Recent Footballing Lessons for Rotherham to Revise
Just
as things seemed to be looking up…it feels like it’s already that time of the
season again where we just can’t seem to pick up results.
I
am not usually one to start criticising after a couple of bad defeats and I
know it’s early in the day, but we really should be taking something from the
likes of Port Vale if we are going to get out of this league.
Our
unbeaten home record came to an end as Southend gave us a footballing lesson.
The 4-0 thumping at Don Valley comes on the back of conceding 3 goals away at
Torquay. Although we don’t seem to have many problems putting the ball in the
back of the net, we seem to be conceding goals left, right and centre.
Another
defeat away at Port Vale at the weekend saw yet more goals being conceded from set
pieces and one absolute howler from the goalkeeper (taxi for Logan).
Some
of the decisions made by the gaffer at Port Vale baffled me. Why he opted not
to include Marshall in the side is beyond me when he is the only player who can
beat his man out wide. I also cannot understand how Jason Taylor is still
getting a game when his performance (I use that term loosely) week in week out
is simply not good enough. Why not give Ben Pringle a run out?... I’m not
trying to have a dig at Andy Scott, I think he is the right man for the job, I
just think that some of his tactics have not been justified in recent weeks.
It’s
obvious that the defending needs to improve, and so far, chopping and changing the
two centre halves hasn’t done the trick. I also personally think Tom Newey at
left back is a weak link in the side and it surprises me that Scott didn’t
bring in any cover over the summer.
As
for Michael Raynes, from what I have seen so far this season, the best option
for him is to get on the early train back to Glanford Park…can we have a
refund?
With
Bradley and Cresswell injured and Troy Brown away on international duty, we
only have two centre backs currently fit – one being Raynes and the other being
Mullins who has only just returned from injury himself. It doesn’t take a
genius to suggest that it would probably be in our best interest to bring a
couple of experienced defenders in on loan.
Scott, however, showed his
frustration in his attempts to seal some loan deals in a recent interview with
Radio Sheffield;
“You get desperate. You get the wrong players
and that’s not what I'm about. We can't afford to do that. We've got a good squad here
and the players that come into that have got to improve it.”
The
results not only seem to be going against us in the league. A last gasp winner
from Ched Evans sealed an early exit from the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, as we
entertained The Blades on Wednesday night.
The
result hardly reflected on how we played and i’m sure Blades fans will agree.
It’s safe to say that it was an all round improvement – even Taylor had a
decent-ish game. It’s just a shame that once again, we haven’t gone through to
the final rounds.
Next
up are Phil Parkinson’s Burton Albion who travel to Don Valley on Saturday just
one point behind us. 3 points and a clean sheet please!
Twitter @5am90
Sam, Rotherham United Blog for Sport:Yorkshire
Bright Start for The Millers
Former hitman, Adam Le Fondre sealed deadline week move to Reading.
It has been a
bright start to the season so far for the Millers both on and off the pitch.
Gaffer Andy
Scott picked up the npower League 2 Manager of the Month award for August after
gaining an impressive 13 points from the opening 5 fixtures. Millers fans will
also be pleased to know that there has been good progress at the construction
site of the new stadium where the ground has now been levelled and building is
ready to begin.
League 2 Manger of the Month, Millers boss Andy Scott
Spirits were
dampened around Don Valley with the departure of Adam Le Fondre. The star
striker sparked interest from many clubs in League 1 and the Championship,
including Coventry City and South Yorkshire rivals, Sheffield Wednesday.
Le Fondre
opted for a big move to Reading FC at the end of the transfer window for a fee
believed to be somewhere in the region of £350,000 plus add-ons, with young
forward Brett Williams moving in the opposite direction on a loan deal until
January.
Fans
favourite ‘Alfie’ bagged an outstanding 54 goals in 96 appearances and quickly
established himself as a Millers legend. The striker showed true
professionalism throughout the whole transfer process with the fans, manager
and fellow team mates wishing him all the best at his time with The Royals.
Although
Alfie will be missed, there has hardly been a goal drought since his exit. The
Millers have scored 12 goals and picked up 8 points in the last 5 games which
has landed them second in the league table behind Morecombe.
The unbeaten
start to the season came to an end away at league favourites Swindon Town who
started their campaign in poor form and came into the game on the back of 4
straight defeats.
The game was
broadcast live on Sky Sports with the final score ending 3-2; four of the five
goals coming from set plays. The game certainly had everything with five
cautions, two sending offs, two missed open goals and numerous penalty shouts.
The Sky cameras also caught another episode of the Paolo Di Canio show in the
dugout after an altercation with Andy Scott.
There were definitely
positives to be taken from the game with two brilliant headed goals coming from
Millers debutant Alex Revell. Experienced striker Revell signed on a two-year
deal from Leyton Orient for an undisclosed fee. It is breath of fresh air for
Millers fans as they now have a target man to strengthen the attacking options
alongside Grabban, Holroyd and Williams.
The Millers
seem to have taken their foot off the gas in their last couple of fixtures with
two consecutive away draws despite leading in both games. A late equaliser scored
from a quickly taken free-kick at Accrington robbed the Millers of three points.
Rotherham
were ahead twice at Torquay but poor defensive errors in open play allowed the
Gulls back into the game resulting in a long and frustrating trip home.
The Millers
will be hoping to return to winning ways this weekend as they entertain
Southend United at Don Valley in what will surely prove to be a tough encounter
for both teams.
Twitter @5am90
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