Thanks again for doing these videos lads, it can’t be easy right now. Dark times for the football club potentially. I think that could be Goodnight Vienna though. Unless anything majorly changes in the next two months. We’ve now come to the end of a long run of winnable league fixtures that started in early January. And we have a grand total of one win to show for it. Not good enough. And two points from our last three games is a borderline scandal in itself. I agree that the players did come out and start well on Saturday - it certainly looked like we were playing to win. But soon after we scored everything went t*ts-up as we were exposed tactically. I know a lot of fans would prefer to see us play with four at the back at home, to give us the extra man in midfield and help prevent opposition attacks in the first place. But the manager seems to be having none of this. So as a compromise it looks like he stuck with the back five but decided to play a high defensive line to try and squeeze the play instead. This is suicide against a team with genuine pace. It’s not fair to expect McFadzean to have the legs to deal with balls over the top. If the manager is concerned about exposing McFadzean’s pace in a back four, then perhaps Saturday was a chance to give him a rest and go with another option. In any case, we should not have been conceding as many chances as we did in that first-half. The only slight glimmer of hope I have is the players we have due to come back. Hedges is available again, with JRC and Tronstad hopefully back after the international break as well. They could help give us a chance, as could Carter’s return in April. Or it might just be too late to save the situation. Regardless of this we still need to deal with Boro before the international break. They looked like they were really struggling for several games but have now conveniently won two on the bounce and played themselves back into form right before our visit to the Riverside. Brilliant. And they’ll either continue that run of form and win again tonight or instead hand points to one of the few teams below us in the table with a game in hand. It’s never good news is it. Should we go down this season - which is looking more and more likely by the day - this will have to go down as one of the greatest self-destruct stories in recent EFL history. This team of players should be nowhere near the relegation zone. The core squad has finished 8th and 7th respectively in the last two seasons. With the difficulty of the league increasing and us not being able to sign as many players as we would want, it was always going to be a more difficult season this time around. I don’t think many Rovers’ fans expected us to make the top six, but personally I thought we should have been able to maintain a top-half finish quite comfortably. Once the injuries occurred to key players in the autumn and our Christmas form went off a cliff, it was realistic to readjust expectations to a steady mid-table finish (if they weren’t there already). No shame in that. But in recent months, the club has somehow managed to shoot itself in both feet. I don’t have much - if any - criticism of the players if I’m being honest. Most of them always put in a shift and have been all season, some of them literally running through brick walls at times. They are a good bunch of lads, many of whom are still very young and experiencing a relegation dogfight for the first time. They have been asked to change from one very specific brand of attacking football to an almost opposite style of play mid-season. They’ve been completely messed about, so it’s no surprise the performances have become disjointed. And it’s this tactical failure from the club that could well be the main cause for our relegation this season. I’ve seen some fans suggesting the players we have are mostly L1 level. I couldn’t disagree more. We have a talented squad that - if managed correctly - is capable of being a top ten CH team, and certainly a top-half team at least. The problems we’re experiencing right now might have been initially triggered by injuries last autumn that crippled our Christmas run, but it’s being maintained now by poor management, not because of any lack of ability from the players. In recent weeks we’ve been tactically naïve too many times. This isn’t on the players; this is on the management. And by default, the individuals who were responsible for appointing this management style. I think this group of players are far more talented than the 2016/17 squad if I’m being honest. If we get relegated there will be plenty of CH teams rubbing their hands together at the chance to raid our squad. And I know for a fact that a handful of our players have already drawn attention from certain PL teams. We don’t have a L1 squad. If we did, I would be expecting most of our players to hang around should we get relegated. Instead, I would be anticipating most of our players to leave should we get relegated. All the teams surrounding us in the CH table (both above and below) have shown the initiative to go and get wins more than we have recently. I just feel with our tactical approach to too many games recently, the fear of losing has outweighed the desire to be brave, take a risk and try and win a game outright. Look at Stoke on Saturday against Preston, for example. Look at Millwall the other week against Southampton. Our rivals are plucking wins from unlikely places whilst we stumble to snatch draws from perfectly beatable opposition. We don’t have a chance of getting out of this predicament now unless we take a few risks. But our current manager seems about as risk adverse as Alan Titchmarsh. In fairness John Eustace is clearly a good bloke. There are plenty of arseholes in the world of football, and he certainly isn’t one of them. He’s inherited a difficult situation and I want him to do well, but he’s just not helping himself with some of the comments he makes to the media. When he came out and claimed the Plymouth game wasn’t a must win, that’s fine if he’s just trying to protect the players but behind the scenes saying something else (so that the players privately understand how important the need to win is). The problem is, the performances have been largely consistent with what he’s saying to the media. In other words, he’s telling the media that we don’t need to win games as long as we don’t lose them and the team performance is equally cautious. Which possibly indicates that what he’s saying to the media is being echoed in the changing room. And that for me would be a red flag. In another interview the manager gave he also said that he ‘wasn’t looking at the fixture list.’ I made a comment on a previous video suggesting the manager hadn’t seen who we’ve got left to play this season, which might explain our overly defensive performances. But I was taking the p*ss. I know what the manager’s trying to get at - ‘we take each game as it comes’. But he’s really not helping quell any fears the fans have that he hasn’t budgeted for how difficult our season run-in is. Not the first time I’ve been on a rant, and it probably won’t be the last. I’m sure many fans won’t have the patience to read all that and I don’t blame them. I just think there are a few things that need to be said about the club right now as we head into a potentially disastrous conclusion to the season that could have been completely avoidable. I appreciate this probably reads like a bit of an obituary, and we aren’t down yet. It ain’t over until the fat lady sings etc. But it does currently feel that said lady has now made her way onto the stage and is currently adjusting the microphone stand. Question: If the club had appointed Damien Johnson as an interim coach until the end of the season, would the club have more or less points than they do currently?
Thank you for the therapy session. I agree with Steve’s comment below: we do have a good set of players who, unfortunately, due to the complex and deeply frustrating factors you have outlined, are not able to play to their full potential. At the Newcastle game, they were on fire - and did seem to be blending the JRC fluid passing with a better defensive approach. We felt so proud to be Rovers fans (and that was 3 weeks ago!!) Could there be any naive hope that they might raise their game, like they have shown in the past, against ‘stronger’ opposition? Or have they dropped beyond all hope? Being a glass half full supporter, I’m going to put that bet on …. Mine’s a Guinness ;)
Another good video. Despite this perpetual football hell that we find ourselves in, this was actually an enjoyable watch. I had no idea that Mike is 6'4", its shattered everything I thought I knew about life.
@@blackburnendpod 😁 Easy. Hitch - 6'1", business development manager for a software company. Mike - 5'8", plumber Dan - 5'10", media student That was before I met Dan, who is a lot taller than I thought. Don't know what they feed you guys at RC 😁
@@blackburnendpod 😂 Easy. Hitch - 6'1", business development manager. Mike - 5'8", plumber. Dan - 5'10", media student. They were my initial thoughts, but I then met Dan and he was quite a bit taller. What are they feeding you all at RC? 😁
Hahahahaha! Plumber... Well I am handy around the house and have an "engineers" brain..... Does that give any more clues? 😂😂😂 Height wise, yeah I'm 6ft 4", but I remember being shocked at Dan's height when I met him for the first time because I only saw him on videos. He's 6ft 2, maybe 3. Going to use this as a mailbag question!
Saturday was utterly depressing. Huff and puff with a lack of creativity and sadly by some, passion. I think the Plymouth fans boosted the attendance, they brought a few. The trapdoor looms.
Genuinely hope I am wrong but after the court news today I'd say we are more or less down and relegated and all assets will have to be sold to ease financial situation. Just hope we get decent fees as ld say if relegated the players values will drop dramatically Players and staff will be fearful for the future and naturally that will show on the pitch .
Relegation looms and sad to say we deserve it... The transfer windows have been utterly embarrassing, the way we treat JDT was shambolic and the football we are now playing is about as exciting as JE's press conferences - says it all really!
I would question if the due diligence was done on JE. Happy with draws against the sides who are amongst us, 1 point from genuine 6 pointers. With the top 4 plus some other tough games, where are the minimum 3 wins we need coming from? I'm pragmatic in that the decent football can go to get the results. But we are served up absolute garbage, and still don't get the result. It's only headed one way, and it's desperate to see.
The fact Gilsenan only has five minutes max of league football this year is disappointing given what he has shown in cup games and U21s. Eustace’s use of substitutes is poor in terms of giving players minutes, resting players, and adjusting tactics to change games. We're very predictable as a team and rotating should counter that, but the lack of height and pace throughout stifles the ways we can play. Telalovic started looking good under JDT and hasn't had a sniff since, apart from Birmingham, but five minute cameos here and there aren't going to build his confidence. Want to see a positive shift against Middlesbrough given they've finally had a week on the training pitch. Dolan and Gallagher are frustrations as both have quality but don't show it enough, more annoying when they aren't under contract for next year but they keep starting. Glad you highlighted Coyle got the most out of Gallagher (10 league goals under his stewardship), seems mental given we were dire during that period.
I really don't think Eustace is up to it , we haven't looked like winning a game since he came in , not even close and I really don't think the squad is that bad. I hate to say it but I think the best thing to do is get shut and either let Johnson have a go or go for Warnock as I see no other outcome than relegation!! Every team around us are picking up wins and we are nowhere near it !
Thanks again for doing these videos lads, it can’t be easy right now. Dark times for the football club potentially.
I think that could be Goodnight Vienna though. Unless anything majorly changes in the next two months. We’ve now come to the end of a long run of winnable league fixtures that started in early January. And we have a grand total of one win to show for it. Not good enough. And two points from our last three games is a borderline scandal in itself.
I agree that the players did come out and start well on Saturday - it certainly looked like we were playing to win. But soon after we scored everything went t*ts-up as we were exposed tactically.
I know a lot of fans would prefer to see us play with four at the back at home, to give us the extra man in midfield and help prevent opposition attacks in the first place. But the manager seems to be having none of this. So as a compromise it looks like he stuck with the back five but decided to play a high defensive line to try and squeeze the play instead. This is suicide against a team with genuine pace. It’s not fair to expect McFadzean to have the legs to deal with balls over the top.
If the manager is concerned about exposing McFadzean’s pace in a back four, then perhaps Saturday was a chance to give him a rest and go with another option. In any case, we should not have been conceding as many chances as we did in that first-half.
The only slight glimmer of hope I have is the players we have due to come back. Hedges is available again, with JRC and Tronstad hopefully back after the international break as well. They could help give us a chance, as could Carter’s return in April. Or it might just be too late to save the situation.
Regardless of this we still need to deal with Boro before the international break. They looked like they were really struggling for several games but have now conveniently won two on the bounce and played themselves back into form right before our visit to the Riverside. Brilliant. And they’ll either continue that run of form and win again tonight or instead hand points to one of the few teams below us in the table with a game in hand. It’s never good news is it.
Should we go down this season - which is looking more and more likely by the day - this will have to go down as one of the greatest self-destruct stories in recent EFL history. This team of players should be nowhere near the relegation zone.
The core squad has finished 8th and 7th respectively in the last two seasons. With the difficulty of the league increasing and us not being able to sign as many players as we would want, it was always going to be a more difficult season this time around. I don’t think many Rovers’ fans expected us to make the top six, but personally I thought we should have been able to maintain a top-half finish quite comfortably.
Once the injuries occurred to key players in the autumn and our Christmas form went off a cliff, it was realistic to readjust expectations to a steady mid-table finish (if they weren’t there already). No shame in that. But in recent months, the club has somehow managed to shoot itself in both feet.
I don’t have much - if any - criticism of the players if I’m being honest. Most of them always put in a shift and have been all season, some of them literally running through brick walls at times. They are a good bunch of lads, many of whom are still very young and experiencing a relegation dogfight for the first time.
They have been asked to change from one very specific brand of attacking football to an almost opposite style of play mid-season. They’ve been completely messed about, so it’s no surprise the performances have become disjointed. And it’s this tactical failure from the club that could well be the main cause for our relegation this season.
I’ve seen some fans suggesting the players we have are mostly L1 level. I couldn’t disagree more. We have a talented squad that - if managed correctly - is capable of being a top ten CH team, and certainly a top-half team at least. The problems we’re experiencing right now might have been initially triggered by injuries last autumn that crippled our Christmas run, but it’s being maintained now by poor management, not because of any lack of ability from the players. In recent weeks we’ve been tactically naïve too many times. This isn’t on the players; this is on the management. And by default, the individuals who were responsible for appointing this management style.
I think this group of players are far more talented than the 2016/17 squad if I’m being honest. If we get relegated there will be plenty of CH teams rubbing their hands together at the chance to raid our squad. And I know for a fact that a handful of our players have already drawn attention from certain PL teams. We don’t have a L1 squad. If we did, I would be expecting most of our players to hang around should we get relegated. Instead, I would be anticipating most of our players to leave should we get relegated.
All the teams surrounding us in the CH table (both above and below) have shown the initiative to go and get wins more than we have recently. I just feel with our tactical approach to too many games recently, the fear of losing has outweighed the desire to be brave, take a risk and try and win a game outright. Look at Stoke on Saturday against Preston, for example. Look at Millwall the other week against Southampton. Our rivals are plucking wins from unlikely places whilst we stumble to snatch draws from perfectly beatable opposition. We don’t have a chance of getting out of this predicament now unless we take a few risks. But our current manager seems about as risk adverse as Alan Titchmarsh.
In fairness John Eustace is clearly a good bloke. There are plenty of arseholes in the world of football, and he certainly isn’t one of them. He’s inherited a difficult situation and I want him to do well, but he’s just not helping himself with some of the comments he makes to the media.
When he came out and claimed the Plymouth game wasn’t a must win, that’s fine if he’s just trying to protect the players but behind the scenes saying something else (so that the players privately understand how important the need to win is). The problem is, the performances have been largely consistent with what he’s saying to the media. In other words, he’s telling the media that we don’t need to win games as long as we don’t lose them and the team performance is equally cautious. Which possibly indicates that what he’s saying to the media is being echoed in the changing room. And that for me would be a red flag.
In another interview the manager gave he also said that he ‘wasn’t looking at the fixture list.’ I made a comment on a previous video suggesting the manager hadn’t seen who we’ve got left to play this season, which might explain our overly defensive performances. But I was taking the p*ss.
I know what the manager’s trying to get at - ‘we take each game as it comes’. But he’s really not helping quell any fears the fans have that he hasn’t budgeted for how difficult our season run-in is.
Not the first time I’ve been on a rant, and it probably won’t be the last. I’m sure many fans won’t have the patience to read all that and I don’t blame them. I just think there are a few things that need to be said about the club right now as we head into a potentially disastrous conclusion to the season that could have been completely avoidable.
I appreciate this probably reads like a bit of an obituary, and we aren’t down yet. It ain’t over until the fat lady sings etc. But it does currently feel that said lady has now made her way onto the stage and is currently adjusting the microphone stand.
Question: If the club had appointed Damien Johnson as an interim coach until the end of the season, would the club have more or less points than they do currently?
Good read
Hope dan the man's OK.. Great show 👏
Thank you for the therapy session.
I agree with Steve’s comment below: we do have a good set of players who, unfortunately, due to the complex and deeply frustrating factors you have outlined, are not able to play to their full potential.
At the Newcastle game, they were on fire - and did seem to be blending the JRC fluid passing with a better defensive approach. We felt so proud to be Rovers fans (and that was 3 weeks ago!!) Could there be any naive hope that they might raise their game, like they have shown in the past, against ‘stronger’ opposition? Or have they dropped beyond all hope? Being a glass half full supporter, I’m going to put that bet on …. Mine’s a Guinness ;)
Shame there isn’t more like Sammie, actually giving his all for the blue & white. He’ll be gone unfortunately at the end of the season 😭
I only listen to the end :) Keep going guys, love the content. The Podcast keeps me entertained on my Tuesday drive home.
You only listen to the end bit or you do listen to the end? 😂
@@blackburnendpod lol... poor grammar. " I ALWAYS listen until the end"
Another good video. Despite this perpetual football hell that we find ourselves in, this was actually an enjoyable watch.
I had no idea that Mike is 6'4", its shattered everything I thought I knew about life.
Hahaha! Did you think I was a little dumpling?
😆😆 we need your thoughts on us all now Mr Boyce!!
@@blackburnendpod 😁 Easy.
Hitch - 6'1", business development manager for a software company.
Mike - 5'8", plumber
Dan - 5'10", media student
That was before I met Dan, who is a lot taller than I thought. Don't know what they feed you guys at RC 😁
@@blackburnendpod 😂 Easy.
Hitch - 6'1", business development manager.
Mike - 5'8", plumber.
Dan - 5'10", media student.
They were my initial thoughts, but I then met Dan and he was quite a bit taller.
What are they feeding you all at RC? 😁
Hahahahaha! Plumber... Well I am handy around the house and have an "engineers" brain..... Does that give any more clues? 😂😂😂
Height wise, yeah I'm 6ft 4", but I remember being shocked at Dan's height when I met him for the first time because I only saw him on videos. He's 6ft 2, maybe 3.
Going to use this as a mailbag question!
Saturday was utterly depressing. Huff and puff with a lack of creativity and sadly by some, passion. I think the Plymouth fans boosted the attendance, they brought a few. The trapdoor looms.
They did but our ends looked depressingly empty and understandably so! Here’s to a win on Saturday!!!!!! 👀😆
Genuinely hope I am wrong but after the court news today I'd say we are more or less down and relegated and all assets will have to be sold to ease financial situation. Just hope we get decent fees as ld say if relegated the players values will drop dramatically
Players and staff will be fearful for the future and naturally that will show on the pitch .
Try not to worry about the finances, all is ok at the moment.
We need to worry and I'd imagine players and staff are also concerned . Naturally these worries will reflect performances
Relegation looms and sad to say we deserve it... The transfer windows have been utterly embarrassing, the way we treat JDT was shambolic and the football we are now playing is about as exciting as JE's press conferences - says it all really!
I would question if the due diligence was done on JE. Happy with draws against the sides who are amongst us, 1 point from genuine 6 pointers.
With the top 4 plus some other tough games, where are the minimum 3 wins we need coming from? I'm pragmatic in that the decent football can go to get the results. But we are served up absolute garbage, and still don't get the result.
It's only headed one way, and it's desperate to see.
John euseless will not keep us up
The fact Gilsenan only has five minutes max of league football this year is disappointing given what he has shown in cup games and U21s. Eustace’s use of substitutes is poor in terms of giving players minutes, resting players, and adjusting tactics to change games. We're very predictable as a team and rotating should counter that, but the lack of height and pace throughout stifles the ways we can play. Telalovic started looking good under JDT and hasn't had a sniff since, apart from Birmingham, but five minute cameos here and there aren't going to build his confidence. Want to see a positive shift against Middlesbrough given they've finally had a week on the training pitch. Dolan and Gallagher are frustrations as both have quality but don't show it enough, more annoying when they aren't under contract for next year but they keep starting. Glad you highlighted Coyle got the most out of Gallagher (10 league goals under his stewardship), seems mental given we were dire during that period.
Bizarre isn’t it that our worst manager since Kean got the most out of him!!
Agreed, need more up front from Gally. I so want him to be the player he can be.
That said he still brings more than Siggy and Ty
In some ways it would be easier if he didn’t have the tools, so frustrating!
I really don't think Eustace is up to it , we haven't looked like winning a game since he came in , not even close and I really don't think the squad is that bad. I hate to say it but I think the best thing to do is get shut and either let Johnson have a go or go for Warnock as I see no other outcome than relegation!! Every team around us are picking up wins and we are nowhere near it !
"He didn't love his wife quite as much because his mistress was on the phone"... Hmm, Mike sure came up with that analogy quite quickly. Suspicious.
😂😂😂
😆😆😆 “it’s not my mistress, it’s just Mark…”
Few draws now many?
...David Bentley... thats a guess though. Could it only be him or stevie Warnock
I think people are a bit too worried about the fixtures, at least we wouldn't be giving any points to the teams around us if we lose a few
Gotta be Bentley no? Keep the content coming loving the therapy sessions
👀
We’re just an awful team and I can’t see anything but relegation