Brum Preview

[Fife Rover]

I am being observed teach tomorrow by the head teacher who is a massive Birmingham fan! I am going to do the mental oral starter all about the number 3!!! Maybe getting them counting three footballs! Totally over the kids heads but he will get it totally!!!!

Are you trying to get yourself an adverse report Hannah?

[Jan]

Was Dunny playing on the left? If so, can we have him instead of Monosodium Glutamate for the next game? His set pieces would probably be better as well!

[Paul]

Yes but why the Monosodium Glutomate?

[trueblue]

Yes but why the Monosodium Glutomate?

I think she means MGP Paul

[Hasta]

Rovers seemed to play a very fluid system today. It was more 4-5-1 with Derbyshire on the right and Dunn on the left. Bentley just seemed to float around behind the front two although now and again he'd go right allowing Derbyshire to move upfront. Tugs and the Axe just sat back mopping up. We wasted a few chances in the first half but unlike the previous games I always felt a goal was coming.

[Jan]

MSG. MGP- all the same!!

One is a tasteless filler which does you no earthly good at all. The other is in Chinese food.

[Presty On Tour]

sesh on rovers, it's all good.

unlucky to have only 3 with all the attempts.

highlights on itv now.

is the 4th round draw tomorrow?

[rover6]

Have to mention Olsson after criticising him before. He looked good defensively and made some nice forward runs. A few times was happy just to receive and then just play the easy ball when other opportunities were open to him, but it's early days. I can see him playing left back and Warnock getting a chance down the left side of midfield.

Very happy for Olsson. Hughes must find a balance between the idiotic extremes in attitude to youth promotion - the desperate cry of 'throw in the youth' (regardless of desert) and we can't afford to field inexperienced players because every game matters (as if it's only inexperienced players who play crap).

What's needed is calculated risk taking with fielding youngsters and hopefully reaping the long-term benefits. (And not having to sign squad-filler like Bruno Berner who do nothing but hinder the chance of academy players).

[trueblue]

MSG. MGP- all the same!!

One is a tasteless filler which does you no earthly good at all. The other is in Chinese food.

I hope I didn't get any MGMSGP in my Singapore Noodles from Wokstar tonight then !!

[JAL]

Birmingham looked the complete opposite to Portsmouth for those who werent there.

10 - nil should and would have flattered 'big club' if our strikers had have had their shooting boots on, the misses from a foot off the goal line two from Derbyshire one from Roberts then the two one v ones with the Brum goalie, Roberts first, then Santa, how did they miss those, that should been another five to the scoreline.

Dunny had a good game but why does he need an extra incentive another motivation to do well against these teams, lets hope he has that motivation for Keanes Sunderland on saturday.

Bentley and Samba for me looked a different class from the rest.

[colin]

Eventually it was a very good result. It was back to brass monkey weather at Ewood which didn't help - I'll be brushing the mothballs off the thermals and the hat for the Larissa game.

As already mentioned it was an unusual lineup with a normal back four; Tugay & The Axe playing in front of them; Bentley in front of those two with Dunn on the left & Matt on the right and then Roberts on his own up fromt.

The first half seemed to be a bit of a non-event. OK, it was played mostly in the Darwen End half & I always struggle to see properly. There didn't seem to be many attempts at goal worthy of a standing up session and a "wooooh!"

The injury to Kingson, the Brum keeper seemed horrible. He went for a cross at the back post, presumably smacked his head against the goal post and was KO-ed. After 5 minutes of treatment he was hauled back on his feet and within 5 seconds he collapsed like a bag of spuds. I hope he's OK.

Second half looked a lot better.

Roberts missed a 1 on 1 with the keeper when he really should have scored, but he knackered himself and shot wide.

Bentley's goal was a belter, it went straight at me. Thank goodness for the net. It must have been from all 25 metres. Brilliant strike.

The penalty was pretty clear-cut, no complaints from the Brum players as RSC was pretty clearly blocked by a defender's arm after turning him inside out in the box. (Was it RSC? I thought it was. The brother thought it was Matty?)

Matt took a really precise penalty just inside the keepers RH post that he had no chance of saving.

Dunn made a great run from the left wing, cutting inside about three defenders but ended up finishing with a weak shot that the keeper was able to save quite easilly. If he had finished it off with a goal it would have been a magnificent effort. Looks like the pie-boy is getting his act together. Looking a bit thinner too.

RSC added the third not too long before full time with a close range header from a deflected Bert cross. No complaints, he had to be there to score it and he did the job for his first goal at Ewood.

A decent result against an under-strength Brum side who never really looked a threat. Brad didn't really have to make a save all night.

MOTM to Dunn semed OK, although both Bentley and Samba had really good games. I'm getting to appreciate Samba more and more each time I see him. It's not just the way that opposition professional footballers bounce off him like they have hit a brick wall, but he does really have the skills.

Finally, just a word about Tugay: the sooner he plays a game dressed in a smoking jacket & cravat with a glass of port in one hand & cocktail cigarette in the other the better. He was football's Noel Coward tonight. He was one cool dude. I don't think he broke into a sweat.

And the Red Scum lost at home to Coventry. Oh happy day! Looking forward to going into work tomorrow.

[dj54nna]

Good game, shame about the poor attendance.

Samba was amazing all night, he pulled skills out of the bag I never knew he had. A future captain in the making for sure.

[American Rover12]

The penalty was pretty clear-cut, no complaints from the Brum players as RSC was pretty clearly blocked by a defender's arm after turning him inside out in the box. (Was it RSC? I thought it was. The brother thought it was Matty?)

It was Derbs who was fouled in the box, sorry to say your brother was right

[mattjansen]

sesh on rovers, it's all good.

unlucky to have only 3 with all the attempts.

highlights on itv now.

is the 4th round draw tomorrow?

No saturday

[bigcol]

Roberts missed a 1 on 1 with the keeper when he really should have scored, but he knackered himself and shot wide.

Pulled his thigh, so he said, and he wasn't in a good mood after the game.

[Saltysellars]

Morning Folks

Unfortunately, due to work commitments, I had to miss last nights game, so have only this morning have read the match report. Looking at the team, I'm wondering how we fitted Tugay, Dunn and Mokoena into the middle of the park. What formation did we end up playing? and did we go with two up front or Roberts on his own.

Cheers

[JAL]

Morning Folks

Unfortunately, due to work commitments, I had to miss last nights game, so have only this morning have read the match report. Looking at the team, I'm wondering how we fitted Tugay, Dunn and Mokoena into the middle of the park. What formation did we end up playing? and did we go with two up front or Roberts on his own.

Cheers

Dunny played in Pedersens position.Left side of midfield.

Bentley first half played on the right hand side for the first twenty minutes then he played a sort of central position in an area best described as somewhere between the forward and central midfield with Derbyshire playing wide right.

Roberts was on his own but he had plenty of support because Birmingham were so poor unlike the big strong Pompey side.

[Eddie]

id be very tempted to drop mccarthy on saturday and start with santa and derbs...

No thanks. He missed some good chances last night that would have proved costly in almost any premiership game. Benni wasn't that bad at the weekend so I'd give him the nod again.

[Fife Rover]

Sound like it's been a good all round performance from Rovers Does anyone know how the Brum keeper is; sounds like it could be a bad one. Hope he is OK. Also how many fans did Brum bring?

[cn174]

Sound like it's been a good all round performance from Rovers Does anyone know how the Brum keeper is; sounds like it could be a bad one. Hope he is OK. Also how many fans did Brum bring?

About 2-300. Not very many

[waggy]

good win against brummy reserves,even better gate,only roberts injured which is a blessing in disguise

[arealbrfcfan]

Had to say i was pessimistic about this fuxture but hey, its a great birthday present, 3-0 thanks rovers...they hardly ever win on my birthday.

[RevidgeBlue]

Following on from the last two poor performances and our lack of attacking ideas at Chelsea, the first half last night was another dire affair. At that point it was about 355 minutes since we'd last scored and I was beginning to wonder when we'd find the back of the net again.

Thankfully, whatever Sparky said at half time last night must have worked, and then some. Surprisingly (given the first half) a painfully predictable approach transformed itself into an enthusiastic vibrant display as Brum were swept effortlessly aside.

Half agree with colin, again I thought Tugay was completely ineffective when he was taking the ball off the toes of our central defenders in the first half. When he moved twenty or thirty yards up the pitch in the second half he was a player transformed and still looked like he has the legs to play in a more advanced position.

As a pairing Roberts and Derbyshire didn't really pull up any trees but there were some very encouraging signs from the Santa Cruz/Derbyshire combination that that could be the way forward if Benni doesn't start getting his ample backside into gear. After a poor miss it was good to see Derbyshire winning the penalty with a great bit of skill and then demanding the ball for the spot kick which he buried right into the side netting with some aplomb.

Fantastic strike from Bentley, hopefully his game will start to pick up now. Other than the goal I didn't think he did much but if he can produce a moment like that every week, who cares?

And finally, should we all save ourselves a lot of time and just give the imperious Chris Samba MOM for the rest of the season now?

[cn174]

Sky sports news have just announced that their keeper was released from hospital last night and went home with the team. He does have concussion but is ok. So that is good news

[waggy]

i thought sav did very well on radio lancs,richard dinnis had to bite his tounge a few times when he realised sav was very knowledgeable in all areas of football