[Archived] Rovers On Talk Sport

[tonygreenbank]

I dont know how many of you listen to Talksport but what has emerged recently is the very negative press Rovers are getting from the media. Just the examples I have heard are that Rovers should have been charged by the FA for their brutal tactics against Chelsea; in the same game Mourinho has claimed that we over watered the pitch before the game and created what he called a "micro-climate" to our advantage. Patrick Collins was dismissive of Hughes`s rant against Mourinho because he picks Savage and Dickov every week so he`s lost the moral high ground. Lawrenson reckoned that the signing of Savage was "much ado about nothing" with refernce to his Stratford connection: the constant reference to our gates being low and finally our bookings record which has now reached 50 cards the worst in the league.

We always were regarded as a pleasant , homely club who amazingly won the league but have now found their true level. I have some sympathy with that view but when I hear others giving us stick I get very protective of my club and town. Has anyone else noticed this wind change and is Hughes responsible for our aggressive style?

[Eddie]

It's a phase. Scrapping for our lives and digging deep means we don't play the free flowing pleasant football we did two or three seasons ago, while our discipline was amazingly poor at the beginning of the season. It is probably about normal now, but every yellow card just makes it look worse. In a year or two it will pass, it just happens sometimes, it may even be gone by next season.

[92er]

We are absolutely awful at the moment and as Manchester Blue has recently stated, we are lambasted by the fans of many clubs who would like us to get relegated.

[tonygreenbank]

But its not just the fans who are slating us but the so called professional media people such as journalists and radio pundits which makes me a little uneasy.

[92er]

I think as a town and an unfashionable club, we are always an easy target.

However, when we got promoted we provided an exciting team with some excellent individuals.How different things are today.If you weren't a supporter, could you say much that was positive about the club?

[Manchester Blue]

Pretty much sums up my current view. I'm not blaming Hughes as such as he has to battle with what he has but we have become a club to dislike for many at present. The pundits are mostly lazy and will pander to the public so that is why we will get such a bad press. However our attitude and our tactics are not helping. If we stay up then I won't complain of course but it's just a shame to see us at present to be honest.

[cole]

i think being hated by the competition is a compliment

[eddiewac]

yeah i heard talk sport the other day sometime after the chelsea game, its ridiculous, they said they weren't personally impressed by Blackburns tactics, tactics being what, committed to winning the ball, alright there was 4 so called "mass brawls" but who started them?!! John Terry took out Pedersen after the whistle had gone, Makele, who hasn't even been charged, pushed Pedersen in the face after he fairly tried to get the ball. The keeper had it in one hand so surely Pedersen had every right to go for the ball! But because its Rovers, the rules change. It happens all the time - negative press, if it was Makelele trying to head the ball out of Friedels hand they would be saying, oh he only had it in one hand so its alright and if it was Pedersen who pushed him over there would be calls for him being banned.

And when we went 56 games or whatever it was without a penalty, with plenty of decent shouts being turned away, noone said anything and if it was Man Utd or Arsenal they would be saying there's some sort of conspiracy against them!

[Ozz]

No-one likes us, we don`t care. Well I don`t anyway.

All the teams Sparky used to play against didn`t like him, we have got Savage and Dickov playing for us, Lucas has broken more legs than Evil Keneivels bike, Tugay is Turkish, we don`t have any fans, its always cold, blah blah bla.

They can shove it up their arses for me. We are in the Premiership, deal with it.

Good job we didn`t sign Bellamy and Hartson though.

[1864roverite]

wonder how they'll feel if we win the FA Cup ?

[Scotty]

We simply haven't got the players to be an attractive football team and stay up. At the moment it has to be one or the other. Personally, I couldn't give a monkeys what anyone else thinks of us as long as we do stay up.

Assuming we do then Hughes's biggest task will be to improve the team over the summer. A lot of players will be leaving, at least 5 are out of contract I believe plus I'm sure more will be sold, and we have to replace them with more quality. Maybe then we'll start playing some proper football.

This season was always going to be a dogfight given the squad we started it with and the good news is that we are, in the main, fighting well now. Which is why I'm confident we'll stay up.

[Ozz]

Also, they should rename the station Talkshite.

Or Shy Talk or summat.

Because they always talk shoite.

Do you see?

[S15]

AAAAAAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh clever.

[Manchester Blue]

I agree to an extent about having to fight to stay up but the players we have were good enough to play very good football against Fulham, Villa (at home), Birmingham amongst others. Right now we seem to have decided it's fight to the death but even with players like Emerton, Thompson and Pedersen we have enough footballers to at least try to play something resembling football.

[brfcshabba]

There are plenty of other radio stations to choose from

[1864roverite]

your a confident sort of chappie Scotty, i like your style.

I am pretty confident that come 20th Feb - post match of course - that you will indulge in your second favourite past time and sink 20 pints of the good old ale

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

I think we will always have to accept that as a small town club, we are very rarely going to have good press. Even when we won the league - and were top goal scorers some of the press tried to say we were boring and one dimensional.

The vast majority of the press are Arsenal/Tottenham/United/Chelsea fans themselves - so they are hardly ever going to give a small Lancashire team who upset the "Big Boys club" good press are they.

Lets get this straight - Chelsea are set up as a defensive team - they have more 1-0 victories than any other team. Why aren't they boring - because they are a deemed a big club with high profile players. As Mourinho himself pointed out they battled - if they are so superior why didn't they try and out play us rather than battle us ? The whole thing stinks - but it will never change.

[Scotty]

I agree to an extent about having to fight to stay up but the players we have were good enough to play very good football against Fulham, Villa (at home), Birmingham amongst others.  Right now we seem to have decided it's fight to the death but even with players like Emerton, Thompson and Pedersen we have enough footballers to at least try to play something resembling football.

We haven't decided anything imo, it's just that the creative players we have are off form at the moment. Emerton's done nothing the last few games, Thompson's been a liability recently and Pedersen, after starting to look like a player, went back to his old anonymous self on Saturday.

Add to that Dickov looking unfit and the rest of our strikers being, I'll be kind, inconsistent then it's no wonder we're not the best to watch at the moment. But we are staying in games thanks to our work-rate and effort, and we'll have to keep doing that until one or two of our more creative players starts to show some form again.

A few weeks ago we were on a decent run and their wasn't many complaints about how attractive our football was then. Now we've lost the last three, undeservedly on at least two occasions, people are moaning. Win on Saturday and everyone'll be happy again.

Edited February 9, 2005 by Scotty

[mrsjansen]

I can't think of a time when the media have ever been pleasent to us, if it's not pre match reports and the build up being for the other team, the post match reports saying how poor the opposition were or the fact that its raining, they have always slagged us off.

Its like water off a ducks back, no use trying to defend us they won't let you.

[bellamy11]

It's almost as though Blackburn are becoming the new Leicester. Scrappy players who can fight and battle and are capable of scraping up a few points where perhaps they shouldn't get them. They had a few decent ball players in the same way that we have one or two talented ones who find it hard to shine in such a situation.

Scotty is right in that it doesn't matter at all what people think of us. This isn't a popularity contest - it's Premiership football.

However, look where Leicester are now. Relegated and mid-table in the Championship with no immediate return immanent. Scrapping will only work for so long. We need to inject real genuine quality in the summer.

[tashor]

  Personally, I couldn't give a monkeys what anyone else thinks of us as long as we do stay up.

the good news is that we are, in the main, fighting well now.  Which is why I'm confident we'll stay up.

Amen to that.

[brfcshabba]

Seeing as this is about talkSport.

talkSPORT have signed deals with Everton and Blackburn Rovers to broadcast their Premiership matches to listeners of the station on 1089am in the North-West region.

talkSport

[joey_big_nose]

That might make them a bit more pro rovers.......

Anyway, we are suffering from a bit of a comedown. When we had Duff, a top form Tugay, Dunn, Cole and Yorke we were one of the most attractive sides in the league- although we didnt quite get the press we deserved for that.

At the moment I would certainly say we are no worse than the likes of Charlton, Bolton etc.

I do believe Hughes will look to get the ball on the deck next season and pass it around more, indeed we can move it round at the moment okay. The fact of the matter is however that we do not posess the strikers to make that system work effectively and we need the points but we are hardly route one. We havnt got anybody who can win it in the air!

Savage can pass a bit, Gallagher is technically proficiant and Pedersen has a some invention about him. If we can get in a striker who can hold up the ball and a true creative midfielder I think things can rapidly change. Having fullbacks who can actually overlap would be good too.

Oh well, as long as we stay up!

Edited February 13, 2005 by joey_big_nose

[Flopsy]

as long as we stay clear of Aide Panicbuy we will be alright

however hes looking good for Stoke at the moment

[roversWASmylife]

However, look where Leicester are now. Relegated and mid-table in the Championship with no immediate return immanent. Scrapping will only work for so long. We need to inject real genuine quality in the summer.

Well said.

I think Hughes has done really well for Rovers so far. Especially in the January transfer window bringing in players such as Nelsen and Savage.

What we failed to bring in was a striker, we all know it and it's obvious from watching us.

The club need to splash out on a proven goalscorer in the Premier League, whoever that maybe, unless they want another season of scrapping.