I’ve got my tickets! And it is a fixture which I have attended several times - all the recent matches I think. Colchester have at least two things in common with Doncaster, their Roman history and their imminent formal elevation to city status a week from today. So we are 2 weeks ahead of them and perhaps we can emulate that on the pitch.
A team then that have been declining and are bottom of the form table with only one encouraging stat - their home form which is a bit better than several teams. They don’t lose too heavily either. And visiting teams need to defend carefully to preserve a lead if they get one. Looking at the players in their squad, there seem to be a lot of them with familiar names, experienced players who have had successful careers with other clubs, so perhaps this could account for the relative resilience.
But even so, perhaps it should not be too difficult to avoid defeat and if we are to make a serious promotion bid, we need to win. With Rowe back we will certainly be stronger theoretically. Beating Grimsby away, dare I say, fairly comfortably, ought to signify the capability to do the same to Colchester. Of course we need to take the game to them as we did at Grimsby and after the dismal surrender in the cup I retain doubts about the team’s self confidence.
I can’t remember when I last contemplated a strong belief in Rovers ability to avoid defeat, let alone, win. That has not changed, but I suppose prediction is another thing. So I am going to stick my neck out and say 2-0 win - Miller/Hirst.
DPL v Colchester United
posted on 19/11/22
1-0 to the rovers with Rowe to score
posted on 19/11/22
Colchester 1-2 Rovers
Miller to score ⚽
posted on 19/11/22
Deja vu?
posted on 19/11/22
The contrast in one week was unbelievable - just like between the last two games!
I think I saw the problem - it was McS in the technical area!
🤯
posted on 19/11/22
It is so different being there. “Col U” had the better of the play in the first quarter without looking likely to score. Rovers then played some good football with Long, Hirst and Biggins impressing me. We then dominated the play and the home supporters around me were mumbling resignedly, seeing the home goal under siege, that “they” (Rovers) were going to score soon.”
But we didn’t, and they got their rather unexpected goal. As soon as Col U got onto the pitch for the second half they began to play for time. To be fair they did have their share of possession, but were concentrating on preserving their lead with Rovers failing to make much of an impression on their defence. Then came the very fortunate goal from nowhere which seemed to somehow sneak under the bar quite perfectly from what was just a speculative shot and the 3rd was not dissimilar.
Rovers were lax and seemingly disarrayed in their play by then with nothing coming off. They were not helped by the ref who seemed to give everything Rovers’ way in the first half and then just reversed his bias in the second and ignored everything Col U did and gave Rovers nothing.
Rovers collapsed without a doubt, they persisted with ineffectual playing out from the back when it was inappropriate with the naivety of Ro-Shaun Williams outshining all others at the heart of the incompetent “defence”.
I didn’t see anything from Taylor or Agard and taking Long and Hirst off just made the team weaker.
Schofield may be a good coach, but he needs to put some hard work in on the psychological aspects of the game.
Mitchell had no chance with any of the goals and Miller worked hard. Knoyle had an off day.
On this showing, we have little hope of reaching the play-offs.
posted on 20/11/22
Donaldo, thanks for your detailed "being there" report. I thought we were a little unlucky to go in 1-0 down as we were just off-target a few times and had good shots deflected or blocked. I expected them to come out with high energy in the second half but that did not happen and collapsed after the second goal. I thought the Rovers player (Hurst?) was fouled, as did Robbie Andrews on iFollow. I stopped viewing slightly after that as I had an appointment across town.
I like football played on the ground, and playing out the back can be part of this. However, in this game the Rovers attempts at this were pretty pathetic. I remember one occasion when Mitchell rolled the ball out and about ten passes later it was back in his hands. Either the players do not have the tactical skill to think about where to play (or to think about it quickly enough), or just do not have the skill to turn and go forward without losing the ball to the opposition. Also we are once again going backwards too often from mid-field.
I agree one thing missing was an in-form Knoyle who has been somewhat of a surprise this season. Also the substitutions are a little strange.
posted on 20/11/22
Playing out from the back seems almost like a religious conviction in football. It is as though it is wrong to do otherwise and however awkward a situation you have to adopt it. Sometimes it seems plain stupid to contort the pattern, to put the machinery into reverse in order to do it. Surely the way to accomplish so many tasks is by varying the method.
It got ridiculous sometimes last season when they would collect the ball well into the opposition half and gradually retreat finishing with the ball back with the goalkeeper. It is not quite that bad now, but it seems such a waste of energy, especially when the opposition are content to watch rather than haring round trying to get the ball back.
I did expect more from Knoyle and he never really got going. Long was operating right in front of where I was more or less on the half-way line and he seemed very competent. Man for man, certainly in the first half our players seemed to be more skilful.
I was able to observe Schofield from fairly close quarters and he is very composed, emotions under strict control. Perhaps this does not make him the best man to instil more fighting spirit when they go behind.
The standard of football in this league is not impressive and I have not seem enough of it close up to be in the ideal position to judge, but I did not think that Colchester were entirely without talent. In the first half before they scored they tended to choose to shoot from long range, rather than having the confidence to get the ball into the box and work it from there. But it rather paid off on this occasion, didn’t it?
posted on 20/11/22
Agree entirely with your comments re passing out from the back. Yes it can work when you've got Premiership level talented players but not at this level. DS has a plan A but doesn't seem to have any plan B at the moment. Looks increasingly likely to a be mid table finish for us at this rate. However I'll give DS a few more games to see if he can make it work for us.
posted on 21/11/22
Is the problem confidence when they go behind or the quality of the players? I would have thought that all things being equal, we are as good as any of the top half, but if, on our budget, we can improve the quality in some of the weaker links (RSW for example) and get Rowe operating again at 100% we should make the top 7. …And of course improve the team spirit when things go against them.
Schofield cannot really expect that much more than is there already.
posted on 27/11/22
The 3-0 defeat of Kings Lynn by Stevenage reflects interesting contrasts between where Rovers are and where they need to be. KL had the majority of the possession, but Stevenage made 3 successful strikes.
The best stat you might draw in comparison is that we only conceded one more goal than Stevenage, but when it is the only goal, the difference between winning and drawing, so the decisive goal, it is crucially significant.
Whichever way you look at it, we are going to have to do a good deal better than a whole lot of teams above us to make an impression on those top 7 places between now and May.