This season vs last season

[Chris Black come back]

Must admit to being surprised at this:

13 league games this season - 14 points
13 league games last season - 21 points

McSheffrey would get sacked after the 14th league game, a 3-0 defeat away at Carlisle.

[Peebles Rover]

But we look a way better team now

[Chris Black come back]

No way would I swap McCann for any of our recent managers. But it’s interesting that even if we win our next game, we will still be four points behind where McSheffrey was when he got sacked. It’s a funny old game Saint.

[keith79]

This season you can see the change. You can see what they are trying to do.

[Chris Black come back]

And you have to give McCann a discount due to the horror show of a treatment room:

Sterry
Long
Wood
Miller
Ravenhill
Hurst
Taylor
Maxwell
Senior
Griffiths
Lavery
Marsh
Roberts

[drfcsteve]

Easy to forget we had a half decent start to last season before it all went to pot. Bet we pick up more points the rest of this season than we did last season!

[dickos1]

It’s not surprising really.
We had a great start to last season over the first 6 games even though performances were average.
This season has been the opposite, poor results to start even though performances suggested we should be doing better

[redarmi66]

Must admit to being surprised at this:

13 league games this season - 14 points
13 league games last season - 21 points

McSheffrey would get sacked after the 14th league game, a 3-0 defeat away at Carlisle.

Last years team would be rock bottom in this years league.

[Campsall rover]

This years team would be top 4/5 last season.
It is definitely a tougher league this year.

We saw off a very poor team today.
Can only beat what is in front of you and we did.
Giving away that goal in the 99th min was disappointing.
We took our foot off the gas in last 20 mins and seemed happy with 4-0
If we had gone for it we could easily have had 6   goals today.
This team is growing in confidence game on game and it’s important we get 7 points from the next 3 games ( hopefully 9 ) but I don’t want to get greedy or even unrealistic.

Joe Ironside has been an inspirational signing.
He is the perfect centre forward to have in League 2
Faal is improving week on week and looks a proper player now.
Close is rejuvenated and looks like a player who is enjoying being here.
Molyneux looks a totally different player under McCann.
Todays formation of a flat back 4 suited him better as well. He had a licence today to get forward and attack at every opportunity.
4-3-1-2 looked really good today.

Onwards and upwards and I am confident we will be top 8 to 10 before Xmas.

[NickDRFC]

This years team would be top 4/5 last season.
It is definitely a tougher league this year.

We saw off a very poor team today.
Can only beat what is in front of you and we did.
Giving away that goal in the 99th min was disappointing.
We took our foot off the gas in last 20 mins and seemed happy with 4-0
If we had gone for it we could easily have had 6   goals today.
This team is growing in confidence game on game and it’s important we get 7 points from the next 3 games ( hopefully 9 ) but I don’t want to get greedy or even unrealistic.

Joe Ironside has been an inspirational signing.
He is the perfect centre forward to have in League 2
Faal is improving week on week and looks a proper player now.
Close is rejuvenated and looks like a player who is enjoying being here.
Molyneux looks a totally different player under McCann.
Todays formation of a flat back 4 suited him better as well. He had a licence today to get forward and attack at every opportunity.
4-3-1-2 looked really good today.

Onwards and upwards and I am confident we will be top 8 to 10 before Xmas.

I don’t think it was a flat back 4, just that Moly saw a lot more of the ball and ran with it more than Nixon. Still looked like a 3-5-2 to me.

[Campsall rover]

This years team would be top 4/5 last season.
It is definitely a tougher league this year.

We saw off a very poor team today.
Can only beat what is in front of you and we did.
Giving away that goal in the 99th min was disappointing.
We took our foot off the gas in last 20 mins and seemed happy with 4-0
If we had gone for it we could easily have had 6   goals today.
This team is growing in confidence game on game and it’s important we get 7 points from the next 3 games ( hopefully 9 ) but I don’t want to get greedy or even unrealistic.

Joe Ironside has been an inspirational signing.
He is the perfect centre forward to have in League 2
Faal is improving week on week and looks a proper player now.
Close is rejuvenated and looks like a player who is enjoying being here.
Molyneux looks a totally different player under McCann.
Todays formation of a flat back 4 suited him better as well. He had a licence today to get forward and attack at every opportunity.
4-3-1-2 looked really good today.

Onwards and upwards and I am confident we will be top 8 to 10 before Xmas.

I don’t think it was a flat back 4, just that Moly saw a lot more of the ball and ran with it more than Nixon. Still looked like a 3-5-2 to me.

Definitely a flat back 4

Bailey Anderson Olowu Nixon

[Chris Black come back]

This years team would be top 4/5 last season.
It is definitely a tougher league this year.

We saw off a very poor team today.
Can only beat what is in front of you and we did.
Giving away that goal in the 99th min was disappointing.
We took our foot off the gas in last 20 mins and seemed happy with 4-0
If we had gone for it we could easily have had 6   goals today.
This team is growing in confidence game on game and it’s important we get 7 points from the next 3 games ( hopefully 9 ) but I don’t want to get greedy or even unrealistic.

Joe Ironside has been an inspirational signing.
He is the perfect centre forward to have in League 2
Faal is improving week on week and looks a proper player now.
Close is rejuvenated and looks like a player who is enjoying being here.
Molyneux looks a totally different player under McCann.
Todays formation of a flat back 4 suited him better as well. He had a licence today to get forward and attack at every opportunity.
4-3-1-2 looked really good today.

Onwards and upwards and I am confident we will be top 8 to 10 before Xmas.

I don’t think it was a flat back 4, just that Moly saw a lot more of the ball and ran with it more than Nixon. Still looked like a 3-5-2 to me.

This is correct.

[sedwardsdrfc]

This season I’m more confident we will get into the playoffs than at any point last season. That’s the difference. Last year we were just waiting for results to match performances and then had the Schofield system or whatever he called it. All doomed to fail from the start.

This season it’s just about getting a bit of consistency and a few injuries back and you feel we can get a lot better.

[BillyStubbsTears]

This years team would be top 4/5 last season.
It is definitely a tougher league this year.

We saw off a very poor team today.
Can only beat what is in front of you and we did.
Giving away that goal in the 99th min was disappointing.
We took our foot off the gas in last 20 mins and seemed happy with 4-0
If we had gone for it we could easily have had 6   goals today.
This team is growing in confidence game on game and it’s important we get 7 points from the next 3 games ( hopefully 9 ) but I don’t want to get greedy or even unrealistic.

Joe Ironside has been an inspirational signing.
He is the perfect centre forward to have in League 2
Faal is improving week on week and looks a proper player now.
Close is rejuvenated and looks like a player who is enjoying being here.
Molyneux looks a totally different player under McCann.
Todays formation of a flat back 4 suited him better as well. He had a licence today to get forward and attack at every opportunity.
4-3-1-2 looked really good today.

Onwards and upwards and I am confident we will be top 8 to 10 before Xmas.

I don’t think it was a flat back 4, just that Moly saw a lot more of the ball and ran with it more than Nixon. Still looked like a 3-5-2 to me.

This is correct.

No chance.

Not a criticism but Molyneux was hardly ever closer to our goal than the 18 yard line.

4-4-2 all day with a very flexible middle 4.

[dickos1]

If we played 4-4-2
Who was playing left midfield?
Rowe?
He seemed to be playing centrally to me

[Pancho Regan]

It’s amusing how we all watch the same game but see it differently!

Of course it wasn’t a flat back four.
It was a back three of Bailey, Tom and Olowu.

Anyway, we were flexible, which was certainly helped by the fact that Sutton were very poor to be honest.

Nice to look at the scoreboard on 90 minutes and see 4-0.
The first time I’ve relaxed at a Rovers game for about 3 years, probably longer.

[Chris Black come back]

It’s amusing how we all watch the same game but see it differently!

Of course it wasn’t a flat back four.
It was a back three of Bailey, Tom and Olowu.

Anyway, we were flexible, which was certainly helped by the fact that Sutton were very poor to be honest.

Nice to look at the scoreboard on 90 minutes and see 4-0.
The first time I’ve relaxed at a Rovers game for about 3 years, probably longer.

This is also correct.

[GazLaz]

We switched from a 3 to a 4 during the game. Starting to look really fluid.

[Alan Southstand]

Spot on Gaz, as explained by the manager, in his after match interview.

[BillyStubbsTears]

If we played 4-4-2
Who was playing left midfield?
Rowe?
He seemed to be playing centrally to me

No-one was playing wide left midfield.

There's no law that says a formation has to be spatially balanced.

We had a formation that was set up primarily to attack down the right as a stock option, with Nixon getting up the left wing occasionally when space allowed.

That's not a criticism. It worked very well.

Molyneux may well have nominally been a right wing back in front of a back 3, but that's not how we operated. Molyneux was closer to a third attacker, with Bailey closer to right back than right sided centre back.

[Peebles Rover]

This season v last season. Never mind the stats, it’s just so much more enjoyable to watch. Watching the games last season was like torture!

[Colin C No.3]

Must admit to being surprised at this:

13 league games this season - 14 points
13 league games last season - 21 points

McSheffrey would get sacked after the 14th league game, a 3-0 defeat away at Carlisle.

Oh no! Are you actually saying that stats are not in fact ‘The Centre of the Universe?’

Next you’ll be telling me that No.s 4 & 5 are central defenders unless you play with wing backs in a 3 or a 5 fluidity kinda thing allowing your 3 midfield players to become 2 when attacking then reverting to a 3 in transition whilst your front 2 can drop off the opposing defenders to either offer themselves as decoys OR be in a position to receive the ball either with their back to goal OR as the midfield 2 become a 3 or the back 3 become a 5 be in a position to make forward runs in order to receive the ball from the wing backs ‘leaving’ their full back positions & becoming to all intents & purposes ‘wingers’ whereupon the 2 or even 3 midfielders can also join the attack which would give us a total of 8 attacking players & 2 defenders….No.s 4 & 5.

Who’d be a goalie eh?

Must be dead boring stood there watching all that lot pan out in front of you while all you can do is slap your gloves together & study your studs.

‘Funny old game Saint’.

[NickDRFC]

If we played 4-4-2
Who was playing left midfield?
Rowe?
He seemed to be playing centrally to me

No-one was playing wide left midfield.

There's no law that says a formation has to be spatially balanced.

We had a formation that was set up primarily to attack down the right as a stock option, with Nixon getting up the left wing occasionally when space allowed.

That's not a criticism. It worked very well.

Molyneux may well have nominally been a right wing back in front of a back 3, but that's not how we operated. Molyneux was closer to a third attacker, with Bailey closer to right back than right sided centre back.

I’d agree with this, like I said in my original reply Moly was far, far more advanced than Nixon and Bailey moved over to support that. What I wouldn’t say is that it was a structural shift from how we’ve set up previously.

[Campsall rover]

If we played 4-4-2
Who was playing left midfield?
Rowe?
He seemed to be playing centrally to me

It was a very flexible 4 across the midfield dickos. They were interchanging positions other than Molyneux who stayed on the right i think for the whole game.

It was good to see and our midfield is starting to look like a proper midfield at last. The understanding between them is growing. They are all good footballers at this level. Still lack a bit of physicality at times but they are all working hard and even Ben Close puts in a tackle now.
Don’t think anyone had heard of a tackle last season or even the one before.

[Colin C No.3]

I believe McCaan has said that anyone who doesn’t give total commitment including tackling back won’t be part of his squad.

[Alan Southstand]

At the moment, the manager has no option but to play who’s actually available!

[adamtherover]

At the moment, the manager has no option but to play who’s actually available!

the best 11 are currently starting more or less,   luckily theres isnt a single player who "is being carried" through games. Everyone is busting a gut and deserved their starting berth. Its gonna be a nice problem for grant tho, once hes got serious options,  could ironside, mo & miller play in the same team?, Geoerge has got some serious work to do to get in ahead of either one of them...

[dickos1]

At the moment, the manager has no option but to play who’s actually available!

Not quite,
Biggins, Broadbent and lawlor are currently chosen to be on the bench

[In the box]

But we look a way better team now

So why are still nervous away from home . Our performances are up and down , we still struggle to be more decisive infront of goal . McCann has platted saw dust with what he player's thst are fit , but unless those who are selected maintain their fitness it’s going to be nail biting all the way until May !!

[selby]

  The biggest difference is Grant has the say on players being brought in and the style of play he wants the team to play to, McSheffrey didn't and was not happy with the players he had to work with, and shall we say the interference.
  Others had the say and we ended up with a poor squad being managed by an even poorer manager. We will never know how good a manager McSheffrey would have been given his head, and we soon got to know what a poor manager Schofield was by being obstinate in his style of play and selections.
  I think McSheffrey was the right manager at the wrong time unfortunately, as the two lads before him were.  Moore left us in such a poor state non of the three had a chance especially with the interference and money constraints foisted on them and the Covid period when the club as a whole drew the draw bridge up.
   Buttler, and Mcsheffrey never stood a chance and were not given one, Wellens ruffled too many egoes and probably publicly took the wrong path with the players and some members of the board, but at the time we were a nut job and more the fault of what went before them than while they were here.