Good report on the Luton game Azza.

I suppose we were left without much new to say afterwards. It followed a pattern that we saw last season; the failure to recover from a set-back. They have to believe they can get back into the game and to have done so before generates a collective belief that it can be done again. This kind of thing - two goals in two chances happens - and has to be dealt with psychologically. Putting the emphasis on being difficult to beat would probably mean that we would not be 1 up with 2 golden opportunities missed up to that point anyway. So potentially 0-0 rather than 0-3.

We are where we are with the Ferguson strategy and it cannot honestly be based on being “difficult to beat”. You can’t be the sort of team he is after and provide entertainment when all you do is set out to stop the other team from scoring.

The “difficult to beat” ideal is an interesting one and at first sight no football person would be likely to not want the attribute, but how achievable is it and at what cost?

Rovers supposedly had it under Saunders and it did not make for exciting football; looking at the league table was probably nearly as much fun as watching the execution of the process. Contemplating more exalted examples I heard a lot locally about some of the more hollow victories of Big Sam’s West Ham whose fans were delighted to see him depart, although “difficult to beat” is probably better than their current state of disarray. Indeed “difficult to beat” is probably more sought after when you are struggling than when you are flying high. Pulis’s Stoke had it and of the higher flyers, Mourhino’s Chelsea managed a title on it and, going back, George Graham’s Arsenal could be decidedly attritional in the negative sense of the word. Stoke were able to use it to survive, but the other two, despite success, rarely gave real delight to the neutral.

Would it be right to say I wonder that there are not many well-known teams who have sustained this style over many years and whilst everyone likes to win, there is surely not that much joy in doing it this way regularly?

As for a Ferguson team doing it routinely that must be “pie in the sky” and to imagine that you can play the type of football he is after alongside it is irreconcilable. Basically the defence needs to be better, but to meet the modern “difficult to beat” standard you need practically a whole team that is primarily really good at defence, yet can take a high percentage of chances on the counter-attack. We have neither, so we are stuck with what is probably better anyway - to have a balance.

I think I would rather have a team that is not easy to beat which is not quite the same thing.

As for tonight, they should have it in them to regroup and take the points, so 2-1, Marquis and 5500.

Come on Rovers.
Full lanza turnout

Rovdrs2-0 marquis to score crowd 4789

A victory for the Mighty Ziggers. 3-1. Marquis first goal. Crowd of 5123.

Will Fergie try his 3 at the back tonight, or stick with the same. As long as Evina is playing we're very suspect to crosses from his side of the pitch. As for the C/B, we need someone to step up to the mark and take charge as some of the goals we've given away are bordering on just plain silly.
Up front, Fergie needs to tell them straight. Start taking the chances or you'll be benched. As anyone knows who's played the game, when your opponents keep missing, you start to believe that your going to win as it's your day.
Personally I believe that the management of other teams tell their players to wind Williams up by telling him he'll miss. Or words to that effect, then he tries to hard, keeps on missing, then starts waving his arms about looking up to the sky.
Were as Marquis, just doesn't give a fook, I think will become a bit of a rovers favourite for his never give in attitude.

Carlisle got to lose someday and today is the day, rovers to win 2-1, baudry if starting if not williams , crowd 4861

Rovers to bounce back in style 3-1 win. Rowe to score crowd 5128

Rovers to win 2-1 and Rowe for the first goal. Crowd 4999.

On the hard to beat issue don, I am not saying it should be done per say every game every week but it would be appropriate to play that way in some away games, particularly against other top teams.
Right now we have lost three of our nine games.
If that trend continues it would equate to about 15 defeats and no team gets promotion losing that many.
Two of the losses, accruing ton and Crewe, came about after getting back into a game we were losing then going all out for a win.
The Crewe defeat was especially bad as we only got level in the last few minutes.
We need to consolidate in those situations and see if we can sneak a win on the break rather than going all out for a win and risk losing a hard earned point.
There is a case for playing just one of Williams or Marquis in away games.
The best teams don't throw points away very often.

Rovers 2-1 Carlisle
Williams to score
Crowd 5,000

C'mon Rovers

4-1 to Rovers
Marquis to score
Crowd of 5147
RTID!

Evening All,
Tonight will be a good test of character for this new Rovers team.Can they bounce back from Saturday's disappointing result at Luton ?.
They will have their work cut out against an unbeaten Carlisle United team.
The key to a win will be to convert the early chances that we seem to be creating with our high pressing game.
Score first and victory is ours.
Rovers 3-2
Williams to continue his home scoring form.
Crowd, 5,000

Rovers 3-1 win. Rowe with the first. 4995.

Wow !. Two goals in a minute.

End to end tonight.
2-1 Rovers, doubt this will be the final score.

The lads look great going forward but very likely to concede too.
Two great goals by our boys.
Could be about 6-4 right now.

The curse of penalties strikes again.
Hope it doesn't bite us in the bum later !.

Ten minutes to win this.

2-2 , final score. Fair result two teams giving it all.
Whose going to take the next penalty ?.

The football from Rovers switched from sublime to ridiculous after the missed penalty. It was headless chicken time and none of the three substitutions were remotely helpful. When Richardson came on at RB I really looked forward to watching Blair tearing up the touchline in front of him, but no. He was pushed into Copps spot at the top of the diamond where he was completely wasted. Fair play to Carlisle - they played their way back into a lost game but this was two points dropped and, much worse, a big psychological blow..

I thought that in the end a draw was about the right outcome.
Carlisle played some very good stuff and in my opinion are the best we have come up against so far this season.
Had Rowe put the pen away though it could have been very different.
Leading up to it we had looked like scoring every time we went forward.
Afterwards it was Carlisle who took charge.
At 2-2 the Willuams penalty shout was as clear a pen as you will ever see, unbelievable that it wasn't awarded.
I would have had Narosi as my man if the match as he made four top class saves.

Try as I might I cannot see anything encouraging here. Judging from the commentary we might well have lost if the game had continued.

One set-back, the missed penalty, and morale is shattered. Where are the men of character that we are led to believe replaced last season’s weakest links?

Once again points have been lost miserably. It was the opposite of throwing caution to the wind; it was not demoralisation because the opposition snatched a fortunate lead as it has been sometimes in the past; it was worse. It was brought on by a failure in a fundamental competence which like a highly infectious disease struck down the whole team. They equipped themselves with a collective lack of self-belief and reverted to a strategy of survival without the kit,

The whole side might just as well lined up and shot themselves in the foot.

Marosi seems to be the only man in the side who can feel that he does well at his job for whole matches. The rest just cannot keep going for 90 minutes once something goes wrong.

This is League 2 and we are sinking into its mediocrity.

The penalty miss the Williams sitter where he hits the bar. We could and should have been out of sight. Agree Carlisle are the best we've played but we couldn't handle the big long ball into the box. At corners they out muscled and bullied us. Plenty to work on for Saturday but for me it's another 2 points dropped!

Not to take anything away from Carlisle but I thought we were poor to say the least not necessarily individually but as a team and the pattern of play.
The first time me actually did a quick inspired build up started by Blair we scored then reverted back to the slow painful and very predictable approach .
Apart from say 15mins in the second half Carlisle were far the better TEAM.
Marosi prob mom which says alot.
Most others just ok.
26 did well as did a couple of others.
When we are on the back foot caulder is a viability.
Hes ok on the ball but at other times woeful.
Marquis actually went for a drink of water as 26 took a corner whats that all about.
Still cant see any cohesion with the front 2.
Defo penalty on The Drama Queen.
But to me we have to up the pace of our attacks

Until we sort it out, the problem of not taking our chances, I fear for the rest of the season as the longer it goes on, the more the players heads drop.
Last night was prime example or miss after miss. Yes Carlisle are the best team we've played BUT, if we'd of taken out chances we would of been at least 4, possibly 5-1 up with 30 mins to go.
They would of put on players to keep the score down instead of bringing on the big lad up front who we just couldn't handl, or that fast little bleeder on the wing.
At the end, I was thankful for the final whistle as they had a 15 minute spell where every time they went forward it looked like they would score
Fergie got out of jail again. Williams need to be put on bench as he's playing like he knows, no matter how many sitters he misses her start the next game.

I thought a draw was a fair result. If either side had taken half it's chances they would have been out of sight.
The missed penalty was obviously a massive chance to finish Carlisle off but it wasn't the only thing that changed the game. Carlisle brought on a couple of subs, rejigged things and after that totally overran us in midfield. Our bench looks a bit lightweight at the moment. M&M are OK, especially if we're in control of the game but still look like boys against men at times.
I thought the ref had a decent game up to the foul on AW. Then again, even if he had awarded it we still had to convert it.