[Archived] Pre-season

[roversmum]

5-0

[tsnuf]

5-0, Brad chipped again :@

Why did I stay up to watch this game :|

All three of our corners have landed in the keepers hands.

Edited July 28, 2006 by tsnuf

[rover6]

Roberts' white bicycle shorts (or whatever they are) come below his normal shorts. Most remarkable thing about Rovers - barring the general crapness.

Edited July 28, 2006 by rover6

[pleasure]

i've lost the feed, along with my will to live.

only a friendly, but what a complete shambles. thank christ benni's already put pen to paper.

[mattjansen]

4-0/

McEveley caught trying to mark two guys.

My god he is bad! Only two to mark and he doesnt pull it off

[pleasure]

FT.

the ref took pity on rovers and blew up on 89:45.

[rover6]

McEveley was generally crap defensively. Has a great willingness in the opposition half but lazily strolls around in his own. I thought Hughes should get rid before this match and this has only strengthened that view. It's time to allow Andy Taylor a chance as Gray's understudy.

Although, to be fair, most of the players were dismal.

The performance was so bad that in a 5-0 thrashing, imo Zurab, playing in the heart of defence, was Rovers best player.

Edited July 28, 2006 by rover6

[philipl]

That was really bad.

Enormous misjudgement either to play that opposition or to put joke teams out.

Jeffers is a million miles from being good enough at this level and the squad players were left looking extremely ordinary.

McEvely doesn't look like he knows what he is doing and Matteo was woeful. There was no pride shown in the secind half which mist have really hurt Sparky.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Lets hope this is not a bad omen for our European campaign!!!!

[SharrockDownSouth]

Looking forward to seeing how Lee puts a positive spin on this one on the official site!

[Bobby G]

Better in pre-season than in a months time and we all know Sparky is smart enough to rectify mistakes that he saw tonight.

Heck, it might even mean more money needing to be spent.

Either way, I dont mind a drubbing in pre-season if it means we learn something from it.

[pleasure]

That was really bad.

Enormous misjudgement either to play that opposition or to put joke teams out.

Jeffers is a million miles from being good enough at this level and the squad players were left looking extremely ordinary.

McEvely doesn't look like he knows what he is doing and Matteo was woeful. There was no pride shown in the secind half which mist have really hurt Sparky.

i agree with most of that, philip. bit harsh on jeffers, our midfield looked devoid of any ideas

(saying that it was douglas and reid playing CMID in the 2nd half) and i think MH will be looking to strengthen in the creativity department.

**although, i listened to JW on radio lancs and he stated hughes was happy with his squad now surely a smokescreen**

[RoverJoexx]

Poor performance from us but credit to the greeks. They are good technically(I think they're champions in the league last season) and stop us from playing in the midfield. We only get going when Tugay came on(too late).

I hope Hughes realise that we do need a quality center midfielder as this match shows that none apart from Tugay can hold the midfield together when facing good opponents.

Think Hughes and the players got alot to learn from tonight's game. Like most said, it's better to make mistakes in pre-season then in a crunching UEFA cup match!

Edited July 28, 2006 by RoverJoexx

[blue/white]

one wonders if Sparky even wanted to go thru this exercise.....

or is that a Souness thing?

[rover6]

I hope Hughes realise that we do need a quality center midfielder as this match shows that none apart from Tugay can hold the midfield together when facing good opponents.

So true.

When the opposition are closing you down quickly and keeping the ball well when they get it, it is essential that your central midfields have the skill and composure to get on the ball, be patient, make probing passes and give the team a foothold in the game.

Tugay does that brilliantly but none of our other central midfielders are capable of it. A Tugay replacement is a must. Bentley does have that close-control that makes him a potential for that position - but whether he has the mental strength and all-round game, is another matter.

[Florida Rover]

In Lee's report on the official site,it made a notation that said Bentley came on for Savage at 46 minutes and then was replaced by Tugay at 66 minutes.For those of you who watched,is that right?Was "he's only young" Bentley that bad after 20 minutes or did Tugay just need to get minutes,too?

[rover6]

I hope no-one minds me doing a little match report - match viewed via a dodgy internet stream, with Greek commentary ringing in my ears, all from the safety of my lovely armchair. (Excuses for factual errors in early, you note).

Olympiakos v Rovers:

On a hot, sticky afternoon in sunny Germany - okay I'll leave the scene setting spectaculars to Scotty in his match reports.

Rovers started the first half against the Greek Champions with a number of luminaries from the glitzy world of international football in the first eleven. Aaron Mokoena (South African international) aka the Axe, was planted in central midfield. Shefki Kuqi and Francis Jeffers (of Finland and England fame) were the spearhead upfront and Dominic Matteo 'The White Elephant' was trumpeting orders from the back.

Robbie Savage won the toss - but that was the full extent of his victories in a match to forget for Savage and the rest of the Rovers players. (Actually, I don't know if he won the toss but it's a good line). Olympiakos had Brazilian ex-superstar Oswaldo Dehors Cheatindo Rivaldo in the line-up and it wasn't long before he was on the receiving end of a Mokoena slide tackle. It was only a momentary set-back for the silky skilled midfielder because before long he was orchestrating Olympiakos' best moves as Rovers struggled to threaten the Greek side.

On the rare occasions that Blackburn got hold of the ball, it was given back with the efficiency of an assiduous ballboy. Michael Gray and Dom Matteo performing that role splendidly, in particular. Didier Agathe was looking tidy in possession as he sought to impersonate Lucas Neill, but his skin colour did not help – nor the fact he refused to perform a two-footed challenge on a the Greek left-winger. A forage forward from the former Celtic man looked promising but his link up play with Steven Reid let him down.

From a counter-attack, Olympiakos scored from long-range. Aaron Mokoena and Robbie Savage managed to get back on the pitch with their ice-creams before the re-start.

The goal gave Olympiakos confidence and Zeus started orchestrating play from up above. (Sorry, I don’t know any of their players’ names apart from Rivaldo and Djordevic). They kept the ball in a style not seen since England last played in a international tournament.

Then Olympiakos scored again and Friedel ran out to berate someone. Then it was half-time and then my stream ,courtesy of Greek satellite TV ERT, displayed a smug-looking long-haired fella talking in Greek. Georgis Donis?

The second half started and it took me a mere 20 minutes to work out that Douglas, McEveley and Bentley had come on. Everyone’s favourite Irishman, Douglas, burst forward and hit a way-ward shot. Soon, Olympiakos scored from a spectacular bicycle kick. Friedel came out to berate someone – probably Jay McEveley who had allowed the winger to cross the ball in.

Suddenly, Pedersen – I mean GAMST appeared on the pitch. Never mind ‘he hides’ – ‘he appeared’. Rovers seemed to have lost the plot and Olympiakos scored the fourth with consummate ease. A cross came in from the left (Agathe was held up at the ice-cream van disputing the change he was owed) and Jay McEveley was out-numbered in the box so he did the best thing in the circumstances – run away from the man about to receive the ball. He volleyed it and someone headed it in.

Tugay and Gallagher appeared on my fuzzy screen and they appeared to add some life to the comatic performance. Only for a Rovers attack to be quelled and for Olympiakos to go down the other end and someone to chip Friedel from 20 yards.

Why Friedel was off his line is a debatable. I think he was about to go and berate someone.

Roberts came on and fell over, earning some free kicks and hugs from Greek defenders. I think they were grateful for being forced into action after playing the first half against Francis Jeffers.

The game ended early, as the referee was fed up with annoying regularity of subs coming on. The intro for Junior Eurovision began on ERT satellite and although I was tempted, I decided against putting myself through further torture.

Edited July 28, 2006 by rover6

[greggyk]

Bet you wouldn't have done a report if Rovers had won

Edited July 28, 2006 by greggyk

[jim mk2]

It's the beginning of the end.

HUGHES OUT.

[philipl]

The shorts Rovers were wearing were borrowed from the local club as the Ref decided the two kits clashed too much.

I rather think that we've seen the last of Matteo and McEveley even though it was a friendly. I guess the hunt for a left back and central defender have been stepped up.

[Florida Rover]

The prudent thing to do would be to sell them both wouldn't you agree and get what you can for them from a fizzy pop side? Take the funds however meager and throw it in the pot.By the way Philip,was Bentley so shocking he needed to come off after only 20 minutes ?

[philipl]

To be honest, the picture was increasingly pixilating in the second half so it was hard to tell although the commentators certainly mentioned his name quite a lot. I guess it might have been more a decision to give him a 20minute run more than anything else.

McEvely had the twin problem of fair hair and being close to the camera which rather highlighted his shortcomings. One thing I noticed was his close control looks poor- he always seemed to be playing the ball with his legs outstretched and I kept waiting for a nippy forward to nick the ball off him. His positioning for goals 3 and 4 was not the best.

Hughes is not taking it lightly:

Hughes described the result as "alarming", adding that Olympiakos had given his side "a good hiding"... according to the Independent.

Edited July 29, 2006 by philipl

[rover6]

The prudent thing to do would be to sell them both wouldn't you agree and get what you can for them from a fizzy pop side? Take the funds however meager and throw it in the pot.By the way Philip,was Bentley so shocking he needed to come off after only 20 minutes ?

Even the best salesman in the world couldn't 'sell' Matteo. If he goes (leaving his nice big contract) it'll be on a free. We might get a little bit for McEveley.

[G Somerset Rover]

When is the Admiral back? We'd never get stuffed 5-0 against Brazil with him at the back, let alone Olimpiakos. I know we chopped and changed players but Hughes is right, 5-0 and completely outplayed is still an alarming result for a group of premiership players.

Surely we can try now to get rid of the players who blatantly wont help our cause this season ie Matteo, Mceveley and try to bring in players who can at least do a job.

Edited July 29, 2006 by Somerset Rover!

[Claytons Left Boot]

Nice report rover6

Matteo was poor against Accy so there wasn't much chance of the dolloper doing anything last night. I'd put an advert in the LET bargain basement ('owt under £100) and see if there are any takers.