[Archived] Rovers V Everton

[LeChuck]

I think the performance last night, illustrates that Mr Pineapple CAN play in the midfield, contrary to a few others, who (continously) state otherwise..

No...those of us who are continually stating he can't play in midfield are saying he can't play in central midfield in a 4-4-2. He played on the wing last night, I don't think anyone has said he can't play out wide.

[Neil Weaver]

As so many others have commented, so many positive vibes from the game. A really enjoyable game, and definitely a different style of play to so many games under MH.

Couple of observations. Olsson doesn't half like to get forward, and Treacy hasn't got it in his game (yet, at any rate) to cover for him. Folk have a go at him for a lack of attacking qualities, but the left looked a LOT more secure when Pedersen came on.

I was pleasantly suprised at the amount of tackles (quality and winning ones at that) put in by Charlie Newton. Suspect that the coaching staff are making sure he's working at his all round game.

[T4E]

Probably right on Charlie - although as has been said before, I doubt you play 120 games in the Chilean league without being able to handle yourself....

The feedback on Treacy is confusing (I wasn't at the game) - some say he was disappointing, some say he does the things MGP should do. He seems to split opinion every game.

[gumboots]

Probably right on Charlie - although as has been said before, I doubt you play 120 games in the Chilean league without being able to handle yourself....

The feedback on Treacy is confusing (I wasn't at the game) - some say he was disappointing, some say he does the things MGP should do. He seems to split opinion every game.

He tries to run at players. It doesn't always happen for him and he gives the ball away. I think he needs to keep playing but there are others who think he'll never get there. He's quicker than Pedersen but doesn't do as much defensive work. He can cross but he doesn't hit those very quick shot/cross balls that Pedersen can and still does on occasions. He's not got Pedersen's strength but then Pedersen rarely uses it. I think on the reputation he built a couple of years ago a lot of teams are still wary of Pedersen whereas they give young Keith a kicking. So far he seems to be coping fairly well but still has a lot of developing to do.

[imy9]

If Warnock had been picked as keeper or centre forward then you might have had a point. Hughes took 3 years to think of trying Emerton in central midfield and was hailed as a genius. Ince sees in 3 months that Warnock might fit there and is a cretin even before kick-off. Hughes puts our top scoring centre forward on the right wing and is a genius; Ince puts Matty on the left and is a cretin.

There is a middle ground between blind faith - which I don't think any poster has advocated - and criticising every decision before seeing how it plays out. Try being open-minded to some calls which are hardly revolutionary that were not made by Hughes; you might enjoy the games a bit more.

Let's face it, the vitriol spouted about Andrews, Fowler, the young players not being any good because Hughes didn't pick them and now Warnock has so far been shown to be mostly ######

I would class myself firmly in the middle ground group of people

[all you need is duff]

Probably right on Charlie - although as has been said before, I doubt you play 120 games in the Chilean league without being able to handle yourself....

The feedback on Treacy is confusing (I wasn't at the game) - some say he was disappointing, some say he does the things MGP should do. He seems to split opinion every game.

Will never be good enough in my opinion. Was never impressed whenever I saw him for the reserves and was subsequently shocked when he was promoted to the first team. His first team performances haven't changed my opinion. The team is much better with Pedersen in it.

[John]

Will never be good enough in my opinion. Was never impressed whenever I saw him for the reserves and was subsequently shocked when he was promoted to the first team. His first team performances haven't changed my opinion. The team is much better with Pedersen in it.

Fair enough, you are entitled to your view. However, the youth team coaches have always felt he has enormous potential and have said he is the biggest talent they have worked with since Damien Duff.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Brown - Didn't have any exceptional saves to make, but did what he had to do and kept calm under pressure.

Simpson - Got forward well, defended well, growing in confidence.

Ooijer - Good as always, good in the air and good on the ground, positionally sound.

Zurab - See above.

Olssen - Much quicker than I thought he was. Put in some good challenges and his attacking play is great.

Treacy - Did okay going forward, beat him man more than he has been doing but still lacks confidence.

Warnock - A white Paul Ince. Tackled well and passed the ball well, sometimes thwacked it harder than necessary but apart from that, he did great.

Tugay - The man, the legend. A joy to watch. I laugh in the general direction of you stay-aways, his play was sublime.

Villanueva - Isolated somewhat on the wing, unlucky to see a few shots blocked. He gets past people with so much ease, and his tackling is brilliant. He looks like a world beater, we just need him to get match fit.

Derbyshire - Linked up with everybody well and never stopped running. The only negative was the sitter he missed.

Fowler - Good and bad. His link up play was good, and he has still got the old skill of quick passing. However, he tired early on, and his chances were sitters. Not sure if he was trying to chip the keeper but it looked like a Jay Rob toe poke. Needs to practice his finishing. Has a role to play in the cups.

Santa Cruz - Not enough time to make a difference.

Pedersen - Gave us more defensive solidity down the wing and broke well.

We sat back a little bit too much in the second half, but the defensive performances were terrific. We playe don the counter-attack, and if Cruz/Roberts had been on the end of the chances spurned by Derbyshire and Fowler, it could have been more comfortable.

Another solid, confidence boosting win, against a strong Everton side.

I thought we would get thumped, but I'll leave it to Paul Ince for now.

[philipl]

Fair enough, you are entitled to your view. However, the youth team coaches have always felt he has enormous potential and have said he is the biggest talent they have worked with since Damien Duff.

I doubt there are any youth coaches still around who were at Brockhall when Duff was a nipper. That is three complete staff clear-outs ago.

I have heard great things are being said about Olsson but not so much about Treacy.

[T4E]

I doubt there are any youth coaches still around who were at Brockhall when Duff was a nipper. That is three complete staff clear-outs ago.

I have heard great things are being said about Olsson but not so much about Treacy.

Hasn't it also been quite some time since Treacy was under the guidance of the academy coaches?

[thenodrog]

really enjoyed last night,what more tnd and 1864 2 off ince's biggest detracters were not there to see it .TUGAY was out off this world,fowler looked rusty,should never start a premier game but what a sub.oojjer and zurab have showed ince how good they are,now has he the balls to make changes

Sounds like you are turning into an Ince detractor too waggy.

I have already made those same comments myself about those same players. You need to keep up.

[1864roverite]

guffaw guffaw

missed the game - yes.

gutted ? no not really.

pleased as punch we won, didnt expect it at all.

Ince detractor? not really just miffed with his signings and lack of nouse in the transfer market.

[CrazyIvan]

Ince detractor? not really just miffed with his signings and lack of nouse in the transfer market.

Which lack of transfer nouse is this? Seems to me he knows something about it...

[John]

I doubt there are any youth coaches still around who were at Brockhall when Duff was a nipper. That is three complete staff clear-outs ago.

I have heard great things are being said about Olsson but not so much about Treacy.

Probably phrased my initial post wrongly. If you speak to people down at the club who work with the current youth lot, they believe Treacy is a major talent and are very excited about his potential.

[imy9]

guffaw guffaw

missed the game - yes.

gutted ? no not really.

pleased as punch we won, didnt expect it at all.

Ince detractor? not really just miffed with his signings and lack of nouse in the transfer market.

Robinson?

Simpson?

Carlos?

Grella- injured.

Andrews- shown potential in all the games that he has played.

Fowler- first start, first assist.

So which signings do you speak of?

[RovertheHill]

I don't get this at all. I've seen all of Brown's matches for the first team and not been concerned at any point, yet all I hear is fans banging on about his height. At 5'11" he is 3" inches shorter than Brad and 5" shorter than Robinson which I don't think is a big deal if he has the agility.

Really Wow, he looked much, much shorter from where I was sat in the JW upper tier. Must be my eyes. Or maybe it's an optical illusion because he's as wide as he is tall

[CrazyIvan]

Paul Mersons comment about Jason Brown being a 'big lad' and then repeating it as if he was surprised at just how big made me laugh out loud. It was comical.

[tcj_jones]

Well that game has proved that Tugay still has it and that the club were right to keep him on. He should start as many games this season as his legs will allow until Dunn is back from injury.

Another win, but another less than convincing performance. Saying that, we played a number of fringe players. I was initially furious when I saw that Ince was playing a weakened side, because it just shows that he doesn't really take the competition seriously. However, we won and his decision to rest key players has been vindicated.

Other thoughts: Derbyshire looks better on the wing that he does up front. He missed an absolute sitter in the second half that should have wrapped the game up. Likewise, Fowler tried an embarrassing lob when one on one with Howard and came off looking stupid. He holds the ball up well, but he doesn't look a Premier League player.

Carlos is quality and ready to start in the Premier league on a regular basis. He could be a good makeshift right winger in the absence of, well, a right winger.

[RevidgeBlue]

Another win, but another less than convincing performance.

What? I can't believe I'm reading that !!!!

Out of interest, were you at the game or listening to it over the net in London etc.?

[tonygreenbank]

Another win, but another less than convincing performance. Saying that, we played a number of fringe players. I was initially furious when I saw that Ince was playing a weakened side, because it just shows that he doesn't really take the competition seriously. However, we won and his decision to rest key players has been vindicated.

Did you see the game? If you did then i suggest you go to Specsavers. How do you know he doesnt take the competition seriously? Your comments are totally ridiculous and without any foundation. How can anyone criticise last night`s performance?

[bazza]

Ooijer did ok but I wouldnt have him 1st choice, he isnt comfortable on the ball and for me it would be Samba & Zurab.

Absolute rubbish, Hughsey. Ooijer was outstanding as was Zurab. In fact Ooijer is the more classy defender. Those two are a MUST for central defence for every game until loss of form or injury dictate a change. Nelsen and Samba must wait their turn.

I was amazed at Ince's team selection but my MOTM was the revelation in midfield of Stephen Warnock. I know this was only one game in a cup competition but, if he can perform like this consistently, give Olssen the left back position and keep Warnock in midfield. For the first time in several seasons we were winning the "second ball" in midfield. Warnock was like a Robbie Savage but smaller, niftier, and much more skillful.

I know I forecast a defeat but now I'm beginning have confidence in Paul Ince. I know it's not going to be plain sailing but I'm getting quite excited about the immediate future.

Those of you who chose not to go to the match, shame on you. Go buy a barcodes shirt and sit moping at home.

[tcj_jones]

In response to the last few comments, yes I was at the game, only just got back to London. However, I should clarify my previous post because I haven't accurately conveyed exactly what I meant.

Firstly, fielding a weakened side against a Premier League side in possibly the only competition we have a chance of winning, even if Everton did similar, suggests to me that Ince doesn't take the competition as seriously as he should.

Secondly, I should rephrase 'less than convincing', which, stupidly of me, isn't actually what I meant to say. I'll put it down to being very tired right now. It was a good, solid performance and we controlled in every area except when challanging in the air. However, Everton were utterly useless and didn't provide any decent resistance. Again, we've done well in getting the win but, in my opinion, didn't set the world alight. We only won by the one goal, when perhaps, as with Fulham, we should have rolled Everton over.

Tugay and Villanueva were really good, Warnock very solid in a position he isn't accustomed to - Tugay was class, in fact - but there weren't really any other exceptional performances for me. In goal, Brown looks an absolute liability. Olsson and Simpson looked promising and Olsson's goal was excellent, but both made a number of silly errors. Ooijer looked very assured and Zurab solid, but neither were really tested by a lacklustre Everton attack. In midfield, we still don't have the balance right. Treacy looked great when he came on against West Ham, but yesterday I didn't think he played well at all. He didn't get nearly enough balls into the box, which is what he is supposed to offer. Up front, Fowler and Derbyshire both missed absolute sitters and I wasn't especially impressed by either.

I was extremely impressed by Warnock and Tugay in central midfield, however, and I think this is where the game was won. Tugay put in another masterclass. He was fantastic from start to finish and, with Warnock along side him, was allowed to play his own game. Warnock deserves special mention for he put in a captain's performance in a position he isn't accustomed to. Likewise, Carlos looked very lively and had some really classy moments. He needs to be started on the right in the Premier League.

So, I feel that we were comfortable and played well, without ever setting the world alight. I hope that clarifies my position.

[Blue n White Rover]

In response to the last few comments, yes I was at the game, only just got back to London. However, I should clarify my previous post because I haven't accurately conveyed exactly what I meant.

Firstly, fielding a weakened side against a Premier League side in possibly the only competition we have a chance of winning, even if Everton did similar, suggests to me that Ince doesn't take the competition as seriously as he should.

Howard

Neville

Cahill

Yakubu

Rodwell

Feliani

Castillo

Saha

Yobo

Lescott

Jagielka

Osman

All 1st team players. How did they do similar to Rovers when they clearly had a much much stronger team out. Pretty much their 1st team. Only Arteta weren't there because he was ill.

[bazza]

The feedback on Treacy is confusing (I wasn't at the game) - some say he was disappointing, some say he does the things MGP should do. He seems to split opinion every game.

I've watched Treacy in several first team games. He is young and quick. He is relatively inexperienced but he has potential to develop. He is fairly fast and can put over good crosses.

Versus Everton he got rather bullied by Phil Neville and other players but still seemed OK.

He cannot win headers like Pedersen and doesn't work hard enough in the midfield and defensive roles but neither did Ped when he first came to Rovers.

I think Treacy will make it just as Wilcox made it in spite of the animosity of some home supporters in the early days.

You have to give the youngsters time to develop once they make it to the first team.

[tonyoz]

A couple of good quotes from the official site:

Olsson - "Robbie is a great striker, he put in a great ball and I just knew that I would score. He's a legend, he's a good player, it is great to be playing in the same team as him."

Warnock - To lead the team out was also a proud moment for the 26-year-old: "It was a big honour for me, it was fantastic, a big thing in my career. Obviously the manager trusts what you do and it is a big thing for me, it is respect from the manager so it is something that I'll take and hopefully I'll push on from it."