[Archived] Keith Andrews - Rovers Newest Signing

[bazza]

I think KA played as well as anyone else versus Spurs except for Nelsen, Samba and Dunn.

I saw him close up in the first half (Riverside) and he played well. His passes were great. JAL has hit the nail on the head by saying other Rovers players weren't quick enough to get onto KA's intelligent weighted passes.

In the second half his first four passes went straight to the opposition. Maybe he had an invisible friend like our hero Toogs! But do most of you berate the great Toogs? No!

It really bugs me that so many of you get on a Rovers players back and won't let go (cf Jason Wilcox)

OK, Andrews isn't a world beater but he's doing OK for us so lets give him our support. He's certainly not the worst player I've seen in a Rovers shirt and I think he is improving.

[DasGelb]

Sorry about last years stats if the ones i mentioned aren´t correct. I thought I remembered I had read it in some norwegian newspaper.

I´m pretty sure my remakrs about Bentley is correct this season though

[dingles staying down 4ever]

The point with Andrews is that many posters on this board had made their minds up before they had seen him play. Stats will not change their pre-concieved ideas. They will only pick out the bad points when he plays.

Sam is right he is limited but is an essential squad member. He is different type of midfielder than any of the other first team squad, with the possible exception of Brett Emerton. He can last 90 minutes, get up and down the pitch, on the whole keeps possession simply and he gets into the box scoring some very important goals. On the minus side, he is slow in thought and regularly chooses the wrong option.

Some people on here slagged Andrews off and called for him to be replaced with Nolan who IMO, as well as some Bolton fans, rate similarly.

This club is no longer a top 4 challenging side. It is a skint club which if we are lucky will be a mid table Premiership side. It will rely more and more on the Andrews type player as it can't afford a player with Andrews' engine who can pass and think quickly.

[T4E]

Some comments I've read and people I've spoken to certainly do blame him for poor performances/lack of skill/whatever else. It's less than it was, but still happens.

If you can't blame Andrews for his lack of skill who can you blame?

[DE.]

Put it into context.

[JAL]

I think KA played as well as anyone else versus Spurs except for Nelsen, Samba and Dunn.

I saw him close up in the first half (Riverside) and he played well. His passes were great. JAL has hit the nail on the head by saying other Rovers players weren't quick enough to get onto KA's intelligent weighted passes.

In the second half his first four passes went straight to the opposition. Maybe he had an invisible friend like our hero Toogs! But do most of you berate the great Toogs? No!

It really bugs me that so many of you get on a Rovers players back and won't let go (cf Jason Wilcox)

OK, Andrews isn't a world beater but he's doing OK for us so lets give him our support. He's certainly not the worst player I've seen in a Rovers shirt and I think he is improving.

Bazza, I wasnt saying KA was delivering intelligent weighted passes, more that the other players were'nt providing easier options for Keith to pass to. Plus, the understanding between Keith and Diouf wasnt what it should have been to which I kind of absolve Keith of full responsibility and downgarde it to more of a shared one .

If any player has the ball at his feet then that player is the one who is in charge and it his actions that dictate what happens next in his decision making and execution of that decision. Fully understand peoples criticism at KA but at the time looking around at the Rovers players on the pitch you have to ask, could they have done more and been more helpful when KA had the ball the answer for me was, yes, most certainly they could have.

Though if KA performs like that again you seemed to think the fans wont be so kind to him next time around.

[Iceman]

I give up! C'mon Keith my boy, stick one pass the Scousers and shut up the doubters on here.

[OscarRaven]

Just for the record, Ive changed my mind. He's a decent PL squad player not just a league 2 plodder.

[riverside returns]

To highlight the stupidity of some supporters who have it in their heads that everything is Andrews fault, on Saturday, shortly after half time, there was a break down our left hand side and the ball eventually went out for a goal kick to us, a moron near me shouted 'bl..dy hell andrews, sort it out' Now I know he is fit and gets about but I cannot for the life of me see how it was his fault.

[CrazyIvan]

I heard someone call Andrews a donkey as he passed the ball straight to Warnock to control and shoot at goal, the donkey comment came mili-seconds before the pass picked out Warnock precisely and set up a fantastic chance. Fortunately it was at the other end of the pitch from the Blackburn End so he couldn't hear it but how would you feel if someone called you that right as you picked a spot on pass out? Good on Andrews for keeping on going and genuinely proving himself rather than listening to the so-called fans ill-informed and prejudged opinions.

[Pugg]

If you can't blame Andrews for his lack of skill who can you blame?

God.

[dingles staying down 4ever]

If you can't blame Andrews for his lack of skill who can you blame?

his mum and the milk man!

[47er]

I think KA played as well as anyone else versus Spurs except for Nelsen, Samba and Dunn.

I saw him close up in the first half (Riverside) and he played well. His passes were great. JAL has hit the nail on the head by saying other Rovers players weren't quick enough to get onto KA's intelligent weighted passes.

In the second half his first four passes went straight to the opposition. Maybe he had an invisible friend like our hero Toogs! But do most of you berate the great Toogs? No!

It really bugs me that so many of you get on a Rovers players back and won't let go (cf Jason Wilcox)

OK, Andrews isn't a world beater but he's doing OK for us so lets give him our support. He's certainly not the worst player I've seen in a Rovers shirt and I think he is improving.

"his passes were great"? They were rubbish. Defensively he played well but his passing was appalling. Straight to the opposition, players in blue and white yards in the clear.

"intelligent weighted passes"--what are you on?

[thenodrog]

Battle lines are well and truly drawn up in the two camps. Is it me or is this all very similar to the stubborn defence provided by very many posters during the mystefying debate on John Stead's qualities and abilities, and and even more perplexing argy bargy over whether Ciccio bloody Grabbi was any good or just unlucky.

Most people whose seat faces the pitch declared both to be duds and have been proven right as both of those players have not figured much in the top level again and so imo it will be with Keith Andrews.

btw before I'm attacked from all sides my judgement is based on his footballing ability and not his temperament and spirit which is in no doubt.

[Jonnolad]

Battle lines are well and truly drawn up in the two camps. Is it me or is this all very similar to the stubborn defence provided by very many posters during the mystefying debate on John Stead's qualities and abilities, and and even more perplexing argy bargy over whether Ciccio bloody Grabbi was any good or just unlucky.

Most people whose seat faces the pitch declared both to be duds and have been proven right as both of those players have not figured much in the top level again and so imo it will be with Keith Andrews.

btw before I'm attacked from all sides my judgement is based on his footballing ability and not his temperament and spirit which is in no doubt.

But, and here's the really important bit, your judgement is completely and utterly subjective, and many posters on here have actually admitted their judgement is actually biased on where he came from.

Now whilst the opinion of those who say he is decent player is also subjective, this opinion is backed up by absolutely all the evidence which is objective - the opta stats, the match reports and the international call ups. All this evidence has to be weirdly ignored by those who say he isn't a decent footballer. When you start ignoring evidence as strong as this then people quite rightly have a point by saying you are being unjustifiably biased against the player, and you were actually having a detrimental effect on our Premier League survival in unjustly and vocally berating the player because of your own unfounded bias.

This wasn't the case with Grabbi and Stead. With them, as strikers, the evidence is far easier to analyse; they didn't rate in the one stat which counts for strikers - scoring goals. Both their ratio of goals to games was abysmal (apart from the six important one's Stead got for us in his first season). There were absolutely no full international call ups for these players either. The press weren't exactly kind to Grabbi in particular either - here he is featured in the worst Premier League signings ever (number 23):

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle2096584.ece

Compare this to Keith Andrews where he is getting full international call ups and starts based on his performances for us, the opta stats show he is a decent performer, and the Daily Mail in particular (I think - although it could have been the Express) has him short listed as our player of the season!

As I've said before, when you have to start ignoring all the evidence which points to the opposite view then your opinion starts to look very very weak. Especially when that opinion could have damaging effect on our club’s survival.

[Jonnolad]

"his passes were great"? They were rubbish. Defensively he played well but his passing was appalling. Straight to the opposition, players in blue and white yards in the clear.

"intelligent weighted passes"--what are you on?

Would it surprise you to know that Andrews pass rate completion was identical to Givet's?

I don't remember any passes from Givet which set up any players for goal scoring opportunities either, like Andrews did with his passes to Warnock and Samba.

It seems that when other players misplace passes (Tugay, Givet even Warnock) it's just a blip, but when Andrews misses any it just helps reaffirm an already biased viewpoint.

I heard someone call Andrews a donkey as he passed the ball straight to Warnock to control and shoot at goal, the donkey comment came mili-seconds before the pass picked out Warnock precisely and set up a fantastic chance. Fortunately it was at the other end of the pitch from the Blackburn End so he couldn't hear it but how would you feel if someone called you that right as you picked a spot on pass out? Good on Andrews for keeping on going and genuinely proving himself rather than listening to the so-called fans ill-informed and prejudged opinions.

There a bloke who sits behind me who sometimes berates Andrews when other players miss passes - usually Warnock or Grella.

If it's a missed pass and he can't quite make out who it is, he just assumes it's Andrews!!

Nuts, absolutely nuts.

[Jonnolad]

It's worth mentioning that Andrews has already scored more goals than Grabbi did for us as well.

And he isn't even a forward!

[mellison24]

I LIKE Andrews, but for the wrong reasons. They say god loves a trier, and Andrews has tried harder than anyone (bar warnock, givet, diouf and samba - which is because they are actually GOOD).

I'm the kind of guy who likes pedersen merely for his work-rate. I liked Kuqi and Dickov back in the day as well. They were utter 5H1T3, but they gave their all and wore their heart on the sleeves of a rovers shirt.

I know that effot cannot replace skill and class, but i'd far sooner have a team full of Keiths than Benni's!! Lay off Andrews a bit eh? The lad has given his all for us and if u take out his goals, thats 5 points dropped...look where we'd be eh?

[mhead]

As an ex-Incette and fully paid up member of the Keith Andrews "Appreciation Society" its great to see all the support for him.

Name one other player guaranteed to be fit for the last 7 matches? He was 8th choice for midfield and he is a utility player who

always tries hard. Damned by faint praise perhaps but how much better than a rubber-dinghy player.

And if he scores the winner at Stoke I will be delighted for 2 reasons.

[thenodrog]

As an ex-Incette and fully paid up member of the Keith Andrews "Appreciation Society" its great to see all the support for him.

I don't think I'd be broadcasting that if I were you mhead!

[oozy]

Does this article not sum up our Kieth?

http://www.setanta.com//uk/Blogs/Chris-Sta...rrible-twosome/

[RovertheHill]

Does this article not sum up our Kieth?

http://www.setanta.com//uk/Blogs/Chris-Sta...rrible-twosome/

I think that guy has visited this site is all I'll say

[oozy]

I think that guy has visited this site is all I'll say

lol....i mentioned the same thing in the Stoke thread

[47er]

As an ex-Incette and fully paid up member of the Keith Andrews "Appreciation Society" its great to see all the support for him.

Name one other player guaranteed to be fit for the last 7 matches? He was 8th choice for midfield and he is a utility player who

always tries hard. Damned by faint praise perhaps but how much better than a rubber-dinghy player.

And if he scores the winner at Stoke I will be delighted for 2 reasons.

Well he didn't score the winning goal at Stoke but he did create it, all on his own.

[Jonnolad]

Well he didn't score the winning goal at Stoke but he did create it, all on his own.

So there's only one player playing for Rovers these days is there? I thought we at least had a defence and a goalie.

It begs the question - what do we pay the other ten for?

I was interested to see that Andrews had easily the highest accurate pass completion of any of our midfield players yesterday - over 20% higher than Warnock and almost double the woeful Pedersen (Pedersen got less than half his passes successful). Andrews also managed the highest number of passes by any Rovers player.

It seems that the other players can pass to the opposition with impunity, yet Andrews, even though his pass completion is miles ahead of any of fellow midfielders, has to get every pass right every time or else he the cause of all our woes.