[Archived] Nicko's Thread Part 3

[ackroyd75]

But we were down to 10 men with Tugs sent off. Upto that point we were the better team IMO.

[grizfoot]

McClaren was in charge when they pasted us 4-0 at Ewood Park, right? The football they played that day was lovely as their 2 wingers ripped us to pieces. I take absolutely no pleasure in saying that, but it's true.

Didn't we have ten men for the majority of that game?

We also had Gray and Amoruso back then. But to be fair Middlesbrough did play some decent football under McClaren and scored loads in their UEFA Cup run I seem to remember. That saying I still think we could do much better than McClaren.

[broadsword]

Asking for a preference between McLaren and allardyce is like asking someone if they'd prefer a smack in the face or a knee in the groin.

McLaren used to address players by their nicknames when he was in charge of England, bloody hell, what sort of a "gaffer" was he?

[novella]

Rather have McClaren than Allardyce. If I had just paid more attention to the football Boro played under him... probably more attractive under him than any Allardyce side anyway.

living in boro and having alot of boro supporting mates, i can say that none of them would take mcclaren back. he made bad choices with them, although he seemed to have a good record. they constantly played 4 5 1 at home, defensively etc. alot of my mates think gareth southgate will become a great manager and is just bringing that boro team up and were glad to see mcclaren go. to quote my mate "under mcclaren we played the most negative football i have ever seen, worse than allardyce".

[AJW]

I am still not convinced about bilic , yes his craotian team qualified from our group , but is that all we are basing his support on? or am i missing something? his team didn't look to good the other night either , did he manage at club level in croatia before he got the national team job? and how did he fair

[Iceman]

How soon are we to finding out who the new manager will be…im assuming interviews start this week,and an announcement would be hopefully next week..or will there be another shorter list,and from there a decision will be made..

[gbax]

McClaren was in charge when they pasted us 4-0 at Ewood Park, right? The football they played that day was lovely as their 2 wingers ripped us to pieces. I take absolutely no pleasure in saying that, but it's true.

We did play nearly 3/4 of the game with 10 men after Tugay was sent off for second yellow!

[Andy Kennedys Hairdo]

We did play nearly 3/4 of the game with 10 men after Tugay was sent off for second yellow!

Almost :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/e...rem/3724070.stm

[b12_simon]

Almost :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/e...rem/3724070.stm

Fair enough - I'd forgotten Toogs.

[Iceman]

i wonder if Theno applied for the job?

[thenodrog]

Lancs United

Looks like Theno has been posting as an 'old Rover' in the Telewag.

Not guilty I'm afraid Azuri.

.....But as everybody knows on here, it really is impossible to argue employing just logic and common sense against his suggested way forward.

[thenodrog]

Rather have McClaren than Allardyce. If I had just paid more attention to the football Boro played under him... probably more attractive under him than any Allardyce side anyway.

You are kidding right tchocky? Thank God that it is only your opinion, the imp thing is that Bolton usually ended up in the top half of the table vying for European football and a good number of points in front of perrenial relegation flirters Boro.

[thenodrog]

Andy Neilds piece from the LT...

"So what qualities does the new man need to possess if he is to build on the legacy left behind by Hughes?

1) The pulling power to attract players - If Rovers are to continue enticing players of the calibre of Roque Santa Cruz, then they must appoint a big name' manager, who not only carries clout in England, but the rest of the world.

2) The ability to command respect in the dressing room - At a time when players have never been more powerful, Rovers' next boss must be able to stamp his authority from day one. He must possess that aura, as Graeme Souness and Hughes both did.

3) Fan appeal - Over the last three years, Rovers have invested a lot of time and money trying to reverse a worrying slump in season ticket sales - a battle they are winning. This appointment must therefore excite the fans, and help put even more bums on seats.

4) A hunger and desire to succeed - Souness and Hughes both arrived at Ewood with points to prove, and the same needs to apply to their successor. Williams seems to like young, ambitious managers with an appetite to succeed, rather than ones at the opposite end of the scale, who may be looking for one last pay-day.

5) The clout to make Rovers sexy' to the media - For all Hughes' achievements in the Ewood Park hot-seat, Rovers still got largely overlooked in the national press. Whoever comes in must therefore be able to raise the club's profile, both at home and abroad.

6) An attractive proposition to potential new owners - If Rovers plan to attract fresh investment through a takeover, then the new boss must have that all important X-factor.

7) A willingness to build on the existing foundations - Hughes transformed Rovers into one of the best prepared teams in the Premier League, so whoever comes in to replace him must show a willingness to embrace those ideas, otherwise four years of hard work could go to waste.

8) Knowledge of the Premier League - The new man must know the league inside out, and what it takes to be successful in this country.

9) An experienced backroom team - Rovers have not just lost a manager to Manchester City, they've lost three key members of their coaching staff too. Whoever comes in must therefore fill that void with men of similar quality and stature. And finally...

10) An ability to spot bargains in the transfer market - With finances tight, unless players are sold this summer, the new manager must be comfortable working to a tight bargain. That was something Hughes excelled at, and the same would need to apply to his successor.As Williams himself concedes, choosing a football manager is not an exact science, so any appointment carries an element of risk with it.

However, if Hughes' eventual successor ticks most of the boxes above, then Rovers could will be on to a winner."

========================================================================

Kinda points to him wanting Shearer because he's forgotten the most important imo. I give you No 11 the box that really should be No 1!......

11. A successful track record in management.

This is a big job and carries a hell of a lot of responsibility and a simple apprentice no matter how keen will simply not do.

[broadsword]

Either a track record, or some sort of evidence of tactical awareness.

Unbelievable they didn't include that.

[Iceman]

so theno,what was Huges success as a manager before he came to Rovers? i dont think its that...when Hughes came here he had a bit of experience,having coached Wales,with Shearer he has none...

number 11 should be..coach with some sort of managerial experiance at the highest level aka ten cate,houllier,mancini,Bilic,even dare i say it,allardyce and McClown

[bringdunnback]

There may be a slight change of direction about the summer signings...

I am hearing from a couple of decent sources that the kitty may be kept for a top-class midfielder - perhaps £7 to £8 million - rather than a cheaper midfielder and a striker.

There have been a couple of names mentioned that would be more expensive than the Bradleys and Huddlestones.

It could be that the plan now is to blow the dough on a top-class midfielder and stick with the strikers they have - which would also explain why Benni was given a new deal.

I would also stress that this is regardless of Bentley staying/going/signing a deal or not.

No names to publish yet, but it seems to be a strategy.

This is from the first page, I was just wondering who the names mentioned were that were more expensive than Bradley and Huddlestone.

[Iceman]

Jeferson Farfan i think was one....

[bats]

I've been at school today so can anyone fill me in on whats happened in regards to Blackburn! Thanks!

[novella]

I've been at school today so can anyone fill me in on whats happened in regards to Blackburn! Thanks!

nothing

[Blue blood]

I really, really don't want McClown.

What did he do that well at Boro? One League Cup. His Uefa cup run was the flukiest ever - teams just crumpled when he chucked on his 5th striker (hardly a tactical master mind) - and when they tried that tactic against a decent side they got caned.

He spent 35m but how many players were good transfer buys let alone bargains/excellent deals?

Oh and the football they played was dire for the most part, and the fans up there were glad to see the back of him. No thanks.

Then there's the england debacle. If you can't get england to qualify, with that amount of talent, in that poor excuse for a group, how the heck is he going to keep rovers competitive challenging for europe in the toughest league in the world? And he hardly seems to command respect from the players either.

If he's on the shortlist my faith in Mr Williams has gone down a few notches.

As for Shearer - no experience in the slightest is far too big a risk. Factor in the fact he struggles to work with difficult personalities, and his probable lack of transfer market knowledge - it's far too chancy. It'd be madness to risk it - even with an experienced group of staff with him. And in the extremely unlikely event it works he'll be off to Newcastle like a shot. Same problem in 1 maybe 2 years. Loose-loose situation.

[Rover95]

SSN just reported that we have a shortlist of 6 and the club are likely to interview 4 of these.

Any ideas, Nicko?? Anyone

[Ricky]

Can I just ask people to read back a couple of pages before asking questions. I know there's a lot of bumff to read through but the same questions keep coming up and they have been answered by Nicko before, I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to be answering them again.

Take a few minutes and read through the days posts before asking.

Cheers guys.

[spencey7]

Kinda points to him wanting Shearer because he's forgotten the most important imo. I give you No 11 the box that really should be No 1!......

11. A successful track record in management.

Hughes' record in charge of Wales comprised six wins from 26 competitive matches. He failed to win any of his last 10 matches prior to joining Rovers.

He turned out okay though, didn't he...?

The fact that ANYONE (Rovers fan or not) would even contemplate McClaren or Allardyce ahead of Shearer is downright terrifying.

[Rover95]

Can I just ask people to read back a couple of pages before asking questions. I know there's a lot of bumff to read through but the same questions keep coming up and they have been answered by Nicko before, I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to be answering them again.

Take a few minutes and read through the days posts before asking.

Cheers guys.

Sorry, I thought he may have some more concrete news since a lot of it today has been guesswork.

[novella]

The fact that ANYONE (Rovers fan or not) would even contemplate McClaren or Allardyce ahead of Shearer is downright terrifying.

at least with allardyce or mcclaren you know you are going to get tripe football that will get you through the season. Could get relegated with shearer!