MadAmster

A point I've made a few times. Every game, there's an opposition who will do their level best to stop us doing whatever is in the plan for that game. Northampton had conceded an average of 1.21 goals per game prior to Tuesday. Their goals against tally rose by 23.5% that night. I don't believe they are as bad as that performance. Nor do I think we are as all conquering as we were Tuesday. The truth lies somewhere in between.
I think other teams will look at our games thus far this season and come to the conclusion that "get into 'em n feck 'em off" is a tactic this squad can't counter and we will see most opponents adopt that strategy. We need a Seth Johnson/George Thorne type in January to add steel to the team. I had hoped Fornah was going to be just that, he might still be but his last 3 appearances have not filled anyone with confidence.

... type. GT type. Or a Sethalike. In the end injury did for them both. Shame we'll never know how good GT would have turned out to be. He was already very good and, given an injury free run.... we can but dream.

Looking down from my helicopter...
IIRC, the internet was full of people slating Rosenior's apparently preferred slow play through the thirds and crying LR out. I wasn't one of them. It was his first rodeo and he had us in 7th place. Not bad for a rookie. He had said in interviews on several occasions that he wanted the players to up the ball circulation tempo. Sibs and other players also confirmed that in interviews they did. Unfortunately, the play didn't speed up. IMO, the players were capable of moving faster through the thirds but didn't for some reason. I'd have kept faith in LR.
David Clowes didn't keep faith. It surprised me but his motivation for the change looked solid. PW had 3 promotions from L1 in 5 seasons. OK, so 2 relegations in between as well but that could be seen as more a "Rotherham thing" than a Warne issue. The 4 year contract? Might that be down to PW having seen how totally keen DC was to get him and his staff that he knew he could push the boat out with regard to his contract. Hence the 4 years. Maybe DC had been too enthusiastic towards PW and his staff which would have been a mistake. However, IMO, you can't fault the logic DC used. He wanted someone with L1 pedigree with a record of success there. PW ticks the boxes, doesn't he? last season he had the Millers in 8th when he jumped ship to come to Derby. Dizzy heights for RUFC, They ended the season jus 6 points above the drop.
None of us know the background. It is totally feasible that, under the terms of the business deal, we may well have the money to pay PW and his staff off but aren't allowed to spend that amount within the terms of the agreement. Would exceeding the spending limits invoke a points deduction? Wouldn't that be great...
Speaking from hindsight... fans have their opinions and are entitled to them. However, they should also take into account all relevant facts. DC might actually want to change managers but is hogtied by the business plan. All manner of things. The state of the poll at the moment is there have been too few good performances and too many less than average and poor ones.
If you think DC has made mistakes, say so by all means but leave out the vitriol.
PW looks like he's here for a good while yet so let's look at games and criticise what we deem to be errors. Leave out the vitriol.
Criticise poor performances by players, by all means.... no vitriol.
Say what was poor, explain why, offer improvements. Just commenting that so and so was dog poo and leaving it there is plain negative. Get behind the XI on the park. Starting tonight, let's see and hear the fans on the front foot from the off. They keep telling us it gives them a lift. Lift them. You never know, it might just help them put on a positive performance... Player play, supporters support. Twas ever thus.
COYR !

A goal "involvement" (goal or assist) every 1.1 games or 99 minutes. Not bad. He was an important part of that fluid attacking unit and ought to keep his place, IMO. He, Bird, NML, Barks and Smith were constantly on the move, swapping places. Wonderful to behold.

Pompey game, I had the munchies so got myself a cheeseburger in the East Stand concourse. Cob was stale, burger was cold and there was maybe 1 sq cm of cheese. Bloody awful. HT I was still hungry so had a Balti pie. The crust was crispy which I liked as it meant the pie didn't self destruct in my hand and the filling was very tasty indeed. 
Next time I'll have one of those excellent cheese and onion cobs and a pork pie in the Brunny. I won't need to eat at the ground.
The burger vans are still better value than the concourse. Better cobs, better burgers, excellent onion, foot long sausages are class. I must remember that in future.
 

How to get investment? The answer is, IMO, get back into the Championship. We're not going to get worthwhile investment stuck in L1.

Bird, Sibs, Cash. All out of contract in the summer. From January they are allowed to talk to other clubs and sign a pre-contract agreement. It's far from impossible that they will not sign any new deal and let their contract run down so they can negotiate higher wages and signing on fee in the summer. We'd get whatever pittance a tribunal decides to award us for the money spent on their development. It won't be a lot.
DC won't, IMO, sell the club to someone cut price. He's going to want to break even at least.  That will only happen if we get back to the SBC and do reasonably well...

Where did that come from? 4-0 and with a bit of luck we could have had more. That 2nd minute tackle on Barks had me thinking the Cobblers would be putting the boot in as their sole tactic and that we would struggle but they started to play the ball about. We beat teams that do that and we did. Loved the game, the last 30 was a bit scrappy but umpt-een changes can cause a side to become disjointed.

JW didn't touch the ball until the 19th minute. The oppo managed 3 shots, one of which, a 40 yard slow paced grubber counted as their one and only effort on target. Conversely, we put 4 well worked chances away, saw half a dozen balls miss the attacker in place by an inch or so. Goals, goalmouth action, fighting to get the ball back when we lost it. Pass and move, making yourself available for a pass, closing the oppo down. All the things that have been done well sporadically over the season all came together at once. Let's hope we can recreate that over the coming weeks and months on a consistent basis.

Nyambe played well again. I hope we're looking to give him an extension to his contract come January. However, the level of his performances might see him get offers from Championship sides in which case I think he'll go.
Nelson was a rock again.
Bradley showed us why not only PW but also the fans wanted him in the summer. Solid defensively. Some cracking passes, on the ground putting teammates into great attacking positions. If PW sticks to his "play well and you'll keep the shirt" mantra, Cash is due a spell on the bench at that rate.
Fozzy played well defensively and going forward.
Hourihane just in front of the back 4 was excellent. That gave Smith and Bird more leeway to get forward. Time to put my hands up, I got it wrong posting CH shouldn't play that role in the starting XI. I may have had a point at the time but last night he did it very well.
Smith had a good game
Bird was excellent. Will the club take a million for him in January or will they gamble on going up and keeping him? I hope they gamble.
NML very good again.
Barks put in a very good all round performance.
Wash showed what it was that made PW sign him. Excellent.

Now, lads, more of the same please.
Not sure what went awry with the Cobblers last night. They had only conceded 17 goals in 14 League games this season. That increased by 23.529% last night. One of their 4 victories was against the Posh so they can't be that bad..... We played well, that is part of the reason. They didn't, but why? Did they succumb to crowd pressure as they're not used to gates even half that size? No idea.

A goal "involvement" (goal or assist) every 1.1 games or 99 minutes. Not bad. He was an important part of that fluid attacking unit and ought to keep his place, IMO. He, Bird, NML, Barks and Smith were constantly on the move, swapping places. Wonderful to behold.

A goal "involvement" (goal or assist) every 1.1 games or 99 minutes. Not bad. He was an important part of that fluid attacking unit and ought to keep his place, IMO. He, Bird, NML, Barks and Smith were constantly on the move, swapping places. Wonderful to behold.

The point you didn't make? 

... and someone posted about LR and the slow ball circulation, IN THIS THREAD, which prompted my reply, also in this thread. Threads, just like conversations at work or in the pub, tend to have their boundaries stretched. Nothing strange there...

"Are our players as good as most think ??"
They all were last night. Now, let's see that on a consistent basis.

A goal "involvement" (goal or assist) every 1.1 games or 99 minutes. Not bad. He was an important part of that fluid attacking unit and ought to keep his place, IMO. He, Bird, NML, Barks and Smith were constantly on the move, swapping places. Wonderful to behold.

1Wildsmith 6. One shot on target all game and that was a slow grass cutter from 40 yards that wouldn't have troubled me and I'm just 4 months off 70.
24Nyambe 7 
23Ward 6. 
35Nelson 7 Imperious.
5Bradley 8 Showed why both PW and the fans wanted him in, in the summer.
3Forsyth 7
4Hourihane 7
22Fornah 6.0 Back on it & looked hungry though the game was done.
12Smith 7
7Barkhuizen 7
8Bird 🦅 9
39Brown 6
11Méndez-Laing 7.5 
16Wilson 6.5 
14Washington 7.5
9Collins 5.5 
RamsTV

Where did that come from? 4-0 and with a bit of luck we could have had more. That 2nd minute tackle on Barks had me thinking the Cobblers would be putting the boot in as their sole tactic and that we would struggle but they started to play the ball about. We beat teams that do that and we did. Loved the game, the last 30 was a bit scrappy but umpt-een changes can cause a side to become disjointed.

JW didn't touch the ball until the 19th minute. The oppo managed 3 shots, one of which, a 40 yard slow paced grubber counted as their one and only effort on target. Conversely, we put 4 well worked chances away, saw half a dozen balls miss the attacker in place by an inch or so. Goals, goalmouth action, fighting to get the ball back when we lost it. Pass and move, making yourself available for a pass, closing the oppo down. All the things that have been done well sporadically over the season all came together at once. Let's hope we can recreate that over the coming weeks and months on a consistent basis.

Nyambe played well again. I hope we're looking to give him an extension to his contract come January. However, the level of his performances might see him get offers from Championship sides in which case I think he'll go.
Nelson was a rock again.
Bradley showed us why not only PW but also the fans wanted him in the summer. Solid defensively. Some cracking passes, on the ground putting teammates into great attacking positions. If PW sticks to his "play well and you'll keep the shirt" mantra, Cash is due a spell on the bench at that rate.
Fozzy played well defensively and going forward.
Hourihane just in front of the back 4 was excellent. That gave Smith and Bird more leeway to get forward. Time to put my hands up, I got it wrong posting CH shouldn't play that role in the starting XI. I may have had a point at the time but last night he did it very well.
Smith had a good game
Bird was excellent. Will the club take a million for him in January or will they gamble on going up and keeping him? I hope they gamble.
NML very good again.
Barks put in a very good all round performance.
Wash showed what it was that made PW sign him. Excellent.

Now, lads, more of the same please.
Not sure what went awry with the Cobblers last night. They had only conceded 17 goals in 14 League games this season. That increased by 23.529% last night. One of their 4 victories was against the Posh so they can't be that bad..... We played well, that is part of the reason. They didn't, but why? Did they succumb to crowd pressure as they're not used to gates even half that size? No idea.

Football Insider. Yet another of those click bait sites that only exist to make money from online advertising revenue. I wouldn't give any of them the time of day.

Where did that come from? 4-0 and with a bit of luck we could have had more. That 2nd minute tackle on Barks had me thinking the Cobblers would be putting the boot in as their sole tactic and that we would struggle but they started to play the ball about. We beat teams that do that and we did. Loved the game, the last 30 was a bit scrappy but umpt-een changes can cause a side to become disjointed.

JW didn't touch the ball until the 19th minute. The oppo managed 3 shots, one of which, a 40 yard slow paced grubber counted as their one and only effort on target. Conversely, we put 4 well worked chances away, saw half a dozen balls miss the attacker in place by an inch or so. Goals, goalmouth action, fighting to get the ball back when we lost it. Pass and move, making yourself available for a pass, closing the oppo down. All the things that have been done well sporadically over the season all came together at once. Let's hope we can recreate that over the coming weeks and months on a consistent basis.

Nyambe played well again. I hope we're looking to give him an extension to his contract come January. However, the level of his performances might see him get offers from Championship sides in which case I think he'll go.
Nelson was a rock again.
Bradley showed us why not only PW but also the fans wanted him in the summer. Solid defensively. Some cracking passes, on the ground putting teammates into great attacking positions. If PW sticks to his "play well and you'll keep the shirt" mantra, Cash is due a spell on the bench at that rate.
Fozzy played well defensively and going forward.
Hourihane just in front of the back 4 was excellent. That gave Smith and Bird more leeway to get forward. Time to put my hands up, I got it wrong posting CH shouldn't play that role in the starting XI. I may have had a point at the time but last night he did it very well.
Smith had a good game
Bird was excellent. Will the club take a million for him in January or will they gamble on going up and keeping him? I hope they gamble.
NML very good again.
Barks put in a very good all round performance.
Wash showed what it was that made PW sign him. Excellent.

Now, lads, more of the same please.
Not sure what went awry with the Cobblers last night. They had only conceded 17 goals in 14 League games this season. That increased by 23.529% last night. One of their 4 victories was against the Posh so they can't be that bad..... We played well, that is part of the reason. They didn't, but why? Did they succumb to crowd pressure as they're not used to gates even half that size? No idea.

Where did that come from? 4-0 and with a bit of luck we could have had more. That 2nd minute tackle on Barks had me thinking the Cobblers would be putting the boot in as their sole tactic and that we would struggle but they started to play the ball about. We beat teams that do that and we did. Loved the game, the last 30 was a bit scrappy but umpt-een changes can cause a side to become disjointed.

JW didn't touch the ball until the 19th minute. The oppo managed 3 shots, one of which, a 40 yard slow paced grubber counted as their one and only effort on target. Conversely, we put 4 well worked chances away, saw half a dozen balls miss the attacker in place by an inch or so. Goals, goalmouth action, fighting to get the ball back when we lost it. Pass and move, making yourself available for a pass, closing the oppo down. All the things that have been done well sporadically over the season all came together at once. Let's hope we can recreate that over the coming weeks and months on a consistent basis.

Nyambe played well again. I hope we're looking to give him an extension to his contract come January. However, the level of his performances might see him get offers from Championship sides in which case I think he'll go.
Nelson was a rock again.
Bradley showed us why not only PW but also the fans wanted him in the summer. Solid defensively. Some cracking passes, on the ground putting teammates into great attacking positions. If PW sticks to his "play well and you'll keep the shirt" mantra, Cash is due a spell on the bench at that rate.
Fozzy played well defensively and going forward.
Hourihane just in front of the back 4 was excellent. That gave Smith and Bird more leeway to get forward. Time to put my hands up, I got it wrong posting CH shouldn't play that role in the starting XI. I may have had a point at the time but last night he did it very well.
Smith had a good game
Bird was excellent. Will the club take a million for him in January or will they gamble on going up and keeping him? I hope they gamble.
NML very good again.
Barks put in a very good all round performance.
Wash showed what it was that made PW sign him. Excellent.

Now, lads, more of the same please.
Not sure what went awry with the Cobblers last night. They had only conceded 17 goals in 14 League games this season. That increased by 23.529% last night. One of their 4 victories was against the Posh so they can't be that bad..... We played well, that is part of the reason. They didn't, but why? Did they succumb to crowd pressure as they're not used to gates even half that size? No idea.

Where did that come from? 4-0 and with a bit of luck we could have had more. That 2nd minute tackle on Barks had me thinking the Cobblers would be putting the boot in as their sole tactic and that we would struggle but they started to play the ball about. We beat teams that do that and we did. Loved the game, the last 30 was a bit scrappy but umpt-een changes can cause a side to become disjointed.

JW didn't touch the ball until the 19th minute. The oppo managed 3 shots, one of which, a 40 yard slow paced grubber counted as their one and only effort on target. Conversely, we put 4 well worked chances away, saw half a dozen balls miss the attacker in place by an inch or so. Goals, goalmouth action, fighting to get the ball back when we lost it. Pass and move, making yourself available for a pass, closing the oppo down. All the things that have been done well sporadically over the season all came together at once. Let's hope we can recreate that over the coming weeks and months on a consistent basis.

Nyambe played well again. I hope we're looking to give him an extension to his contract come January. However, the level of his performances might see him get offers from Championship sides in which case I think he'll go.
Nelson was a rock again.
Bradley showed us why not only PW but also the fans wanted him in the summer. Solid defensively. Some cracking passes, on the ground putting teammates into great attacking positions. If PW sticks to his "play well and you'll keep the shirt" mantra, Cash is due a spell on the bench at that rate.
Fozzy played well defensively and going forward.
Hourihane just in front of the back 4 was excellent. That gave Smith and Bird more leeway to get forward. Time to put my hands up, I got it wrong posting CH shouldn't play that role in the starting XI. I may have had a point at the time but last night he did it very well.
Smith had a good game
Bird was excellent. Will the club take a million for him in January or will they gamble on going up and keeping him? I hope they gamble.
NML very good again.
Barks put in a very good all round performance.
Wash showed what it was that made PW sign him. Excellent.

Now, lads, more of the same please.
Not sure what went awry with the Cobblers last night. They had only conceded 17 goals in 14 League games this season. That increased by 23.529% last night. One of their 4 victories was against the Posh so they can't be that bad..... We played well, that is part of the reason. They didn't, but why? Did they succumb to crowd pressure as they're not used to gates even half that size? No idea.

Where did that come from? 4-0 and with a bit of luck we could have had more. That 2nd minute tackle on Barks had me thinking the Cobblers would be putting the boot in as their sole tactic and that we would struggle but they started to play the ball about. We beat teams that do that and we did. Loved the game, the last 30 was a bit scrappy but umpt-een changes can cause a side to become disjointed.

JW didn't touch the ball until the 19th minute. The oppo managed 3 shots, one of which, a 40 yard slow paced grubber counted as their one and only effort on target. Conversely, we put 4 well worked chances away, saw half a dozen balls miss the attacker in place by an inch or so. Goals, goalmouth action, fighting to get the ball back when we lost it. Pass and move, making yourself available for a pass, closing the oppo down. All the things that have been done well sporadically over the season all came together at once. Let's hope we can recreate that over the coming weeks and months on a consistent basis.

Nyambe played well again. I hope we're looking to give him an extension to his contract come January. However, the level of his performances might see him get offers from Championship sides in which case I think he'll go.
Nelson was a rock again.
Bradley showed us why not only PW but also the fans wanted him in the summer. Solid defensively. Some cracking passes, on the ground putting teammates into great attacking positions. If PW sticks to his "play well and you'll keep the shirt" mantra, Cash is due a spell on the bench at that rate.
Fozzy played well defensively and going forward.
Hourihane just in front of the back 4 was excellent. That gave Smith and Bird more leeway to get forward. Time to put my hands up, I got it wrong posting CH shouldn't play that role in the starting XI. I may have had a point at the time but last night he did it very well.
Smith had a good game
Bird was excellent. Will the club take a million for him in January or will they gamble on going up and keeping him? I hope they gamble.
NML very good again.
Barks put in a very good all round performance.
Wash showed what it was that made PW sign him. Excellent.

Now, lads, more of the same please.
Not sure what went awry with the Cobblers last night. They had only conceded 17 goals in 14 League games this season. That increased by 23.529% last night. One of their 4 victories was against the Posh so they can't be that bad..... We played well, that is part of the reason. They didn't, but why? Did they succumb to crowd pressure as they're not used to gates even half that size? No idea.

"Are our players as good as most think ??"
They all were last night. Now, let's see that on a consistent basis.

A goal "involvement" (goal or assist) every 1.1 games or 99 minutes. Not bad. He was an important part of that fluid attacking unit and ought to keep his place, IMO. He, Bird, NML, Barks and Smith were constantly on the move, swapping places. Wonderful to behold.

A goal "involvement" (goal or assist) every 1.1 games or 99 minutes. Not bad. He was an important part of that fluid attacking unit and ought to keep his place, IMO. He, Bird, NML, Barks and Smith were constantly on the move, swapping places. Wonderful to behold.

A goal "involvement" (goal or assist) every 1.1 games or 99 minutes. Not bad. He was an important part of that fluid attacking unit and ought to keep his place, IMO. He, Bird, NML, Barks and Smith were constantly on the move, swapping places. Wonderful to behold.