[Archived] Nickos Thread

[ffan]

I doubt he'd move back up north again, if (when) Fulham go down he will probably move to another southern team I'd think because thats the main reason he went down to Fulham in the first place.

He supports West Ham buttheyare buying Sidwell says Nicko, so he might even stay with us yet.

[RovertheHill]

I wouldnt mind taking Nolan off Bolton if they go down. He would fit into our team with his never say die attitude, his work ethos, is a leader and the ability to score goals.

The size of him these days I'm not sure there's much he'd fit into...

[philipl]

I don't know. Rovers fans berate the club for not offering more ambition in challenging for the Champions League then offer a player (Nolan) who is only slightly more likely ever to play CL football than I am.

Nolan strikes me as having the classic player profile of going down with his home town team and staying down. He might terrify the dingles on a good day but he has sadly been thoroughly worked out at a higher level.

[Lathund]

Nolan strikes me as Bolton's MGP of the past six months months. FAns of other teams who rarely see him think he's a very good player still, but those who see him every week know better. The Bolton fans I know don't think he's all that special. Would be better than Tugay and Moko I guess, but it'd be quite a bit of money for someone who's at best a small improvement.

[Dunnfc]

No to Nolan the scouse git is always whinging at refs and produces 1 good game in 10. Hes nothing but a vicous idiot who slams Rovers at every oppertunity.

Bullard is not a player who would be good enough for europe and if his knee is fine why did he cowardly pull out of a tackle with Enrique yesterday? Once you break your leg its hard to get over it mentally.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Looks like the Cashley cole incident has had a major impact in terms of refereeing, Mascherano sent off for giving the ref abuse.

In terms of Bullard and Nolan, can't see us making moves for either player. Bullard i reckon will want to stay down south and Nolan hates Rovers.

[ben_the_beast]

Shocking decsion. Has completely ruined the game. If that was rovers i would be livid.

Was stupid of him to go over to the ref after he had already (stupidly) booked torres for discent though.

[1864roverite]

Its Bennett versus Dean for the muppet of the year award

[nicko]

Its Bennett versus Dean for the muppet of the year award

You can't blame Bennett in this case...Mascherano is a fool for going on and on. The ref walked away to give him a chance to cool down. And he didn't.

Liverpool have bottled it as usual. And there could be a few out of the derby next weekend at this rate.

[1864roverite]

We are watching hoping for a couple of 3 game suspensions as we have both on the horizon !!

[LeChuck]

Its Bennett versus Dean for the muppet of the year award

I must say 1864, I have no idea what games you have been watching this weekend. You seem to post every week how we're being treated to horrible refeering, but it's been a long while since major decisions went against us, and in fact we've enjoyed the benefit of some of the decisions. Heskey did con Dean slightly by going down very easily, but he isn't the first person to be conned by a dive, and definitely not the last. Apart from that, what else did happened? I can't see what Bennett has done wrong today either.

[tony gale's mic]

Dean had no option but to send Samba off. Whether Heskey went down easily is another matter.

[Eddie]

The penalty was the right decision, as was the sending off. Heskey went down easily, but Samba put his arms all over him and gave him the chance to go down.

As for today, I don't think players should be able to show any real dissent and certainly shouldn't be able to do what Cole did or swear at an official. That should be how it should be set out. Why should we tolerate such horrible behaviour? The ref didn't ruin the game, a mindless idiot did.

[herbergeehh]

Mascherano got what he deserved. When you are on a yellow card, you don't run 30 yards to complain about only getting a free kick. And when you are signalled to leave, you don't keep complaining. Good decision by Bennett, the only person complaining is Mascherano, who's made himself look like a complete ######.

Also, I am sure Reina will get a well-deserved ban for his gestures after goal number two.

[Hasta]

And I'm sure Bennett will get a ticking off (not) for his ludicrous lack of protection then booking for Torres followed by ruining the game for 70,000 paying spectators just because a player ran over to ask him why he'd made that decision. No aggression, no intimidation and no lack of respect. The main lack of respect was Bennetts decision to not even explain his decisions to the players. Referees often make a rod for their own back. Today Steve Bennett has done just that.

[nicko]

And I'm sure Bennett will get a ticking off (not) for his ludicrous lack of protection then booking for Torres followed by ruining the game for 70,000 paying spectators just because a player ran over to ask him why he'd made that decision. No aggression, no intimidation and no lack of respect. The main lack of respect was Bennetts decision to not even explain his decisions to the players. Referees often make a rod for their own back. Today Steve Bennett has done just that.

Mascherano was booked, kept fouling and kept chipping away. He behaved like a clown.

Bennett gave him a chance to calm down and he didn't.

No Liverpool player stepped in to help - where was Gerrard? - when Mascherano went for a word too many.

After the Ashley Cole stuff there was always going to be a crackdown on dissent. It's called common sense. He didn't have any today.

[nicko]

On a subject closer to home - your top six rivals.

Villa on the slide and at Man U next Saturday. Defeat.

Man City at Birmingham. Draw at best.

Portsmouth against an understrength Wigan. Home banker.

So you need something at Reading to keep up the pressure. The fact they have pulled away from the bottom three might be a help...

[Hasta]

After the Ashley Cole stuff there was always going to be a crackdown on dissent. It's called common sense. He didn't have any today.

Agreed but nor did Bennett and ultimately he has ruined a game for 70,000 paying spectators and for millions watching on TV. Had he not booked him I don't think it was that big an incident that anyone would have even noticed. However i have always thought that Steve Bennett is a bit of a male rooster.

[nicko]

Agreed but nor did Bennett and ultimately he has ruined a game for 70,000 paying spectators and for millions watching on TV. Had he not booked him I don't think it was that big an incident that anyone would have even noticed. However i have always thought that Steve Bennett is a bit of a male rooster.

Bennett is pompous, which is another reason to give him no reason to send you off. Got to be street-wise and Mascherano wasn't.

Liverpool blew it for themselves, the keeper wanted to blame the officials for his own weaknesses too.

[AggyBlue]

Agreed but nor did Bennett and ultimately he has ruined a game for 70,000 paying spectators and for millions watching on TV. Had he not booked him I don't think it was that big an incident that anyone would have even noticed. However i have always thought that Steve Bennett is a bit of a male rooster.

Bol locks, 70,000 paying spectators loved it and would take that every season against 'pool.

[1864roverite]

It maybe Le C that I am still riled by referee Rileys inept decision that cost us 3 points against Fulham the other week, it may be the fact that I still havent got over the referee sending Henning Berg off versus manure some years ago after a marvellous tackle, maybe its the fact that we have seen numerous yellow cards thrown at Rovers players over the past 4 seasons compared to other clubs who just dont seem to given the harsh treatment that some Rovers players get or maybe its the fact that I just plain and simple cannot abide pompous referees

Bennet contrived to brandish the card rather than simply put himself firmly in charge of the players, having already given the yellow card to Macherano. Thats where, IMO he lost the game. He should have sent Torres off IF he had been consistently bad over the 90 minutes, he failed to do so in the process making himself as inept as referee Riley and Dean.

At Ewood yesterday we saw Samba given a straight red for a "hands on" offence which saw heskey buckle like he had been hit by a train. Now I am a big lad but please, it would take a bloody big push to make me fall like he did. On the other side, we saw Palacios commit at least 5 bookable fouls BEFORE he eventually got a yellow and THEN it still took another 4 fouls to get himself the second yellow. At the same time how Brown didnt follow him after persistently fouling and gobbing off is beyond comprehension.

Back to referee Riley. Rovers have often been the victim of his inadequecies, Fulham being the latest. he should have sent Cole packing the other night but failed to do so losing all respect from everyone in football. In that one game he had the chance to let all footballers know just how unacceptable that sort of behaviour is on the pitch and it would have carried such a big message to ALL footballers, ALL potential footballers, ALL referees and potential referees and ALL supporters of the beautiful game. Instead, he continued in his normal way and made himself look like a right t*t.

Thats my take and believe me, there is nothing to evidence that referees have got it right yet. They are so inconsistent, some are so obnoxious like Bennett,Wiley and Styles and some of them think that the supporters are there to watch him and his two side jockeys. They dont come out in the media to explain their mistakes as they hide behind The FA and Keith Hackett. They would be so much more professional, if just for once, they came out and talked about the errors to the fans. It would go such a long way to making relationships on the pitch so much better.

There is no finer example of a good referee than Collina, the Italian referee. His presence and standing, the way he ran a football match, the way he talked to players, managers and the media is an example that ALL referees shoudl aspire to.

Until then, The Bast*** in the Black remains just that, until he sorts his sh*t out.

[RovertheHill]

Watch any two players running down the wing for a ball and I guarantee that 9 times out of 10 you will see both of them put their hands on the other. I also guarantee that 9 times out of 10 nothing will happen - not a free-kick, not a booking and certainly not a red card. And somebody like Andy Gray will say something like "he's eased him out of it" or "out-muscled him". The point is I find it highly ironic that people on here are saying that dissent to the ref (even relatively polite questioning) is abhorrent and should be stamped out by sending off the player involved, and yet simulation (or cheating as we used to call it in the old days) is accepted as part and parcel of the game. Strange.

[Fife Rover]

Shocking result - same old problems.

Play-offs should have been made, any side with something about them could have made sixth.

No keeper, no real left winger...no excuse.

If you want to be taken seriously you have to spend.

Not happy.

Just been reading the LT report and the various comments in the blog section. The dingle's so-called supporters are already calling Owen Coyle everything they can lay tongue to, as though it's his fault that the miserable gits that hold the purse strings can't even stretch a point or two to get them into the play-offs.

[Fife Rover]

I wouldnt mind taking Nolan off Bolton if they go down. He would fit into our team with his never say die attitude, his work ethos, is a leader and the ability to score goals.

And he is reputed to have said "that he'd never play for Blackburn as long as he had a hole in his ****"

[joey_big_nose]

And I'm sure Bennett will get a ticking off (not) for his ludicrous lack of protection then booking for Torres followed by ruining the game for 70,000 paying spectators just because a player ran over to ask him why he'd made that decision. No aggression, no intimidation and no lack of respect. The main lack of respect was Bennetts decision to not even explain his decisions to the players. Referees often make a rod for their own back. Today Steve Bennett has done just that.

I don't quite get what your on about. Mascherano made around four fouls, two of which were bad, and kept giving the ref stick for no apparent reason. His team mates were hardly surrounding the referee. It was suicide. It was like he wanted to go off. I can't fault Bennett for sending him off, you could see it coming from a mile off.

Mascherano ruined the game and let down his team, not anyone else.