Inconsistent Rovers can’t spoil Garner’s return to the Mem
Talking points from Bristol Rovers’ defeat to Swindon at the Memorial Stadium, by
LIKE in a bad relationship, just when you think they are changing, Bristol Rovers revert to type and let Gasheads, and themselves, down.
The win at Walsall, which broke a near year-long duck on the road, promised to be a springboard for Rovers to inject some momentum into their season after a stumbling start to life in League Two.
But, as they have done several times before under Joey Barton, the Gas failed to back up a good performance with one of similar quality.
Swindon were deserved 3-1 winners on Saturday, with a dominant performance masterminded by exRovers boss Ben Garner only adding to the misery of Barton and supporters.
Predatory finishes from Jack Payne and Harry McKirdy, plus a penalty from Ben Gladwin, saw the Robins’ overcome a bright start from Rovers and Harry Anderson’s opener; just reward for a commanding final hour of the game.
The frustration for Gasheads is made only worse because of the hope Rovers can inspire now and then, only for a brutal reminder of their shortcomings to be looming just around the corner.
HOPE THAT KILLS YOU
A FEATURE of Barton’s tenure in charge of Rovers is he has been able to draw one-off performances or results out of his players.
Look back to last season, when Rovers were almost impeccable in their wins over Doncaster Rovers, Accrington Stanley and Shrewsbury Town. They were days that proliferated hope, only for it to be crushed on the next matchday with a return to type in the form of a shoddy performance and, more often than not, a defeat.
That pattern has bled into his first full campaign in charge. Rovers are trapped in a maze, such is the number of times they feel they have found the right path only to end up back where they started.
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Similarly, Rovers’ spiral out of control over the calendar year has been underpinned by a complete failure to demonstrate consistency. They promise one week and underdeliver the next.
They have been good enough to only scrape the odd result this season, be it when they have deserved it or gotten away with not playing well, but nothing more than that.
Still, Gasheads were suckered in again, hoping things were starting to change at Walsall last week. The joy of a last-gasp away win and the confidence Rovers gained as a result was a platform to build on, but Barton’s side wasted it with a deserved beating on Saturday.
Harry Anderson’s brilliant opener, which came after an intense start to the game where Rovers pressed hard and set the tone with crunching tackles, was followed by a squandering of the impetus, sitting back and allowing Swindon to dictate terms.
The Gas were lucky to be level at the break and Barton will be disappointed that his half-time input did not affect the pattern of the game.
The second half was dreadful, among Rovers’ worst halves of the season. Not primarily because they shipped three goals and folded like rags on the poker table, but because they posed almost no attacking threat. The Gas were unable to do any kind of damage on the counter
attack against opponents who has completely opened up in search of the equaliser.
There were varying degrees of misfortune in the first two goals conceded, with Paul Coutts unlucky to see Connor Taylor’s clearance hit against him for the leveller before Alfie Kilgour was sent off for handball and conceding a penalty despite his protests, but Rovers got what they deserved.
WORST DEFENCE IN THE LEAGUE
”DEFENCE wins championships” is a well-worn cliche in American sports, and the reason it is cliched is it is undeniably true.
It’s a bit of a problem for Rovers, then, that they have the joint-worst defence in League Two with 17 goals shipped this season. Only
Scunthorpe, the Football League’s bottom side, can match Rovers’ awful defensive record this season.
GARNERBALL
A YEAR or so later than intended, Gasheads got a glimpse of Garnerball.
Garner’s tenure at Rovers seldom saw football of this quality, but it has taken him no time at all to get Swindon dominating games.
That he inherited little more than a handful of players and had just a couple of weeks to build a team makes it all the more impressive.
What the Robins showed on Saturday was everything he wanted Rovers to be when plotting in the summer of 2020: Energetic, dominant in possession and powered by speed all over the park.
He failed to deliver that on a consistent
basis in the 11 games he was afforded by Rovers with his own players, but he clearly learned from his chastening start to life as a manager.
THE PITMAN PROBLEM
LAST week showed the value of Brett Pitman. He remains an excellent asset in the penalty area.
But what if you can’t get to the penalty area? Because that is the problem Rovers encountered on Saturday. They were able to mount few attacks and created little for Pitman. As a result, he was isolated, roaming the middle third of the pitch often with three Swindon defenders for company. Not a single one of Pitman’s 18 touches came inside the confines of the 18-yard box.
Rovers knew what they were getting when they signed Pitman: a clinical finisher with significantly declined mobility from his peak years. Therefore, Barton should know how to use him. Pitman clearly needs a second striker - or even a number 10 - to support him in games like this, where possession is hard to come by, otherwise Rovers have no viable out ball and no credible press.
BELSHAW HAS CREDIT IN THE BANK
A BLEAK afternoon ended in fitting fashion with James Belshaw watching a cross slip from his grasp and to the feet of Harry McKirdy, who gratefully pounced and made it 3-1.
It will make for ugly viewing and it was a poor error, but Belshaw has accrued credit in the bank after an impressive start to the season.