[Archived] When (in Your Opinion) Was The Last Time We Played Really Well?

[Roaming Rover]

The amount of luck we have had this season in gaining a draw away to Chelsea their disallowed goal, Liverpool at home, Everton at home, Sunderland at home.. we should be five points lighter that springs to mind.

This luck cant continue, Hughes needs more quality attacking players for me and Jason Koumas isnt the answer.

Maybe Lady Luck has forgiven us from the Souness era and returned to Ewood

[krislu]

Hm, tough one. I remember us playing quite well against Sheffield Wed. at Ewood a good few years ago...

[den]

People don't expect that and shouldn't expect that. However once again i will say its a valid question to ask when was the last time we played really well for 90 minutes.

I'll put that back to you:

when was the last time ANY team played well for 90 mins?

[RibbleValleyRover]

I'll put that back to you:

when was the last time ANY team played well for 90 mins?

I don't expect a team to play brilliant for 90 minutes, obviously i wasn't clear enough about that. I was using 90 minutes as a figure in terms of playing well overall for the whole game..

There are matches all the time where for large periods of a match sometime even a full half or more where they have played well and have looked on top in comparison to the opposition. In recent times when i have watched Rovers we have been poor in the first half coneeding the first goal (which stats do back up) and we have had to come back in the second half to get anything from the game.

From my personal viewpoint we haven't played at our best for a long time.

[b12_simon]

I don't expect a team to play brilliant for 90 minutes, obviously i wasn't clear enough about that. I was using 90 minutes as a figure in terms of playing well overall for the whole game..

There are matches all the time where for large periods of a match sometime even a full half or more where they have played well and have looked on top in comparison to the opposition. In recent times when i have watched Rovers we have been poor in the first half coneeding the first goal (which stats do back up) and we have had to come back in the second half to get anything from the game.

From my personal viewpoint we haven't played at our best for a long time.

It's possible to look at our second-half performances and see them as a sign that we have a tactically brilliant manager. Hughes reads the game very well: shores up our weaknesses and points out the weaknesses of the opposition.

Rovers are acheiving wonders on a shoestring but it's not enough for some people.

[Hasta]

Right, I'm going to clarify my stance now as to why I am getting so frustrated with the Rovers at the moment. I will also try and address b12_simons last point on why what Rovers are doing is maybe not enough for some people

Early season a lot of people were singing the praisies of our team and quite rightly so. However attitudes are slowly changing. This threads title is similar to the question I asked about when was the last time we played at Ewood and were clearly the better team. Practically everyone goes back to October.

The problem is that it keeps getting said that we have spent no money, even compared to the teams lower down the league such as Newcastle, Sunderland, West Ham and Boro. This is true. Hughes has done exceptionally well over the last 3 years to bring together this team. However we are now in a long spell (almost 5 months) whereby this team is not playing better than, and often playing worse than the likes of Boro, Sunderland, West Ham, Coventry. Initially it was 'just a bad spell', now it's starting to become 'what do you expect, weve spent no money'. Results have gone our way during this spell. However beleive me this won;t always be the case. If we dont improve then games like Boro and Everton where we rode our luck will become defeats.

Another question therefore is do we believe that this team is top half premier league material. If so the performances of the last 5 months haven't been good enough. If we believe they have been as good as we can expect from these players then next season we will be in trouble.

Personally I feel they are underperforming and have the ability to be a top 10 team. When we lose the likes of Bentley, Santa Cruz and Samba and are struggling to replace them, then I feel we can blame lack of money. I am so, so greatful to have my local town team playing in the Premiership and the fact that we are in the top half is great. Practically all other league clubs are envious of our current position. However that doesn't stop me wanting our current players to perform the best that they can. This team can play better than it has been doing. We've seen them do it for large spells of last year and early this year. I'm frustrated because whilst we are in a position to push for Europe and possibly even make 4th I want us to have a real go and finish as high as this team possibly can - because believe me these times won't go on forever and one day we will drop down to a lower level.

[RibbleValleyRover]

It's possible to look at our second-half performances and see them as a sign that we have a tactically brilliant manager. Hughes reads the game very well: shores up our weaknesses and points out the weaknesses of the opposition.

Good point. Though one could argue we have to use up more energy and work harder to come back in the second half, when it could be easier if we had taken the lead in the first place. It could have a big impact in terms of injuries, suspensions and the level of tiredness of players.

Rovers are acheiving wonders on a shoestring but it's not enough for some people.

Well every Rovers fans has different views to the level of performances they want to see and what they expect from the team. I think most fans will agree that we have done well with the budget we have, injuries and suspensions we have had and the fact we are still looking to a possible european place. But at the same time those fans who have seen a dramatic drop in form or performances in comparison to the begining of the season have every right to vent and question why this is the case. It doesn't make them any lesser than those who are happy and content at this moment in time.

[Manc Rover]

The last time (and probably the only time this season) we played a team off the pitch was at home to Reading. The players we have just arent the types to do this on a regular basis. They're workers, tough to beat and know how to grind out results. Not exactly pleasing on the eye at times, but I'd rather have the players we have than so called flair players for teams languishing in the bottom half of the league.

If we can build on our solid core in the summer then I really see us improving further./ Yes it was a shame we didnt pick up a midfielder or 2 in the window, but lets face it - we aint gonna go down, the champs league is beyond us and we cant afford inflated prices for players who probably dont wanna come anyway. So, lets get them at the right price in the summer.

Lets keep getting behind the boys and see where we can finish.

[waggy]

i thought we played quite well against plymouth at home 1975

[Yorick]

i thought we played quite well against plymouth at home 1975

2nd half we did, only after we gave em a start.

[RevidgeBlue]

i thought we played quite well against plymouth at home 1975

I'll probably get slated for being overly negative here but let's be honest we've been dining out for some time on the strength of our superb start to the season.

Since the end of October it's been little better than relegation form and performances, eighteen points from sixteen games I think.

I don't entirely buy this "we're a small team and should be glad to be in the top half stuff" with the players we have I think we should be performing a lot better. To me the players are doing their best to prove the old theory that they only listen to any particular manager for a certain amount of time and I hope that is not the case long term although I suppose this is what you get when you are not give the funding to bring in a couple of new faces to freshen things up from time to time. So in that sense the "small team" stuff might be applicable.

I can't wait for next season to start tbh, in an ideal world it would be new owners, a little bit of investment on the playing side, one or two new faces on the pitch and a new sense of enthusiasm and direction permeating from the top down around Ewood to match the ambitions of our manager.

Well we can but hope.

[Flopsy]

0-4 vs Spurs 2003 I think, utterly awesome.

7-2 vs West Ham was pretty good.

now who was the manger then........

[Boz]

i thought we played quite well against plymouth at home 1975

Ah yes 1975, 5-2, Don Martin (despite penalty miss!), I went through my canvass stool that I was stood on by the wall on the Riverside.

Anyway back to reality....If MGP & Benni would have had merely average seasons, in contrast to the high standards in which Bents, Samba, Roque, Warnock, Brad & Tugs, have all played, then who knows where we would be now?

[RevidgeBlue]

Anyway back to reality....If MGP & Benni would have had merely average seasons, in contrast to the high standards in which Bents, Samba, Roque, Warnock, Brad & Tugs, have all played, then who knows where we would be now?

Tugs????!!!!!!!!

[Dunnfc]

Reading at home was a fantastic game. It had everything also Birmingham was good too.

I feel Hughes has to be blamed for a degree of the shocking performances i mean why chop and change the side? Why keep playing out of form players? Why creep nervousness in fans and players minds with refusing to say no to Newcastle? Why keep playing the same predictable play and long ball tactics? Why bring subs on too late?

Don't get me wrong love Hughes but i think he should have done better this season, but if we get into europe that will do me fine. Lets hope we have abit of spends for next year because we will suffer otherwise.

The amount of games weve been chasing because weve been behind also makes players more tired but its their fault for falling behind.

Some of the players have been below par in key games or have just been below par all year most notably Gamst and Benni and maybe Nelsen.

[philipl]

Reading at home was a fantastic game. It had everything also Birmingham was good too.

I feel Hughes has to be blamed for a degree of the shocking performances i mean why chop and change the side? Why keep playing out of form players? Why creep nervousness in fans and players minds with refusing to say no to Newcastle? Why keep playing the same predictable play and long ball tactics? Why bring subs on too late?

Don't get me wrong love Hughes but i think he should have done better this season, but if we get into europe that will do me fine. Lets hope we have abit of spends for next year because we will suffer otherwise.

The amount of games weve been chasing because weve been behind also makes players more tired but its their fault for falling behind.

Some of the players have been below par in key games or have just been below par all year most notably Gamst and Benni and maybe Nelsen.

I think you need Souness back then you will be happy.

[Boz]

Tugs????!!!!!!!!

Yes Tugs, if only watching him warm up!

I still don't see a better midfield player in our squad, passing, ball retention, awareness, movement on and off the ball, and those once a season memorable goals. If this is indeed his last season, on his final match at Ewood might we all stand and applaud him off the pitch, until he heads off down the tunnel? Please.

[Dunnfc]

I think you need Souness back then you will be happy.

Id rather die thanks.

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

Another disappointing and frustrating performance on Saturday against a Fulham team who should have been there for the taking. As Stuart Hall on Radio 5 said in his match report: "Jimmy Bullard was the only player to rise above this mundane mediocrity."

Rovers have played ten matches in 2008 so far and I'm struggling to recall a top quality performance in any of those ten games. We played some decent stuff in patches against Bolton, but there have been three or four awful performances in 2008. Obviously the worst of those came in the shambles against Coventry in the FA Cup. There was a dire home game against Sunderland and a 1-1 draw at home to Middlesbrough which could have easily ended up 1-5 to 'Boro given the chances they were able to carve out against our weak midfield and porous defence.

It often seems as if Rovers have to go a goal down before the players start to wake up and perform to an acceptable standard. Rovers seem to have great difficulty starting off a match in top gear, whereas the top teams like Man United usually start off like a train and attack with pace, invention and tempo from the first whistle.

I think the last time Rovers played really well from the start and took the game to the opposition by attacking with verve and tempo from the beginning was in our 4-2 win over Reading back in October. We were 3-0 up at half-time and then got a bit sloppy in the second half, with the players taking their foot off the pedal and conceding two goals. But it made a change to start off a match well in the first half.

Why, since the Reading game in October, have the players not been able to do the same in recent months and attack with pace from the start?

When was the last time Rovers gave a team a really good thumping as we did in our first season back in the Premiership in 2001/02 - thrashing West Ham 7-1 at Ewood. Players like Jansen, Tugay and Dunn were on fire that day against a West Ham side who ended up finishing 7th in the Premiership that year and had some good players like Joe Cole, Carrick, Di Canio and Defoe in their squad. Nowadays Rovers really seem to struggle to attack teams at the start of a match. Apart from Bentley, who has had a bit of a mixed season, we lack creativity, pace and tempo.

Perhaps some of the current players aren't as good as a number of Rovers fans thought they were at the start of the season. In the summer PhilipL claimed after the signings of Santa Cruz and Righters that Rovers had the strongest squad in their history. But we saw during the shambles against Coventry that even when a few changes are made to the team - introducing players like Righters, Berner and Treacy into the side - that our squad sadly isn't as strong as PhilipL claimed it was.

[BRFC4EVA]

Thought we were excellent in the first half against Bolton, more so then in the second when we scored 3 more goals. Villa away as well was a good performance

[Eddie]

I will always look back on this season with a "what if?" thinking about Benni's goal at home to Villa. That home game was the point at which our season changed for me, also that was pretty much the point at which Benni became somewhat useless, the combination has not been good. Had we gone a goal up we probably would have won that game and we might be sitting in 5th or 6th right now. Obviously every team has moments similar to that, but it's been a couple months and we've yet to fully regain our form even when we've gone on a decent run of results (usually against fairly weak sides), so it is something that pops into my head regularly.

[Paul]

The most recent games to stand out in my mind are Reading, Villa and Arsenal (LC) and while this isn't actually answering the question, the Arsenal game is the match of the season. A match that had everything, a young Arsenal side played Rovers off the park for 40 minutes with football that was so good I didn't mind losing. A Rovers second-half come back that had us on the edge of our seats. Great stuff.

[philipl]

AESF, it must be a strong squad because:

- we lost the backbone of the last two season's side to injury (Savage whom we now amazingly got £1.5m for and Nelsen whom we perservered with far too long with through the winter)

- two previous stars have been off form (Benni and MGP)

- Rigters has proved not good enough, no youngsters come through and those that might have done got injured or suspended when the possible openings were there (Olssen, Peter and Tracey)

Yet we are 7th in the EPL.

If in 94/5, Hendry played as few games as Batty did and Shearer and Ripley were only half as good as they were, would we have come as high as 7th?