[Archived] Keith Andrews - Rovers Newest Signing

[Blue n White Rover]

Splitting hairs.

Anyway in your best BRFC 4-4-2 who do you have as sitting midfielder? Tugay or Mokoena?

Tugay of course. However, when has Tugay been put in the team to do the same job as the Axe?

Tugay plays the Xabi Alonso role, in front of Mokoena or Grella, Grella was never his replacement!

[thenodrog]

Tugay of course. However, when has Tugay been put in the team to do the same job as the Axe?

Tugay plays the Xabi Alonso role, in front of Mokoena or Grella, Grella was never his replacement!

'Tugay of course' There you go then. So Grella was bought as his replacement. Alternatively why would we spend 4m on somebody to replace a bench warmer?

Anyway you've never seen Tugay play the role of attacking midfielder! Tugay is deep midfield playmaker... same as grella. Tugay's age will not let him play much other than 45 min cameo roles and thats why we needed Grella or similar.

[dingles staying down 4ever]

'Tugay of course' There you go then. So Grella was bought as his replacement. Alternatively why would we spend 4m on somebody to replace a bench warmer?

Anyway you've never seen Tugay play the role of attacking midfielder! Tugay is deep midfield playmaker... same as grella. Tugay's age will not let him play much other than 45 min cameo roles and thats why we needed Grella or similar.

Grella was bought to do the defensive job that both the Axe, Tugay and Vogel are there to do so he was bought to replace any of the three and probably two of them.

Andrews was never going to be the pivotal playmaker for the team that Bentley. As Nicko reported at the time Rovers looked at several different players to replace Bentley, most notably Joaquin, but failed. Andrews was bought to fill the void of a box to box midfielder type of player, a type of player Rovers probably have not had since the days of Super Atko.

[Blue n White Rover]

'Tugay of course' There you go then. So Grella was bought as his replacement. Alternatively why would we spend 4m on somebody to replace a bench warmer?

Anyway you've never seen Tugay play the role of attacking midfielder! Tugay is deep midfield playmaker... same as grella. Tugay's age will not let him play much other than 45 min cameo roles and thats why we needed Grella or similar.

So your trying to say Mascherano was bought as a back up for Alonso, Hargreaves was bought as a back up for Scholes/Carrick.

Grella is a holding midfielder, Tugay has never been a holding midfielder, so how you can say Grella is his replacement is beyond me.

[imy9]

Any idea how Andrews played last night against the Italians?

[CrazyIvan]

I think you've been drinking too much golf Gordon.

Andrews was never bought as a replacement for Bentley, Grella not as a replacement for Tugay either. Not all players are 'replacements' for others, they do different jobs and Ince had an idea of what he wanted to do with the team when he bought them, it's just that what he actually did was godawful.

Nobody has replaced Bentley and nobody is replacing Tugay as far as I can see. Who did they replace? Nobody, they were bought in to fill roles we didn't have, Andrews has arguably replaced Savage if I'm being generous (to Savage!).

[Hughesy]

Any idea how Andrews played last night against the Italians?

I was just thinking the same!?

He cant of done too bad, afterall they drew 1-1 away in Italy.

[thenodrog]

Say what you want about playing styles etc but they have replaced em on the pitch. What are you two on?less.

[CrazyIvan]

Say what you want about playing styles etc but they have replaced em on the pitch. What are you two on?less.

They might have replaced them on the pitch, although I don't think that could be said about Grella but they were never intended as direct replacements which is what you have been asserting.

[gazsimm]

Diouf is more like a replacement for Bentley i think, it was just a shame Ince didn't do this in the summer.

[Eddie]

Say what you want about playing styles etc but they have replaced em on the pitch. What are you two on?less.

They've replaced them on the pitch because we have to field 11 players and so someone has to be out there. Now that we play 4-5-1, if we sign a central midfielder in the summer and Santa Cruz leaves and it is then Roberts up front is the central midfielder a Santa Cruz replacement? A player is a replacement when he is signed to directly fill the void left by another player, if he simply plays the same position then he is competition. Andrews and Grella are competition for the players we already had, as is Villanueva, they are not direct replacements for anyone we sold in the summer. I'll stand by the fact that Grella was a replacement for Savage more than anyone as I think we can all agree that Mokoena is not up to the task in the long-term. Tugay, for all his finesse and skill, cannot be classed as a "defensive midfielder". He may sit in front of the back four, but he does that as it allows him to collect the call from then and then play his passes, not because he is there to break up play and win us the ball. If Andrews has been a replacement for anyone this season it has been Dunn, offering us a bit more of an "attacking" midfielder in central midfield and someone who will look to get forward and score goals.

Even if I never go to Ewood again in my life, never see a Rovers game on TV, never touch a football or see any football match and cannot name a Blackburn player, I'd still know a darn side more about football and Blackburn if you continue to stand by the fact that Andrews is a "replacement" for Bentley.

[philipl]

Another cracker from the 'drog which he won't admit the slightest possibility he is wrong on!

[Jonnolad]

Look back 6 posts eddie. For those of us that go to Ewood the team for most of the first half of the season when most of the damage was done was very similar to last year (except for the loss of Emerton and the costly goalkeeper change) the only other very obvious difference was that Bentley wasn't there and Andrews was.

That just simply isn't true. Yesterday I started to go through our first games of the season but soon realised there were about 100 other things I'd rather be doing with my time. Although I got through about our first 15 games, for which Andrews only actually started 5 and he came on as a sub for 3. He never played in a wide right position for any of those games; it was usually Emerton, Reid or Villanueva who played there. When Andrews came on as a sub he came on for Grella, Tugay and Fowler respectively (the Fowler substitution was for the 0-0 Bolton game - inspired substitution eh - that was the game when Ince really started to lose it for me!).

The "only other very obvious difference" from last season was therefore categorically not Andrews playing instead of Bentley. As far as appearances go (and the reshuffle of Emerton), for the first half of the season, Simpson was actually the biggest difference to last season, over Robinson.

Riddle me this one as well - if Andrews was bought in as a replacement for Bentley then why didn't anyone think to play him in Bentley's usual position? Personally the only time that I can remember him playing there was in our 0-0 at home to Everton when Mokoena came on for the injured Givet, Warnock then dropped to left back and since Tugay was already on, Andrews played wide right (badly!).

Which all meant it was 8 months into the season, the manager's position had changed, injury had forced a substitution and reshuffle, and there was only 20 minutes left in the match before someone finally, at last realised that Andrews had been bought as a replacement for Bentley!

Perhaps you should have told someone sooner thenodrog as up to that point nobody else but you seemed to be aware of the reason why Andrews was bought

[only2garners]

Personally the only time that I can remember him playing there was in our 0-0 at home to Everton when Mokoena came on for the injured Givet, Warnock then dropped to left back and since Tugay was already on, Andrews played wide right (badly!).

He also played there towards the end of the away game at West Brom (and scored!).

[thenodrog]

Another cracker from the 'drog which he won't admit the slightest possibility he is wrong on!

OK Mr Lar-de Dar Gunner bloody Graham etc. Take away the 2 keepers in and the 2 keepers out and you tell me who was intended to replace the attacking midfielder David Bentley in the squad.

Players In:

Paul Robinson (Tottenham Hotspur - Blackburn Rovers) £3.5million

Julio Santa Cruz (Cerro Porteno - Blackburn Rovers) Undisclosed Fee

Vince Grella (Torino - Blackburn Rovers) Undisclosed Fee

Keith Andrews (MK Dons - Blackburn Rovers) Undisclosed Fee

Mark Bunn (Northampton - Blackburn Rovers) Undisclosed Fee

Robbie Fowler - Free Transfer

Players Out:

Peter Enckelman -Released

Stephane Henchoz - Released

Bruno Berner - Released

Raffaele De Vita (Blackburn - Livingstone) Free Transfer

Brad Friedel (Blackburn Rovers - Aston Villa) £2million

David Bentley (Blackburn Rovers - Tottenham Hotspur) £15million

[Blue blood]

Andrews has arguably replaced Savage if I'm being generous (to Savage!).

You are joking aren't you? Am I misreading the post, that you think Andrews is better than Savage? I'm beginning to warm a bit more towards Andrews but to compair him to - let alone say he is better - than Savage was for us is absurd. Savage regularly broke up the play, much more than Andrews does and much more effectively. Additionally Savage's touch and range of passing is far superior, Savage was a leader on the pitch and he also had a cracking free kick on him. Andrews is not in the same league as him.

Just to clarify I'm not bashing Andrews. I thought that he was pretty dire at the start of his rovers career, but seems to be getting better. He reminds me a bit of Kuqi these days - limited but he has his uses, especially against the lower teams.

[CrazyIvan]

OK Mr Lar-de Dar Gunner bloody Graham etc. Take away the 2 keepers in and the 2 keepers out and you tell me who was intended to replace the attacking midfielder David Bentley in the squad.

Nobody replaced Bentley and that's more than half the problem this season. To suggest any of the players brought it were to replace Bentley is ludicrous.

[LeChuck]

Take away the 2 keepers in and the 2 keepers out and you tell me who was intended to replace the attacking midfielder David Bentley in the squad.

I noticed you left Villanueva out.

I'm sure Ince had big plans for him as an attacking midfielder, he wouldn't have brought him otherwise.

[CrazyIvan]

You are joking aren't you? Am I misreading the post, that you think Andrews is better than Savage? I'm beginning to warm a bit more towards Andrews but to compair him to - let alone say he is better - than Savage was for us is absurd. Savage regularly broke up the play, much more than Andrews does and much more effectively. Additionally Savage's touch and range of passing is far superior, Savage was a leader on the pitch and he also had a cracking free kick on him. Andrews is not in the same league as him.

Just to clarify I'm not bashing Andrews. I thought that he was pretty dire at the start of his rovers career, but seems to be getting better. He reminds me a bit of Kuqi these days - limited but he has his uses, especially against the lower teams.

I was, should have been a winking face there. I disagree that Andrews doesn't break up play though, the reason people haven't spotted what he ACTUALLY does on the pitch (compared to perceived) is that he is sometimes indistinguishable from other players (dark hair, average height) whereas Savage was unmissable. If an arrow was placed over Andrews head during a match then people might begin to appreciate what he does do and how often. He is playing much better now than when he joined and that's no doubt due to experience, fitness and training. Too many people wrote him off back then. Some should sit down a watch a few replays to specifically watch Andrews. I think a few opinions would change.

[thenodrog]

I noticed you left Villanueva out.

I left all loan deals out. They are permanent transfers only.... as was Bentley's.

I was, should have been a winking face there. I disagree that Andrews doesn't break up play though, the reason people haven't spotted what he ACTUALLY does on the pitch (compared to perceived) is that he is sometimes indistinguishable from other players (dark hair, average height) whereas Savage was unmissable. If an arrow was placed over Andrews head during a match then people might begin to appreciate what he does do and how often. He is playing much better now than when he joined and that's no doubt due to experience, fitness and training. Too many people wrote him off back then. Some should sit down a watch a few replays to specifically watch Andrews. I think a few opinions would change.

Allardyce gave him special credit last night. The lad is certainly no shining star but as I have said many times he does give his all and one can never diss a player for that. If somebody does his ultimate best for the cause and it is still not good enough the fault lies with the management.

[92er]

I left all loan deals out. They are permanent transfers only.... as was Bentley's.

Allardyce gave him special credit last night. The lad is certainly no shining star but as I have said many times he does give his all and one can never diss a player for that. If somebody does his ultimate best for the cause and it is still not good enough the fault lies with the management.

In which case let us hope he doesn't play next season if we stay up.

[Eddie]

Don't you get it? No one was meant to replace him. We looked to sign another right midfielder but didn't manage to do so, so we were hoping that Emerton could fill in until we were able to bring someone in. If you are desperate for the "replacement" tag then it should go to Simpson, who's arrival allowed, or at least should have allowed, Emerton to move from right back to right midfield on a permanent basis. Emerton has never been an established central midfielder in our team, although I agree that it a position where he could do very well, but Andrews arrival had no effect on whether or not we signed a right midfielder or on who would play there in the season. Bentley was almost exclusively a right midfielder for us, to tag him with any other position shows you must watch those games from you pitch-side seat with your eyes closed. You can try and hark back to his wanting to be the next Bergkamp, but that hope of his died years ago now.

We were unable to sign a replacement, it was one of Ince's main failings and it wasn't until Diouf arrived that any new signing even remotely resembled a Bentley replacement, but I am sure that right midfielder will still be a position Allardyce is looking at in the summer.

[RevidgeBlue]

Allardyce gave him special credit last night. The lad is certainly no shining star but as I have said many times he does give his all and one can never diss a player for that. If somebody does his ultimate best for the cause and it is still not good enough the fault lies with the management.

Yup, Sam acknowledged Andrews had "limitations" but clearly thought he had done very well and also broken through into the Eire squad.

Said there "weren't many like him about" i.e players who could step up from the lower leagues and do a job.

[roversmum]

is that he is sometimes indistinguishable from other players (dark hair, average height)

So true. I think all players should have different coloured hair so that me and theno can tell them apart from a distance

[thenodrog]

Don't you get it? No one was meant to replace him.

So we play with 10? No.... we play with 10 and Andrews, but Andrews is not replacing him.