Doncaster Rovers Insight

Doncaster arrive at the Ricoh today on the back of a morale boosting 3-0 win over Chesterfield. In this game, new Rovers’ boss Darren Ferguson implemented a 3-5-2 system. 

He applied the same formation last season whilst at Peterborough without much success, and so far his time at Doncaster has been inconsistent. 

Despite the win over Chesterfield hinting at an upturn in form, it was preceded by defeats at home to Rochdale and away to Millwall. 

The standout threat in the Doncaster side is top scorer Andy Williams. The forward has eight goals in all competitions and is a player that thrives off good service. 

He’s not the sort of striker to carve out chances for himself and will rely heavily on the delivery of wing backs Cedric Evina and Felipe Mattioni. 

Experienced forward Nathan Tyson still possesses a good level of pace which could cause our back four problems should he get either of the centre backs on the turn.

In terms of weaknesses in the squad, the defensive three have been somewhat error prone this season.

This is something that can and most likely will be exploited by the pacy triumvirate of Adam Armstrong, Jacob Murphy and Ryan Kent. 

The main issue has been the performances of centre back Andy Butler, who has had a poor start to the season. That being said, he has improved slightly following the appointment of Ferguson.  

To add to these defensive frailties, former Preston goalkeeper Thorsten Stuckmann is not the safest pair of hands to have between the sticks. 

A professional performance should see us over the line today. 

Possible Doncaster Rovers XI

Bradford City 0-0 Coventry City - A reflective view

Our offensive capabilities were displayed in their fullest form against Gillingham, on Tuesday however, the defence took centre stage as we travelled to Valley Parade.

From the off, Bradford had one route of attack, hoof the ball to James Hanson. Ugly on the eye and quite frankly very ineffective, the Bantams rarely troubled us going forward with Ben Turner and Aaron Martin winning the battle against Hanson. 

Kyel Reid and Tony McMahon - the latter converted by Phil Parkinson from a traditional right back to a wide player - were nullified by Sam Ricketts and Chris Stokes, unsurprisingly Reid was the more threatening outlet of the two. 

This is the first time in a considerable while where I can't identify a weak link in the back five. Reice Charles-Cook put in another top display with quick distribution and sharp reflexes. 

After trying to replace Joe Murphy last season with Ryan Allsop, Jamie Jones and finally Lee Burge, it appears that we had the replacement in the squad the whole time. 

The standout performer was Gael Bigirimana, who replaced the injured John Fleck, filling the large void left by Fleck with ease. 

He appears to have shaken off any rustiness that was evident in the Gillingham game. His ball retention and spreading of the play following breakdowns in Bradford attacks was outstanding. 

There was one small issue, his various attempts to hit 'Hollywood' passes that amounted to nothing, only resulting in Bradford regaining possession. Finding his range may take a little longer than expected. 

Whereas Bigirimana grasped his opportunity with both hands, Marc-Antoine Fortune and Ruben Lameiras did not. 

Both were below par on Tuesday, with Fortune’s hold up play seemingly non-existent and Lameiras failing to get the better of opposing full back Greg Leigh. 

After the introduction of Ryan Kent and to a lesser extent Jim O’Brien we looked like a more imposing threat, and while I've got nothing against squad rotation, Kent, has to be a definite starter along with Armstrong and Murphy. 

Bradford City Insight

Bradford head into today's game having found the consistency of performance and result that had deserted them earlier in the season. They are now eight unbeaten following an impressive win over Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park. 

Phil Parkinson will stick with his tried and tested 4-4-2 system, and looks likely to name the same eleven that performed so well on Saturday. 

From a defensive point of view, two experienced heads in former Leyton Orient skipper Nathan Clarke - who has started to improve after a rocky start at Valley Parade - and Rory McArdle have been key in the last two games.

Prior to that, West Ham centre back Reece Burke was having a commendable debut loan spell, however that was cut short due to injury. 

Burke was expected to be a big miss but Clarke, rejuvenated from his spell out of the team, is in good form. Once again he is showing the dominance in the air and assurance in possession that he displayed in Leyton Orient's run to the Play-Off final two seasons ago.

In terms of an offensive threat, Bradford have a number of options. James Hanson has been a thorn in Sky Blues’ sides in the past, but I believe that Parkinson will start with the pairing of the diminutive Billy Clarke and pacy Jordan Bowery. 

Clarke is very similar to Gillingham’s Bradley Dack - although he is less inclined to use his unfavoured foot. 

He has a good eye for a pass and excellent close control. His finishing is not too shabby either having been Bradford’s top scorer last year whilst playing many games in a central attacking midfield role. 

Former Aston Villa striker Bowery is a player who has promised much throughout his career but is yet to deliver. He has the physicality to compete with the imposing pair of Ben Turner and Aaron Martin, as well as the pace to leave them for dead in a foot race. 

Both Clarke and Bowery will be feeding off the deliveries of Tony McMahon and Kyel Reid, who have five assists between them this season. The overlapping full backs, Stephen Darby and Greg Leigh will also get forward at any chance to support the forwards. 

As much as Bradford's form has picked up of late, their previous five games have included wins over Blackpool and Crewe - otherwise known as League One's whipping boys. This coincided with Non-League Aldershot taking them to a replay in the FA Cup, which in fairness Bradford won 2-0. 

Does this make six clean sheets in a row less impressive? Perhaps, perhaps not. What it does indicate to me is that, yet again, we have nothing to fear going into tonight's game. 

Possible Bradford City XI

Coventry City 4-1 Gillingham - A reflective view

An array of positives emerged after Saturday’s game and only one negative by my reckoning - well two, as Barcelona just about managed to eclipse our performance and result. I wouldn’t want to end this piece on a negative, so that is where I’ll begin. 

Since coming into the first team in place of the unfortunate Lee Burge, Reice Charles-Cook has been flawless - so much so that you have to question Arsenal’s decision to let the young keeper go. 

However on Saturday, his distribution at times was just a bit too lax. A couple of skewed kicks, wanting longer on the ball than in reality he had and the risky roll out to John Fleck who was flanked by three Gillingham players. 

This might sound like nitpicking of the highest order following a 4-1 win, but, it is imperative that the players don’t become comfortable and rest on their laurels. 

As many have pointed out, its November, we haven’t won or achieved anything yet - which goes for the team as a collective and for individuals. 

Now that’s out of the way, let’s bring on the positives. Where else to start than with Aaron Martin, yes Aaron Martin. An error prone campaign last season saw the towering centre half on the periphery of the squad in August. Injury allowed him a route back in and he has certainly taken his chance. 

Martin is a player that understands the limitations of his technical ability and on Saturday this was truly evident in his play. He plays and defends when it is necessary to do so, rarely overplaying or panicking as he did at times last season. 

This newfound composure was shown in the first half when he intercepted a ball on the edge of his box, stepped out and went on a marauding run into the opposition’s half. 

Martin is a player oozing confidence, both in his own ability and in the team - a stark contrast to how he and the team performed under Steven Pressley last season, with a distinct lack of direction. 

The same can be levelled at Chris Stokes. A non-league player by trade, he is now a Football League player. Similar to Martin, he is assured in possession, slowly but surely ridding himself of his inclination to turn inside onto his instep. 

Bolton knew there was a player in there, even after his release they sent scouts to watch him several years later at Forest Green - he could soon be playing a level higher than the Trotters. 

His ease at this level was displayed when he calmly controlled a Fleck pass, dribbled down the wing and slotted an inch perfect cut-back for Murphy to complete his hat-trick. 

The two other players mentioned there, Jacob Murphy and John Fleck, are frankly unplayable right now. I recall a time when Fleck was much maligned, fans calling for Conor Thomas to replace him - the less said about that suggestion the better. 

His inability to score was seen as sound reasoning for dropping the Scotsman. Has he exploded into some sort of goalscoring machine this season? No. What he has been given is the platform to play, to use his strengths, specifically his main strength - vision. 

Stokes’ aforementioned run was supplied by Fleck’s ability to see a pass. O’Brien gave the ball to Fleck, who, faced with two Gillingham players in a tight area, picked out a sublime pass for Stokes, who found Murphy and killed the game then and there.

The hat-trick hero has in recent games found a level of consistency that can only come with playing regular football. His decision making is improving - which Kent and Murphy have both struggled with as many young players do. 

The most dangerous player in the league? Well, when he can receive the ball with his back to an opponent, turn and run at such pace from a standing start as he has done many times and did again on Saturday, it would be hard to take that title away from him. 

What impressed me the most on Saturday was the third goal. Not simply because it put us 3-0 up against the league leaders, there was a beauty to it. It represented both Tony Mowbray’s philosophy and the effectiveness of the 4-2-3-1 system - a system many said, was too complicated for this level. 

The ball started with Ricketts in the right back position, then to Martin, then to Vincelot who went backwards to go forwards in playing the ball to Charles-Cook. Cookie found Chris Stokes out wide and he duly found John Fleck. 

Jim O’Brien decided to come off the wing where he personally had little luck against the pacy Ryan Jackson, here he received the ball from Fleck and played a defence cutting pass to set up Murphy. 

Exquisite football from several players who struggled to pass to each other under Steven Pressley. It highlights how much of a difference a manager with a clear philosophy can make. We all witnessed Mowbray’s philosophy in its fullest on Saturday, long may it continue. 

Gillingham Insight

Justin Edinburgh should stick with a similar formation that was so effective last time out against Bury. A midfield three comprising of Josh Wright, Jake Hessenthaler and Emmanuel Osadebe - who scored a rather unorthodox solo goal last weekend. 

The creative spark will be provided by the exciting Bradley Dack, who will operate just behind the strike partnership of former Sky Blues’ forwards Rory Donnelly and Dominic Samuel. This all means that Cody McDonald will have to be content with a place on the bench once again. 

Edinburgh will be forced into one change as talented youngster Harry Lennon was recalled by Charlton on Friday. The equally talented Deji Oshilaja should take the place of Lennon.

From a style of play perspective, Gillingham play in a very similar way to City with a brand of football that is attractive on the eye and played at a quick speed. 

There are three key creative outlets, that the effectiveness of Donnelly and Samuel will depend upon. The first two are the full-backs, Ryan Jackson and Bradley Garmston. 

Both players possess blistering pace - which was utilised at the start of the season when they were deployed as wing-backs in a 3-5-2 formation. 

They’ve contributed two goals each this season, this combined with their overlapping play, highlights why Jackson and Garmston are crucial to the success of the Gillingham attack. 

The third and key outlet comes in the form of the technically gifted Bradley Dack. He has eight goals and five assists in all competitions so far this season and along with towering centre half John Egan, is a stand out player for the Kent side.

Dack’s quick feet and vision make him a perfect fit for the role behind the two strikers. The Charlton academy product will no doubt enjoy supplying Dominic Samuel, with the forward's constant runs down the channels and positioning on the shoulder of the final defender. 

Despite being relatively new to the Football League scene, Edinburgh has just as much managerial experience as Tony Mowbray. His team will offer City their biggest test of the season so far. 

The return of Gael Bigirimana and Ben Turner

This week we have witnessed not one, but two homecomings with Gael Bigirimana and Ben Turner returning to the club where it all started for the pair. 

There is certainly something symbolic about Bigirimana and Turner signing on loan. Neither player should have to drop down to this level of football, such is their ability - yet, here they both are. 

What it represents is the new Coventry City, a Coventry City managed meticulously by Tony Mowbray. Without him, these moves just wouldn’t have materialised and he continues to work at a level befitting the club. 

We are finally looking forward in our pursuit of promotion and with this in mind any sentimental attachment to Bigirimana or Turner should be removed. Their performances previously for the club are irrelevant, it’s about the here and now. 

It is quite obvious that Turner is - as Mowbray referred to him - a ‘stop-gap’ in the search for other defensive options. Tactically he will fit in next to Aaron Martin as the left centre back, allowing Sam Ricketts to reacquaint himself with his more favourable right back slot. 

This also means that young Aaron Phillips will be taken out of the firing line in the knowledge that he needs to work on the defensive side of his game. 

We gain experience and crucially the physicality that Reda offered prior to his injury. Turner has also relinquished his trait of hitting long diagonal passes in the direction of a centre forward - developed under the initial success of the Aidy Boothroyd era. 

At Cardiff his ability on the ball has improved. Gone is the Turner that looked moments away from a catastrophic slip or misplaced pass. If he can prove and maintain his fitness, he will undoubtedly be a success in sky blue once again. 

Whether the decision to bring Bigirimana back will be a successful one is far more questionable. He claims to have come back to Coventry a man, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he has developed as a footballer. 

His debut season at St James' Park was one of progression, however since then his career has stalled. A farcical loan switch to Rangers last season was a bleak low point.

The 22-year-old will fill the gap left by Middlesbrough loanee Bryn Morris, who despite showing flashes of ability, couldn’t nail down a first team place. Bigirimana could well face a similar problem. 

When you consider that Morris has captained England at every youth level from the U16s through to the U19s, it’s easy to suggest that he is equally as talented as Bigirimana. 

Barring injury and suspension, Fleck and Vincelot are seemingly immovable from their defensive midfield roles. Everything points towards Bigirimana having to be satisfied with a place on the bench. 

The manager may have an alternative idea of how to use the Burundi international. An advanced midfield berth where his technical ability can be more effectively utilised perhaps. 

In the midst of all this speculation, one thing is certain - he would be a better option as a substitute than the frustratingly risk-averse Conor Thomas. 

That is of course if he can even make it onto the bench. With only five loan players permitted in the match day squad, Bigirimana could be the man to miss out. 

Regardless, with Saturday’s game against table-toppers Gillingham on the horizon, it is fair to say that the squad has never looked as strong during our time in League One.