[Archived] Rovers 1 Arsenil

[pksrover]

Are we the first opposition team to keep a clean sheet at the Emitates Stadium?

first british team

[FourLaneBlue]

I'm just genuinely surprised by how happy people are with the performance. It's as if we're a lower league team who have defied our vast inferiority and scraped a draw. But we're not - we're a a UEFA cup team who are suffering from severe injury problems.

I'm just genuinely surprised that you are even contradicting yourself so I need hardly do so myself. You say we are "a UEFA cup team"...yet are not pleased that we have got a replay against a superior Champions League side who haven't lost at home all season. In fact...we are the first English team to stop them scoring there!

You then mention we "are suffering from severe injury problems" yet are then unhappy with our performance in holding a team like Arsenal!

We will bring them back to Ewood where we will have far more chance to progress. We are still the underdogs but less so than before the game.

Sometimes rover6 you make some good points...but sometimes you can't seem to see the woods for the trees.

As for going for the counter attack more...that is exactly what we did in the last ten minutes and very nearly paid for it! Quite simply if Hughes had done what you proposed then we would be out of the competition!

[Lee]

First British side. Arsenal had a banjo/cows arse day against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League

[American]

We tried the counter-attacks, but Nonda kept going offsides and stopping them before they started.

[philipl]

rover 6's point about Rovers being a UEFA Cup outfit presumably means he didn't know we were playing the beaten finalists in last season's European Cup Final yesterday.

Yesterday's result was a great outcome-

Two sub £500K signings in the January window performed creditably.

Two previous sub £500K signings in a previous window were outstanding

We had seven players unavailable yet still managed to rotate the team to a reasonable extent from the (admittedly poor) performance which gave us a winning platform against Leverkusen in the UEFA Cup- not many 3-2 home wins are successfully defended in the away leg in European competition.

It shows we have genuine class and strength in depth.

[Jan]

And a genuinely great manager

[mike at picture]

Absolutely. Not enough is made of the above. Lets enjoy his tenure while we can.

[rover6]

Sometimes rover6 you make some good points...but sometimes you can't seem to see the woods for the trees.

As for going for the counter attack more...that is exactly what we did in the last ten minutes and very nearly paid for it! Quite simply if Hughes had done what you proposed then we would be out of the competition!

I'm not saying that I'm not happy that we got the draw. It's just that unlike most, I don't see it as a great performance. Defensive - great, offensive - rubbish/non-existent = not great performance overall.

I thought people (Hughes too) might have been critical about the inability of our midfielders to pass the ball to another Rovers player for much of the game.

[trueblue]

I thought people (Hughes too) might have been critical about the inability of our midfielders to pass the ball to another Rovers player for much of the game.

Hughsey isn't the type of manager who airs dirty laundry in public.. that sort of thing will be addressed behind closed doors

[Paul Mellelieu]

Dunn looks nowhere near match fitness, three quarters of the defence is new, seven players out, no Tugay, match in Germnay midweek, 6-2 earlier in the season, Nonda up front, Berner's second game out of position.

And a draw!

Still not good enough for our resident expert though.

[Derby Blue]

Just noticed that West Ham would be moved if we got through and that is a sky game.

I assume BBC will nick the replay for themselves, leaving sky to pick from the rest.

Not sure how correct I am on this but I thought that there were no prem games scheduled on FA cup weekends utill the semi's. We should be playing West Ham on the 17th but not sure when the quarter filals are. I suspect they may be weekend before as there are no prem games that weekend but may be left blank for internationals?

[modes98]

Not sure how correct I am on this but I thought that there were no prem games scheduled on FA cup weekends utill the semi's. We should be playing West Ham on the 17th but not sure when the quarter filals are. I suspect they may be weekend before as there are no prem games that weekend but may be left blank for internationals?

I got that from the arsenal site, that has got the dates written underneath other fixtures. But it now says (If Arsenal have an FA Cup Quarter-Final Replay the Everton game will be on Sat, March 17), rather than what it said yesterday which was it would be moved due to fa cup quater finals.

From bbc:

Remaining dates:

Sixth round - March 10-11 2007

Semi-finals - April 14-15 2007

Final - Saturday, May 19 2007

[Presty On Tour]

awesome defensive display from us yesterday, it wasn't pretty on the eye but effective and got the replay we deserved.

i bet hughes fancies putting on his boots too after the altercation with a certain Spaniard at the final whistle. One things for sure, hughes will have us fired up for the replay from the off, revenge is on the cards.

friedel was like a brick wall, nelsen and the defense were well marshaled, the midfield dug in and protected the back 4 and nonda done alright (especially the time wasting for his offsides).

i'm singling out the axe for his performance yesterday. I have slated him in the past but yesterday, bar his distribution with the ball, he was getting proper stuck in, broke up the play and was one of our best players imo.

in the hat on Monday, exciting times

[ABBEY]

I'm not saying that I'm not happy that we got the draw. It's just that unlike most, I don't see it as a great performance. Defensive - great, offensive - rubbish/non-existent = not great performance overall.

I thought people (Hughes too) might have been critical about the inability of our midfielders to pass the ball to another Rovers player for much of the game.

so we should of gone gung ho and took a battering?...knob

[Rovermatt]

Since when has passing the ball accurately from A to B been 'gung ho'?

[ABBEY]

well maybe not ...but probly one of the greatest reults ythis season and still mr sturrock i can manage better than anyone ...moans and flamin groans.

[BRFC4EVA]

All I could here walking away from the ground was some cockney tw@ts going on about our support. True there were only about 300/400 there but a 12:30 kick off and only finding out who we were playing three days ago after a European game. Spoke to a few people today who had not even been home.

Yeah that really annoyed me as well. Some posh ###### (looked and sounded like exactly the kind of upper middle class fans that are ruining the game) said 'blah blah and was cheered by blackburns 3 fans'. So i said back to them 'why dont you try reducing your prices and sell tickets on the day to away fans' Didnt get a response im afraid.

Terrific result, i was prepared for a battering to be honest. The whole back 4 and the Axe worked incredibly hard and deservely earned a replay. Its nice that we should have some players back for our game against lev, hopefully McCarthy, mgp and tugay which can only help!

[Hasta]

I take it as the final should be back at Wembley that the semis this year should be OT and Villa Park.

[gazsimm]

good result for the lads, dire game, but i don't give a toss

[thenodrog]

i'm singling out the axe for his performance yesterday. I have slated him in the past but yesterday, bar his distribution with the ball, he was getting proper stuck in, broke up the play and was one of our best players imo.

Last time he played well was when we went 4-5-1 early in Hughes tenure. It's not a coincidence imo.

[Hasta]

The Daily Mail has a swipe at our 'pitiful' away following today so I've emailed the reporter pointing out the problems with Saturdays game (time, late tickets etc..). If I get a reply I'll post later.

[bob fleming]

I read the report of the game in The Mail on Sunday. Patrick Collins wrote absolute bilge. Claimed Hughes did nothing but walk up and down in his technical area appealing for every single decision. Utter tripe.

[ABBEY]

wenger..."That would mean sacrificing something that is part of the tradition of the English game, so we have to adapt. Blackburn, from a tourist's point of view, is not a great place to go and it's a game we didn't need.

oi you smelly greasy faggot ..lgo and crunch some onions and garlic ...WE GOT A RESULT AND A DAMNED SIGHT BETTER THAN LEAKING SIX..STOP WHINGING YOU FROGGY WINKER

[BuckyRover]

I feel like a victim of bullying.

They should set up a counselling service for our fans, to cope with all the bull that gets written about us.

As if they can eradicate bullying in school, when its so common throughout life

[daveoftherovers]

Laugh it off, if revenge is on the cards and we do them, we can shove it right back down their throats!

We need to turn up and get behind the boys on the 28th.

Positives for me:

Friedel, bystander until the 80th minute (How many times have we said that this season (Once, this is it!)) and then awesome double save.

The Axe, awesome, done a brilliant job (Again!)

Warnock (Bar the penalty challenge) was also fantastic, to keep the players quiet that he did is a good enough compliment!

Agreed with the other posts, defence was well marshalled, but so was the midfield who kept in touch and interacted with the rear guard.

Matty, outrageous effort on goal (Good save actually)

Dunny looks better for match practice, improving all the time IMO.

Downside:

Distribution was poor when we had the chance to get out.

Nonda, FFS, STAY ON SIDE (What is it with our forwards this year???)

Come on lads, ram it down his throat!