Let's talk about the Luton game

[drfchound]

Our starting line up midfield is very good
Whiteman, Kane, Rowe

But take one of them out and we’re struggling

Blair has played a fair number of times in there and on the whole been decent, obviously not 1st choice but very able just all about his energy rather than technical ability. Anderson deserves a chance before we say he’s not good enough too!

We also have Crawford if we’re talking overall depth too

And Coppinger, he is more of a midfielder than a forward isn’t he?

He is but we’re playing him in the front 3.
I’d still be swapping him and Blair around

He didn’t play in a front 3 last week or this week Dickos though. We played a very fluent 4 across the middle last week and a diamond for most of the match today.

We changed at half time today cause we were struggling.
I get why we play coppinger there and Blair in midfield because they constantly interchange and swap. Which makes us flexible and hard to deal with

That is what I was saying at the match today.

[roversdude]

Luton played some good football particularly their No17 (although he spent a lot of time looking injured), however they must practice throwing elbows about in training, how the ref didn’t get a red out I’ll never know.
Did Jones give his usual type of interview?

[Bollinger]

Luton played some good football particularly their No17 (although he spent a lot of time looking injured), however they must practice throwing elbows about in training, how the ref didn’t get a red out I’ll never know.
Did Jones give his usual type of interview?

He was more subdued than usual, but reckons they dominated, had control of the game and made the best chances but lost because they went to sleep twice.

[mattco]

Their manager's summary is largely correct and we were second best for much of the game, but Luton couldn't make it count. We have failed to win games in a similar fashion this season.

[Not Now Kato]

Luton played some good football particularly their No17 (although he spent a lot of time looking injured), however they must practice throwing elbows about in training, how the ref didn’t get a red out I’ll never know.
Did Jones give his usual type of interview?

He was more subdued than usual, but reckons they dominated, had control of the game and made the best chances but lost because they went to sleep twice.

Yep.  They could have been 4 - 1 up at half time if they could have finished.  We were largely reduced to hoofball again!

[drfchound]

Luton played some good football particularly their No17 (although he spent a lot of time looking injured), however they must practice throwing elbows about in training, how the ref didn’t get a red out I’ll never know.
Did Jones give his usual type of interview?

He was more subdued than usual, but reckons they dominated, had control of the game and made the best chances but lost because they went to sleep twice.

Yep.  They could have been 4 - 1 up at half time if they could have finished.  We were largely reduced to hoofball again!

Kato, I am struggling to remember the four clear cut chances that Luton had to go 4-1 up at half time.
Are you including long range shots that missed the target or counting corners that they floated into the box and were easily cleared.
Genuine question, no sarcasm intended.

[ravenrover]

Hoofball? I don't think that label could be attributed to Rovers this season

[scawsby steve]

It's been said many times, but if a team can win when they're not at their best, they could be heading for promotion. We showed our quality against Pompey and Posh, even though we didn't get the wins; yesterday, apart from 2 ten minute spells at the start of each half, we were pretty much outplayed by a very good team, but we dug in, did the ugly stuff, and ground out the win.

I've a feeling this is going to be a very good season for us.

[RoversAlias]

Hoofball? I don't think that label could be attributed to Rovers this season

People are mistaking lofted passes into the channels for aimless hoofs. Understandable as it happened a lot under Fergie, but you can see what we're trying to do most of the time when we put it in the air. Alfie May is doing well with them compared to last year when he played centrally in a 2 and had to compete with stationary centre halves over 6 feet tall.

[sedwardsdrfc]

if there's nothing on then a ball into the channels is a good play providing there are willing runners and your not playing it straight to the centre halves head. Last season we'd play 3 or 4 sideways passes before trying that pass which really didn't help. I don't really care if we go long or pass it out just so long as we do it with certainty and confidence thats the difference

[IDM]

If in doubt, kick it out..

There was one point in the first half where the ball was loose in our box, but lots of players around.  Andy Butler simply passed it out for a corner rather than try anything too risky..

Yes they had lots of corners but apart from one we defended them well..

Deserving to win a game can be just as much about defending resolutely against a decent side..

[sedwardsdrfc]

Nice to be able to say we defend corners well for many years we've been a team that can be undone by set plays. Still work to do but to defend so many corners before would of been unlikely

[RedJ]

Largely I agree but the defending for their goal was shite. Free header in the six yard box wasn't it?

[sedwardsdrfc]

Yeah not great but on probability with the amount of corners and free kicks coming into the box it's not bad. Individually its a bad goal but in the context its obvious we defended really well