ROVERS FANZ VIEW COLUMN
|
To the world of football, it was no surprise that Rovers lost at Bournemouth in the 1st Round of the FA Cup. But to those who witnessed our previous two performances, it was no surprise that Rovers again put up a decent fight. We've had three relatively short trips to Oxford, Swansea and Bournemouth over the past three weeks and certainly the defence has shown no signs of travel sickness against a trio of high-flying sides. As the goals have thankfully dried up at one end, unfortunately a drought has set in at the other, with our forward line suffering from a chronic goal famine of just one goal in five games. In this day and age, when your team is not top of the league then a lot of finger pointing goes on and there is always someone to blame, it seems. Besides our manager, a fair amount of stick has been aimed at Rob Quinn, and less so Adam Barrett and Paul Tait. Now I'm all in favour of well-constructed tactical debate but I do not like people bad-mouthing our own players when they are out on the pitch. I personally feel that our midfield could be a bit more adventurous, and would benefit from accommodating Wayne Carlisle, Dave Savage and another attacking player. But if Ray Graydon decides to pick a different side, I still support all eleven members of the team in equal measure. Quinn is obviously not the sort of player who wins matches on his own, and while there are better players than him in the squad, that is no excuse to slag him off or cheer when he is substituted. Likewise there are often a few grumbles when Adam Barrett misses a tackle, but you cannot fault him for his effort and since he has started wearing that headband his performance level appears to have gone up a notch. Whether the head gear is necessary to protect his stitches or it is just for show or even superstitious reasons, he has made some crucial diving blocks in recent games, most memorably to save a point at Swansea in tandem with Christian Edwards. Meanwhile, Paul Tait is another who shoulders slightly unfair criticism, and while he may not be in the Stewart, Hayles or Ellington bracket in terms of quality, he is our top scorer this season and without him we would be right down the bottom of the league. And having been deprived of Tait in the last couple of games, we have struggled to rack up even a few shots, let alone a goal. Lewis Haldane had our best chance down at Bournemouth last Saturday when he pounced on a loose pass and went through one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Frustratingly his effort was blocked and it was his last touch of the match, as Dave Gilroy had already been programmed into the fourth official's board to come on as sub, when Haldane had his chance. It was highly unfortunate that he had to leave the field on such a sour note, and often the best way to get it out of your system is to have another go as soon as possible afterwards. However, that was nowhere near the most infuriating aspect of the afternoon. I normally avoid criticising referees, as they are easy targets and seem to get blamed every week for this, that and the other. But the performance of Joe Ross down on the South Coast was abysmal. Every key judgement went in favour of the home side and there appeared to be no fairness in his decision making whatsoever. Kevin Austin was sent off for minimal contact on Wade Elliott, while Dave Gilroy was booked when he fell in the box to a challenge that failed to make contact with the ball - if it is not a penalty, then why must the only alternative be a yellow card?
|