Let's talk about the Lincoln City game

[eastender]

we looked better with 2 willing runners up front, time to give a go 4-4-2

[Thorney]

More positives than negatives tonight. Great to see close get 45mins. Hurst and Knoyle I thought looked good when they came on. Agard put a shift in.

Biggins and molyneux still for me are not showing enough, proven by the miss on the 85th minute.

Defence looked better when faulkner came on but unsure whether Lincoln slacked off or more to do with rovers taking control, hard to assess these pjt games

[Redroy]

Not great tonight but to be expected given the changes. Hopefully Barlow, Close and Olowu got through unscathed.

[Wiltshire Exile]

Should have been 3-1…apparently Faulkner missed a sitter.

Molyneux missed the sitter.

Thanks for the correction, eastender!

[since-1969]

Winning is important when we've been so poor recently even if it's not in an important competition. I'd have played a stronger team in search of form so well happy with a win and so many rested... maybe they'll get a longer break if any of the incomings stood out.

Don’t be impressed , both sides played lesser players but we got good first goal , and a goal from 12” . But we only started to play when we scored . We need a centre forward or a proper target man . We don’t offer any threat otherwise !!

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Will be disappointing to some that we won but the second half particularly sounded more promising.

One thing I picked up from the DFP blog is

'Kyle Knoyle takes his man on and whips a cross into the six-yard box that just evades Kieran Agard"

I just wish he would try this more often. He has the pace to do it, and when he does he crosses quite well. Just needs more belief and bravery.

Good to hear Close came through 45 mins. He could provide that additional mobility and deft passing in midfield we need.

Deffo more bodies available now and can't be long before Griffiths returns too.

[Panda]

Will be disappointing to some that we won but the second half particularly sounded more promising.

One thing I picked up from the DFP blog is

'Kyle Knoyle takes his man on and whips a cross into the six-yard box that just evades Kieran Agard"

I just wish he would try this more often. He has the pace to do it, and when he does he crosses quite well. Just needs more belief and bravery.

Good to hear Close came through 45 mins. He could provide that additional mobility and deft passing in midfield we need.

Deffo more bodies available now and can't be long before Griffiths returns too.

Kyle Knoyle is first class when he does what he did tonight in that move you describe. He should be used as a swashbuckling attacking full back because firstly, he has pace to burn and can whip in dangerous balls and scare defenders and secondly, he simply cannot defend for toffee.

Pretty much the only side of Kyle Knoyle that we get is the defensive one which is why i see him as one of our worst players. Because he can't defend, he's not strong enough in the tackle, he switches off frequently and is always losing his man. Going forward however he is a different kettle of fish but he is not used in that way or he chooses not to play this way. Which basically wastes his entire footballing talent and ability IMO.

[bpoolrover]

i like knoyle but all season and last his end product was woeful when going forward, hopefully a good performance will give him confidence to repeat tonight

[Alan Southstand]

Who’d have thought that someone with a right foot could put dangerous crosses into the box from the right side? Tactical genius.

[Redroy]

Will be disappointing to some that we won but the second half particularly sounded more promising.

One thing I picked up from the DFP blog is

'Kyle Knoyle takes his man on and whips a cross into the six-yard box that just evades Kieran Agard"

I just wish he would try this more often. He has the pace to do it, and when he does he crosses quite well. Just needs more belief and bravery.

Good to hear Close came through 45 mins. He could provide that additional mobility and deft passing in midfield we need.

Deffo more bodies available now and can't be long before Griffiths returns too.

Last 20 mins were more promising, not the first half of the second half. It was a very low quality game. Hoping everyone got through unscathed.

[Jonathan]

Plenty of positives to take from the game. But I’ll be honest it’s one of those where personally I wouldn’t have really cared if we’d played terribly and lost as long as we got the fitness out of it. So on that basis I won’t make a big deal of it that we won. It tends to be a competition where losses are counted in losing runs and wins are ignored. There’s more important action coming up on Saturday.

[steve@dcfd]

If we play a right footed player on the right side of midfield we could have a number of crosses not from Knoyle and Taylor yet we play left footed Molyneux and it’s not working,

[since-1969]

If we play a right footed player on the right side of midfield we could have a number of crosses not from Knoyle and Taylor yet we play left footed Molyneux and it’s not working,

ie an ineffective John Taylor playing the left last week Doh !

[Sammy Chung was King]

There is no point players cutting inside from a wing ,if they are just clogging the central areas and not producing anything. We need crosses into the area and two strikers in there to take the opportunities. The team is crying out for 4-4-2 , you play to the strengths you have. It would suit our players. As always it’s whether the manager sees the same as the supporters.

[selby]

  There is a place for both set ups in a game. Last night we played well, even in the first half we limited their chances to very few, kept our shape and defensively were sound.
  Going forward we struggle to open up quick enough, it is not easy on the eye, and frustrating at times, but we are not playing badly, we are restricting the opposition the sort of game the Italians have won everything with mostly 1-0, but you need outstanding forwards and goal scorers to consistently win games grinding it out, something we have not got.
  Credit the manager who changed the game mid stream, recognised a change of personnel and tactically won the game, I haven't seen anyone recognising him for doing it, but I couldn't see it happening when Moore was in charge how one dimensional he was and still is.

[Panda]

Point 1: I don't want to watch a side whose gameplan it is to nullify the opposition and win 1-0. It is anti-football and boring. There are occasions where this is acceptable such as if the opposition are vastly superior in talent, quality and ability or if we go down to 10 men like at Bradford.

Under any other circumstances i want to see us attack and play positively.

Point 2: We don't often keep clean sheets and therefore that tactic is already blown away as we need more than 1 goal to win a game.

Point 3: We played far better in the last 20 and if we are able to play in that manner, why aren't we doing so most weeks? Especially at home?

[Alan Southstand]

The manager was always going to change the team for the 2nd half, wasn’t he? I’ll start crediting the manager when he stops making the same mistakes!

[selby]

  Panda, Leeds filled every stadium in the country, won the first division scoring the least goals of any championship side, and also employed the tactic of kicking the hell out of everyone they played.
  And if any team did exactly the same now and were top of the Premiership you would not get a ticket if you wanted one. you need to watch Manchester City, but don't watch Tottenham they will play like the old Leeds side in tight games fouling before the other side get started to stop the game in midfield.

[steve@dcfd]

If we play a right footed player on the right side of midfield we could have a number of crosses not from Knoyle and Taylor yet we play left footed Molyneux and it’s not working,

ie an ineffective John Taylor playing the left last week Doh !

That’s why he should play on the right he’s never been effective on the left DOh

[selby]

  We signed him to do just what he is trying to do, and what he did last season with Hartlepool with some success scoring goals cutting in from the right and hitting it with his left.
   Teams now double up on him and stop the run , the alternative is move him left or he himself adapt and take them outside which he has tried to do the last couple of games. It will come.

[tyke1962]

Set up nicely for Rovers v Barnsley in the final group game .

 

[RugbyRover]

  We signed him to do just what he is trying to do, and what he did last season with Hartlepool with some success scoring goals cutting in from the right and hitting it with his left.
   Teams now double up on him and stop the run , the alternative is move him left or he himself adapt and take them outside which he has tried to do the last couple of games. It will come.

If we get the fullback on the overlap when LM has the ball it'll add 50% to our attacking play. Signs last night that KK was up for trying it. JC & JOC reborn?

I know LM is getting some flak on here but I think he's starting to settle in. Team mates are adapting to him. I can see him being a favourite here.

[scawsby steve]

Set up nicely for Rovers v Barnsley in the final group game .

 

Yes, Tyke, and I was surprised to see that any one of the 4 teams can still qualify.

[EasyforDennis]

For me there is definitely an opportunity for Seaman to play in a midfield role. He definitely isn't a full back. I thought he was one of our better players last night. Barlow was invisible most of the game.

[danumdon]

For me there is definitely an opportunity for Seaman to play in a midfield role. He definitely isn't a full back. I thought he was one of our better players last night. Barlow was invisible most of the game.

Seaman looks like a player who can put a foot in and his swap to midfield coincided with some more forceful and better play from us, as a full back he lacks a yard and looks like he could do with some more regular football, combative and did a job unlike Ravenhill who has had some chances and has yet to forfill his undoubted potential.

It was interesting to see the midfield perform last night, as a unit they protected the defence better than what we have done of late, it was no coincidence that all, including the swaps late on in the game played at a much higher tempo, we still struggled to piece together our passes but we moved much better and closed down the space for them to attack us with.

Very good to see the return of Close and Olowu who i thought both put in performances in their differing ways. Close looked a little hesitant and was very much holding himself back but some of his passing was potentially very good, with game time this should return, his physical challenges were careful and steady, again some extra minutes under his belt will benefit him massively. Olowu looked like he's been on the weights, looked big and strong, pace was good and mistakes were notable by their absence, all being well should be pencilled in for the weekend with some additional game time.Barlow looked leaner and fit but he was very much on the periphery for all the time he was on, i don't think he touched the ball in the second half before he came off, obviously needs some game time to get back into the swing of things, i think finding his best position for him in the team is still an ongoing affair but good to see him back and on his way to full fitness.

All these additional players coming back to some sort of match fitness can do us no harm as long as the management get their game plans right.

Some progress was made last night after a steady first half culminating with managing to come back from a goal down to win would of done overall team moral a world of good too.

[ncRover]

  We signed him to do just what he is trying to do, and what he did last season with Hartlepool with some success scoring goals cutting in from the right and hitting it with his left.
   Teams now double up on him and stop the run , the alternative is move him left or he himself adapt and take them outside which he has tried to do the last couple of games. It will come.

If we get the fullback on the overlap when LM has the ball it'll add 50% to our attacking play. Signs last night that KK was up for trying it. JC & JOC reborn?

I know LM is getting some flak on here but I think he's starting to settle in. Team mates are adapting to him. I can see him being a favourite here.

Him and Hurst have the best ability in our squad to skin a defender. I agree, it’s about using him correctly.

Full backs overlapping lets LM and KH tuck in to support the main striker.

More legs in midfield gives the full backs more license to get forward.

It all comes back to the current choice ageing midfield for me.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Molyneux he did that at Hartlepool, cutting in from the wing to get shots off, as Selby pointed out. He needs to produce though, he may need time. If you play him cutting in, then for variation a winger on the other side might balance things up.

All our wingers are capable of rotating positions. We could cause the opposition problems my moving players around as our opponents think they have us worked out. I see players that are capable of that.