DPL v Mansfield Town

I’m beginning to think “Why do I get up to watch a game at 07:00?” At least next Saturday I’ll have a few Premiership games to watch instead.
In the first half we were more pathetic than any other game this season, and in some ways were lucky to be only 2-0 down against a not very good team. Of course, it could have been 2-2 if Seaman had converted the two golden opportunities he had.
At least we started the second half well and got one back, and I was seriously thinking my 2-2 prediction might be correct as we were controlling the game. Then we had just about the worst goal we have conceded in a long time. A clearance over the top from their GK, and then a total lack of communication between Mitchell and the defenders. I blame Mitchell as he appeared to come out and then stopped, giving an easy opportunity to lob over Mitchell.
Even then we had chances to reduce the deficit – how can Miller miss from about 6 yards out? He has another chance and got a Yellow for “diving”, or “simulation” as it is called over here.
To me, the only players who came out well were Maxwell and Hurst – although Hurst had a good chance to get a second.
At least they seemed to show effort to create something. It was sad that Anderson getting the arm band back had a poor game,

How did you rate Lavery Mickey?

Donaldo,
Just seen your question. He didn't get too much service, but seemed to be able to get into good positions as strikers should. Had a good chance to score from a great run into the box, but passed to Miller in a more open position, and then Miller failed from 6 yards out.
Lavery was certainly putting effort and enthusiasm into the game, but whether he can turn that into goals remains to be seen.
On that brief view, he seems the best we have to be a striker alongside Miller who is obviously so short of confidence at the moment.
What has happened to Molyneux after appearing good in pre-season before his injury against Rotherham? He was dreadful in the first half and I'd have pulled him before half-time.

It’s difficult to be optimistic after this setback. The Carlisle win seemed to be a turning point, but things have gone backwards since. Schofield strikes me as lacking the strength of personality to instil the effort, concentration and toughness to compete in a league where strength and determination are important.

It is irritating that he does not seem as upset about bad results as most the supporters. Does he realise how disillusioned we all are?

He wasn’t here when we were in the Championship and when we were regularly comfortably in contention for promotion from League 1. Where we are is not remotely satisfactory and we expect him to show rather more determination to do his job. I rather tired of the excuses. With our resources and budget, outcomes are shambolic and the Board and this manager are just not delivering.

A few words missed out above, but you get my drift I hope. Schofield won’t find any windmills in Rotherham any more, will he Nookie, but let’s hope the additional Miller he’s hired will be industrious in his work.

It feels almost like the Dickov era to me. No inspiration at all. Surely the emphasis has to be on getting a secure and functioning defence first. 3 at the back seems not to work. The next few games should tell us what to expect from DS. At the moment I'm not confident it's going to work. .

I am not able to translate what DS says into anything intelligible. When asked to explain how they lost he seems to relate it solely to the few seconds (“moments&rdquo that led up to each goal. Everything else was OK.

How can someone who communicates as he does get his message across?

Surely a 4 4 2 or 4 3 3 system is what's needed with our current squad and position. It's a bit different in the Premier League but DS could learn from Eddie Howe and Sean Dyche's approach when they take over a struggling team or one where the skills of the individual players are less than the opposition to start with.

It’s worrying that this Rovers team is seen as one where their skills (in League 2) are seen as inferior to that of the opposition, and that the only answer is to defend better. And I can understand why you are saying this Nookie. At the beginning of this campaign when we were up against so many of the teams now above us, teams that we felt would be top seven contenders, we were beating them under McS and they are all now above us! Now we have super-coach Schofield who has just made things worse and if you look at those below us any one of them are prime National League material.

So what does that make us?

We face Hartlepool, 90th in the pyramid, and nobody with any sense would put their house on even avoiding defeat.

I have no confidence whatsoever in Schofield. He seems consumed by coaching theory, unable to express his ideas to the press/public in comprehensible terms, unable to pinpoint weaknesses in performance in everyday language and by inference unlikely to be able to convey his messages and solutions to the players in ways they might understand.

I care deeply about Rovers and would not mind at all if he proved me wrong, but he is not shaping up at all well thus far.

I'm having my second cataract removed tomorrow so I'll see things a bit more clearly on Saturday. We're lucky we had such a good, if fortuitous, start to the season. But now we're in the bottom half of the table and it's gone from looking like we might make the top 7 into how many points do we need to avoid relegation. Knoyle and Clayton going were bad omens as was putting Faulkner out on loan. DS now has more of the players he seems to want so the next few games should reveal what we can really expect from his team. I'm still of the opinion the club needs a complete shake up at board level for things to improve.