[Archived] Rovers 0 Everton 0

[RoyRover]

Watch the highlights on Premiership First and there is no doubt that we should have had a penalty, when Dickov was brought down. We were far the better side, created some good chances and could have won it at the end, when Emerton hit the post. I know that we haven't won today and it is getting very frustrating, but at least we didn't lose against the team 2nd in the league. We have to take heart from our performances and realise that if we keep playing like we are, then the draws will turn into wins. We are 16th going into Christmas, with the second half of the season and some new players in January to look forward to.

For so long we have been saying how a new centre back was a priority. I still think this, but since Hughes has come in, we have been looking alot tighter in defence. With Nelson and Moekena looking lightly to sign in January, Hughes should also be looking to bring in a striker who can score goals. This is obviously a problem for us and we aren't going to win matches if can't score. The strikers that we have aren't prolific scorers and if we could bring someone in who finds the back of the net consistently, then we would definately move up the table.

[Oklahoma]

For what I've read, it was a good result before the match but we could have got more.

Bring in a striker... As the defenders will be (almost) for free!!

[USABlue]

ok I don't get it. Yes, Gally was in an offside position when Ferguson played the ball, but Martyn spilled the shot and then Gally scored. So how is that offside ? I thought it didn't matter if you're in an offside position if the opponment's player last touches the ball. I really need to freshen up on the new offside rules.

I think you are referring to the Ruud Van Nistleroy offside rule.

[roversWASmylife]

I would have taken a point before the game but now I'm slightly dissapointed that we didn't take all three.

We matched Everton all game, either we played well or they were very poor.

The game yesterday left me with confidence going into the games at Xmas, I still think it could be a struggle for the rest of the season unless we bring in a forward with pace and can score first time. A defender also with pace would be useful.

Next week I'd start with Gallagher. The few minutes that he did play was pointless, apart from his dis-allowed goal, but he should have been thrown on with half n hour to go rather than a few minutes.

Blackburn 0-0 Everton

[Paul]

To my mind these are very accurate match reports:

Observer and in The Independent

Must admit I left Ewood feeling somewhat negative but on reflection we performed far better than I first thought. My initial reaction came from watching a dire game with little excitment for the whole 90 minutes. Everton showed the attacking ambition of a dead sheep, packing 9 men behind the ball and with our lack of a truely creative player this was bound to make life difficult. Moyes has made his team very difficult to beat and hopes to nick a result on the break. A few weeks back Everton would have won this match. However Rovers were solid throughout the team, keeping control of the ball (a major improvement being how few mis-placed passes we made) and working hard.

Emerton provided the only creative spark and with his current short-comings was never going to create much danger. I wish he would get to the bye-line more often and learn how to take a corner.

Our best chances came in the first 10 minutes and the last 4-5. We should have scored in the first ten and from there we might have had a very entertaining game. I presume Hughes was looking to ensure we got the point that was the least we deserved but I feel Gally should have been given 20 minutes or more. Haven't seen his "goal" yet but I'm interested some are arguing the keeper spilled it to play Gally onside - my youngest said the same thing straight after the game.

Lots to be positive about:

16th

one defeat in 8

teams below us getting tonked

our goal difference is still appalling but others are catching up

Feeling much more confident this morning, we NEED to beat Newcastle in front of decent crowd. Only 17,500 Rovers there yesterday.

Morph was saying every manager has his time at a club, referring to Souness, I'm beginning to feel Hughes is the man for today and the next few years.

[Paul]

Gally was offside but was he interferring with play? I'm confused about the rule now.

[Flopsy]

Observer - The entertainment was so grim at the start of the second half that the ballboys began returning the ball too quickly, with the result that on more than one occasion there was more than one ball on the pitch. The referee interpreted this as Blackburn seeking an unfair advantage, but this was possibly a little harsh on the young lads. Like everyone else in the ground, they probably only wanted to get home.

[stuwilky]

Gally was offside but was he interferring with play? I'm confused about the rule now.

He was clearly offside, he was gaining and advantage by being were he was. apparently.

[AlanSheppard]

It looks to me like Gallagher's offside when Reid(?) shoots thereby giving him an advantage as he's ahead of the defence and can reach the ball before the Everton players when the keeper spills it.

[thenodrog]

Gally was offside but was he interferring with play? I'm confused about the rule now.

I think tapping the ball into an empty net comes under the heading 'interfering with play' Paul.

Gally was unforgivably unprofessional in not checking his run cos he ran past 2 defenders into a (well) offside position and could see right along the line whilst he did it.

The new rule comes into play because should Reid have scored himself under the old rule the goal would have been disallowed cos of Gally's position.

[thenodrog]

Watch the highlights on Premiership First and there is no doubt that we should have had a penalty, when Dickov was brought down.

I wonder what the commentator was on when presumably after watching the incident many times he still suggested that Halsey got it right!

I feel like emailing the BBC for clarification of what constitutes the award of a penalty.

[Ozz]

I usually sit in the Darwen end, but I sat in the BE yesterday.

I got to the ground at 2.45pm, only for the barcode ticket not to work. It just kept giving a red light. The steward told me to try another turnstile, which I did, which again failed to let me in.

The next steward, and his mate, told me to go to the ticket office for a replacement, even though I had a perfectly valid ticket, cost £28 in my hand. At the TO< when I asked what to do if the new one didn`t work, I was told it would do and stop wasting time and go away.

Needless to say, after queueing up for 20 minutes to swap my 1st ticket for an identical second, and missing 13 minutes of the game, I was not too happy.

Then the `fun` began. I have never seen so many miserable, fickle and , to be blunt , crap supporters.

e.g. 15 seconds after coming on as a sub, Gally fails to beat the land speed record and beat Stubbs to another over hit pass. Result?

`come on Gally, thats sh*te, get into the game `etc...

It made me ashamed to be a Rovers fan.

Then the final blow on an already bizmark afternoon.

Bothroyd, (Yes ONE o not two, NOT BOOTHROYD), fails to make any real effort in jumping for a high ball. Cue Dickov giving him some, ahem, encourgement and instruction shall we say.

Quote from guy sat behind me

" You`re wasting your time Dickov, he`s a thick black @#/?"

On Thursday morning, I rang the TO for my seats at three matches, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton. Price £85.

After 25 years of following Rovers,I am now seriously considering not going anymore.

[greggyk]

so because of 2 comments in a one out of 25 years of supporting rovers, your deciding not to follow rovers again.

Well go and support Man Yoo or Chelsea then!

[Ozz]

so because of 2 comments in a one out of 25 years of supporting rovers, your deciding not to follow rovers again.

Well go and support Man Yoo or Chelsea then!

How dare you.How dare you.

The straw that broke the camels back, Mr K.

[1864roverite]

Oh come on Oz, our old French teacher used to call you worse names than that and if I recall you were called much worse when playing football or cricket

two half wits shouldnt get to you, what should have really happened is that you should have gobbed the racist chanting muvva, hoiked him out and spat on him as he left

[philipl]

so because of 2 comments in a one out of 25 years of supporting rovers, your deciding not to follow rovers again.

Well go and support Man Yoo or Chelsea then!

That was a pretty dumb post Mr K

[rover6]

Blackburn Rovers: Crying out for a creative player to supply the front men.

Youri Djorkaeff or Gamst Pedersen?

Imo MGP would be the better bet but obviously Hughes does not think he's ready.

As for Youri, I don't know if he has a future at the club. I doubt Hughes will drop Reid to accommodate him, so the only place he could play would be behind Dickov as a second striker. And that didn't exactly work a treat when tried.

[Drakefyre]

On drop balls:

The referee can 'suggest' a course of action. If they don't follow, an unsportsmanlike conduct yellow can follow. Also, they can drop the ball when only one person is there, which usually only happens for an injury or when the ball is in the goal area and he just drops it to the keeper.

On offside:

Gally was offside. If there had been no rebound and the shot had gone in, it would have been a goal. Since he benefitted from being in the offside position, his goal was taken away. If he had been onside at the time of the original shot, then his rebound goal would have counted.

[krislu]

On offside:

Gally was offside. If there had been no rebound and the shot had gone in, it would have been a goal. Since he benefitted from being in the offside position, his goal was taken away. If he had been onside at the time of the original shot, then his rebound goal would have counted.

Did you see Newcastle's first goal against Liverpool? Kluivert clearly benefitted from being offside...

I'm sure if V.Nistelrooy had scored that goal on Old Trafford it would have stood.

[thenodrog]

All round encouraging result for Rovers. To have the second in the table baying for the final whistle will encourage our players no end. It's easy to see why Everton are so difficult to score against as with every attack with the exception of the very fastest breaks (something that we are not noted for but which led to our disallowed goal) they quickly get 4/5 men on the 6 yard line. Moyes was a centre half and it shows. Emertons style means that he takes too long to whip the ball across and plays right into their hands. Everton will be vulnerable to early balls whipped in from deep to the edge of the box / penalty spot for the strikers to run onto like Wilcox used to provide.

As for a comment on a feature of our game that no one has mentioned yet (I think).......our free kick routines are still woeful! I lost count of the times we were awarded a free kick from shooting range only to see a variety of players make what can only be described as embarrassingly feeble and unimaginative speculative shots. Makes me wonder what they do at Brockhall all week?

[Paul]

Gally was offside but was he interferring with play? I'm confused about the rule now.

I think tapping the ball into an empty net comes under the heading 'interfering with play' Paul.

Gally was unforgivably unprofessional in not checking his run cos he ran past 2 defenders into a (well) offside position and could see right along the line whilst he did it.

The new rule comes into play because should Reid have scored himself under the old rule the goal would have been disallowed cos of Gally's position.

Yes I appreciate that. The point which confused me is that Gally was clearly offside by a yard - you're right he should not have been there - I wondered if the keeper spilling the ball had the effect of playing him onside. Obviously not. If a player is stood in an offside position and an opponent plays the ball to him he becomes onside?

[DanLad]

The new rule comes into play because should Reid have scored himself under the old rule the goal would have been disallowed cos of Gally's position.

Yes I appreciate that. The point which confused me is that Gally was clearly offside by a yard - you're right he should not have been there - I wondered if the keeper spilling the ball had the effect of playing him onside. Obviously not. If a player is stood in an offside position and an opponent plays the ball to him he becomes onside?

Hello all,

This is my first post so you'll have to excuse me potentially making a mess of it.

A ball passed by an opponent to a player in an offside position means that the player isn't offside. I recall Peacock passing to McManaman in our six yard box against Liverpool a few years ago.

I this instance the ball was played forward by a Rovers player and at that juncture Gallagher was stood in an offside position. If the ball flew in it would have been allowed as Gally wouldn't have interfered. The fact that the keeper spilled the ball did not render Gally onside from the original shot ie when the ball was played forward.

In a similar vein I often hear people shouting that you can't be offside when the ball takes a deflection off an opponent. That's wrong. If you're offside when the ball is played it doesn't matter if it takes a deflection or not, you'll still be offside.

Hope that makes sense!

Dan

[thenodrog]

I seem to rem the law being amended in the 70's or thereabouts. Before then 'played on' by an opponant included simple deflections etc from off a defender but the law was amended / clarified to only include deliberate passes. A palm out by a keeper is therefore not seen as a deliberate action though God only knows why.

[DanLad]

I was quite pleased to see Flitcroft back playing and unsettling Everton, especially Gravesen. I think it was Flitty who gave Gravesen one of his meaty challenges and I think Gravesen knew he wasn't going to be able to intimidate us in midfield from then on. That makes a big difference IMO.

Dan

[G Somerset Rover]

After watching the highlights it was very encouraging to see Rovers out play Everton-who despite their performance are third in the table. The defence looks very solid at the moment, and it makes you wonder why Todd hasn't been a regular ever since he joined Rovers. The worrying thing is that although we outplayed Everton we failed to really test Nigel Martyn, which is a worry. Although our strikers couldn't hit a barn door at present, we must not look past the lack of creativity in the midfield as a potential reason for us not scoring enough. As others have pointed out, Fergie scored 16 for Rangers in the season before he joined us (poorer standard of football I know) but if we could get in Savage for example then it would allow Ferguson to be more attack minded. Did any one see Gillette soccer special yesterday? They said that Savage wouldn't want to come at all because we're too small a club for him-God how Marsh and his pals annoy me. All in all, a point isn't bad, but we must beat Newcastle now on Sunday, and believe me if we can't score against them then we may aswell start planning for Div 1.

Edited December 19, 2004 by Somerset Rover!