[Archived] Lawrenson Admits He Is Biased Against Us

[LeChuck]

Another cheap dig in his weekly predictions about us.

"That said, I still think that over the last three years they have punched above their weight."

I've read similar comments SO many times on this board, 'punching above our weight' is used a lot. Why is it fine for people on here to say it, but if it an outsider uses it they're out of order?

[joey_big_nose]

I've read similar comments SO many times on this board, 'punching above our weight' is used a lot. Why is it fine for people on here to say it, but if it an outsider uses it they're out of order?

I guess because it is interpretable. It can either be s good thing ("Look at them, they are doing really well to be where they are") or a bad thing ("They do not deserve to be where they are").

For my money Lawrenson, although I never enjoy his style, is completely fair enough. We are punching well above our weight. There are at least 10 teams in the league who are better placed financially and support wise to do better than us wheras we keep upsetting the applecart. Its something to be proud about. I am not sure Lawrenson meant it negatively.

[grizfoot]

I guess because it is interpretable. It can either be s good thing ("Look at them, they are doing really well to be where they are") or a bad thing ("They do not deserve to be where they are").

For my money Lawrenson, although I never enjoy his style, is completely fair enough. We are punching well above our weight. There are at least 10 teams in the league who are better placed financially and support wise to do better than us wheras we keep upsetting the applecart. Its something to be proud about. I am not sure Lawrenson meant it negatively.

Why mention it on a prediction of a game though? I'm pretty sure he meant it in a negative way especially since he put us down for a defeat.

[AlanK]

All a bit of an inferiority complex if you ask me.

Brum, Wigan, Fulham, Reading, Bolton, Boro, Derby, Sunderland fans have no reason to be above us.

Spurs and Newcastle fans live with the hype and failure every year.

We are doing ok folks. Not punching above our weight though.

Leave that to the teams already listed.

[philipl]

The way I look at it is that there is invariably a "small unfashionable" club doing extremely well and sitting in the upper echelons of the Premier League so why shouldn't it be us. OK, another 70 clubs look at us with envy but most of those don't have the history and traditions that Blackburn has and that I think counts for a lot.

There are two reasons why I don't think that Rovers are "punching above their weight":

- Look at league tables and list of Cup semi-finalists from any decade except the '70s and '80s and Rovers today are where they always have been. That creates a mindset throughout and around the club (and don't we know about it reading the complaints on these pages about a season that has never seen the Rovers outside the top half of the Premier League) that we belong where we are now which is critical in terms of self-belief. This is sport and a sense of being comfortable with where you are is essential in getting consistently good sporting performance.

- The current set-up from the owners through the senior management to the football management to the facilities is 100% top Premier League. In fact, I would rate Rovers as 2nd only to Arsenal if there were a league table of best run and best set-up clubs with our noses just in front of Villa in 3rd.

[den]

Another cheap dig in his weekly predictions about us.

"That said, I still think that over the last three years they have punched above their weight."

We should take that as a compliment. His beloved PNE can't manage to punch above their weight. It takes talent from a lot of people to make that happen.

[1864roverite]

There is not a Rovers supporter anywhere in the world that would worry about anything this plank has to say about our beloved team.

He has shown himself repeatedly to be an absolute TW*T, both on the radio and the tv with his apparently comedy anecdotes and singular slating of certain clubs and players.

The man is a complete ar$e bandit, a miserable one at that who deserves absolutely no more comments on this thread.

[brian_gallagher85]

Who text into Nihal this morning on Radio 1 and made him look a ######?

Brilliant stuff, listening to him trying to talk his way out of it when accused of being biased against Rovers

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

Directory enquiries service makes sick jibes about Lawro....

118 118 - the well-known UK directory enquiries service provider which assists customers with telephone numbers, has apparently sent offensive texts to people about Mark Lawrenson, suggesting that the Match Of The Day pundit is homosexual.

One man reportedly received a text reply from 118 118: "Mark Lawrenson is married and regularly takes it up the a____"

There's no evidence that the happily married Lawrenson does indeed participate in anal sex, as 118 118 have suggested.

The reported slur about Lawrenson isn't the first time that 118 118 have courted controversy. A few years ago the company was heavily criticised for giving out substandard information. One operator gave out the number of a local Pizza Hut, regardless of the number requested. Although Ofcom criticised the company, they didn't issue a fine to 118 118.

The old 192 directory enquiries number for the UK was switched off in 2003 following the introduction of new competition rules. It's not known yet whether Lawrenson will complain to 118 118 about the offensive text.

Link: Lawro hit by 118 118 text slur

[sparky12]

join this facebook group............. join this group if you believe that mark lawrenson hates rovers

[colin]

There's no evidence that the happily married Lawrenson does indeed participate in anal sex, as 118 118 have suggested.

Suppose you'd have to ask his missus to clear this one up, but I don't think for a minute that she will respond.

[Amo]

Why all the Lawro hate? It was only a month or two ago he was saying what a well run club we were, and he had a lot of praise for us under Hughes.

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

Link: Tony Mowbray hits out at "sofa critics" Lawrenson and Hansen

To be fair to Lawrenson and Hansen, I think in the case of West Brom, the BBC pundits have actually been right to say that the Baggies defence simply isn't good enough and that Tony Mowbray's team have made far too many mistakes at the back since they were promoted from the Championship.

So far this season, West Brom have conceded 47 goals before today, which is too many if you want to stay in the top flight. West Brom have the worst defensive record in the Premiership and also up until today the worst goal difference. ( -23 before today's matches). Whilst on the one hand Tony Mowbray has a commendable desire to play a fluent passing game on the floor of the pitch, it is vital for a manager to get the balance right between attack and defence.

An attractive passing game of football is fine and certainly more aesthetically pleasing to watch than an ugly route one approach, but if a team constantly makes schoolboy errors at the back then they will pay for it eventually.

If, as I strongly suspect, West Brom end up being relegated then it will be because their defensive organisation hasn't been good enough and they have conceded far too many goals. In too many matches this season West Brom have left themselves wide open at the back and have been punished as a result of it.

Pretty football is fine in the Premiership as long as you have solid foundations to win the ball back and a solid spine to the team in defence. West Brom don't have this.

Messrs Hansen and Lawrenson are only doing their jobs in pointing this out. Perhaps Mr Mowbray should be less sensitive about what is said on the BBC and concentrate on sorting out his defence on the training ground.

[allanncd]

The Preston Hairdresser gets more ridiculous by the week. On Football Focus last week he said he fancied Rovers to go down. In today's Mirror he says BS will keep them up and the other clubs should be worried. What a turd.

[thenodrog]

The Preston Hairdresser gets more ridiculous by the week. On Football Focus last week he said he fancied Rovers to go down. In today's Mirror he says BS will keep them up and the other clubs should be worried. What a turd.

He's hardly alone allanncd........... I think a quick scan through this mboard will reveal many such 'turds'.

[gumboots]

If we'd lost to Fulham there would have been more people thinking we'd go down. We still have some hard games to play, tougher than some but not all the other relegation candidates. The win against Fulham will have changed a lot of people's minds. We can come back from a goal down to win. Previously away we'd not done that. It was a significant change in our fortunes.

[thenodrog]

I see the ManU PR machine must have been in overdrive last night on MoTD! No aftermatch analysis of the sending off, the penalty, Lpools goals, RFW's face, countless thousands of empty seats way before the end etc etc.

Weird and sinister. How often do we get the opportunity to take the p1ss out of those gits?

btw Does anybody know the last time MU had somebody sent off at OT and the opposition scored a pen in the same match?

[grizfoot]

The pundits on MOTD seem to tip every team to stay up every week. They said Middlesbrough, Stoke and Portmsouth will all definately stay up this week and last week they said Sunderland and Newcastle should do.

[broadsword]

he really does look a bit ropey these days, needs to be put out to grass.

[gumboots]

The pundits on MOTD seem to tip every team to stay up every week. They said Middlesbrough, Stoke and Portmsouth will all definately stay up this week and last week they said Sunderland and Newcastle should do.

I think tha's because apart from being fairly sure WBA will go down, nobody seems to be able to tell from one week to the next which team might pull off an unexpected victory and then get themselves out of the zone putting someone else in instead. In another couple of games the picture might be much clearer

[den]

Why all the Lawro hate? It was only a month or two ago he was saying what a well run club we were, and he had a lot of praise for us under Hughes.

This might explain why many rovers fans don't like Lawrenson. He's a North Ender and has said in the past on national TV, how Rovers aren't as well supported as PNE.

Doubt he'll air those views about North End's attendances on MOTD or anywhere else. Pity he didn't fall down the cellar when he owned the Dunkirk pub in Leyland.

[chocky]

Manchester City have been playing really well since Christmas but you wonder whether the day-in, day-out speculation surrounding Micah Richards and Joey Barton will wear them down.

<!--sizeo:5--><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><b>It goes against the grain to go for a Blackburn win</b><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec--> but every time they get beaten by Arsenal they bounce back well with a good result.

what a turkey <img src="http://www.brfcs.co.uk/mb/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

Not just a knob ender but a knob...He is so up Gary Lineker it makes me sick...

[Billy Castell]

Is it true that to get the top pundit/presenter's wage at the BBC, you have to either support or have played for Liverpool? Hansen, Lawrenson, Colm Murray, Alan Green...............Linekar is only there as a token midlander.

[Blueandwhitemike]

There's the spurs/arse contingent too, anyone who played under George Graham in particular

Dixon Keown Winterburn Groves even Kenny Sansom

[Billy Castell]

True, there is an increasing amount of George Graham's former players involved. Perhaps the people who offer the contracts think it's 1990 and want rival camps a la X Factor, that T4 show with the yuppie kids on two islands etc.