THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

THE MELTDOWN – DONCASTER ROVERS
Well, what can I say….I did warn about how we were possibly fortunate to come away with six points from the Colchester and Crawley games, and we wouldn’t get away with that type of performance all the time. I mentioned that Ironside and Molyneux were the dangers, and with two goals and two assists that proved to be our downfall, and of course that Donny are our bogey side, where we have never won up there, and won just 4 games out of 18 played against them….I’m not being smug, just saying the writing was on the wall, and it had the potential to be a miserable day….and it was.

The fact is we have no clue how to play against them, I’m not saying I do, what’s more I’m not paid to work out such things, I’m just here to state the bleeding obvious.

I thought this game might be the one where we tweak the nose of fate and record a win….but no….we were tragic, and please don’t waste your breath saying we looked tired after the festive period of non-stop games, that’s utter bollocks, every team in the EFL has to cope with the festive schedule so that is no excuse whatsoever …..….frankly you are better than that.

If you had wandered in the Eco-Power Stadium as a neutral and not known anything about the two sides you would have said Donny were the team were on a run of nine unbeaten, not us, we were never really in it at all.

Some I have noticed said we played better in the second half, yeah when the game was just about over, and Donny slipped back to a containing formation and watched us piss around with it and get absolutely nowhere that led to us having 70% possession.

From the start Donny looked up for it, we meanwhile looked like a team that just might have stayed up a bit too late to see in the New Year. They were quicker than us, stronger than us and you could see they really wanted the points…..we looked lethargic, and basically second best….everywhere.

Its hard to even come up with anyone that put in something like a performance, and I genuinely can’t think of anyone that would have deserved a MOTM accolade, not one of them deserve anything else other than criticism ….it was shocking and gutless.

I am full of praise for Williamson, but I could not understand the logic in starting Mo ahead of Harrisson, I’m no fan of either but surely Ellis with his intent and strength and a recent goal should have earned him the nod. I actually would have gone for someone else in midfield rather than go for two upfront, Grant or Devoy…not fussed which, I just think it was the better option.

Leko when he came on was no better, although he did give us the laugh of the day with the most overhit cross of the season, and that just about sums him up.

Leko and Mo have to go, I feel they suck the will and belief out of the team, get shot, free up what must be a few quid in wages, and bring in a couple of players that will run through a brick wall for the team, if we hang on to them I won’t believe it, the pair of them look like sulky arsed kids…enough is enough.

Mac saved our backsides on Friday, but I felt he was back to his glorious worst today. Listen I was a keeper for years, I know what its like, sometimes you get the blame when you don’t warrant it, but today he was poor. The first he should have narrowed the angle for which Lewie blasted him for, although Lewie himself was muscled off the ball and caught the wrong side, and the third was a joke, you should never get done at the front post, and he just juggled it into the net like he was trying to catch a greasy pig.

I’m sorry but he just is not good enough, I know this is LG 2, but we must be able to do better, and if this young kid from Villa makes it to SMK, I think Mac will be warming the bench with his backside for the rest of the season, that should be punishment enough for that last day at Burton.

Thankfully Kemp is back and hopefully will be able to lend a hand in the engine room, I don’t think we have ever got the lineup right, so with luck he is the missing piece to the jigsaw. What is funny for me is that Swindon fans are crying tonight, not only have they lost Kemp, but Jake Young looks likely to be recalled by Bradford City to bolster their promotion chase, that’s 32 goals and 12 assists, that must hurt, but you have to laugh at the meltdown on their forum, if I’m honest I loathe them.

So, we missed a massive chance to gain ground and actually lost ground, not much but even so. Thankfully we have a week off, so we can concentrate on getting new recruits in without the distraction of league fixtures, but we better be ready on our return as we face a Tranmere side hitting top form.

If you’re just tuning in and never went, listened, or watched, well today was like the darkest day under Alexander, or during our relegation season, honestly, sticking hot pins in your eyes would have felt more fun.

Am I downbeat or disillusioned, well yes a bit, but I am mindful MW is trying to do something here, and some are just not up to the task, which makes me think there could well be significant movement in and out of the club in the coming weeks.

That’s it folks, Happy New Year.

WD

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Read the MELTDOWN after every game, no bullshit, just giving it straight

Too optimistic.
Reported.

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Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment

Bugger…..you think so…….i don’t feel optimistic.

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Read the MELTDOWN after every game, no bullshit, just giving it straight

In this good spell we have been carried by Dean and Payne: those two have looked knackered in the last two games and we have suffered because of it. There is no tempo in the team if those two are not right at it.

A big January ahead as the OP says. We are 3 or 4 players short in the first team . Kemp solves our number 10 problem- neither Grant or devoy are consistent enough nor do they get the goals and assists needed from that position. I am on the fence on the goalie - he is ok and on balance I would keep him in there. We do need to solve the wing back opposite Tomlinson with harvie out injured. I like Gilbey and Robson but they aren’t world beaters and I would look at another midfielder in there.

We looked tired after the festive period of non-stop games.





Seriously, it's gonna be a big January for MW.

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I don't need your ill-informed, half-baked, idiotic opinions. I have plenty of those myself.

Yep, we do look scarily unfit at times. I wonder if Simon Crampton has given MW control of this since his arrival as I thought we looked fitter under GA.

Yes, the chaps sitting around me looked even more washed out than I did.

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Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment

The same amount of games all the others have to play. 3CR nailed it on the head. It is the fact that we have a decent squad of 7 (probably more) or so who get played every week regardless with the rest being "floaters" who drift in and out of the team. Who would have thought the shit we brought last season for the most part would bite us on the arse. We can't rest Dean cause the rest are so awful. The defence are the only ones we have fit bar Smith (why didn't he start for example I know people think he isnt great but he was fresh legs). Payne is probably on his arse too (Devoy possibly could have started?). However, we say this now but I do reserve judgement for Tranmere. Play badly as we did NYD then it isn't just being gassed over Christmas as we will have 12 days without a game it would be a quality issue. I mean we lead a charmed life against Grimsby and should have lost that. That was nowhere near Christmas.

Fitness over the Xmas break is always mixed in with professionalism for me

Inevitably some players will overindulge (in whatever)..…some won't

I'm not saying pro footballers should live like monks but they do have to realize their job comes with sacrifices

I was tempted to say they are in a privaledged position but then remembered they play league 2

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Turn Stadium MK WHITE In The Playoffs

Thing is I don't see that being as much of an issue for Doncaster. I would assume that they travelled on NYE and stayed in a hotel. I just chalk it down to our squad being paper thin in terms of quality and they are knackered. As I said in the Kemp post Gilbey until he was subbed had played every minute of every league game. No wonder in recent weeks his high standards have been less and that is just one player. We have no wiggle room in defence bar Tommy Smith and our strikers bar Dean are as cold as the artic circle in terms of form. Couple that with the witches hex that is quite clearly on us when we go to Donny makes for not a happy travel.