v Millwall (H) Match Thread

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

This bankers back then.  He's actually 30 years old.

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

18 minutes ago, Alty_Ram said:

That's the theory and I agree in principle re Watford but what is a big club ? Biggest average crowds ? Most titles won ? Net worth ? That's a 500 post thread right there. For the Sky generation who will they see on TV going toe to toe with Liverpool and Man City on TV on Saturday night ? Not us sadly. It's not just a matter of your crowds or trophies that you won 50 years ago, sooner or later your status needs justifying in the here and now.

I'll go with that plus years in the top division .  I have no other parameter

[kevinhectoring]

5 hours ago, jimtastic56 said:

Talking about Bird v Beilik in the holding role. Most Rams fans rated Beilik at about 5/6 last night. We did look better when he went off and Bird dropped into his position. Bird has a better range of passes, gets us further up the pitch and is more mobile. Beilik did too many 10 yard sideways passes. And pulled out of nearly every challenge. Remember we are in Beilik’s 3rd season and he doesn’t have an assist to his name. Rooney could swing the axe v Luton

Hope someone shows Max your post, I think it’ll make his day. Bielik is still on his way back and to my eye he’s already the best we’ve got by some margin 

[Rammy03]

5 hours ago, jimtastic56 said:

Talking about Bird v Beilik in the holding role. Most Rams fans rated Beilik at about 5/6 last night. We did look better when he went off and Bird dropped into his position. Bird has a better range of passes, gets us further up the pitch and is more mobile. Beilik did too many 10 yard sideways passes. And pulled out of nearly every challenge. Remember we are in Beilik’s 3rd season and he doesn’t have an assist to his name. Rooney could swing the axe v Luton

That's very disingenuous. He's been injured for most of it.

[Mucker1884]

3 hours ago, TheresOnlyWanChope said:

… I didn’t witness the…European Cup finals…

I feel for you buddy. 
Great times!    ?

 

 

?

[angieram]

2 minutes ago, Rammy03 said:

That's very disingenuous. He's been injured for most of it.

But it's a fact. 

I think Bielik is potentially the best player we have by a country mile but he isn't producing it yet.

Last night, I think he was less effective than Bird and was bypassed very easily in midfield at times.

It's a dilemma for Wayne because he needs to play matches to get his match fitness back but we suffer in the meantime. Once we lose the ball he is a virtual passenger, he's not mobile enough to cover and because he isn't up to full fitness he is not moving about off the ball. There were many times last night he wasn't available for a pass when we were struggling to get the ball out of defence.

 

[Rammy03]

7 minutes ago, angieram said:

But it's a fact. 

I think Bielik is potentially the best player we have by a country mile but he isn't producing it yet.

Last night, I think he was less effective than Bird and was bypassed very easily in midfield at times.

It's a dilemma for Wayne because he needs to play matches to get his match fitness back but we suffer in the meantime. Once we lose the ball he is a virtual passenger, he's not mobile enough to cover and because he isn't up to full fitness he is not moving about off the ball. There were many times last night he wasn't available for a pass when we were struggling to get the ball out of defence.

 

He didn't have a great game last night but he needs to build up fitness somehow. He wasn't the only one who was off it either. I say we keep in the side as he's a fantastic player at full fitness and could really be the difference in the run in.

[Archied]

7 hours ago, ttkk said:

Tame Millwall fan here. I have posted before, but not for a while. 

I enjoyed the game last night, mainly because you got it on, unlike Blackburn Rovers! Seriously though, as football fans, we all know the epicaricacy or 'schadenfreude' nature of the game's culture... and last night was a classic example. It was interesting and enjoyable to see a large crowd gather to get behind their city's only professional team so passionately, as their young and patched up side gallantly tries to overcome the huge obstacle of a 21 point deduction. I mean that by the way. I am not taking the Michael. This sense of spectacle was heightened by the fact that I was one of the 514 band of followers of perhaps the most unfashionable football club in England, managed by a disliked former Derby manager and containing some unpopular former 'Rams'. 

I think once the disappointment of losing what on paper looked like a winnable home match dissipates for you, you will be once again be filled with pride and no little hope - as Rooney and your players are doing an amazing job. I see some are already in that place. As others have pointed out, your young side came up against a very experienced and well-drilled defence last night. However, it must also be noted, that the reason we 'celebrated like we had won the league', is because we are going through our own injury crisis, and are also having to field a lot of young players, including a 15 year old! 

I also take issue with being called 'tin-pot'. Yes, we are a small club at Championship level, but I would not say we are tin-pot. I associate 'tin-pot' with clubs with no real character, history or romance. The sort of club whose fans sing the same old generic songs as everyone else - thankfully I have never heard a Millwall crowd sing a generic football chant like 'Everywhere We Go' or 'Easy' etc. etc. In fact, because of our strong sense of identity and character, I have only ever heard us sing very Millwall centric songs - NOLU, Let Em Come, Millwall to different tunes. 

Furthermore, Millwall have a rich and proud history - pioneers of professional football in London and the South no less. The only club able to challenge the dominance of the northern and midlands sides in the late Victorian era in football's oldest competition - the FA Cup. In fact, this is the reason Millwall are the only senior football club in English football to earn their nickname through footballing endeavour and achievement! Formerly the 'Dockers', Millwall were christened the 'Lions of the South' by the national press, after giving the likes of Aston Villa (the best club side of the Victorian era), Everton, Preston NE and yes, Derby County, bloody noses in the cup! 

Moreover, I was first taken to The Den by my granddad and uncle in 1985. By my maths, in the 37 seasons that have followed, Millwall and Derby County have played at the same level in 23 of them. That hardly suggests that going by endevours on the pitch, that Derby County are a vastly superior outfit. In fact that reflects rather poorly on Derby County, who represent a whole city and since Chesterfield have slipped out of the Football League, are the only representative for the whole of Derbyshire playing top level football. Whereas Millwall have to compete with some of the biggest clubs in world football in Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United (spit) only a tube ride away, plus the likes of Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic on our doorstep. I would argue that rather than being 'tin-pot', we are a very well-run club that gets the most out of its resources, allowing us to be a humble but proud second tier battler that no-one likes playing at The Den or in the cups. That may not be 'ambitious', but what's the alternative? Chase the dream like Derby County? 

That leads me on to Gary Rowett. Many Millwall fans are not enamoured with him either. You are correct, sometimes the football is painful. But needs must. Again, I take issue with it being 'typical' Millwall. From my time supporting the club Millwall have always been an aggressive and direct team yes, but in a positive way. That is to say, taking the game to the opposition, especially at The Den. However, Rowett is a dour pragmatic manager. That isn't Millwall, more like Charlton! But, times have changed, the Championship is full of big city clubs with regional level support like Derby County, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United etc, all wanting to get into the promised land, as well as clubs like Bournemouth and Fulham, their pockets filled with the filthy lucre of parachute payments. Millwall currently need to keep their heads down and become more and more entrenched, like a tick in the Championship beast and hope we get a lucky season like Burnley or Huddersfield Town did, or even the jammiest of jammy clubs - Crystal Palace! 

Also, the club hierarchy are quite happy for a steady ship, as their main concern is this: https://www.millwallfc.co.uk/news/2020/february/millwall-reveal-plans-for-stadium-redevelopment/

The opportunity to develop land around The Den, which would allow us income streams to compete seriously for promotion. If and when it gets given the green light (Lewisham Council has already approved the adjoining Renewel development), then I would imagine Huski will fully takeover the club and maybe our ambitions will increase. Until then, it is all aboard the keep it steady Rowett Express! 

Okay, if you bothered to read all that, I will sign off by genuinely wishing you well... because as football fans of a grand old club like Derby County, you certainly do not deserve what you have been through! Even if you do not win this battle, I am positive you will bounce back stronger for it! Good luck. 

Cheers ,, living in london as I have for many years now I’ve got some friends who are Millwall and can say they are good lads , I have a standing bet on who finishes higher in the table each season with two of them ,personally don’t look on Millwall as tin pot and don’t buy the scum club scum fans line many people parrot, all the best for the rest of the season?

[Jourdan]

7 hours ago, VulcanRam said:

What to exactly? Are you suggesting the players aren't digging deep and giving their all? 

Well it has been a damaging few days. It would be easy to fold and lose our way, especially with such a young and inexperienced group.

Recovering eight points in 13 games is quite the challenge.

When I say the players need to dig deep and we need to see a reaction, it is not about effort or work ethic. It’s about personality and strength of character.

it would be very easy for us to feel sorry for ourselves and subsequently get our bellies tickled by Luton.

[kevinhectoring]

Only now saw Rooney’s post game interview on sky. He seemed shaken 

[Inverurie Ram]

I think the Millwall Drive Home is a fare reflection on the game, they are not far off with their post match comments.

 

[Steve How Hard?]

43 minutes ago, kevinhectoring said:

Only now saw Rooney’s post game interview on sky. He seemed shaken 

Shaken at what? The result/performance or something else?

[kevinhectoring]

3 minutes ago, Steve How Hard? said:

Shaken at what? The result/performance or something else?

Dunno. He’s been confident and in control of recent pressers but he looked really spooked. Perhaps it was just the defeat, let’s hope so 

[Steve Buckley’s Dog]

9 hours ago, ttkk said:

Oh yes, Malone gets called allsorts by us. 

Bennett seems like a troubled young man, but troubled young men can become wiser older men... see Troy Deeney. 

I can pretty much guarantee that Mason Bennett won’t grow into a wise old man! ?

Your original post was truly excellent but you said that Millwall don’t sing generic songs. What about the ‘having a party when Derby County dies’ song you sang last night. Are you claiming that as original material? You see when all this is done and dusted we will remember the support we got from Blackpool and Hull fans. We will also remember those who would be quite happy watching a  founder member of the league go out of business and watching the heartbeat of a community stop beating. In truth I didn’t expect it from Millwall fans but there it was. Tinpot I’m afraid. 

Other than that, an excellent post and a really good read. A credit to your club. ?

 

[europia]

1 hour ago, kevinhectoring said:

Only now saw Rooney’s post game interview on sky. He seemed shaken 

It's probably facing the reality of the situation. That losing home games at this stage is another nail in the relegation coffin. 

[jono]

10 hours ago, ttkk said:

I do not like Chelsea, but they are not this small club that came good through money many portray them to be. Their story is a bit unromantic, as they were founded to generate money for the landowner of Stamford Bridge. But since entering the Football League in 1906 they have always been a very well supported club. And if you look at their historical record, the 1980s were a blip, not the other way around. 

As for Arsenal, yep, very familiar with their story. Millwall and Arsenal were great rivals in the very early days, until they stabbed us in the back. It was Millwall, the best and biggest team in London at the time, who were invited to be the first southern club to join the Football League, not Arsenal. We turned them down to form our own competition - the Southern League. As at the time, Millwall thought it was better to play clubs like Arsenal, rather than travel to Darwen, Bootle etc. where cost of travelling would be high and crowds less interested. But unbeknown to us, Arsenal had gone behind our back. 

So it was no surprise when they engineered their way into the First Division without winning promotion. 

However, once they had moved to Islington, they were always destined be a big club. Meanwhile, Millwall naively stayed loyal to the Southern League far too long and lost ground on the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham... clubs that were far their inferior at the turn of the century (indeed, Chelsea didn't even exist then!). 

Really enjoyed your football history lesson. Hope you visit us again in better circumstances. I love rivalry, banter, Derby games, chewing the cud. It’s sport it’s a game. So much better than lobbing partisan hand grenades at each other. 
 

Did you watch the drama on TV about the founding of the league / gentlemen and players and all the rest. ? I thought it was well done and nicely nuanced. 

[Carl Sagan]

Surprised Rooney has come out and said both half-time substitutions were purely tactical. Ebosele was scaring them with his runs and Sibley is our only player whose first thought is to shoot.

[RoyMac5]

6 minutes ago, Carl Sagan said:

Surprised Rooney has come out and said both half-time substitutions were purely tactical. Ebosele was scaring them with his runs and Sibley is our only player whose first thought is to shoot.

And yet the second half we were better...

[Millenniumram]

9 minutes ago, Carl Sagan said:

Surprised Rooney has come out and said both half-time substitutions were purely tactical. Ebosele was scaring them with his runs and Sibley is our only player whose first thought is to shoot.

Only trouble is he can’t shoot. Or pass. Or trap a football. 

[Ghost of Clough]

1 hour ago, Carl Sagan said:

Surprised Rooney has come out and said both half-time substitutions were purely tactical. Ebosele was scaring them with his runs and Sibley is our only player whose first thought is to shoot.

We were struggling to retain possession, putting ourselves under a lot of pressure. Those two players give the ball away more than most