Anti-rovers Setiment

[mrsjansen]

Just out of interest, does anyone expect Man U to alter their usual approach to playing Arsenal?

They always kick the living daylights out of them because they cannot cope with the skill of Wenger's sides either.

Yeah, but that wobn't mean Utd aren't thugs, it will just be Utd classy usual style of play.

I think the negative press ruined it for me yesterday, otherwise an all round good day, heard an interview with Hughes afterwards that said that Wenger should concentrate on his own team and style of play rather that talk about ours.

Well said Sparky.#

The truth is the press have hated us ever since we dared to challenge Man U for the title, wanted us to win it when they didn't think they would and as soon as we did, they didn't like us again.

Rovers should do what they have always done. Prove everyone wrong and finish as high up the table as we can. Sign Bellamy in the summer and come back next year, challenge for everything we can, and finish as high up the table as possible. Hopefully break a few legs on the way..........

I will be writing to the guy who wrote that article in The people and the same letter will be forwarded to every expert of football, hey Rodney Marsh eventually got sacked. We will bring them down.

[Wild Irish Rover]

btw EVERYBODY should get onto http://www.teamtalk.com/teamtalk/News/Stor..._414091,00.html as there is a vote there about Rovers tactics yesterday.

Even as it stands, the fact is that the largest vote so far says that Rovers were simply being competitive. END OF STORY!

[mjs]

Just seen the TV pictures of some of the challenges we did and it does not look good in fact they are indefensible and Andy Todd is a disgrace ........... you cant excuse that sort of behaviour.

Van Persie has took the Micheal out of Todd on two consecutive occassions now scoring three goals in the process and Todd has been shown up each time. The club have got to take action to cut that sort of behaviour out. Todd knew exactly what he was doing.

The criticism coming our way has only been brought on by ourselves so we have to correct it.

I think there are enough people knocking us without our own supporters having a go.

So what we have been 'competitive' in a few games this season, if we hadn't we would be in a far worse position than we are now. I say well done Mark Hughes for putting the steel and determination into the team that was so sadly lacking under the previous management.

No one likes us and we don't care. Get over it!

[American]

We were being competitive, Arsenal (especially Reyes) were diving, but we are a little rough at times.

As for Todd, as a hockey fan, I loved it. If you watch the video, it does look as if it were an accident, and his reaction more seemed like he felt he was being attacked, by the way he pushed out when he was touched.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Now we have the opportunity of the final the whole country relishes, Arsenal versus Manchester United on May 21.

So there it is in black and white,unashamedly,in all its putrid arrogance for all to see.

This is the fulcrum of English football in the 21st century, summed up in a short sentence with its two fingered salute clear to all other league clubs..a sorry state of affairs indeed.

The ultimate truth is that the media would be more than happy to see Man utd,Arsenal,Liverpool and Chelski play in their own little mini league and the rest of us can go to hell,fold, never to be seen again.

I HATE THE DIRECTION FOOTBALL IS HEADING

Roll on the Palace game when we can welcome home our lads.

Edited April 17, 2005 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Rover IN Bury]

I don’t think any rover’s supporter should back away from statements suggesting we are a 'Dirty' team. I would much rather play like that and survive in the Prem than be played of the park by Undoubtedly quality teams like Arsenal and Chelsea.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Hughes will have us playing decent football by the middle of next season, until then I feel its time we hear chants of 'no one like's us but we don't care' reigning down from the Blackburn End.

[promoted2001]

The ultimate truth is that the media would be more than happy to see Man utd,Arsenal,Liverpool and Chelski play in their own little mini league and the rest of us can go to hell,fold, never to be seen again.

I HATE THE DIRECTION FOOTBALL IS HEADING

Give it 10 years, there'll be a european super league.

[Wild Irish Rover]

And Rovers will be the first team other than MancU to win it!

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

I am sick and tired of the pro-top 3 press in this country. I sat watching the match with a neutral. His main comment was how Arsenal players were unsporting always seeking to dive and unduly influence the referee.

Yes - Arsenal deserved their victory - but this c**p that the press is coming out with really annoys me. I have yet to read an article that mentions some very dubious Arsenal tackling - one on Reid being particularly nasty - or the penalty we should have had. Though Arsenal had the better chances there were a number of key moments that swung their way - that left me feeling that on a day when we really needed a bit of lady luck it wasn't really with us.

Also - when Arsenal play poorly - how come it is always the opposition that are to blame. Can the press not accept that one of their favoured teams can actually play poorly.

Edited April 17, 2005 by DavidMailsTightPerm

[The Master]

We don't fit the mauld of the Premiership, the pundits only want big city clubs in it because they've played for teams like Arsenel, ManU, Chelsea, Southampton etc etc... Big clubs, so they don't like small clubs like Blackburn and Bolton. There always looking for somthing to have a go at, last season and ealier this season, they were having a go at us for leaky defence, but we can score. Now they're saying were boring to watch because people can't score against, hence where boring.

This all relates back to the Souness leaving issue. I remember Rodney Marsh slagging us off because Souness left us.

[Rovermatt]

My call on 606 just now didn't seem to get much of a reaction. They are stout these journalists.

[G Somerset Rover]

Must admit I'm getting very tired and annoyed of all this crap that were getting from journo's etc. We did all we could yesterday, we dont have a Pires, Reyes, Henry, Ljunberg or even Fabregas! Therefore attempting to stop them from playing is all we could do. Maybe in the summer Hughsey can bring in some creativity but until then against the bigger clubs we must fight hard. People like Worthington havn't helped our tag-and look where that got him-fool! Wenger and Fergie can moan as much as they want, they will do to each other next time they play when Keane, Heinze, Smith, Scholes, Vieira, Cole, Lauren etc start playing hard...just as we did yesterday. Let us have your chequebook Arsene and then we'll combine flair with gritt.

[cletus]

I don`t give a flying f### what anybody thinks!

I went to Cardiff,

I`m proud of my team,

& i`m proud of the fans who travelled there & outsung all those glory-hunters in the other end who sat on their hands for 80mins.

BLACKBURN ROVERS, I`LL SUPPORT YOU EVERMORE

[philipl]

Two semi-final results, two three goal margins.

Just read the adjectives the BBC applied to this afternoon's game- thrashed, crushed, breezed, non-existant.

Then went back to the adjectives applied to yesterday's game report- combative, effective, competed, harried, finally sealed.

We are angry with the psychophantic fools in the media.

I'd rather by angry with the media and feel proud of the team for what it has achieved than feel angry with the team, the management, betrayed by individual players and utterly humiliated as a football club (again).

Once again, its much much better to be a Rover than a Geordie.

Off to look at pictures of us winning silverware recently secure in the knowledge that Rovers will be lifting a trophy again before Newcastle do.

[thenodrog]

Just seen the TV pictures of some of the challenges we did and it does not look good in fact they are indefensible and Andy Todd is a disgrace ........... you cant excuse that sort of behaviour.

Van Persie has took the Micheal out of Todd on two consecutive occassions now scoring three goals in the process and Todd has been shown up each time. The club have got to take action to cut that sort of behaviour out. Todd knew exactly what he was doing.

The criticism coming our way has only been brought on by ourselves so we have to correct it.

Balllox

[tonygreenbank]

I have just finished watching the whole match on video from sky. I watched it knowing all the anti-Rovers bias from the press and from other supporters and even my own views on the game as an eyewitness and from people on this messageboard. I wanted to watch as unbiased as I could on a Sunday afternoon.

Having seen it again I have to change my opinion on the performance. It was much better than I had thought!! The first 20 minutes we played really well with no hint of malice or thuggery. Tyler and Gray were full of praise with the way Rovers set their stall out. Flitty was booked on 20 minutes for a bad foul but it wasnt as bad as I had thought at the time. Viera was up and about. Thompson had a bad tackle on Viera and was rightly booked although he could have been sent off in the second half. Dickov was clearly onside when he hit the post and could have steadied himself for a goal.

After 51 minutes Hughesy changed to a 4-4-2 when Emerton came on and I have to say it was a better game than the one this afternoon. It was open play and we gave as good as we got. Arsenal put 45 passes together but later on we had 70% of the play as we responded to that which Andy Gray picked up on. Only a brilliant goal from Van Persie settled it.

The Todd incident is very inconclusive and he will not be suspended. The fans were even better than I thought and the team do not deserve all the rubbish that "experts" are giving them. Roll on Wednesday when this fan will be cheering a little louder than normal.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Like Rovers fans yesterday, the Geordies were MAGNIFICENT in support of their team today!!

[Tris]

Cardiff 2005 was a very different experience from Cardiff 2002.

Back then we emerged the media darlings as the fickle Fleet Street scribblers heaped praise on little Rovers at the expense of Tottenham. Then - as now - they were only doing what they always do - writing what 99% of their audience want - and expect - to read.

And at the moment, it's not surprising we are getting the negative press treatment. We arrived at the semi final because we got past Cardiff, Colchester, Burnley and Leicester - and needed two replays to manage that.

Two of those 6 games made it onto live TV, and both caused the watching public to switch off in their droves. As a Rovers fan I've been proud that my team made it to a semi final, and proud that we've taken 5 points off the top 4 teams in the PL only conceding once, and was proud of our fans (the ones who bothered turning up) yesterday in the Millennium Stadium.

But you'd need to be hopelessly one-eyed to pretend that it's fun for anyone outside of Blackburn. Where a couple of years ago we were great to watch for the neutral, we are now diabolical.

Hughes will get his chance to address this in the summer. For now I and many others will tell the critics - be they in the press or in the workplace on Monday morning - to get stuffed, because the Hughes 4-1-4-1 has brought Premiership safety (much like the Souness 4 central midfield scrappers did last season).

And as long as we remain so poor to watch, the journos are going to latch on to all our negative points and turn them into fodder for the chattering classes. Hence the treatment in every single Sunday. Outraged from Dunstable needs to pick up his Observer and read that we're a bunch of dirty northern cloggers, and this morning, he read exactly what he wanted to read.

[1864roverite]

Rovers supporters, get over it.

Should the press get bored by Tuesday they may just switch their sights to Bolton if they win in midweek.

I mean, Bolton in the Champions League, how dare they

[Paul Mellelieu]

I'm amazed at the press today and foolishly a little upset by it. What really jars is the double standards. Remember Bergkamp's elbows two seasons running on Nisa? And the inciddent at Old Trafford following the penalty miss a couple years back? Now that was something to be ashamed of. I'm sure I'm not alone in totally bemused by the level of press hyperbole, considering we were playing the most of cynical premiership teams. And calling it antii-football! Well bring it on if in means we get to rattle the efette (sp?) cages for another season.

[vindaloobob]

when i was sat on the tube today someone opposite me had a copy of the sun, and lo and behold there on the back page they had managed to capture the instant that todd impacted on van persie. i don't know why i should expect anything more from the sun but i am sure they could have made something more of the game - it might not have been the prettiest game ever, but to take what was obviously an accidental colision, dress it up as a shocking foul, and then use that as their slant on the game is disgraceful. todd should be contacting his lawyers forthwith!

[greggyk]

I'm amazed at the press today and foolishly a little upset by it. What really jars is the double standards. Remember Bergkamp's elbows two seasons running on Nisa? And the inciddent at Old Trafford following the penalty miss a couple years back? Now that was something to be ashamed of. I'm sure I'm not alone in totally bemused by the level of press hyperbole, considering we were playing the most of cynical premiership teams. And calling it antii-football! Well bring it on if in means we get to rattle the efette (sp?) cages for another season.

exactly how i feel.

I really dont give a crap about what the media say. I actually find it very funny that people get so offended by it. I love the tag of bully boys and it just makes me love Blackburn Rovers so much more.

Im sure we'll beat Palace on Wednesday and we'll once again be praised by people in the media.

We aint the first team to be called boring and dirty in the history of football. I mean, i wasnt born but didnt Leeds win the title one year by being nasty?

[Claytons Left Boot]

Just seen the TV pictures of some of the challenges we did and it does not look good in fact they are indefensible and Andy Todd is a disgrace ........... you cant excuse that sort of behaviour.

Van Persie has took the Micheal out of Todd on two consecutive occassions now scoring three goals in the process and Todd has been shown up each time. The club have got to take action to cut that sort of behaviour out. Todd knew exactly what he was doing.

The criticism coming our way has only been brought on by ourselves so we have to correct it.

Andy Todd is not a disgrace. He is one of the reasons we have turned our season round.

He said it was an accident and that is good enough for me. He also offered an apology but it was not accepted by Wenger & Co, the "mediadarlingsletsrollaroundonthefloorfacesetchedinpainiwantmymuumy" southern softies.

He wears the shirt andhe wears it well - get behind him.

[1864roverite]

I agree GK

I wonder what the headlines will be like when at least 3 palace players leave the pitch carrying injuries ?

No doubt the headlines will use Rovers as an excuse

Cant wait until Wednesday night

[broadsword]

they had managed to capture the instant that todd impacted on van persie.

Oh for chrissakes, drop the anglo-american @#/? man!