our second half showing today, I just don't get how it can fall apart so easily and so quickly

 

[AndyT]

It's not as many as that. It might be 1 in 37, though.

 

[eastling]

Remember when we played Rovers away two years ago. Apparently back then It couldn't get any worse. A lot has happened since then and lets just say.....Its been emotional.

Clean sheets anyone?

That game was the start of the malaise for me. Hopefully we've now come full circle? One can hope I suppose.

 

[Cultist of Sooty]

is it now no clean sheet in 37 games...….sums up the issues at the club, I wonder how many defensive formations have been tried out in that time and then changed the following game

The last clean sheet in the league was 21 September, when we beat MK 1-0.

Previous one before that was 19 January, when we beat Bradford 4-0. We were 10th in the league after that, and I was thinking we might be able to make a push for the playoffs. It... hasn't worked out that way, has it?

That's 1 clean sheet in the last 38 league games.

 

[Cricko]

The last clean sheet in the league was 21 September, when we beat MK 1-0.

Previous one before that was 19 January, when we beat Bradford 4-0. We were 10th in the league after that, and I was thinking we might be able to make a push for the playoffs. It... hasn't worked out that way, has it?

That's 1 clean sheet in the last 38 league games.

Blimey, just when you think things could not be any worse, you read that.

 

[AndyT]

This is why the "clean sheet mentality" is where you should always start.

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

being a Half Full* type of guy, if we were that good in the first half (which those that attended have mentioned), isn't that a positive sign ? doesn't that show that some of our players ARE good enough for this level and SC has got them more organised from the start. They are just totally shot of confidence and spirit when things get tricky. Something that a scrappy 1-0 win over the Xmas break could help rectify ?

*some say a glass is Half Full. Some say Half Empty. Either way, their is clearly room for more alcohol :)

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

That game was the start of the malaise for me. Hopefully we've now come full circle? One can hope I suppose.

After that match we were mid table on 28 points. We’d won 7 league games. That day the team didn’t turn up. Wasn’t Timlin left out and then Brown castigated himself for it afterwards? People blamed the players for showing no passion and not turning up and Brown for losing the plot. Well they’ve all gone. Sounds bloody familiar though. If people think Sol can turn round the problems here in 10 or so games they’re deluded.

 

[AndyT]

Tims did play that day at left-back.

Kyps got injured early on and JW came on as sub. we were leading until we got in an awful mess just before the break down by the corner flag and they scored from the resulting error.

Ben Whiteman then added a 10 minutes hat-trick shortly after the break.

Here's the team :-

Starting lineup:

Goalkeeper Mark Oxley

Defender Elvis Bwomono
Defender Anton Ferdinand
Defender Harry Kyprianou
Defender Michael Timlin

Midfielder Ryan Leonard
Midfielder Anthony Wordsworth
Midfielder Josh Wright
Midfielder Stephen McLaughlin

Forward Simon Cox
Forward Nile Ranger

 

[Cultist of Sooty]

Blimey, just when you think things could not be any worse, you read that.

The thing that made me feel worse about this season is looking at how it's not just the odd 1 or 2 we're conceding. This is how many games in which we've conceded x goals -

0 goals: 1
1 goal: 5
2 goals: 1
3 goals: 5
4 goals: 7
7 goals: 1

We concede at least 3 goals in 65% of our games.

And our record is worse at home than it is away, even if if you don't count the Doncaster game. Our only clean sheet and 3 of the games where we only conceded 1 goal were away games.

Fortress Anywhere But Roots Hall...

In short, we are absolutely woeful and I will be gobsmacked if anything can turn this lot around quickly. Confidence is clearly not just on the floor but down the escalator and waiting for a tube train.

You can see all the life go out of the team as soon as the opposition score.

One thing I have noticed is that the second worst period of the game for us for conceding is the 15 minutes after half time. And particularly the 50-60 minute period. I would not be surprised if opposing coaches are now telling their players to go for it hard at the start of the second half.

The worst is the last 10 minutes, when we're trying to push to get back into the game. And the players' legs have clearly gone.

There was a period at the start of the season when we were pretty much guaranteed to concede just after 30 mins. I can't help thinking that was down to poor fitness too.

 

[Fitz]

For me we are in league 2, so what is the point in getting 6 or 7 players in January. They will join the malaise of the current squad and their confidence could also then be shot come August next year.

It will also be tricky for Sol as he could enter next season with the worst managerial record in our history. I am not one for getting rid of managers, and love the stability we had up until Browns sacking over the 14 years prior., but this season is a write off, rebuild in the summer with a completely new team and new manager. Sol will probably walk by then anyway as will not want a relegation on his CV.

Seems an excellent time for AB to join.

Ron won’t accept this and will clearly throw more money at things in January....but what is the point!!

 

[KevinJH]

.....Sol will probably walk by then anyway as will not want a relegation on his CV.

But then if he could bring us straight back up the following season with more of a line-up of his choosing, it wouldn't look too shabby

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

Tims did play that day at left-back.

Kyps got injured early on and JW came on as sub. we were leading until we got in an awful mess just before the break down by the corner flag and they scored from the resulting error.

Ben Whiteman then added a 10 minutes hat-trick shortly after the break.

Here's the team :-

Starting lineup:

Goalkeeper Mark Oxley

Defender Elvis Bwomono
Defender Anton Ferdinand
Defender Harry Kyprianou
Defender Michael Timlin

Midfielder Ryan Leonard
Midfielder Anthony Wordsworth
Midfielder Josh Wright
Midfielder Stephen McLaughlin

Forward Simon Cox
Forward Nile Ranger

This is the 3-0 away defeat to Rovers in December 2017. Lenny, Wordsworth and Wright definitely played, think Ranger came on as a sub. Tims was an unused sub (think that’s right, @rigsby ?) PB came out with some bizarre quotes afterwards practically begging to be sacked. I think losing Barrett from that dressing room and some shall we say unsavoury characters thrown in there (including the above mentioned plus a Mr S Cox)... the mood changed and it became ok not to put a shift in. Brown was clearly exasperated. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Cox moves on, it was noticeable that the team put a proper effort in first half yesterday and Cox wasn’t on the pitch. Not hanging all this on Cox, but a certain culture set in in the last part of 2017 that is still hanging around and Sol has a massive job to rebuild that from scratch.

 

[Cricko]

@Cultist of Sooty You did, you did, you surpassed the previous post .. pass me the Valium.

 

[AndyT]

This is the 3-0 away defeat in December 2017. Lenny, Wordsworth and Wright definitely played, think Ranger came on as a sub. Tims was an unused sub (think that’s right, @rigsby ?) PB came out with some bizarre quotes afterwards practically begging to be sacked. I think losing Barrett from that dressing room and some shall we say unsavoury characters thrown in there (including the above mentioned plus a Mr S Cox)... the mood changed and it became ok not to put a shift in. Brown was clearly exasperated. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Cox moves on, it was noticeable that the team put a proper effort in first half yesterday and Cox wasn’t on the pitch. Not hanging all this on Cox, but a certain culture set in in the last part of 2017 that is still hanging around and Sol has a massive job to rebuild that from scratch.

Sorry mate. With you now.

I thought you were talking about the Doncaster Rovers defeat rather than the Bristol Rovers one, as we then lost 3-0 at Wigan the week after and things were starting to crack a little, then. Prior to that Doncaster game, we had won the previous three.

This is the team that day, so you are right about Timlin, as he was on the bench :-

Starting lineup:

Goalkeeper Mark Oxley

Defender Jason Demetriou
Defender Stephen Hendrie
Defender Anton Ferdinand
Defender Michael Turner

Midfielder Ryan Leonard
Midfielder Anthony Wordsworth
Midfielder Josh Wright
Midfielder Stephen McLaughlin

Forward Simon Cox
Forward Marc Antoine Fortuné

 

[OldBlueLady]

Well, my "clean sheets" pledge in the Trust's Quid-a-Goal is not costing me an awful lot this season, nor is it costing anyone else much. That's normally one of our highest earning pledges, and plenty of people pledge on it

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

Sorry mate,. With you now.

I thought you were talking about the Doncaster Rovers defeat rather than the Bristol Rovers one, as we then lost 3-0 at Wigan the week after and things were starting to crack a little, then. Prior to that Doncaster game, we had won the previous three.

Yeah we’d won 7, drawn 7, lost 7 after Bristol Rovers. We then beat Charlton at home. Yet Brown had lost the plot/the dressing room and according to many had to go. What was needed was a very strong character to come in and sort out that dressing room. The initial “bounce” under Powell was papering over cracks. Check out the Bond post match rants. Then Sol yesterday and it echoes PB in many ways. A clear out is needed and we can’t move on till it’s done evidently.

 

[Shrimper]

is it now no clean sheet in 37 games...….sums up the issues at the club, I wonder how many defensive formations have been tried out in that time and then changed the following game

agree we need to pick up maximum points in the next 4 games, not sure we will do that with our second half showing today, I just don't get how it can fall apart so easily and so quickly

We kept a clean sheet against MK Dons?

 

[Willis]

Elvis worries me at times. He rarely seems to be goal side when we concede.

Me too. Despite his excellent commitment and work-rate he is a poor defender.