Birmingham Game

[AucklandRover]

Gary Bowyer's own words on the official site (copied below) say it all, really.

'Gary Bowyer felt the 2-2 draw at Birmingham summed up their season as they were made to pay for wastefulness at both ends of the pitch.
Rovers roared into the lead after just eight minutes thanks to Matt Kilgallon's header, but the hosts levelled just past the hour mark through Jonathan Grounds.

The visitors regained the lead four minutes later when Jordan Rhodes took full advantage of a dropped catch from Darren Randolph, but after two great chances were spurned by Rovers, the home side levelled a second time from Demarai Gray.

Added time provided further chances for both sides, but neither could grab the winner to leave the manager a frustrated figure at full time.

"We can't be telling them well done for a point away from home even though it does extend the unbeaten record," said Bowyer after the match.

"We should have been talking about how professional and ruthless we were at both ends of the box,

[Howie5o]

"We have to start now to make sure that it doesn't repeat itself in the next four games."'



...that rallying call should have been made 24 games ago!!!!

This wastefulness and ability to throw awau games is something that we ve done since last season and should have been addressed a long time ago..this has whats made it so so frustrating watching Rovers under GB..and has had many on this board ranting and being accused of negativity.

Il say it again ..this squad has under achieved...and at the end of the season it will be interesting just what positives some people can glean from it...

[Despair]

Now now Howie that's negative talk !!!
However;
Sigh ...
Yes Howie this is GB telling us what we (mostly) have known and concerned over.
Our reward has been labelled as 'negativistic' instead as in truth seeing it for what it is.
I think that when we look back in retrospect some 12 to 18 months from now it may well be seen for what it is; a opportunity lost.

Make no mistake though as like yourself I applaud GB 's magnificent effort of steadying the ship, but just maybe that could be the peak of his powers.
I am still even now hoping he rubs my nose in it, if he is retained for 2015/16,
But time will tell

[champs95]

Start of the season everyone was asked (on this board) where we though we'd finish. I said somewhere between 8-10th. My opinion was based on the previous season. We finished outside the play offs. Then the pre season, we signed nobody of note. Spent no money, just brought in like for like. So didn't strengthen. If we missed out on the play offs the season before, and didn't strengthen ...I don't need to go every week, nor am I positive or negative, simply logical, and it isn't rocket science to figure out we would likely miss out this time around. What I didn't know last Aug was we would have a transfer embargo put on us, thus preventing us from strengthening the squad anymore. So that wasn't even factored into my logical thought pattern.
So we missed out last year, didn't spend anything on strengthening, but we are under achieving by not getting in the play offs ...the play offs we failed to get into last season, and haven't strengthened to get in this time. This division is also a

[Howie5o]

Ah this thread ?...

I think after looking back at what WE all thought we could achieve ..we re ALL feeling a little disappointed ..including you Champs ..

Your right Champs ..after what ive witnessed this season we will be way off the play offs unless theres drastic change from top to bottom ..BUT il still maintain that the squad we had (we wont next season) should/could have done a lot better than it did .. - view external link

[champs95]

Ah this thread ?...

I think after looking back at what WE all thought we could achieve ..we re ALL feeling a little disappointed ..including you Champs ..

Your right Champs ..after what ive witnessed this season we will be way off the play offs unless theres drastic change from top to bottom ..BUT il still maintain that the squad we had (we wont next season) should/could have done a lot better than it did ..

come on!! That's tongue in cheek, it's not consistent with one thing I've ever said on this board in all the years of posting. You know me well enough by to know to no way would have seriously said 1st without saying why. I'm the only poster on that thread that says 1st. So think back, was I really the beacon of light back in July 2014 telling how and why GB was taking us up as champions? As in the only poster?

On that same page where you found that thread, there is another thread, started by a regular poster (maybe Dan

[Howie5o]

i hope it was tongue in cheek ..i said 2nd !

I know we ll beg to differ and thats a messageboard for you ..but have we really progressed from last season ? i just cant see anything to really say we have.For me its been a disapointing season..and maybe an opertunity lost...one which wont come around very often in the future.

[champs95]

i hope it was tongue in cheek ..i said 2nd !

I know we ll beg to differ and thats a messageboard for you ..but have we really progressed from last season ? i just cant see anything to really say we have.For me its been a disapointing season..and maybe an opertunity lost...one which wont come around very often in the future.

I think we have in some parts, others not so much. None of us...and I mean no none, can see why Hanley plays. Just makes no sense, no logic. I can't even begin to explain that one. I think some players have come on, Ollson at LB. All clubs suffer injuries, we are no different. I hope Lowe plays a big part next season. I think we have missed him massively. I want to see Eastwood start games from now on. He's our future. Same with O'Sullivan. Get shut of Gestede, our main man has always been Rhodes. He is far the better player. He just needs to be the main man. Get him back to that, he will score 30 goals, pla

[AucklandRover]

I am disappointed that we didn't challenge for a play-off place, but - like Champs - I'm surprised so many people thought that would AUTOMATICALLY be the case.
Is our squad REALLY that good?
Perhaps on raw, technical ability it is, but that is not the only factor that counts. What else?
1) A group of players gelling - as Burnley did last year, and Bournemouth have done this season.
2) On-field leadership, which we are short on, especially in the final quarter of a game. Alongside this is the element of mental strength, which I feel too many of our players lack.
3) Being reasonably fortunate with injuries. We haven't been.
4) Consistency in individual performances. Probably only about four of our players have shown that.
5) Playing team-members in their best positions and getting the shape right for the particular opposition of the day. GB has a mixed record on this.
6) Use of substitutions. This was a very poor area for GB for most of the season, but I do think he has shown some impro

[AucklandRover]

[quote="Howie5o"'



...that rallying call should have been made 24 games ago!!!!

This wastefulness and ability to throw awau games is something that we ve done since last season and should have been addressed a long time ago..this has whats made it so so frustrating watching Rovers under GB..and has had many on this board ranting and being accused of negativity.

Il say it again ..this squad has under achieved...and at the end of the season it will be interesting just what positives some people can glean from it...[/quote]

Well - I can think of one set of "positives", Howie: thank God I'm not a Blackpool, Leeds or Wigan supporter!