[Archived] Sam Allardyce

[beerwins]

Is it not Sams job to motivate these guys, get them into peak condition and a positive frame of mind, or am I missing something here.

Robinson going down slowly, Givet getting caught out, Di Santo missing, are these not repeating mistakes that we've witnessed all season.

Were the players all pulling in the same direction ?

Agree totally, the team has no fire, no leader or desire, do we blame all of the team or the guy who is in charge of getting the best out of them, the players should take responsibility but I just dont think it is them, they look totally clueless as to how they should be playing and we all know when they want to play they can.

At one stage today Stoke had two men running forward and we had 9 men (including robbo) in two lines on the edge of the box defending and not one of them was tackling the player, they all stood off what the hell is that? and how are we supposed to spring an attack with so many behind the ball.

Tactics and motivation are all wrong.

I find it ironic that diouf quoted in Telegraph as stating we could push for Europe with some hard work and today in a totally gutless performance he is sat on the bench.

[grinder]

He chops and changes every F*****g game

He doesn't know what his best team is

He doesn't know what is best formation is

He doesn't know his best tactics

He can't motivate

He can't inspire

He is one dimensional

He has sold but not replaced (maybe not all his fault)

He has made no progress in the year he has been in charge

He is saving me a fortune (as I've attended 10% of the games I would normally have gone to)

He was successful once but on the evidence I have seen the game has moved on but he hasn't

He is our worst manager since Jim Illey

He is the expert

Thanks Sam

[beerwins]

He chops and changes every F*****g game

He doesn't know what his best team is

He doesn't know what is best formation is

He doesn't know his best tactics

He can't motivate

He can't inspire

He is one dimensional

He has sold but not replaced (maybe not all his fault)

He has made no progress in the year he has been in charge

He is saving me a fortune (as I've attended 10% of the games I would normally have gone to)

He was successful once but on the evidence I have seen the game has moved on but he hasn't

He is our worst manager since Jim Illey

He is the expert

Thanks Sam

So you dont rate him then?

[grinder]

So you dont rate him then?

He is marginally better than Jim Illey

[ABBEY]

He chops and changes every F*****g game

He doesn't know what his best team is

He doesn't know what is best formation is

He doesn't know his best tactics

He can't motivate

He can't inspire

He is one dimensional

He has sold but not replaced (maybe not all his fault)

He has made no progress in the year he has been in charge

He is saving me a fortune (as I've attended 10% of the games I would normally have gone to)

He was successful once but on the evidence I have seen the game has moved on but he hasn't

He is our worst manager since Jim Illey

He is the expert

Thanks Sam

you missed hes a big fat bolton slug off lol.....humour before im abused again lol...mind you sat neet is made for being abused in rubber and latex ooops i digress.

[philipl]

Come on, Iley turned a well-established team into a relegation outfit which is what Ince was well on the way to doing as well.

Sam turned what was looking like surefire relegation into survival by a comfortable margin so he is not in that League. Sadly, grinder's other points cannot be refuted with any great conviction.

[Blue blood]

The team were shambolic today and the players clearly must take some of the blame for that.

But so must Sam. The team didn't look ready from the off, and were just waiting to get hammered. We let Stoke get the set pieces they needed and get their tails up - we practically handed them a goal start.

He kept the same pointless hoofing it forward tactics EVEN THOUGH IT CLEARLY WASN'T WORKING! It wasn't like we created any chances - well one in the first half - so why didn't he get/order us to play it on the deck at half time. Everyone in the stadium could see we posed no threat whatsoever going forwards - before or after we were reduced to 10 men.

The substitutions did little to enhance the team. Granted it'd have been difficult for 2/3 players to make a big difference given how we were playing but Andrews and Salgado were hardly game rescuing astute changes.

Bad day at the office for Sam as well today.

[Mr. E]

With every result this thread undergoes a radical 180o change in tone it seems. Although we have been playing the same quality of football for a long time now.

[grinder]

Come on, Iley turned a well-established team into a relegation outfit which is what Ince was well on the way to doing as well.

Sam turned what was looking like surefire relegation into survival by a comfortable margin so he is not in that League. Sadly, grinder's other points cannot be refuted with any great conviction.

Fair enough Philip but he is close to taking us back to where Ince had us if not beyond and we now have no saleable assets - the cupboard is looking pretty bare . What worries me is that I don't see him changing his game plan and our current personnel don't fit in to the one dimensional ethos that he espoused at Bolton.

[JAL]

Agree totally, the team has no fire, no leader or desire, do we blame all of the team or the guy who is in charge of getting the best out of them, the players should take responsibility but I just dont think it is them, they look totally clueless as to how they should be playing and we all know when they want to play they can.

At one stage today Stoke had two men running forward and we had 9 men (including robbo) in two lines on the edge of the box defending and not one of them was tackling the player, they all stood off what the hell is that? and how are we supposed to spring an attack with so many behind the ball.

Tactics and motivation are all wrong.

I find it ironic that diouf quoted in Telegraph as stating we could push for Europe with some hard work and today in a totally gutless performance he is sat on the bench.

Posted a few questions to parson blue and i'm staggered he hasnt replied as he normally has a sound steady head about him.

My biggest bug bear with English coaching from level 2 onwards is, that a defender should stand up be patient and show a strong approach whilst hes running at you.

I say ferk that, take the ball off him from the off, if hes got the advantage dont wait, turn it around and either put him on the seat of his pants or take the ball off him.

[Paul]

I say ferk that, take the ball off him from the off, if hes got the advantage dont wait, turn it around and either put him on the seat of his pants or take the ball off him.

You're wrong..........that would be playing football and we don't do that any more

[Majiball]

Dear Sam,

Chap, its high time you sat down with your coaches and came up with a new plan for away games. After 1 year of trying to hold out and nick a late goal, I think its proven our players will never get the hang of it.

You cannot go out and sign a new team, so adapt, learn and create something new.

Cheers

Maji

[philipl]

Dear Sam,

Chap, its high time you sat down with your coaches and came up with a new plan for away games. After 1 year of trying to hold out and nick a late goal, I think its proven our players will never get the hang of it.

You cannot go out and sign a new team, so adapt, learn and create something new.

Cheers

Maji

Spot on.

There are two things worrying me-

We are used to thrashings by the Big 4 but this season for the first time (forget the Ince debacle when the players simply wanted to see the back of the idiot) we have been utterly outclassed and thrashed by clubs around us. 3-0 at Everton, Fulham and now Stoke; this is a massive downwards step.

Yes our players are not as good as they were but our tactics are plainly rubbish.

Let me illustrate-

There is quite a debate going on between ourselves as to what formation exactly we were playing yesterday. It was not obvious watching it on the TV and I guess it wasn't obvious at the ground.

We had two forwards on the pitch yet Kalinic was utterly isolated.

We had two players who can play on the wing, two wing backs and Di Santo who on the TV line-up was wide right yet 75% of our attacks went STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE where Stoke have some of the biggest and ugliest defenders in the Prem.

Absolutely critically, many times a player in an advanced position looked for a non-existant over-lapping wide man. The lack of a sensible wide out ball lead to at least one goal, the Samba sending off, unnecessary pressure on the defence and our zero threat in front of goal.

When I watch Owen Coyle teams, I see intelligent running and the man on the ball having forwards, sideways and backwards passing options most of the time. When I watch Sam's Rovers, I see static players in rigid lines and the man on the ball stopping to look for a passing option. More than 50% of forward balls are travelling distances of 10 yards or more massively increasing the chances of lost posession.

From this, I draw two conclusions:

A club in our part of the table is surely going to do to us at Ewood what Everton, Stoke and Fulham have done to us away. I rate both Hull and Bolton as capable of thrashing us as those three. I am not saying they will- in fact I'd expect us to take 4 points, but the risk is there if Sam sticks with what he is doing.

The problem is more with the management and coaching than it is with the players.

[Majiball]

Bob on.

There are two things worrying me-

We are used to thrashings by the Big 4 but this season for the first time (forget the Ince debacle when the players simply wanted to see the back of the idiot) we have been utterly outclassed and thrashed by clubs around us. 3-0 at Everton, Fulham and now Stoke; this is a massive downwards step.

Yes our players are not as good as they were but our tactics are plainly rubbish:

There is quite a debate going on as to what exactly we were playing yesterday. It was not obvious watching it on the TV and I guess it wasn't obvious at the ground.

We had two forwards on the pitch yet Kalinic was utterly isolated.

We had two players who can play on the wing, two wing backs and Di Santo who on the TV line-up was wide right yet 75% of our attacks went STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE where Stoke have some of the biggest and ugliest defenders in the Prem.

Absolutely critically, many times a player in an advanced position looked for a non-existant over-lapping wide man. The lack of a sensible wide out ball lead to at least one goal, the Samba sending off, unnecessary pressure on the defence and our zero threat in front of goal.

When I watch Owen Coyle teams, I see intelligent running and the man on the ball having forwards, sideways and backwards passing options most of the time. When I watch Sam's Rovers, I see static players in rigid lines and the man on the ball stopping to look for a passing option. More than 50% of forward balls are travelling distances of 10 yards or more massively increasing the chances of lost posession.

From this, I draw two conclusions:

A club in our part of the table is surely going to do to us at Ewood what Everton, Stoke and Fulham have done to us away. I rate both Hull and Bolton as capable of thrashing us as those three. I am not saying they will- in fact I'd expect us to take 4 points, but the risk is there if Sam sticks with what he is doing.

The problem is more with the management and coaching than it is with the players.

Every manager in the whole league knows exactly what we will do at almost every opportunity, we are now one trick ponies.

Especially away from home, 9 men behind the ball in two banks, Samba being the target of any sort of set-piece.

I'm not calling for his head, but I wouldn't repeatedly do the exact same experiment having watching it fail over and over in vain hope that something would magically change. I would research, learn and then adapt it hoping those changes would elicit the outcome I expect. Once I've exhausted all those possibilities without result, I try something new.

All Sam has done over the last year is prove every word I said about him before he came is true.

Please Sam prove me wrong, I'm desperate for you to do it.

[Parsonblue]

Is it not Sams job to motivate these guys, get them into peak condition and a positive frame of mind, or am I missing something here.

Robinson going down slowly, Givet getting caught out, Di Santo missing, are these not repeating mistakes that we've witnessed all season.

Were the players all pulling in the same direction ?

The point I was making JAL, but perhaps didn't do it too well, was that I think its too easy to put ALL the blame on the manager. I agree, he should shoulder the blame for the tactical set-up but the players also must take responsiblity for basic errors. Too many of our players go missing at crucial times or fail to do the basics.

On the wider issue of the manager, all I would say is that when we appointed Sam we all knew what his particular style of football was like. He was never going to change but clearly the Trust and the Ewood officials felt he was the man for the job. I assume his brief is to keep the club in the Premier League and as near to half-way as it is possible to achieve. I agree that away from home - and I speak as someone who goes to every away game - the entertainment value is poor. However, from what I've seen so far we are no worse than Portsmouth, West Ham, Bolton, Burnley, Wolves etc.

Are the players pulling in the same direction? Coming back from West Ham last week I would have said yes but ultimately only the players know if they are giving 100 per cent.

Over the past few years we have seen the likes of Friedel, Neill, Ooijer, Bellamy, Santa Cruz, Bentley, Warnock and Tugay leave the club. In may opinion I don't think we've bought one player to replace them who is better than what we already had and perhaps that's the reason why we see so many basic errors. As someone said to me yesterday - about Roberts and that miss at WHU - if he was an exceptional player he wouldn't be at the Rovers.

Hughes left because he didn't believe he could maintain a top ten team on the budget he was given. The reason I wanted Sam was because he had done it at Bolton. However, I believe that our ambitions are now about staying in the League rather than finishing in the top ten. A final place between 11 or 14 would be great but ultimately I'd settle for staying up. To achieve that the manager, coaching staff and players have got to apply themselves and work together.

If we got rid of Sam, like so many of our supporters seem to want, who do we get to replace him? How many managers are prepared to risk their reputation at a club with such limited finances?

[John]

Some fans are currently craving for playing it on the floor - I don't, some of our players are simply awful.

I also can't agree with those, who think on paper, we have a top 10 team. The Premier League is over-rated, but our players are not consistent enough.

I said yesterday that we were not even doing the basics right, regardless of who is manager, those errors will always crop up. Lack of quality is clear for all to see, and you can see why Sam was so keen for Gary O'Neil to join us in January - when missing a couple of players, our midfield in Premier League terms, is embarrasing.

Do we think there is a correlation of spending the least money resulting in having subpar players/performances....

[47er]

Some fans are currently craving for playing it on the floor - I don't, some of our players are simply awful.

I also can't agree with those, who think on paper, we have a top 10 team. The Premier League is over-rated, but our players are not consistent enough.

I said yesterday that we were not even doing the basics right, regardless of who is manager, those errors will always crop up. Lack of quality is clear for all to see, and you can see why Sam was so keen for Gary O'Neil to join us in January - when missing a couple of players, our midfield in Premier League terms, is embarrasing.

The real problem is our away form. We play OK at home most games so why the vast gulf between our away form and our home form? We got a point at West Ham but we were dire and they are a really poor team.Its like we are 2 different teams.

[John]

The real problem is our away form. We play OK at home most games so why the vast gulf between our away form and our home form? We got a point at West Ham but we were dire and they are a really poor team.Its like we are 2 different teams.

Away from home, we need to keep and pass the ball (well, we need to do it better), something our players cannot do.

Been watching it for years - under Hughes recently, we had a top quality outlet in Bentley, but we simply do not have that quality in the team anymore.

When teams press us, our passing is shown up, and its embarrassing. We give the ball away in key areas and its dangerous in that it can result in goals. All comes down to lack of quality.

When we pass it around well, or go more attacking as some like to say, its because the opposition has given us more space to pass the ball, and we are usually a goal down.

What concerns me is the way we fold so easily away from home - its F88ing annoying and worse when you are even at the game. Our home form is excellent but if that was to wane off, we obviously should be very concerned.

[den]

It makes no difference who is managing rovers at this time. The present squad is downright poor, simply because we've sold all of our good players. Every, single, one of them. We're left with diddly squat in footballing terms.

Other managers might go about things on the park in a different manner, but really, the end product would be pretty much the same. This squad has relegation written all over it. Can't defend to save their lives, has nothing of quality in central midfield, doesn't have one decent wide man and has strikers who have scored 5 goals all season between them.

People talk about Allardyce and 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, it doesn't really matter. We played 4-5-1 with Bellamy as the lone striker and had great success, - because Bellamy had the class that we don't have now.

Having said that, we might well have enough about us to stay up this season. How we improve the squad in summer though is very worrying.

[thenodrog]

It makes no difference who is managing rovers at this time. The present squad is downright poor, simply because we've sold all of our good players. Every, single, one of them. We're left with diddly squat in footballing terms.

Other managers might go about things on the park in a different manner, but really, the end product would be pretty much the same. This squad has relegation written all over it. Can't defend to save their lives, has nothing of quality in central midfield, doesn't have one decent wide man and has strikers who have scored 5 goals all season between them.

People talk about Allardyce and 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, it doesn't really matter. We played 4-5-1 with Bellamy as the lone striker and had great success, - because Bellamy had the class that we don't have now.

Having said that, we might well have enough about us to stay up this season. How we improve the squad in summer though is very worrying.

Sums it up very accurately Den. The crop of players that Hughes brought in have been sold for massive profit. Fair play for that. Jack Walker quite rightly said we have to run the club viably and as a business. What is not fair play is selling them BEFORE we have adequate replacements lined up. (btw anybody see Brads performance yesterday? ) Apart from Hughes's time BRFC have done this since the max wage was abolished in the early 60's. We never ever learn do we?

Of course when considering LUFC, Soton, Forest, Coventry and lastly Pompey looking it could be a lot worse!

Fact is also that a manager can and does make a difference but not as much as the players. Avram Grant lost 1 match at Chelsea yet he cannot win one at Pompey! This is the nub of the issue. I said that our season would be made or broken in the Jan transfer window and the kindest thing that can he said about that is 'disappointing in the extreme'.

BUT ........

Dont worry all you Big fat slug / mardarse lardarse / Fifth columnists / Ince lovers that have crawled out of the woodwork this past 12 months, the law of averages dictates that he will be gone before next season is out!

Alternatively if he'd come in and got us playing expansive Brazillian football, got our below average ability players to play out of their skins and had us competing for Europe ...... he'd have gone already! If anybody doubts that then look no further than our neighbours along the M65.

Twas ever thus (without Jack Walker) and if anybody doesn't like it then they'd be much better going and watching their football in the Manchester area.

[DE.]

It makes no difference who is managing rovers at this time. The present squad is downright poor, simply because we've sold all of our good players. Every, single, one of them. We're left with diddly squat in footballing terms.

Other managers might go about things on the park in a different manner, but really, the end product would be pretty much the same. This squad has relegation written all over it. Can't defend to save their lives, has nothing of quality in central midfield, doesn't have one decent wide man and has strikers who have scored 5 goals all season between them.

People talk about Allardyce and 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, it doesn't really matter. We played 4-5-1 with Bellamy as the lone striker and had great success, - because Bellamy had the class that we don't have now.

Having said that, we might well have enough about us to stay up this season. How we improve the squad in summer though is very worrying.

Pretty much sums up the situation perfectly. Worrying times. Our only saving grace could be the potential for clubs that have spent beyond their means (Portsmouth & Hull come to mind this season) having to weaken themselves in order to stay afloat. We're in a good enough financial situation that we don't have to flog our average players, who for now are good enough to just about keep us in the division.

[John]

It makes no difference who is managing rovers at this time. The present squad is downright poor, simply because we've sold all of our good players. Every, single, one of them. We're left with diddly squat in footballing terms.

Other managers might go about things on the park in a different manner, but really, the end product would be pretty much the same. This squad has relegation written all over it. Can't defend to save their lives, has nothing of quality in central midfield, doesn't have one decent wide man and has strikers who have scored 5 goals all season between them.

People talk about Allardyce and 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, it doesn't really matter. We played 4-5-1 with Bellamy as the lone striker and had great success, - because Bellamy had the class that we don't have now.

Having said that, we might well have enough about us to stay up this season. How we improve the squad in summer though is very worrying.

Very accurate and also worrying summary.

Our potential main asset, Samba, is not doing his market value much good at the moment too!

[FourLaneBlue]

It makes no difference who is managing rovers at this time. The present squad is downright poor, simply because we've sold all of our good players. Every, single, one of them. We're left with diddly squat in footballing terms.

Other managers might go about things on the park in a different manner, but really, the end product would be pretty much the same. This squad has relegation written all over it. Can't defend to save their lives, has nothing of quality in central midfield, doesn't have one decent wide man and has strikers who have scored 5 goals all season between them.

People talk about Allardyce and 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, it doesn't really matter. We played 4-5-1 with Bellamy as the lone striker and had great success, - because Bellamy had the class that we don't have now.

Having said that, we might well have enough about us to stay up this season. How we improve the squad in summer though is very worrying.

I agree. Sam gets it utterly wrong sometimes but even when he gets it right we are still a very average team with very average players throughout the squad.

Goalkeepers - Robinson...good instinctive shot stopper. Not sure about the rest of his game but he ain't exactly a Brad or a Tim or even a John Filan.

Defenders - All have had lapses this year. Chmibonda recently, Nelsen has improved recently, Samba...well....2 red cards recently and Givet is showing signs of Gresko-itis...excellent on loan than never reaches those heights again once permenant. Jacobson was excellent until becoming a dad again. Overall though we defend pretty well at home where we have let in less than both Arsenal and Man City. Away...31 goals conceded in 13 games. Just under 2 and a half goals each away game.

Midfielders - N'zonzi is like a horse would makes a great start to the race but gets ridden down in the second half as he ain't used to doing so much. Looks tired and needs a rest. Of the rest none are special. Dunn had a good run of form but when was the last time has that ever lasted even half a season? MGP...hmmmm. Emerton...good worker. Jack of all trades master of... Grella...always injured. Andrews...well, he tries his best bless him eh? Not much else positive to say there. Hoilett...a lot of hype and no delivery so far.

What skill and creatvity do we have in there other than Dunn? Will Grella ever get fit? So we better hope Basturk does come good...

Strikers - Di Santo seems to be getting worse and worse as the season goes on. Something you can't level at Jason Roberts as he has been crap all the way through. Kalinic on his own doesn't seem to work at all away from home.

We don't have one player who I reckon would get into a side near the top of the league. Anyone disagree? We are average all the way through and sold our best players - including 2 last summer - and replaced with players costing far less. Ultimately that lessens you as we can#t always be picking rabbits out of hats and especially when ALL Ince's buys were either duds or have been average or injured.

Whatever the approaches have been to away games they have not worked. So...we need a complete change in tactics there.

Depressing times as a Rovers fan.

The good news is...we have 2 home games coming up. We need at least 4 points from those two.

[John]

I agree. Sam gets it utterly wrong sometimes but even when he gets it right we are still a very average team with very average players throughout the squad.

Goalkeepers - Robinson...good instinctive shot stopper. Not sure about the rest of his game but he ain't exactly a Brad or a Tim or even a John Filan.

Defenders - All have had lapses this year. Chmibonda recently, Nelsen has improved recently, Samba...well....2 red cards recently and Givet is showing signs of Gresko-itis...excellent on loan than never reaches those heights again once permenant. Jacobson was excellent until becoming a dad again. Overall though we defend pretty well at home where we have let in less than both Arsenal and Man City. Away...31 goals conceded in 13 games. Just under 2 and a half goals each away game.

Midfielders - N'zonzi is like a horse would makes a great start to the race but gets ridden down in the second half as he ain't used to doing so much. Looks tired and needs a rest. Of the rest none are special. Dunn had a good run of form but when was the last time has that ever lasted even half a season? MGP...hmmmm. Emerton...good worker. Jack of all trades master of... Grella...always injured. Andrews...well, he tries his best bless him eh? Not much else positive to say there. Hoilett...a lot of hype and no delivery so far.

What skill and creatvity do we have in there other than Dunn? Will Grella ever get fit? So we better hope Basturk does come good...

Strikers - Di Santo seems to be getting worse and worse as the season goes on. Something you can't level at Jason Roberts as he has been crap all the way through. Kalinic on his own doesn't seem to work at all away from home.

We don't have one player who I reckon would get into a side near the top of the league. Anyone disagree? We are average all the way through and sold our best players - including 2 last summer - and replaced with players costing far less. Ultimately that lessens you as we can#t always be picking rabbits out of hats and especially when ALL Ince's buys were either duds or have been average or injured.

Whatever the approaches have been to away games they have not worked. So...we need a complete change in tactics there.

Depressing times as a Rovers fan.

The good news is...we have 2 home games coming up. We need at least 4 points from those two.

It scares me reading this, frighteningly true.

[beerwins]

I also wonder if the language barrier is causing problems too, the players look completely clueless a lot of the time im wondering if this proclaimed 4,3,3 when attacking and 4,5,1 when defending is too much for them.

Maybe a tackle the oposing player if he has the ball, pass to one of our players if you have the ball, try to go in the opposite direction from our goalkeeper if running with the ball and if you get bored stick it in the net now and again.

Even a 30 watt bulb brain could manage that