[Archived] The Final Curtain - Rovers V Man City

[roversmum]

I was really, really impressed with Shefki Kuqi today

So was I, especially when he took his shirt off to change it when the doc was sorting his head injury out. That is some chest...............................

I digress . Thought he did do well today, fed up with all the clever (!)s who keep moaning about the guy; he's got us come crucial goals this season.

Bert looked more confident too, and what an assist!

Flo was very generous today, even gave someone his shorts - I was worried for a moment that he might emulate the stripper! Miss Roversmum got Flo's shirt but some very impolite (rude very descriptive word deleted) snatched if from her and ran off .

Thought City were awful, very physical but falling over at a breath of air, how did the ref not suss it? Glad Moko's not badly injured.

Right, have paid for next season's season tickets, have a good break lads, see you in a couple of months!

Oh, and by the way, noted that Spurs are now Uefa bound, not Champs League ( ). What players of ours was it that they were going for

Edited May 7, 2006 by roversmum

[sausagemandog]

Does anyone know how badly injured the Axe is?

[Bing]

Good work whoever put together the video package with the Al Pacino speech from Any Given Sunday. Very apt.

Particularly like the lines:

Now I can't make you do it. You gotta look at the guy next to you - look into his eyes.

Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you.

You are going to see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team because he knows when it comes down to it, you are gonna do the same thing for him.

[Kiwiwannabe]

Does anyone know how badly injured the Axe is?

405724[/snapback]

Just a bad cut to his leg.

Well done to the club for everything they did to make today so enjoyable. And well done to the lads on the pitch for a great season!

[joey_big_nose]

Just out of interest, where did Gally play when he came on, up front or out wide?

Nice to hear Bert had a good game. But you have to say that when so many first team players were rested or injured (I counted five) and he still did not get a start that things are looking pretty bleak for him.

THings are looking so bright for next year! If we can get in a gudjohnsen or a Petrov (or maybe both!) plus a few squad players while hanging on to that crucial backbone of the team (Freidel, Nelsen, Reid/Savage, Bellamy) then we are gping to be serious contenders for fourth next season!

[Timmy]

throught it was a pretty good game being that it was an end of season match with nothing riding on the result. there seemed to be a lot of determination from the players (even 'tho the beach is probably only days away!)

overall rovers outclassed city, who in less they improve next season look relegation candidates

[Blue blood]

Upon hearing the teams, with our weakened side against what can't be far off City's first XI I was a tad worried that we were going to loose it. I was wrong. City were shocking, whilst rovers were ... decent.

Let's be honest it wasn't a great performance. But I'm not worried - there were a fair few players out and when we were down to 10 men we defended excellently. I'd be much more worried if i were a city fan - they played their best team, at times against 9 men - but the most offensive thing in a city shirt was their fans' attack on the police at the end.

Raitings:

Brad: 8 Little to do, but an excellent save in 1st half. I've noticed he's excellent at wasting time too.

Mokoena - taken off too early to rate.

Gray: 8 One of his better games. Didn't notice him or cringe once at any inept defending - a very solid performance.

Zurab: 9 excellent defensively and took his goal very well - Man of the Match.

Neill: 8 Great apart from he's too indisciplined to be a centre back - he dribbles the ball too far and doesn't always know when to get rid. This caused him his booking as he kept posession too long, got caught in possession and made ammends by fouling their player.

Tugay: 7 Stupid sending off. No complaints about that, very late and the studs were blatently up. The ball was on the half way line to boot so it was pretty pointless. Otherwise ran the show fairly efficiently when rovers had the ball.

Savage: 8 Never stops running - enthusiasm personified you'd have thought it was a cup final from the effort he put in.

Peter: 8 By no means the finished article but showed a lot of promise. Some nice touches, a few decent crosses and a good work rate.

Bentley: 7 Disappointing, he's not the answer to the right wing. Decent but plays very narrow. Quite a few misplaced passes.

Dickov: 6 Ineffective but tireless.

Kuqi: 9 He may struggle against top teams but this was his type of game. Worried the defence throughout, took his goal well, and worked tirelessly.

subs

Emerton: 7 His beautiful cross for the 2nd goal showed why rovers have persisted with him and was a glimpse of what might have been. Prior to that he saw what was, and it was pretty shocking- falling over, poor marking, poor passes and control. Improved and defended solidly after the assist though.

Pongolle 8: Worked very hard though clearly not a midfielder, and even caused a bit of trouble to the city defence. Bit worried when he whipped off his shorts though.

Gally: 7 Didn't get much of a run out but some promising passes from him.

Overall we never really got hold of the game. In the first half city had most of the possession as rovers struggled to assert themselves on the game. However somehow we found ourselves 1-0 up due to James howler (Sven shouldn't touch him with a bargepole).

2nd half was more of the same, rovers not really getting to grips with the game, and City dithering away their possession and dominance in an unthreatening manner. As it was city dithered rovers scored an excellent breakaway goal and it was 2-0. The most frustrating thing was a vintage rovers performance could've seen us take them to the cleaners, rather than the comfortable stroll it was (but hey it was the last game of the season with 6th place and europe guarenteed so fairly understandable).

The sending off seemed to serve rovers better as it cut out the complacency that had been prevailent in the team up until then. The defending seemed much more solid, the tackles were going in harder, possession was kept better and rovers stepped it up a gear. If city looked to emulate rovers and likewise step it up a gear they failed miserably. Even with 9 men (due to a bloodied Kuqi) city didn't look like scoring and rovers comfortably cruised to a win.

The positives - without playing anywhere near our best our much depleated team comfortably saw off premiership opposition. Oh, and we're in europe and the team got the send off they deserved.

The negatives - it was against City, who redefined shocking, so we can't get carried away. A city supporting mate of mines reckon relegation is on the cards next season. Still that's Psycho's problem not mine.

All in all a good end of season game, in what has been a remarkably excellent season - especially at fortress ewood. Oh, and did I mention we're in europe?

[Timmy]

rovers have now gained more pts in the primership (63pts) since it became a 20 team league beating 60pts obtained in 2002/2003

[den]

Excellent report Blueblood.

City WERE shocking and that was pretty much their strongest side. I went on a City supporters coach and I can't quite work out whether they realise how much trouble they're in. A big close season for City, they need to arrest the slide. Only two teams have picked up less points this year - West Brom and Sunderland. By all accounts, they have no money to spend.

As for rovers, they won at ease with a side devoid of Nelsen, Todd, Pedersen, Bellamy, Reid and Pongo.

Having said all that, the thing that I liked most, was that after quite a few seasons, at the final whistle, at the final game, the crowd were buzzing. It's a long time since that happened and is a great reflection of the positive messages sent out from Ewood. From JW, MH and everyone at the club. Well done everybody!

[sambo]

Was that a brfcs.com banner I saw after the game????

[ackroyd75]

Anyone else notice that Kuqi did not celebrate his goa today. I was waiting for the swallow dive but he did not even smile!

[American]

Any reviews on Reyna's performance in advance of the World Cup?

[modes98]

Any reviews on Reyna's performance in advance of the World Cup?

405769[/snapback]

Didn't even know he was on the pitch Barton was more influential than him but he didn't do alot either.

Fantastic performance from rovers reserves, even with 10 men we played aswell as citeh!

Brad's save from musampa probably won us the game. Kuqi finish was expert, the way he flicked it onto his standing foot was stunning. Shame about hs celebration or lack there of. Also tugs red, didn't think it was at the time but having seen it again no complaints there.

A Brilliant season only to be beaten by the next 12 months hopefully! We're jsut a small town in europe!!!!

Bing: that Al Pacino speech was amazing matched with the video, summed it up to a tee. I have just downloaded it!

Edited May 8, 2006 by modes98

[waggy]

i thought the funniest thing about yesterday was when the citeh players threw there shirt into the crowd,one lucky lad who caught barton's threw it back at him

[Rainmaker]

Bing: that Al Pacino speech was amazing matched with the video, summed it up to a tee. I have just downloaded it! 

405776[/snapback]

From Rovers World?

Any other way of getting it?

[thenodrog]

Good work whoever put together the video package with the Al Pacino speech from Any Given Sunday. Very apt.

Particularly like the lines:

Now I can't make you do it. You gotta look at the guy next to you - look into his eyes.

Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you.

You are going to see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team because he knows when it comes down to it, you are gonna do the same thing for him.

405727[/snapback]

Dear BRFC .....Please don't do crappy stuff like that again.

It didn't work at all in the Riverside. In fact it sounded pathetic. We couldn't hear it properly at all. Someone suggested it was Jack Walker at first, I said it sounded more like Jack Campbell and then we all agreed it was actually Jack Duckworth.

Good vid though.

[1864roverite]

Anyone else notice that Kuqi did not celebrate his goa today. I was waiting for the swallow dive but he did not even smile!

405759[/snapback]

probably cause he knows he is leaving along with dickov, gresko, amoruso, gray and co

[Fife Rover]

Just out of interest, where did Gally play when he came on, up front or out wide?

Nice to hear Bert had a good game. But you have to say that when so many first team players were rested or injured (I counted five) and he still did not get a start that things are looking pretty bleak for him.

THings are looking so bright for next year! If we can get in a gudjohnsen or a Petrov (or maybe both!) plus a few squad players while hanging on to that crucial backbone of the team (Freidel, Nelsen, Reid/Savage, Bellamy) then we are gping to be serious contenders for fourth next season!

405732[/snapback]

If we get those players in it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that we could be seriously contending for first next season!

[Fife Rover]

Any reviews on Reyna's performance in advance of the World Cup?

405769[/snapback]

In a word "anonymous". Sorry but that is how I saw it.

[stuwilky]

Dear BRFC .....Please don't do crappy stuff like that again. 

It didn't work at all in the Riverside.  In fact it sounded pathetic.  We couldn't hear it properly at all.  Someone suggested it was Jack Walker at first, I said it sounded more like Jack Campbell and then we all agreed it was actually Jack Duckworth. 

Good vid though.

405798[/snapback]

It would have been awesome with a sound system that actually worked.....

[rover6]

probably cause he knows he is leaving along with dickov, gresko, amoruso, gray and co

405825[/snapback]

Having doubted his talents at first (and still doubt his capacity to be a regular now) it will be sad if Kuqi does leave. His attitude is first class and he has nearly always contributed when called upon.

[SAS]

was a very easy win, and we looked sturdy even with 10men

[Robertson]

Was a strange match yesterday, failed to take off for a while and was sort of drifting along until calamity james dropped a clanger

The streaker along the riverside was true comedy, was it anyone on here???

A few of the man city fans got arrested, one of them being the biggest charver I have ever seen!

Tugays sending off, well, could have been a yellow on another day but city were so poor they never looked like taking advantage of their extra man.

I am very happy, proud of the team, has been a tremendous season and I had us, newcastle, villa, arsenal and man utd all to win on an accumulator so am in the money as well

Saw myself on match of the day as well, looking soaked through, bit of a mistake just wearing the one shirt

Going to miss the games, cannot wait for next season!

[Wolverine]

I tip my hat to all of you who joined in and made it an atmosphere to remember - especially the stewards who risked a clap here and there!

When Ewood is bouncing it is a fortress...

[Jim J]

From Rovers World?

Any other way of getting it?

405793[/snapback]

Has anyone else managed to get hold of that video?