Post by stevek192 on Jan 24, 2016 14:13:18 GMT
After the elation of last weeks late win against a very good Oxford team this was very much a case of leaving the ground feeling as if we had lost. However I would have taken four points out of six from these last two games and it has to be said that if you look at the last ten games we have played we have picked up 21 points out of 30 which is definitely good going and with only one defeat in those games this is a great period for DC and the players. In truth a draw was a fair result as Plymouth are a good side and deserved a share of the spoils however the disappointing thing was the fact that we should have sown the game up as we had at least two or three chances to add a second goal and kill off the opposition. Do I think we have enough to be a top three side? In all honesty I feel we are about two players short or perhaps I should say either 2 new players short or two existing players performing at a higher standard.
Despite the above this was a very good contest between two good teams playing a lot of good football and at an exciting pace. It did lack quality but there again this League is not renowned for that and so IMO there is no reason why every Rovers fan who went yesterday would not want to come back for the next home game.
Mildenhall 7 Another good all round display from Mildy and I really wonder if we need get another keeper in for this season as surely if we only need a back up who might play the odd game then it is the ideal situation for Keiran Preston. It seems to me that Mildy has managed to bring swift distribution into his game and has regained confidence in coming off his line and letting his defenders know where he is. He again did nothing wrong and IMO we wo9ulod be better off getting in either another wideman or another striker. If it isn't broke why mend it especially as in an emergency we could get an emergency keeper in so I say play Mildy till the end of the season and then look at getting a new No 1 for next season but ensure it is a PERMANENT signing. I am not sure exactly what is happening with the Loan market next season but whatever we need a permanent keeper.
Cloarke J 7 For me James Clarke did as well as could be expected in the circumstances and is a solid defender who can be relied upon to compete for every ball and is competent in possession the majority of the time and can be relied upon ,like the other two central defenders to put his body on the line and give everything for the cause. He does however lack a bit of pace and it is therefore vital to his role that he gets good back up from the wing back. The problems of playing 3-5-2 were there for all to see in that we do lack pace if the opponents play a winger and get in down the sides and if like Plymouth they play 2 wingers then it either means we end up very defensive with the two wing backs pretty well grounded into a back 5 or we play a "tit for tat" and accept that it will be end to end and seek to make the most of our opportunities.. The fact we don't concede many goals backs up the way the Manager plays and the fact that we have three very good centre halves when they are on form and a good back up in McCrystal.
Lockyer 8 Another outstanding performance bar a couple of poor distributions and we are so lucky to have such a young quality defender who seems to just get better and better. Him and Parkes made the partnership of Brunt and Reid look very ordinary and together the defence had no real problems containing those two but had to be on top of their games to keep out Plymouth in wider areas. The effect of this can be that we appear at times to be very deep and allow opponents too much space to attack us but Lockyer is well up to man marking because he is a brilliant reader of the game for someone so young. I think we need to get him under a new contract as soon as possible.
Parkes 8.5 MOM Without any doubt for me Parkes was Man of the Match with Lockyer only just behind him. Gave good support to Lee Brown and in all honesty we generally look tighter on the left side to the right as Lee Brown and Parksey know each others game inside out. He was unlucky not to score himself and made two outstanding blocks on the line (one in each half) and a couple of brilliant interceptions and tackles that otherwise could well have been chances for Plymouth to score. He is confident on the ball and brought the ball out well again but for one awful piece of distribution in the first half where he inexplicably passed the ball across the pitch straight to the opposition.
Leadbitter 6.5 I didn't feel he was as effective as last week but that was caused by the way Plymouth play and the talent of their number 11 who tore us apart at times by getting in behind Leadbitter and therefore had the space in which to attack James Clarke. Did more in the way of attacking in the first half but too often his crossing is not up to the standard of his approach play. We looked far better on the right side when he went back to full back where he was far more effective at marking the no 11 who for me was the best player on the park. I am really unsure about playing wing backs in home games but we can't complain about recent home performances as this was the first points lost at home in five games and was against the League leaders going into the game.
Brown 7 Brown had a good game yesterday as is par for the course. I personally feel that all round he is one of the best full backs in this division having an amazing engine to be able to get up and down the pitch however I would question whether his overlap is becoming too predictable. The fact he managed to execute it about 4 or 5 times in the first half probably means it is not but I feel he should be looking more often to bring the midfield in to the game quicker and choosing when he bursts forward. He tends to hold on to the ball until he gets into trouble before releasing it but to be fair to him the midfield as a unit tend to be slow getting out and don't always want the ball enough.
Sinclair 6.5 A lot of energy and the usual busy performance but for me lacked the creative quality in his performance yesterday. Too often the ball was sideways or back and if Lines and Mansell are in defensive positions as well then this very much limits the amount of attacking we are going to do. I would like to see Lines in front of Mansell and Sinclair with Sinclair looking to pass the ball to them or forward more. Some will say 6.5 is harsh however for me the midfield area yesterday was the main area where we were second best and I really feel we are trading effort for quality in that area. I very much hope that we will soon see Lawrence in there to give us an extra dimension and that Sinclair will then have somebody who he can pass the ball to.
Mansell 7 I was surprised that Lee was the one to be substituted because for me he was the best of the middle three as regards an all round midfield display but maybe he was tiring and that was DC's reason for replacing him. Yet again the substitutions worked so I can't really complain. He is a real Captain and I feel he personifies everything that is Bristol Rovers these days. Both on and off the pitch he represents the perfect leader and I would say he ,like DC,is a winner and you could tell from his facial expression that he was disappointed to be leaving the "battle".
Lines 6.5 As is so often the case Chris showed glimpses of what a good player he can be and did at least yesterday make a couple of his past drifting runs at the opposition. I just wonder if it is part of DC's plan that he sits so deep for much of the game as for me his defensive qualities are not great and when you consider the qualities that Sinclair and Mansell offer it seems such a waste of his talent to have him sat so deep. I really thought that the run in the second half was going to bring a Lines goal of a few years back but it was not going to be as he finally ran into one man too many. On the plus side he did probably get in more tackles yesterday than he has done on other occasions but really I don't feel he is producing enough creatively in this side and is certainly not at the present time the player I thought we were signing.
Taylor 5 For me he needs a period on the bench as yesterday was not his day and for long periods he was ineffective. He is so frustrating at times when he goes to ground but the low mark for me was down to missing another golden chance set up on a plate for him by the unselfish Gaffney. If we want to be a Play Off contender he needs to be burying this sort of chance but I also felt his general play was not up to his usual high standards and too often he lost the ball or didn't make the necessary run.ke you a long way and is very much
Gaffney 7.5 Such a dangerous player especially on the ground and very unselfish for a striker perhaps too unselfish. Gave Plymouth defenders a tough afternoon and really looks like the player we have been missing for most of the season. Has the ability and skill to turn defenders inside out. I would like to see him win more in the air and take up even more central positions as we have not as yet seen him attacking crosses.
Subs:
Montano 7 I felt he helped us become a more creative team. Set up Gaffney with a great pass, crossed in for the goal and generally showed good skills and had one shot blocked. Should have run the ball out at the corner at the end instead of crossing straight into the goalkeepers hands although myself I don't think Devon White would have let their keeper collect the cross under no pressure whatsoever!I Think Montano has the natural pace and ability to be a good winger but fort me DC's criticism of him crossing rather than holding the ball up rather than praising him for his good contributions is the reason I feel we will never see the best of him.
Easter 6.5 Lets opponents know he is around straight away ,set up the goal but not sure how good an involvement it was. I think Jermaine warrants a start now alongside Gaffney now as he definitely has that bit of quality but I would question his finishing still and wonder if he would have done any better with Matt Taylors chance...I am not sure and it may have ended up in the Blackthorn.
Bodin 6.5 Scored the goal and added some silky skills which we do lack at times.
Crowd 10 Fantastic to get a 10,000 crowd in January. Atmosphere was electric at times and the game was a good advert for League 2 football. I have the feeling we will see a few more 10,000 crowds this season as we reach the business end.
Ref 5 Awful as were the Linesmen. Gaffney's offside decision looked very dubious and it was amazing that the referee could warn Gaffney and his marker and then allow the centre half to continually foul right under his nose.
Plymouth 8 For me not as good a side as Oxford but physically stronger. No 11 was outstanding and pretty quick. Their midfield was the key area where I felt they dominated us and in all honesty I will be very surprised if we ever make up the nine point gap on Plymouth let alone the 11 point gap on Northampton.
DC Substitutions got us going but I do question just how long he can keep the quality on the bench rather than on the pitch and also how long he will stick with wingbacks in home games. Has he any more signings up his sleeve ? I really hope so as we do lack creativity still and for me a right winger and another striker should be his main attention. I really hope that we will so9on see Liam Lawrence playing as it will be interesting to see whether it will be in place of Lines or alongside him. For me all three substitutes did well and finally made us look like the home side. Hard work and enthusiasm can take you a long way but there has to be a balance and I am not convinced that the balance is right but that is my view and with only 1 defeat in 10 matches DC has got us into a position that at the beginning of the season we could only dream about.
Well its on to another difficult match next week against one of our bogey teams and IMO it is very important that we at least don't lose the games as Accrington are five points behind with 4 games in hand. If we can beat them and increase that gap to 8 points then it would start to look in our favour. To do that we will have to be at our best and ensure we keep Billy Kee quiet.If we do that then I think we can return home with maximum points.
My big worry is that in too many games DC has to make three substitutions and IMO that means he has got something wrong to start with.
