[Archived] Rovers V Everton

[LeChuck]

Nice to see Mark Hughes' form in the cups carried over from last season - Man City have just been knocked out by Brighton on penalties.

[Guest Kamy100]

Great result and now bring on the Dingles.

[herbergeehh]

When's the draw? Saturday?

[BlueWhiteDynamite]

From BBC :

"Everton made a host of changes for the game resting Cahill, Mikel Arteta, Ayegbeni Yakubu and Leighton Baines.

As a result Blackburn made the brighter start and took the lead through Olsson who linked up well with Fowler to open the scoring. "

Thanks for this BBC Im sure we played an almost reserve squad tonight yet no mention of this.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Just noticed that the Brighton v Citeh game was a second round game, must have been postponed earlier?

Derby play Brighton next in the third round.

[RoverJoexx]

Get in there!! Where did that came from? Not good but great result!

Seven changes, five youngsters in vs a full everton squad and they put in a top performance.

Although its just hearing from the rover radio but I've heard we played lovely football. Probably better reports will come from those at Ewood Park.

Another clean sheet, all back four sounds solid tonight. Olsson with a goal too. One downside is the injury to Robinson. Hope its not too serious.

Tugay is legend and lasted 90min. Warnock, carlos, treacy and derby providing the energy around good old fowler playing in the hole.

How I wish fowler got the winning goal to make some eat humble pies. But I think he did really well linking up play from midfield to attack and well

deserved to get an assist tonight. Good debut performance for me.

Guess the jury out for castillo, got subbed at halftime by Moyes( how desperate is he tonight ） for two matches in a row. I guess we got a better deal with

Andrews.

Two wins two clean sheet now, the winning mentality is building up at Ince camp now. The weekends can't come earlier.

Onwards and upwards Rovers!!

[frosty]

Very good performance tonight - Tugay was outstanding. Also Simpson and Olsson looked very good and energetic, Fowler did well too.

They never threatened apart from the odd long ball or set piece.

[rover6]

I await to hear the reports from attendees but it looks like Ince and Co. pulled of a selection masterstroke.

Who would have gone for Olsson left back, Warnock midfield, Villaneuva right midfield? Very, very few.

I am so chuffed, particularly, because Ince is doing much to dispel the prejudice against youth players. The right situations, with the right backing and the right preparation, they can and will make a good impact for our club. We don't need to keep raiding the Bosman basement of past-its.

Talking of past-its, well done to Fowler. I have been unimpressed with his arrival but it sounds like he really put the boot in the Everton. I hope he can maintain that kind of level and it wasn't a one-off show to nark the 'enemy'.

[Rover down South]

What a night.

Rovers through.

My local side Brighton knock City out.

Quality.

By the way, 4/5 of the UEFA cup teams went out tonight, Spuds the only survivors.

[Bing]

I thought we were terrific tonight, particularly in the first half when Warnock and Tugay completely bossed the game. A few players looked short of matches towards the end and Everton came back into it a little.

Simpson and Olsson provided lots of energy from full back and got forward whenever possible. Zurab and Ooijer were completely faultless - our best two centre halves imo. Fowler linked up really well and showed some really good touches but possibly should have done better when he tried to chip Howard twice from areas where he should have just put his foot through the ball really.

Overall a good night's work.

[RovertheHill]

Just got back. When I heard the team I was very surprised to see Carlos on the right wing, Tugay and Warnock in centre midfield and Blobby up-front. But it worked very well.

Fowler sat between Derbs and the midfield and his link play was excellent. He's about as mobile as I am but he has a premiership brain and a premiership touch, which works well with young players running off him.

Warnock was actually a revelation in the middle. We all know he tackles hard but his distribution and positioning was very good.

Olson played very well and the goal was absolute class. The lad looks like he has sheer pace which always helps.

Zurab and Ooijer were rock solid and Simpson was excellent again - a real find. Shame we have to give him back at the end of the season.

Tugay basically ran the game for 60 minutes until he tired and he disappeared a bit towards the end.

Carlos looks short of match fitness I think but his touch and vision is something special - a potential new Tugay. He opened up Everton a couple of times with relative ease.

Treacy was good in the first half but Neville (who is without a doubt one of the dirtiest b*****ds in the league) bullied him out of the game in the second

Derbs and Fowler could have easily made it 3 if they'd slotted relatively easy chances. I don't recall a save at our end. Robbo went off after 10 minutes or so and the worrying thing about Brown is he actually looks very, very small for a keeper. Especially tonight, when we lacked height against a very big Everton team. In fact the only time we were threatened was from set pieces because of the height factor.

For those that don't think much of Ince we seem to be playing some very good, open and expansive football and frankly our second string ran rings round a very strong Everton team tonight and made them look very ordinary. Incidentally - quiz question - when was the last time Rovers, or any team in the top league for that matter - fielded a side with 5 left-footers in it? (no religious jokes please )

One last question to the ref. Carlos - 1 foul, 1 booking. Vaughan and Neville - at least a dozen fouls between them before the card came out?

[Billy Castell]

How bad is Robinson's injury?

How bad is Robinson's injury?

[RovertheHill]

How bad is Robinson's injury?

I believe he came off as a precaution for a "tight calf" so nothing seemingly too serious

[RibbleValleyRover]

How bad is Robinson's injury?

Reidy who was the analyst on Radio Lancs said Robbo had a calf strain going into the game. Obviously it got worse or he decided it wasn't worth risking further injury.

Not sure how long it can take to recover from a calf strain.

[Billy Castell]

I'm guessing we'll have a different keeper against Newcastle.

[Hi Mack]

Great Performance!

Passing was exceptional, stroking it around very well.

IMO Ooijer has to start the next game(newcastle).

He lead the defence very well. Fowler-i take my cap off to you

Ran his socks off maybe should have scored but hey we won!

Man City Haha.........BUMP! back down to earth!

[RevidgeBlue]

Ince's midget gems are very very tasty!

The first thing that struck me about tonight was how much physically bigger the Everton side looked than our lot tonight. The second thing was how much better the football has been at the two Carling Cup ties than at the three Premier League fixtures so far. With no big man like RSC or Roberts to hoof a long high ball towards we sem to indulge in a neat slick passing game to feet much better to watch.

I caught about ten seconds of the manager's post match interview after the game and he said something like "tonight gave him a really positive vibe about the direction the club is heading in" and I have to agree.

Ooijer and Zurab were great at CB, Simpson had another good game at RB, and Olssen had a stormer at LB scoring a brilliant goal.

Warnock was a revelation in a makeshift midfield role and presumably his performance there, and that of Olsson have given us more options for the first team.

Tugay also played well and here's something I never thought I'd say "Robbie Fowler had a good game." Doubt he'll be a prolific scorer, but some of his link up play was extremely clever.

The only player whose performance disappointed me was Treacy. Didn't come over like a player busting a gut to win a place in the side at all.

Excellent first half with lots of slick passing football, Derbs missed a sitter with half an hour to go to kill it off and we were hanging on in the end but didn't half battle. Excellent stuff.

Only 9 Premier League teams left in....................

The only other negative was a very poor turn out from the Blackburn public - the Blackburn End and Riverside looked practically empty. If Everton fans don't mind paying 17 quid for a ticket, why do we? Everton at home - how attractive does it have to be? No doubt people will be hanging from the rafters and complaining they can't get tickets if we draw the Dingles next round.

[Plastic Head]

Great football from Rovers tonight , best for a long time. Ran out of steam a bit near the end and had to hang on but deserved the win.

Was this the first team or is it the team that played on Saturday? I know which I prefer.

Robinson. -- Brown. Did what he had to do but lacks height and presence. 6/10

Simpson. Another solid performance. 7.5/10

Ollson. Good in defence and exiting going forward. Seems to have grown up now. Popped up all over the pitch. 8.5/10

Kishi. Excellent performance. Stuck to his man and cool under pressure.8.5/10

Ooijer. A little clumsy at times but does the basics very well. 8/10

Tugay. Class performance. Tired late on but still kept the ball. 8.5/10

Warnock. A white Paul Ince !......8/10.

Treacy. Did OK but found out for pace again. 7/10

Carlos. Quiet game. Fowler maybe got in his way at times. 6.5/10

Derbyshire. Needs to hold the ball up much better if he's to become a regular starter. Missed a sitter. 6/10

Fowler. Great touches and was too quick of thought for his teammated at times. Shame he didn't get better chances. 8/10

Subs

Roque. Did what Derbyshire can't do (See Above). 6.5/10

Pedersen. Gave the ball away and wasted good situations. What do you expect ! 5/10

Hopefully the centre backs and Ollson will keep their place.

MOTM...hard to split Ollson, Kishi and Tugay. Olsson scored the winner so gets the vote

[joey_big_nose]

extraordianry team selection against a decent Everton team. Utterly mental by any measure. And it seemed to work a treat.

For those who have been slating Ince's lack of tactical acumen (me included - I thought his lineup against Arsenal was bizarre) need to take stock of this and give him a bit of praise. He is a man who has made extrememly bold moves:

1. Brought in Andrews.

2. Given Treacy and Olsson proper starts.

3. Took on Robinson.

4. Played Warnock in central midfield.

5. Took on Simpson as opposed to an experienced right back.

6. Brought in Robbie Fowler.

7. Brought in Carlos.

These are things I think Hughes would have shied away from. It looks like there won't be a dull moment to be honest! I am not saying he will do better than Hughes, but he is aquitting himself very well in terms of difficult circumstances with injuries and limited funds.

[RovertheHill]

The only other negative was a very poor turn out from the Blackburn public - the Blackburn End and Riverside looked practically empty. If Everton fans don't mind paying 17 quid for a ticket, why do we? Everton at home - how attractive does it have to be? No doubt people will be hanging from the rafters and complaining they can't get tickets if we draw the Dingles next round.

Agree - 14500 is not very good, especially when half of them were from Everton. However, I feel slightly better now having seen Newcastle only got 20,000 against Spurs...

[Exiled_Rover]

I'm guessing we'll have a different keeper against Newcastle.

Speaking of keepers, does anyone know who the lad was warming up infront of the Blackburn End at half time? Was it Bunn or Bussman (or however you spell it)? Either way he was another tiny keeper - much like Brown.

As for the game, I was very surprised with the team selection, but fair play to Ince it worked out well. Great result all things considered.

Working from the back:

- Brown had a decent game, though he had little to do. He looked solid when called upon, but his height really worries me especially against a side as physical as Everton.

- the two centre halves were always in control (and probably should be the first choice pair) whilst both fullbacks looked tidy. Simpson and Olsson have blistering pace which enables them to get up and down the pitch, particularily Olsson who took his goal well.

- the midfield was a strange one at first glance, but it worked quite well. Warnock provided the legs while Tugay and Villenueva provided the guile. As has been said for a few years, if only Tugay was younger! Villenueva simply must be in the starting eleven on Saturday, he oozes quality. Warnock doesn't have the touch to be a midfielder, but his workrate and willingness to put a foot in worked well in balance with Tugay. Treacy for mine doesn't do enough - he needs to take his man on more for a start and stop being so soft in the challenge. It's still early days for him though, but the raw materials are there - he seems an excellent crosser of the ball.

- upfront Fowler and Derbyshire worked well. Derbyshire's screaming for a place in the starting eleven, though his bid for that shirt would have been greatly helped had he put away the glorious one on one chance in the second half. I'd like to see him alongside Roque. Fowler played just off Derbyshire and linked up play quite well, but his legs have certainly gone. He had a good game, but hopefully we won't be seeing too much more of him this season.

[Tris]

I will always Love my BRFC but I simply couldbnt be ar$ed to go to Ewood tonight such is my lack of interest.

As for the team ? Well, I dont think I would have expected such a midfield turn out with Blobbie up front !!

Glad you missed it.

Exceptional football especially for the first 60 mins or so, even if there were some tired legs towards the end.

But a job well done, great entertainment, nice to see some youngsters on the pitch and Tugay, Fowler, Zurab and Oiijer were a fabulous example to them.

... and as I understand it, there's a bulk order in for HUMBLE PIE for all the stayaway moaners and naysayers, it'll be in the concourse outlets a week on Saturday when Man Utd come to town.

[Exiled in Toronto]

This thread just sums up the split in the fanbase at the moment. For the last 2 games now, Ince's team announcement had been met with a chorus of Öh my God's'we'll get hammered' only for us to go on and win. 2-nil to Mr Ince methinks.

Then the first half of the thread while the game is on is full of negative comments based on a radio commentary or 2-minute web updates, only to be followed by glowing praise from the attendees.

Perhaps we should have 2 seperate match threads, because I don't know how much longer I can stand to read the negative ###### when we're doing quite well

[Ewood Spark]

Another fantastic evening's entertainment at Ewood ... especially in the first half .... short, crisp passing a joy to behold. Disappointed to see so many Ewood regulars posting on this site during the game ... Why were the Everton fans more up for the match than our lot?

[RibbleValleyRover]

This thread just sums up the split in the fanbase at the moment. For the last 2 games now, Ince's team announcement had been met with a chorus of Öh my God's'we'll get hammered' only for us to go on and win. 2-nil to Mr Ince methinks.

What do you expect when Warnock was on the teamsheet in the central midfield role. Yeah it worked out on the night, but fans called it as they saw it at the time. I don't believe in this blind faith crap where you support every single decision Ince makes whether it comes to team selection or tactics.

I was expecting to get beat tonight, with all the injuries we had plus Everton playing with two supposed "midfield destroyers".