Barrow v Bristol Rovers match thread

[SilverdaleBluebird]

Awful watch again that, my main worry is Canavan. I watched him a lot tonight, there’s no leadership whatsoever. Didn’t see him talking to anyone, no bringing the team together (BR had a huddle a couple of times at drinks/injury breaks) and crucially no encouragement or firing up when we conceded either goal. The whole team looks lost.

Also, Charlie McCann is such a fine player, he’ll be off higher up the pyramid in the summer.

[Scott5]

Awful watch again that, my main worry is Canavan. I watched him a lot tonight, there’s no leadership whatsoever. Didn’t see him talking to anyone, no bringing the team together (BR had a huddle a couple of times at drinks/injury breaks) and crucially no encouragement or firing up when we conceded either goal. The whole team looks lost.

Also, Charlie McCann is such a fine player, he’ll be off higher up the pyramid in the summer.

Great player one of the few players who can pick a pass like at fleetwood for Gordon’s penalty, Friday night a run and shot off the post for our equaliser. And yet tonight we had him sat deep almost between the centre backs doing what? He’s one of few you’d want to keep and would get another league club.

Him and Whitfield aside we’ve got no real quality in the attacking areas and Whitfield seems to be AWOL…

[Bluebird_john]

Awful watch again that, my main worry is Canavan. I watched him a lot tonight, there’s no leadership whatsoever. Didn’t see him talking to anyone, no bringing the team together (BR had a huddle a couple of times at drinks/injury breaks) and crucially no encouragement or firing up when we conceded either goal. The whole team looks lost.

Also, Charlie McCann is such a fine player, he’ll be off higher up the pyramid in the summer.

When is McCann going to grow a pair and show it then? He’s about to have a relegation on his CV,.. some talent!!

[Mark Johnson]

Dino Post Match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK6WDD7jM24

[Barrow afc 2018]

In the first half, Bristol Rovers had 4 players up front, all a handful for our defenders.
Barrow had Fletcher up front on his own, Gordon hogging the touchline like a left winger and Newby in the middle behind Fletcher.
Barkhuizen right wing back again (what a waste of his talent).
There was no pressure at all on the Bristol defenders.
We finished up with Fletcher, Gordon, Rose and Walker on the pitch.
Desperation, but they could have done with Barkhuizen's crossing ability.
I have never seen so many people leaving the game before the final whistle.
Indeed in the stand some left before half time and a load of other just after Bristol's second goal.
It's been really depressing watching home games this season.
3 wins and 3 draws in 17 games and only 11 goals against 25 conceded.
9 games without scoring.
1 win and 8 defeats in the last 9 home games.
That's serious relegation form.

100% this
Sat in the stand pi$$ wet through, never felt so depressed and dejected as tonight. We were so poor all over the pitch, even the changes made no difference. Bristol on the other hand played like a side possessed so credit to them and their management.

Our play is so risk averse at home its embarrassing I don’t really know where we go from here theres just no fight.

By a miracle we still have a game in hand and it’s still surprisingly in our own hands.

Tonight belongs to Bristol you absolutely played us off the park and you deserve to preserve your EFL status credit to your fans for the long journey.

Yet another miserable night at HS all I can say is we go again Saturday. (Trying very hard not to be angry).

[Always Ultra]

Bristol fans perspective to compare to Dino's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH-l78uz0BY

[Barrow Lad New]

Tonight was not only the latest in a long history of defeats at Holker Street in foot of the table six-pointers, but one that the players, from their body language, sadly appeared resigned to losing.

We struggled to string passes together and only seriously challenged Rovers in added time at the end of the first half, and in the last 15 minutes of the second half when they appeared to step off the gas, perhaps complacent with their two-goal lead.

We were again too indecisive in going forward, often losing the ball anyway and putting pressure back on ourselves. As a friend summed it up “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”.

Rovers had players who could consistently win challenges and run the length of the pitch, then put in dangerous crosses; we seemed lacking in all those areas.

We now only have one game in hand on Newport and Harrogate and are above Newport on goal difference only. We also have a game in hand on Crawley one point above, but if we can’t address our shots on target problem, we will soon be overtaken. Tranmere Rovers are also on a very poor run but have seven points in the bag above the drop zone.

Rovers won the first two corners in the 11th minute, Stanway punching away a Kilgour header from Sparkes’ corner kick.

Rovers No.3 Sparkes also caused us trouble all evening with his unchallenged runs and in the 19th minute put in a dangerous cross. Leigh’s header went wide but was offside anyway.

The game was scrappy but only one side looked like scoring and soon this would come to pass.

In the 27th minute Harper fouled Sparkes near the left touchline. Stanway punched away Sparkes’ kick back into the danger zone, Leigh firing into the undefended net.

On the half hour, Stanway saved again from Sparkes.

In the 40th minute, Freddie Anderson went down injured and had to be replaced by Shipley.

In the third minute of five minutes added time, we finally came alive and made incursions into the visitors area. A shot from Gordon, then a minute later from MacDonald and Barkhuizen were blocked. Too little, too late and 1-0 deficit at the break.

Sadly, Rovers soon re-asserted their authority seconds after the break. We lost possession soon after Shipley passed inaccurately back to Stanway, a panicked clearance resulting in a free kick as MacDonald fouled Sparkes. From this the ball ended up on the roof of Stanway’s net.

A minute later, a shot from De Havilland was blocked, and then Senior shot over the bar.

A cross from Shipley in the 52nd minute gave us a rare chance on goal, but Gordon’s shot was saved. Two minutes later, Rose replaced Barkhuizen.

Two minutes after our substitution, Rovers went 2-0 up. A break and shot from Senior was picked up by Cavegn who tapped in from the left.

We now had a mountain to climb and there seemed little chance of rescuing even a point. However, we did have some efforts which, had they been taken, might have galvanised an unlikely revival. On the hour, Rose headed wide of the right post after a break by Newby.

In the 64th minute, MacDonald was booked after handbags on the touchline. Sparkes’ free kick fell to Cavegn on the edge of the area, and Stanway did well to save his shot through the crowd.

In the 69th minute, Walker replaced Jackson for our third change of the night.

In the 76th minute, we very nearly grabbed a goal back, but Young managed to tip a Danny Rose shot over the bar following a cross from Newby. In the 88th minute, Walker shot straight at Young following a cross from McCann. In the 90th minute, Shipley somehow managed to fire wide on the right post from close range following a cross from Gordon.

Missing this sitter summed up the night- we just don’t seem able to score. Somehow we are going to have to find out how to- or the drop beckons.

Attendance was 2,300 including 193 Bristol Rovers fans.

[Mark Johnson]

Barrow used to be the place teams hated coming to, I think most enjoy it now.

Bristol R fully deserved the 3 points. Embarrassing from us tonight. Dino starting to look dejected - he has a huge task ahead of him now.

[Gnasher66]

First time ever I’ve felt like walking out after 60 minutes tonight. No real fight, spirit, courage from that team tonight - a team with a severe lack of tactical ideas on how to try and turn a match around let alone win one.

We’ve had 3 Coaches, maybe 3.1 if you count McDonald, and none of them have really changed a thing. Same formation and same tactics with the RB situation being an incredibly unfunny obvious joke to us supporters.

Each Coach at some point has said: that they want to play football on the front foot (hardly happened); that we need to go back to basics (if passing to each other is a basic then we can seemingly only do it consistently when it’s either a sideways or backwards pass); that players haven’t listened or done what they’ve been instructed to do (obviously something untoward/unhealthy going on in that squad then?). Also, to see some players laughing and smiling with the opposition post-match after such an embarrassing performance tonight was soul destroying. Some players are giving off vibes that they’ve decided we’re already relegated and obviously not ar$ed about the effect relegation will have on our club. Perhaps that’s because they know their Agent has already lined them up elsewhere next season so why give a toss? Who knows?

I’m trying to keep the faith but it ain’t that easy and I’m hoping they can find something from somewhere to turn things around but, after tonight’s awfulness, the evidence is paper thin and I’m struggling to keep the flame burning. (I hope to God I wake up in a brighter mood tomorrow )

[_bluebird_]

More angry today than I was last night. Not once was there even a big tackle to show they cared, just lazy tackles cos the cant be bothered. A team devoid of character and fight. We were desperate for a nasty midfielder in jan and went with kids

[AFC Blue]

Can we also keep playing in short off goal kicks and then back to wyll to hoof it so our defence and midfield are deep and 3 forwards spread across the pitch because something will come of it one day. Oh and when we are 2-0 in 80 mins with 4 strikers on the pitch, make sure all our players are in our own box off corners.

Exactly that Jeff.
Absolutely crazy.
Back 3 does not work
11 back at corners ?
Fuming still.
BR were up for it last night. We are miles off it.

[barrowaberdeen]

Ive started to type this what feels like 100 times but just cant find the words for how bad this is.

[Jonty]

Back to formation and team selection. Can anyone explain to me how we've ended up with Isaac Fletcher playing up front as a lone striker. What the hell is going on.

[Wintergreen]

Badly lacking in every department you could care to name. Shipley showed a bit of drive them blasted a good opportunity into orbit. Rovers looked like they were from two leagues above us and to think we beat them at their place when we were non league. Where do we go from here? Well l think we all know the answer to that after last night.

[Paul]

We're down. End of discussion.