Absolutely. That’s as depressing a night as I can remember in a long time. Completely out played and outfought. Think the selection was all wrong too. Playing without full backs was crazy.Quote:
Originally Posted by sbgawa
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Absolutely. That’s as depressing a night as I can remember in a long time. Completely out played and outfought. Think the selection was all wrong too. Playing without full backs was crazy.Quote:
Originally Posted by sbgawa
Will be interesting.to observe how each of them deals with their own mini crisis , as neither even in the best of times come accross as being the most rational of individuals…. As for Rovers now we have a full squad fit and available we’re in a great place and Bradley continues to do a brilliant jobQuote:
Originally Posted by Kiki Balboa
Not surprised at the win. Pats were poor, and have been for the last month. I think they were due a hiding, and Anang going walkabout for the first helped start It. It was a canter for Rovers really. Maybe this will be a serious wake-up call for Pat's?Quote:
Originally Posted by sbgawa
That a was a fairly drab one in Tolka. Shels are getting into the habit of having plenty of possession but not doing much with it (67% tonight).
I blame you for this.Quote:
Originally Posted by ger121
I thought Pats were decent enough in possession for large parts of the first half and were unlucky not to have scored one, looked a stonewall peno on Melia just before half time. Too soft defensively though and rovers sucker punched them twice, the rovers attack vs the pats defence was like a hot knife through butter and that continued through the second half which was absolutely pants stuff from Pats both with and without the ball. Need to sort themselves out quickly and get back on track with 2 wins in the next 2 at home to Waterford and away to Sligo which on paper are winnable games but equally won’t actually turn out to be easy as with most games in this league
Are we genuinely comparing full time Dundalk with more staff than some clubs have players with a Longford side who haven't a pot to **** in and have brought in a bunch of lads who've barely played LOI before?Quote:
Originally Posted by ThirdManRun
You're right though, the league is littered with young players. Bray massively over achieving but they still have the likes of Cantwell knocking about, even Harps have the likes of Crawley and McNamee. Longford have no real established player like that in their ranks. I fully expect us to finish bottom this season tbh.
It was a massive gamble to play Power and Elbouzedi as wing backs and it just fell apart spectacularly. We were wide open to the Rovers counter every time we went forward. The thinking was obviously that we could cause them more problems by accommodating essentially 5 out and out attacking players. I’m sure with hindsight Stephen Kenny realises that it was almost a reckless gamble. Should have started with Sjoberg/ McLoughlin and Breslin. I would also have played McClelland in centre midfield alongside Lennon. We may not have won, but we would have been far more solid.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract
Just watched the Rovers V Pats highlights. Not happy viewing for Pats fans. Burke's long range goal in particular would drive me insane. It seemed like he was jogging with the ball, certainly not going full pelt at least, and there was no Pats player in to put a tackle on him until he was just about to pull the trigger. Also think Anang could have done better but with the angle we have it's hard to be certain on that front. But they just looked like a team who was tired and Rovers looked significantly fitter than them. With Europe on the horizon Pats will have to hope their fitness levels improve otherwise it could be a quick exit from Europe after it had served to galvanise them last season. If Rovers can keep their players fit through Europe they have to be hot favourites to win the league. That is of course a big if as they do have a few injury prone and aging players in their squad.
Mad that Pat's ended last season with 11 straight wins. Serious collapse in form there when with a full pre-season you'd have expected them to kick on
Jinxed us there. Cawley gone. We're down to McNamee and the perennially injured Tourish!I knew the young lads would get a good run this season but didn't think how vital the 16/17 year olds would become. People complained for years how we had no young players, I assume they are thoroughly enjoying this season!!Quote:
Originally Posted by outspoken
Yeah big time, even when they switched to a back 4 at 3-0 down, it was McClelland and Elbouzedi at left and right back until Breslin was brought on at left back and McClelland moved into midfield, then McLaughlin came on at centre mid. Mad stuff really when there was 2 natural left backs and 2 natural right backs on the bench. The shape of the team was absolutely all over the place with way too many square pegs in rounds holes.Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyD
One interesting thing to note for anyone that didn’t see the game was, Ed McGinty had an indirect free kick awarded against him late enough in the game for holding the ball in his hands for too long. In the thousands of football games I’ve watched I’m pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve ever seen the rule enforced. Utterly typical that it would be awarded while my team were 4-0 down :)
My heart was in my mouth then. Even the (only?) replay looked like a foul too. 2-1 might have been different as Pats had momentum either side of half time. Goals change games though, the old cliche. There was an element of fortune in all four Rovers goals: crazy goalkeeping, deflection and two slightly fortunate ricochets that landed perfectly for Rovers. We got a bit lucky at Waterford too with the McMullan error and the late bobble as the ball eluded his dive, but I think it shows though that if Rovers cut out the dumb errors we're a good team. Things are starting to click and the quick one touch football at times last night (just look at the full build up to Greene's goal..) was a marked difference from the slow, sideways passing evident in the first ten games or so.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract
Grant is growing in confidence, it was great the see Clarke back and Byrne is playing his best ball since his outstanding season a few years ago. But lads, Cory O'Sullivan, what a player.
I am the Cooler.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack B
A good win for Rovers but bigger challenges await as derry look like they could challenge for the title this season.
Rovers have enough emerging young players that talk of an ageing squad has no merit.
With McGovern set to join in June it may see gaffney offloaded to galway I'd wager,but assuming McGovern can get up and running it should strengthen Rovers.
We have the best players in the league so we should be top, and we are. Long way to go in the season tho, especially if Grace's injury keeps him out for any sustained period - Him and Redmond are best defenders in the league imo.
Finally,duff is an embarrassment and will no doubt jump before he's pushed, blaming all and sundry for not aspiring to his supposed high standards. He won a mickey mouse standard league last year but is getting found out now
Quote:
Originally Posted by placid casual
I'd love to believe this, but I think Derry's (and everyone else's) title push ends on Friday night when Rovers put three past them. Derry look so fragile to high balls into on top of or in front of Maher, and I think Shamrock Rovers, despite being a "good footballing side" are too canny to look a gift horse in the mouth. They're professional enough that they'll be happy to batter that six yard box and head off down the road with three points without having had to play for them.
Yeah, this summed it up for me really. Lennon normally is the only one doing any of the hard yards in midfield so you know you've a problem when he's the one you could point the finger at too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Another Bohemia
If you only went off the balance of play/chances it probably didn't seem a 4-0 game but I don't think it was a particularly unfair scoreline. Rovers were in third gear and were ultimately always going to be too powerful over the course of the game. I think there's talent in the squad but it's ultimately too soft, mentally and physically. The likes of Mulraney have brittle confidence at the best of times, but there's just not enough athleticism and/or physicality to not get bullied in games like that.
Have to say, if it is actually true that we could have signed Adam O'Reilly but opted for Baggley instead (may not be, but was said at the time) then deary me. Not to pile on a player but he sort of sums us up this season thus far and has provided next to nothing. A soft touch off the ball and probably our least progressive midfielder on it, when that is meant to be a strength of his game.
Pat's last night reminded me a lot of how Bohs looked early in the season when Pat's beat them 3-0.
I know Pat's are down two mid fielders , but some of the midfield and defensive cover from them was shocking.
Rovers strolled through them and will win 60 -70% of their remaining matches and walk away with the league.
Derry should be second
Pat's,Bohs,Dogs and Shels battling for third.
Feeling slightly more optimistic for an unlikely Bohs third place having seen Pat's and Shels in action.
Can't stand the choontQuote:
Originally Posted by placid casual
I think embarressment is a bit of a leep to be fair.
He shows passion and speaks a lot of sense regarding the league
In terms of touchline antics he is far from the worst and not approaching Kevin Doherty levels of antics
His biggest fault is probably a refusal to see fault in himself or his players in a them and us mentality but then he learned under Jose Mourniho so what do we expect
I reckon he has been good for the league
I think that he's been very good for the Shels & for the league. I hope he stays.Quote:
Originally Posted by sbgawa