[Archived] Sam Allardyce

[thenodrog]

Did more than cause problems, Samba provided assists and contributed massively to us winning the Spurs and Wigan matches.

and Pompey.

[tony gale's mic]

I've said it before we need a takeover so the club can continue to compete at this level. For to long now there has been no financal backing for the manager and if that continues to be the case we will find ourselves back down the leagues. We can't continue to not spend any money and expect to stay in the top flight,maybe it would be best in the long run to go down, git rid of the high earners and try to win promotion back to the prem with a young hungrey squad of players.

Christ...I think that's one of the least insightful Rovers related posts I've ever read on here.

[spencey7]

You can't say has has not used footballers in the past...Campo, Hierro, Okocha, Djorkaeff immediately make a nonsense of that.

I was pleased to hear about the Rothen interest because it tells me the need for a 'calming' midfield player is being looked at.

And how hideous were Bolton during the period those players were in their team? A "calming" midfield player (or indeed a talented footballer anywhere on the pitch) does not mean Allardyce's tactics will be any easier on the eye.

You can't truly believe that the "style" will change for the coming season?

[nicko]

And how hideous were Bolton during the period those players were in their team? A "calming" midfield player (or indeed a talented footballer anywhere on the pitch) does not mean Allardyce's tactics will be any easier on the eye.

You can't truly believe that the "style" will change for the coming season?

Bolton were a very good side under Allardyce. They could beat you up, but they could also play. I remember them ripping you apart at Ewood once with that kind of football...

I like football that is 'easy on the eye' but I also know that you need a lot more than that to survive at Premier League level.

Style is for Trinny and Susannah.

[Billy Castell]

Since its all about money, and the big 4 are the only ones that can buy a team of stars, all I want is winning football.

Mind you this is from someone who can't afford a season ticket.

[spencey7]

Bolton were a very good side under Allardyce. They could beat you up, but they could also play.

Are you serious?

Why were they (and now we) a national joke and bonafide laughing stock when it comes to the footballing ethos purveyed by the esteemed Mr Allardyce?

[Billy Castell]

Lets just wait until the season starts before we bang on about bad football etc.

[super_arran]

Are you serious?

Why were they (and now we) a national joke and bonafide laughing stock when it comes to the footballing ethos purveyed by the esteemed Mr Allardyce?

Yeh, but that kind of football got Bolton into europe.

would you complain if that happened to us?

[spencey7]

Lets just wait until the season starts before we bang on about bad football etc.

Why?!?

Is anyone truly dumb enough to believe that Allardyce will have us playing any other way than we did last season? The guy has an impeccable track record of having his teams play the worst football in the known universe.

This isn't just my opinion - it's widely accepted as fact by anyone who has had the misfortune to sit through 90 minutes of Allardross.

Blackburn Rovers Football Club are a national joke.

Happy days!

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Why?!?

Is anyone truly dumb enough to believe that Allardyce will have us playing any other way than we did last season? The guy has an impeccable track record of having his teams play the worst football in the known universe.

This isn't just my opinion - it's widely accepted as fact by anyone who has had the misfortune to sit through 90 minutes of Allardross.

Blackburn Rovers Football Club are a national joke.

Happy days!

Here you go.

[Billy Castell]

OK Waggy Mk II, why not sack Sam right now on the basis of rumours of Davies returning, playing football that is not sexy and so on? And then who will take over? Paul Ince again? Stan Ternant?

Would you not like to see Rovers batter Arsenal and win, or try to play pretty and get bummed 4-0? Sadly that is the choice we have as we cannot afford players who can do everything like a Gerrard, Rooney or Essien. And if someone like that came through our academy, they'd be tapped up and bought by a big 4 club before we had the chance to see them do brilliant things for me.

[nicko]

Are you serious?

Why were they (and now we) a national joke and bonafide laughing stock when it comes to the footballing ethos purveyed by the esteemed Mr Allardyce?

How many times did you see Bolton play when they were in their pomp? I can't think of too many sides who could beat Man U at Old Trafford twice, duff up Liverpool, knock Arsenal about etc...

You don't want the kind of stuff you had to watch at times last season.

But, FFS, it worked in the end.

[spencey7]

Yeh, but that kind of football got Bolton into europe.

would you complain if that happened to us?

It wouldn't remotely change my thoughts on Allardyce's football ethos, no.

I watch football to be entertained, not to have my head in my hands with embarassment every time we muster an "attack".

[Kelbo]

Spency 7 wrote

'Recall the sight of Kevin Keegan on the touchline during his first game back at Newcastle frantically trying to get his players to keep the ball on the ground'

Where did it get them??? So did Kidd at Ewood!!

Listen, unless you have the right players for a particular system, you simply cant play it, you have to look at what is available to you and work with that, total football is wonderful, it has taken years of hard work at Arsenal who for me are the finest footballing side around, I would pay money every day to watch them, even the kids are excellent.

We havent got those kind of players and we cant afford them, its all well and good us commenting but, if we want to stay in the premiership, until we get investment, we have to go with the budgets available!!

Even a small semi pro club with 58 people watching week in week out costs around the £50,000 to run over a season, the operating costs at Rovers are phenominal, not just the first team, Reserve team, Academy etc etc.

But, we must work on the Academy, that I honestly feel for us is the way forward because without a doubt and pretty soon one or two of the big clubs are going to go to the wall, it simply cant carry on this way of inflated wages and transfers much longer>>

[spencey7]

How many times did you see Bolton play when they were in their pomp? I can't think of too many sides who could beat Man U at Old Trafford twice, duff up Liverpool, knock Arsenal about etc...

You don't want the kind of stuff you had to watch at times last season.

Exactly. And that is literally all Sam Allardyce has in his locker. A tried and tested system of anti-football.

I resent the fact that we should need to "duff up" or "knock about" any team, and I don't mean to be revolutionary here - but how about we try playing some football?

Other teams manage it (Fulham, West Ham, even Wigan). There will be no uglier team in the Premier League next season, and given that includes Stoke, it's saying something.

[spencey7]

But, we must work on the Academy, that I honestly feel for us is the way forward because without a doubt and pretty soon one or two of the big clubs are going to go to the wall, it simply cant carry on this way of inflated wages and transfers much longer>>

What chance do the Academy kids have given the style of football the senior team will be playing?

[Exiled in Toronto]

So why aren't Fulham, for example, pursuing the likes of EHD, Davies and then probably Nolan? Are they out of our reach now? Wigan too? I refuse to accept that the best we can hope for is Bolton's team of yesteryear playing sh!te football and that any and all alternatives mean inevitable relegation.

For all those who state on here that they only watch Rovers to see them win, then you'll all be wasting your money watching the 25-ish games we won't win next season, assuming a 'successful' mid-table finish.

[nicko]

So why aren't Fulham, for example, pursuing the likes of EHD, Davies and then probably Nolan? Are they out of our reach now? Wigan too? I refuse to accept that the best we can hope for is Bolton's team of yesteryear playing sh!te football and that any and all alternatives mean inevitable relegation.

For all those who state on here that they only watch Rovers to see them win, then you'll all be wasting your money watching the 25-ish games we won't win next season, assuming a 'successful' mid-table finish.

Can someone tell me when Rovers played this Beautfiul Game fantasy that some seem to get caught up in...I know I'm getting old and past it, but the memory is letting me down on this one.

When you won the title in 95 you also played practical and pragmatic 'British' football...and knocked people about at both ends of the pitch...more power to you for doing so.

However I can't rememeber a time when there was much of a samba beat about.

[gumboots]

Can someone tell me when Rovers played this Beautfiul Game fantasy that some seem to get caught up in...I know I'm getting old and past it, but the memory is letting me down on this one.

When you won the title in 95 you also played practical and pragmatic 'British' football...and knocked people about at both ends of the pitch...more power to you for doing so.

However I can't rememeber a time when there was much of a samba beat about.

The best I remember was the time when Dunn, Duff and jansen were here and jansen got his England callup. Then you really felt we were playing well and also winning.

[insiderover79]

Can someone tell me when Rovers played this Beautfiul Game fantasy that some seem to get caught up in...I know I'm getting old and past it, but the memory is letting me down on this one.

When you won the title in 95 you also played practical and pragmatic 'British' football...and knocked people about at both ends of the pitch...more power to you for doing so.

However I can't rememeber a time when there was much of a samba beat about.

How true you are Nicko, We have never played the "beautiful game" exclusively and ffs are we turning into Newcastle fans some of us, lets only play if we are like brazil attitude. Tits.

We need a mixture and if anyone watched Bolton thats what they did. With Santa Cruz confirmed out we have some money lets hope it is spent wisely.

[malk]

Can someone tell me when Rovers played this Beautfiul Game fantasy that some seem to get caught up in...I know I'm getting old and past it, but the memory is letting me down on this one.

When you won the title in 95 you also played practical and pragmatic 'British' football...and knocked people about at both ends of the pitch...more power to you for doing so.

However I can't rememeber a time when there was much of a samba beat about.

We played decent passing football under Hughes. It wasn't flamboyant but it was certainly a passing game and not the clogging that we're accused of. How a team with the likes of McCarthy, Pedersen, Bentley etc etc be accused of clogging I don't know.

Anyway, as I mentioned in the Davies thread, why on earth do people want us to drop a big pile of cash on a player. All the best players in our team have come for decent money and every expensive player has flopped. Can't we see a pattern emerging?

Top clubs need to spend big to put them over the edge, clubs like us need to be smart and turn profits buy selling to those after utilising guys for a season or three.

Also, lets turn down the doom and gloom a notch eh. We average 1.4 ppg under Allardyce which will probably take us to 7th and Europe. We haven't lost anyone that logged significant time apart from Oojer and have more than a few injuries to come back. We also will bring in some players which can hardly make us worse. Surely no need for some of the outrageous comments being banged out.

[DE.]

Can someone tell me when Rovers played this Beautfiul Game fantasy that some seem to get caught up in...I know I'm getting old and past it, but the memory is letting me down on this one.

When you won the title in 95 you also played practical and pragmatic 'British' football...and knocked people about at both ends of the pitch...more power to you for doing so.

However I can't rememeber a time when there was much of a samba beat about.

We never have, we've always been at our best when we're the "bully boys", and proud of it. The myth that was played nice football under Hughes is laughable. Souey's football was never pretty either. People remember Hughes and Souness' early eras fondly because we were WINNING, end of. If Sam brings victories to us, his "football ethos" will soon be forgotten.

[sjsbrfc]

It wouldn't remotely change my thoughts on Allardyce's football ethos, no.

I watch football to be entertained, not to have my head in my hands with embarassment every time we muster an "attack".

I watch Rovers hoping that they'll win. If it isn't fancy then so be it, at the end of the day a win is more important (in my opinion).

[Eddie]

Can someone tell me when Rovers played this Beautfiul Game fantasy that some seem to get caught up in...I know I'm getting old and past it, but the memory is letting me down on this one.

When you won the title in 95 you also played practical and pragmatic 'British' football...and knocked people about at both ends of the pitch...more power to you for doing so.

However I can't rememeber a time when there was much of a samba beat about.

I think if you look at when we have had our best seasons we have played our best football. Under Souness and Hughes the best years came when we played the ball around. We're never going to be Arsenal, but there is a middle ground between Bolton and Brazil 1970. The fact is that Bolton only looked good when they had Anelka and so unless we plan on bringing in a highly skilled, quick forward then we will struggle to do anything other than lump it up and hope with the way we've been set-out recently. Now I'm all for signing an Anelkaesque player, but Davies is not that.

No good manager is as one-dimensional as you and many others are making Allardyce out to be. If he can't do anything other than set a team up for the old Bolton style then he can go elsewhere.

[Jeru tha Damaja]

We played decent passing football under Hughes. It wasn't flamboyant but it was certainly a passing game and not the clogging that we're accused of. How a team with the likes of McCarthy, Pedersen, Bentley etc etc be accused of clogging I don't know.

Not sure who etc etc is, but we still have two of those players, in case that had escaped your notice.

I think people are already starting to romantacise a time when we didn't actually play brilliant football, but times change and you do what you can to survive. I didn't understand why Big Sam was run out of Newcastle by fans complaining about his style, and I certainly don't understand it now that our fans are grumbling about it. Was anyone seriously heartbroken by staying up the Allardyce way last season? We could have tried playing along the deck and persevered with Ince, but we'd have been facing the likes of Barnsley in league fixtures next season and signing the likes of Kevin Davies would be nothing more than a distant dream.

If you want to start playing beautiful football that's fine, we'll make martyrs out of ourselves just like West Brom, but consider yourselves warned, because a year down the line you'll be aspiring to the clubs who play "boring long-ball" football in the Premier League as we wallow in the depths of the Championship.

Thankfully the choice is not actually yours.