LoI Matches 12th/13th November 2021

**Buller** · 15/11/2021, 3:07 PM

Originally Posted by ontheotherhand

He's been poor enough. I'm not sure he knows what kind of footballer he is anymore. For a while he was trying too hard to score and it was dragging him out of position and leaving Gary O'Neill with two jobs to do. We got exposed at the back because of that. Now he has become a bit of a headless chicken. Shows glimpses of ability but hasn't really done much of note.

Yeah agreed! I remember him playing for Dundalk as a winger where he was far more comfortable than floating around center mid. Farrugia was played as a winger at UCD and adapted very well by working on his defending and slotting in at Wingback. Couldn't see Towell in that position. He has so much ability, I just dont think our system suits him.

**Nesta99** · 15/11/2021, 5:17 PM

Really? He may have played on the right side of a 3 midfield but dont recall him playing on the wing. His real strength was arriving in to the attacking areas late and so was a prolific goal scorer from midfield. He brought energy and drove the team on and was very mobile so he may have popped up on the wing but I dont think he started out wide unless he was covering an injury to one of the wingers!?

**oriel** · 15/11/2021, 7:05 PM

Originally Posted by Buller

Yeah agreed! I remember him playing for Dundalk as a winger where he was far more comfortable than floating around center mid. Farrugia was played as a winger at UCD and adapted very well by working on his defending and slotting in at Wingback. Couldn't see Towell in that position. He has so much ability, I just dont think our system suits him.

Richie T never played on the wing for Dundalk, maybe right side once in an emergency, but almost every game central, attacking role.

**Buller** · 16/11/2021, 8:36 AM

I stand corrected! Always used to think he played Right Wing for Dundalk going by players and crossing. Daryl Horgan played left wing?! ...
I'll let myself out.

**Bunny Kelly** · 16/11/2021, 11:37 AM

I hated the Rovers signing of Towell, signing players over 25 returning from England always seems such an expensive mistake. Andy Boyle, Chris Forrester are other examples, those two may have been better this season but are they worth their contracts?

Rovers best signings of the last few years have largely been hoovering up the best young talent with potential & if they keep doing that they will be hard to stop, as opposed to overpaying wages on players with their best years behind them.

They should be going after the likes of Colm Whelan over the likes of a Rory Gaffney, all signing can fail but if you click with the young talent there is also money to be made

**WeAreRovers** · 16/11/2021, 1:07 PM

Gaffney's been outstanding this season, Joey O'Brien leaves as a club legend with medals galore, plus I'm confident that Towell will come good next season with a rest and then a full pre-season - he's a deep-lying playmaker now, not an attacking midfielder.

In other words each signing stands on its own merits, some work, some don't, there's no hard and fast rule. Rovers will always need to make experienced signings as part of the mix as our best young players will be sold - Bazunu, Scales, and now likely Mandriou.

Hopefully Whelan will come in and then we'll flog him in a couple of years for a decent fee after he wins some trophies - that mix of experience and youth is our business model and it works.

**Bunny Kelly** · 16/11/2021, 1:53 PM

Originally Posted by WeAreRovers

Gaffney's been outstanding this season, Joey O'Brien leaves as a club legend with medals galore, plus I'm confident that Towell will come good next season with a rest and then a full pre-season - he's a deep-lying playmaker now, not an attacking midfielder.

In other words each signing stands on its own merits, some work, some don't, there's no hard and fast rule. Rovers will always need to make experienced signings as part of the mix as our best young players will be sold - Bazunu, Scales, and now likely Mandriou.

Hopefully Whelan will come in and then we'll flog him in a couple of years for a decent fee after he wins some trophies - that mix of experience and youth is our business model and it works.

I totally agree the mix of balance of youth & experience is what you need & by an large rovers have managed it really well, but in the last 12 months or so it has felt like they have gone for more experience over youth. Gaffney & McCann are players who are more than fine but ideally you don't want too many players on the tail end of their career when you already have the experience covered through Mannus, Finn & plenty others.

I look at Ajax as a model for someone like Rovers could be, they have the senior players but also make sure they dont have too many to stifle the chances for younger players coming through, having McCann over a Nugent maybe as 4th choice isn't really necessary for the clubs long term development

**WeAreRovers** · 16/11/2021, 2:17 PM

It's a balancing act and you need to be constantly aware of the age profile but we wouldn't have won the league without Gaffney this season. Emakhu has come in and done brilliantly recently without a heap of pressure on his shoulders and hopefully will be able to step up next season.

Same for McCann who, while not as influential as Gaffney, has provided much needed experience in the run in - see the Bohs 1-1 draw in Tallaght, he turned that game in a way a Darragh Nugent probably couldn't just yet.

Six academy players made their senior debuts this season, judging the right time to introduce younger players is one of the many things Bradley has got right again and again.