[Archived] Sam Allardyce

[thenodrog]

There was nowhere near 18,000 fans booing at half time, just half of BBE NO1 and a few others scattered about. The team needs support, and although it's difficult to get behind them after a performance like that first half I was disgusted with the so called fans that were booing.

Not having a pop at any individual but their is a fallacy that the Blackburn End is full of dyed in the wool BRFC fans. Well imo there's obviously some but not as many true supporters on the BBE as is the popular belief. Fickle isn't in it. Unreasonable and unknowledgeable is.

We'd all like to see BRFc play Premier League football like the Galactico's that for sure but it simply aint gonna happen in a million years. Anybody who thinks it will needs to find something different to do on matchdays.

[ABBEY]

Abs, do you actually hate Allardyce? You keep being accused of it but I don't think you've actually said as much.

I KNOW .water off a ducks back,hate ? like you say ive never said that..what i do hate is his style and his big head ,and after the expert comment and his arrogence on saturday ,i do hate all that about him.I LOVE ROVERS AND I LOVE GOOD ATTACKING FOOTBALL....SHOCKING AND A CRIME IT WOULD SEEM.

[waggy]

Not having a pop at any individual but their is a fallacy that the Blackburn End is full of dyed in the wool BRFC fans. Well imo there's obviously some but not as many true supporters on the BBE as is the popular belief. Fickle isn't in it. Unreasonable and unknowledgeable is.

We'd all like to see BRFc play Premier League football like the Galactico's that for sure but it simply aint gonna happen in a million years. Anybody who thinks it will needs to find something different to do on matchdays.

thanks gordon i already have,its not hard to play good football,rovers have played some decent stuff this year,but lardarse is to fond of doing things his way.going into a home match against a team in the bottom 3 with one striker is pathetic,but no doubt he will do it again

[JAL]

When Rovers play a long ball it's hoofball.

When Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal or Chelsea do it is a calculated pass.

Wasn't that a freekick into the box???

Possibly, but it was high and long.

[Claytons Left Boot]

I don't think anyone on here has said everything is rosy, so let's put that one to bed straight away.

The away form is terrible and needs addressing now. It's a bit of a puzzler because, with the normal Allardyce brand of football, you would have expected us to have had the upper hand physically and pick up a few points from draws and maybe nick the odd win away from home. I don't think we are playing as 'ugly' as I had expected when Sam was appointed and perhaps we do need to be a bit more physical when away from Ewood.

With regard to our home form, how on earth can people criticise? Four wins and a draw from six games, we have beaten Burnley comfortably, and in the game against City we were easily on a par with them. I agree that we should play two up front and who knows, if we had done, we could well have six wins from six. We will never know, but I think the penny could well have dropped with Sam and we could see a different formation from now on.

What PB has been trying to get across - and done very well in my oppinion - is that Sam is the best man for the job, given that each year it is becoming more and more difficult for the smaller clubs like Rovers to compete. The larger clubs are being taken over and invested in to the tune of hundreds of millions and can basically buy in the players they want at will a la Man City to name one. Clubs like Rovers have to take chances on low level players, get in good loan signings and try and nick good players from good clubs who are nearing the end of their careers and who want to play week in, week out. That is what Sam is good at and we should appreciate that.

Nothing stays still in football and we are a million years away from the Jack Walker era. Things have moved on and each year it will get harder for us. Whilst the club and Mr Williams in particular have to be applauded for the superb ticketing policies at Ewood, it still remains that our supporters are the most spoon fed in the entire league - in fact at times it's embarrassing to hear the constant moaning and whinging from sections of our support. Some need to get a rality check.

Big Sam is the man for the job. Let's all get behind him.

[unluckymorton]

Possibly, but it was high and long.

I'm not getting into an argument here but most free kicks from the centre circle are high and long. If Arsenal had scored that same goal against it would have been well placed and cleverly headed in.

High and long is in every game.

I don't think anyone on here has said everything is rosy, so let's put that one to bed straight away.

The away form is terrible and needs addressing now. It's a bit of a puzzler because, with the normal Allardyce brand of football, you would have expected us to have had the upper hand physically and pick up a few points from draws and maybe nick the odd win away from home. I don't think we are playing as 'ugly' as I had expected when Sam was appointed and perhaps we do need to be a bit more physical when away from Ewood.

With regard to our home form, how on earth can people criticise? Four wins and a draw from six games, we have beaten Burnley comfortably, and in the game against City we were easily on a par with them. I agree that we should play two up front and who knows, if we had done, we could well have six wins from six. We will never know, but I think the penny could well have dropped with Sam and we could see a different formation from now on.

What PB has been trying to get across - and done very well in my oppinion - is that Sam is the best man for the job, given that each year it is becoming more and more difficult for the smaller clubs like Rovers to compete. The larger clubs are being taken over and invested in to the tune of hundreds of millions and can basically buy in the players they want at will a la Man City to name one. Clubs like Rovers have to take chances on low level players, get in good loan signings and try and nick good players from good clubs who are nearing the end of their careers and who want to play week in, week out. That is what Sam is good at and we should appreciate that.

Nothing stays still in football and we are a million years away from the Jack Walker era. Things have moved on and each year it will get harder for us. Whilst the club and Mr Williams in particular have to be applauded for the superb ticketing policies at Ewood, it still remains that our supporters are the most spoon fed in the entire league - in fact at times it's embarrassing to hear the constant moaning and whinging from sections of our support. Some need to get a rality check.

Big Sam is the man for the job. Let's all get behind him.

Good speech CLB. Surely nobody can argue with that! (Abbey will have a good go though...)

[broadsword]

Possibly, but it was high and long.

Could've sworn that was Robinson pumping it in, and I seem to remember he tried something similar not long after.

Not that I'm too fussed ... Rovers under Kenny used to play very direct at times, they never got accused of hoofball.

What I cannot stand however is defeatism, giving games up before a goal is kicked, unambitious formations and a general lack of anything to get excited about.

what i do hate is his ... big head

do you mean his arrogance, or the actual physical dimensions of his bonce?

[Exiled in Toronto]

Waggy, you would see the club fold because you would be happy to see us playing a League game against Accrington Stanley in front of a couple of thousand supporters. Unfortunately, the infrastructure of the club has changed since the early seventies. We only just survived in those days - remember when Jim Smith couldn't raise £8,000 to sign Geoff Hutt? Remember when Bill Bancroft had to go around turning off lights because we struggled to pay the electric bill? Do you really want to see those days return?

Like it or not, the future of the Rovers depends on Premier League survival - John Williams has explained it often enough in great detail. Big Sam, is the man that the club view as the best person to ensure Premier League survival in our present situation.

Although I watch Rovers home and away, whenever we don't have a game I go and watch Accrington Stanley. Why don't you give that a try Waggy, it always reminds me of watching the Rovers in the early seventies, so I suspect that you would enjoy it and Stanley need all the fans they can get.

Why would relegation automatically see us descend to the 4th div or disappear completely? Have West Brom disappeared? Or Wolves? Or Brum? Will Burnley collapse if they go down? We have had 100 million from Jack and probably twice that from our 15 years in the richest league in the world, yet we are seemingly in a more perilous position than Blackpool. I watched us at the bottom of the 3rd, home and away, but Furphy got us out of that position by playing footy as well as toughening us up. MacNamee and Tony Field gave us one thing that seemingly doesn't exist in your apocalyptic world - hope. I am constantly told we are a well run club and Williams is the best chairman in the world, yet the only thing we can do is play crap footy and cling on for dear life?

It wasn't the introduction of two subs that turned things around on Saturday, it was the change in demeanour and attitude of all 11 players who had been freed from the shackles of Allardyce's outdated 'system'. It's clear that the only ones who believe in it are the ones who wouldn't get a game otherwise.

[JAL]

What I cannot stand however is defeatism, giving games up before a goal is kicked, unambitious formations and a general lack of anything to get excited about.

I think big Sam doesnt realise that we expect to put up a game and beat the Man U's of this world, we aint in any kind of awe of them, unlike the manager.

The second half was totally unexpected on saturday, with three forwards on the pitch and attacking runners in Dunny and Emmerton to support the forwards was refreshing to see and it had the desired effect.

Does it matter to the fans if they have seen Rovers have a go and lose instead of trying to defend for 80 mins then change to a more attack minded formation. It simply isnt good enough for the Rovers paying public.

[thenodrog]

Why would relegation automatically see us descend to the 4th div or disappear completely? Have West Brom disappeared? Or Wolves? Or Brum? Will Burnley collapse if they go down? We have had 100 million from Jack and probably twice that from our 15 years in the richest league in the world, yet we are seemingly in a more perilous position than Blackpool.

How do you think the subsidised support would hold up? Relegation would see a doubling of the ST prices which would absolutely decimate the attendances.... the other side of the coin from the cheap ticket scenario. It's not about cost as much as perception. The consequences would be disastrous.

Also and very unfortunately more and more of out towns citizens traipse around the Bastwell and Audley areas in Man U shirts which must be having a huge effect.

[Parsonblue]

Why would relegation automatically see us descend to the 4th div or disappear completely? Have West Brom disappeared? Or Wolves? Or Brum? Will Burnley collapse if they go down?

You could also have said the same about Norwich City, Southampton and Charlton Athletic and they are now plying their trade in the old Division Three. We are struggling to keep our heads above water in the Premier League and only the television money is enabling us to do so. Do you seriously believe that relegation will make things better? John Williams has said on more than one occasion that it would be difficult for the club to return if they dropped out of the top flight. Unlike last time, there wouldn't be Jack's money available to keep us afloat for a year or two outside of the Premier League.

As thenodrog has said, ticket prices would have to increase and the Ewood fans have shown that they won't pay higher prices for Premier League football so why would the visit of Scunthorpe or Doncaster entice thousands down to Ewood Park?

I feel that the ticketing scheme is proving to be a two edged sword. Yes, fans are coming down to Ewood in greater numbers but then complain that we don't play as well as the likes of Fulham. Last season Fulham spent £20+ million on new players and have tickets which are considerably more expensive than ours as well as a wealthy owner. We have had to sell last season's 'player of the year' just to pay the wage bill.

[JAL]

How do you think the subsidised support would hold up? Relegation would see a doubling of the ST prices which would absolutely decimate the attendances.... the other side of the coin from the cheap ticket scenario. It's not about cost as much as perception. The consequences would be disastrous.

Also and very unfortunately more and more of out towns citizens traipse around the Bastwell and Audley areas in Man U shirts which must be having a huge effect.

Theres a lot going on at the moment, the perception bit though is a very good point. The cheap tickets has definitely regenerated interest in Rovers. The taking back ewood initiative was more importantly keeping Blackburners on Rovers side, you just cant underestimate how important this is for the club.

Cryer in the Telegraph is doing a very good job in maintaining the perception that Rovers are good, highlighting positives, and hiding or dumbing down the negatives when for us, we are seeing a slightly different picture.

[Jackson]

Does it matter to the fans if they have seen Rovers have a go and lose instead of trying to defend for 80 mins then change to a more attack minded formation. It simply isnt good enough for the Rovers paying public.

I guess it depends on the difference between a proportion of the ST's not being renewed and the financial shortfall by potentially finishing a couple of places further down the table. As we ain't pushing for 5/6th place at the moment, I'd prefer a good scrap and a lower finish.

Having said that, you can still play defensively and get stuck in, closing down opposition play like you actually give a to$$.

And that costs nothing.

[JC4LAB]

All clubs have their highs and lows....Reckon the scousers are feeling more miserable than we are at the moment.Losing at Chelsea will render most Man U sulking for weeks...Not first choice but quite like having a purpose to fight for.Climbing higher away from relegation is just as feel good as anything else....

[ABBEY]

All clubs have their highs and lows....Reckon the scousers are feeling more miserable than we are at the moment.Losing at Chelsea will render most Man U sulking for weeks...Not first choice but quite like having a purpose to fight for.Climbing higher away from relegation is just as feel good as anything else....

bull...would you not swap places with utd or the scousers?

[bigbrandjohn]

bull...would you not swap places with utd or the scousers?

Are you kidding ? I much prefer our kit colors and i just bought the new one.

[Exiled in Toronto]

You could also have said the same about Norwich City, Southampton and Charlton Athletic and they are now plying their trade in the old Division Three.

Why the assumption we would tank like those basket cases? Are we well run or badly run?

The only reason I can think of is that we lose all our good players under this neanderthal manager. Oh, wait a minute.....

[Stuart]

I don't think anyone on here has said everything is rosy, so let's put that one to bed straight away.

The away form is terrible and needs addressing now. It's a bit of a puzzler because, with the normal Allardyce brand of football, you would have expected us to have had the upper hand physically and pick up a few points from draws and maybe nick the odd win away from home. I don't think we are playing as 'ugly' as I had expected when Sam was appointed and perhaps we do need to be a bit more physical when away from Ewood.

With regard to our home form, how on earth can people criticise? Four wins and a draw from six games, we have beaten Burnley comfortably, and in the game against City we were easily on a par with them. I agree that we should play two up front and who knows, if we had done, we could well have six wins from six. We will never know, but I think the penny could well have dropped with Sam and we could see a different formation from now on.

What PB has been trying to get across - and done very well in my oppinion - is that Sam is the best man for the job, given that each year it is becoming more and more difficult for the smaller clubs like Rovers to compete. The larger clubs are being taken over and invested in to the tune of hundreds of millions and can basically buy in the players they want at will a la Man City to name one. Clubs like Rovers have to take chances on low level players, get in good loan signings and try and nick good players from good clubs who are nearing the end of their careers and who want to play week in, week out. That is what Sam is good at and we should appreciate that.

Nothing stays still in football and we are a million years away from the Jack Walker era. Things have moved on and each year it will get harder for us. Whilst the club and Mr Williams in particular have to be applauded for the superb ticketing policies at Ewood, it still remains that our supporters are the most spoon fed in the entire league - in fact at times it's embarrassing to hear the constant moaning and whinging from sections of our support. Some need to get a rality check.

Big Sam is the man for the job. Let's all get behind him.

Good post CLB.

I'm just going to pull up the highlighted bit though because there are a couple of key points - and points that divide the fans: his tactics and his arrogance.

What you say about Sam being the man for the job is right. However, his insistence on lining up with one striker means we are playing a system which most of Souness', Hughes' and even Ince's men are not comfortable with. The players who are doing well, Givet and Chimbonda in particular are much less affected by what I'll call "Rovers' mentality". To a large degree our defensive line are also relatively comfortable since nothing much changes for them - apart from the lack of a competent and stable midfield in front of them.

Where we have problems is with the, yes I'll use the word, negative formation at the start of a game. Perhaps once (if) Sam get's to bring in his own men they'll be able to fit in with his tactics much better.

Once we go a goal down, especially at home, and have to chase a game, the tactics change and our players seem to respond better - again, just from what I've seen.

Second point. You mention about the penny dropping. Maybe it will, however, Sam's arrogance after the match suggests to me that he will keep doing it his way. And fair play to him. Stick to his guns, after all he is an experienced PL manager so who am I to disagree.

But, and it's a big but, he will need to be given some funds to bring in those men which will suit his system, otherwise we will see more first halves like Saturday and might not be as good in the second (e.g. an injury or a sending off could have totally changed the outcome).

You will still get those people who won't like his style of play but as the saying goes, "Beggars can't be choosers".

I see Sam as guiding us through a transition period whilst 'something' happens to change our standing in the League and it's that fact that makes me believe that we couldn't have a better guy in charge.

[joey_big_nose]

Big question is who would we rather have in charge? You look across the Prem and two names who stand out as being attractive and may have come to Rovers if they were at their previous clubs are Woy and Martinez. I like them both, but I won't be suprised if we finish above both Fulham and Wigan with Sam in charge.

Sam is as good as anyone out there ouside the rich clubs (top four, Villa, Spurs, Sunderland). Only issue is that he plays a less attractive brand of football. That said we have performed brilliantly under him as well - Villa in particular an outstanding performance, and the second half against Pompey was great.

At the moment I cannot see how we will get a better manager. Maybe that will change if someone becomes available or a young genius emerges from the Football League, but currently Sam is doing a decent job in the context of those clubs on a similar financial footing to ourselves.

[sweet]

Big question is who would we rather have in charge? You look across the Prem and two names who stand out as being attractive and may have come to Rovers if they were at their previous clubs are Woy and Martinez. I like them both, but I won't be suprised if we finish above both Fulham and Wigan with Sam in charge.

Sam is as good as anyone out there ouside the rich clubs (top four, Villa, Spurs, Sunderland). Only issue is that he plays a less attractive brand of football. That said we have performed brilliantly under him as well - Villa in particular an outstanding performance, and the second half against Pompey was great.

At the moment I cannot see how we will get a better manager. Maybe that will change if someone becomes available or a young genius emerges from the Football League, but currently Sam is doing a decent job in the context of those clubs on a similar financial footing to ourselves.

It really isn't and should not be about the teams who are on a similar financial footing as ourselves though. It is about the teams who possess a similar quality of first team players as our current crop, that we need (and should) compare our performances and league placing against.

[47er]

so away games dont matter,at least 18000 people booing dont matter,watching crap doesnt matter....ok i give in ..

we shall not be moved because we are gonna win the premier league...its just like watching brazil....we didnt nearly go bottom over the weekend ....everything is rosy and there are no cracks to paper over...

Great post Abbey--should have been in capitals! Just a rant and not at all related to what I said .

[Exiled_Rover]

Big question is who would we rather have in charge? You look across the Prem and two names who stand out as being attractive and may have come to Rovers if they were at their previous clubs are Woy and Martinez. I like them both, but I won't be suprised if we finish above both Fulham and Wigan with Sam in charge.

Sam is as good as anyone out there ouside the rich clubs (top four, Villa, Spurs, Sunderland). Only issue is that he plays a less attractive brand of football. That said we have performed brilliantly under him as well - Villa in particular an outstanding performance, and the second half against Pompey was great.

At the moment I cannot see how we will get a better manager. Maybe that will change if someone becomes available or a young genius emerges from the Football League, but currently Sam is doing a decent job in the context of those clubs on a similar financial footing to ourselves.

Martinez is doing ok for himself in his first season, but let's see if he can keep it up - especially after the Ince debacle. Woy will never manage Rovers again after taking us down.

Allardyce is a tried and tested Premier League manager and as you've pointed out, almost certainly the best we could have got at the time. Perhaps there are better options out there, but unless things become dire or Allardyce decides to leave I wouldn't want to risk it.

[patrickvalery]

Some of todays posts on this thread pretty much sum up everything Rovers.

If we fall from this league there is a very good chance we'll keep on falling.

When it happened previously we didn't have to maintain the larger stadium, bigger facilities etc...

If we do go down funding these will possibly send us under.

As supporters we are expected to be happy with anyone and any means of staying in the PL.

If this means winning ugly then we must win ugly.

Assuming this approach suceeds then we hope whoever is in charge will eventually have us playing better football.

Is whoever is in charge capable of building a stable team based on winning ugly?

Are they then capable of changing that formular to a more attractive approach when we're 'stable'?

Will we ever be stable considering the amount of investment arriving at other clubs?

Are we hoping we can maintain our PL status until some of these debt ridden clubs go bang?

Is it acceptable to watch sub-standard football in order to maintain top flight status?

Is our blind faith making us forget the sport is supposed to be entertainment?

If we were to be bought out would it be a good thing?

Are we to sell our soul just to compete with the likes of Sunderland and Stoke?

My apologies for this post. But these are thoughts that just go around and around my head. I honestly do not know where the answer lies. I think Sam is doing a reasonable job here. He is on course to achieve top flight status for us again. But is that enough? To simply survive is not entertaining. Thats not to say its Blackburn Rovers' fault. Just a sad indictment of English football. But surely to god there must be a way of acheiving what we want with a degree of verve and excitment?

[Miker]

I just wanted to say that I like Sam, I think he is great. He is my hero. If he can rile up people like Abbey then that just makes me happy.

[Paul]

I just wanted to say that I like Sam, I think he is great. He is my hero. If he can rile up people like Abbey then that just makes me happy.

Why? Have you met ABBEY?