I will give a very short description of the match. In the first half we were mainly on the back foot as Rotherham seemed to take the view that they may as well pile forward and attack as they usually lose anyway and may be wound up soon, I liked their approach and spirit. Cooper was injured, Pitman did hit a post in one of our rare forays forward and Stewart made a fine point blank save after we were carved open down our left.
In the second half we usually improve but didn’t, in fact we got worse. Awful play in midfield led to a run and cross down our left (again) and no marking allowed Butler a free header for 1-0. Stewart then made a good save before more woeful defending saw a one on one and 2-0. Hart then gave away a penalty which was put past Gareth’s left post before Browning in lumbering mode gave away another which was hammered against the bar and then cleared. That is all that is worth saying.
Where do I start with what is wrong. Yes we have another long injury list. Why do we keep having these, is there a problem with our training methods, warm-up routines or are the players just a load of wimps? Up until now my only real criticism of Sean is that he tends to be far too defensive and makes the occasional tactical howler (every manager does of course) but Sean’s problem is that he sometimes does not appear to be willing to admit it and make the necessary changes. To his credit he often does change things around at half-time but is that not also an admission that he got it wrong in the first half or worse that our scouting is so poor that we do not know what the opposition are going to do. I doubt the latter but it often feels like it. He seems to be always messing with the way that we set ourselves up and tinkers with it for each opponent. Surely we should have the confidence to say this is what we do and impose ourselves on the opposition, especially at home.
There is no way that Browning and Tindall should ever play together in central midfield as it just stifles our creativity and they are both too slow. Browning’s legs are beginning to go and Tindall was never quick but his reading of the game allowed him to intercept well when playing at the back, his natural position. His injury has reduced his pace and the length of his layoff means that he is not match sharp and so his reading of the game is not there as it used to be.
The fans have thought for months that Cooper is really a midfield player and, at last, at Swansea, for the first half at least, and at home to Oldham, he was allowed to show that he is the replacement for Stock as he can pass the ball and reads the game well and tackles (where he is definitely better than Stock). At Rotherham he started at the back. Why??? Tindall would be better off there and Cooper in midfield. Cooper’s injury is a real disappointment and worry.
This constant changing of the defence is a reason why we are letting in goals at the moment and the lumbering midfield why we are not providing any service for James and Pitman. These two are not only trying to score but having make the chances as well. Fordyce appears to have nothing to give us, although two matches may be a bit too few to make a judgment, and an improvement is required. Rix is a good signing and would be my choice of playmaker now that Cooper is injured. Purches is still not his old self and Hart has gone to pieces since he started wearing those tights. Unless there is a very good injury reason why he does, SO’D should burn them!!
With the current players available we need to settle on a three centreback system be it 5 3 2, 3 5 2 or 3 4 1 2 and stick to it without moving the players around match by match. This will give us a least one positive, stability.
There are a number of other matters for thought. We have not won since Tindall returned to the team (I am not blaming him for this just the way that he has been used), we have only scored one goal from open play in that time and haven’t scored at all in the last three matches and when leaving Millmoor, even the quietest fans, when they found out that I was writing a match report, asked me how on earth I could and from talking to them they think much as I do, as expressed above, which is worrying as even the quiet hardcore fans (of which I am one I suppose) are turning against Sean and the team.
However, my final point is the most worrying. The team do not look as if they believe in what they are being asked to do. I suspect that Sean has run out of rabbits to pull out of the hat and either needs a rest or a new role but it would be just like him to suddenly find a new inspired answer. I really do hope so.
Despite the awful performance I am, after much consideration, going to award a Man of the Match award:
This goes to Gareth Stewart. If his kicking had not been so terrible there would have been no hesitation in giving him this award as he did the shot stopping part of his role as well as he could. As most of the rest of the team could not pass the ball either why should the poor kicking be held against him!!Finally, I hope that the Millers survive their current financial plight but without any assets (they do not own Millmoor) things do not sound good.
AFCB: Stewart, Young, Hart, Purches, Tindall, Cooper, Browning, Rix, Fordyce, Pitman, Hayter
Subs: Moss, Broadhurst (on for Cooper, 6), Coutts, Cooke (on for Tindall, 67), Rowe (on for Fordyce, 78)
A despondent Phil Nesbitt, Acocks Green