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League Two Gillingham (2) v Rovers (1)

I'd say it was still part of the set play "phase".
Disappointing the Keeper couldn't attempt to take control by getting his hands on the ball in both cases. He is a giant after all. I would have sent him up for the corners in the last couple of mins.
Negru got a decent head on it for the first, but nobody was close enough to close the bloke down who put the ball back in. The scorer was offside, but it shouldn't have come back in to start with.
The signings are an improvement, with Obiero and Negru markedly so. Warrington was steady and enabled Finley to do some nice stuff.
 
Higgy said:
I'd say it was still part of the set play "phase".
Disappointing the Keeper couldn't attempt to take control by getting his hands on the ball in both cases. He is a giant after all. I would have sent him up for the corners in the last couple of mins.
Negru got a decent head on it for the first, but nobody was close enough to close the bloke down who put the ball back in. The scorer was offside, but it shouldn't have come back in to start with.
The signings are an improvement, with Obiero and Negru markedly so. Warrington was steady and enabled Finley to do some nice stuff.
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Been a long evolution asking a 35 year old to come and play sitting midfielder with just one player to his right. It was always asking for trouble. To sit you need an odd number in the unit.
We now have the more mobile Warrington sat between two and Obiero seemed to gain more positional sense as the game went on.
I'd start next with the same outfield side which says something.
By my reckoning we had two who couldn't get on the bench with a couple of it of no real use. Dennis needs to be used to cover whits or left midfield now. The idea of hitting him from long should have died in the summer!!
Unless injuries prevail, Crosby needs to sort his subbing out. If it doesn't improve us leave alone. Most of the time he makes us worse
 
dollar'sbloke said:
Unless injuries prevail, Crosby needs to sort his subbing out. If it doesn't improve us leave alone. Most of the time he makes us worse
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Yes, I agree and this was also covered post match when Derek quizzed him on Obiero and Plant going off but Crosby is simply terrified of any more injuries and is erring on the side of caution. It's been a huge problem for him this season. I can understand it in a way but when you're 2-0 down, maybe not so much.

Looking back at the game yesterday, I was actually somewhat optimistic at the end of it. Yes, it was another defeat but they played some good football and it was enjoyable to watch for periods. I think if they continue to play in that manner we will start picking up points soon. However, they simply have to cut out the errors at the back if they want to start winning games. Some of it is schoolboy stuff and we have given away too many poor goals this season.
 
Ian said:
Yes, I agree and this was also covered post match when Derek quizzed him on Obiero and Plant going off but Crosby is simply terrified of any more injuries and is erring on the side of caution. It's been a huge problem for him this season. I can understand it in a way but when you're 2-0 down, maybe not so much.

Looking back at the game yesterday, I was actually somewhat optimistic at the end of it. Yes, it was another defeat but they played some good football and it was enjoyable to watch for periods. I think if they continue to play in that manner we will start picking up points soon. However, they simply have to cut out the errors at the back if they want to start winning games. Some of it is schoolboy stuff and we have given away too many poor goals this season.
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Patrick should have challenged or even won the header back in for the first but the lad appeared offside anyway. The second was the keeper just not getting involved, we have dealt with an olympian number of corners in recent matches. I'd guess the ones well below us defend more poorly.
Crosby needs to stick to basics and certainly not worry about injuries that would be like cancelling training because of them. You just battle on.
Taking Ironside off just reduces our options and still does we have no speed or physicality to mix things up. Not sure what Dickov was trying to do a bit like Obiero in the first half, but Dennis could do a competent job on the left of Warrington and has a pass.
The keeping issue should be plain to all now without Luke or Joe we are diminished and replacing them is just not possible in the short term.
Looking at the table, I doubt Harrogate can catch us even now and looks like four teams will struggle to get 40 points.
onwards
 
bigmart said:
We desperately need an organiser and leader at the back a McNulty type of player
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Yes, or a manager and coaching staff capable of drilling the basics into the current crop of players. I think Smith, Brough, Negru etc could be organised into a reasonable back line with better coaching.
 
My first Rovers away game of this season and while the outcome wasn't what we wanted, it was an improvement on the last 3 times I saw us at home. Probably worth a draw in this match, but we definitely need to stop the rot and get some points in the next couple of matches.

Of the new recruits Obiero was the stand out, contributed to our attacking play and linked well with Whitaker and Patrick. Negru won a number of headers and was steady at the back. Warrington was a big improvement over Smallwood in midfield and less likely to give the ball away in stupid positions. Plant was good in an attacking sense, but prone to the odd slip defensively. Dickov showed some nice touches, but looked more like a midfielder than a striker on this showing.

I think some of the criticism of Marosi is a bit unfair. The nearside AR had already failed to call offside for a couple of Gillingham attacks, and having seen the incident again, my initial thoughts were confirmed and it should have been ruled out. Perhaps he could have rushed off his line to try and narrow the angles, but suspect the outcome would be similar. The second goal came from a free-header for Hale, where the player marking him made no attempt to jump with him or put him off. Debatable whether Marosi coming off his line initially to try and claim or punch the ball would have kept it out, given the row of large Gills players ahead of the scorer ready to attack any loose ball.

Agree that Crosby's sub strategy was a weakness. I would particularly question taking Obiero off when playing so well and bringing Lowe on while we were chasing the game. If we had to make a final sub, either McGowan for Negru, given he offers more going forward than Lowe, or Kenneh for a tiring Finley allowing for Warrington to play in a more advanced role where his ability to pick a pass could have more impact. As Negru didn't seem to be tiring particularly, maybe just leave things.
 
I think we just have to take Crosby's word when he says the subs were made to protect players from injury, given what happened to the previous loanees. The subs would not have made sense tactically.
 
dollar'sbloke said:
I think Smith is that man, but whether they listen or the ever changing personnel makes this even viable. One thing that gets overlooked an experienced keeper behind has a major impact.
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It is interesting that despite Smith being captain at Port Vale, Crosby has chosen to give Finley the armband despite some of the SWA not wanting him anywhere near the club given his past misdemeanours.
 
Sparky said:
It is interesting that despite Smith being captain at Port Vale, Crosby has chosen to give Finley the armband despite some of the SWA not wanting him anywhere near the club given his past misdemeanours.
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I agree it’s a strange one. Nathan Smith is a Port Vale legend who spent half his life at his local club and who captained them to promotion last season. He has an amazing fitness record, which thankfully has continued with us.

He was Andy’s skipper at the Vale, but at Tranmere this season we have had five different skippers but not him. I can only assume he doesn’t want the job.

In my Christmas card to my Vale supporting mate, I told him they shouldn’t have let him go. He’s been great for us and they desperately need him now.
 
Rockford's Love Child said:
I think we just have to take Crosby's word when he says the subs were made to protect players from injury, given what happened to the previous loanees. The subs would not have made sense tactically.
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Ah he must be referring to time allowed after a period of not playing, presuming our recruits haven't played much. Makes sense
 
I agree mostly with what has been written about the game. I thought some of the football we played was the best we have played in a long time, even though it was another defeat, it showed that at long last we have a team that should only get better the longer they are together, we still have problems in defence as Gillingham could easily have scored more than the off side goal and the shambles that was the second. As the game went on I thought we got better and could have easily got a draw out of the game. I was impressed with Obeiro and Warrington, who I thought played well, once they settled into the team.
 
Rockford's Love Child said:
Hard to disagree.

It is baffling that we are so poor defensively really.
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Certainly is. Not only do we have a manager who had a long football league career as a centre back, Smith has very good pedigree plus the likes of Brough and McGowan came with a good reputation at Northampton.

The loss of McGee and LOC has been massive, but even so to concede so many goals either from basic set pieces or being cut open is baffling at times. Then again, some of that will be tactical of course with the system or a lack of protection from the midfield.

Either way, regardless of any takeover, Crosby must know further defeats in the next two games at PP will seal his fate.
 
Agree that getting a grip on our defensive issues is pivotal to clawing a way out of any relegation danger.

Smith looked as good as promised by Valiants fans playing alongside Turnbull and O'Connor in a back three. As the other two disappeared for long injury absences, he has not looked as assured, though doesn't tend to go missing.
Brough probably would prefer playing as an orthodox left-back role, but as there are no other left-sided players, has to play in a back three. Norman and McGowan haven't impressed in the back three, hoping on yesterday's showing Negru might be a better fit until O'Connor's return at least.
 
The sheer amount of chopping and changing in the back line this season must be one reason for such a poor defensive record. Solid defensive units typically rely on players developing good understandings between each other as much as their individual qualities, but we haven’t really had much opportunity to get those relationships firmly established over a decent run of games.

Injuries explain a good chunk of that, although coaching, tactics and AC’s decisions over team selection will likely also be factors to some degree or other.
 
Yes as Boz suggests Brough has played most of his career as a left back or wing back. Although he has some height I don’t think he’s played left sided CB much until his spell with us. Needs must I guess
 
dollar'sbloke said:
Ah he must be referring to time allowed after a period of not playing, presuming our recruits haven't played much. Makes sense
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The fact they haven't played much doesn't negate the need to manage their minutes. Sometimes they're not up to speed fitness wise, and quite often in terms of loanees the parent club will request a limit on the minutes...
.which often makes a big difference to how much the "temporary" club have to shell out in wages. In some case - peanuts.
 
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