Rotherham United 1-4 Watford Fc - 16/03/2021

Warne said yesterday that Covid has affected half their squad, their training ground only re-opened yesterday which would suggest they haven't been in full training so I'd hope for the latter!

 

I was going to post exactly the same.! That game we just didn't turn up and pointed us towards the trap door....

 

Of course. I'm just very wary of everything seeming to be in our favour! Consequence of being a football pessimist.

 

That was a truly horrifying affair which until reading this had been completely blanked out of my mind.

However Rotherham are not Burnley, I don't care how lightly we take this game we will win regardless. The gap in quality is too vast.

Will Hughes on his own would probably give their entire XI a close game.

 

Does anyone have any knowledge of the state of the pitch? There hasn't been a first team match played on it for 18 days and there is little if any rain forecast for today, so hopefully it will be reasonable.

Also, I notice that Rotherham have lost their last seven games - but all by a single goal! (4 x 1-0 and 3 x 2-1), so ideas of a GD boost are probably over-optimistic.

 

Often in these situations, teams are for more prepared/ready than they are letting on. Rotherham have been very quiet which suggests to me that they are close to full strength, combined with the fact that their odds have barely shifted which often happens due to team leaks this close to kick off. Wouldn't be surprised if its a regular and rested Rotherham team and another tough game.

 

Play our game and there will only be one winner. Some have said a potential banana skin but what game isn't when your playing a team fighting for theirs lives in a relegation battle! Another game where our desire, heart and passion will be needed for our superior ability to shine through. No disrespect to Rotherham but we need to be winning these types of away games to achieve our goals and show to the chasers that we mean business. I would rather we be playing them away rather than Muff or Derby. Rooney's mini slump won't last long I hope and the Muff game will just be an effin embarrassment to football if those two carry on with their shenanigans.
I can see us pulling away a little tonight. I see a Muff win and a turnaround in fortunes for Derby.

 

Have they been very quiet? Yes, they haven’t named names of who contracted covid (maybe out of a concern about confidentiality or maybe not) but Warne was pretty explicit that half the squad had been affected (which I took to mean had either had covid themselves or been forced to quarantine). He described how since lots of his players live in flats they weren’t able to exercise outside due to their quarantine, and that many of them weren’t in a fit state to go downstairs and outside anyway, presumably due to the respiratory problems caused by covid. Their training ground had been shut, and training yesterday was overseen by a goalkeeping coach and two senior players, although the assistant manager will be able to administer training today and run things at the match with Warne self-isolating. Warne added that there were a number of players that they had planned to have in their line-up but who, judging from training, were not up for it, and that they had some big selection headaches with no players fit for certain positions. To add to that, the physios etc will hardly have had time as of yesterday morning to run the rule over different players.

Even if they are close to full strength in terms of personnel, those players won’t be anywhere close to full fitness considering a) the effects of covid and b) the lack of access to training, conditioning etc. Warne may well be downplaying his team’s chances as a motivational tool, but I don’t think that’s why he’s not releasing names of the members of his squad out today.

Edit: read Warne’s comments from yesterday in full - https://www.themillers.co.uk/news/2021/march/read--warnes-pre-watford-press-highlights/

 

Rotherham have won 2 of their last 7, including their most recent game against Sheffield Wednesday, but you are correct that each of those games has been decided by 1 goal.

 

Far from a banker, remember we beat Liverpool 3-0 when fighting a relegation battle.

 

Into a vat of custard if he doesn't score a hat-trick against these sick notes

 

I love that you’re obsessed with me mate. It truly is flattering. You literally wait around for me to post, get all flustered and excited. It’s actually hilarious that you went on another fan forum to double check my post. All I know is I read it more than once whether that be on their forums, Twitter etc, there were multiple Rotherham fans on various platforms stating it. Sorry that I couldn’t be bothered to go through the list. A minor detail that you had to run your mouth over. Do me a favour and put me on your ignore list.

 

I've heard it spread like wildfire through the whippet population. That's wot dunnit.

 

Thanks for the correction! This helps to explain why RUFC's GD is so much better than that of the other teams around them. We are going to have to work for the victory tonight.....

 

He had the shot power of a 10 year old!

 

Groundsman have been quarantining as well so grass is knee high

 

I wouldn’t think it’s possible to fly there. Do they even have airports that far north?

 

It's ok, the lights on the plane make the locals all think they're being visited by supernatural beings, which at 0-3 down after 20 minutes they'll have no doubt about.

 

And there was me thinking Shakespeare had left us!

 

Used to like their old ground, nice cafe and chippy near by...few scrap yards admittedly, but it had atmosphere


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Funny you should say that, as I’m actually his great, great, great, great, great, great, great admirer.

 

If we don't smash these Covid carrying chancers at least 7 nil I'm in the Xisco out and bring back Troy group again.....

 

Rotherham - 2
Me (22,47)

Watford - 2
You (44, 82)

 

Fancy Filbert Fox have you been on the cooking sherry again?

 

I hate to whoosh you because you seem very nice but....

Whooooosh

 

!

 

Ahh!
They look like John Oates and John Oates out of 'Hall and Oates' without Darryl Hall or spam of course!
I've just had a zoom meeting on a readiness test,(with a Wolves fan to boot!) for aspiring L2&3 coaches so I'm as giddy as a kipper.
I'm also approaching the anxiety stage of my pre match worrying.

 

Isn't it just "To me............................................................................" these days ?

 

Copied from a Millers forum:
We got caught out by conceding two early goals when we played Watford away back in December 2020. On that day we had problems defending a number of crosses being whipped in by them from our right flank. We need to avoid giving away free kicks just outside the 18 yard box and directly in front of goal. Watford have a free kick specialist in the shape of Adam Masina.

From Almen Abdi Day to this in the space of days. We are now feared for our prowess with free kicks. Who would have thunk it?

Don't tell 'em Pike!

 

It is noticeable that Rotherham do not generally concede too many goals or lose by that many when they do lose. They have three games in hand over their rivals and a significantly better goal difference.

Cliche but no easy games. Would be just like us to struggle to a goalless draw after the weekends celebrations.


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This is true, although the man who ripped Liverpool apart who were then on an 18 match winning streak on their way to becoming champions will be playing against Rotherham, not for them.

 

Some bad news I’m afraid.

I just went for my daily COVID walk and although I did see some beautiful lambs, I also so a lone Magpie! That alone is an ill omen, but further investigation revealed that Rotherham United’s all-time leading goal scorer is Gary Magpie*.


*Might not be true.

 

This post reminds me of what Big 6 team fans used to write about us.