[Archived] Rovers 2 - 1 Sheffield United

[Roar of the Rover]

Which would suggest the lower tier of the Darwen End was barely half full. From where I was sat it looked significantly more full than that.

Who cares? people who did'nt turn up missed a stunner of a free kick. Left the keeper standing, i just love it when we win by scoring in the last minute

[ewoodblue]

I really hope Derbyshire is ok, it's is big chance to get in the u-21 squad, it will be awful for him to miss out on his big chance.The game is live on Sky Sports on Tuesday evening at 8pm, but one things for sure Bentley will be there, and he got a well deserved man of the match today.

Pedersen was just as excellent as ever..."Mort Gamst Pedersen , tra la la la " (i liked that lil dity)

What was all that about from the tannoy , telling Blackburn Enders to sit down, no one seemed to be doing anthing wrong, except being enthusiastic.

Always nice to see Stead back, and it was on the cards he would score, but no hard feelings , we won.

Dunn, i thought he did ok on his first game back, but Roberts looked a bit sluggish(give him time though).

[rover6]

Prediction:

Samba will play a blinder, Mokoena will have a shocker.

Lawro could take a few tips off me.

Does anyone claiming possession of sanity still believe that Mokoena is suitable cover for our central midfield? God only knows what Hughes is thinking. The biggest conundrum since Gamst's exile from first team affairs that could easily have driven him out of the club.

World class defensive midfielder? A player with the technical ability of Nils Eric Johnasson cannot be placed in any worldly class unless we're speaking donkeys. I used to get a bit upset about the aged Garry Flitcroft's being out of his depth when being overrun in midfield. What was I thinking?

Really happy about Samba getting good reviews. When I heard that he had pace and was a good passer, I was pretty convinced we were onto a winner.

And Derbs - welcome to the capricious empress of football chance and target of Souey lust, Lady Luck. Bad luck, son.

[Blueandwhitemike]

Not a great game

Watched in the pub, bit distracting

Thought Samba did ok

Bentley did pretty well, a class player

What about Gamsty though eh? I would have dropped him earlier in the season, he was really quite poor but lately he has been great, well done Mr Hughes

Another fantastic free kick, now I am starting to worry about the summer though, how long caan we keep keep hold of our paceless wingers?

Dunny with a magic run, was it really a free kick though?

Just delighted with the 3 points but I am a little worried about how we are going to cope without both Sav AND Reidy, Moko doesn't really cut it

It is going to be tough without them

How was Dunny's reception? No sound in the pub here in Kaohsiung

And did Stead get a good one?

He took his goal very well indeed I thought, pleased for him after we won

[bazza]

It's nearly all been said already. Sheff Utd team and fans must be gutted. Commiserations; you deserved a point.

But it's happened to us before (Charlton away) so I'm happy to snatch the 3 points.

My MOM was Samba. I thought he was outstanding. A mile tall. half a mile wide, fast and strong; didn't seem to put a foot wrong. If he can keep this up, he'll be fantastic. Nelsen and Warnock looked off the pace at times.

I was particularly pleased at Dunny's performance. OK, he needs to get up to speed for match fitness but he hasn't lost his old skills.

Sheff Utd played their game the way they play it superbly and we tried hard but couldn't match them at their own game.

Don't forget we had half a team out there of "strangers" who did better than expected. I mean those who haven't played together before:- Roberts, Nelsen, Samba. Dunn, Warnock.

Good three points!!! :-)

[Mike Graham]

i wouldnt say 3,500, more around 2,500

3,720 sheff Utd fans. Which makes our own turn out a joke

[Blue blood]

Don't forget we had half a team out there of "strangers" who did better than expected. I mean those who haven't played together before:- Roberts, Nelsen, Samba. Dunn, Warnock.

That's an excellent point and may explain the defensive lapses early on. Add in also that Emerton wasn't playing in defence when Nelsen was last playing too. Since defenses thrive on continuity, with all our injuries and coming and goings at the back it's a pleasant surpirse we've not conceeded more.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just a question or two, have we actually fielded the same back four two games running this season ? How many different back fours have we fielded this season? I've been watching for 40 odd seasons and I can't remember a season like it for chopping and changing in defence.

[grizfoot]

Just a question or two, have we actually fielded the same back four two games running this season ? How many different back fours have we fielded this season? I've been watching for 40 odd seasons and I can't remember a season like it for chopping and changing in defence.

I've been thinking the same thing. We must have had at least 20 different combos this season.

Anyway back to the game. A draw I feel would have been a fair result, but football is not always fair. Thought Bentley was magnicient today and deserved MotM. Also Samba looked quick, powerful and looks to have everything you need to be a great centre-back , hopefully he can maintain the sort of for he showed. But it was Morten who won the match with a superb free-kick. (long may is goal-scoring form continue)

Also brilliant to see Dunny back in a Rovers shirt.

And also is Warnock trying to be the new Lucas

[LeChuck]

Weren't we settled for a while with Emerton right back, Neill left back and Ooijer in the centre with someone?

Regarding Warnock, he will inevitably pick up a lot of bookings due to the way he approaches the game, he'll go into most tackles as if his life depends on it...it may be something Hughes can get him to tone down as it's not always needed. However, I'd rather him going too far that way than being too soft.

[Plastic Head]

Nelsen seememd very reluctant to jump for the ball today. He seemed to me to just want to manoever his man under the ball and head the ball away standing.

This caused him to lose the header that lead to the Stead goal.

I hope this wasn't down to his injury and if it was it will be temporary.

Samba did a top job in there considering his inexperiance. Looks a good prospect.

Warnock's first yellow was a disgrace.....we should appeal....

[RevidgeBlue]

3,720 sheff Utd fans. Which makes our own turn out a joke

Why? No different from attendances for similar fixtures this season?

I'm expecting a very very difficult game. They're doing a lot better than most people expected and always battle as if their lives depended on it.

Stead is nailed onto score but hopefully the return of the other prodigal son will give us the buzz and the impetus to just about nick it.

2-1.

Thank you, thank you, once again I thank you.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Why? No different from attendances for similar fixtures this season?

After our recent run of form thats the disappointing part.

[AussieinUk]

As someone mentioned earlier, regarding the magical 6th spot position..

I am slightly worried that, although we may (and I personally think we will) go onto a good run for the last 12 games, our goal difference is going to go against us.. The congestion on the table is very tight at the moment and to be honest I cannot see it changing too much prior to the end of the season, team consistency for everyone in the league is unbelievable this season, the bookies must be making a killing?

I still can't help but think that, that Arsenal game might come back to bite us in the bum!

Somehow, we have to stop leaking silly goals..

[RevidgeBlue]

After our recent run of form thats the disappointing part.

What, 1-2 v Watford and 0-3 v Chelsea?

(if we'd have stuffed Watford I might have agreed with you)

[Jan]

JUst watched Premiership plus. Warnock said "Bentley was head and shoulders the best player on the pitch" and "He (Gamst) hadn't done much and had a pretty poor game today (Except for the goals)"

He knows a thing or two that man- pretty much exactly what I thought.

[Guest fernhurstblue]

just watch motd, not something i noticed at the match but good to see stead's reaction to his goal ..... very muted! lawro almost praised rovers, well db and gamst.

[Rovermatt]

Brilliant result. It's always nice to stick it to Neil Warnock. What a winner from MGP!

[spanishblue]

I have also just watched MOTD. Lawro must be on a high with us. He tipped us to win 2-1 and praised Bentley and Gamst tonight on the programme. What's he after Spoke to my mother after the match and she says it was a dire game. Lots of hoofing from Sheff Utd but we didn't play much better. At the end of the day a win is a win. Up to 9th, ok with a @#/? goal difference but we are getting there. I still think we can finish in the top 6, ok we have some horrendous injuries but once the back 4 get settled we should be in with a good chance.

[Bobby G]

I was very impressed with Steads reaction. Far bigger players have left Ewood and come back and haunted us with disrespectful behavior, but the youngster showed he had some class and some true emotions regarding the situation.

Onto the game and I thought like most others that we were very poor and that Sheff Utd looked the more likely scorers each time they attacked.

I thought Samba was good, but not great, and he won every single header I think. I think he will have trouble against pacy strikers. Nelsen looks way off the fitness and form of last season and isnt throwing his body around like last season but is playing more calculated and thats natural.

Up front we were crap and Benni was no where near the match. Roberts looked decent when he came on and how disappointed I am for Matty.

Good to see DD on finally wearing the blue and whites of Rovers and his run led to the 2nd goal in essence. I can see him playing with Tugay in central midfield for the rest of the season. Speaking of the great man, thought he was poor today. Not helped by Mokoena who never did anything to help Tugay who was forced to defend way too many more times in this match than he should have had to, covering for his inept partner.

Bentley was brilliant and MGP continues to impress with his knack for scoring important goals.

The win makes up for losing at Watford in a way and now we have an important 10 days coming up!

[Al]

Goal difference is only worth half a point. Its wins that count.

[RoversFanUSA]

Havent seen the game yet but am happy about the result. sucks that derbyshire got hurt. glad to see that MGP playin up to par and that every one played good together. its funny ill get off work read here to see what happened and then watch it and BAM!! its like watchin the game here fisrt.

[Scotty]

The first home game in what seemed like ages saw a radically different Rovers team than the one that played last time. Both Warnock and Samba made their home debuts, Nelsen played his first game at Ewood this season, and both Dunn and Roberts were named on the bench. Mokoena also came in for Gallagher.

We started off sloppily. Sheffield United were clearly up for it straight away and they were sharper and more competitive than us early on. They created a couple of great chances, hit the post, and should have been a goal up at least before we scored. But score we did.

Emerton made a great run from his full-back position up to the edge of the United area. Bentley took a couple of defenders with him as he made an overlap, leaving Emerton with all the time and space in the world to place an inch-perfect back post cross onto Pedersen's head. I can give Pedersen's header no higher praise than to say it was Sheareresque. 1-0 up against the run of play.

Sheffield responded well though and equalised shortly after. It was a horrible goal to concede - not for the first, or last, time in the match our defence lost the initial challenge and Stead ran onto the flick-on, controlled the ball well, and smashed it into the net. His reaction (or lack of) to the goal showed real class.

The game became scrappy after that. United were very physical, the ref let them get away with it most of the time, and we didn't really stand up to it. For example, they regularly hacked Bentley down whenever he got the ball. We did, however, look dangerous out wide where both Pedersen and Bentley (in conjunction with our full-backs) caused problems and were influential throughout the first half, but we didn't create too much in terms of real chances. Neither did United, but they did retain possession better than us and they were the team pressing as the half ended.

So, 1-1 at half-time and we could probably consider ourselves a bit fortunate to not be behind. I should also mention that Derbyshire went off injured early on to be replaced by Roberts.

The second half was pretty abject in terms of quality and entertainment. United had reorganised at half-time and were out much quicker to close down our full-backs and wingers than they were in the first half. This had a detremental effect on their own attacking ambitions though and the game settled into a pretty turgid midfield battle. The only real chance we created was when Bentley controlled a high ball majestically, cut inside his full-back, and hit an angled shot across goal that Paddy Kenny did well to save. United always looked dangerous on the counter-attack, especially at set-pieces, but the game had draw written all over it until the last minute.

Before then though Warnock got himself sent off after making a daft challange on the Riverside touchline. He should have stopped the winger much earlier and paid for his mistake.

Dunn, who'd replaced Mokoena with about 25 minutes to go and received a fantastic reception, had looked a bit off the pace for the most part. However, deep into injury time, he was the first player throughout the whole second half to drive at the United defence and commit their defenders. He was pulled back and won a free-kick centrally about 25 yards out. Kenny could only stand and watch as Pedersen stroked the ball into the top corner of the net. A true gem that lit up a very ordinary half of football.

There was just time to see Samba commit one of the best tackles I've seen in years before the ref blowed for full-time and Ewood went spare.

Friedel didn't have too much to do and didn't have any chance with the goal.

Our defence was poor in the first half but improved as the game wore on - which I guess is understandable given the lack of time they've had together. Nelsen looks a shadow of the player he was last season at the moment. He was hesitant, he lost a lot of headers, and his clearances were often mis-kicked into touch. Samba started off shakily but improved dramatically as the game wore on. He was fantastic in the second half. Warnock looked good going forward but got caught out occasionally at the back, in the first half especially. His sending off was deserved (although you could argue about his first booking). Emerton linked up well with Bentley in the first half, created Pedersen's first goal with a great cross, but was closed down quicker in the second and wasn't as effective.

We were poor in central midfield today and got out-battled for the most part. Tugay had a bit of a shocker and probably should have been replaced long before the end. As usual Mokoena wasn't as bad as some on here would have you believe, but he did give the ball away occasionally and, in the first half especially, didn't give the back four the protection he should. Dunn came on for him in the second half and looked like he hadn't played football for a few months. However, his driving run won us the free-kick that Pedersen stuck away so that'll do for now.

Out wide we were brilliant in the first half. Bentley was superb, often drifting into central positions and acting as a playmaker as well as playing a number of top crosses into the box from out wide. He was our man of the match by a mile and is probably our player of the season so far. He was less effective in the second half as United re-adjusted but still showed the odd flash of insperation here and there. Pedersen's in a rich vein of form at the moment. He's probably played better than he ever has for us in the last few games and, as well as scoring two cracking goals, his all round game was excellent. Long may it continue.

Derbyshire's injury is a blow - let's hope it's not too serious. However, I can't help thinking that this was never going to be his type of game anyway. Roberts is much more suited to the physical battle that United put up and he led the line well considering he'd been out for so long. His touch was lacking on occasions, that will improve over time, but his strength and work-rate showed us what we'd been missing over the last few months. McCarthy on the other hand didn't really show anything. He was very poor and looked almost disinterested at times.

You can argue that we were lucky to win today given the chances United missed in the first half and the overall balance of play. However, if you look at the players we had on the pitch at the end, you can see that there are match winners all over the park. McCarthy, Roberts, Tugay, Bentley, Dunn, Pedersen, even Emerton are all capable of producing that bit of magic that can win a game at this level. Pedersen did it today with a wonderful free-kick. Sheffield United just don't have those sort of players and, however much they may battle and fight, it is always a possibility that they may lose out to quality in the end.

For us though it was an important win that takes us back into the top half of the table. Lets hope all our internationals retun home safely this week and we can go into the match at Everton with as strong a team as possible. European qualification through the league is still a possibility.

[des]

what I would like to know is what has happened to the pitch, it did seem to be a bit of a mess, which does not suit our passing game

[Florida Rover]

Found the goals on you tube but the quality of the picture for MGP's winner is poor due to the fog I guess

HERE