Bristol Rovers v Ipswich Town

We have picked up 1 point from the first 2 games and they were both difficult games. Wigan lost to Ipswich, Oxford lost to Sunderland. I have seen better from Rovers in the last 2 games than last season.

The acid test will be against lesser teams but I don't think we deserve to wait too long.

We don't need any more signings, I feel we must persevere with Ben while the squad gels. However, there are aspects of today I liked and didn't like.

Upson looked out of place to me, but we needed to play 3-5-2 giving us 3 in midfield to create and stop attacks. Westbrooke has far more impact in the centre.

2 up top gives their defence more to worry about and takes pressure off Hanlan.

We don't create enough chances. Yet. We were unlucky with the own goal and it being so late.

Some of our passing was slick, but Ipswich were beatable and we didn't do enough in the final 3rd.

I knew people would say we're missing Ogogo, he's not in his plans, we have to accept that, we can see why, next we'll be saying we missed Ollie Clarke..

Next week is crucial.

Do you think that anybody will come in with an offer for Ben?

If rookie manager and players are progressing correctly, we should be able to learn from this.

Lambert is an experienced manager. What he achieved with his counter attack style of football at Norwich and Villa is to be admired. In his mind his side did the right thing, kept it tight and themselves in the away match for 70 minutes, allowing him to win it from the bench. In a short period he changed personnel and switched to more aggressive press and quick counter attack tactic.

It might not have worked on another day. It could have left Lamberts team in the wrong shape and light for one of our counter attacks, allowing us to score first, leaving his team more work to do to secure just a draw. But on such successful decisions are promotions built. I agree with toteend4 As a betting man I will place money on Ipswich finishing above Sunderland this season.

we can argue, we could have seen the change Ipswich made and responded better to it. Not with change from bench, we were already in formation with back five and two holding midfielders as screen before it, though still need to react to Ipswich change, our wing backs dropping a little deeper and narrower to be goal side of attacks; with threat of speedy counter attack from the high press, midfielders less expansive and more frugal with possession.

What doesn’t help is errors. On 89 minutes we had possession and passed to our number six, who with little pressure on him fell over (go watch it through your fingers Upson) the rapid counter attack from lost possession caught out our defence. Far too lazy to blame the defence for that one, the mistake by the 6 created the goal.

"In his mind his side did the right thing, kept it tight and themselves in the away match for 70 minutes...and switched to more aggressive press and quick counter attack tactic".

Yes. DC used to have a similar approach, didn't he? Keep yourself in the game for an hour, then start to play more expansively, when the opposition is tiring. 

"What doesn’t help is errors..."

I usually take the iFollow stats with a pinch of salt, and trust what I see in the game, but two categories stood out for me:


In plain English, Ipswich were able to pass the ball to a team-mate more successfully than Rovers. 
Ipswich were almost as successful at doing that when closing in on Rovers' goal.
Rovers were noticeably less successful with their passing as they moved further up the pitch.

70 minutes in with some resilent defending, even with a rookte manage we were in good shape.

Back at school the chess team were missing a player and i had never played the game in my life. I was given a crash course and joined the chess team in a match at Sidcup School. I played surprizingly well and was in a winning position -I then got 'mugged' by the more experenced opposition and the game ended in a draw, i did not know about the statemate but learned a lesson that day and it never happened again.

Their first goal was a mistake apparently, and could have been avoided if the cameraman had focused on the live action instead of showing us a replay!

BG is getting there hes now talking the talk with a few more games under his belt and another striker will suffice for this season. Then when we get our 'twelth man' back the promotion push can begin.

UTG

What a rubbish effort from Hanlon, with that good chance he had. About as much natural killer instinct as a kitten.Reminiscent of Nicholls,who by the way scored yesterday.

Haha!
I'm talking about that chance,our only real chance was it?
In the scenario we continue to create only 2 or 3 a game,he better get cracking.

Until the start of this season, I'd not watched a full match with Garner in charge.

Having dragged myself out of bed at 2:00 am for the last three games I feel uninspired, demotivated, pessimistic, frustrated... and tired.

I won't be doing that again until performances improve. (With or without BG)


OK, that's just the online ramblings of a Gashead at the arse end of the world but I doubt I'm alone.

I thought that freekick by Westbrooke that whizzed across the noses of 2 of our players was at least as good a chance