Elliott Bennett

[champs95]

I rarely post from the match. But what a truly woeful performance. Gave the goal away. Gave the ball away doing the same thing continually. Can't cross. Adds absolutely nothing. A complete liability. Why on earth is he playing?
Same with Mulgrew. Just a liability. Nowt has changed. All the positivity quickly disappears when you realise .....he's just going to keep picking plsyers like Bennett. Who simply aren't good enough.

[champs95]

A shocking second half display. From everyone, apart from Johnson had a poor day.
TM set the tone. You don't start with Downing. And Bennett etc. So it wasn't a shock. He's a dour sod who can't put a side out to go for it. Rothwell showed me again why he simply wont ever improve us. Did what he did vrs Leeds when he cost us 3 points. Swang a foot at a ball, instead of having composure to clear it. He fluffed it, and they scored from the cross he could be easily prevented.
Travis was woeful, Lenihan was too. As was Mulgrew. Bennett was Bennett. For 12 monrhs now, that las hasnt been good enough. Dack did nothing. The wrong side was picked. Way too cautious against the side odds on fav's to be relegated. Who looked quite a poor side.

[seventwo]

I won't see two poorer teams at Ewood all season. If Mulgrew and Bennett get in the next squad something is sadly wrong.
On the plus side Downing showed he can still play and Johnson is the best player I've seen in Rovers shirt for many years.

[test]

I won't see two poorer teams at Ewood all season. If Mulgrew and Bennett get in the next squad something is sadly wrong.
On the plus side Downing showed he can still play and Johnson is the best player I've seen in Rovers shirt for many years.

Oh dear......

[champs95]

I'm now watching with interest as to what he does now. As neither Centre Half looked anywhere near good enough. Lenihan can't play alongside Mulgrew. He needs to go out now and buy a centre half. I think we need 2. But we need a Scott Dann. Someone with lots of good experience. Hanley would do. And we MUST get crap like Smallwood, Bennett and Mulgrew out now. Not keep them around. Get shut.

Bennett is embarrasing. He was last season. He is worse now. If we have a stinker of a start, TM will be gone by Oct. As we do have a decent side. We just have no system.
As soon as things went wrong, we resorted to hoofing the ball 50 yards. To nobody. Lenihan knocked 90% out his straight out of play.

[AucklandRover]

I've only just managed to watch (lunchtime).
That was pretty awful.
I almost wish we'd been playing one of the stronger teams, as we saw again that our forwards look a bit clueless when faced with massed ranks of defenders. Dack, in particular, just drops deeper when man-marked, which simply achieves exactly what the opposition wants!
I don't agree about Downing, Champs. I thought he had a reasonable game, as did Johnson. I also disagree about it being a defence-minded line-up, but I was disappointed that Rothwell didn't start.
Most of the regular critics seem to have chosen the usual players as targets, but I thought Travis and Lenihan were also very disappointing. As you say, Champs, Lenihan's distribution was woeful.
Bell actually looked all right going forward, but I'm beginning to give up on him as a full-back. He looked little better than Bennett in that respect. I suspect he might not have figured if Hart had been fit.
I'm not going to judge the keeper on one game, but I actually selected Leutwiler in my Telegraph team, just because I think it DOES take time for new players to settle in.
I think - for the same reason - that Mulgrew will have to play again in the next match, but the full-backs have got to be replaced.
I did actually suggest in advance that we might be better with three at the back (Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew) and wing-backs. A number of times last season, I thought there was too much space between the back line and the midfield, and a couple of yesterday's shaky moments were the result of the same thing.
Bottom line for me, though, whatever the defensive problems are, our "creative" players have to do more with that amount of possession. On this occasion, even Graham didn't improve things.
If I was TM, I would make several changes quickly. Of course, if he does and we get beaten again, he will be knocked for knee-jerk reactions, but I thought several players looked short of confidence, which is bizarre, given our pre-season. We know from past experience that his head will be on the block very quickly because a surprisingly high proportion of the fans don't rate him at all.

(Extra thought: I know I've asked this before, but where does Armstrong go in this kind of game?)

[robinrover]

I am on holiday,so had to keep a lid on my massive disappointment in what was a horrific result and by the sounds of it a performance to match.
Ben brereton has played brilliantly in pre season,so what does Tony mowbray do?
Drop the poor lad
He changes our style and feel for the first game of the season against a team nailed on for the drop.
Bennett???why?the guy was not a right back last season,so why does Tony mowbray persist with him?
Bell was not good enough last season but here we are still persisting with him.
When the season finished,quite a few of us knew we needed a defensive overall and only one defender has joined.
We are a long long way from troubling the top 6.
I hope it's a busy last week of the transfer window for us,because if we dont bring in decent defensive reinforcements,then we can expect a dogfight this season.
That will be a massive shame as we should be on the brink of the top 6 not the bottom 6.

[seventwo]

Bennett needs to leave. He isn't and never was a full back and we have oodles of midfield players.

[champs95]

I've only just managed to watch (lunchtime).
That was pretty awful.
I almost wish we'd been playing one of the stronger teams, as we saw again that our forwards look a bit clueless when faced with massed ranks of defenders. Dack, in particular, just drops deeper when man-marked, which simply achieves exactly what the opposition wants!
I don't agree about Downing, Champs. I thought he had a reasonable game, as did Johnson. I also disagree about it being a defence-minded line-up, but I was disappointed that Rothwell didn't start.
Most of the regular critics seem to have chosen the usual players as targets, but I thought Travis and Lenihan were also very disappointing. As you say, Champs, Lenihan's distribution was woeful.
Bell actually looked all right going forward, but I'm beginning to give up on him as a full-back. He looked little better than Bennett in that respect. I suspect he might not have figured if Hart had been fit.
I'm not going to judge the keeper on one game, but I actually selected Leutwiler in my Telegraph team, just because I think it DOES take time for new players to settle in.
I think - for the same reason - that Mulgrew will have to play again in the next match, but the full-backs have got to be replaced.
I did actually suggest in advance that we might be better with three at the back (Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew) and wing-backs. A number of times last season, I thought there was too much space between the back line and the midfield, and a couple of yesterday's shaky moments were the result of the same thing.
Bottom line for me, though, whatever the defensive problems are, our "creative" players have to do more with that amount of possession. On this occasion, even Graham didn't improve things.
If I was TM, I would make several changes quickly. Of course, if he does and we get beaten again, he will be knocked for knee-jerk reactions, but I thought several players looked short of confidence, which is bizarre, given our pre-season. We know from past experience that his head will be on the block very quickly because a surprisingly high proportion of the fans don't rate him at all.

(Extra thought: I know I've asked this before, but where does Armstrong go in this kind of game?)

Let me be clear. I rate Downing, I like him. And I thought he did ok. He did miss a sitter. But that aside, he was ok. But he's one paced, and you just don't play him and Bennett together. Not vrs Charlton at home, first match. It smacks of negativity.
Downing isn't going to beat a man. Attack them. Run at them etc.
I'm not a fan of Rothwell. Yet he has performed well in the final part of last season. And proved he can for in the side, and track back. Can one person explain to me (slowly) why he wasn't starting yesterday? Playing a very very poor side.
You attack Charlton at home Aucks. You don't go with caution.
You know when we get to the final games, and it's just about results. Performances dobt really count. Well in Aug, it's all about performances. Another month of utter crap like this, and he's gone by Oct.
I can kind of understand playing Gallagher. As he needs to learn how ti for in the side. Play off Dack. Understand when the ball is plsyed on. When to make a run. Personally I'd have started with Graham. Those 2 centre halves had the easiest day of their careers to date. They strolled through the game.
We had no game plan. We set up sluggish. We played the wrong side. But the most concerning things are our defence. And the worrying fact, first game of the season, and we revert back to Lenihan hitting 40 yard balls out of play. Graham was not given one ball he could do anything with. Not one.
He looked old, sluggish and past it. But he will, with service like that.
If you start with Bennett and Mulgrew in defence, you will conceed goals. That's just a fact now. How can a centre half by trade not see this? And refuse to do anything about it. He hasn't even given Rankin Costello a squad number. So it's a season of watching Bennett embarrass us. Lenhian (You can see) hates playing alongside Mulgrew. Because Charlie is finished as a player. That was the case last season. He cost us dearly week after week. I'd have considered 3 centre halves. Him Nyambe & Lenihan. But that still leaves a glaring hole where Bennett stands. And he is a liability. Bell got better, and is good going forward. I do think Hart is worth looking at. And I hope he gets his chance. As a young player, I wouldn't want to come into out side if I was Hart. I'd be nervous. The player in front of me, if it's Armstrong I know I'm screwed. As he won't help me once. The 2 centre halves next to me are poor. And the other full back is a joke. And I'd be concerned we would likely conceed that game. Imagine when we start playing some decent sides. Mitrovic, playing against our defence? It's almost laughable. He will have a field day.
The market is still open. After yesterday we still need someone like Reed. Downing is just not the answer. Bring the lad on in games, to see out a tight 1-0 victory when we are being attacked. To offer support and experience. Do NOT start him on the first home game vrs a newly promoted side. TM is probs my destroying any confidence Rothwell did have. Like how TM destroyed Brereton at states last season. The bloke doesn't have the nous to set us up to go attack side. Poor sides like Charlton.
We need a centre half, after yesterday I think we need 2. And Charlie needs to leave on a free. Go back to Scotland, wherever. Just as long as it isn't here.
Bennett should never start another gsme. He is pathetic. So he will start next week at Fulham and it's not even worth following the game, or score. Because I can see what will happen down there. Unless he goes out and addresses it, before the window shuts.
And I'm not sure Graham will contribute much after seeing that yesterday. He looked very old. He can only survive on the service he's given. So he's best off calling it a day. Because TM won't pick players who can attack and create. He will go for Downing etc.