2nd Leg -your thoughts on Bohs

**Shelsman** · 07/08/2003, 12:58 PM

I thought Crowe was anonymous again, Robbie Doyle had a lot more about him. We've seen Crowe being muscled off the ball before ( FAI Cup Final last year ) and the same happened last night. Crowe is a fantastic finisher, but that's where his game starts and finishes.

Rutherford was useless.

Damien Lynch, as I said before, is terrific on the ball but is a catastrophe in defence. Kenny should move Heary to right back and bring in another of his centrebacks.

Hunt had a good game but Caffrey faded in the second half.

Ryan did OK.

The big difference between the sides was the physical size and strength, but more telling was the speed at which Rosenborg broke continuosly through the match, the Bohs midfield couldn't keep up and as a result the Bohs defence was dragged out of position. Rosenborg were far superior technically also but Bohs were still very good in their own right.

Kenny needs to progress in Europe: a new (top class) left winger, a top central midfielder he can bring on if needed ( no-one to push Hunt and Caffrey ), a top striker ( the subs they had were no good, Keegan is a good eL player but has nothing to offer at European level ). A top centreback if he is not happy with the others in the squad as Heary should be playing at right back.

**A face** · 07/08/2003, 1:20 PM

One thing about the other night and last night ... they were found out and didn't have any thing more tricks. They were shut out completely last night.

Rutherford was poor enough alright
Crowe, not a peep.
Wee Bobby .... not strong enough i thought, well marked.
Hawkins did well.
Lynch was only fair.
Hunt was good.

Didn't like the lack of tracking back towards the end ... thought the flood gates would open at one stage.

**Peadar** · 07/08/2003, 1:33 PM

Originally posted by A face
One thing about the other night and last night ... they were found out and didn't have any thing more tricks. They were shut out completely last night.

That's pretty much it really.
Kenny was a bit foolish to play the same team again.
Rutherford just isn't up to it at that level.
Crowe had to come deep to get a touch because the service to the forwards was again terrible.
Someone must have told Bobby Ryan that he held onto the ball for too long last week because he did the exact opposite last night. Sometimes it seemed that he was just playing the pass for the sake of it. The defence did well in patches but that's not enough at this level. Fergal Harkin is the best player in the Bohs squad for getting the ball into the box. Maybe Kenny felt that the Borgs were too big at the back to employ that tactic but to me their backs were nervous when tested. A few more crosses whipped in when the score was 0-0 and who knows what might have happened. I thought RT� did a good job and it felt like a European Football night.

**wws** · 07/08/2003, 1:46 PM

Originally posted by Peadar
their backs were nervous when tested. A few more crosses whipped in when the score was 0-0 and who knows what might have happened.

thats the nub of it for me, ppl keep banging on about how good Rosenberg are but put simple if you dont test a team in the final third than you will never know how good they are. Bohs really frustrated me in both ties because far from being unable to compete v this mythically advanced rosenberg (who i dont fancy v depor) they were able to enjoy very decent possession for the first 30 mins in trondheim and in Dublin yet seemed incapable of pinging one decent ball across the box or even a tester to stretch the RBK cover

they were a little better in trondheim in the first half in this regard but its just a simple fact of life that niether bohs as a whole or crucially glen crowe are in anything like good form at present in the eircom league and at the end of the day they cant be expected to suddenly raise it v better teams when they're not doing well at home

also it has to be said that rutherford is not worthy of a place

**De Town** · 07/08/2003, 5:36 PM

The goal just before 1/2 time was the killer. They were doing fairly well up untill that. They had to take any chances they got in front of goal to have a chance of going through but they didn't. Great effort but wern't good enough.

**pete** · 08/08/2003, 9:21 AM

Rosenborg must be one of the strongest teams i've ever seen. They were clearly playing to a specific tactic in the 1st leg & well within themselves.Was amazed Rutherford lasted so long in the 1st leg & very surprised he played the 2nd leg. Never rated Lynch as he goes awol in defense. While Doyle can be good in flashes he more style than substance.

Crowe was very poor in both games & could be a while before he makes it back to the international squad.

I fancy Rosenborg to beat Deportivo (spanish season not starting til last weekend in august) & just shows how naive people were talking about playing Deportivo at Landsdowne.

I remembered Strand was a class act agaisnt Shel$ a couple of years ago & seemed just as good in the 2nd leg.

Was amazed the way Rosenborg never relaxed in the 2nd half driving on from midfield time after time.

**Shelsman** · 08/08/2003, 12:42 PM

Originally posted by A face
Didn't like the lack of tracking back towards the end ... thought the flood gates would open at one stage.

I thought they did?

**Shelsman** · 08/08/2003, 12:44 PM

Originally posted by Peadar
Kenny was a bit foolish to play the same team again

Yes, but the problem at Bohs is that they have no serious strength in depth. They have 13 very good players and that's it. Shels have a much better squad / bench.

**Slash/ED** · 08/08/2003, 4:41 PM

He had options though, there's no way he should have gone in with two attacking wingers again, it left the central mid field with far to much to do, with Rutherford off and Harkin on, both legs, they finally looked like creating something. I'd of loved to have seen how that team would have done from the start.

**d13bohs** · 08/08/2003, 6:46 PM

Agree with a lot of what is said, however, before his substitute appearance in the first leg, Harkin has been awful in every game he has played this season so it would have been a risk to start him. The reason why Heary isn't playing at right-back is because our defense was too flat and not composed enough before he got into the team, since he started playing beside Hawkins our defence has improved a hell of a lot (not that you'd know from our 2nd half performance

) I think we let Toccy go to Dublin City a year too early, Lynch has improved from his horrendous start to the season but he still doesn't inspire confidence. I woyuld like to see Paul McNally tried out at right back (if he's ever fir again) Most people on the Bohs mb reckon the three ares we need to strengthen are right back, central midfield and the left wing because we have too many players of the same standard like Morrison, Harkin, Caffrey, Lester etc etc

On the game itself, we matched Rosenborg for the first half without seriously threatening them but I feel that if we had got to half-time at 0-0 we would have made a far better game of it in the second half, when we let the goal in 6 minutes into the second half a lot of our players gave up. Have to admit that Kelly made some great saves, I have been one of his biggest critics but he has played excellently since coming back into the team.

Now to concentrate on winning our 3 games in hand and putting together a 2001-style run to catch up on and overtake $h�l$.....