[Archived] Birmingham Last Game

[MarkBRFC]

Everyone knows as well as I do that football can be a very emotional game. Especially on the last day of the season, we see tears of joy, tears of despair, anger etc.

It's not knee jerk reaction, it's what football can be for people, very emotional.

A lot of our fans vented anger because with just one more win we could have been in Europe next season but the players didn't seem to want it enough. So much so that Birmingham looked like they would score everytime the went forward.

Too many of our players don't seem to have the mental strength to keep going when all seems lost, would any of the top four have folded like we did or would they have kept going until the end, we all know the answer.

As a side note, the Axe came on the South Lancs bus after the game, thanked the fans for our support and gave his shirt to my ole man.

A final goodbye maybe?

Hopefully.

[Eddie]

SO ..do you want the "********* idiot" to be our manager or not????????

7th ? bare minimum...you live in cloud cuckoo land,i got a shilletto ear bashing for saying this,but too many people live in the gravy boat land silver spoon fed of top flight footy.

oh and by the eddie we are doing well for a club our size and you threatened to "punch anone on the nose if they said it again".....ooops ive said it,next time your at ewood feel free to meet me and you can try it if you want.Dont fancy your chances of actually connecting with my nose but hell your welcome to try.

He was an idiot yesterday.

I can only assume that he told the players to play long-ball tactics. If not he should have put more effort in to change that during the first half.

I have no idea why he then took off Vogel and MGP as it was obvious that we would lose our shape.

I'll stand by my comments that he is horrible when it comes to tactics.

You seem to be rather slow when it comes to this topic and you don't bother to fully read or process what I have written, so let me put together a simpler way of looking at it for you.

1) Going into the season the a good percentage, possibly the majority, feel that this is the best squad we've had since winning the premiership. Hughes feels it is the best squad he has ever had. He sets the UEFA Cup as the target, although says that he also feels that the Champions League is possible.

a) Now when someone says it is our best squad since winning the title, we must consider that since then we've finished 6th three times (I think that is right) and on top of that have had a couple seasons of great football and some very talented players. The last two seasons we had finished 6th and 10th.

2) All of the players said that Europe is what they expected (some obviously feel it is what they need in order to stay).

3) A quarter of the way through the season and most on here were dreaming of Champions League football, we probably wouldn't have taken 7th at that point.

Now if you put all of those points together and you come off saying that I'm some spoon fed top flight supporter than you really are struggling. Take a look at the prediction tables and see where the average supporter on here thought we would finish (I'm pretty sure it would be 5-7). So how can we then come out and say 7th is a great achievement? It's a pretty good year, we didn't do horribly, but I'm not in awe of what the squad has done (especially when you consider that we underachieved in every cup competition).

Again, if you can counter these points with something other than "good for a small club" and "you should have been here when we were bottom of the bottom of the bottom" then I welcome it. I've supported this team in the first division, I've supported them when we were 20/21st in that division and losing against the likes of Crewe. Now I'm not old enough to have experienced life below that, but I don't think that should mean that I should be unable to form an opinion on the current team and that when that opinion differs from your own that you should just be able to use that against me.

This club is in the premiership now. It has players who have spent the majority, if not all, of their careers playing in top divisions. It is filled with players who have played UEFA Cup football, International football, won leagues, won the Champions League, gone to World Cups. This is not a side that can be defended by saying that it is based in a small town. It isn't a side that can be defended by saying 30 years ago we couldn't even dream of being in the top division.

If your honest belief is that expectations at the start of the season were too high and that the side has done as much as it could do, then that is fine; however, I don't believe that there are many on here who do honestly believe that and if they do, where were they in August?

We have a side that, with the exception of our central midfield (Hughes' fault), merits being in the UEFA Cup and is capable of achieving it, it didn't do so. That for me is the only fact that matters here. Next season we will watch Aston Villa, Everton and Portsmouth (possibly Cardiff) play in a competition we should have been in. We will see their fans enjoy great trips and possibly more importantly we may see our own targets decide to sign for them rather than us (let's see who Bradley would rather join now, or Milner if we chose him to be a possible Bentley replacement). We probably couldn't have signed Benni or Santa Cruz without European football. Now, thanks to being unable to beat the second worst team in the Premiership, a side that couldn't even manage a shot on target against a fellow relegation candidate the week before, we are a small club. This summer, you may well be right.

Sometimes, if you wish hard enough, you get what you want...

[RevidgeBlue]

Can anyone remember any highlights ?

1) Samba's injury time winner at Spurs.

2) A stirring performance at home against the red scum.

3) The superb red and black halved away strip.

Generally though I agree. Not a season that will linger long in the memory at all, despite what on paper looks like an impressive 7th place finish.

[MarkBRFC]

1) Samba's injury time winner at Spurs.

2) A stirring performance at home against the red scum.

3) The superb red and black halved away strip.

Generally though I agree. Not a season that will linger long in the memory at all, despite what on paper looks like an impressive 7th place finish.

Add Roberts injury time winner at Bolton & Mattys injury time winner at Newcastle to that list aswell.

[ABBEY]

He was an idiot yesterday.

I can only assume that he told the players to play long-ball tactics. If not he should have put more effort in to change that during the first half.

I have no idea why he then took off Vogel and MGP as it was obvious that we would lose our shape.

I'll stand by my comments that he is horrible when it comes to tactics.

You seem to be rather slow when it comes to this topic and you don't bother to fully read or process what I have written, so let me put together a simpler way of looking at it for you.

1) Going into the season the a good percentage, possibly the majority, feel that this is the best squad we've had since winning the premiership. Hughes feels it is the best squad he has ever had. He sets the UEFA Cup as the target, although says that he also feels that the Champions League is possible.

a) Now when someone says it is our best squad since winning the title, we must consider that since then we've finished 6th three times (I think that is right) and on top of that have had a couple seasons of great football and some very talented players. The last two seasons we had finished 6th and 10th.

2) All of the players said that Europe is what they expected (some obviously feel it is what they need in order to stay).

3) A quarter of the way through the season and most on here were dreaming of Champions League football, we probably wouldn't have taken 7th at that point.

Now if you put all of those points together and you come off saying that I'm some spoon fed top flight supporter than you really are struggling. Take a look at the prediction tables and see where the average supporter on here thought we would finish (I'm pretty sure it would be 5-7). So how can we then come out and say 7th is a great achievement? It's a pretty good year, we didn't do horribly, but I'm not in awe of what the squad has done (especially when you consider that we underachieved in every cup competition).

Again, if you can counter these points with something other than "good for a small club" and "you should have been here when we were bottom of the bottom of the bottom" then I welcome it. I've supported this team in the first division, I've supported them when we were 20/21st in that division and losing against the likes of Crewe. Now I'm not old enough to have experienced life below that, but I don't think that should mean that I should be unable to form an opinion on the current team and that when that opinion differs from your own that you should just be able to use that against me.

This club is in the premiership now. It has players who have spent the majority, if not all, of their careers playing in top divisions. It is filled with players who have played UEFA Cup football, International football, won leagues, won the Champions League, gone to World Cups. This is not a side that can be defended by saying that it is based in a small town. It isn't a side that can be defended by saying 30 years ago we couldn't even dream of being in the top division.

If your honest belief is that expectations at the start of the season were too high and that the side has done as much as it could do, then that is fine; however, I don't believe that there are many on here who do honestly believe that and if they do, where were they in August?

We have a side that, with the exception of our central midfield (Hughes' fault), merits being in the UEFA Cup and is capable of achieving it, it didn't do so. That for me is the only fact that matters here. Next season we will watch Aston Villa, Everton and Portsmouth (possibly Cardiff) play in a competition we should have been in. We will see their fans enjoy great trips and possibly more importantly we may see our own targets decide to sign for them rather than us (let's see who Bradley would rather join now, or Milner if we chose him to be a possible Bentley replacement). We probably couldn't have signed Benni or Santa Cruz without European football. Now, thanks to being unable to beat the second worst team in the Premiership, a side that couldn't even manage a shot on target against a fellow relegation candidate the week before, we are a small club. This summer, you may well be right.

Sometimes, if you wish hard enough, you get what you want...

you patronising stunt,i will ask slowly seeing as you have not answered the question...

DO YOU FRENCH EDDIE WANT HUGHES AS OUR MANAGER??????

If not who do you want thats not an idiot???????

Nice twisting of words there eddie i never once in my life said anyone that didnt see us in the third division couldnt have an opinion ,jesus you have turned into a right moaning minnie.

Also your hand is going to hurt because you have a lot of nose punching to get thru,just make sure im first.

ok people of this message board who would you think as better tactics and knowledge of football?????

hughes or eddie?????

EDDIE FFS HUGHSIE I THINK AS MORE OF AN IDEA THAN YOU DO DOESNT HE,TELL YOU WHAT PUT YOUR MEDALS AND TACTICTAL BRAIN ALONG SIDE HUGHSIE AND I WOULD BET MY HOUSE,MY MUMS HOUSE AND YOUR BAR ON IT THAT MH COMES OUT ON TOP.CALLING HIM AN IDIOT IS VERY DISRESPECTFUL.

€€€

[AggyBlue]

ok people of this message board who would you think as better tactics and knowledge of football?????

hughes or eddie?????

Tough one to call Abbs. Eddie has been watching top flight football for quite a few years now.

I'l sit on the fence on this one

[ABBEY]

haha

den set a poll up haha

[roversmum]

Instead of being herded and treated like animals by clubs, maybe we should start appealing to be treated like customers who have paid a large amount of cash to have the pleasure of watching a sport.

Flopsy, you may or may not remember, I've trumpeted this cause before. Fans are paying customers of whom the majority behave perfectly reasonably and at the least should expect reasonable customer service i.e. not being treated as if their very presence is a nuisance. I know that Rovers are encouraging away fans in order to make money from them but let me tell you that if they start receiving benefits that Rovers own supporters do not I for one will be making a great deal of fuss about it.

To say nothing of the disgraceful treatment that disabled supporters have to put up with throughout the leagues particularly if you are an away fan.

I think Eddie has put some good points together. It isn't the fans who've been bleating about Europe all through the season, it is the squad who have been banging on about it at every opportunity and then putting in performances which whilst have been adequate, with just a little more effort would have seen us a little higher in the league and indeed in Europe. Hughes himself is obviously extremely disappointed - he has come out and said so.

It isn't disappointment at 'just' being 7th - how can it be, that is wonderful even though we miss out on Europe, but when everyone knows that it should have been 6th and could so easily have been 5th that is a bitter pill to take. We have had a couple of extremely exciting seasons and possibly been a little spoilt but then we have been used to getting good results from teams up and around us and good cup runs, and this season has been different and frustrating in that respect.

btw just for the record if somebody offered me 7th position next season and finishing above Spurs, WHU Barcodes, pompey and City to boot .... I'd be tempted to snatch their hands off! rover.gif

and yes, Theno, so would I, in spite of everything!

[Flopsy]

Abbey, calm down.

[RoyRover]

Like everyone else, I'm hugely disappointed by the result of yesterday's game. We had the chance to end the season on a high note and finish in Europe, but ended up getting humiliated by the second worst team in the league. The substitutions seemed to break the our hold on the game. Emerton was by far our best player and has been a revelation since being moved into the centre. Even though we have done well to finish higher than we did last season, I still see our season as being a bit of a disappointed. If we were more consistent, we could easily have finished in 5th. That is one area of the team that needs to be sorted out next season-beating the teams in and around us and not dropping crucial points to weaker sides. I know that this is easier said than done, but if we want to go to the next level, then we have to be able to beat the likes of Everton, Aston Villa, West Ham and Tottenham at home. In terms of final league position, the season has been a success, but it is still a disappointment when you consider what should have been.

[ABBEY]

Abbey, calm down.

SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

do tell what ive done now?????

[cn174]

Still upset about this game really, it was there for the taking but we just seemed to bottle it. Thought that Emerton was our best player by a mile in central midfield until he got shifted out to the left.

However I'm glad Brum have gone down, don't think I'll miss their bunch of idiot fans! Never seen so many police at a footy game I don't think!!

[Roversider]

Still upset about this game really, it was there for the taking but we just seemed to bottle it. Thought that Emerton was our best player by a mile in central midfield until he got shifted out to the left.

However I'm glad Brum have gone down, don't think I'll miss their bunch of idiot fans! Never seen so many police at a footy game I don't think!!

Emerton was outstanding and when he moved out of central midfield we really struggled. His energy levels really kept Brum on the back foot until then. For once we saw a couple of extremely rare things - Brad doing a 'Flowers' and Sparky cocking up on the substitutions.

Next season does look promising if we can keep the squad together and bring a bit of a refresh to parts of the team. Love to see an outstanding central midfielder to join us. I'm not certain whether the Maestro has got the legs to push for a place as the holding midfielder, still, not many other players (apart from Brad) have that special rapport with the fans. If it was his last game I wish him very, very well for the future.

7th was excellent - an improvement of 2 places on last year and hopefully ahead of the budgeted outcome by 2 or 3 places. The extra place money will help in summer.

Anyway, better than being a sour Brummie! First time I've seen drawn truncheons from the police for a while. Bye bye Blues and good riddance.

[thenodrog]

1) Going into the season the a good percentage, possibly the majority, feel that this is the best squad we've had since winning the premiership. Hughes feels it is the best squad he has ever had. He sets the UEFA Cup as the target, although says that he also feels that the Champions League is possible.

a. Now when someone says it is our best squad since winning the title, we must consider that since then we've finished 6th three times (I think that is right) and on top of that have had a couple seasons of great football and some very talented players. The last two seasons we had finished 6th and 10th.

Nice long post eddie BUT flawed from the point in bold onwards. The 94-95 side would not win the title now. We might just about push Lpool for 4th place but thats about it.

[Eddie]

I never said they would. However, if this is the best squad SINCE winning the tittle, then surely it should be able to at least achieve what three sides have done since then (finish 6th).

Abbey, you've still failed to address any of my points.

[ABBEY]

which bleeding points?

and you have not answered mine...

[philipl]

eddie, the current squad was one crap performance at Brum away from getting to 6th.

I think we have demonstrated the squad depth in that the backbone of the side went AWOL for at least half the season and we still got 7th.

McCarthy lost form dramatically

Savage was a busted flush from early on and completely lost his mobility to such an extent we were glad to take £1.5m for him

Dunn and Reid didn't recover their form of old

Tugay's legs are gone

MGP had a very poor season until beginning to recover in March

We didn't get a specialist central midfielder until 6 games from the end

Nelsen came back from injury sub par and got worse until having to take 6 weeks out

The most promising youngsters were all either suffering injuries or out suspended when the openings became available

Derbyshire ended the season carrying a double hernia which made him a tiny bit part player at the end.

...and we were bottom of the Fair Play league again with joint highest number of sending offs.

If you had written that as the script for 07/8 season at the beginning of August last year when the Premier League Table forecasts were being made, I don't think many people would have suggested a top half finish, never mind being gutted with only getting 7th.

It shows that the club did have great resources within the 22 players it used during the League campaign.

[Eddie]

Yeah, but is a poor form an excuse for not achieving what you can? As for being close to getting it, close won't see us playing in Europe next season. Chelsea were one game away from the title. Birmingham and Reading one game away from staying up. Fulham one game away from going down. One game can mean a lot.

[RoversFanUSA]

[S15]

Eddies rather long post on the previous page is pretty much accurate to how I feel about the season.

However, I feel many points could also be made for us, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Man City, Everton ranging down to West Ham and Newcastle (Spurs are off the chart for underachievement).

There had to be a running order however, and we didn;t do too badly.

However, one thing I totally agree with Eddie on is his points about younger supporters being hounded by, well, Abbey whenever we form an opinion which differs to his (Which are totally based on the fact he's being supporting the team longer than us)

Also tiring is his school boy ''ITS ALWAYS ME'' response whenever he is told to calm down.

I realise many peoples opinion differ to mine on a number issues, and I also appreciate sometimes I respond extremely petulantly to comments and arguments which I should just let pass me by, but seriously, I'll turn around the extremely ironic comment you throw out repeatedly.. GROW UP!

[ABBEY]

However, one thing I totally agree with Eddie on is his points about younger supporters being hounded by, well, Abbey whenever we form an opinion which differs to his (Which are totally based on the fact he's being supporting the team longer than us)

Also tiring is his school boy ''ITS ALWAYS ME'' response whenever he is told to calm down.

I realise many peoples opinion differ to mine on a number issues, and I also appreciate sometimes I respond extremely petulantly to comments and arguments which I should just let pass me by, but seriously, I'll turn around the extremely ironic comment you throw out repeatedly.. GROW UP!

1.show me where ive ever said anything about (as eddie said about being better because the young uns have not seen the 3rd division) read my post and stop being a drama queen.Alls i have ever said is know your history and you will realise where we have come from.

2."always me!"......................ok i will bite,CHRIST ALMIGHTY IT WAS EDDIE THAT THREATENED TO PUNCH PEOPLE ON THE NOSE AND GUESS WHAT NOWT SAID

3.YES many people do have different opinions than you because alls you do is post to wind people up and get a reaction.you thrive on it.

.

[philipl]

Simply pointing out eddie there must be strength and quality in the squad because most of it performed way below what we know it can do or had done 12 months earlier and we still came 7th. That's all.

Not making excuses, just explaining reality that the assertions of the squad strength compared with previous years was actually proven by what happened.

[Paul Mellelieu]

Ediie,

Who were the best team in 94/5?

What is Cantona hadn't thrown himself into the crowd?

If Jack Walker hadn't sold out to British Steel?

We finished 7th and that's pretty good (most seasons that's a European place), and i'd take that for next season now.

You see guys, the reason that we don't play so well sometimes, that we can look crap, is that we spend less than anyone else on players.

And Eddie, based on the description by Philip of the injuries and loss of form of key players, don't you think that Hughes has been brilliantly?

[thenodrog]

However, one thing I totally agree with Eddie on is his points about younger supporters being hounded by, well, Abbey whenever we form an opinion which differs to his (Which are totally based on the fact he's being supporting the team longer than us)

No bloody wonder is it? The vast majority of younger supporters are bloody gormless!............. No wait!..sorry Shillitoe I'm being unfair, let me expand upon that..... it's not just being gormless it's just that those under 30 are too young to have any insight or memory of the real and very cruel economics of professional football. We are damned lucky to be supporting a small club that is more than punching it's weight at the top table, most younger supporters cannot rem the days before Jack Walker threw his wallet at the club and imo most of em would be supporting MU / Lpool rather than a small town club with a shiity outdated ground yo-yoing between Divs 2 and 3 or whatever you want to call em nowadays if he had not done!

[1864roverite]

Shaun your walking the tight rope of high blood pressure mate, calm down pal, remember a villager has more nouse than any city living boy !!

I cannot in anyway be sad that Rovers only finished a paltry 7th in the Premier League. The suicidal amongst us must now seek solace with the Samaritans and the like or to be simple get yourself over to the turd and support the dingles.

We have seen nothing but improvement this season and along the way there has to be some downers.

Improvement in home attendances

Unbeaten at home in 2008

Fantastic away record

Increases in points accumulation

Increase in prize placement money

increase in tv revenue (15 games shown live this season)

Increase in match revenue

One of the best behaved and well liked away support - finished 3rd in the league supplied by the FA

Best pies in the league as voted by away fans

Best matchday programme

Best HOME kit in the Premiership as voted by football supporters

the downers are a poor second

losing to Coventry in the FA Cup

losing the Larissa tie over 2 legs by 1 goal

a 3 month injury lay off to Nelsen

The inability to see off Arsenals second string in the Carling Cup quarter final

and of course not taking advantage of games such as brum away to get the missing 2 points to see us on our travels back into European competition.

The season is now gone. Players will come, players will go, fans will not return, some fans will bring other supporters back, wavering fans will come back and some fans will simply die off.

In August we go again.

So peeps enjoy the break. For me Rovers are going onto bigger and better things. Optimistic ? YES I am. Wembley beckons for us supporters next season I can feel it. Without the trips to Europe we will see Rovers improve once again, even if we only finish 1 place higher.

Be grateful for what we have. The next 7-8 weeks will see allsort of speculation before pre season and our holidays.