Joey Barton promised a "barmy" game plan and a barmy game certainly ensued for Bristol Rovers as they suffered a 6-3 defeat to Lincoln City at the Mem on Saturday.
Goals, errors and misfortune galore, it was an afternoon to forget for the Gas, who are now six without a win and have dropped to 21st place in League One after nine games. They were their own worst enemies conceding softly time and time again against Lincoln side that was admirably opportunistic yet hugely flattered by the scoreline.
This was not the slick Ipswich Town machine that defeated Rovers at Portman Road in midweek but a middling third-tier side that capitalised on the many gifts handed to them in BS7. Jack Diamond bagged a hat-trick, Ben House got a brace and Matty Virtue netted the other on a memorable day out for the Imps.
Rovers, behind after just seven minutes, were always chasing the game and after Aaron Collins made it 2-1 just 18 minutes in Lincoln were tantalisingly close to being reeled in but they clung onto their lead and were rewarded in stoppage time with a moment of huge fortune to re-extend the advantage.
In the second half, Rovers started to crumble and by the time Lincoln's sixth goal went in there was still almost half an hour to be played. And, fittingly in this bonkers game, Rovers were profligate with good opportunities to make a game of it in the closing stages.
Barton was not being flippant when he said it could have finished 7-7, but with his team beaten so heavily, he has problems to solve.
Murphy's Law
Barton has felt a couple of times in recent weeks that the Gas have been on the wrong side of Murphy's Law, with injuries and suspensions going against them, but the old adage of "What can go wrong, will go wrong" has never been more applicable this season than it was on Saturday.
This was a messy performance from Rovers. A makeshift back three looked exactly that and the Gas self-inflicted damage time and time again throughout a chaotic and bizarre afternoon at the Mem.
Nothing summed the game up better than when Harry Anderson's clearance struck Luke McCormick in the back and the ball – which could have ricocheted anywhere – fell kindly into the path of Diamond, who slid his shot beneath Belshaw and into the net. That it occurred in first-half stoppage time only made it worse for Rovers, sucking the life out of a stadium that had been buoyed by the strong response to falling 2-0 behind.
Lincoln would add three more in the second half, two via big deflections that gave James Belshaw no chance and there were credible claims for a foul on McCormick in the build-up to the other.
To be clear, Rovers did not play well enough to get anything out of the game. Barton's tactical gamble may have aided Rovers going forward, but they were exposed defensively and Lincoln made the most of every stroke of good fortune that landed their way.
But at the same time, the margins were smaller than the scoreline would suggest. The biggest factor in this game was Rovers' sloppiness being compounded by an absence of good fortune, rather than the performance of the opposition, shown by the number of good chances that went begging for Rovers. They could have easily had another goal or two in each half with gilt-edged opportunities for Ryan Loft not capitalised on, plus Antony Evans shook the post with a free-kick.
The story of Saturday could have been very different had Rovers got out of their own way in critical moments, but that is symptomatic of a team that has been shorn of several key players and is in the midst of a six-game winless run.
The manager's experiment
"We’ve tried to play a really aggressive system, taking the game to them, and it didn’t go to plan today," Barton said in his post-match press conference. That system centred on playing Glenn Whelan as the middle centre-half in a back three and leaving Alfie Kilgour – Rovers' only fully-fledged central defensive option available due to James Connolly, Bobby Thomas and Lewis Gibson's respective injuries – on the bench.
The logic behind Barton's call was wanting Rovers to play out from the back and he believed Whelan was the best man available for that job. And Rovers were able to play out from the back pretty effectively, dominating possession with 65 per cent of the ball.
But that only matters if the defence is secure and Rovers were beaten at the back far too easily on Saturday. Tactics were not the only reason Rovers lost the game – and lost it so heavily – because there were plenty of individual errors mixed in, but the manager's roll of the dice did not pay off this time.
How would Kilgour have affected the game had he started? We'll never know, but in making that decision Barton knew the scrutiny that could come his way, not that it has ever deterred him from making a big call.
Barton doubles down
Without a win for more than a month and his latest game plan failing to deliver a result, the manager's search for solutions amid Rovers' injury problems goes on. The availability issues will ease in time for the visit of Accrington Stanley next Saturday, with Bobby Thomas and Jordan Rossiter back from their respective suspensions, which should make life easier for Barton, but he will want to get out of this slump as soon as possible.
In his press conference, the manager was asked if he would consider a more pragmatic approach to get results moving forward until his squad returns to full fitness, but his response was clear – he will not be taking a backwards step or parking buses anytime soon.
"I believe in attacking," he said. "I’m a boxer that wants to go in the ring and throw punches. I don’t want to be on the ropes, I’m not a counter-puncher. My teams aren’t ever built that way and there might be some games like that."
Is that the right approach? Probably, because the players he has available – and the group in general – are much better on the front foot and playing with high intensity than they are sitting back, but ultimately any good play is going to be undermined if the Gas continue to concede an average of more than two goals per game.
Finding the key to lock the back door while attacking the pitch like Rovers did so effectively last season has to be the priority.
The bright side
No matter how many mitigating factors there are to consider, it is hard to take many meaningful positives after conceding six goals on home turf en route to a defeat that dropped Rovers – albeit at a very early stage in the season – into the bottom four.
However, Barton has been clear about his aim for this season, hoping to reach the 52-point mark as soon as possible to secure Rovers' third-tier status, and the biggest asset any team can have in that part of the table is a goalscorer.
The Gas certainly have one of those in Aaron Collins, who took his tally to six for the season in nine league games so far, and with his three assists included he has more goal involvements than any other player in League One. His goals against Lincoln were near identical, racing behind the defence and rounding the keeper before finishing neatly into an empty net.
With 37 games to play, he is now just two behind the eight-goal tally Luke Leahy reached as Rovers' top scorer last time they were in League One.
But his brace on Saturday doubtless means very little to him considering the result. He may have found a ruthless streak in front of goal since joining the Gas last summer, but he is very much a team-first player and his contrasting form in comparison to his team will not provide much personal comfort – the 25-year-old would be happy for someone else to get the goals if it meant Rovers were getting positive results.
His presence in the team will provide his manager with comfort, though. Collins has been Rovers' best scorer and creator this season and his value to the Gas shows no signs of waning.
In motorsport, engineers prefer a fast car that is unreliable to a slow one that gets from A to B because reliability is easier to develop and instil than extra speed. Collins certainly gives Rovers plenty of horsepower at the top end of the pitch and if Barton can stabilise the team behind him – something which ought to gradually get easier as players return from injury – then the Gas should meet their targets this season, despite their difficult start.
Loft's continued scoring form can only help, too.
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