Doncaster Rovers v Luton Town

[Maple Hatter]

For Doncaster and Luton fans only. The rest can bugger off to the General match forum to talk about relegation.
Luton to stuff the Donny 8-0. Hylton to score a six including 4 pens. Should sell out our allocation of 3k. Don't know why they can't give us three stands.
PS We're going to piss this league!

 

[Hooped Wizard]

1-1 draw against two sides who’ll finish just outside the play offs.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Got a feeling it’s going to be one of those seasons where we are going to have to rely on home form to safely put ourselves in mid table, so none too confident about this one really, especially with Doncaster having had some decent results so far.

Hope Hylton is fit as although Collins played a bit better toward the end of the Wycombe game he doesn’t look like scoring to me.

Think we got some injuries in midfield in the tinpot trophy, really want to get okane in their as he looked excellent against Wycombe when he came on. I’d like to get Grant starting as well after the JJ experiment didn’t work last time out.

Defence, just play Sheehan please. On record as saying I don’t like either centre half but at least Pearson has scored a couple.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Rowe is definitely out so that’s a plus for Luton. If we play how we did Saturday but start putting the chances away then we will walk this, the problem is we won’t and go on to either draw 1-1 or lose 1-2. Oh if you were a big club you could have 4,000 tickets

 

[BelizeHatter]

Got a sneaky feeling about this one. Be a good time to put right a few good displays that didn't get their full rewards. I'm sure we will be fired up to put in a better start after all the talk. Just maybe we can pull it off in a tough game.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Eventually we’re going to give someone a good hiding; don’t think it’ll be this one. Seem to be carrying a few niggles - the latest being Marek Stech who has a hernia.

 

[BelizeHatter]

More concerned about Hylton, Grant and O'Kane

 

[Judge Dredd]

Oh if you were a big club you could have 4,000 tickets

The other 2,000 Luton fans are too busy posting on here clogging up the neutral threads to make the trip.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Eventually we’re going to give someone a good hiding; don’t think it’ll be this one. Seem to be carrying a few niggles - the latest being Marek Stech who has a hernia.

We have to be more clinical in front of goal than we have been. In each game ive seen this season we have created really good quality chances and not taken them, even the Peterborough game where we were shocking in the second half we had proper decent chances not taken.

Whether that means we are due to give someone a hiding or we are just a bit lacking in that department I dont know though, bar Lee, who since moving back up front has been up there with Pelly as our best player, all of the other forward players have been a bit...underwhelming. Hylton is clearly not himself and im concerned about how many small knocks he picks up, Collins has looked below the level for me, and Cornick couldnt hit a barn door for all his promising play. We need players like Shinnie to step up to the plate.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Goal down already (again!) and looking at that forward line I’m not confident! Not sure why he felt the need to move Lee back to the 10 position.

Hope they prove me wrong by Collins/Cornick don’t fill me with confidence

 

[Hooped Wizard]

Think Luton may be waiting a while before they ‘batter’ anyone

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Not surprised in the slightest that we have come away with nothing. Never felt like the type of game we would win and so it proved. Bit bored of the whole “but we played quite well” stuff as well. Easy to play a bit when you’ve given a goal away and the other side is happy to contain as they have something to hold onto.

Not getting another striker in will I think prove to be an error.

Like I said home form is what we will need to rely on this season, not sure we’ve got the quality to play like we want away from home.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Hard earned 3 points today

 

[djs]

Crap set-up.
4 man defence with a defensive midfielder just in front of them.
Effectively three forwards, given that Lee rarely helps out defensively.
Leaves just two in midfield, both forward thinking players. This all asks far too much from the fullbacks.

Then, give the ball away on halfway, stand around watching while Blair makes his run and picks his spot.
Second half, routine hoof from the left back finds two on one at the back post, then stand around watching while the rebound is picked up and a free shot is offered again.
Going forward, some decent play but no-one in the box who even looks like scoring.

Doncaster set up to negate our intricate passing, then hoofed the ball for the forward to chase, knowing how we have conceded several times from that type of sophisticated tactical move.
They also have several players who fall over at the sight of an opponent, with a ref who fell for it, plus the obligatory time wasting from players and ball boys alike.

Having said all of that, we should still have won that game.

Just my opinion of course, no doubt others (Doncaster fans included) will see it differently.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Jones making some rather cryptic sounding references about it being a difficult week for him at the club after the game. Bit ominous, obviously Hart has moved on to Notts County but don’t really like the sound of that really, seemed a bit subdued overall.

Maybe he is realising that this is a step up in quality and we need a bit more than we have available. Not getting a forward in is a a big big mistake I feel, a forward line of Collins/Cornick isn’t really going to strike too much fear in the hearts of League 1 defences I feel. Especially as the latter has never been a clinical finisher. If Hylton is going to be in and out with injuries, and of course inevitable suspensions, we are lacking there massively.

That would however be somewhat moot point if the defence looked in anyway half decent. Sloppy, sloppy goals being conceded and both big investments in that area have really not shown much at all.

Having said that so far we have lost the games I think we expected too and won the games we would have expected too as well, sort of leaves us where I think we thought we were in the pre season which is a mid table side.

 

[Maple Hatter]

Was always going to be a tough game but over the 90 minutes I felt our play deserved at least a draw. The obvious problem is converting chances and with Collins lacking confidence and Hytlon injured it was always going to be a problem. That said thought we played with a lot of creativity and our play down the flanks was encouraging. Pelly was immense again with his runs and challenges but needs help, a fit McCormack or O'kane for example. As FCH stated its a shame that an area we focused on with investment has let us down again. Doncaster didn't create much but scored two poor goals from our perspective. Can only hope our defence improves the longer the season progresses. Speaking of defenders NJ needs to work on their ability to win attacking headers at corners. Both our CBs failed to outjump their smaller markers when having a couple of chances to score.
Doncaster are a team who work hard, cover well and defensively look solid. Yesterday they were lacking in the final third although they did break well on the counter. Will be very difficult to beat this season.
Nobody likes to lose but yesterdays defeat wasn't down to a poor performance. As with our away game at Portsmouth we should really have come away with a point or three. Thats probably the frustrating issue for fans, manager and players a like.
A nice gesture by fans at the game today for the minutes applause dedicated to a young Doncaster fan who recently passed away, only 27 I believe! Thoughts are with the young mans family. RIP.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Yeah, he was only 27 his nickname was pieman hence why it was done on the pukka pie draw, he would have seen the funny side of that. Many thanks to all the Luton fans who joined in the applause, we as a club have lost two well known and young fans in the last couple of weeks.