At least it was sunny, eh?!? That's about all the good I can fathom from a disastrous day when the Gas were thumped by title favourites Southampton. From the tactics to the individual performances Rovers were well beaten right across the pitch, and it never looked like it could ever be different. If you weren't at the game then you could be saying 'it can't have been that bad', but trust me, it was.
Yet the day had started so well, a bacon sandwich woke me up from a night at the pub and with the sunshine meaning I didn't have to sell matchday programmes in the wet, it all looked rosy in the garden, but then then the first thing went wrong. The previous day Rovers had finally ended the year and a bit wait for a targetman to replace Rickie Lambert, coming in the shape of John Akinde from rivals Bristol City, a move that should have given Rovers more options in their styles of play, someone to get on the end of crosses but alas, it wasn't to be.
He had taken a knock in a reserve game for Bristol City the week before although no ill effects were particularly felt for much of the time between then and the game, then somehow he inexplicably suffered a recurrence of the injury and was ruled out of the Southampton match, only at the Rovers. So it was to be the same team from the last two games, a win against Yeovil and a draw at Exeter, to step across the white line and take on the Saints.
From the first goal going in, a Jose Fonte prod from a Jason Puncheon corner, Southampton never looked back and the Gas never looked forward. It was the same old problems that have bugged Rovers under the stewardship of Paul Trollope, negative passing which either went backwards or high and the defence setting up to mark around their own penalty area like a basketball team. The passing and movement was nearly non-existant with Rovers rarely making progress towards the Saints area without the move being snuffed out, although, you have to hand it to Southampton, they closed down with great ambition and showed a hunger to win the ball back.
It was like this throughout the game, Southampton controlled the play and looked dangerous whenever they came forward while Rovers backed off and allowed them enough space to dock an ocean liner. Southampton were the complete opposite of the Gas throughout, moving intelligently, using the width and making space for each other while slick passing created chance after chance. The negativity even spread to a usually solid Mikkel Andsersen, the gloveman having a poor kicking game, though the Saints players did put him under a great deal of pressure when the ball was passed back to him.
Right across the pitch the Saints team sheet was far better than Rovers, Lambert and Barnard up front scored one each, Lallana is arguably the best attacking midfielder in the division and when a team has enough on the bench to bring on Guilherme do Prado you know you're in a lot of bother. Lambert was his usual self, winning flick ons and holding the ball up well for his side and the penalty he scored was typical of his powerful approach to the game.
But though defeat is always hard to take it was the manner of the defeat that gasheads will have been most distraught about, their seemed to be a resignation among the players that they were going to lose the game, standing up to the views of some fans who say Paul Trollope isn't a great man motivator.
Credit to the Southampton fans though, they never stopped singing and the slow then fast rendition of 'when the saints' echoed around the ground, even though they had open terracing and the tent end to sing in. The Rovers fans were much quieter, though goodnight Irene was heard on a few occasions during the match, but it was the boos from the home support that will be ringing in Paul Trollope's ears over the coming nights. I said in my last Rovers blog that four points from the last two games was a decent return, having been thrashed in the first two games of the season, and that it would be harsh to sack Trollope after a defeat to the league favourites but on that performance the board will most likely take a look at their options, conceding 16 goals in 5 games this season just isn't good enough. The defeat also came against a side whose only previous win this season came against Bournemouth in the League Cup and had gained only one point in the league prior.
An enigma has also turned up amongst Rovers fans thanks to the Football League Show, that of winger Mark Wright. He never managed to turn it on during his time at Bristol Rovers and the fans quickly turned on him, but since moving down a level to Shrewsbury he has upped his game, caliming an assist and two goals of his own as the Shrews won 4-0 away at Stockport. A tricky forward thinking wideman is something that the Gas are lacking at the moment but will Wright get another chance at the Memorial Stadium when he returns from his loan spell in January? We shall have to wait and see.
Oldham next, a team that have had a good start to their season, and with the game being at Boundary Park Rovers could be in for another tough match, lets hope that Paul Trollope can turn things around in Lancashire.
At least the grand prix was good.
Goodnight Irene
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