Graham professionally poor

[robinrover]

Danny Graham clearly didn't want to play last night as he added to his list of sub standard performances this season
Currently antonsson and Samuel are head and shoulders above him and I wouldn't say they have been amazing
I would be having a long chat with him you either pull your socks up or leave in January we cannot afford to carry passengers in our mission to get out of this league first time.

[champs95]

Danny Graham clearly didn't want to play last night as he added to his list of sub standard performances this season
Currently antonsson and Samuel are head and shoulders above him and I wouldn't say they have been amazing
I would be having a long chat with him you either pull your socks up or leave in January we cannot afford to carry passengers in our mission to get out of this league first time.

I've seen enough now. Yet again on sat, he was awful. And didn't appear to try ....again! He just isn't up for it at all. That goes for a fair few. This should not be the case, but the likes of Mulgrew, Conway, Graham, Whittingham simply are not up for this league. They don't like the changing rooms, the pitches and all that comes with Div1. I said it on another thread, player recruitment will come back to haunt us. Mowbray had an idea what will work. I mean I hear fans saying 'we have the biggest budget' etc. Yes we spent money on a guy from Readings reserve side who scored one goal. (against Rovers) A guy who is right at the end of his career (Whittingham) Dack who has been effective at this level 2 seasons ago. Mowbrays criteria was anyone who had played well against one of his sides previously, or who played well for him. I think at a push Smallwood has been ok. The rest have been a mixture. Samuel (while I quite like him) is very much work in progress. He and Antonsson are not looking like forging a good enough partnership. If Antonnson plays, that means Dack doesn't. Dack's final ball isn't good enough thus far. But he does at least try the creative things, we severly lack. And Antonnson is not as effective out wide left, but even less so alongside Samuel. Especially away from home. At Oldham we got beat by a very classy display from Byrne (who we let go back to City last season) he ran the game. They won the midfield battle, which subsequently won them the 3 points. We don't have that type of player. That needs addressing.

Sadly a nice little chat to a seasoned pro will not be enough. Pay him up and send him on his way, nobody will come in for him. Personally I always thought we should have gone for Beckford (in the summer) who went to my other team Bury. If we went in for him in Jan, we'd get him. Not a world beater, but big, physical and knows how to score goals at this level. Same with Gallagher at Birmingham. He would come now I think, he hasn't played much for Brum. And he is the class we wont get from Whittingham. And he cares about Rovers. This SHOULD be the criteria for the players. Its not about what you spend (for those rolling out the same old argument about us spending the most money therefore should simply win promotion) its how you spend it, and how wisely. We haven't done that. And we reained the likes of Graham and Conway who are just not up for this at all.

[AucklandRover]

I've seen enough now. Yet again on sat, he was awful. And didn't appear to try ....again! He just isn't up for it at all. That goes for a fair few. This should not be the case, but the likes of Mulgrew, Conway, Graham, Whittingham simply are not up for this league. They don't like the changing rooms, the pitches and all that comes with Div1. I said it on another thread, player recruitment will come back to haunt us. Mowbray had an idea what will work. I mean I hear fans saying 'we have the biggest budget' etc. Yes we spent money on a guy from Readings reserve side who scored one goal. (against Rovers) A guy who is right at the end of his career (Whittingham) Dack who has been effective at this level 2 seasons ago. Mowbrays criteria was anyone who had played well against one of his sides previously, or who played well for him. I think at a push Smallwood has been ok. The rest have been a mixture. Samuel (while I quite like him) is very much work in progress. He and Antonsson are not looking like forging a good enough partnership. If Antonnson plays, that means Dack doesn't. Dack's final ball isn't good enough thus far. But he does at least try the creative things, we severly lack. And Antonnson is not as effective out wide left, but even less so alongside Samuel. Especially away from home. At Oldham we got beat by a very classy display from Byrne (who we let go back to City last season) he ran the game. They won the midfield battle, which subsequently won them the 3 points. We don't have that type of player. That needs addressing.

Sadly a nice little chat to a seasoned pro will not be enough. Pay him up and send him on his way, nobody will come in for him. Personally I always thought we should have gone for Beckford (in the summer) who went to my other team Bury. If we went in for him in Jan, we'd get him. Not a world beater, but big, physical and knows how to score goals at this level. Same with Gallagher at Birmingham. He would come now I think, he hasn't played much for Brum. And he is the class we wont get from Whittingham. And he cares about Rovers. This SHOULD be the criteria for the players. Its not about what you spend (for those rolling out the same old argument about us spending the most money therefore should simply win promotion) its how you spend it, and how wisely. We haven't done that. And we reained the likes of Graham and Conway who are just not up for this at all.

I do still think that Whittingham might come good, Champs. I'm sure this Division has been a shock to him, but he has always been a model professional, and we certainly need someone who can pass the ball. As I said on the other thread, a lot of the problems have stemmed from having so many defenders injured. That has had a big impact on the make-up of the rest of the team.
I think Graham should play in the next three games, with an ultimatum issued to him about expectations in terms of attitude and effort. I agree with you that we could have done with a big, strong target-man, even if he wasn't used for every game or whole games. You often face two uncompromising centre-backs at this level, and you need someone who can take (and give!) the knocks.
Even so, our position is not dire. Almost all the players have had some decent games, but very few (Bennett and Smallwood excepted?) have shown consistency. Having said that, in some games we've created many chances but not converted them. That's why I'd not abandon Graham yet. If he could snatch a couple and find some form, he does have that touch of class many players in L.1 lack.

[robinrover]

We have big problems when Evans is not available
We seem more stable and secure to at least see out a clean sheet now as for whittingham jury is out he needs a 5 th midfielder to give him security
Graham I feel time is up not bothered and not up for the sleaves to be rolled up.