[Archived] Preston - Saturday

[Scotty]

Playing Preston in their current form wasnt the ideal pre season preperation. If ever a game left you in a lull of false security this was it - Preston are poor as many a poster as pointed out.

It easy to say how wonderful every Rovers player was but then you've got to look at the quality of the opposition who were poor, for me if Rovers and Mark Hughes dont add another quality midfielder to the team then the Guardian newspaper prediction looks very accurate.

In other words, Dunn had a good game today so JAL has to make an excuse up as to why he played well. What a spanner you are JAL.

[thenodrog]

Samba has scored a fair few goals now. He is going to be a huge signing for us.

Well at 6ft 5" he'd be a huge signing for anybody!

[thenodrog]

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/atky...pg?t=1186254088

What stupidity to keep that far section cordoned off! Pathetic stewarding in the extreme! My ticket said 'Bill Shankly Kop ... Unreserved seating' so why tf did some jobsworth decide to 'reserve' the far block of seats by taping them off? Pathetic small minded organisation within a pathetic small minded club and even the local plod appeared unable to influence the stupidity of it all. Thank God they are so poor that they will never have the chance to inflict that 3rd rate management on the Prem.

[Nate]

Thats everyone logging into the Fantasy Football to get Samba in their team then

Already had him thanks

[Maverick]

Well at 6ft 5" he'd be a huge signing for anybody!

Got the feeling that Gamst and Samba is going to be a good combo this season. Set pieces might be a source for many goals

[Eddie]

Samba to be the league's top goalscorer?

[brfcs5359]

The Premier League will be roughly the same as last year. One or two teams will surprise but even then only by a handful of places come the 38th game of a long season.

Preston were awful but it was a pre-season game. Dunn looks like like he has lost weight but he still doesn't look a bundle of energy. Savage has been awful and at 33/34 it is hard to see him keeping his energy levels at last seasons following a serious injury. There are a lot of questions about Rovers centre of midfield this first half of the season.

It was intersting to see Hughes try possibly only the 3rd formation I have seen him play. A strict 4-4-2 man unless he goes 4-5-1, yesterday after half time he brought Bentley in from wide right to play in the hole with Emerton manning the right on his own. Bentley then went off and he gave Gallagher an identical role. I thought he'd push Gally out wide right.

With Tugay and Savage we haven't look like scoring from CM. Both hang so deep. Tugay can't bomb on. With Reid out injured it would appear Hughes options are Dunn or shuffle the formation?

[stuwilky]

Couple of reprobates on here......

[Eddie]

I know I'm one of the few on here who thinks it, but I do believe that we have serious problems in central midfield. We're taking a massive gamble at the moment.

[brfcshabba]

Couple of reprobates on here......

I was about 3 rows above that image

[Ozz]

Den and Baz. Baz looking like Alan Carr off TVs Friday Night Project.

[Mike Graham]

North End wre poor, very poor, I cannot see them playing as badly all season, if they do they are doomed to the minor leagues.

1864 says that PNE have only sold 4.5k season tickets, some of the floating fans may be heading to Ewood hopefully.

Very worried about Savage. Again he put in lots of effort with but with little impact; he reminds me of the proverbial headless chicken who runs around alot. he is not good enough, at present, for our starting 11.

Dumpdale of a ground, no fans, no atmosphere.

bring on the Boro!!!!!

[brfcs5359]

I thought Hughes picked Boro starting line up at beginning, but the 2nd half was much better and must give food for thought.

1st Half

Frieldel ---- Warnock Samba Nelson Oujar ---- Bentley Dunn Axe Gamst --- Roberts Benni

2nd half

Frieldel ---- Warnock Samba Nelson Emerton ---- Dunn Savage Gamst ---Bentley---- Roberts Benni ....(tho' Sav was poor)

3 set piece goals, non from open play.

[brfcs5359]

Next weeks team I would like to see

Frieldel ---- Emerton Samba Nelson Warnock ---- Bentley Dunn (fwd) Tugay(hold) Gamst ------- Roberts Benni ....

Roberts is playing well. Lets go and win the game with our two most talented midfielders and Emerton at RB. Full backs getting forward was one of Hughes's success stories last year. The Axe can come on to shore things up.

[Mike Graham]

Couple of the stewards liked the "BRFC Preston Rovers" flag.

One said "that should wind the local numpties up nicely".

[adopted scouser]

Den and Baz. Baz looking like Alan Carr off TVs Friday Night Project.

In a black and white shirt ?

[joey_big_nose]

Next weeks team I would like to see

Frieldel ---- Emerton Samba Nelson Warnock ---- Bentley Dunn (fwd) Tugay(hold) Gamst ------- Roberts Benni ....

Roberts is playing well. Lets go and win the game with our two most talented midfielders and Emerton at RB. Full backs getting forward was one of Hughes's success stories last year. The Axe can come on to shore things up.

I like your analysis there. I would play the same formation but maybe with the Axe starting with Tugay coming on towards the end of the game when space opens up. Picking the subs bench will be an interesting job too: Brown, Ooijer, Tugay, Derbyshire, Santa Cruz imo. What a strong set of substitutes! And thats with Savage, Zurab, Reid, Rigters and Gallagher missing out. If everyone gets fit its going to be a struggle just to make the XVI!

I am worried about Savage. He has been one of our best players for the past two and a half years yet his game is entirely based on fitness and running. If he can't run loads and loads he is massively diminished... However Dunn deserves a chance and Tugay and Axe are up to it still- I think we can survive without additions although it might be tight.

What I am praying for is that Dunn can find his form (not that unlikely considering nearly every player who has stuck with Hughes has ended up playing the best football of their lives) of five or six years ago. He really was on his day one of the finest players in the country plying his trade outside the big clubs. Hughes seemed to put a lot of work into Dunny's fitness, tackling and closing down over the last six months - using him as a sort of replacement for Savage - but I now suspect he is looking for David to be more of a creative influence who gets into the final third. I suppose he will never be Paul Scholes but he can dribble, shoot, pass. I would imagine it would be hard to find a player with his potential quality for the sort of money we have available.

Also, the Axe's purely defensive mindset could really help free up Dunn to get forward to hurt the opposition.

Anyhow it will be an interesting battle between Dunn and Reid for the starting slot in the long run. With the quality of Reid Dunn must know he is up against it, even if he is coming off a long term injury. Lets hope he is motivated.

[Ozz]

Yea-Striped AS.

I thought Dunn was again classy looking yesterday-great against 10 Lithuanians, superb against average Championship players, lets hope he can do it against Prem players next week. Looking good for the boy, although I still sense a large feeling of displeasure in the Rovers fans at him-can't work that one out.

Roque looked a class act for the 20 minutes, and Roberts looked very tasty too, which bodes well for goals soon.

Some match day photos are now in the gallery, here.

The PNE fan who came in and sat in our end, (why?) was amusing.

More of him in the gallery.

Roque in a Rovers shirt!

[JAL]

In other words, Dunn had a good game today so JAL has to make an excuse up as to why he played well. What a spanner you are JAL.

No, try reading and understanding the message a little more, as for Dunn hes still... too slow, when he ended up on the edge of the penalty area at the start of the second half on a one v one situation and he just froze stood still wondering what to do next and then lost the ball without getting a shot on goal for me was very poor indeed - if you think thats exceptable then when we come up against faster smarter opposition we wont win with Dunny in the team.

[Daremz]

Dear Mr. Hughes,

Please use this formation for Boro-away. It's the only way we can win.

GK: Friedel

RB: Ooijer

LB: Warnock

CB: Nelsen, Samba

RMF: Bentley

LMF: Gamst

CMF: Savage (he'll do okay!), Dunn

ST: McCarthy, Santa Cruz

Boro - Rovers ... 0-1

'29 - Santa Cruz ... 0-1

[JAL]

I know I'm one of the few on here who thinks it, but I do believe that we have serious problems in central midfield. We're taking a massive gamble at the moment.

Thank you Eddie! What about Savs forward passing second half poor or what ?

[Eddie]

Well I've only seen highlights so I can't comment on the actual match, I also don't think Savage is a bad player, I just think that with the risk of injury in that area of our team that I think we will have to have our fingers crossed all season long that we somehow can keep the majority of them fit and in good form.

[den]

1864 says that PNE have only sold 4.5k season tickets

Tell me you're joking 1864!

[Ozz]

RSC on the prowl.

[JAL]

Well I've only seen highlights so I can't comment on the actual match, I also don't think Savage is a bad player, I just think that with the risk of injury in that area of our team that I think we will have to have our fingers crossed all season long that we somehow can keep the majority of them fit and in good form.

I'm not saying Savage is a bad player either, in fact i think hes critical to our teams success at this moment in time.

What Sav tried Eddie not once but four times was try and play an inside forward pass which looked from the stands relatively simple to do but each one failed miserably to reach its intended destination so poor was the quality of his passing.

I know its only preseason friendly but Rovers will have to improve but Santa Cruz looked like a quality player big and fast which hopefully bodes well for the future.