Bristol Rovers vs Walsall Official Match Thread

Do they have to walk then? 

Dragging their ball and chains with BG cracking a whip and shouting "you will play my pretty style of football, even if its totally ineffective". They should be home tomorrow

I hope BG puts out a strong team, starting a 11 that he will likely field on Saturday against Sunderland. Build some confidence before our first league game of the season.

Glad the fans aren't allowed in still for this one, cringing at the thought of people giving BG stick and shouting we want DC back...

Boycott this game!


......oh.

In some positions we have a bigger choice of players this season so is starting the likes of Harries, Hare, Kelly, Upson, Tutonda, Rodman etc really classed as our second string team? Not at all. These are all players who will on most match day squads and at some point, will be getting regular game time.

Hello chaps. First of all, good luck tonight.

Just to note that I am in love with Darrell. He’s done an incredible job so far turning around a sinking ship. Last summer we had the biggest turnover of players in the football league, as well as negotiating new ownership.

D.C. has kept the majority of the squad together and made, what I think are decent improvements. The good news of the summer was us signing Rory Holden on a permanent deal from your friends across the city.

I think Darrell seems to have his head screwed on. We signed 3 players last week that didn’t have a ore season - so I think we may see them have some game time tonight (Osadebe, Hayden White), as well as two of the more experienced players who are lacking match sharpness (Danny Guthrie and your friend the beard).

Good luck!

To be fair he's not quite as bad as you said but not a fan.

To be honest, it was the way he conducted himself to the fans that irked many. Shushing supporters at games and taking the pee on social media - thinks he’s class. He isn’t.

Fine at set pieces and crossing, but can not defend to save his life.

There was a pack of 10 monkeys following Luke James around the Mem, they immediately attached themselves to TN when he arrived and over the years they bred and invited their friends and relations to join in so there were 30 on his back by the end of his first season. Lucky for him that pack of monkeys had a couple of rogue leaders who took their followers on to the backs of Reilly and Jakubiak but when the Jak went back and Gavin was sent to Cheltenham TN and Victor had to share the 70 monkeys between them. Victor managed to jettison his between Timmie, the returning Reilly and James Daly during the winter transfer window...but in the long close season only JD’s monkeys still had a home, so there is a pack of 100 rogue monkeys wandering the tents of the Mem Nature Reserve awaiting a strong back or two to attach themselves to at the first home game.

Not too sure of the rules of the competition but I think you can bring up to 5 players into your team that were not part of the last match day 18. I expect Walsall will anticipate BG tippy tappy 3-4-3 at Azteca Horfield so I reckon we should shock them with a direct unsophisticated 3-5-2 and have the centre backs play the ball to Harries who pings his diagonal balls towards Ayunga. Upfront with Ayunga we play Andre junior and tell him to stay within ten metres of Jonah, then if Harries’ radar is a bit off it may find Andre instead...hopefully he remembers not to catch it and gets something on it to knock it down for either himself or Jonah to fire a snapshot at goal! So my tongue in cheek XI...

JVS,
Martinez, Harries, Kelly
Hare, Upson, Grant, Tomlinson, Tutonda 
Ayunga, Andre jr.