[Archived] Spurs Preview

[James No. 7]

I hope nobody takes you up on that Waggy or you are going to be pretty lonely next home match.

And it would leave the club poorer as a result. BRFC already suffer in comparison to other Premier League clubs for the relative lack of support.

[RevidgeBlue]

Just another perspective on the game yesterday. A football follower was talking today at work about yesterday`s match and he said he thought Rovers had played well and "were unlucky" not to get a point. He then watched the Sunderland West Ham game and thought that Rovers were better than either of those two. Perhaps sometimes other disinterested people see things that we dont as we get so wrapped up in a game. He is not a Rovers fan just a footie one.

That wasn't too far from my view either. Taken in isolation, if Hughes had still been in charge and we were sat in seventh or eigth place in the table, we'd have been talking about a gutsy performance with ten men where we were slightly unlucky not to nick something.

Taken in context with our League position and recent run it suddenly becomes the worst performance ever.

Of course the contrast is irrelevant. The only thing that counts is that we need results and we need them immediately.

[vintageadidas]

It is a good job Ince has another away game as i think certain fans would be calling for his head if we were at home this saturday. If we win at Portsmouth, everything looks a little healthier as few points separate a whole host of clubs.

I have decided to give Ince until after the Man City game on the 28th. I think we could pick up a fair few points in December. If we are in the bottom three after that game then he MUST go.

On another note i know 3 Spurs fans who are season ticket holders and they stated we were shocking. However, my Villa supporting mate stated we were the best team he had seen at Villa Park this season.

[No Nay Never]

It is a good job Ince has another away game as i think certain fans would be calling for his head if we were at home this saturday. If we win at Portsmouth, everything looks a little healthier as few points separate a whole host of clubs.

I have decided to give Ince until after the Man City game on the 28th. I think we could pick up a fair few points in December. If we are in the bottom three after that game then he MUST go.

On another note i know 3 Spurs fans who are season ticket holders and they stated we were shocking. However, my Villa supporting mate stated we were the best team he had seen at Villa Park this season.

If we don't win 1 of our next 5 then the City game will be far to late, it is going to take us 2-3 weeks min to bring in a new man so thats a further 3 games in turmoil, then a 3/4 games settling in period for the new man, I just think that would be to late. If memory serves me correct Hodgson was sacked around this time of year, and kidd brought in early december, and it was already too late by that point, despite us battling out a few 1-0 wins. As Padiham Pedro said, we are in the brown stuff.

[den]

I have decided to give Ince until after the Man City game on the 28th. I think we could pick up a fair few points in December. If we are in the bottom three after that game then he MUST go.

If the rovers fans thought we would pick up a "fair few points in December", then they wouldn't be calling for his head now.

Question for you Vintage - what have you seen, that makes you confident that we will pick up points?

[vintageadidas]

Den, below are Decembers PL fixtures:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, 06 December 2008

Barclays Premier League

Blackburn v Liverpool, 15:00

Hard game, a draw is posisble. But most likely a defeat.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, 13 December 2008

Barclays Premier League

Wigan v Blackburn, 15:00

We can win this in my opinion. good following and a decent hunting ground for us.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, 20 December 2008

Barclays Premier League

Blackburn v Stoke, 15:00

We can win this too. Stoke are only decent at home, they do not travel well. Fair enough we have not been brilliant at home but i think we will just have enough for them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, 26 December 2008

Barclays Premier League

Sunderland v Blackburn, 15:00

Again, we could win this. We do well up in the North East and after seeing them in the cup, at ewood and against west ham - they are on par with us.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, 28 December 2008

Barclays Premier League

Blackburn v Man City, 16:15

Anybodies game in my opinion. City are better than us but with Hughes coming back, big crowd. Who knows!

Maybe i am being to optimistic but if we dont take points off the likes of Wigan, Stoke and Sunderland he simply is not good enough and he must go! We also do pretty well over the xmas run of games.

[No Nay Never]

Den, below are Decembers PL fixtures:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, 06 December 2008

Barclays Premier League

Blackburn v Liverpool, 15:00

Hard game, a draw is posisble. But most likely a defeat.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, 13 December 2008

Barclays Premier League

Wigan v Blackburn, 15:00

We can win this in my opinion. good following and a decent hunting ground for us.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, 20 December 2008

Barclays Premier League

Blackburn v Stoke, 15:00

We can win this too. Stoke are only decent at home, they do not travel well. Fair enough we have not been brilliant at home but i think we will just have enough for them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, 26 December 2008

Barclays Premier League

Sunderland v Blackburn, 15:00

Again, we could win this. We do well up in the North East and after seeing them in the cup, at ewood and against west ham - they are on par with us.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, 28 December 2008

Barclays Premier League

Blackburn v Man City, 16:15

Anybodies game in my opinion. City are better than us but with Hughes coming back, big crowd. Who knows!

Maybe i am being to optimistic but if we dont take points off the likes of Wigan, Stoke and Sunderland he simply is not good enough and he must go! We also do pretty well over the xmas run of games.

Vintage here are 5 games already played this season...

Hull at home - newly promoted should win

Middlesboro at home - we are a better side on paper than them and should win

Sunderland at home - see above

Bolton away - happy hunting ground for us, should get something.

West Brom away - newly promoted should have the quality to take 3 points

If you get my drift !

[den]

Den, below are Decembers PL fixtures:

Cheers Vintage, but what you're giving me are predictions. What I asked, is "what have you seen, that makes you confident that we will pick up points?" Do you think we have the ability to score more goals, do you think Ince can get the tactics right, or do you think we will tighten up in midfield or at the back?

What makes you confident in those predictions? [fairly fruitful excercise all this though, isn't it]

[vintageadidas]

I have seen very little in our own team but i feel Wigan, Stoke and Sunderland are in the same predicament as us, so it makes it a more even playing field. With Emerton and Benni back with the addition of Warnock going back to left back, we could see improvements against teams as poor as us.

No Nay Never - True, but our record against the teams you mentioned would be 1 defeat in 5.

[No Nay Never]

Yea thats a fair point adidas, but we need wins if we drew every game from now till the end of the season that would leave us with 37 points which last year would have kept us up by 1 point, and the year before that we would have gone down. We need wins, and obviously the best scenario all round would be for ince to turn the corner and get us up the league. I just think he is clueless and can't see it happening.

[Roost]

Having only got home from the Spurs match last night, I managed to catch the last fifteen minutes of Barnsley V Dingles and the score gave me some cheer. Then I watched something that I didnt witness on Sunday - SPIRIT.

Burnley dragged themselves back into that game with pure effort and determination.

What a contrast to Sunday. When we went 1-0 down so did all the players heads and we were a beaten team. What has happened to the soul of the team? What has happened to the spirit and pride?

Its almost like we have a team of players who are just passing through on their way to signing for another team; there seems to be no cohesion, no leadership and no passion.

How much longer can this go on for?

One Love - BRFC

[thenodrog]

paul ince will not be sacked till the end of the season,and only if we are relagated.if you cannot back him stay away from ewood you are not welcome

Hardly an opinion shared by JW and the board I'd imagine waggy.

There is nothing more damning of any manager and his team than row upon row of empty seats. I don't know how you formulated your opinion waggy but for me Paul Ince is already a dead man walking.

[Majiball]

It strikes me that there may be a possible contradiction in the Rovers management which is not helping things.

Ince, as he has made clear, wants Rovers to play 'mellifluous' football. Hence, he signed Villaneuva and he demanded his MK Dons team to pass the ball.

However, Archie Knox is playing a significant role in our backroom engine room. How influential he is, I do not know, but, if I am not mistaken, he is a man of the blud'n'thunder attritional football.

Mixed signals disorientating the players?

Seeing as Philipl has given up trying to rationalise the steam rising from Rovers current plight, I'm doing my best.

So Ince says play it on the ground and then Know screams lump it. Surely Ince has the strength of character to not allow that to happen.

Knox is a old school boy just go and ask the Bolton players, dated methods and style of coaching hence why he had not been in the prem for almost 10 years prior to Bolton. Trouble is even at Bolton there where stories of him falling out with players, and his sacking by Know nothing Megson said it all really.

Cheers Vintage, but what you're giving me are predictions. What I asked, is "what have you seen, that makes you confident that we will pick up points?" Do you think we have the ability to score more goals, do you think Ince can get the tactics right, or do you think we will tighten up in midfield or at the back?

What makes you confident in those predictions? [fairly fruitful excercise all this though, isn't it]

Divine Intervention, Den thats all that can get us some points, I hope God is a Rover.

[Howard Gayle RulesOK]

I have argued that Paul Ince needs to be given more time but after today’s debacle I’m finding it increasingly difficult to justify that viewpoint. On the long trip back to Blackburn I was left to reflect on another passionless performance from a team that seems destined for relegation. Three points from 24 says it all really. Spurs weren’t good. In fact they were barely average but, nonetheless, they were better than us. Yet, when I look at the website and read that the manager thinks we played well I begin to wonder if we are watching the same game.

I felt sorry for young Olsson today because the least experienced player on our side was left to deal with Lennon on his own. Pedersen offered him no support and the manager didn’t appear to spot that Spurs had obviously targeted the youngster as an area to exploit. He needed help but was left to fend for himself.

Nor can I understand a central midfield pairing of Mokoena and Andrews for 90 minutes while Tugay sits on the bench. At 38 Tugay is still our most creative player and one of the few who can be relied upon to retain possession and play the ball to feet.

Our midfield today was little short of embarrassing and yet Tugay was left on the bench.

Roque looks like a player who is totally fed up with the style of play that is being employed. He is asked to chase long, hopeful balls, bring them down, control the ball and then hold it up while a pedestrian midfield catches up with play. Who could blame him if he looks towards Manchester for an escape route in January?

For the second week running I have watched an abysmal performance by the Academy side being followed by an equally inept one by the seniors. I really do fear for the future of the club. At the moment we seem to lack any sense of direction or purpose. In 65-66 we were told we were too good to go down and a similar situation seems to be building again. We went down in 65-66 without a whimper and were out of the top flight for a quarter of a century. Our present team is certainly not too good to go down and I don’t believe that we can wait much longer for the situation to be turned around.

Ultimately, these are the same players – minus Bentley and Friedel – who took the club to seventh position last season. While I didn’t expect that to be repeated without strengthening, the players are capable of achieving better than at present. We lack organisation and we certainly don’t look to be as fit as we have been in the past few seasons. While I applaud the intentions of the manager to play an attractive style of football the bottom line is that it just isn't working. Playing pretty triangles on the half way line is not going to win many points. Defenders trying to play a one-two in their own penalty area is asking for trouble. Let's play football in the opposition area, not our own.

I find it heartbreaking to see all the hard work that Hughes and his staff did to build the club up being frittered away in a matter of a few months.

I can only hope that my return journey from Portsmouth next week is happier than the one today!

Apart from the sentence regarding pretty triangles on the half way line (the axe didn't make a single pass all game as has been discussed), this pretty much summed up my feelings as i tried to warm my toes up walking back from the match on Sun.

[vintageadidas]

Bring back Tony Parkes.

[broadsword]

bring back hanging.

[gazsimm]

it was never a sending off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I have backed Ince untill now, but when he came out with this comment, i had to laugh and thought what planet is Ince actually on.

[roversmum]

Could somebody please tell Mokoena, that when he has the ball and the rest of the squad except Robinson are in front of him, it might be beneficial to try passing it forward rather than turning round and passing it backwards (again) to Robinson...

[gazsimm]

Could somebody please tell Mokoena, that when he has the ball and the rest of the squad except Robinson are in front of him, it might be beneficial to try passing it forward rather than turning round and passing it backwards (again) to Robinson...

he can't pass the ball anyway, all the axe is good at is putting his foot in were it hurts other then that he is complete useless.

Why the hell Hughes sold Savage and thought the Axe was a better player, just does not make sense to me.

[Parsonblue]

he can't pass the ball anyway, all the axe is good at is putting his foot in were it hurts other then that he is complete useless.

Why the hell Hughes sold Savage and thought the Axe was a better player, just does not make sense to me.

When Hughes sold Savage it was a superb piece of business for the club. He got a terrific fee for a player who was past his best - as his subsequent career has proved. He didn't replace Savage with Mokoena. After Savage was sold Mokoena made just five substitute appearances. Steven Reid had returned to fitness and was used during the second half of last season and in the latter stages Johann Vogel was used.

What really doesn't make sense is why Ince refuses to use Vogel!

[vintageadidas]

The Axe must be on £15,000 a week which is unbelievable. He is one of the worst players i have seen in a Rovers shirt. He is a nice guy but come on, he is pants.

[Hughesy]

He was probably the reason we got 3 points at Everton away on the 1st day too. Without that, we would be bottom.