[Archived] Match Preview: Manchester United (october 4, Ewood Park, 17:30)

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I've watched Rovers since 1961 but I'm a season ticket holder at my local Rugby League club. If I'm being honest it's more exciting watching them blow the ball up in Rugby league than it is watching 50% of football matches. Stay away Jock the excitement would probably kill you. Kick and Clap ( Rugby Union), you're having a laugh.

Rugby League? Rugby Union? Couldn't give a monkey's. Neither are a substitute for Blackburn.....sorry Rovers.

Agree with those who say we need to keep it tight against Utd. I haven't heard much about injury updates as yet, but i would line up as follows;

Brown

Oijer Nelsen Samba Warnock

Emerton

Derbs Andrews Villanueva Olsson

Santa Cruz

Andrews !!!!!!!! No! Think of the embarrassment !

[RoverRich]

Brown

Emerton Ooijer Samba Warnock

Derbyshire Mokoena Andrews Pedersen

Villanueva

Santa Cruz

Its a difficult one to pick as we could do with the likes of Emerton and Warnock in centre midfield but we could get destroyed with any other full backs, especially up against Ronaldo. Hopefully Moko is back and he can be given the task of breaking anyone who comes into our half Not a fan of having Andrews in cm as he will probably get out classed but who else have we got? Are the likes of Grella, Reid and Vogel gonna be back anytime soon? Villanueva cannot play in the middle against Manure as he does not have the speed nor fitness nor strength yet. Likewise with Tugay, his old legs will not have enough in them to cope. The other alternative for my team would be to go with Olsson at left back and hope he can use his pace to do a job up against Ronaldo, thus moving Warnock into cm at the expense of Andrews. Moko and Stevie - what a scary combo that would be for any team!!

[ManicRover]

I had completely forgotten Vogel was still around. Is he injured or just out of favour?

[John]

Teamtalk rating us.

Ewood Park on Saturday is a case in point as United look to maintain their momentum by overcoming Paul Ince's improving Blackburn outfit.

[Hughesy]

I know of alot of lads going to this game that wouldnt normally go, and most of them havent got theirs yet. Infact I lie, 12 of them got them this afternoon. Im sure the attendance will be up around 29000

[Ewood Spark]

Just in case anyone had any doubts about infiltration on Sat .... during the Everton game last week while sat in the Fraser Eagle (Riverside) I did a scan of local Bluetooth users on my mobile when the moniker "K-Stand Red" appeared. No doubt an easy game to get on the database!

[Presty On Tour]

brown

ooijer samba nelsen ollson

emerton tugay warnock pedersen

pineapple

rocky santa cruz

the best team selection for defensive attributes and attacking probe.

ronaldo will have a tough day with our left sided outfit if he plays on the right. even if he switches to the left emerton and ooijer can double up.

i think our pineapple could be a hero come saturday night

[philipl]

The 5,000 unsold tickets are a huge headache.

Last year the Rovers walk-on for the Man U game was 7,000. At the moment it stands at 3,000 despite their being 1,000 fewer season ticket holders to swell the walk-on numbers.

The club has the problem now that the message about the unsold tickets getting round all the Mancs and massive infiltration. It means that there is a huge number of tickets to shift in two days in the face of needing to be extremely vigilent that they are not getting into wrong hands. A nightmare all round.

[ABBEY]

We have a problem of paying £35 to watch Blackburn Rovers play the European Champions in a Premier League game?

whats this "we" phil?

and yes we do,i know quite a few who are not /wont/cant afford £35 .If i didnt have a season ticket and bought tickets one by one i wouldnt pay £35 either.

[Mike Graham]

I know of alot of lads going to this game that wouldnt normally go, and most of them havent got theirs yet. Infact I lie, 12 of them got them this afternoon. Im sure the attendance will be up around 29000

Talking to my neighbour last night who is s big Rover (although this is his 1st game this season) he bought 10 tickets in the jack Walker Upper for Mancs who will be going with him; they won't be the only ones.

[bob fleming]

And the irish and other fans will pay it. Are things that bad there in Blackburn?

They're not good sparky - e.g. Top of the league: Child Poverty

whats this "we" phil?

and yes we do,i know quite a few who are not /wont/cant afford £35 .If i didnt have a season ticket and bought tickets one by one i wouldnt pay £35 either.

Same here Abbey - but then that's one of the main reasons why I buy a season ticket. I can justify that to myself but the thought of shelling out £35 for one match when it's on in the pub - well that might be a little harder to do for most folk I'd imagine.

Anyway! Let's not get Thursday off on the wrong foot - we could win this. Or lose it quite easily. United is a big step up from Newcastle, Everton and Fulham. All things considered and despite Scholes and The Big Fat Scouse Lad being out I'd take a draw now. Then again you never know.

Get those police cells ready by the way, a 5.30 kick off with this scum in town isn't a good move. Nowt to do with the club that though, the police could have quite simply turned it down. Last season I saw a couple of Manc clowns getting bundled into the back of a police van at 11.45am - that was a 5.15 kick off if I remember rightly. Takes some doing that.

Older viewers - what's the earliest you've been arrested before a match has kicked off? Share your fond memories on BRFCS.com.

[Ozz]

Bob-I was arrested at 3.15pm at Fratton Park once, after threatening Mick Channon after he scored two early goals and proceeded to do his trademark windmill celebration. Technically not before the match, but it's the best I can do I'm afraid.

Long way to go for 15 minutes of football.

[bob fleming]

Bob-I was arrested at 3.15pm at Fratton Park once, after threatening Mick Channon after he scored two early goals and proceeded to do his trademark windmill celebration. Technically not before the match, but it's the best I can do I'm afraid.

Long way to go for 15 minutes of football.

That's good going Oz. A mate of mine was turfed out at Villa Park after Andy Kennedy scored that goal in the Cup - that was early on in the match as well.

Still, five and a half hours before kick off is going to be hard to beat I'd imagine. Come on lads and lasses don't be shy.... ABBEY? Waggy? philip?

[philipl]

That's good going Oz. A mate of mine was turfed out at Villa Park after Andy Kennedy scored that goal in the Cup - that was early on in the match as well.

Still, five and a half hours before kick off is going to be hard to beat I'd imagine. Come on lads and lasses don't be shy.... ABBEY? Waggy? philip?

Always been a good boy and never been kicked out of a football match. However, I did get into bother at Old Trafford Cricket Ground once when I told an over officious policeman who had managed to wind up the section he was policing to cool it. I smiled at him when he came over and asked if he was entirely sure of the legal powers he was threatening to evict me with at which point a gentleman who had drunk much more stood up and swore at the cop so he got carted out and I got forgotten about.

[MCMC1875]

I spent the weekend in Sheffield with some mates when we played the Blades in the 80's. It was the first match after it was made illegal to enter a football ground drunk. We proceeded to enjoy 12 pints before kick off in The Broomhill Tavern and The Cricketers. At the ground the turnstile operator said 'jump over lads' and waved us through. Beat that!

[MCMC1875]

We have a problem of paying £35 to watch Blackburn Rovers play the European Champions in a Premier League game?

The reality is that Sappi is closing, Accrington Brick closing, Airtours (Accrington) closing, there are several others I have forgotten.

[Claytons Left Boot]

Older viewers - what's the earliest you've been arrested before a match has kicked off? Share your fond memories on BRFCS.com.

Wasn't arrested but was frog marched off the pitch, out of the ground and into one of those large black police vans after the Willington FA Cup match, away, in 1973. For something I didn't do - honestly!

We all invaded the pitch after the game and some Rovers fans started bricking the local houses down one side of the ground. Finally one brick found its mark and a bedroom window went through which prompted the police to move in.

I was an easy target and nicked before a higher ranking officer let me out of the van. I just got the coach but to coin a phrase was 'bricking it' at the thought of my dad having to come up to the north east to bring me home.

PS - it was jim mk 2 who threw the brick who paid me £1.35 to keep quiet.

[bob fleming]

PS - it was jim mk 2 who threw the brick who paid me £1.35 to keep quiet.

That's about £5000 these days isn't it? He must be another with "previous" to pay you that much.

[philipl]

I can think of two rucks back in the '70s/80s (one in particular on the Railway Terrace at Burnden) which were started by the Police throwing the first punches.

I know I don't go as often as I used to (cue 'drog) but (Malta v Croatia aside) I have scarecely seen any football violence in the latter half of the ninties or in the noughties.

[trueblue]

Errr isn't this the Manchester United Preview thread then?

Please take the 'arrested' discussion to a new topic - Thanks

[Billy Castell]

We'll get stuffed. Even without potato face, Man Utd will kill us. 4-0 with Ronaldo getting a couple.

[AussieinUk]

We'll get stuffed. Even without potato face, Man Utd will kill us. 4-0 with Ronaldo getting a couple.

I'll agree with that.

Even though the scum is without Scholes and Carrick, we are buggered on this tie.

[joey_big_nose]

Man Utd are a brilliant side if you let them play. But we have a chance of not letting them do that imo. They had a mid week game, struggling with injuries, relying on young players.

No point in writing us off just yet. If we can out work them (we should do this as we have not played this week and have some fitness maniacs in our side), keep our shape (looked much better the last three games) and find an effective way of causing their back line trouble (I would go for the high balls out wide) I think we stand a decent chance.

Berbatov gave them a new option of coming through the middle which wasn't their last year, but recently we have always been able to give Utd a good game, and frequently beat them at our place.

[Hughesy]

I think the key to our game is down to how disciplined our defence is and also how much running we get out of Emerton, Warnock & Roque

[benlloninho]

This has 1-1 written all over it