Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

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Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by Dave Sutton's barnet » Mon Oct 21, 2019 10:46 am

And so to Bristol for a very 1980s fixture. We've played Rovers 31 times, and 13 of them came in Thatcher's decade. It's 14 if you honorarily include 14 Jan 1990, our last fixture against them before August 2016, when we popped back for a midweeker in Parky's third league game and won again, having popped our away-win cherry at Wimbledon the previous Saturday.

At that point, the feeling started to grow that our visit to League One would be a singular season: just passing through. Sadly, so does this one, but passing straight through and out of the bottom into Division Four, where we crash-landed in those 80s. (Rovers didn't dip down with us, but when we came back up they were our second visitors to Burnden.)

Hopeless romantics among the Bolton support (including your correspondent) had hoped that maybe, just maybe, the double damnation of delayed takeover and points punishment could be overturned by a spirited fairytale run. (It's the hope that kills you, but it's also the hope that keeps you coming back.) Saturday's home defeat by Rochdale has kicked any remaining daylight out of that dream, and now the aim is much more vague, couched in terms like "putting up a fight" and "creating hope for next season".

There's a lot of this one left first, though, 35 games stretching into the distance and starting with a return to the Memorial Stadium, itself an oddly 80s combination of stands: the curious 1988 Centenary Stand that looks like it got lost on the way to a cricket match; opposite it, the Springfield Park-alike blue cantilever that only bothers to cover half the pitch length, leaving to its left the away support stood in the wind and rain; to their left, a Wendy House stand like the one the Normid wore as a skirt; to the right, a proper old shallow roofed home-end terrace, because Rovers' only involvement in the top two flights during the Premier League era has been a single 24th-placed second-tier season back in 1992/93, the year football pressed the accelerator to get away from grounds like this. Me, I like visiting them, but I wouldn't want to live there.

As for Rovers the team, they have bounced back from non-league football with successive promotions in 2015 and 2016 but have hit something of a ceiling since, finishing 10th, 13th and 15th in the third tier. Right now they sit seventh, within a weekend's results of 4th and 11th. In 13 games they've won 6, drawn 3, lost 4, scored 15 and conceded 14 – they're one of 10 teams in the division with a goal difference within two of being level.

Saturday's defeat at Donny was their first since August - they'd won four on the bounce, and in 10 home games this season the only visitors to leave with a win were Brighton in the cup. They don't start well - they've only scored one in the first half-hour at home (conceding three), although they have scored five in the last 15 minute of first halves, as if terrified of a bollocking.

Bolton will be without the usual parade of players: Alnwick, Brockbank, Hobbs, Wright, Edwards, Bunney, Bridcutt, Buckley. And the list goes on: Sonny Graham, having rolled his ankle against Dale, is unlikely to be risked at Rovers, whilt T-Bone Verlinden, whose two goals represent 66% of our total output, is also doubtful. That may mean Politic switches wings to cut inside on his favoured right while Joe Dodoo gets a first start after two promising subtitute appearances; Chris O'Grady is also available, but don't expect Hill to suddenly switch to starting games with the two-up-top he ended Saturday's match with. Daryl Murphy has faced 70-odd different teams but never Bristol Rovers, and he hasn't scored for us either. Time for two ducks to end?

As a reward for getting through that waffle, have a quiz. Name our team from last time we visited. I've cut down the time to six minutes which means you have an average 20 seconds per player. Some will come easier than others...

https://www.sporcle.com/games/GaryParki ... overs-2016

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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by Bruce Rioja » Mon Oct 21, 2019 12:06 pm

One of my earliest Wanderers memories - BWFC 5 - BRFC 1 in Jan 75. As I recall, Paul Jones scored two of them. Our fifth was a magnificent diving header from Hugh Curran. This eight-year-old didn't even know that diving headers were an actual thing until then.

Here's a thing, I can inform you that both Bruce Bannister and Alan Warboys payed for Rovers on that day. On Saturday I couldn't even tell you who was playing for us :?
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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by Prufrock » Mon Oct 21, 2019 1:24 pm

15 on the quiz. Woolery, Wilkinson and Amos eluded me.
Last edited by Prufrock on Mon Oct 21, 2019 3:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by Harry Genshaw » Mon Oct 21, 2019 1:40 pm

Prufrock wrote:
Mon Oct 21, 2019 1:24 pm
15 on the quiz. , and eluded me.
Good going. Only managed 13. Woolery andWilkinson did for me too. I spent so long remembering the name of Lewis BuxtonI forgot about the walking horror show that wasDean Moxey !

Memories of Bristol Rovers away are;

1991 ish Trekking down to Bath on a Sunday to watch Paul Comstive take 20 (!) corners for us that were all chipped harmlessly into the keepers arms. Philliskirk scored in a 1-1 draw.

Mid 70s. My dad getting animated at an Alan Waldron winner down there that was caught on the telly cameras, a rare thing in those days.
Last edited by Harry Genshaw on Mon Oct 21, 2019 3:31 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by officer_dibble » Mon Oct 21, 2019 1:52 pm

Hope Josh Earls fit.

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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by Bruce Rioja » Mon Oct 21, 2019 2:21 pm

Lewis who? :conf:
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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by Dave Sutton's barnet » Mon Oct 21, 2019 2:36 pm

Prufrock wrote:
Mon Oct 21, 2019 1:24 pm
15 on the quiz. ***, *** and *** eluded me.
Spoiler alert! Put 'em in white or tiny writing.... :D

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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by Prufrock » Mon Oct 21, 2019 3:09 pm

Dave Sutton's barnet wrote:
Mon Oct 21, 2019 2:36 pm
Prufrock wrote:
Mon Oct 21, 2019 1:24 pm
15 on the quiz. ***, *** and *** eluded me.
Spoiler alert! Put 'em in white or tiny writing.... :D
D'oh! Soz!
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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by Dave Sutton's barnet » Mon Oct 21, 2019 3:56 pm

Prufrock wrote:
Mon Oct 21, 2019 3:09 pm
Dave Sutton's barnet wrote:
Mon Oct 21, 2019 2:36 pm
Prufrock wrote:
Mon Oct 21, 2019 1:24 pm
15 on the quiz. ***, *** and *** eluded me.
Spoiler alert! Put 'em in white or tiny writing.... :D
D'oh! Soz!
:D You're forgiven, but I didn't want a spate of it...

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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by TonyDomingos » Mon Oct 21, 2019 10:41 pm

Bruce Rioja wrote:
Mon Oct 21, 2019 12:06 pm
One of my earliest Wanderers memories - BWFC 5 - BRFC 1 in Jan 75.

Fkin glory hunter. Where were you in '73? :lol:
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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by DJBlu » Tue Oct 22, 2019 8:32 am

Another loss on the cards tonight.

Kids in the back 4 with Luke Murphy in the middle.

Hopefully we keep it below 5.

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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by Dave Sutton's barnet » Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:22 am

DJBlu wrote:
Tue Oct 22, 2019 8:32 am
Another loss on the cards tonight.

Kids in the back 4 with Luke Murphy in the middle.

Hopefully we keep it below 5.
https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... -mistakes/

Interesting to read Hill talking about the importance of what he calls his “triangle” (two centre-backs and a defensive midfielder) considering he wants his full-backs to attack. Instead of Josh Wright, Jack Hobbs and Liam Bridcutt we faced Rochdale with Zouma, Senior and Graham - but that trio held its own until Sonny was subbed in the 69th, and then they immediately scored. Now, we can blame Luke Murphy but what I’d like to ask is, was Lowe supposed to be the one dropping back into the holding role as Rochdale swept forward? He might have to sit tonight but he won’t be helped by his traditional early yellow card.

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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by BWFC_Insane » Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:31 am

Dave Sutton's barnet wrote:
Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:22 am
DJBlu wrote:
Tue Oct 22, 2019 8:32 am
Another loss on the cards tonight.

Kids in the back 4 with Luke Murphy in the middle.

Hopefully we keep it below 5.
https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... -mistakes/

Interesting to read Hill talking about the importance of what he calls his “triangle” (two centre-backs and a defensive midfielder) considering he wants his full-backs to attack. Instead of Josh Wright, Jack Hobbs and Liam Bridcutt we faced Rochdale with Zouma, Senior and Graham - but that trio held its own until Sonny was subbed in the 69th, and then they immediately scored. Now, we can blame Luke Murphy but what I’d like to ask is, was Lowe supposed to be the one dropping back into the holding role as Rochdale swept forward? He might have to sit tonight but he won’t be helped by his traditional early yellow card.
Lowe played the holding role, Graham the most forward role. Graham basically did a Vela and just chased round the park - important role but not sure its what he's good at.

The change did not result in the goal we'd looked very shaky from taking the lead onwards.

If you take the midfield we were playing - Bridcutt, Lowe and Crawford - I think Bridcutt is a miss because of his ability to read and martial from that holding position.

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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by Dave Sutton's barnet » Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:39 am

Ah. Ta.

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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by officer_dibble » Tue Oct 22, 2019 12:47 pm

What’s the rules with Ifollow? Will I be able to watch us get beat tonight on it?

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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by nicholaldo » Tue Oct 22, 2019 1:14 pm

officer_dibble wrote:
Tue Oct 22, 2019 12:47 pm
What’s the rules with Ifollow? Will I be able to watch us get beat tonight on it?

Not unless you're abroad.

(I presume it's probably possible to watch it by using a VPN but I don't know how you'd go about it)

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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by officer_dibble » Tue Oct 22, 2019 1:18 pm

No that’s fine I’m happy with that as an excuse!

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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by Hoboh » Tue Oct 22, 2019 1:48 pm

My memory of Bristol is of two female Bristol fans in the pouring rain and I mean pouring, wanting to engage in activities that most certainly didn't involve watching football! :roll:

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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by Bertie Wooster » Tue Oct 22, 2019 1:57 pm

DJBlu wrote:
Tue Oct 22, 2019 8:32 am
Another loss on the cards tonight.

Kids in the back 4 with Luke Murphy in the middle.

Hopefully we keep it below 5.
This it'll be at least 3 or 4 to BR if we have to play the 2 young lads at CB, also if no one (fans or manager) is bothered about results or winning games and have given up until next season then surely Hill can use games to experiment with formations, tactics a bit more & maybe try 2 up front ?

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Re: Laughing gas or tear gas? Bristol Rovers (A), Tue 22 Oct 2019 7.45pm

Post by TANGODANCER » Tue Oct 22, 2019 2:29 pm

We should be seriously thinking about winning a couple of games. We aren't likely to acquire an Alfie for a while yet,so, what we have is what we have. Get in there and make a bit of presence felt. COME ON YOU WHITES... :oyea: :oyea: :oyea:

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