MR Match Review: It's Snow Fun Watching Rotherham Anymore

....light mornings, picking strawberries and eating Raspberry Ripples. These are all reasons why I am looking forward to summer. Oh and three wins all season and not much chance of anymore!

At the minute we are like a dog that’s pretty ill and isn’t going to get better. The owners and people who care about it want it putting down, ‘put it out of it’s misery’ they say. The vet’s not convinced that he’s unwell enough for an injection but admits that it’s only a matter of time before he’ll be off to meet his maker. A weird analogy admittedly but it’s a similar position to Rotherham. We all know we’re going down, yet, whilst ever it is still mathematically possible to avoid the drop we are put through pain each weekend, so much so that it’s a case now of just wishing we were down so we can at least play with some sort of freedom.

So heading for Sunderland last night we were expecting nothing other than the 4-1 drubbing we got!! With constant chopping and changing of tactics, formation and personnel, we feared the worse against a top 3 team. But hey, at least we got to sit in a nice (albeit half empty stadium).

We actually started off ok. We forced several corners early on but nothing came of it. Sunderland had lots of possession and they were keeping it well. It must have got to the 24^th pass of the move when the home ‘faithful’ started getting agitated that they weren’t going forward. Then bang. One pass to Arca, who slipped passed Barker and put a cross in to Whitehead, who Hursty obviously didn’t really fancy marking. A sigh of relief though as a weak header goes straight at Pollitt. Unfortunately Polly mistook the ball with a letter informing him of his imminent pay cut and he let it slip through his legs. 1-0. Game over, thanks for coming.

More Sunderland possession, and a fallen body, referee Homer Mathieson gives a free kick. He’ll do well to score from there. He did well. A good free kick curling over the wall and in the top corner. Pollitt seemed to struggle to get across, weighed down by his money belt no doubt. Maybe I am being harsh. It would have taken a great save to keep it out.

Hmmm, you’d think he might have cottoned on to the next free kick that just went over minutes later with him nowhere to be seen.

Blizzard!

Somehow we got to half time just the two down. Unbelievably Rotherham fans were confident of a result. A blizzard had settled overhead and was throwing snow down very heavily. It was settling on the pitch and the referee had to extend half time just to make sure it melted!! The game recommenced. You could not see the yellow ball and the lines- well they were non existent. The Roth fans demanded abandonment!

By the time the third goal went in the snow had cleared though. From a corner, the Rotherham defence deemed the best course of action was to leave the 6ft 5” central defender unmarked. Another weak header though. Unfortunately The Invisible Man had replaced Mike Pollitt in goal and the ball squirmed in.

We were playing with no guile or composure, we could not keep the ball and we could not compete up front or in midfield. No change there then…Yet we were about to create the easiest chance of the match and a well worked one as well. McLaren had a one, two with Billy Hoskins to go through clear. He was on the six yard box, no defender in sight only the keeper to beat. Surely a goal?....... For reasons only known to himself he went for the top corner and managed to miss by a good few yards. How embarrassing. It was soon after that the adjudicators of the miss of the season competition were seen leaving the ground. It has since been confirmed that the competition has been closed for this season.

Another free kick to Sunderland and I for one had a real sense of deja vu. I’d love to have a game of poker with Mike Pollitt. I’d show him my hand yet even when he sees a royal flush he’d still think I was bluffing when I continued to raise him by 200k a time!! Clearly Polly wasn’t expecting Thornton to aim for his right hand side as he had done all night?

At last something for the frozen Millers to cheer about. A goal!! Not bad too as Monkhouse got the ball on the edge of the area, beat his man and drove low past the keeper. Good finish young man. Easy, easy, easy, easy, easy!!!!

The game then petered out as there was no chance of a fight back. We had nothing to look forward to other than a bag of Sports Mixture in the car waiting for us and a nice journey back in the snow!!

Incidentally, saw lots of car’s off the road in ditches on the way home, wonder if these were suicidal Roth fan? God help us on Saturday!

Player/Manager	Rating	Descripion
Mike Pollitt	0	I really don’t think I have it in my heart to give him anymore grief. He has been great this season.
Shaun Barker	4	Since his return to RB, he has looked a pale shadow of himself at CM and he was rubbish there.
Chris Swailes	5	General consensus is he needs his old mate Macca with him.
Phil Gilchrist	5	Clearly benefited from the change of manager, didn’t play well though.
Paul Hurst	5	Looked the weak link and was a target from high aerial balls *this is default text*
JCR	5	When he dribbles, the ball doesn’t half stick close to his feet. Unfortunately that means he never passes.
Paul McLaren	5	If only he had the same accuracy shooting as he does when he is aiming for the keeper’s gloves at set plays.
Paula Vanessa	5	Oh my God. He was playing? I didn’t notice him. At least that means he didn’t do anything catastrophic.
Andy Monkhouse	7	Actually thought he played pretty well and a nice goal too.
Martin Butler	5	I never take the mick out of ill people…….
Will Hoskins	7	I thought Billy played very well. He must start against the Blunts.
Paul Warne	5	See his mate Richie scored…
Alan Knill	3	Interesting selection in CM and 4-1 down and getting hammered and only one sub made?