[Archived] Watford Preview

[Martin]

I'll echo the comments that Dunn had a good game. He is starting to look better now. He got through a mountain of work. Roberts impressed as did Samba. But Watford were awful - they are like a really bad Bolton team. Awful football, simply awful. How they beat us in the reverse fixture I'll never know.

I am starting to have a problem with Bentley. He is being far too greedy and selfish. I know, I know before anyone starts he made three goals last night, but if he valued his team mates more and passed instead of shooting from 30 yards he would have 5 assists to his name. If he wants to get into the England set-up he will have to learn when to shoot and when to pass. Perhaps, I am being ultra critical of him but if he thinks he is good enough to play for England then he must use the ball more efficiently.

A poor crowd but I guess for most families the weekend turned out to be hellishly expensive.

Roll on Fulham.

[OhmiBRFC]

Anybody else see that guy throw one of the drums towards the pitch in anger at the start of the second half? He was applauded by some people sitting around there, but the drummers and the other 12 year old drummer wanna-be's turned on him and the stewards had to lead him away.

They should have thrown the drummers out instead. Sunday proved you don't need a drummer to get the atmosphere going, just a good game and a crowd prepared to get behind the boys. A drummer doesn't really help things, and from sitting that close last night I wonder why nobody hasn't thrown the drum before now!

I'm not a fan of the drummers but there was no need to take the drum and throw it towards the pitch. Why should they be chucked out they did nothing wrong

[thenodrog]

i was a bit surprised by the gate ..... not sure why it was so low, end of season apathy i think?

Poor but in reallity it would have been almost a normal home gate if Watford had brought the same amount as the likes of Villa / Everton / City / Spurs. Maybe to clarify matters it's time to give our gate figures with the home attendance in brackets.

[thenodrog]

How poor poor poor was David Dunn tonight against next seasons championship level team?

David Dunn 4 or 5 out of ten for tonights performance = unacceptable if Rovers are to progress!

Unfair that and imo inaccurate criticism too. I'm no Dunn fan (i.e. his attitude and fitness ... no criticism of his ability) is looking far fitter and much more mobile than he did 3 months ago.

Nobody's mentioned yet that Watford were a bunch of bruisers. With elbows and studs left in so many tackles how amazing it was that no card was brandished all the match. The inconsistency of officials really is amazing, and yesterdays match alone illustrates how misleading that fair play league is.

[joey_big_nose]

Roberts still has a very poor first touch though, hes still just a speedier version of Kuqi.

Thats harsh. Every player has his weaknesses. Benni has an outstanding first touch yet lacks the pace and power of roberts who was ultimately a much more effective player last night. You need different types of striker.

I am sure we would all like a player who combines McCarthy's and big Jase's talents but then you are essentially looking at a samuel Eto'o or Drogba who are worth something around 20 million.

If Roberts keeps this form then in him, McCarthy and Derbs we have a varied strikeforce with the possibility of getting another one in the summer with the new TV cash. Hughes has done a good job with his signings up front. We have been unlucky that roberts has been injured for so long, he would have been a real asset in those games we lost against lowly teams.

[JAL]

Maybe i'm looking for more than what Dunny can deliver, i base my assessment on how good or poor the opposition is(Watford), compared to how good the top teams are, i want to see Rovers have an outside chance of beating everyone in this country at football and for me Dunny isnt doing anything or bringing anything extra to the team.

Central midfielders like Gerrard,Lampard,Scholes,Rosicky etc., can all go past their own forwards and score goals, set up a goal scoring chance, as well as perform their defensive duties.This is the standard Dunny must assertain if Rovers are to be more successful in the future, its a standard that i feel David Dunn cant or wont be able to acheive going by recent performances.

Dont get me wrong about Dunny I'd absolutely love it if he could acheive this sort of form, but for me he hasnt got it and against Fulham on saturday he will be blown away by Diop and co. because he lacks that vital ingredient ..pace.

[Macky]

Thought Dunny was one of the better players in the first half, also thought Roberts had a decent game.

As for the Drum being thrown over the barrier- that was the highlight of a s**t second half!

[Scotty]

Maybe i'm looking for more than what Dunny can deliver, i base my assessment on how good or poor the opposition is(Watford), compared to how good the top teams are, i want to see Rovers have an outside chance of beating everyone in this country at football and for me Dunny isnt doing anything or bringing anything extra to the team.

Central midfielders like Gerrard,Lampard,Scholes,Rosicky etc., can all go past their own forwards and score goals, set up a goal scoring chance, as well as perform their defensive duties.This is the standard Dunny must assertain if Rovers are to be more successful in the future, its a standard that i feel David Dunn cant or wont be able to acheive going by recent performances.

Dont get me wrong about Dunny I'd absolutely love it if he could acheive this sort of form, but for me he hasnt got it and against Fulham on saturday he will be blown away by Diop and co. because he lacks that vital ingredient ..pace.

Eh? You could say that about any of our midfielders - in fact about most midfielders in the Premier League. Are Tugay, Savage and Reid not good enough as well because they don't match up to Gerrard et al? I'd also point out that central midfield is a position where you don't really need pace - at least not as much as other areas of the pitch.

The fact is that Dunn played well yesterday so your original point was rubbish. Your justification above is equally rubbish. It's ok though, we all talk rubbish from time to time. The best thing is to just acknowledge as much to yourself and quit before you start to look silly.

[Ricky]

JAL, I think you're clutching at straws a bit.

You want Dunny to be at the same Level as Gerrard and Lampard. Not sure if you noticed but Dunny cost us about £1.5m with add ons, Gerrard would brobably go for about £25m and Lampard similar. I think you have to be realistic in your assesment.

I'd be happy for Dunny to be a good premiership midfielder, someone at a similar level to Sidwell, Jenes, and that sort of level of player. We certainly cant expect him to be the next Gerrard.

[broadsword]

Wish I could've seen that!

[Manchester Blue]

Maybe i'm looking for more than what Dunny can deliver, i base my assessment on how good or poor the opposition is(Watford), compared to how good the top teams are, i want to see Rovers have an outside chance of beating everyone in this country at football and for me Dunny isnt doing anything or bringing anything extra to the team.

Central midfielders like Gerrard,Lampard,Scholes,Rosicky etc., can all go past their own forwards and score goals, set up a goal scoring chance, as well as perform their defensive duties.This is the standard Dunny must assertain if Rovers are to be more successful in the future, its a standard that i feel David Dunn cant or wont be able to acheive going by recent performances.

Dont get me wrong about Dunny I'd absolutely love it if he could acheive this sort of form, but for me he hasnt got it and against Fulham on saturday he will be blown away by Diop and co. because he lacks that vital ingredient ..pace.

Since when was pace a vital ingredient of a central midfielder? Clearly Diop has been outstanding this season and has blown away many midfields hence Fulhams outstanding form. One minute you are comparing Dunn to Gerrard & Lampard two of the best in the world and then Diop!!!

Why not judge him on what he does not what you think he should do. He was all over the pitch last night and worked his socks off.

Incidentally Scholes has no pace, Lampard certainly isn't the quickers, in fact many of the best midfielders, Tugay for instance don't have that.

[JAL]

Eh? You could say that about any of our midfielders - in fact about most midfielders in the Premier League. Are Tugay, Savage and Reid not good enough as well because they don't match up to Gerrard et al? I'd also point out that central midfield is a position where you don't really need pace - at least not as much as other areas of the pitch.

The fact is that Dunn played well yesterday so your original point was rubbish. Your justification above is equally rubbish. It's ok though, we all talk rubbish from time to time. The best thing is to just acknowledge as much to yourself and quit before you start to look silly.

Tell me about last nights game, was the axe the more defensive midfielder and Dunny the more creative midfielder if so, what telling forward play did Dunny do last night - there wasnt any. Tugay made one inside central pass into Jason Roberts feet that was more creative than Dunny had managed in seventy minutes or so.

[joey_big_nose]

Tell me about last nights game, was the axe the more defensive midfielder and Dunny the more creative midfielder if so, what telling forward play did Dunny do last night - there wasnt any. Tugay made one inside central pass into Jason Roberts feet that was more creative than Dunny had managed in seventy minutes or so.

You have to understand that its the all round play that counts. If dunn is keeping things ticking over and allowing MGP and bentley to create thats fine. Indeed thats why he was selected infront of Tugay, so that he could form part of a robust midfield with Axe.

Dunn's forward play has not been as good as some of the games he played first time round with Rovers but if he is putting in the legwork and contributing to the team thats alright.

And I will put money on the fact that if he stays fit we will see more and more of his creative side.

[JAL]

Since when was pace a vital ingredient of a central midfielder? Clearly Diop has been outstanding this season and has blown away many midfields hence Fulhams outstanding form. One minute you are comparing Dunn to Gerrard & Lampard two of the best in the world and then Diop!!!

Why not judge him on what he does not what you think he should do. He was all over the pitch last night and worked his socks off.

Incidentally Scholes has no pace, Lampard certainly isn't the quickers, in fact many of the best midfielders, Tugay for instance don't have that.

Lampard and Scholes certainly go past their own forwards and score goals just cannot see Dunny doing that at the moment, as for Tugay hes at the end of his career Dunny is supposedly at his peak.

[joey_big_nose]

Lampard and Scholes certainly go past their own forwards and score goals just cannot see Dunny doing that at the moment, as for Tugay hes at the end of his career Dunny is supposedly at his peak.

Well thats partly 1) They are two of the finest players in the world in their position.

2) They play in outstanding teams who give them the freedom to do that.

Dunn does not have either of those distinctions.

The only midfielder in the prem I can think of outside the top four who does the scholes/Lampard thing is tim cahill. And he has the luxery of being in a five man midfield. same goes for nolan at bolton.

[Ricky]

After 4 years of constant injuries he's obviously not at his peak.

Hopefully that will come next season after a good preseason with us.

[JAL]

Just going back to last night, we played the worst team in the league and i didnt see anything from David Dunn to trouble the worst team in the league, how can i, or you have confidence in future games to justify his conclusion in the team if all the midfieldrs are available for selection.

How .......

With Savage and Reid out, Hughes needs to look for another central midfielder for next season if Rovers are to improve.

[joey_big_nose]

Just going back to last night, we played the worst team in the league and i didnt see anything from David Dunn to trouble the worst team in the league, how can i, or you have confidence in future games to justify his conclusion in the team if all the midfieldrs are available for selection.

How .......

With Savage and Reid out, Hughes needs to look for another central midfielder for next season if Rovers are to improve.

You really seem to be in a minority of one. He was excellent against Chelsea, decent last night, a hard worker. With Reid and Savage available for next season we will have 4 good midfielders available for two slots, five if Tugay stays.

Sure dunn has not been sensational, but he has been good and is improving. Give him til the end of the season at least.

Not sure what your problem is. Even if he was poor last night (which he wasn't) it still wouldn't be grounds to ship him out. everybody has bad games- even Tugay, Lampard, Gerrard. Overall his contribution has been good.

[stuwilky]

With Savage and Reid out, Hughes needs to look for another central midfielder for next season if Rovers are to improve.

Savage and Reid are not out for next season, I dont believe at this point in time Rovers can look for a new central midfielder unless one of the existing ones leaves....

Currently we have, Mokoena, Tugay, Savage, Reid, Dunn plus Pedersen, Bentley and Gally who can all do a job in central midfield - thats a lot of players for 2 first team berths.

[Eddie]

Tugay will most probably be gone and we would be smart to look for a Savage replacement while he is still here. I think we are a good striker and central midfielder away from being a very good side.

[JAL]

Tugay will most probably be gone and we would be smart to look for a Savage replacement while he is still here. I think we are a good striker and central midfielder away from being a very good side.

Totally agree with your logic there Eddie,though a right full back might be thrown into the mix but to say i'm concerned about Dunny is probably an understatement.

[AggyBlue]

Lampard and Scholes certainly go past their own forwards and score goals just cannot see Dunny doing that at the moment, as for Tugay hes at the end of his career Dunny is supposedly at his peak.

I take it that you have inside knowledge and know what instructions/priorities Hughes gives Dunny.

[Jan]

Totally agree with your logic there Eddie,though a right full back might be thrown into the mix but to say i'm concerned about Dunny is probably an understatement.

Were you at the game?

Or if you were, you definitely weren't there on Sunday.

I'd say you were in a minority of 1 1/2

[Manchester Blue]

Just going back to last night, we played the worst team in the league and i didnt see anything from David Dunn to trouble the worst team in the league, how can i, or you have confidence in future games to justify his conclusion in the team if all the midfieldrs are available for selection.

How .......

With Savage and Reid out, Hughes needs to look for another central midfielder for next season if Rovers are to improve.

You keep babbling on about Watford being so poor, technically yes they were, but you're ingoring that they are also one of the most hard working sides going. If you don't match that you'll struggle. Dunn put a hughe amount in tracking, working and making tackles. As others have said this allowed people like Bentley & Pedersen the space to create things. Against teams that don't work as hard then judge Dunny for his creative side but last night he did a job for the team and deserves praise for that.

Why you keep comparing to Scholes & Lampard I don't know. Both at their peak have been priced at £20m. As for the goals they score, yes they score plenty but not because of pace as neither have it. It is not essential in a central midfielder.

[mike at picture]

Totally agree with your logic there Eddie,though a right full back might be thrown into the mix but to say i'm concerned about Dunny is probably an understatement.

Couldn't make it last night (work, honest!) but Dunny was outstanding at o.t. From what I can gather was ok last night. It seems some just dont like the lad which I struggle to understand as his talent is beyond doubt, his fitness, stamina and sharpness is improving game on game and he is a True Rover fron Harwood.

What's the problem? Cant we give the lad a break?