Rovers v Cheltenham Town (EFL Cup Match Day Thread)

Not a game any of us expected to win surely and a good time for players to get minutes ahead of the proper game on Saturday.

Why not?

Plenty of talk of promotion so this should be a good indicator against a team who have just got out of the 4th tier.

If anything they should take their foot off of the pedal as the League should be their priority. Anything other than victory tonight isn't acceptable.

0-2. This is not the start to the season we wanted or expected, cup game or not.

i wasn’t wrong about the tactics Barton used to take us to the bottom.  He actually used 4 at back a lot at Fleetwood, and started that here.  When he he switched to five at back and two up, we spent so long in 5 4 1 out of ball shape, at end of game we hadn’t created enough decent openings so felt like rarely gave it a good go.  Identical to the mistake Southgate made changing his tactic to 3 CB for final, we spent so much time without ball in 5 4 1, we wasted an opportunity.  To have gone 2.0 would have won it.  Security from 3 CB is a fools gold these days.  It worked in 90’s, 5 3 2, but had been sussed out, primarily by taking possession close to your defensive line.  Football in the 2020s has more pressing, roles like defensive forward and advanced ball winner is simply press, don’t even expect goals from them, this means football today is more sterile, less space means less fun, and flair players need a skill at finding space more than any other time in football history.  

However, as well as saying likes of Hughes and Couts and Pitman are a class apart from anything we had last season, the management team have started with more of a toe to toe mindset.  No 3 CB at Mansfield.  We concede from a corner, keeper error, leaving two up.  If we are going to continually pick up points, this is the mindset we need to stick with. 

tonight though means nothing.  Look at the side out, Kilgour at full back etc. Tonight’s performance and result cannot be added to bigger picture.    

However, Exeter away apart, the coming league games against sides tipped to struggle we should be showing the creating, scoring, winning side of our game. Early though it is, if we struggle to hurt and beat Stevenage, it will be time to frown.  

Shots on Target.NIL!!!!!!!!

I don’t agree.  I was even hoping you would say that possession is defender safe passing to defender not hurting them.   

Possesion is good in modern game because it means transition.  

say you are stuck in 5 4 1 without ball, struggling to keep ball, you can only get going by holding the ball long enough to change shape.  In the case of euro final, it was only Rice used as screen the whole tournament who was holding the ball long enough for team to transition, and that wasn’t nearly long enough for the 3 4 3 attacking shape that, with a bit of possession and overloading can set about the opponent.   

football these days is more sterile, the focus on press and looking for space, the times you hurt your opponents come from possesion allowing you out your defensive shape, through transition to a shape you can get players in space on the ball.   

this is not Saturdays team or tactic.  

Though after these two games it is time for us a highly tipped side to show offensive capabilities home against Unfancied Stevenage 

Oh fek... giving up without a fight...again.

Seems to be the story of BRFC for the last 2 or 3 seasons.

I'm just tired and over it all.

There seems no way out given we have an owner with severe limitations and a caustic manager.

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