Half way through the season. If the second half is like the first we'll be in a relegation battle. I'm at a loss to understand the dramatic loss of form. Is GM really a good manager? Somehow I don't see us turning it round against Mansfield. However Hope springs are gushing at the moment so I'll venture a 2-1 win for us. Ironside Faal

It’s certainly difficult to be optimistic as you will gather from what I wrote. If is is only half way through the season and if you ignored the last few games then you would expect that a good manager would be able to improve in the second series.

Even if he had no better players recruited in January, you’d still expect more points per game. At least one of the teams below us will surely go down, so we are competing for 22nd place.

Can that be right? It ought to be.

I still think not losing tomorrow is too much to expect.

It is certainly difficult to be optimistic these days - just look at the team stats for Friday's game, even just goal difference Mansfield +23, Rovers -16!
However, one of these games we will surprise everyone...unless we are going on a 16 or 17 game winless streak that I remember from a few years ago.
I find it difficult to predict we will lose even though my brain says we should, but I can't say we will win, so I'll say a 2-2 draw - not that I know where two goals will come from! At the moment I'll say Biggins and Ironside, but may change that when I see the starting eleven.
That may be difficult as I may be out most of the hour before the match, and for the match. Shopping and prep for two parties (lunch and dinner) over the weekend takes time!
At least on Saturday night we are going to a party.
A hopefully Happy New year to you all...And the Rovers.

I'm usually optimistic but I can't see us getting anything from this game so I'll say 4-0 to Mansfield and hope I'm completely wrong. As we know "football is a funny old game", so you never know.

Ironside's penalty miss on Tuesday cost me another maximum 😅
I don't think we will get anything from tonight.
Mansfield 4-1 Rovers
Ironside to score ⚽😅

Well, I'm delighted to have been wrong!

It’s not easy to get it wrong every time, but when we do well, and the draw was excellent, we can be happy.

Why have the players let us down so badly recently though? Tonight proves that they can play far far better than they have been prepared to even try to in those 3 disastrous performances.

OK, I thought I was stupid to say a draw, but footie is always there to give surprises.
I saw the first half and the last 15 minutes, so am waiting to see the extended highlights.
My first question for Grant would be "Why was Faal to go back and do defensive duties?" He should have got in front of the guy who scored, and was very lucky with the penalty shout.
As far as our GKs are concerned, I thought Lawlor could have done better with the goal - but he probably thought Faal would do a better job. According to the DFP Jones made some good saves in the time I could not watch.
I'm happy with the overall play, but we could easily have won the game. The defence was better, but upfront it is still the final pass accuracy or choice that is where we are missing out on scoring.
To me, on what I watched, Biggins header over the bar early in the game should have been a goal.
However, based on this game, I'm looking forward to a better New Year than the last three games showed. Onward and Upward!
A Very Happy New Year to You all,
Mick in so-called Soccer City USA.

Faal’s clumsy tackle was obvious, but I agree the defensive plan should not rely on forwards having to mark players in key areas of the box. Perhaps their player had already made contact with the ball by the time Faal tackled.

I can’t see that Lawlor has improved since he left the first time and re-signing him was unwise, but he does seem more a bit more positive and athletic than Jones. All Jones saves are “great” though aren’t they? It’s a “Thank Goodness he stopped it” kind of great though. It reminds me of the days when there were no substitutes and the GK had to go off injured and an outfield player donned the green jersey. Even then though, the volunteer would usually display confidence and every time he handled the ball there would be cheers.

I think McCann is being generous in saying the players were “a bit braver” last night. I don’t think they were even slightly brave against Notts County, they just provided minimum resistance with most of them showing no sign of attacking intent.

My take on the comparable degrees of application was an illustration of the difference between actually trying and not bothering to try.

In the previous match, Bostock earned a good deal of praise from those who admire someone who takes no risks and passes it square, rather like Close does with equal adulation. Of course with 10 such risk-averse individuals, no goals would ever be scored and they hardly need to be challenged for the ball because it is obvious that they will not gain any territory for their side by passing it sideways or backwards. Close wastes free kicks too, but at least the pointless 2-man-to-take-a-corner routine, in which he had had some seemingly ineffectual role, has been abandoned.

Incidentally I thought Olowu had an unusually good game. He seems at his best coming forward.

Haven't seen the highlights but noted our foul count on the Stats indicating perhaps a more competitive approach. Id be interested in the result Stats when Olowu and Anderson play together and when they don't. My guess is it's better when they don't play together. Some reasons to be cheerful though.

I think others have made the same observation about O and A, and the former seems to perform better without Anderson. Watching the match, it came across as a pretty even contest and it shows Rovers can compete if they apply themselves fully.

I’ve looked at the Faal defensive tackle again and the Mansfield player does actually touch the ball forward (and it goes out of play) before Faal actually brings him down. He protests, but not as passionately as you might expect someone who genuinely felt he was robbed of his opportunity to play the ball. From where Clough and McCann were, that touch would probably have not been visible.

Having looked at the Faal challenge a few times, I think the ref was right. As Donaldo said, the Mansfield player played the ball and it was going out. Hence the ref thought there was no chance of a goal and so to give a penalty would be very harsh to say the least.
As far as Faal defending, I can maybe see the point of him being there for, say, corners as his height should be useful.
Jones'"saves" couldn't have been all that great or surely they would be in the extended highlights!
I hope we are looking for a new goalkeeper in January....