[Archived] Nicko's Thread

[nicko]

That reminds me. Nicko...... You got any new leads?

Two...for the new puppies.

It's mainly quiet but for the frantic scramble among clubs who still need players and don't know where to find them and the money.

Things can go wrong very quickly if you buy in bulk. As Bolton would tell you.

This has been a summer when the clubs in the best shape took a step back in the transfer market.

[USABlue]

Hmmmmm.... You must have the most footie-wise dog in the world USABlue. Have you converted him/her to being a Rovers fan yet?

Seriously though; I think it is a great idea. Just go for it and I am sure it wont be long before it becomes one of the longest threads on this board.

I did she's 100% Rover, I'll get me coat. Even though she is dressed in Bolton colours she is a Rovers fan.

[Beta Ray Bill]

From the mouth of a very reputable source...

At the airport prior to the official trip to MyPa, two fans on the plane approached MGP and Hughesy and asked about the Arsenal rumour.

MGP : "I'm not leaving, I'm very happy at Blackburn."

Hughesy : "He's not <word that swear filter picks up> going anywhere."

Seems pretty conclusive to me.

[nicko]

Marvellous game - great verbal bust-up after the match too.

Wenger has had a right go, claiming Rovers used violence and Sparky bristled and hit back about his moaning.

I thought there was some good old kicking going on, but Arsenal ask for it in many ways.

Fabulous game, as good as I have seen in a long time - and there is no harm in the physical stuff.

To be fair to Arsenal they gave some back.

Referee had a stinker, desperate to see why he didn't give the penalty for the Sav foul, why he let Lehmann walk into the goal with the ball and play on and then chalked off Samba's 'goal.'

If football was like that every week there would be no better entertainment.

Top stuff, but expect some of the usual swipes from Wenger to appear in the papers tomorrow. To be fair your manager will be well quoted too.

[Mozzer]

hey nicko, hope your gonna stick up for us tomorrow, there saying blackburn resulted in dirty tatics, i thought we was physical when we needed to be, and played good stuff when we wanted to..

[eddiewac]

Wengers comments obviously worked and influenced the ref, everytime we "fouled", if ya can call if a foul, they hit the deck and our player was immediately booked, they seemed to be doin several fouls before getting booked, typical double standards, good game though, if only that Pedersen shot had gone into the net instead of the side netting, would've been like his goal at Utd when we won 2-1

[nicko]

I thought the boot went in - but it's a legit tactic and Arsenal [a] are suspect to the physical stuff and ask for it with some of their own tactics. The time-wasting, the diving got you stirred up even more.

Violence is a bit strong a word for Wenger to use, but it shows you got under their skin.

Sparky's answer was good, so I would think that both sides will have their say.

Cracking entertainment and a good old row is never a bad thing either. It just adds to the day out.

If I had paid for that I would be happy and planning to go back. That is what the game is about.

I think it is different to the infamous FA Cup semi. Rovers kicked that day because they were frustrated with the difference in class. I thought they kicked today too but it was because they were genuinely competing.

By the way if big Samba played for Chelsea he would be rated the best defender in the Premiership...

[Eddie]

By the way if big Samba played for Chelsea he would be rated the best defender in the Premiership...

A few of us have had thoughts similar to that for a while.

[nicko]

Some transfer news - as I am full of the joys right now...

Sunderland going stupid, bidding for Arca at a silly price, Higginbotham at Stoke, Kenwyne Jones and Andy Cole. That Roy Keane doesn't like losing.

Wigan are after a new left back - Edman at Rennes.

Nobody can afford Anelka...yet.

And I hear that Arsenal want a new keeper. Probably made that decision about 4.40 today!

[Mozzer]

theres nothing on blackburn yet, i still think we need a centre mid despite dunny and savage doing a brilliant job..

nolan or flamini would be great..

we play everton next week, so yakubu and fernandes wil be playing, should be tough game..

[nicko]

Nothing new but you know what they say about the calm before the storm.

I thought Emerton was good at right back today.

Ryan Nelsen will be a loss, especially as he is so good with Samba. Ooijer will have to come up to that standard.

Everton are beatable and I know from inside the camp that there is a real buzz about the place.

I should say that Dunny's second half was the best I have seen from him on his return. I have given him some stick at times since he returned but that was more like him.

A good day.

[Mozzer]

i thought dunny against mypa was very poor, and today i feared our midfield would get turned over, but dunny was brilliant, not only his goal, but he was up and down, tacking, attacking, he needs to shoot tho, sometimes he gets into good positions but looks to pass..

everton are beatable, if we can stop arteta id say we can stop everton..

good start to season, just what we needed...

[thenodrog]

Referee had a stinker, desperate to see why he didn't give the penalty for the Sav foul, why he let Lehmann walk into the goal with the ball and play on and then chalked off Samba's 'goal.'

The press should give more time to sincere referee appraisal imo. I really believe that refereeing standards are as low as I have ever known them and the referees need to be kept in the spotlight to ensure that standards of ability and fairness are not compromised.

Anyway I haven't seen it again bit I'd say that Sav might not quite have been in the area when contact was made. Still a clear foul though.

The own goal that never was so unbelievable for a first class referee but was close to pure farce.

I need to see what Derbyshire was up to to cause Wylie to ignore the handball and Samba's goal cos at the moment I am mystefied.

[krislu]

I'd say that Sav might not quite have been in the area when contact was made. Still a clear foul though.

Savage made a real meal out of that one, it wasn't even a freekick. (I saw the game on telly and they did run it several times)

[modes98]

And I hear that Arsenal want a new keeper. Probably made that decision about 4.40 today!

What about fabianski? Isn't he meant to be really good?

At 20 he isn't overly young to be given a go.

[thenodrog]

I think it is different to the infamous FA Cup semi. Rovers kicked that day because they were frustrated with the difference in class. I thought they kicked today too but it was because they were genuinely competing.

Apart from a couple of 'bad uns' we weren't that dirty at Cardiff's SF day. It's been proved many times on here that Todds clash with RVP was an accidental collision. The enduring opinion that I formed that day was that if Arsenal players lose the ball they are told to go down, if they get a chance to get an opponent cautioned the feign serious injury, any and all decisions are contested by crowding the ref. Since then the same tactics have been adopted at Chelsea (imo Joe Cole is the worst diver in the Prem..... btw 'worst' in both ways). MU players to their credit (gulp) do not do the same.

What really amazes me is that referees are conned and conned again by it all. Surely Wylie will watch a vid of todays match and see the evidence of their faking? If it were me that they had made look stupid and incompetent it would be the last time ever that they did so.

btw apparently Rob Stiles did a Graham Poll and booked Essien twice although I think he will be denying it and making Terry the sacrificial cow . As this keeps happening and to a certain extent is a teeny bit understandable why not shove some responsibility down the line and increase the punishment to the players concerned? Also maybe even the clubs for going along with it and compounding the issue by knowing full well that a mistake has been made? Forfeiting a match might make one or two managers suddenly turn into Honest Johns.

[Taggart]

sorry Nicko - but I only seem to ask questions of yourself,

When you view the teletext, and you read up on Rovers and the recent news etc - on the last page, you always get the advertisement, offering news on Rovers at £1.50 a minute or something like that - how truthful are these claims or are they just pure, expensive rubbish ? and if they are not, why aren`t you charging a fortune ?

[American Rover12]

Savage made a real meal out of that one, it wasn't even a freekick. (I saw the game on telly and they did run it several times)

Yeah a few of the angles they showed on TV did give a pretty clear shot of him not really getting contact from any of the other players. No harm in a try though.

I need to see what Derbyshire was up to to cause Wylie to ignore the handball and Samba's goal cos at the moment I am mystefied.

Speaking of replays, I saw that replay with the handball and the infraction the ref called, and there was absolutely nothing Derbyshire was doing, and it should have been a PK and sending off for handball. That was maddening.

[modes98]

Speaking of replays, I saw that replay with the handball and the infraction the ref called, and there was absolutely nothing Derbyshire was doing, and it should have been a PK and sending off for handball. That was maddening.

Prior to the corner he went over and had a word with Matty and the defender/keeper. Then as soon as the kick was taken he blew up, Matty did nothing to stop lehmann and i didn't see anything else worth a free kick. The handball was as a result of the ref blowing up, i doubt he would have handled if he hadn't. Very annoying and even more given that Motd didn't even bother to include it on their highlights. Never mind the thuggish challenge from Robin Van Persie.

[American]

Savage made a real meal out of that one, it wasn't even a freekick. (I saw the game on telly and they did run it several times)

No different than what Bocanegra did against Arsenal last week to give them a penalty...

[Grabbi Graeme]

So if Savage dived then it's a booking , If it's not a dive then it's a foul and a penalty, Wiley gave neither decision so what does that mesn.

[American Rover12]

So if Savage dived then it's a booking , If it's not a dive then it's a foul and a penalty, Wiley gave neither decision so what does that mesn.

It wasnt a a full out Ronanldo dive and it did look like he might have been tripped up outside the box, but he wasnt tripped by the man in the box. I think the ref made the right call in just letting play flow.

[nicko]

There were so many points from the game - and because of the game - that were clarified in some cases by the TV highlights.

1 - I think Sav was fouled - right on the edge - by Toure who cleverly pulled the bottom of his leg away but left the top of his left leg and his side in his path to knock him over. Sav went looking for it a bit, but I rated it a foul. So there was 'professionalism' on both sides. I don;t fault the ref for ducking that one because it was borderline.

2 - Alan Wiley has to be rapped for the farcical incident when Lehmann was nudged over the line by MGP. It WAS a foul, but how can you play on when the ball was over the line?

3 - Still no idea why the Samba header/Fabregas handball and potential red card/and was it over the line anyway? moment was rated a foul by Wiley. In his defence he blew BEFORE the header, so he must have seen something. Possibly a pink elephant interfering at the near post.

4 - Ryan Nelsen's first booking was incredibly harsh, but the TV did not really point that up.

On the tackling/fouling that was going on there is no doubt that Rovers were dishing out plenty, but that is not something to be ashamed of. The physical approach can often get to Arsenal, so why not use it? I thought a couple of players went too far at times, but as long as the result is right then everybody goes home happy.

Like I said before the Cardiff semi was at a different time and place in this squad's development. There WAS gratuitous fouling that day. I thought yesterday was legitimate in the main, but fuelled by fire which is no bad thing.

I think the feeling before the game was that Arsenal were there for the taking and possibly the intimidating. Fortunately it is still a contact sport and the spectacle was great for the commitment levels as much as 'pure' football.

Still, it's a game of opinions. That's mine. Have looked at some of the other papers this morning and I have to say the player ratings in The Times are about as odd as I have seen.

[philipl]

The offending Times report. The ratings are more like a 5 year old's list of faves and hates than that of an objective reporter! (Sav gets 3, Dunn gets 8)

I thought Sagno for Arsenal looked very good by the way.

[Eddie]

Prior to the corner he went over and had a word with Matty and the defender/keeper. Then as soon as the kick was taken he blew up, Matty did nothing to stop lehmann and i didn't see anything else worth a free kick. The handball was as a result of the ref blowing up, i doubt he would have handled if he hadn't. Very annoying and even more given that Motd didn't even bother to include it on their highlights. Never mind the thuggish challenge from Robin Van Persie.

Doubt it. He didn't mean to put his hand in the way, he just did. The same thing would have happened even if the foul hadn't been blown for.