[Archived] Blackburn 1- 3 Newcastle

[Eddie]

It will certainly be interesting to see, 5 live spent quite few minutes watching replays to come to that conclusion as well, so I'm sure that it will be correct (the punch was to his stomach I believe).

[thenodrog]

We don't see Mr Gallagher at ewoo much and i'm glad. I have met the man and he is a very nice chatty guy but please stay the hell away from our players.

I'd have him every time before that whistle happy prat we had against Fulham.

btw Darbyshire looked weak.

[RovertheHill]

A few points about today. Firstly, if we'd have played from the start with 11 men the way we did in the second half we'd have hammered that lot by 4 or 5. Secondly, to the morons booing Neill - what possible positive outcome do you envisage from that? That he'll stay? That it will contribute to team spirit? That it will make Rovers better? You are so-called fans of the team, and for now at least, he is part of the team. Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face. And finally, to the absolute pr*ck walking down the stairs of the family stand (with plenty of kids around) shouting "I'm sorry, I'm not racist but McCarthy is a lazy black b*st*rd" - you are a disgrace and an embarrassment to Blackburn.

[bazza]

How did Derbs do?

First time I've seen him and I was very impressed. I would like to see more of Derbs, Peter, Gally, Jeffers and Mceverly; Also Bring Taylor back from Crewe.

Today Matt Derbyshire played the second half in the right midfield position and had speed, skill and zest.

The only criticism was he didn't seem to be hungry for the ball from throw-ins.

That might sound double dutch, but I want to see more of him.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

btw Darbyshire looked weak.

Agreed,very lightweight like Gally.

BUT we have no other alternative.....worrying to say the least!

[stuwilky]

Modes, Im not writing off because of his age.

Its because of his ability level.

Im worried now.

SG - Can I have the anti depressant you're on?

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

No you ruddy well cant, I'm going to need my full allowance!

[USABlue]

About 16,000 home fans blue,agree that its going to get worse looking at those next few fixtures...I just dont know where our goals are going to come from.

Again a big plea to the Rovers board to back Hughes with hard coin come January.

Not easy though, if I were a business man and did not follow Rovers I'm afraid my question might be, If the town does not wish to support Premiership football why should I.

Is next year the year the BIG tv money kicks in, just our luck to drop and miss it. Surely some wise money spent now will reap it's own reward. Still feel we'll be OK but knowing Rovers they like to shove my words right down my throat.

[stuwilky]

No you ruddy well cant, I'm going to need my full allowance!

I want to laugh.

But I dont think I can.

[Daremz]

We should buy Adriano. Or maybe exchange him with Jeffers? That would be a decent deal.

Second half gives me some well needed FAITH. GO Rovers, go....

[Finch]

The barcodes view of 'dirty' Rovers!

They got 3 very needed points so why on earth are they complaining? (big club my @rse. What have they won lately?)

[Jordan]

Agreed,very lightweight like Gally.

BUT we have no other alternative.....worrying to say the least!

IMO he is twice as good as Gally was when he has played.

Dissapointing result today but I was very impressed with the second half performance. At half time I was wondering how many we were going to lose by at full time I felt we were unlucky not to get the draw. Pederson goal was a beauty but he still had a very poor game and Neill #!@* Off!

Still confident that we can finish in the top ten.

Edited December 9, 2006 by Jordan

[AggyBlue]

Agreed,very lightweight like Gally.

He applied himself far better than Gally ever did. He showed plenty commitment and ought to have earned himself a start against Nancy.

[USABlue]

With regards the lack of effort, I think my point earlier is a valid one. MGP has been garbage, he plays, Lucas Neill wants away, not only plays but is handed the captains armbad (Hughes' single biggest mistake) Nonda is crap but he plays. Thats three players, either crap or indifferent, now would that motivate you playing alongside them, I know it would not me.

[Finch]

No you ruddy well cant, I'm going to need my full allowance!

Maybe Rovers could do a new sponsership deal ... Can you imagine the players shirts having "Prosac" on the front?!

[Bobby G]

I thought Derbyshire worked hard and especially impressed me in the air as he won quite a few headers against taller players. With that said I doubt he will really become a Premiership player.

[ABBEY]

to little to late...WORSE THAN THE KIDD AND SAXTON DAYS TODAY 1ST HALF WAS EMBARASSING...2ND HALF WAS BETTER BUT OUR SO CALLED CAPT AND NONDA AND ANY NUMBER ELSE WERE A DISGRASE IN THE BLUE AND WHITE TODAY

[LeChuck]

Exactly Drog. That's what is so infuriating. We see Tugay sent off last season for a second yellow, for hand ball on the half way line. That would never have happened at OT, Anfield, Arsenal or Chelsea to a home player. There's many more like that that have gone against us. It all depends who you are.

Oh come off it. We put in a terrible performance (on the back of several poor performances) and all you can do is criticise the officials/laws of the game.

We're in the position we are now because some players are not playing well enough. These are the same officials and rules of the game that we used when we finished sixth last season. Interesting that you didn't dig up that 'transfer window' topic last season when we were doing well, isn't it?

Stop whining about everything else. If you have to play the blame game then at least aim it in the right direction - the players and the management. If they were doing the jobs they are capable of doing then you wouldn't be moaning about the rest.

[modes98]

Modes, Im not writing off because of his age.

Its because of his ability level.

Fair Enough, I'm just saying that you should give him time and a chance. Don't expect him to come into the first team and be as good as a player who we bring in from europe, although they tend to take time to settle in as well.

At the moment i would rather see him given a chance than have nonda in the team and that is not because he is a youth player or i think he is good. I just think we need a change and nonda has shown that he has no real desire or belief in the abilities he has. The shock of him being dropped for derbs may well give him the kick up the backside he needs.

Glad to see MGP actually doing something and it'll be interesting to see if he can build on it in future performances.

[FourLaneBlue]

Bit of a concern that for the second game running Hughes has had to make two substitutions at half-time. Reminds me of Souness slightly who never seemed to know his best team and made changes at half-time many times. Not that I'm comparing them too much but instead of solely blaming the players I must say that some of the team selections this season have baffled. MGP is poor yet keeps playing and looking tired. Why not try Peter just for a couple of games and at least let MGP have a breather? The Nonda and Benni partnership has looked about as potent as a neutered gerbil for some time so who start today...Nonda and Benni. There are times to play 4-5-1 but we seem to be just going for 4-4-2. We all know Mokoena can't play as a central midfielder in a 4-4-2 yet when Savage was injured Hughes played him there...and we lost the Prem games while our central midfielders were overrun.

Hughes has proved to be a very good manager for the club so far and we are lucky to have him but some of his decisions recently have been baffling. Now I'm not trying to suggest I know better than Sparky as I don't but hopefully he will make changes in the future if things aren't working. Neither playing MGP all the time or Nonda/Benni up front seem to be working. Hughes needs to come up with a Plan B as we can't just wait until the transfer window - it is still quite a few games away yet. Another worry - Todd back in today. We aren't a club that can easily afford to ostracise players from the squad yet wasn't this his first league appearance since the first week of the season? Isn't that cutting off our nose to spite our face somewhat?

Do others think these are these valid concerns or not? It's easy to form knee-jerk reactions after a defeat but I think some of these issues have been slowly boiling away for a while.

Ah well...Europe next up! For the first time in our history European games are actually a nice break from the league!

Edited December 9, 2006 by FourLaneBlue

[Jammy]

My thoughts are, crucial decisions went against us, and not for the first time this season, some say they balance out, but if they don’t, then welcome the championship!!!!!

NIELL OUT (I would not call until today)! As soon as possible, felt he was one of Newcastle’s best players always seemed to find a Black and White shirt and didn’t once get forward like we are used to!

PEDERSON OUT yeah scored a good goal, but missing good chances and consistently poor, no commitment.

TODD IN the team suddenly had a captain that fought for everything, made a big difference.

DERBYSHIRE IN played out of position but fought for everything.

The double substation made a big difference, Newcastle were poor and even with 10 we should have got something.

I for a couple of season have wondered why I have been a season ticket holder for 15+ years, the decisions that have gone against Rovers this season are making me wonder why I bother. The only thing I can guarantee is that if Rovers were to be relegated, I will be a season ticket holder for another season. But otherwise the FA have lost another supporter!

[Paul]

To answer a few of the points being raised, and a few random thoughts.

How did Derbs do?

If he's good enough I don't understand why Gallagher doesn't get a game. Derbyshire did little to suggest he's going to make the grade.

The Newcastle fans calling us dirty Blackburn obviously did not travel today. We were not dirty, we weren't even aggressive.

Somebody did punch Neil but the referee was facing the other way in the other half of the pitch

The late penalty appeal would have been very harsh on the Newcastle defender, Babayaro?

My biggest worry is we do not have a single Premiership striker at the club. The only one who still has the chance to prove himself is Roberts. In his first game Nonda showed the aggression to suggest he could make it, since then we have seen nothing from him. McCarthy is a good footballer but he is clearly not a Premiership quality striker, he is slow, has poor positional sense in that he is frequently offside and rarely in the box. McCarthy's interview pre-match on RR was very revealing, I don;t think he likes the PL. Jeffers is OK but lacks aggression in the final third. Gally isn't going to get a chance and Derbyshire is no better.

Those whinging about the officials, especially the lady on RR, need to a get a grip. We handed Newcastle three points today, yes the first goal was questionable for offside and the sending off was harsh but it happens. In the first half Rovers were absolute rubbish, and it looked like we were in for a real pasting. Under most circumstances the players would deserve praise for the second-half performance but I won't give them any, nothing could make up for the poverty of the first half.

At half time fans were arguing loudly with each other, always a very bad sign, For me one fan summed it up "You go to work for £6.70 an hour, that's why it hurts so bad" He's right.

Strikers excluded we have the squad to get us out of trouble, if there is money for January it should all go on the front line. The current front men will not score the goals to get us out of trouble.

[yellowsubmarine]

As had been said by those who have seen him.

He's not good enough.

Are you serious? He only had 45mins to prove himself, the team was 1 man down when he came on. U think he's Rooney?!

Give this lad some time.

[Paul]

Oh just remembered the other points. MGP was better but still has a long way to go to get back to last season. Todd came on to play well. During the week I was discussing AT with another fan. We concluded if he was being kept out of the side for a serious breach of discipline he should be sacked otherwise he should be playing. Good to see him back and I hope he keeps his placve

[Jammy]

I thought Derbyshire was excellent, he's a striker asked to play wide right/supporting striker at 2-0 down, always thought from seeing him in the youth/reserves he looked lightweight, but today looked the part and deserves a run in the side!!!!!!