Ricky and Tom discuss goalscoring concerns, Kettering and look ahead to January.
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00:00Hello, and welcome along to the latest edition of Rovers Chat. As ever, I'm joined by Mr
00:06Tom Bilcliffe from BBC Radio Sheffield. Thomas, how are we doing?
00:09Yes, very well, thank you, Ricky. Yeah, good. I see that we're playing on a Sunday, so the
00:15Sunday games are out.
00:17This is it, exactly. It's December 1st, the start of a very busy month. Eight games in
00:23the calendar month, six in the League Trophy and also, obviously, the FA Cup at Kettering.
00:30We'll come on to that in a bit, but I think that kind of the main talking point at the
00:34minute around Rovers is privileges, you know, wastefulness, whatever you want to call it
00:39in front of a goal. It's three goals in four games, and you think of the chances they're
00:46creating, bucket loads, but they're not hitting the target and they're not scoring enough
00:50by any stretch, are they?
00:52No, and this is where my stats come to the fore. Rovers ranked second for XG in the League
01:03Two, but they're ranked tenth for goals scored. So, a bit of disparity there. It does do those
01:12numbers. The XG hint at something, you know, that it will come. That seems to be a lot
01:19of the feeling, and the chances are going missing or going begging, should I say. How
01:27many were good chances at Carlisle? A couple, but, you know, first half I thought they were
01:35below average. Second half, a bit better. Could have won it, could have lost it, and
01:41I think five days on, I think that's actually not a bad point. Take away where Carlisle
01:46are in the league, they're a better side than that shows, I think, and we'll pull away
01:53from danger. But, yeah, it's looking like in front of goal that there's a problem, which
01:59is a shame, really, when you've got two players in Billy Sharp and Joe Ironside who have demonstrated
02:05through their careers that they should be 15, 20 goal a season strikers. Grant is happy
02:12to change the back three or back four, he's happy to change the midfield three or four,
02:17but it always seems like one man up top. Is it time to give someone a shirt and say, it's
02:24yours, play yourself into form, or is he going to continue with the rest and rotate? Now,
02:30you said there's eight games this month. I think I know which way he will lean.
02:36Yeah, definitely. I was looking through it earlier and, you know, a lot of fans are saying
02:41is it time to start Billy and Joe from... and he's only done it once, I wasn't there,
02:46it was a game I missed at Swindon. And, you know, I presume you were there, weren't you,
02:51that day at Swindon? Were you not? No. But, you know, the fact that he's done it once
02:57in 17 league games says, I don't think he's, you know, it's not a big, it's not high on
03:02his priority list or it's not a high on his favoured set up. And I get, you know, we didn't
03:08see an awful lot of them in pre-season together, did we? It does tend to be one or the other
03:11from the start and then occasionally he'll have both on the pitch at the same time, you
03:16know, when he's chasing the game or whatever. But from the start, it seems a reluctance
03:21to kind of put them both in from the start.
03:25Yeah, I completely agree. And I don't think that's helping either striker. And maybe away
03:33from home, I'd probably use Joe Ironside a bit more to get you further up the pitch and
03:41Karl-Heinz, we said that, didn't we, Karl-Heinz? That was tailor-made for him. You know, rugged
03:45centre-halves, that's what he loves. He loves battles like that.
03:49Yeah. And how many runs in behind did we see from Hurst or Molyneux? I can't think of many,
03:56if any. The only one time that Rovers got in behind, Billy Sharp, and the Sharp of old
04:01would have taken that instinctively, but he kind of wanted a better angle. Then he wanted
04:06it back on his right foot and the chance disappeared and Grant away from the cameras and the
04:11interview wasn't overly pleased with that. But, you know, Billy's natural position is
04:18to drop deep and allow the runners on. But that wasn't happening at the weekend either.
04:23So the ball wasn't sticking. Rovers looked, they were picking up a couple of silly yellow
04:29cards. James Maxwell's wasn't, I don't think. Jay McGrath's first one wasn't a yellow card.
04:35But then the silliest of the lot was Molyneux's. That just emphasised how things weren't going
04:41Rovers' way on a different day, different referee. I think that's a different coloured card.
04:46And Rovers have had now more players sent off this season than they did last and we're only
04:53just getting to the end of November. So you do just wonder, are they finding it frustrating?
04:59It's really hard to put your finger on it because, I mean, there was a bit of a non-event really,
05:03that trip to Carlisle, wasn't it?
05:06Yeah, a long way to go for a non-event, wasn't it?
05:08Yeah, after all the effort of getting there and back, it was a long,
05:13old day. So credit the 700 or so Rovers fans who did make the journey. I know some who
05:18got near but didn't quite make it. They were up in Scotland. They didn't miss it a great deal,
05:25other than lots of huffing and puffing without much kind of breakthrough, really. And it is
05:31a concern. Rovers continue this run, and I kind of put it to Grant, one defeat in 11
05:38in all competitions. You'd be crying out for that. Do you know what I came away from Carlisle
05:44thinking though? It's the back-to-back home draws that are hampering them.
05:49Yeah, yeah.
05:50And they didn't deserve much more than a draw from that Notts County game. I mean,
05:54they could have had that penalty at the end, perhaps should have seen off Salford. But that's
05:58where you start to lose a bit of momentum, a bit of ground if on the road you get a point.
06:06No one's going to knock that, but your home form needs to scrub up. And I think since the last
06:11time we spoke, Ricky, I don't think they've won at home.
06:14No, it would have been the Bromley game, wouldn't it? Early October, I think. Or Barrow,
06:18possibly. Yeah, Barrow at home. Yeah, they've obviously drawn a couple of crew in Salford and
06:26Notts. He's kind of flipped on his head, hasn't he, since the start of the year? I know the
06:31Stockport have beaten, but after that, they've won X amount on the trot at home. It's probably
06:37a good thing, actually, that they're away this extended period. Obviously, three on the bounce.
06:43But I'm looking at Cheltenham and Tranmere at home before Christmas. I think Rovers need to win
06:48them both. I genuinely believe that. They've got hard trips coming up. They're going to go to
06:52Wimbledon and Walsall, either side of those games. They are tough trips and you can't hang
06:59your hat on getting anything there. Your away form will creep up, but they've got to find a
07:05way at home. You mentioned it before, there's no injuries, really. So Rovers need to see a settled
07:14side, really. We've got players who are starting one week and then not even in the squad the next
07:19for no really good reason. It would be interesting to see if anyone from the
07:23bounce game in midweek has played themselves into contention.
07:28Yes, perfect segue to mention the Rotherham game. Obviously, Westbrook played an hour,
07:34Clifton scored a couple. Like you say, you're kind of hampered by the fact that the physios
07:39are doing the job, or doing the job very well, I should say, in that there's no injuries yet.
07:46It's not levels of last season, is it? I think he had 35, 36 pros on the books,
07:52which is far too many, but it's not a million miles away from that at the minute. You've just
07:56mentioned it. Clifton, put him up for press, did all the press pre-match against Kalil and he's not
08:02even in the squad. I think there's too many options. It's getting to the point where it needs
08:10thinning out.
08:11And that run from February, where Rovers went from, it's the most talked about run in Rovers
08:18history, I think, but was off the back of a scarcity of options at Grant's disposal. It was
08:24a settled side. It was patch up and carry on. It was Wood and Anderson at the back,
08:31Adelekin and Molyneux either flank, Bailey and Craig in the middle, and Ironside up top. It kind
08:37of had a structure to it. Now, who knows Rovers' strongest XI, other than the keeper who shook off
08:47a dodgy opening 20, 25 minutes on Saturday and actually performed really well. I thought Jack
08:53Senior and Joseph Oluwu were terrific. They would be, for me, absolute starters. Obviously,
08:59McGrath's got himself sent off, as I go back to saying, I don't think the first was a yellow. The
09:05second was. So, it is a bit up in the air at the moment. It'd be nice to see Zane Westbrook,
09:15but where's he in the pecking order behind Broadbent? And then you've got Kelly and
09:22Bailey. I don't know. Does there need to be a shuffle or will it naturally, as injuries will
09:30come into it, cancellations, fixture pile-ups, all the rest of it? That's perhaps one for,
09:37in a month's time, we'll know a heck of a lot more. I think the benefit of, obviously,
09:43like we said earlier about the eight games, I think if you'd be hard-pressed, if you're not
09:47getting any game time, I think the public, and we've mentioned it before, Yeboah is probably
09:50the one there. If you look across all the positions, he's the one probably least likely
09:55to get any game time or minimal game time, I should say. I wouldn't be surprised to see him
09:59start on Sunday and also the Port Vale game in the Trophy. I mean, his options, I think he's
10:06played twice in the last six weeks in the league, you know, and it gets to the point where January
10:12comes. Would it make sense for all parties to kind of, that's one way you're thinking straight
10:17away, right? Free up a lone spot, it's one less body to carry that's not really contributing at
10:22all, is it? So, did you think you'd say Yeboah will start on Sunday? I think he'll mix it up,
10:29yeah. I mean, the games that we've got, the games that they've got, I think, you know, it's pretty
10:32much a game every three days, eight, you know, or a game every four days if you want, you know,
10:37Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday, midweek game against Port Vale the week after. I don't see how,
10:44you know, he can't certainly go unchanged game to game, which I don't, that'd be another
10:48interesting start. He'll probably, on top of that, has he named unchanged teams this season?
10:53Not off the top of my head. There's always been one, hasn't there,
10:56that, from memory, has to be the team he was hit at two for local radio.
11:05I would be surprised, not staggered, but I'd be, it'd be an eyebrow raise if Yeboah started on
11:13Sunday for me. He's not... It depends what squad, yeah, I can't see him going full strength.
11:18Oh, I can't. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a lot of money at stake here. You know,
11:25there's £75,000 for the winners and if you get through, you're guaranteed £25,000 regardless
11:30of how you get on in the next round. £100,000 up for grabs and I've been doing the maths.
11:35Kettering, they were in the first qualifying round, they got £2,500 for that and so this is
11:41£100,000 up for grabs and a place in the third round. So, I think Grant, and that'll help,
11:47even at the Rovers level, that might allow you to do a little bit. There's no expectations. I
11:54don't think, from memory, that the club sets out budgets based on cup performances. So, anything
12:00extra, the Rovers, if they can go far in this competition, is all strength to Grant's wallet,
12:08really, when it comes to January, if he needs or wants any more players.
12:13I'm sure he will. I'm pretty sure he will. He might say he's not, but he will. The trophy as
12:18well is a good point. I think if they beat Paul Veil, they'll get, I'm sure it's pushing a £100,000
12:24accumulative figure. So, you add that to the cup money and it's not a bad little war chest, is it?
12:31Like you say, in January, that could be the difference between being able to bring in a
12:36higher calibre of lone player, for instance. Yeah, absolutely. Well, yeah, exactly. The players
12:42who are worth a couple of hundred grand aren't just waiting out there just to be snapped up.
12:46You're probably going to have to delve into non-league, where there are players, and as we've
12:50seen... Jim McGrath, a casing point, you know... McGrath, Bailey, etc. There's players who have
12:56come through from non-league and cut it at this level, or you are contributing to the wages of
13:02someone who previously would have been out of your wage structure. I don't know how, you know,
13:09those links with Man United are going to bear fruit. Who knows? That's just pure speculation,
13:15but it'd be nice to think that, yeah, you could get a Yeboah replacement. It'd be nice to have
13:20some pace up front. I think he's desperately eyeing out for that and it's becoming more than
13:27an issue, really, isn't it? Everyone could see it was a bit of a...
13:31that might be an oversight and now it's looking pretty obvious.
13:34Do you think, in terms of January as well, that, you know, the outgoings that we mentioned... I mean,
13:39Yeboah's probably one, probably a shoe-in, to be honest, but there's others, isn't there? Faulkner,
13:44Jones... I know they can't play technically. They've played against Rotherham, but they can't
13:48play for Rovers or anyone else till January. Eyeing there too, Faulkner especially. Where does
13:54he fit in? He doesn't, I don't think, unless something dramatic happens or the Rovers say,
14:04we've got a 38, 39-year-old Richard Wood, who's probably caught up with him now. Can Bobby go and
14:14do what Jay McGrath has done in the last six months? Can he do that between now and the start
14:18of next season and be ready to go? Or do you say, no, it's not worked out and good luck in the
14:26future? I don't know. He's got time on his side, but he's down the pecking order, that's for sure.
14:33Lewis Jones, a great kid, but he's down the pecking order as well. I mean, I think since
14:40we last spoke, there's been a former Rovers loankeeper turn up at the Eco Power to watch
14:45Rovers in action. Mr Lowe to Tarler, I do know his situation at Hull, but I don't know how open
14:53to a move he or Hull City are, or whether Rovers are even interested. Sharman Lowe looks a stitch
15:00on, doesn't he? I've never come away from a ground and thought, oh, he's had an absolute stinker,
15:06or he's had a worldie. And then last week he combined the both of them. And then Lawler's
15:14a reasonable understudy. I don't think he's ever going to let you down. So I don't see where either
15:18of those two players that you mentioned fit in. I think Broadbent needs game time, but I think...
15:27Ben Close wouldn't have even mentioned him.
15:29Yeah, well, exactly. And Rovers need a deep line playmaker, and that's ready made for him to slide
15:36into that. So, we'll see. I don't know if he played in that bounce game against Rotherham,
15:42but so many options, an embarrassment of riches. And that's why you'd hope that
15:49Rovers have enough strength in depth to see off Sunday's opponents.
15:53Well, that's it, yeah. We'll talk about Kettering then, because obviously they've got a scalp
15:58against Northampton, obviously live on TV. Another TV game for them on Sunday. I mean,
16:04how do they approach this then, Rovers? I suppose they've been burnt a few times,
16:08haven't they? I was looking through the records. Kingsland, a couple of years back.
16:12Yeah.
16:12I think surely they were held to a replay at Drawley, weren't they? So, you could kind of
16:17rack your mind the same. Say again, sorry.
16:19Yeah, that was under Grant, and I think Rovers were 2-0 down in that game. I think Herbie Kane
16:24might have scored for Rovers that day. And the replay, Rovers demolished them 7-0, I think,
16:30or something like that. There is no replay. There is no second chance.
16:33Thankfully.
16:34You know what I mean? Kettering are absolutely flying.
16:38They are. Seven wins and three draws at home this season, no defeats. They've only lost two
16:44away from home. They'll be full of confidence. They've got a few over the hill, but still might
16:50have a chance to sparkle in front of the TV cameras, players the likes of Hooper, Rangers,
16:56Sordell. If they get their act together, then, you know, Rovers have got to be careful. So,
17:02I would treat this warily. It's a lose-lose situation. It really is, because if you go and
17:10win two or three, well, you're expected to do that anyway. Anything else is a bit of a worry.
17:17I think he'll get them right up for it. Like I said, those examples that I gave,
17:22they're quite sparing, aren't they, in recent years? But the Kingsland one, for me, I was
17:25looking at that and I was like, you know, you shouldn't be losing to... I think they were
17:29three divisions below, possibly two. And again, the added incentive, I suppose, for Rovers is it's
17:35on TV. They'll not want to come across in front of a national audience as well. Not many times
17:41Rovers are on terrestrial TV. And they've got players that know what it's like on the other
17:47side of the foot, don't they? To wear the other shoe, so to speak. Baylor, Gateshead had a few
17:53notable games against higher opposition in the cup. Quite a lot of them have played
18:00that other role, if you like, and been the underdog.
18:04Oh, yeah, they've been... Well, I was going to say David up against Goliath. I'm not sure I'd
18:09quite put Rovers in the Goliath category, but certainly for this game, they will be billed
18:15as such by the national broadcasters. I do remember during COVID, Rovers went to FC United
18:22about this time of year and won 5-1, I think it was. And Andy Butler actually took charge of that
18:29game in the absence of Darren Moore. And Rovers were very professional that night on what was an
18:34immaculate pitch. Not sure what the Latimer Park pitch is like. It's going to get a dowsing. I know
18:40that Northampton has been the centre of all the flood alerts of late. The weather forecast looks
18:46like a bit of a leveller as well. So the Rovers fans that are making the journey, bring your
18:52waterproofs because it's going to be a bit of a soaking. So, yeah, I think it's... Don't get me
19:02wrong, it'll be a test and that's what Rovers kind of probably need. And if they can win that,
19:08it can springboard them on, give them a bit of confidence going into that thick run of games.
19:14If they get beat, wow, it could be quite something.
19:20Absolutely. Well, hopefully it's raining goals for Grant's brave boys. We'll leave it there.
19:26We'll wrap it up there. Thanks for joining us, Tom. And thanks for tuning in. If you missed any
19:30of it, it's obviously available on demand and we'll attempt to get one of these done again.
19:36Try and squeeze one in before the busy month of December is done. But yeah, thanks for tuning in.