Match Thread Rotherham United FC - Coventry City Match Thread - Wednesday 25th Oct (24 Viewers)

[BlueSkiesForever]

Have you ever actually seen Obikwu kick a ball?

It doesn’t really count but I’ve seen some of the YouTube videos of him, just bits and bobs. Though how many of us really knew anything about Haji before he signed for us? And has he done anything near the level of his highlight reels? I don’t think we should always trust highlight reels but I do trust Robins and if he’s offered him a contract and put him on the bench for various games then there’s got to be something he sees in him.

I’m not for one second saying he should start, or even saying he’s better than Simms, Godden or Wright but maybe for 10 mins he could offer us something, maybe it’s pace or movement or something, there’s a reason Robins trusts him and I trust Robins. I have no idea why we’d sign him if the management thought he was dog shit.

 

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[edgy]

Surely Callums back in the squad tomorrow?

Not in the 21s today

You'd have to think so, surely. Although wasn't it just last night that MR said COH would be involved in the u21s first?

I just don't think I understand.

 

[Deleted member 9744]

Yep yep my bad, old age, corrected myself now Anyway my point still stands, trying something different got us a point out of what would have been a loss. To those that love taking the piss and love the doom and gloom, I don’t think it’s either nice or helpful having a laugh at someone else’s idea, most of us are just airing thoughts, trying to help us progress, I don’t see the point of being on here if you just want to talk shit about other fans.

Do you really think the purpose of this forum is to help Robins pick the team and formation? Do you think he looks here for inspiration?

 

[BlueSkiesForever]

Exactly. The Einstein quote is one of the most misused and misunderstood concepts, especially when talking about football.

Of course in laboratory conditions when everything else is constant you get the same result if you do the same thing again. But no two games of football are the same and the poster you were responding to has used it to support dropping our top scorer for two new strikers who are simply not scoring; to suggest returning to the box midfield when we didn't have any spare midfielders fit; to go to four at the back when we clearly don't have the players to fit that system, having brought in wing backs who are not full backs; and now to bring in a youth team striker, who we have no idea whether he is good enough.

Yeah fair point and well made, looking back at my previous post I think I’ve probably not made myself clear tbf, I didn’t mean “start Obikwu” I just meant for 10 mins he might have something to offer.
I don’t for a second think we should change the order of our starting strikers, I just think a little bit of variance during a game is good now and again, just 5-10 mins of a young guy who wants to prove himself against an opposition who probably haven’t looked into his play style might be something different and give us a bit of spark maybe? It’s just an idea anyway, I’d much rather us go to the box or play 4-3-3, none of any of this shit matters anyway as Robins won’t implement it but just interesting to talk about it nevertheless.

 

[duffer]

It doesn’t really count but I’ve seen some of the YouTube videos of him, just bits and bobs. Though how many of us really knew anything about Haji before he signed for us? And has he done anything near the level of his highlight reels? I don’t think we should always trust highlight reels but I do trust Robins and if he’s offered him a contract and put him on the bench for various games then there’s got to be something he sees in him.

I’m not for one second saying he should start, or even saying he’s better than Simms, Godden or Wright but maybe for 10 mins he could offer us something, maybe it’s pace or movement or something, there’s a reason Robins trusts him and I trust Robins. I have no idea why we’d sign him if the management thought he was dog shit.

That doesn't seem like an unreasonable argument to me.

I don't think we need to rip the team apart, or slate the players currently there, but at some point it would be nice to try something different up front if it's not happening, imho.

 

[BlueSkiesForever]

Do you really think the purpose of this forum is to help Robins pick the team and formation? Do you think he looks here for inspiration?

Nah of course not, just interesting to have a chat about it, although I do think some of it feeds into fans’ thoughts though and what they may chat about and what fans on Twitter may tweet about. It’s not a direct link but I think if there’s enough people all talking about the same thing then some of it may get Chinese-whispered around, maybe?
(And before it’s suggested, I’m not trying to get people talking about Obikwu, it was just an idea, people hate it, it’s fine, let’s move on )

 

[BlueSkiesForever]

That doesn't seem like an unreasonable argument to me.

I don't think we need to rip the team apart, or slate the players currently there, but at some point it would be nice to try something different up front if it's not happening, imho.

Thank you

 

[skybluecam]

It doesn’t really count but I’ve seen some of the YouTube videos of him, just bits and bobs. Though how many of us really knew anything about Haji before he signed for us? And has he done anything near the level of his highlight reels? I don’t think we should always trust highlight reels but I do trust Robins and if he’s offered him a contract and put him on the bench for various games then there’s got to be something he sees in him.

I’m not for one second saying he should start, or even saying he’s better than Simms, Godden or Wright but maybe for 10 mins he could offer us something, maybe it’s pace or movement or something, there’s a reason Robins trusts him and I trust Robins. I have no idea why we’d sign him if the management thought he was dog shit.

So you’ve seen YouTube bits and bobs.Robins sees him daily in training alongside the other strikers.

I wonder who has a more informed opinion on who should be playing.

I’m sure it would also be fantastic for Wright’s morale to see a 19 year old with 0 professional experience playing ahead of him.

 

[BlueSkiesForever]

So you’ve seen YouTube bits and bobs.Robins sees him daily in training alongside the other strikers.

I wonder who has a more informed opinion on who should be playing.

I’m sure it would also be fantastic for Wright’s morale to see a 19 year old with 0 professional experience playing ahead of him.

Yeah fair, I actually like Wright and think he’s okay, I don’t think Obikwu should start over any of our strikers, I just wonder if for 5-10 mins he could offer something, bit of movement, fire in his belly? It’s just a thought, really not a big deal.

 

[Deleted member 9744]

Nah of course not, just interesting to have a chat about it, although I do think some of it feeds into fans’ thoughts though and what they may chat about and what fans on Twitter may tweet about. It’s not a direct link but I think if there’s enough people all talking about the same thing then some of it may get Chinese-whispered around, maybe?

Fine it can be interesting to discuss but you shouldn't accuse people of not helping Robins. That really isn't our role and non of us have the knowledge that he does.

 

[mmttww]

I just don't think I understand.

 

[skybluecam]

Also, I don't think change for change's sake is necessarily the answer.

I'm pretty sure even when we were winless in our first 11 last year MR stuck by the 5212 and Godden/Vik kept their places.

 

[duffer]

So you’ve seen YouTube bits and bobs.Robins sees him daily in training alongside the other strikers.

I wonder who has a more informed opinion on who should be playing.

I’m sure it would also be fantastic for Wright’s morale to see a 19 year old with 0 professional experience playing ahead of him.

In fairness, I don't think we were talking about anyone playing ahead of Wright, more like someone coming on late in the game either instead of or alongside him.

I'm not giving Robins any stick here; it would certainly be disappointing if he wasn't a better football manager than me. I'm just supporting an interesting and (imho) reasonable opinion. There's not much point having a thread if the comeback to every alternative opinion is simply, "it's up to the manager, end of."

 

[BlueSkiesForever]

Fine it can be interesting to discuss but you shouldn't accuse people of not helping Robins. That really isn't our role and non of us have the knowledge that he does.

I’m not saying people aren’t helping him personally, I just don’t think a slightly toxic atmosphere helps us long term. I feel that we need to stay optimistic and be willing to try things, not because we’re panicking but because we know we have the squad depth and ability to experiment.
I trust Robins completely but my only gripe about him is that it feels like he thinks he’s failing if the plan A doesn’t work. I’m not saying that is the case but to me that’s what it just comes across as.

 

[skybluecam]

In fairness, I don't think we were talking about anyone playing ahead of Wright, more like someone coming on late in the game either instead of or alongside him.

That's ahead of him, no?

I agree, I'm not saying blindly trust the manager. But when no one has actually seen Obikwu play it's a pointless discussion. I don’t think Wright is performing at the level of someone like Waghorn, who was truly useless. I’d give him more time.

 

[BlueSkiesForever]

There's not much point having a thread if the comeback to every alternative opinion is simply, "it's up to the manager, end of."

100%. Some ideas may seem a bit cloud cuckoo-land to some, I get it, but we’re all just airing thoughts, to get shat on in the manner that some of us regularly do for simply suggesting things like “an unproven player should maybe be tried for 5-10 mins in a game” just gets a bit frustrating tbh, and it’s not as if our current strike force are really doing much striking atm.

 

[Greggs]

That's ahead of him, no?

I agree, I'm not saying blindly trust the manager. But when no one has actually seen Obikwu play it's a pointless discussion. I don’t think Wright is performing at the level of someone like Waghorn, who was truly useless. I’d give him more time.

You wanted Rus involved the other day?!?

 

[skybluecam]

You wanted Rus involved the other day?!?

Are you going senile? I don't think I've ever mentioned Rus.

 

[skybluecam]

100%. Some ideas may seem a bit cloud cuckoo-land to some, I get it, but we’re all just airing thoughts, to get shat on in the manner that some of us regularly do for simply suggesting things like “an unproven player should maybe be tried for 5-10 mins in a game” just gets a bit frustrating tbh, and it’s not as if our current strike force are really doing much striking atm.

It's just the laziest suggestion out there isn't it though?

What happens when Obikwu doesn't score in 3/4/5 games? At this rate by the end of the season we'll have our U13s playing up top.

 

[duffer]

That's ahead of him, no?

I agree, I'm not saying blindly trust the manager. But when no one has actually seen Obikwu play it's a pointless discussion. I don’t think Wright is performing at the level of someone like Waghorn, who was truly useless. I’d give him more time.

It's not ahead of him if Wright's already on or comes on alongside him if course.

And if we're that worried about the impact on Wright's morale are we saying that he should start every game or never be subbed off for someone else? I'm not sure that holds up entirely.

The "no one has seen him play" argument is entirely circular, imho. No one has seen any of our players play for our team until the manager picks them; in itself that's not a reason to shut down the discussion, surely.

 

[duffer]

It's just the laziest suggestion out there isn't it though?

What happens when Obikwu doesn't score in 3/4/5 games? At this rate by the end of the season we'll have our U13s playing up top.

Why is it any lazier than any other suggestion on here?

And obviously if Obikwu doesn't make any difference, then he goes back to where he was.

This isn't a ridiculous idea, trying people out in the matchday squad is a way to find out if players, particularly young and academy players, are up to the mark. It happens quite often in football from what I've seen.

The suggestion that you end up with U13s in the team if you do this bears no resemblance to reality of course. Now that is a lazy argument.

 

[Skyblueweeman]

I think our bench is going to be stronger tomorrow.

 

[fernandopartridge]

Can always count on old Fernando to shit on people’s ideas and come up with absolutely nothing insightful himself

There’s a defiant group of people on this forum that contribute absolutely zero in terms of helping the team or trying to find the positives in the negatives, whichever way they look it’s moan moan moan, it’s that sort of pessimistic shit that pisses me off.

People wrote Tavares off last season (and also this season) and yet him coming on for just 10 mins in that Preston game last season got us an extra point if we hadn’t have tried something different like bringing an unproven youngster in Tavares on in that game we probably wouldn’t have won it. I never said “let’s start Obikwu above all our other strikers” I simply suggested that he may have something in him that others are lacking atm, maybe we could try him for 10 mins at the end of a game just like we did with Tavares last season. I mean how the fuck is he going to contribute less than what Simms/Godden/Wright are currently contributing in the last 10 mins of the game? Quick 5-10 mins of some geezer who’s itching to prove himself, rather than someone like Wright who doesn’t quite know what his job is yet. We’ve got to be more open-minded than we currently are, it’s so dull and predictable, right from the players to the manager to this forum, we need to brighten ourselves up a bit in almost every aspect.

Edit: I will just say @fernandopartridge I’m not having a go, I had an almost identical debate with someone on here and it just turned proper sour, I’m not about that, I’m not an ultra or whatever, I come on here to chat and air ideas, I don’t dislike anyone. I don’t like people calling my ideas shit but hey ho that’s life, I’m just defending my point of view so please don’t think I’m anymore of a twat for doing so.

You write long posts which are essentially all your obsession with results being down to the formation, rather than the reality of Saturday which was basically not putting the chances we had away.

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[David O'Day]

I think our bench is going to be stronger tomorrow.

hopefully you have booked someone rooms for a mr l messi and a mr c ronaldo

 

[fernandopartridge]

Granted they didn't score but both strikers got themselves on the end of chances, and showed again some signs of an understanding. Why would you change it again?

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[Matt smith]

I think our bench is going to be stronger tomorrow.

O hare and Allen hopefully then

 

[procdoc]

Granted they didn't score but both strikers got themselves on the end of chances, and showed again some signs of an understanding. Why would you change it again?

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Exactly. The formation was not the issue, fluffing our numerous chances was. We didn’t even defend that poorly really either.
Changing formation is not going to happen, wish people would stop banging on about it

 

[blunted]

I think if we were 3-0 up with ten minutes to go, you might see one of the youngsters on. Trouble is doesn't happen very often

 

[Greggs]

Are you going senile? I don't think I've ever mentioned Rus.

Sorry, my mistake. I got you muddled up with a different knob head.

 

[BlueSkiesForever]

You write long posts which are essentially all your obsession with results being down to the formation, rather than the reality of Saturday which was basically not putting the chances we had away.

Yeah fair enough, admittedly I do obsess about formation a lot and I agree that the Bristol game wasn’t necessarily about formation but I do feel in other recent games a lot of the criticism around the midfield and chance creation has partially been due to our formation.

I think at the CWR forum the other day Robins spoke about looking at other formations and maybe even going to 4 at the back in the future so I think things are looking hopeful. I don’t necessarily think formation is everything and of course it won’t solve everything but I think just a general sense of changing it up when it’s not working or trying some slightly new just now and again could really help us move up the table.

 

[procdoc]

Yeah fair enough, admittedly I do obsess about formation a lot and I agree that the Bristol game wasn’t necessarily about formation but I do feel in other recent games a lot of the criticism around the midfield and chance creation has partially been due to our formation.

I think at the CWR forum the other day Robins spoke about looking at other formations and maybe even going to 4 at the back in the future so I think things are looking hopeful. I don’t necessarily think formation is everything and of course it won’t solve everything but I think just a general sense of changing it up when it’s not working or trying some slightly new just now and again could really help us move up the table.

You do realise that if we changed formation we’d still have to play the same midfielders?

 

[BlueSkiesForever]

Sorry, my mistake. I got you muddled up with a different knob head.

Just for reference it wasn’t me that mentioned Rus either, I may be a knobhead to some but I’m not this particular knobhead

(Anyone know if Rus is any good btw? I’m genuinely keen to see what some of these unknown players are like )

 

[BlueSkiesForever]

You do realise that if we changed formation we’d still have to play the same midfielders?

Yep I do realise that Sheaf is good, maybe not Eccles so much but at least we’d have Saka/O’Hare/Ayari/Allen to pick from. If we went back to the box then surely a midfield of Sheaf, Allen, O’Hare, Saka in some combination would work pretty well? Surely it’s got to be better than how our midfield is set up atm? I can’t take anymore backwards/sidewards passing

 

[procdoc]

Yep I do realise that Sheaf is good, maybe not Eccles so much but at least we’d have Saka/O’Hare/Ayari/Allen to pick from. If we went back to the box then surely a midfield of Sheaf, Allen, O’Hare, Saka in some combination would work pretty well? Surely it’s got to be better than how our midfield is set up atm? I can’t take anymore backwards/sidewards passing

Trouble is which striker would you start if we played the box? None of them could play as a lone front man in my opinion

 

[Woolly68]

I predict 2-0 to City. Long drive for me tomorrow, 273 miles. Got plenty of wine gums and good tunes for the car.