[Archived] West Brom Preview

[Al]

Hughes work at BLACKBURN, should be used to measure Ince's. Not whatever he's doing now.

It's got nowt to do with Hughes. He's history. Ince needs to be judged on what is happening NOW one way or the other. I'm just not sure yet.

[Amo]

Ince said so himself when he first signed, then his job is to sustain what Mark Hughes has done. If he can't do that, then surely he's not performing the job at hand?

[Majiball]

Hughes work at BLACKBURN, should be used to measure Ince's. Not whatever he's doing now.

How can you compare the two though? Hughes always used to say 40 points as quickly as possible then see where we are. Perhaps we should compare Hughes to Souness or maybe even to Kenny.

Football is an ever changing world, every season is a different challenge. Hughes left us because he felt he could do no better after 4 years in charge and yet we expect Ince to equal that in his first year, bizarre. In his first year in charge we finished 15th he joined us in September, and we battled our way out of it. Its hardly as if Hughes set the Rovers world on fire when he first arrived, it took him time and the second season was his best.

The strategy at Rovers has not changed its still the same 40 points and then lets see where we are.

[den]

How can you compare the two though? Hughes always used to say 40 points as quickly as possible then see where we are. Perhaps we should compare Hughes to Souness or maybe even to Kenny.

Just a minor point, but that isn't true. He was more ambitious than that. Hughes used to set targets pre-season. He used to say that a lot of the players initially thought the targets were unrealistic, but it was a way of trying to raise standards. It appeared to instil confidence and it seemed to work.

[LeChuck]

Hughes always used to say 40 points as quickly as possible then see where we are.

Did he? I don't remember him saying anything like that. Hughes banished that kind of negative talk which Souness used to spout all the time. Hughes was always talking about Europe, I'm sure he even mentioned aiming for 4th spot once.

[philipl]

My recollection was Hughes used to divide the season into chunks and set targets for each chunk with the totals coming to Euro qualification.

[Ricky]

Agree with you on that one Philip, Hughes definitely used to split the season into sections and give the team a target for each of the chucks of the season.

Souness was the magic 40 point man.

[47er]

How can you compare the two though? Hughes always used to say 40 points as quickly as possible then see where we are. Perhaps we should compare Hughes to Souness or maybe even to Kenny.

Football is an ever changing world, every season is a different challenge. Hughes left us because he felt he could do no better after 4 years in charge and yet we expect Ince to equal that in his first year, bizarre. In his first year in charge we finished 15th he joined us in September, and we battled our way out of it. Its hardly as if Hughes set the Rovers world on fire when he first arrived, it took him time and the second season was his best.

The strategy at Rovers has not changed its still the same 40 points and then lets see where we are.

You've been accurately corrected re targets but how can you have expected Hughes to "set the world on fire" in his first season with the relegation bound load of **** he inherited from Souness?

[rover6]

Is Simpson the most unaffecting player to have played for us since the invisible and aged Flitcroft haunted our midfield?

It is quite weird how nobody finds fault or praise for him. Which, I guess, means that he's doing nothing very wrong but nothing very right. Solid, I guess.

At least he seems to be doing the basics of his job. I remember that the veteran Flitcroft would play weekly without effect but by virture of his familiarity and elusivity (and captaincy), he avoided criticism from the fans. WHich, I think, lends support to my theory that defensive midfield is one of the easier roles to "blag" on a football pitch.

[Majiball]

Not to go againast the grain but I'm sure I've heard Hughes say that? I was sure he said it pre-season while discussing targets for the team for the year.

You've been accurately corrected re targets but how can you have expected Hughes to "set the world on fire" in his first season with the relegation bound load of **** he inherited from Souness?

the point I was trying to make was that it took Hughes a season to get things as he wanted. You could argue that Ince has inheritted a team on the down as well, its a mute point comparing Ince to Hughes.

[Hughesy]

just shows how poor the premiership is this season

Or how competitive? Nobody expected Newcastle & the Geordies to start so bad, and nobody expected the start that Hull have had.

My recollection was Hughes used to divide the season into chunks and set targets for each chunk with the totals coming to Euro qualification.

Yeah that was true & that is something Ince also said at the beginning of this season that they had done too.

Im sick to the teeth of all this 'we finished 7th and 1 place off europe last year' as an arguement to back Hughes up. Anybody that went alot last season could tell you that we got very fortunate last season and our performances were dire. I can think of at least 6-8 games which we got very lucky (Bolton A, Sunderland A & H, Tottenham H, Reading A, Boro H to name a few).

I felt like many others that our team was on the decline, add to that 2 of your best players leaving, your entire management team changing and a number of under-performing players (McCarthy, Pedersen, Nelsen, Reid). Iv said it before and Il say it again, 8th-10th would be a good season this time around.

[Amo]

Yeah that was true & that is something Ince also said at the beginning of this season that they had done too.

Im sick to the teeth of all this 'we finished 7th and 1 place off europe last year' as an arguement to back Hughes up. Anybody that went alot last season could tell you that we got very fortunate last season and our performances were dire. I can think of at least 6-8 games which we got very lucky (Bolton A, Sunderland A & H, Tottenham H, Reading A, Boro H to name a few).

I felt like many others that our team was on the decline, add to that 2 of your best players leaving, your entire management team changing and a number of under-performing players (McCarthy, Pedersen, Nelsen, Reid). Iv said it before and Il say it again, 8th-10th would be a good season this time around.

A team on the decline and they still managed to miss out on Europe by one spot? That says a lot.

[DE.]

just shows how poor the premiership is this season

surely if anything it makes the premiership better if more teams are able to compete?

[Hughesy]

Elijah - Stop beating on about Europe & 1 place. Look at the final day 4-1 to a team that went down - thats poor enough! We also drew with Reading 0-0 7 games from the end, who also went down. Coventry in the cup, Larissa in Europe, Arsenal Kids in the Cup - The warning signs were there!

Do you actually go and watch the games often?

[Amo]

You're cherry picking results, Hughesy. It's the final table that matters. That's all we play for. And we were one game away from qualifying for Europe.

[Mr Creosote]

You're cherry picking results, Hughesy. It's the final table that matters. That's all we play for. And we were one game away from qualifying for Europe.

Mark Hughes was a tremendous boss for us but he was clearly frustrated and wanted away towards the end of his tenure. Results and some dreary performances demonstrated that.

He's gone now, moved on, as have Rovers. Maybe you should think about doing the same?

[1864roverite]

Arsenal Kids in the Cup - The warning signs were there!

Each and every one of those kids are better technically and fitter than most of our first 11 and would walk into our team

[Hughesy]

Yes they are technically gifted but you have to remember we got back to 2-2, they were tired (no way were they fitter) and then went down to 10 men - yet still beat us. You cant say that was acceptable because it was Arsenal's kids? We had a full team playing.

Yes we were 1 game away - but we lost 4-1 to a team that went down. Yet people complain that we drew 2-2 with a team that will probably also go down this year.

[waggy]

i had the misfortune off reading the last 20 mins off the game posts,like i said before if you ain't got owt positive to say KEEP IT SHUT.2-2 with ten man was a good result,andrews scored but played crap,wish roberts scored everytime he played crap.samba and nelsen need replacing,ZURAB and OOIJER for me every time,can just see the flak INCE would get then.BEENNI, should have been sold 12 months ago,his sending off was not as bad as the bbc were cliaming.i too enjoy the football at ewood this season,after the sterile crap off ST MARK HUGHES.sure it was winning football but so bloody boring,lets get behind the team and club

[Hughesy]

Benni was very unlucky to get his 2nd booking. It hit just under his shoulder, and that was after he had been pushed so was abit off balance.

Nelsen is the weak link in defence and that was highlighted last season when he was out injured and we improved. Samba gets the blame, but you try doing 2 peoples jobs at once.

[thenodrog]

Iv said it before and Il say it again, 8th-10th would be a good season this time around.

Correct. It would be an amazing effort.

[thenodrog]

I don't agree with anything you say but respect your right to say it. DITTO

Your anti Blackburn Rovers in my view. Your criticism of Ince is personal and you never give any credit in your lob sided world.

There are so many positives. Hughes was poor and the team going backwards. Did you actually go to a game at Ewood last season????????????????????????????????????????????????????? and see the relegation dirge served up. The leaky defence everyone bemoaned back in October 2007. The lack of a midfielder.

We now have; (I'll list the positives)

Emerton playing better than under Hughes

Pederson quite rightfully dropped

McCarthy looking fitter sharper hungry

Nelsens form improved.

Moekoena pushed to the bench - How many times did you criticise Hughes over Moekoena??

Judge and Treacy blooded

Tugay playing better than in the last two years.

Olson coming through and given a chance and looking good

Dunn more positive about the new management

Warnock moved to a new position and rather than playing good one week crap the next, now looks a great player

Team spirit up 400% - Rovers players actually believe in what they are doing, looked united, LOOK LIKE THEY KNOW WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING!!! and play with a smile.

Set pieces. HOW MANY TIMES DID I SAY THIS ABOUT HUGHES. Useless!!!!! Now Ince has tightened up the obvious and we look 500% better on set pieces both attacking and defending. WE EVEN SCORED FROM A CORNER!!!

Pre-match training - we actually train professionally before the game.

Entertainment - We might only have our usual point tally but at least we have been entertained.

If you like Hughes so much why don't you buy a Man City Season Ticket! I am happy with Ince

A truly amazing post even by the standards set by our resident goldfish brigade.

[thenodrog]

I don't agree with anything you say but respect your right to say it.

How about this from early doors graham?

http://www.brfcs.co.uk/mb/index.php?s=&amp...st&p=669301

It's unfortunately still holding up 2 months further on. I can only tell it as I see it.

[Mr Creosote]

A truly amazing post even by the standards set by our resident goldfish brigade.

Excellent riposte. Good to see you addressing the points in Graham's post.

[92er]

I noticed in today's Daily Telegraph that the "ghost goal ref" will be a 4th official again-because of controversy in the Derby/Nottingham Forest match which he reffed last weekend; the linesman from the earlier incident will be running the line again after sitting out for 6 weeks.

And ref Jones will also be assuming a 4th official role at the weekend because he had been underfire for his performance in our game.