Derry Tuesday Night 0-4

[Knappagh Red]

Agree with you Dixie Dean. Last year Butler and Coleman were so good going forward they covered up for the inadequacies of the midfield. O'Grady is limited but he is the best we have and was missed last night, Ryan can't tackle, close people down or compete in the air and McGrath looked like a junior footballer, I thought Blinkhorn was the only one who walked off the pitch last night with some respect, Derry fans seem confident Boco will be playing for them next year and who could blame him?
If the rumours are true about the training and drinking Cook and the team deserve all the abuse they get, crowds are getting smaller and there has been no match sponsor for the last few games, a season that promised so much but I fear if we lose on Saturday it will be our last good gate, Cook will leave us in November with a mountain of debt like Cassidy that will take five years in the first division to clear
Cook reminds me of Kevin Keegan, defence is the thing around the pitch and tactics are small mints.

[dong]

If the rumours are true about the training and drinking Cook and the team deserve all the abuse they get..

Cook banned them from drinking around the town as it would generate bad publicity so they're all getting **** faced in Ballisodare from what I'm told!!!
They look and play like a team of alchos anyways.
I wouldn't condone the booing etc but I can understand it. I suppose we'll hear the folowing now from Cook:
"Things haven't gone so well the last few games but I can guarantee the lads are working hard and won't be found wanting for effort in the cup game against Derry"
When it's obvious to the dog on the street that they're not working hard and are found wanting for effort in almost every game ( cup v bohs being the only real exception )
I was always a fan of Cooks and don't believe that getting rid now would help matters but he's playing us all for fools these days and needs to seriously up his game now. The fans of Sligo Rovers FC deserve better than this.
I just hope it's not too late because the team don't seem to be arsed for him anymore.

[Rory H]

Quoted in the champion that he came close to resigning after Dundalk......

[Inside Man]

Were not going to be hammered. :rolleyes:
:rolleyes:yourself.
I told you so.

Honestly, I have been saying it all season, and now that we are really in the sh*ts people are only starting to notice. I knew this would happen.
And i'll tell you for free the only way we are getting out of this mess is by getting rid of Cook. He's a joke. You lot better start listening to me now before its too late.

[Dixie Dean]

If true, then its only a matter of time. 1st division beckons.

[Rover'n'out]

Maybe its just me but I did not think we were much worse than Derry going in nil all at half time. OK I admit, we never looked like scoring at any point but I certainly could not have dreamt what was to come in the second half.

Yes the first 2 goals were soft and shows our defensive problems big time, but you can not blame Cook for the shambles for the 3rd goal. It was comical & pathetic. The 4th goal, well.......... we were awful by then. We seem to capitulate in the second half of games. Is it fitness?

Personally I thought Camano was a liabilty. A big lad but he was very shaky and did not show any authority at the back. Also midfield is weak.

HOWEVER, I think there is no point in shouting for Cook's head and I think it is pathetic for fans to be shouting 'f**k off back to Liverpool' or 'f**k off back to England'. Cop on. Cook was supposed to be a 'saviour' last year and in the space of a few months he is now to walk the plank for his 'crimes'? I agree he has got it wrong and does not have the excuse of a paper thin squad anymore. I just dont think there is any point in talking about replacing the manager at this stage of the season as there are not many better options out there for now.

I believe we have talent in the squad and hope and pray that it will prevail to squeeze a few important results against the teams around us in the next few months.

[celticV3]

Could have been worse, the 5th goal seemed onside.

[red_away]

The last thing rovers need is a new manager circus - we have to try and dig ourselves out of the mess we got into!

if cook resigns then that is his choice but sacking him wont achieve anything at this stage IMHO!

[CF1989]

if he resigns he'll be going back on his word of never leaving a club mid season

cup game coming at just the right point, get our minds off the league for a few days and try and get a result in the cup, we were grand until the first goal again, then we lost all our confidence. players slumped on the ground after every goal. no confidence or belief at all it seems.

think the critisism of morrison is a bit too much, he's created around 15 goals this season for us. maybe more. watched the last 5 minutes in the red stand last night and non stop abuse of him from one or two.
i know he can be frustrating trying to beat someone and losing the ball sometimes but his assists can help us get away from the drop zone.

cook dosnt like the phrase 'must win game' but he needs to learn it for friday week....its massive.

[Da Real Rover]

Glad to see the Cookie is finally crumbling...

20/03/2008






I hate to say I told you so..
You do realise that the majority of those signings of Connors came through Gerry Cassidys suggestions.
So if your going to do I told you so at least get it right.

[Da Real Rover]

Pure depression after that result.
TBH im just sick to me teeth of watching constant ****e game in game out, non stop muck, no organisation or game plan of any note which is Cookes responsibility.
Then no heart, determination, drive or urgencey among the players bar 2 or 3 which is the players fault.
Im sick of it all, I dont think Cooke should be fired because primarily who will replace him that could steer us clear right now?
Also we must give him some leeway after what he achieved last season but that is running out soon and I fear when it finally does run out so will our existence in this league.
When we brought in the likes of Holmes and Parkhouse etc at the start of the season and we were getting muck results and we heard the old cliche, give the time etc etc.
Now we all know what happened to that batch of players, they just didnt cut it or perform and we are hearing the same crap now for this new group of lads.
And ya know what we will be hearing the same tripe of give them time etc etc until we are relegated.
Im just sick of this never ending ****e, I dont know what to do, I certainly dont think sacking Cooke will solve it, but we are in a quagmire and sinking like a stone.
We need a miralce, im already resiging myself to the Discover Ireland League.
A sad time to be a Rovers fan. :(

[Dixie Dean]

The morrison criticism annoys me too. He is a "bums off seats" type player and should be encouraged. Ok, he doesnt track back, but i always like to see a player who trys to take his man on, even if he takes too much out of the ball some times.

The main person shouting at Morrison in the red stand is an aul fella that does it all the time. Last night everyone was telling him to shut up and sit down.

[sligofan4ever]

Do you think I'm that much of an idiot to travel up from Dublin to that rubbish on a tuesday night. I think not. Made a handy bob on that also last night, hope a few listened to me.
Look young lad I've been following The Rovers for over 40 years and i have seen it all before, it all comes down to wether the MC have the balls to make the call, sooner rather than later.

If we win on saterday, if, a very big if, it is only prolonging the inevitable. Don't forget that.


So you didnt want to go because you predicted we would lose ? ah now, as ARooney28 said, that sums you up. What if we won 3-0 or 3-1 ? or even when we beat them 2-1, were you crying by the final whistle because you lost your little bet on the team you supposedly support ? seriously, we've been through worse, people can say I told you so, but atleast wait until the end of the season it does absolutly no one any good other than yourself getting pleasure and most likely touching yourself when you see a scoreline where we lose, your no good to this forum Inside Man so fcuk off and leave this site to people who genuinely want to see this club succeed and do well.

[brianw82]

Inside Man was right, so what? Want a medal or something?

Regarding the result itself, there's no way any team can justify a 4-0 home defeat. I wasn't there, but from the comments here and what I have seen myself this season, it was the same old story again. Once we concede we're beaten. Why, oh why are teams just running through us like a hot knife through butter? Why does the team have no confidence? We've brought in a quality striker who's scored 4 goals for us already, yet we've only 1 result to show for it. People are crying out for Peers to come back - well we were still losing and shipping goals with him in the side. Also, is it just me, or is Cook not half as vocal on the sidelines as he was last season?

Cook really needs to have a long, hard look at himself and ask if he's still up to this job any more. The players too. They pulled together brilliantly last season and claimed a European spot that they had no right to get. This year, they seem to think that the league owes them easy victories and a free 4th place. They'd better get that out of their heads promptly, because I genuinely fear 10th place at this point.

[Guts&Glory]

Glad to see the Cookie is finally crumbling...

20/03/2008






I hate to say I told you so..

Sure forget how we finished in a European spot under Cookie last season with only a couple of the dwarfs signings regulars in the team. Hughes, the Bohs/Dundalk quartet etc (the list goes on) all left before the 2008 season, Faz left mid season whilst the Euro push and results improved after he left.

You should work as a spin doctor for the Government as they haven't a clue what they are on about either just like yourself.

[avvenalaf]

Pure depression after that result.
TBH im just sick to me teeth of watching constant ****e game in game out, non stop muck, no organisation or game plan of any note which is Cookes responsibility.
Then no heart, determination, drive or urgencey among the players bar 2 or 3 which is the players fault.
Im sick of it all, I dont think Cooke should be fired because primarily who will replace him that could steer us clear right now?
Also we must give him some leeway after what he achieved last season but that is running out soon and I fear when it finally does run out so will our existence in this league.
When we brought in the likes of Holmes and Parkhouse etc at the start of the season and we were getting muck results and we heard the old cliche, give the time etc etc.
Now we all know what happened to that batch of players, they just didnt cut it or perform and we are hearing the same crap now for this new group of lads.
And ya know what we will be hearing the same tripe of give them time etc etc until we are relegated.
Im just sick of this never ending ****e, I dont know what to do, I certainly dont think sacking Cooke will solve it, but we are in a quagmire and sinking like a stone.
We need a miralce, im already resiging myself to the Discover Ireland League.
A sad time to be a Rovers fan. :(


This post is a mess of contradictions - and I agree with most of them but I fail to see how sacking Cook won't improve matters. From what I hear, we have a drinking club with a football problem.

[Rovers1]

I fail to see how sacking Cook won't improve matters.

What the holy christopher is sacking Cook gonna do?

Bring the club into even more turmoil than it is now! We'd have to pay him off in one big fee (yeah, we can afford that :rolleyes:) Where would that leave us then? Players would want to leave, crowds WILL dwindle even more. We'd be even more screwed, and disorientated than we are now!

Sacking Cook IS NOT the answer! :mad:

[sligofan4ever]

What the holy christopher is sacking Cook gonna do?

Bring the club into even more turmoil than it is now! We'd have to pay him off in one big fee (yeah, we can afford that :rolleyes:) Where would that leave us then? Players would want to leave, crowds WILL dwindle even more. We'd be even more screwed than we are now!

Sacking Cook IS NOT the answer! :mad:

The players form and performances would sink even lower if Cook goes now too.

[Da Real Rover]

This post is a mess of contradictions - and I agree with most of them but I fail to see how sacking Cook won't improve matters. From what I hear, we have a drinking club with a football problem.
Who do you think could replace Cooke and steer us clear at this moment in time?
TBH I think it would only be throwing fuel on the fire and make the team and its results degenerate even faster than they are, if thats even possible.

[SligoBrewer]

For those who wanna sack Cook, get real. It won't solve a thing.

Alright, the players need to stop on the sauce, it doesn't take a genius to figure that out. But the players should have taken it on themselves to have a proper diet in order to perform. From when they get up, to when they sleep, their lifestyle needs to be examined. These (for the most part) are full-time professionals. Their whole lives should be dedicated to our club. Their fitness is appalling. We crumble after an hour in EVERY game. Just look at the times the goals went in against Derry and Dundalk.

They also need to cop the **** on on the pitch. For their first goal, noone went out to Stewart on the byline. He had 5 seconds to get the ball to Scullion, is it any wonder we went 1 down? That was playground stuff, never mind under 12's. I'm shocking at football, but you still don't leave a top class player like that with space.

Brush, Blinkhorn, Peers and Boco are without blame. Marshall too, and he should have been on from the start last night.

We need to weather this out, and get the players named above re-signed til after the end of the season. Those five players are our future.

[avvenalaf]

Look, I don't want the man sacked for the sake of sacking him but the facts are that this team is in grave danger of going down. This is a full time professional outfit who could finish below three part time outfits. Now who is going to carry the can for that? Vincent Nally? Eddie McCullogh?. If we were playing Man United in the Champions League at the Showgies and went 3 1 up after ten minutes of the second half, I would expect the team to be managed competently enough to hold out for a win. If what the manager is saying/doing day in day out is no longer ringing bells for these guys, then what do you do? Maybe it would be better if these half hour in the dressing room sessions were held before the game rather than after it.
Nobody likes to see the home team booed off the pitch but if they don't produce a cup win at the weekend, there will soon be no one there to either boo or applaud them off. That's the way football support works.

[dong]

Who do you think could replace Cooke and steer us clear at this moment in time?


Inside Man.:D

[red_away]

[QUOTE=avvenalaf;1210477]Look, I don't want the man sacked for the sake of sacking him but the facts are that this team is in grave danger of going down. This is a full time professional outfit who could finish below three part time outfits. Now who is going to carry the can for that? Vincent Nally? Eddie McCullogh?. QUOTE]

I still dont see what this will achieve - sacking cook?

No one and i repeat no one has stated a relevant replacements name!
We cant afford to break cooks contract!
The players do seem to respect the man and in management that is vital
After cook is sacked there is no guarantee of the 'positive' bouce effect...ask newcastle utd supporters!

We just need to work harder, prepare better, be organised - Sacking at this stage is not the answer - there are two many members on this forum looking for vindication rather than being constructive.

For the record when the season is over and hopefully we are still in the premier division - i dont care who goes or stays - as long as next season we are in the PD!

[brianw82]

What is all this talk of a 'drinking culture' at the club? Is this just rumours or is there any truth to it?

[Da Real Rover]

What is all this talk of a 'drinking culture' at the club? Is this just rumours or is there any truth to it?
Some definite truth in it.

[SligoBrewer]

Some definite truth in it.

Unless it's non-alcoholic booze with a massive placebo effect.

[rovers100%]

i dont think anyone really wants to sack cook we all just saying maybe he is not as good as we thought he was. cook seems to be a very good offensive tactician and manager but a brutal defensive one. i still think he is a good manager just some of his signings and decision making during matches is very poor. if we manage to stay up paul would have to see we need a bit if bite around the pitch and maybe address that issue next year. we know our strengths are attacking so give us a few better ventral midfielders and defenders and again next year we can challenge for europe. we have got to have faith till the season is out and if relegated cross that bridge when it comes cos transfer window is over and a change of manager now would guarantee division 1 football next year. its a vicious circle the problem we have

[brianw82]

so give us a few better ventral midfielders and defenders

Might need a few dorsal midfielders and defenders to balance them out. :p

[rovers100%]

typo error i promise i can spell centril..............:D

[srfc1928]

[
We just need to work harder, prepare better, be organised
agree with you there redaway
obvious stuff but it doesnt seem to be happening.
Its time for the players to step up to the mark,
they are well looked after by the club especially when you see the antics that go on at other LOI clubs, its payback time.

this isnt a criticism, but some of them seem to take being a professional footballer for granted,
they dont seem to grasp how fortunate they are that they dont have to crawl out of bed tomorrow morning at 6 or 7 to go to a real job.
Its time for some of them to grow up

[bigredtruck]

they dont seem to grasp how fortunate they are that they dont have to crawl out of bed tomorrow morning at 6 or 7 to go to a real job.
Its time for some of them to grow up[/QUOTE]

so true, maybe thats what is needed, if they were made to turn up for training at 8am it might cut down on the time spent celebrating in "high street" pubs and clubs when they get beat, more discipline needed from players and manager alike.

[Rovers fan]

If the rumours are true about the training and drinking Cook a

That's the worst thing about this whole mess imho. It's infuriating what's going on.

We need peers back. I know he's not jesus christ, but he will definitely shore up our defense. There is no doubt in my mind we would have beaten dundalk if peers was there, and I'm not trying to make excuses or anything (for example, the first goal we conceded against dundalk, if peers was there there's not a hope in hell that goal would've been scored against us).

Also re the morrison abuse. It doesn't matter how good a player is, if he doesn't put the effort in it's not good enough. However, in the last few games we've seen a different morrison. He has been trying his hardest imho and he was going in for tackles against derry. We all know what he's capble of quality - mistakes and flashes of quality. I think he cost us the 4th goal last night by losing the ball but I honestly think he was trying as hard as I have ever seen.

There's no doubt about we're in a real struggle now. But I can't see how sacking cookie will do any good. People are quick to jump on the bandwagon and say how bad a manager he is. They weren't saying that last season. We've been poor this season, but we've also had are fair share of bad luck (and I know that's no excuse for our league position but it has undoubtedly contributed to our problems). We just have to hope the lads can dig us out of bother, and all we can do is stick with them. Turning on the team is going to do no good, especially as confidence is at an almighty low.

[Rovers fan]

this isnt a criticism, but some of them seem to take being a professional footballer for granted,


We're a professional club by name only imo, certainly not by practice if what I'm told is true.

[prodsc]

Just getting over the Derry performance.

What are people talking about the 'Drinking Culture' at the club?

1. Having a night out after a game with no competitive game for at least 5 days?
2.Drinking regularly and within 72 hrs of a game?

3. Or explain

I have heard these stories but nobody will tell me what they have heard or SEEN.

Curious as the fitness level has been brutal in recent games!

[CF1989]

suppose you cant really post on forum unless its 100% true

[dong]

Just getting over the Derry performance.

What are people talking about the 'Drinking Culture' at the club?

1. Having a night out after a game with no competitive game for at least 5 days?
2.Drinking regularly and within 72 hrs of a game?

3. Or explain

I have heard these stories but nobody will tell me what they have heard or SEEN.

Curious as the fitness level has been brutal in recent games!

Whatever the amount or regularity it's too much as they always fade in the last twenty minutes. If they were putting in the performances on the pitch nobody would care too much, but the fact is most of them aren't.
Heard of regular sessions on nights before training. Big sessions. Boys barely able to train the next day. I heard this from somebody who would have a fair idea and I've no reason to believe it's not true. Take it or leave it.
As I said, it would bother nobody if they were winning. We all like a drink but maybe they need to have a rethink at this stage...

[CF1989]

i think you have to say that its definatly not all the players, the impression someone might get is that everyone is out drinking the whole time. theres a few that dont and i dont think it should be portrayed as the whole squad doing it, totally unfair on those who don't imo

wouldnt have a problem with them going out on a saturday night, but thats it. all pro's would get away with that in england/wherever. cant be doing it during the week though, their payed for more than just turning up to train and play matches. they have to keep in shape themselves as full time professionals and diet right, (food and drink)

[Dixie Dean]

maybe we should join them and all drown our sorrows together :)

[dong]

i think you have to say that its definatly not all the players, the impression someone might get is that everyone is out drinking the whole time. theres a few that dont and i dont think it should be portrayed as the whole squad doing it, totally unfair on those who don't imo

wouldnt have a problem with them going out on a saturday night, but thats it. all pro's would get away with that in england/wherever. cant be doing it during the week though, their payed for more than just turning up to train and play matches. they have to keep in shape themselves as full time professionals and diet right, (food and drink)

Not all of them that's for sure. Should've said that.

[redobit]

I cant understand how a team that were 30 seconds from a cup final can put in a performance like that.

[sligoman]

Did you think Kendrick was good tonight Sligoman?Eh...
Fair enough he was terrible tonight but worse than Holmes?Can ya not read?:p

[rovers100%]

just wondering does anyone actually think we can beat derry sat nite ???

[Rovers1]

just wondering does anyone actually think we can beat derry sat nite ???

We CAN but i'm not sure if we WILL

[rovers100%]

your covering all bases there ;), sitting on the fence a little r1 !!!

[Rovers1]

your covering all bases there ;), sitting on the fence a little r1 !!!

EDIT: I've changed my mind. 2009 is our year, we WILL beat Derry and we WILL win the cup.

[Dixie Dean]

I had a feeling before tuesday that we would win one and lose one of these games. So i am going for 2-1 to rovers, we cant possibly be any worse then we were tuesday.

[Well Red]

Having endured what I have with the BOR over several weeks and the shamples that was Ireland last night I wish I was a Munster fan to at least have something to shout about. Even though Rovers would drive you crazy I could not see myself actually booing the team off the pitch. I know punters have paid good money but the opposition love it when we do that. Suggest we all suffer from loss of memory and go the the Showgrounds in a positive frame of mind and give the team all the support we can. I think we were demoted on another occasion and still won the cup. Hang in there.

[rovers100%]

in the subject of booing . ya have people who will clap off as politeness so the team think maybe we were not that bad. we constantly clap and cheer them off as we have done all season even when they were bad, bray etc. they have to be let known its not good enough and the fans are sick of it all we want is a bit of effort and cook to change what even a blindman can see is the problem. plus most people booed cook off more than the team. if cook puts out same formation with 2 central mid that wont tackle i will lose all respect for him and hope for the team !!! it all rests on cooks shoulders for me

[Rovers1]

if cook puts out same formation with 2 central mid that wont tackle

But who else do we have that Cook can put there? I'd fully expect it to be O Grady and Ryan there Saturday.

[sligoman]

I'd fully expect it to be O Grady and Ryan there tomorrow.and what about Saturday?