Swindon Town v Doncaster Rovers Matchday Thread

[Jimmy HaveHave]

Difficult to know where to start on looking back on Saturday, I felt fairly confident that Jody Morris would get off to a good start, and I dread to think how my 2-1 prediction has affected my top of the table perch in the prediction league!

The good news was that I was joined (metaphorically) by Antony Grant on the Ifollow comms, I enjoyed his musings last time but this time he grated somewhat. You have to give him his due that he watched the game as a fan but it would have been nice to have a bit more of his insight rather than 'Jesus Christ' 'Wake up Wakeling' etc etc as well as the constant focus on the Premier league scores. I suppose that sums up the overall performance that the general was so negative. First half seemed so sluggish, it looked like Doncaster had more zip about them and they moved the ball quicker than us in my eyes. Clayton and Wakeling couldn't seem to do anything right and Hutton's body language didn't look right either. The only positive was that Iandolo and Williams appeared to be working reasonbly well down the left, a couple of neat interchanges, but really that's scaping the barrel, a lot! Oh I forgot Jake Cain hit the bar with a free kick, he certainly looks like he's going to be useful from set pieces.

Second half there seemed to be an upping of levels and Wakeling must have taken the general's points on board as he looked a lot livelier. But despite that, not a lot happened, Doncaster looked comfortable, yet ANOTHER visiting goalkeeper picking up a pay packet for doing next to nothing, the stats say 1 shot on target but I can't remember what that was. The first change came on 78 minutes and did Jeff Cott even touch the ball after that? How on earth did the pitiful Ronan Darcy manage to play the full 90? I know there isn't a lot of options on the bench but surely Aguiar for 30 minutes was worth a go? Austin was frustrated, the crowd booed us off and it was a terrible day at the office.

I personally don't think JM is going to be able to get his ideas across in time to lead us to promotion this season, too many injuries and suspensions and not enough options at the back. On that showing Clayton and FBT doesn't look great, we are desperate for Tomlinson to come in and play. The midfield was pretty shocking as well, Darcy appalling and Kadji has a heavy touch on him, often his second touch is a tackle. Cain up and down. Up front Wakeling is really struggling and I think he might be trying too hard, he needs something good to happen on the pitch soon. And Charlie got bugger all service.

The ghost of Scott Lindsey still looms large, that has to change.

Not just the ghost of Scott Lindsey Bob the players he's been given aren't up to scratch!

[horlock07]

The ghost of Scott Lindsey still looms large, that has to change.

Yet it seems that Mad Gav managed to banish said ghost for the games he was in charge, if it looks like Morris is going to just play back and forth tippy tappy in front of teams again I can't see him getting very long before we just have a repeat of the outcome for Lindsey?

[Nomoreheroes]

Difficult to know where to start on looking back on Saturday, I felt fairly confident that Jody Morris would get off to a good start, and I dread to think how my 2-1 prediction has affected my top of the table perch in the prediction league!

The good news was that I was joined (metaphorically) by Antony Grant on the Ifollow comms, I enjoyed his musings last time but this time he grated somewhat. You have to give him his due that he watched the game as a fan but it would have been nice to have a bit more of his insight rather than 'Jesus Christ' 'Wake up Wakeling' etc etc as well as the constant focus on the Premier league scores. I suppose that sums up the overall performance that the general was so negative. First half seemed so sluggish, it looked like Doncaster had more zip about them and they moved the ball quicker than us in my eyes. Clayton and Wakeling couldn't seem to do anything right and Hutton's body language didn't look right either. The only positive was that Iandolo and Williams appeared to be working reasonbly well down the left, a couple of neat interchanges, but really that's scaping the barrel, a lot! Oh I forgot Jake Cain hit the bar with a free kick, he certainly looks like he's going to be useful from set pieces.

Second half there seemed to be an upping of levels and Wakeling must have taken the general's points on board as he looked a lot livelier. But despite that, not a lot happened, Doncaster looked comfortable, yet ANOTHER visiting goalkeeper picking up a pay packet for doing next to nothing, the stats say 1 shot on target but I can't remember what that was. The first change came on 78 minutes and did Jeff Cott even touch the ball after that? How on earth did the pitiful Ronan Darcy manage to play the full 90? I know there isn't a lot of options on the bench but surely Aguiar for 30 minutes was worth a go? Austin was frustrated, the crowd booed us off and it was a terrible day at the office.

I personally don't think JM is going to be able to get his ideas across in time to lead us to promotion this season, too many injuries and suspensions and not enough options at the back. On that showing Clayton and FBT doesn't look great, we are desperate for Tomlinson to come in and play. The midfield was pretty shocking as well, Darcy appalling and Kadji has a heavy touch on him, often his second touch is a tackle. Cain up and down. Up front Wakeling is really struggling and I think he might be trying too hard, he needs something good to happen on the pitch soon. And Charlie got bugger all service.

The ghost of Scott Lindsey still looms large, that has to change.

Don't disagree with any of that.

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

It really doesn't bode well that a team should be so flat and play so badly for a new manager when, in the previous two games they showed signs of being a decent team.

You can't help but wonder WTF is going on behind the scenes.

[Posh Red]

Keep seeing the idea that it’s the players, Sandro & even SL to blame for the turgid crap that was served up on Saturday. If that’s the case then how come the team played with so much more intent in the two games under mad Gav?

I understand that it’s going to take Morris time to get the team playing how he wants, but I don’t see how we can keep blaming everyone else

[theakston2k]

Keep seeing the idea that it’s the players, Sandro & even SL to blame for the turgid crap that was served up on Saturday. If that’s the case then how come the team played with so much more intent in the two games under mad Gav?

I understand that it’s going to take Morris time to get the team playing how he wants, but I don’t see how we can keep blaming everyone else

Let’s be brutally honest, on reflection Grimsby were awful on the day and gave up once they were down to 10 men plus there was the Austin bounce.

Against Gillingham it was just a basketball match, neither team could defend for toffee and it was just pure chaos on the pitch and Gillingham sitting back whilst not being able to defend played right into our hands.

I think it was more coincidence with the opposition and way the matches went rather than anything specific Gunning did.

[Posh Red]

If you want to be brutally honest Morris is an academy coach & is trying to play the same way as Lindsey.

Regardless of how poor Grimsby & Gillingham might have been we played with far more attacking intent.

We didn’t spend the game aimlessly passing the ball across the back four with little or no attacking intent.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t think Gav was the answer, but the players seemed to play with much more freedom, maybe it was just lower expectations.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Hopefully I’m right here, but people aren’t stupid. If it’s obvious to us that the academy approach isn’t working then it needs changing. Carrying on regardless isn’t an option. The club goes nowhere, the young players recruited cannot showcase their talent to attract a decent fee, fans drift away. What’s the point. Nobody benefits from that.

[Pookemon]

If you want to be brutally honest Morris is an academy coach & is trying to play the same way as Lindsey.

Regardless of how poor Grimsby & Gillingham might have been we played with far more attacking intent.

We didn’t spend the game aimlessly passing the ball across the back four with little or no attacking intent.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t think Gav was the answer, but the players seemed to play with much more freedom, maybe it was just lower expectations.

Let's hope he's experienced enough to know when to inject a bit of pragmatism into things.

With SL the players didn't seem to be improving again I'd hope that JM can do better.  

It's very early days and the squad is seriously short of experience.   We've also changed the entire midfield in Jan which will take weeks to get to any sort of rhythm and rips the heart out if the team.   It's a huge risk and borderline  suicidal really.

[Posh Red]

It was interesting watching some of the build up to the Superbowl this week that they were praising coaches that play to the strengths of their players rather than have a rigid system of play.

I think that’s even more important for teams like us, because unlike under Paolo we can’t just keep signing players to fit how the manager wants to play. It’s going to take time for Morris to get in players to play his way, just hope he stays around long enough to build his team.

[4D]

I didnt boo at the end

Neither did I, but it would have looked odd standing at the bus stop 

[Batch]

Posh - I would say mad Gav had better options available to him, especially on the bench. That certainly helped him in the gills game. He did have the balls to change it mind

I'm not saying the game plan under Morris looked good. But I'm not sure whether it's a fair comparison until some absentees/injuries come back.

[DiV]

We’ll need to give Morris more than two games before we can accurately suggest what is going on.

From the extremely small sample size of Gav & Morris it looks like a former lower league player setting up / managing a lower league team v a former top level(ish) player who has spent years as an academy coach working with technically gifted youngsters trying to get lower league players to play like top young talent in games not really based on results.

[Posh Red]

Posh - I would say mad Gav had better options available to him, especially on the bench. That certainly helped him in the gills game. He did have the balls to change it mind

I'm not saying the game plan under Morris looked good. But I'm not sure whether it's a fair comparison until some absentees/injuries come back.

It’s a fair point, and we did say before the game Saturday the missing players was a concern, what was worrying was the lack of urgency with the players.
The good thing was that Morris (in his post match interview) said the same thing so hopefully it’s something he knows needs to change

[Peter Venkman]

It’s a fair point, and we did say before the game Saturday the missing players was a concern, what was worrying was the lack of urgency with the players.
The good thing was that Morris (in his post match interview) said the same thing so hopefully it’s something he knows needs to change

It is a good point, for both games he had Lavinier, Khan and Shade available, all of which would either start or be capable of changing the game coming off the bench. As well as MacDonald starting the Grimsby game which helped.

None of those 4 have been available since Morris took over.

Considerable mitigating circumstances.