Where Has It Gone Wrong This Past Week? — Notes for Doncaster Friday, 11th Apr 2014 10:42 by HarryFromBath HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday's game by delving into their forum "I don't want to sound pessimistic, but we're currently four points from the relegation zone. Two of the teams below us have games in hand and our run-in is Ipswich, Derby, Millwall, Reading and Leicester." Having picked up four wins and a draw in a run of six games in March, Rovers have been plunged back into the relegation scrap after suffering "two home defeats against sides barely above us in the table", 3-1 against Birmingham last Saturday and 2-1 against Bolton on Tuesday. "We were in a pretty good position but I am beginning to think we've bottled this, you know. The three or four points we needed pretty much had to come from the home games against Birmingham and Bolton but we got zip. Our last good chance to win came and went on Tuesday." "I for one am worried now. There are some resurgent sides below us and we have a tough run-in", "This time last week we were eight points clear of the relegation zone with two winnable home games. We would have been very healthy if we had taken something from one of them." A Bad WeekThis time last week, Rovers were a content mood in the run up to Saturday's Birmingham fixture, having secured a prized 2-1 away against Leeds. "I want us to be safe before we go to Millwall." Things were even looking good for a while against Birmingham, "1-0 at half-time is a good result." By full-time, however, "1-3, Jeez", "Bloody hell", "We got caught out for their first and went to pieces", "The Bolton game is a must win for us. Back to back home defeats would be very disappointing", "I hope it's not going to be a long night." Tuesday turned out to be a very long night. Rovers were 2-0 down after 15 minutes and lost midfielder Richie Wellens with a foot injury. "Oh, God. Other games are crucial now", "Millwall have scored against Wigan", "Bogdan, Bogdan, bloody Bogdan", "I'm scared to look at the table." Paul Dickov"Paul Dickov has proved that he is capable of putting a side together that is more than competitive at this level. He has shown the resilience to reconstruct a competitive side after twice seeing it taken apart by injuries." The majority of fans are solidly behind their manager. "I'm pleased with Paul Dickov. He's done so far what is required and got us in a position where staying in this league is a very real possibility. With our resources, I'm not sure another manager could have done any more than that." The only criticisms levelled by a minority concern his inexperience and tactical naivety. "We have a manager who believes in one way to play football, and who doesn't know how to change it when that does not work", "I don't think he knows what his best formation is especially away from home." Doncaster have played a 4-4-2 system in recent months. Alterations due to injuries have been addressed through players adjusting position rather than changing formation. A number of supporters would like to see the midfield strengthened by moving to a lone striker. Defence"The back five have been doing well even if half of them are out of position." Isolated errors have hurt Rovers as much as anything in recent games. "Birmingham took the gifts we gave them", "We allowed McCormack loads of space at the back post for his goal from a Leeds freekick." Sam Johnstone"Sam will go on to bigger things without a doubt", "The keeper is a different class. His throwing is excellent", "He's unflappable in the air and is good at plucking out nasty corners", "His positioning and handling are impeccable."
Rovers are convinced that the 21-year-old, who joined on loan from Manchester United in January, is destined for greater things. "He's a great shot stopper who clearly has all the tools to succeed at a higher level", "I have absolutely no doubt that Johnstone will be an England keeper." "Apart from one mistake early on he's been flawless in all the games I've seen", "He made the save of the season against Huddersfield", "It's a pity for Ross Turnbull who was playing so well before getting injured", "Sam is much better at coming for crosses and commanding his area." Veteran Australia international Lucas Neill limped off in Tuesday's defeat with a hamstring injury and is a doubt for Saturday. The 36-year-old "is really composed on the ball and reads the game really well", "His passing out from the back is excellent." Neill joined as an emergency loan signing from Watford in February. He started slowly, "looking like he was running in treacle and giving away needless fouls (against Leeds)"."He's a league above", "The big guy plays well. He's calm, assured and classy in patches." There has been little said about centre-back Abdoulaye Meite, the Ivory Coast international who joined from Finnish side FC Honka in January. The 33-year-old former Baggie and one-time Town trialist "was brilliant against Leeds", "He made some brilliant interventions. The timing of his tacking is superb." Romania international Gabriel Tamas joined Rovers in January from CFR Cluj, but hasn't featured regularly after suffering a broken cheekbone. He came off the bench against Bolton. "He's immense, a beast of a centre-half, and he has a decent cross on him." James Husband has regularly started at left-back. The 20-year-old youth product "is a massive threat going forward and he creates chances", "He has frightening pace for a full-back", "He gets freekicks by shielding the ball near our box and going over", "He has played well for the most part." "Husband can be a massive threat to our team going backwards as well", "He was badly at fault for one of Birmingham's goals", "The showboating in his own box was abysmal. His positioning — nowhere near Chris Burke — was worse." Paul Quinn"Quinny has been immense at centre-back. He lacks that bit of pace needed to play full-back but his reading of the game is spot on", "He was awesome against Watford. He just gets on with it, and looked like he was covering two positions",
The 28-year-old former Cardiff man has moved from right-back. "He's a proper leader at the back, talking with and organising the other lads", "He's been very good since moving to the centre of the defence. In reality he hasn't put a foot wrong for a while." Quinn put a foot badly wrong last Saturday. "He would have cleared Birmingham's second goal if he'd gone with his left foot instead of wanting to play the ball with his favoured right foot. I was astonished when he put it in his own net", "Going with his right peg made it awkward to clear." Central Midfield"We backed off too easily in midfield at times and were way too deep. We play much better when we push and harry teams, but we just weren't at it tonight", "How many times have our midfielders come out of the box holding their hands in a gesture to ask team mates for options?" "Our midfield will always be too defensive with Keegan and Furman playing together", "We have tested to destruction the theory that Furman and Keegan is an attractive midfield pairing, and also that Furman is a holding midfielder. He's much more effective at breaking into the box." Dean Furman started instead of Wellens against Birmingham and replaced him just after the half-hour mark against Bolton. The 25-year-old ex-Oldham man "may well have to start against Ipswich", "He was not the answer [last Saturday] and was never in the game. Our midfield went to pieces." He played better against the Trotters. "It took him time to get into the game. His gave the ball away initially, including several hospital passes, but improved", "His worked his socks off, made some good runs into the box, and plugged the midfield gaps." "It's no coincidence that our worst spell of the season was when Paul Keegan was injured", "He constantly snuffs out attacks before them become threatening, puts his body on the line when required and puts the opposition's midfield under pressure to force errors." The 29-year-old Irish player joined Rovers from Bohemians in 2011. "One Sheffield Wednesday fan commented that ‘the bald Doncaster midfielder won everything against us today'." The holding midfielder is seen as an ideal foil for Richie Wellens. Richie Wellens"Without Wellens we lack that bit of quality and creativity. Starting without him means that we are headless chickens running around the pitch", "He's the only player who can put his foot on the ball, slow things down, and find a ball that opens things up", "No Wellens, no win."
It is impossible to overstate the importance of the 34-year-old, who played on loan for Town from Leicester in 2012. He missed the Birmingham defeat with a foot injury and a gamble to play him on Tuesday backfired when he was substituted after Bolton had scored twice. "He shouldn't have started. It was obvious to everyone that he wasn't fit. We went 2-0 down because we were carrying him in midfield", "He couldn't move and couldn't run. Bolton were having a field day", "It was ridiculous playing him when it was obvious he was crocked." Rovers are desperate to see him start on Saturday, but they also picked up on one other thing. "He's averaging one booking every three games. A bit of discipline is just needed from our skipper", "His constant nattering to the referee causes him to pick up needless bookings for dissent." Wide Midfield"Our crossing can be abysmal. Floated crosses from 40 yards out do not work against seasoned centre-backs. They either go out of play or fail to beat the first man." Rovers want to see their wide players get the ball on the deck and run at defenders more frequently, cutting inside where possible. "Teams put in deep crosses when they don't have the ability to break opponents down. We struggle to get behind teams. Dickov's not really had that option with Harry Forrester's injury." The former Brentford playmaker is greatly missed, having recently had a knee operation. Former Scunthorpe right-winger Mark Duffy "has an absolute nightmare against Birmingham and he knows it". The 28-year-old "was appalling all the time he was on the pitch", "He has pace, and I thought he was going to run riot this season, but he seems low on confidence or just not up to it." David Cotterill"Cotts was perpetual motion last night [against Bolton], even though not all his attempts and passes came off", "He gave the ball away a lot, the corners were predictable and we lost impetus going forward as he had to cut back in on to his right peg."
The former Barnsley man has played on the left flank in recent games. "As good as his right foot is, the defensive side of his game is poor", "I hate the way he ducks out of 50:50s and he needs to improve his tacking and heading." The 26-year-old Wales international "ran the show against Leeds. He was our only inventive player", "He never stops running and his dead ball kicking on his day can be very good", "He looks a different player when his work rate and confidence come together." James Coppinger"If we stay in this league, we need better than Coppinger. He's too predictable." The 33-year-old "looked okay at right-back but was way out of position for Birmingham's second goal. If he does play there, he needs to learn to track back a lot faster and not bomb forward."
Coppinger reached 400 appearances recently and the mood towards the right-winger was far more charitable. "What a fantastic player this guy has been for us. How seldom have you left a game thinking Copps hasn't put in a shift?" "He's a top professional with mercurial skill who never sulks." He was moved back to the right flank for the Bolton game. "He has a great football brain and is comfortable on the ball. He's always been fantastic in the air for such a small player due to his near perfect timing when jumping." Strikers"Too often our players want an extra touch on the ball in or around the box. They take unnecessary or poor touches when a shot is needed", "We need some pace just to get running at opponents. Lumping balls into the box only sees them get mopped up. We should play the ball on the floor more." "Our build-up play around the box is mostly slow and predictable. Defenders are back in position and the penalty box is a crowded place. It would take an absolute beast of a striker to benefit from that sort of situation." "It would have been interesting to test Bolton's back four with a ball played in behind with a bit of pace, but we would have needed Theo Robinson for this." The 25-year-old former Ram "lacks sharpness. He didn't take either of the two chances that fell to him [last Saturday]." Chris Brown"Chris works hard, holds up the ball and brings people into play. He'd be such a player if he was willing to take the odd chance and just go direct at goal now and again." The 29-year-old former Preston and Norwich striker "is a grafter. He makes runs and closes down the opposition like a work horse".
"Play any formation without Brown and we'll spend 90 minutes playing balls forward and watching them come back with interest. Even when out of form, he is the only player who can hold the ball up. Strengthen the defence if you drop him, because they'll need it to keep up with the incessant attacks." "I love Brown to bits, but he's not a goal threat. He was ineffective against Bolton's two big centre-backs and lacked pace", "His movement in the box is predictable", "He's not a gambler, failing to get on the end of crosses and trying to play Sharp in when he was in a better position to have a go himself." Billy Sharp"Is it me, or is Billy Sharp officially s****? He was absolutely woeful tonight [against Bolton], running around like he had an iron lung", "I think you were being a bit generous with the running around bit", "He seems to have lost his buzz. There's definitely something amiss."
The 28-year-old, signed on loan from Southampton "was poor against Birmingham. He had no pace or work-rate. He didn't look like the Billy of old, but perhaps the system doesn't suit his game", "He isn't getting the service he deserves in the middle and was getting dragged out wide to help the wingers." "How the hell is he supposed to score when he never receives the ball in dangerous positions? For the last two games he may as well have been playing in midfield", "He needs to break into uncrowded penalty areas during swift attacks with fast passes. We don't play to his strengths." The one-time Town target "at the moment he looks too fat. He doesn't look fit, has no pace at all and his touch isn't there", "There were three crosses (against Bolton) that bounced across the six-yard box. Three years ago he would have been feasting on these, but tonight he didn't make a single run." Rovers' Views on ITFC and the Game"If we go with a bog standard 4-4-2 at Ipswich, I can't see us taking anything from the game. I'm not saying we should park the bus, but we need to be more solid in midfield when we play away, especially against better teams." "On Saturday I expect to see a focussed game plan that set outs to get us a point, with Sharp and Brown defending from the front. They won't get to play their natural game, but they will roll up their sleeves for sure." "I can't see us getting anything at Ipswich. We'll be watching other results very closely next week", "We should play for a point on Saturday. If we go after Ipswich we might win it, but the odds are that we are more likely to lose it." Most Rovers would be delighted with a point, but there were a couple of optimists. "Ipswich need a win. We don't. Exploit that fact", "Ipswich aren't going to make the play-offs and the loss of McGoldrick has finished them." WebsitesThe busiest Doncaster website is Viking Chat .
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