[Archived] Rovers 1 Villa 2

[CAPT KAYOS]

think the annoying aspect of it all is every player should have been playing for their place next week....or that's how it used to be anyway.

Said before the game it felt like the last game of the season, but that was no excuse and bar agreeing with Scotty nobody really came out of the game with any credit ..including Sparky. It was a disgrace

So where does that leaves us .... either a tubbing at OT or a possible relegation fighter as we surely aint playing in Europe next season. Yet again an excercise to get fans on with the pricing and the players fail to turn up .. fair enough us as fans didn't really help but to see what was happening on the pitch was understandable.

I left about 10 mins from the end yesteday, not so much so angry but more disappointed. I had high hopes about next week, now I am absolutely bricking it.

TYPICAL ROVERS - and as what has already been said, not much for people to want to renew or buy a season ticket for next season.

Happened far too many times this season that sort of performance - Hughes had said we need 6 wins out of seven before the match ( presumably taking a loss at Spurs or Newcastle) but now it looks like we might need about 3 wins to stay up, and the way we are playing at the moment does not look likely at all.

[Eddie]

Well we're one game away from our season being over and it is entirely our own doing. If we lose next week then I will see this season as a failure, barring any sort of miracle in the final few games of the premiership.

[ABBEY]

Save your money chaps and give Old Trafford a miss next week.

Chelsea will win at a canter and our lot will stroll through the rest of the season as a prelude to a relegation battle next year.

Hughes has lost the plot. Get Coleman.

oh yea sack him ...coleman?? mmmmm yes take it you didnt see them against the toffeees ...in the words of mr t ..YOU CRAZY FOOL

[USABlue]

Wow, I've read some of the posts on here was it THAT bad? Big gulp thinking about next weekend now.

[ABBEY]

NO USA IT WAS WORSE

I FORSEE A TUBBING IF WE DONT GET PASSION BACK

[Paul]

Wow, I've read some of the posts on here was it THAT bad? Big gulp thinking about next weekend now.

Picture it USA. Saturday morning, beautiful warm sunshine, semi-tickets have arrived, kids are home for Easter, 3 extra tickets for Villa, friends decide to come as well, more extra tickets. Chatting about the semi, worrying about travel etc (I've injuries that stop me driving at the moment), arrangements, arrangements etc.

Set off to EP thinking of a good game, three points in the sun. Left Ewood despondent, disappointed, not angry, not upset but accepting the players don't give a sh!t and realising all my bravado about having a chance against Chelsea is just that, bravado. Barring a miracle the season is over. On yesterday's performance there is no reason to believe we have a prayer on Sunday........which is not the send off we were all looking for.

Bitterly disappointed............again

[G Somerset Rover]

And to think that opposing players/managers and the media constantly describe Rovers as "a very hard team to beat"....shocking.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

I am not sticking up for the players - as they short changed the fans yesterday.

However - they are only human - imagine you are one game away from an FA Cup Final - the first at the new Wembley stadium. You have to make a 50-50 challenge - which could see you injured and out of the game - what would you do. Even if not at the fore-front of their minds - I am sure it was at the back of many players minds - and probably has been since we beat City.

Unfortunately - mainly due to long term injuries - we don't have the personel to put genuine pressure on first team regulars. Barring the odd position - the team against Chelsea (injuries permitting) will virtually pick itself.

For me Hughes reaction also showed that the match next Sunday is the key one. I am sure everyone on this board will forgive Rovers display yesterday if we beat the odds and beat Chelsea. Europe via the league was already a long shot - even prior to yesterdays match - and next Sunday always gave us the better (though by no means easy) path into Europe.

This season has seen some high class performances - littered with desperate performances like yesterday. How much of that is down to the long term injuries is difficult to say - but no one can argue that a fully fit Reid or Savage would probably have made all the difference yesterday.

Lets forget the match - and look forward to the biggest match in Rovers history for over 10 years. Indeed, given our current lack of funds, you could say that next Sunday is bigger than that sunny day in 95.

[bubblerrovers]

I hate too say it but i bet all the money in the world next weekend all we will do is kick lumps out of chelsea and completely undo all the hard work we have done to say we play football, another great pr exercise

[Exiled in Toronto]

I have only seen about half of the games this season, but I cannot recall when I was last thrilled by a Rovers performance. A couple of results, yes, but watching us play is dispiriting, even when we win.

When was the last time an opposing keeper had to play well? What happened to the oohs and ahhs of peppering a goal with shots? We have forwards (including Derbs) who in no way pressure defenders, a midfield that hasn't a tackle between them, and play so deep that we are always on the back foot. Most of our possession is the ball being played back and forth along the back line and then to Tugay stood 5 yards away who passes it back for yet another hopeful punt to a bunch of lightweights miles away upfront. Our famed fitness has gone, we leak like a sieve in the last 20 mins. If Savage, Reid and Ooh-yaa are the answer then I don't understand the question.

Our mantle as the pumped up, get stuck in fighters has been usurped by Warnock's lot, and our other claim to fame as the ones to give the big boys really tough games has been taken by Reading (who I have enjoyed watching every time I have seen them play). Add to that USA's comments on the Dunny thread about crap refs turning almost every game with hopelessly wrong decisions, and I despair.

I don't accept that players were saving themselves for next week, we have played like that many times this season for half a game; this time we just did it for both halves.

Even if we win on sunday, I see this season as a complete regression. Most of the season spent looking over our shoulders, half of league games lost (only two less than Watford!), barely more than a goal a game, and no excitement.

This post-season will be critical. Central midfield needs completely reworking in my view, plus up front there will be Nonda, Jeffers and maybe Roberts to replace. Add to that we might lose one of MGP or Bentley. No more papering over the cracks from now on, we need a make-over.

[Ozz]

I though Benni worked hard yesterday by his standards, but as usual the service was missing. He came deep to find the ball, and got stuck in more than of late. As has been the case for months now, there is only one way of us playing and that is down the wings. And when Bentley goes missing, like he did for around 75% of the match yesterday, and MGP follows suit then thats us finished as an attacking team. Having said that, I thought Tugay was getting into his stride when Hughes subbed him-poor decision I thought.

We have no connection between the middle of the midfield and the front two.

[Ozz]

Bigger sized versions of the photos in the gallery.

[FourLaneBlue]

Happened far too many times this season that sort of performance - Hughes had said we need 6 wins out of seven before the match ( presumably taking a loss at Spurs or Newcastle) but now it looks like we might need about 3 wins to stay up, and the way we are playing at the moment does not look likely at all.

Of course we don't need 3 wins to stay up. One more win and we won't be going down. Even if we don't get another point we will probably stay up.

Some people are, as usual, over-reacting on here. We are not in a relegation dogfight.

[Hasta]

Well we're one game away from our season being over and it is entirely our own doing. If we lose next week then I will see this season as a failure, barring any sort of miracle in the final few games of the premiership.

Which once again reminds me of the dillusions amongst certain Rovers fans as to the actual level we should be reaching. Should we lose next Sunday and our season fades out than the last 2 months of the season could be seen as failure. But even so, that could mean we finish 10th, reach an FA cup semi-final and enjoy our first proper European cup run. If you think that campaign as a whole would constitute failure, then I think you are misguided in your expectations.

[Hasta]

Even if we win on sunday, I see this season as a complete regression.

EIT see post above. West Hams' season is a complete regression. Not ours.

[Roar of the Rover]

Of course we don't need 3 wins to stay up. One more win and we won't be going down. Even if we don't get another point we will probably stay up.

Some people are, as usual, over-reacting on here. We are not in a relegation dogfight.

Well said FLB.

You have to think about people below us aswell, like Man City, they cant even score! There fans should be worrying about relegation not us.

[Martin]

Whilst I think talk of a relegation fight is possibly a tad knee-jerkish in nature it worries me greatly that we are even talking about it.

In the last three games we have taken the lead in all of them - yet come away with nothing. That is worrying. As much as a defence of Emerton, Samba, Nelsen and Warnock looks good on paper I'm not sure they defend as a unit. I remember last year with Neill, Nelsen, Todd and Gray - whilst individually they may not be as good as the current back four at least they could defend and defend as a unit.

Having said all that if we lose to Watford, actually I'll change that, if we fail to win against Watford we deserve to be in a relegation dogfight.

[thenodrog]

Some babyhouse, mard-arsed big girls blouses on here nowadays. Grow up.

[SouthAussieRover]

Some babyhouse, mard-arsed big girls blouses on here nowadays. Grow up.

Amen.

Perhaps they are all miserable old gits tapping away at their keyboards.

You never know we might beat Chelsea in the semis.

Stranger things have happened

[frosty]

For me our centre midfield didn't help yesterday. Tugay and the Axe did nothing wrong, but both of them want to just sit in front of the defence and play their trade there. It's no wonder we hardly had any possession in tne Villa half and ended up passing it around in our own half.

[Fife Rover]

Well up to now this miserable old git has not said anything whatsoever about finding ourselves in a relegation battle. For the simple reason that until yesterday this has never looked like a possibility, and it still need not be. But someone in an earlier post has shown that depending on the results of the Easter Monday games we COULD be in a much more serious position than any of us had realised.

Which just got me thinking back to the last time we actually won a FA Cup sem-final. March 26 1960. We came away from Maine Rd with big smiles on our faces having got to the final for the first time since 1928. We still had 9 1st Div games left to the end of the season. Out of these 9 we won 2, drew 2, and lost 5 finishing 17th in the div, whilst our old chums from Turf Moor were celebrating the Championship.

So all I am saying now is TAKE HEED!!! Once the players get a Wembley appearance in their sites, you can FORGET any chance of them putting themselves in any kind of danger. That's all! make of it what you will.

[Hasta]

This frosty is the real problem we have at the moment. Neither Tugay nor the Axe are prepared to move forward much. Yesterday our defence would play the ball up to the strikers. It would get half cleared and our 2 central midfielders would be in their own half still. One of them has to push on. Tugay isnt mobile enough and The Axe isnt , err, technical enough. Therefore you'd assume that Dunn has to play and be the one. However, as his own thread on here is showing, he's having his own problems.

The only other options are moving Bentley inside and pushing Emo on which weakens Bentleys game considerably, or putting 5 in midfield a la Arsenal away in the cup. It would not suprise me at all if Hughes starts with a 5 man midfield next Sunday.

[philipl]

With the 18th placed club on 31 points, six games left and West Ham and Charlton on a charge, the relegation figure could conceivably be as high as 40 points this season. That would mean the team getting relegated wins three of their remaining six fixtures and the survivors all do as well.

What are Rovers on? 40 points- big relegation trouble especially as we will lose to all of Watford, Charlton and Fulham giving them a helping hand up.

Seriously, Rovers need three wins to avoid relegation? If West Ham, Charlton, Sheff U, Wigan, Fulham, Man City go and win all their remaining matches, you could be right.... Looks like Spurs are in relegation trouble to me.

[92er]

[quote name='rover6' date='Apr 7 2007, 21:24 ' post='504270'

Also - I do not see the point of Hughes having Nonda and Roberts on the bench. They're one of the same. Roberts has more pace and less form but I really think Hughes is wasting a space on the bench by including both. Gally and Peter offer something different - if not the supersubs that we're looking for.

Although what you say makes some sense, which one would you plump for? On the one hand, there must be a reasonable chance we will not sign Nonda, who at least has scored goals in the Premiership, on the other hand there is Roberts, a major purchase by MH in the summer and who has been a huge flop. Maybe MH prefers to fudge the issue.

[Fife Rover]

This frosty is the real problem we have at the moment. Neither Tugay nor the Axe are prepared to move forward much. Yesterday our defence would play the ball up to the strikers. It would get half cleared and our 2 central midfielders would be in their own half still. One of them has to push on. Tugay isnt mobile enough and The Axe isnt , err, technical enough. Therefore you'd assume that Dunn has to play and be the one. However, as his own thread on here is showing, he's having his own problems.

The only other options are moving Bentley inside and pushing Emo on which weakens Bentleys game considerably, or putting 5 in midfield a la Arsenal away in the cup. It would not suprise me at all if Hughes starts with a 5 man midfield next Sunday.

Or what about trying MGP as the attacking MF behind the strikers and play Peter or Berner as LMF? It might just work. Alternatively Berner at LB and Warnock as LMF?