[Archived] Sam Allardyce

[chocky]

What amazes me most is that some of the idiots on here would rather not go to matches while Sam is manager...talk about cutting off your nose....

[Kelbo]

If your enjoyment of football is purely based on "gloating at oppo/burnley fans" then I pity your sad existence. I really do.

And I would brace yourself for a pretty miserable season come August - it's Burnley who will be doing the gloating, especially given our ever-solidying reputation as Bolton 2.0.

Season by season our football steadily improved under Hughes. It WILL NOT under Allardyce.

I thnk you will find the football in Sparkys last season dropped off somewhat!!

Managers do know when its time to quit!!

[roversmum]

I don't know, this is all daft. The dying days of Huges' tenure were pretty torrid. Indeed I remember a fair bit of the ball being passed to Big Brad and him kicking it up the field (in many instances it landed in the stands somewhere, not Brad's strongest point). I used to dread it every time he got the ball. At least with Robinson you know it's more likely to get on the end of someone's boot. Likewise when Souey left I was so looking forward to the new season and was upset to see the most unfit bunch of players I think I have ever seen, yet there were good times with both of them.

All this carry on about Bolton etc- Nicko is right, they did duff up a few teams, and if we could do that again I think I might rather enjoy it especially after the general feeling that we were there for the taking of the last season - now that was bad.

How about calming down a bit, waiting for the season to start and seeing what happens. Anyone with too much time on their hands is welcome to pop round here, I've builders in at the moment and there is plenty of work for idle hands.

[Kelbo]

I don't know, this is all daft. The dying days of Huges' tenure were pretty torrid. Indeed I remember a fair bit of the ball being passed to Big Brad and him kicking it up the field (in many instances it landed in the stands somewhere, not Brad's strongest point). I used to dread it every time he got the ball. At least with Robinson you know it's more likely to get on the end of someone's boot. Likewise when Souey left I was so looking forward to the new season and was upset to see the most unfit bunch of players I think I have ever seen, yet there were good times with both of them.

All this carry on about Bolton etc- Nicko is right, they did duff up a few teams, and if we could do that again I think I might rather enjoy it especially after the general feeling that we were there for the taking of the last season - now that was bad.

How about calming down a bit, waiting for the season to start and seeing what happens. Anyone with too much time on their hands is welcome to pop round here, I've builders in at the moment and there is plenty of work for idle hands.

Great words of wisdom and from a woman too, can I swap you for my wife, she hates football

[ABBEY]

You know John, for such a deft exponent of the art of flashing the racist card at every given opportunity, you're not averse to the odd bit of bigotry yourself.

ha hates the aussies too..

[bob fleming]

Well said roversmum. Just to add my twopenneth...

Oh for the glory days of the Hughes era. The 'Total Football' served up at times was a treat. If only Allardyce could replicate that but it would appear those days are gone. I'll continue to watch the team, I already have my season ticket for next season.

I'll miss Aaron Mokeona sitting in front of the back four like a modern day Franz Beckenbauer, spraying passes across Ewood with laser like accuracy. I doubt I'll witness Morten Gamst Pedrsen take another long throw as he did in the 'Brazil 1970's Hughes days. Gone too are the silky skills of Paul Dickov and Shefki Kuqi's quick feet, replaced by mere workhorses such as McCarthy.

Woe is me. Allardyce has just sold a player for £18m - a player who was a shadow of his former self last season and barely contributed. He is yet to replace him. Whist I'm clearly not thrilled with the prospect of Fat Kev returning you have to give the manager a chance to build his team - don't we owe him that? Yes, £5m is a hell of a lot of money for a 32 year old, yes I'd like to see him look for an alternative. But I haven't just saved us from relegation.

Yoiu have to let the manager manage. If you don't then the likelihood is that he'll jump ship. Give 'em enough rope - then hang them when it all goes wrong and comes to a head at Wigan away in December.

Allardyce kept us up against the odds - without Cruz. It wasn't pretty but unless I've missed something we can't bloody well afford pretty. Pulling rabbits our of hats - punching above our weight. The clues are all there.

As others have said though - when have BRFC been about just being pretty? Bring it on - the press won't like us (no change there then) but we'll ruffle some feathers - including those of some of the rich clubs. I'll bloody love it. We may even occasionally play some decent stuff, it is possible.

Arte et Labore I believe.

[daren]

All this carry on about Bolton etc- Nicko is right, they did duff up a few teams, and if we could do that again I think I might rather enjoy it especially after the general feeling that we were there for the taking of the last season - now that was bad.

God, yes. I don't think any Rovers fan appreciated the sense of creeping dread every weekend.

Allerdyce manages effecitively. He puts the team on a secure footing and builds with whatever is available. Frankly, referring to his time at newcastle is rubbish, because the good lord himself with 22 newcastle players on the pitch couldn't have done anything.

I hate the thought of Davies here, partially because of his awful time ten years ago, but mainly because the price mentioned seems ludicrous. Honestly though, options are limited by the obnoxious prices being looked for.

[malk]

Mein gott some voices of dissenting sense in the madness!

That bloody game in Scotland, a long drive there and back to be so gutted. Played the buggers of the park to come away with nothing. Bloody European football, one day we'll win a European trophy and then I'll have nothing left to hope for!

On the style of play surely it's better if not essential to be flexible. A West Brom football over everything is suicide and on the other end of the scale, trying to clog Stoke of the field at the Britannia is also pretty foolish. We need to play tight and hard against the top sides and expand our game against the lesser ones. It's almost like good teams scout their opposition and play accordingly.

The same goes within a team. Under Hughes having Todd boot someone off the ball worked from time to time, other times Nelsen would snuff out an attack before it got started.

Allardyce clearly knows the game and has been decently successful. I see no reason (especially given 1.4 ppg with a 20 game sample size) for this not to continue.

[Steve Moss]

I don't care how a team wins. They can play the "beautiful" game or they can get pragmatic, physical football (to quote Nicko) or both. I want my team to win. Our tactics depend on our resources. Currently, we need to be playing a hard, physical game. Allardyce is perfect for that which is why I'm glad he's our manager. And I think he'll get us into the top 10 which is nothing to sneeze at.

[philipl]

There have been three occasions when Rovers played truly horrible football.

The fag end of Saxton's time

Under Kidd in the second level

The last dozen games under Ince

For those fearing Allardyce football at Ewood, we don't as yet have an Allardyce midfield.

[Seggie]

I don't care how a team wins. They can play the "beautiful" game or they can get pragmatic, physical football (to quote Nicko) or both. I want my team to win. Our tactics depend on our resources. Currently, we need to be playing a hard, physical game. Allardyce is perfect for that which is why I'm glad he's our manager. And I think he'll get us into the top 10 which is nothing to sneeze at.

This I agree with wholeheartedly, football is a results business, I don't want to pay and watch my team lose.

I couldn't care less about horrible football and as Phillipl points out in his post we have seen much much worse. Although I wasnt around in Saxton's time I certainly was for Kidd and Ince and that I can honestly say it became a chore to go and watch the drivel that was served up on a weekly basis. If people are saying Sam has a awful brand of football then they need to ask themselves what they thought of Ince's and they will take Sam's everytime. I hated playing Bolton when they had Sam as their manager as he set them up to be a horrid team to play against and thats what I want Rovers to be. People need to remember that when Hughes started out it wasn't pretty but it got better I can't see this happening under Sam but what I can see is our form being a lot more consistant which should lead to Europa League football.

[accyrover]

The last dozen or so games under Hughes were awful, so much so that I didn't renew my season ticket on the strength of him being there in 08/09. As it turns out, given the gubbins we played under Ince it was a shrewd move on my part. I suspect I'd have been hiding sharp objects by last October.

Allardyce is the right man for the job. Great tactician, shrewd in the transfer market, can work miracles on a budget at an unfashionable club.

Lets appraise him in 12 months time, after he's had chance to build his own team.

Accyrover

[gumboots]

The last dozen or so games under Hughes were awful, so much so that I didn't renew my season ticket on the strength of him being there in 08/09. As it turns out, given the gubbins we played under Ince it was a shrewd move on my part. I suspect I'd have been hiding sharp objects by last October.

Allardyce is the right man for the job. Great tactician, shrewd in the transfer market, can work miracles on a budget at an unfashionable club.

Lets appraise him in 12 months time, after he's had chance to build his own team.

Accyrover

And, just as a matter of interest, have you got a season ticket this year?

[Seggie]

The last dozen or so games under Hughes were awful, so much so that I didn't renew my season ticket on the strength of him being there in 08/09. As it turns out, given the gubbins we played under Ince it was a shrewd move on my part. I suspect I'd have been hiding sharp objects by last October.

Allardyce is the right man for the job. Great tactician, shrewd in the transfer market, can work miracles on a budget at an unfashionable club.

Lets appraise him in 12 months time, after he's had chance to build his own team.

Accyrover

Wouldn't have called it awful except probably Birmingham away were we threw all hope of UEFA cup football away.

As for your assessment of Sam you are spot on. I felt he was the obvious choice last summer due to his transfer dealings on a small budget but more importantly he adopts a more modern scientific way of coaching like Hughes did which obviously works as our players benefitted from it when he came in after Ince who had brought in old school coaches who were perhaps less inclined to modern training methods.

[CAPT KAYOS]

And, just as a matter of interest, have you got a season ticket this year?

I have gumboots and felt and did exactly the same as accy rover - ironically I am an ex bash/accringtonian (but in my heart I still am)

Sam was certainly the right man to keep us up last season (as proven) and steady the ship - whether he will be the one to take us forward only time will tell - I am prepared to give him time to get things in order.

I am also of the opinion you go out to win the game be it ugly or beautiful, however, I will not tolerate 'ugly' football all the time and expect some decent play and effort (football candy).

At present I have not been happy with the way the team has been set up to approach games - and still feel if we continue as such we will come unstuck more times than we gain the benefit.

I am not in the brigade that termed notlob simply a'long ball rough em up' team, as I thought at times they did play some decent football just with a strong edge to the game - similar to our beginning of the Hughes tenure.

So if Sam can gel a team together and bring what he did with notlob - maybe with just a tad more flair I feel we could be in for a successful and long term manager tenure.

[JC4LAB]

I'd join in any critism about Sam's style if he had followed on from from Hughes and performances then lapsed..but we nearly died under the Paul Ince era and he rescued us from that.so happy to go along with what he thinks best even if unattractive...Often wonder what would have happened he if we'd kept Roy Hodgson who's now a star man..

[tony gale's mic]

I'd join in any critism about Sam's style if he had followed on from from Hughes and performances then lapsed..but we nearly died under the Paul Ince era and he rescued us from that.so happy to go along with what he thinks best even if unattractive...Often wonder what would have happened he if we'd kept Roy Hodgson who's now a star man..

I agree we should have kept him, however hindsight is a wonderful thing. At the time it was the right thing to do, but I think a lot of us knew deep down that given the man's pedigree before he joined us, there was something more serious than just the manager going on at Rovers at the time.

[Majiball]

I don't know, this is all daft. The dying days of Huges' tenure were pretty torrid. Indeed I remember a fair bit of the ball being passed to Big Brad and him kicking it up the field (in many instances it landed in the stands somewhere, not Brad's strongest point). I used to dread it every time he got the ball. At least with Robinson you know it's more likely to get on the end of someone's boot. Likewise when Souey left I was so looking forward to the new season and was upset to see the most unfit bunch of players I think I have ever seen, yet there were good times with both of them.

All this carry on about Bolton etc- Nicko is right, they did duff up a few teams, and if we could do that again I think I might rather enjoy it especially after the general feeling that we were there for the taking of the last season - now that was bad.

How about calming down a bit, waiting for the season to start and seeing what happens. Anyone with too much time on their hands is welcome to pop round here, I've builders in at the moment and there is plenty of work for idle hands.

Arsenal at home last season, I knew then we where going down. I don't ever remember being so despondent after one game. Wigan away as soon as I saw the warm-up I knew we stood no chance. I haven't seen such dis-jointed football in a long time.

It may not be pretty, it may not be pure. But it works and works well, we actually stand a chance now and picked up good points.

After "He who should not be named" that sounds like heaven to me.

All that matters is the result and Sam gets them, he saved our club when to be honest I wasn't convinced it could be done. For that he has my support and confidence.

Great words of wisdom and from a woman too, can I swap you for my wife, she hates football

Can you name one football Wife that doesn't? mine used to say it was more important to me than her, she was right!!!!

[waggy]

the 1st 10 games of the new season will define how lardarse's team will play football.

[gazsimm]

the 1st 10 games of the new season will define how lardarse's team will play football.

i think you and we all know what style of football sam's team will play waggy, it's not pretty on the eye, but it works and gets results

[waggy]

i think you and we all know what style of football sam's team will play waggy, it's not pretty on the eye, but it works and gets results

posters on here seem to kid themself that we might change

[joey_big_nose]

the 1st 10 games of the new season will define how lardarse's team will play football.

To be honest with the targets we are lining up it looks like it is going to be exactly the same as Bolton. I was hoping he would go down a different route, but there it is.

I might be wrong but with Di Santo and Davies as the number one targets it is hard to see anything else. Pedersen and Diouf lend themselves to 433 as well, so do Warnock and Rothen.

[Ronin]

Choice is play good football, maybe similar to what the Baggies did last season and look what happened to them - finish bottom and now playing Fizzy Pop League footy again, or play football that isn't the best to watch but gets results and might end up with a Europa League place all being well? Sam got the job done last season by keeping us up, with a few games to go as well, plus an immediate 9 game unbeaten run as soon as he took over. We might not like the style it's played out on the pitch but as long as the end product is successful and we can do better than last season (shouldn't really be too hard accomplish) then it will have been a successful season.

[joey_big_nose]

Choice is play good football, maybe similar to what the Baggies did last season and look what happened to them - finish bottom and now playing Fizzy Pop League footy again, or play football that isn't the best to watch but gets results and might end up with a Europa League place all being well? Sam got the job done last season by keeping us up, with a few games to go as well, plus an immediate 9 game unbeaten run as soon as he took over. We might not like the style it's played out on the pitch but as long as the end product is successful and we can do better than last season (shouldn't really be too hard accomplish) then it will have been a successful season.

I like Sam, he is the right guy for us where we are. But what you say is not strictly true - look at Fulham or West Ham. Play decent football. Haven't really got any better players than we have. So you can do alright playing decent stuff.

[incecticide]

I like Sam, he is the right guy for us where we are. But what you say is not strictly true - look at Fulham or West Ham. Play decent football. Haven't really got any better players than we have. So you can do alright playing decent stuff.

West Ham have got better players than us.