Well, what remains to be said about the Liverpool game other than it was a little heartbreaking given that I thought that Liverpool looked like they were there for the taking? Rovers, reverting to a very defensive posture, decided to hang well back and prevent Liverpool and space in their own half.
I was surprised by the lack of energy (you could say even passion) on display from both sides given what was at stake. Having said that Rovers were organized and determined and kept their shape very well. Is there conflict between passion and organization? To a certain degree no doubt, but if there was error here it was to err' on the side of caution.
Oh what I would have given to see a swashbuckling display, throwing caution to the wind and pouring all over Liverpool like hungry lions! Instead, we got a measured well drilled performance that appeared to lack something of a beating heart...
We can't be too harsh though, as Rovers defended so well throughout with relatively few poor passes putting the defence in trouble - something that has dogged our play all season.
Rovers also played passages of tidy football here and there without being very fluent or articulate.
Jordan Rhodes again showed that here doesn't appear to link up terrible well in attack. To me, Rhodes is a 'fox in the box' but unfortunatately Rovers just don't give him the ball in areas were he can be effective. Once, in the first half they gave him the ball there and he managed to engineer space for himself. Rovers need to create more chances in the box if they wish to maximize Rhodes' potential.
Possibly, the less said about Reading v Rovers the better but to me Rovers went there for a draw. They created little throughout the game and managed not even one shot on target all game. Disappointing given that we played with two strikers - Rhodes and Brown.
Personally, I was particularly disappointed with Chris Brown who, we are led to believe, is battering on the door of the first team. In the first half he did little but commit a few fouls and in the second he disappeared completely!
We can say, however, that a third consecutive clean sheet is not to be sniffed at and that Hanley surely now is going to struggle to get his way back in to the team. Which may, at least, be good news for some fans!
Roll on Birmingham v Rovers and another clean sheet hopefully supplemented with one or two goals!
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