[Archived] Sam Allardyce

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

He did spend 6 million on one this summer, 6 million should buy you more than...oh 0...league goals by January.

Agreed. Sam appears to be trying to suggest that there was nobody else who was available in the summer who can score goals.

Kevin Doyle was also bought for £6m in the summer for Wolves. Doyle has scored five league goals this season. Kalinic has no league goals yet. The Italian Alessandro Diamanti cost West Ham £4m in the summer. Diamanti has scored five league goals this season, which is five more than Kalinic.

So those are two examples of players who could have been bought instead of Kalinic, who have scored more goals than the Croat so far.

But I suppose Sam is the expert and who am I to dare question one of his signings.

Sam splashed out £6m on the Croat, which is a lot of money for a club like Rovers, and now he doesn't appear to rate his most expensive signing for the club.

Isn't it time that Big Sam took responsibility for that, instead of whinging that he doesn't have the money to buy Bent or Crouch.

I think we have the least shots on goal in the whole league and that says alot.

It's not surprising. Our midfield is rotten. The tactics aren't working and in terms of midfield creativity we are inept. No league wins in 8 matches and just one away victory in our last 15 away matches is indicative of our dreadful midfield and the fact that we don't have the ability to control the game and resort to hoofball instead.

Particularly when David Dunn is missing, we've got one of the worst midfields in the Premier League. Isn't it time that Mr Expert took responsibilty for that too?

[G Somerset Rover]

One final note as well. When pressure was growing on Hughes I made the point that "any manager's job would be under threat if they went 8 games without a win".

Well we've now reached that magical mark and are closing in fast on the 11 games or whatever it was that we went under Ince.

Again, not calling for his head, but perhaps a bit of food for thought for the "expert".

Serious question to people: if we do reach the Ince mark of 11 games without a win would people want Big Sam to leave?

I know we've drawn some of the 8 so far, but it's been mostly against teams who will be in and around us at the end of the season. That's what's more worrying.

[Bobby G]

I wouldnt.

I think he is the right man for the job but the January window will make or break his Ewood stay.

[1864roverite]

we are already at the stage of the season where Rovers have to pick up a further 19 points to guarantee Premiership safety and the games that are left are coming thick and fast.

In January we play the folowing:

Man City (a) - Bonus point required.

Fulham (h) - MUST WIN.

Wigan (h) - MUST WIN.

Wham (a) - DARE NOT LOSE.

February sees:

Stoke (a) - DARE NOT LOSE

Hul (h) - MUST WIN.

Bolton (h) - MUST WIN.

Liverpool (a) - Bonus point required.

Looking ahead, cup games aside. Rovers should be looking at 13 points out of that lot, maybe even 14. That should be Sams immediate short term ambition, because if he isnt looking at the games like that we could find ourselves deep deep in relegation trouble.

[cn174]

we are already at the stage of the season where Rovers have to pick up a further 19 points to guarantee Premiership safety and the games that are left are coming thick and fast.

In January we play the folowing:

Man City (a) - Bonus point required.

Fulham (h) - MUST WIN.

Wigan (h) - MUST WIN.

Wham (a) - DARE NOT LOSE.

February sees:

Stoke (a) - DARE NOT LOSE

Hul (h) - MUST WIN.

Bolton (h) - MUST WIN.

Liverpool (a) - Bonus point required.

Looking ahead, cup games aside. Rovers should be looking at 13 points out of that lot, maybe even 14. That should be Sams immediate short term ambition, because if he isnt looking at the games like that we could find ourselves deep deep in relegation trouble.

That'd be lovely but I cannot see it. Sunderland at home would've come under the bracket of one we should win but we didn't.

And if ever there was a home banker game, West Ham vs Rovers is it! 15 years it is since we've won there

[DE.]

The problem with saying Big Sam has to leave is that there are not very many managers available to us who have a record comparable to BFS.

The first half of this season, despite being 13th, has been hugely disappointing. You're supposed to enjoy going to watch your team and many Rovers fans right now do not enjoy it at all. Things need to change, January is going to be very interesting and the changes hopefully made during this month will be perhaps the biggest factor in the future of both Sam and our club.

[broadsword]

"Sunderland have gone out and bought a man who scores goals. If we had a man who had scored 13 in the league like Darren Bent then we'd be in a different position. I don't think you can add the goals from our strikers and match what he's scored. We haven't got the clout to go out and buy a Bent or a Peter Crouch. I don't think there's anybody out there in the Europe or world markets that could change things."

What is Allardyce on about?

Possibly he's not expressed himself very well there.

You'd have thought that if you bought a striker you'd be buying a man who scores goals.

But what he was trying to say I think was:

"Sunderland have the financial leverage to go out and buy a striker like Bent who is the finished product and can put the ball in the net on a regular basis. If we had someone like him we'd be higher up the table. But we haven't, and even if you added the goals all of our strikers have scored between them then that wouldn't match Bent's tally. There's no-one available in the World that we could go out and buy who'd make a difference to our results."

Think that's quite a bit clearer.

[Eddie]

I do understand what he is getting at, but for a manager it is a horrible little comment. It's terrible man-management. Saying something like "Bent is a great player, we couldn't afford him in the summer, but you can see what a difference that sort of signing can make" would be one thing, but this just seems like a whiney little b*tch throwing his toys out of the pram. I don't really understand the "there's no one in the world we could go out and buy and make a difference to our result". On that basis, isn't any money spent in January pointless?

[Tom]

I'm surprised he didn't come out and say how he won us a point with his substitutions, the excuses are starting to wear thin.

[JAL]

A striker requires one thing to score goals.

A SUPPLY LINE Sam, thaty is all that is required.

if you have a SUPPLY LINE and you put it together with strikers who can actually score goals then the end result is GOALS.

UNTIL Rovers address that little aspect of our football prowess then it wont improve. It is as simple as 1-2-3.

Provide a supplier to the striker and he will score goals.

Looks like big Sam sees Robinson as the supply line.

[Hughesy]

Nice to see Sam getting the credit on here for changing it at 2-1 and 1 of his subs getting the equaliser!

Anyway for what its worth - I still believe he is taking us in the right direction.

We have had so many games we could have picked up many more points in. Sunderland (H & A), Hull (A), West Ham (h), Liverpool (h), Spurs (h), Stoke (h) - there are at least 13pts there - that would take us to 34.

Once we start hitting the net we will start to win many more games than we lose. We simply lack 1 thing to make a massive improvement - a Creative midfielder instead of Keith Andrews

[John]

Following on from the comments on Diouf, more comments from Sam on our recent struggles

Sam Allardyce has blamed Blackburn’s struggles on his big name players not living up to their reputations. The Rovers boss says his side have not hit top form regularly enough - and reckons stars including Morten Gamst Pedersen, El Hadji Diouf and Benni McCarthy are the main culprits.

[dazmaz]

all i can say is thank lord i have FIFA 10, at least with that i can see Rovers win a damn game! sam keeps playing too negative, away and at home! now away i can understand but at home we should be going all out. FFS we should not be not booting the feking ball upfront and hoping for the best. if it takes us to go 1 down before we respond we are going to be in the ######..... very soon (and it seems we may already be in it now). now im not like waggy and would never turn my back on rovers but sam NEEDS to change his mentality, especially at home! and his like for like subs are pathetic and to be honest me, thee and even bloody waggy could have made better subs.

its all good and dandy going on about Bent but regardless of his pace, in our team we wouldnt have any feking supply. everyone knows a good striker is made by a good midfield giving a decent supply of balls into the box, we simply dont give that. i bet you all the money in the world rooney, drogba and torres will struggle in our squad but to our shat midfield. so all you saying we should buy this and that stop being so ###### retarded and take those ###### blue and white specs off!!!!

[DP]

Nice to see Sam getting the credit on here for changing it at 2-1 and 1 of his subs getting the equaliser!

Anyway for what its worth - I still believe he is taking us in the right direction.

We have had so many games we could have picked up many more points in. Sunderland (H & A), Hull (A), West Ham (h), Liverpool (h), Spurs (h), Stoke (h) - there are at least 13pts there - that would take us to 34.

Once we start hitting the net we will start to win many more games than we lose. We simply lack 1 thing to make a massive improvement - a Creative midfielder instead of Keith Andrews

Could've, should've, would've....... didn't!!!

[RevidgeBlue]

Could've, should've, would've....... didn't!!!

Exactly - Sam's post and pre match interviews are becoming increasingly bizarre along the lines of "If

we'd taken sixteen or seventeen points from our last eight or nine games we'd be in the top 8"

Aunty, balls, uncle, etc

[dazmaz]

Anyway for what its worth - I still believe he is taking us in the right direction.

sorry to repost but just properly read this post..

sam taking us in the right direction??

now i for one belive we wont go down under sam BUT taking us up, back in the top 10, hell even top 12, come the end of the season... errr no. and i am willing to bet a top shelf surprise on that

[Hughesy]

sorry to repost but just properly read this post..

sam taking us in the right direction??

now i for one belive we wont go down under sam BUT taking us up, back in the top 10, hell even top 12, come the end of the season... errr no. and i am willing to bet a top shelf surprise on that

So we do not have more points now than this stage last season?

We are not 1 stage further in the cup?

We are not 13th rather than 20th?

Facts not fiction please.......

[Bobby G]

Hughesy, I agree with the overall scope of things. I am not yet "worried", but just concerned, as anyone with a the right mind should be. I believe that his dealing in January and our results in that month will dictate the rest of his tenure with us. I have faith in him still.

2 cup exits, and a defeat against Man City wouldnt be the best way to start the month, if it will end with Benni leaving as well.

[Paul]

So we do not have more points now than this stage last season?

We are not 1 stage further in the cup?

We are not 13th rather than 20th?

Facts not fiction please.......

The difference between this season and last is one win. Five of the seven teams below Rovers could overtake us if we fail to win at City. This is fact not fiction, you really need to wake up from your blue and white daydream. I don't think we'll go down, yet, but to say this is an improvement is laughable.

[broadsword]

So we do not have more points now than this stage last season?

We are not 1 stage further in the cup?

We are not 13th rather than 20th?

Facts not fiction please.......

Hughesy, you're getting two separate things mixed up.

1) Has Allardyce improved our position compared to where Ince left us? Indubitably, yes.

2) Does he continue to "take us in the right direction"? I don't think so, we've not really moved position I don't think for a good few weeks now. I think where we are now, playing gash football with no midfield and scoring the occasional goal and being lower mid-table, is the limit of where we'll get to under Allardyce. If he is indeed "taking us in the right direction" then it's with all the full-steam ahead balls to the wall speed of a dung beetle getting up Everest.

[imy9]

Hughesy, you're getting two separate things mixed up.

1) Has Allardyce improved our position compared to where Ince left us? Indubitably, yes.

2) Does he continue to "take us in the right direction"? I don't think so, we've not really moved position I don't think for a good few weeks now. I think where we are now, playing gash football with no midfield and scoring the occasional goal and being lower mid-table, is the limit of where we'll get to under Allardyce. If he is indeed "taking us in the right direction" then it's with all the full-steam ahead balls to the wall speed of a dung beetle getting up Everest.

Would you not agree though that without Dunn, Grella, Emerton and Reid- 4 players who are first 11 candidates (midfield players too) we have struggled? Two should be back for Saturday and we'll see what a massive difference it will make as we will begin to pass the ball around- as was shown earlier in the season.

[broadsword]

Losing Dunn has made a big difference. If all of those were fit (big if) then I'd hope that we'd be able to play better in midfield.

[CrazyIvan]

Losing Dunn has made a big difference. If all of those were fit (big if) then I'd hope that we'd be able to play better in midfield.

I'm sure we would be much better with Dunn back and the others in midfield. Nzonzi has done a fantastic job and shows some class but also some naivity. Andrews works hard but is just a squad player. He shouldn't be first choice but used sparingly. We are crying out for a quality midfielder to boss the centre and stay fit. After that we need some quality from wide positions and a striker who can actually score. We are barely treading water while waiting for the quality to come back from injury.

[Hughesy]

The difference between this season and last is one win. Five of the seven teams below Rovers could overtake us if we fail to win at City. This is fact not fiction, you really need to wake up from your blue and white daydream. I don't think we'll go down, yet, but to say this is an improvement is laughable.

Such a 1 dimensional view of the current position. Im not just talking about how many more points......

Last season we were sh!te - we didnt look like winning hardly any games which we didnt....this season you could say we have dropped around 13-14 points in games where we so nearly took more (Wigan a, Sunderland A & H, Liverpool H, Spurs H, Hull A, Stoke H, West Ham H)

We have got to the semi of the cup - beating a top 4 side

We have taken 4 pts off what would be classed as last season top 6 so far...(Villa & Liverpool)

You need to compare Wigan this season (1-1) to last season (3-0), or Liverpool at home is another to compare....or Villa...or Even at a push Arsenal away.

We are 2nd in the league at coming back into games to take something from it! So the spirit is obviously there and growing too!

There are FAR more positives that there was at this stage last season...IF you cant see that then your the one that needs to wake up!

[S15]

Hughesy, you're talking out your arse.

Allardyce has two more transfer windows to prove himself, but in twelve months time we need to be a much much better team than this or his position needs reviewing.

He is performing at the lowest possible acceptable standard, but in my opinion we were a better team in his first 5 games than we are now.

Is that 'moving forward?'

Losing Tugay was a monumental error IMO.