[Archived] Sam Allardyce

[den]

Try telling that to the hammers fans on talksport last night Matty

35000 of them Gav?

The game was sold out I believe.

[Jimmy612]

Allardyce' philosophy is pretty simple... Play to your strengths, and expose the opposition weakness.

That squad that he inherited was one of the worst that Rovers have had for a while. It was dreadful. However, Sam came in, recognised our strengths, made us hard to beat and kept us up.

Next season he took us to 10th in the league and a league cup semi-final which we were unfortunate to lose.

All this dross about football is about entertainment is complete ######. Why do you buy your season tickets?? It's not to sit there and enjoy the passing, it's to see Blackburn Rovers compete in one of the best leagues in the world, and stand our ground. I don't go for entertainment, I go to see Blackburn Rovers win. My passion for BRFC goes way beyond a need to be entertained. If I wanted entertainment i'd go to the theatre every week.

We were a proud club, spending minute amounts of money and surviving in the Premier League. Why was that not enough GAV? Topman? Patrickvalery? You all wanted football that a ###### squad couldn't play. How can we knock the ball around in midfield with Dunn, Andrews and Pedersen in the middle. Sam was trying to bring along the style. He wasn't trying to sign Guti just to ###### it over the top was he?? Perhaps he thought Raul was a particularly good target man?? He wanted these players, and due to financial implications, he didn't recieve the backing.

You can argue till your blue in the face that we should have got Jol or MoN, the fact is that many of us could see the car crash waiting to happen when Allardyce was sacked. You berks celebrated it and still persist in your arguments that you were bored to death of hoofball. Entertainment doesn't enter my head at Ewood, winning does

Try telling that to the hammers fans on talksport last night Matty

Wham fans are complete plonkers. They still think their a big club, when did they last win anything? The last managerial appointment that they demanded was bloody Zola. They can't get it through their thick skulls that they aren't a big club anymore. That moron who talks with Goughie on Talksport said that West Hams priority shouldn't be survival if they get promoted, they should be looking higher than that... Who does he think they are? They've been overtaken by a lot of clubs now and in the next 2 years their only aim should be to get up and stay up. Allardyce will do that for them.

[Parsonblue]

Football is about entertainment and points, not just points.

I was entertained by Sam's football because we won games and picked up points. I actually didn't think it was all that bad. Kean seems to be playing an inferior brand of Sam's tactics but the players had more belief in Sam than Kean.

I've found no pleasure in losing every week or picking up the odd draw. The game at Carrow Road was, for the neutral, hugely entertaining but did I come away happy? No. I'd have been much happier with a boring 1-0 win. There is no entertainment to be had sitting at the bottom of the table knowing relegation is now the likely outcome of our season of "attractive football".

[Jimmy612]

Brian Clough will be turning in his grave

why?

[almuncle]

why?

Because he is dead!

[Mattyblue]

End of the day if GAV et al want results AND entertainment, if the win on its own is not enough, then fair enough, game of opinions and all that.

It's just not the way I've spent my football watching life, me and the folk I've gone to games with have wanted wins and that's it. Enjoying a hard fought win, to be able to look at the table and see where we've risen to, to look forward to MOTD and reading the Sunday papers, to ensure no relegation battle, or a top half finish or even Europe.

Playing well and losing? That quickly becomes a habit, performances and confidence drops and so does the team, especially with a team of average players.

[arbitro]

Could Sam be in the studio tonight? Might be interesting if he is.

[Amo]

This would all be terribly engaging if it hadn't been said a million times over.

Just the same old people saying the same old crap (and I include myself in that).

I'm done with this topic.

[thenodrog]

Football is about entertainment and points, not just points.

Not for clubs with our financial limitatations it isn't. Ever considered why the Premier League financially rewards final placement positions rather than some airy fairy fancy football ranking system?

Points make prizes and if you want entertainment go to the pictures. You still just don't get it do you Gav?

[booth]

Football is about entertainment and points, not just points.

Entertainment is soon forgotten about in the history books. You remain in the league with your tally of points primarily. You get no extra points for playing pretty football at the end of the season, so points must always be the priority. Especially when you do not have the appropriate personnel to play pretty football.

Try telling that to the hammers fans on talksport last night Matty

The same Hammers fans who are down a division because they had a manager trying to play the right way?

Newcastle also had that same problem of not wanting a manager who wasn't cultured enough. They got relegated too.

This season we are going to get relegated with a manager that can't grind out results and has delusions of playing "the right way" (but yet somehow we're playing worse than ever before).

Penny dropped yet?

[jim mk2]

Don't be too hard on the likes of GAV, Topman, patrickvalery and MarkBRFC1971, they've had a rough 12 months continually being proven wrong.

I expect they will be getting Championship Manager or similar for Christmas where they can play their games of fantasy football to their hearts' content.

Must have been tough for Sam sitting in the TV studio watching Rovers tonight . Those who think he is enjoying Rovers' demise do not know the man. This Rovers team is a shadow of the side he left behind and we're such a poor outfit I doubt even he would be able to save us now.

[patrickvalery]

Don't be too hard on the likes of GAV, Topman, patrickvalery and MarkBRFC1971, they've had a rough 12 months continually being proven wrong.

I expect they will be getting Championship Manager or similar for Christmas where they can play their games of fantasy football to their hearts' content.

Must have been tough for Sam sitting in the TV studio watching Rovers tonight . Those who think he is enjoying Rovers' demise do not know the man. This Rovers team is a shadow of the side he left behind and we're such a poor outfit I doubt even he would be able to save us now.

I'll bite. Please enlighten me, where have i been proved wrong.

I really don't know what you're struggling with here. Did you take the time to read my post to you? I think you'll find we share common ground in thinking the sacking of Sam was a terrible decision. I can't make that any clearer to you can i? I appreciated the huge task he faced in keeping us up on a budget of zero at best. I just didn't enjoy his football. It's not a hard concept to grasp for most people Jim. I DIDN'T want him sacked and i DID hope he would be given an opportunity to build a side capable of entertaining. Sadly, the decision was taken from the clueless Venkys. The real root cause of all the problems.

I hope you actually take the time to read and digest this properly. But i doubt it.

[47er]

How many times did we see Robinson punt ball three quarters of the length of the pitch looking for the head of Samba or N'Zonzi?

The football is worse------and we lose as well! Perhaps we can all agree on that?

[Tom]

I'm sure he is enjoying it Jim.

I was talking to him the day Newcastle got relegated and he was loving it.

Not that I blame him

[MarkBRFC71]

Don't be too hard on the likes of GAV, Topman, patrickvalery and MarkBRFC1971, they've had a rough 12 months continually being proven wrong.

I expect they will be getting Championship Manager or similar for Christmas where they can play their games of fantasy football to their hearts' content.

Must have been tough for Sam sitting in the TV studio watching Rovers tonight . Those who think he is enjoying Rovers' demise do not know the man. This Rovers team is a shadow of the side he left behind and we're such a poor outfit I doubt even he would be able to save us now.

Yawn. Yet another Allardyce ######-off.

For the millionth time, sacking Allardyce was not the reason we are where we are. Replacing him with an incompetent amateur like Kean is. Playing football like a pub team, or like Barcelona are not the only two styles allowed either. Is it really that hard to grasp - even for one as terminally thick as you?

Would Allardyce do a better job than Kean? Undoubtedly. Had that been the only choice even I would have stuck with Sam but at the time it seemed that we were looking for a proper manager.

Jol or O'Neill are both better managers than Sam - had we got either Allardyce's reign would be largely forgotten apart from an excellent job in keeping us up after the Ince debacle. However in hindsight it looks as though Kean had the job before Sam was sacked and that we were never likely to end up with anyone other than Kean - not that that was apparent at the time.

Will Sam get West Ham promoted? Kean could get that West Ham squad out of the Championship. The big test of Sam is next season should they go up. What will happen is that Sam will revert to type, West Ham will play the type of mind numbing direct football we had to suffer, and Sam will not last the season. It's almost scripted.

Oh and answer this Jimbo, if Sam is such a managerial great, how come he didn't get any of the Villa, Liverpool, West Brom or Fulham jobs? Surely they'd have jumped at the chance to have such a genius at the helm ..... oh.

[Mattyblue]

'We should have kept Big Sam', admit it Mark, you were singing in loud and proud!

[John]

Thought he spoke with dignity last night - however as the Sky presenter said there is only so much he can say regarding the current regime.

[broadsword]

Will Sam get West Ham promoted? Kean could get that West Ham squad out of the Championship.

Don't be silly.

First of all according to a mate of mine who supports West Ham, their squad strength is a bit of a myth.

Secondly, Kean couldn't manage a sneeze.

[MarkBRFC71]

'We should have kept Big Sam', admit it Mark, you were singing in loud and proud!

Lol. Come on Matty, you and I both know I was sat there cringing when that song reared it's ugly head.

[47er]

'We should have kept Big Sam', admit it Mark, you were singing in loud and proud!

No Matty you've got it wrong! No-one wanted Sam sacked, no-one at all. We dreamed it all up.

Just like no-one could have known Kean would make a mess of it and no-one ever said he should be given more time (that was Petrovic).

[Steve Moss]

Will Sam get West Ham promoted? Kean could get that West Ham squad out of the Championship. The big test of Sam is next season should they go up. What will happen is that Sam will revert to type, West Ham will play the type of mind numbing direct football we had to suffer, and Sam will not last the season. It's almost scripted.

The bit in bold is utter delusion.

[jim mk2]

Will Sam get West Ham promoted? Kean could get that West Ham squad out of the Championship.

Oh and answer this Jimbo, if Sam is such a managerial great, how come he didn't get any of the Villa, Liverpool, West Brom or Fulham jobs?

Can't be bothered to find the link but you doubted Sam would get West Ham promoted when he was appointed - what caused you to change your mind ?

Only you are saying Sam was a "managerial great" . I won't argue with your judgment but I think he was just a very good manager.

You don't have to be "terminally thick" (your words) to understand this, but you seem to be having great difficluty.

[MarkBRFC71]

Can't be bothered to find the link but you doubted Sam would get West Ham promoted when he was appointed - what caused you to change your mind ?

Only you are saying Sam was a "managerial great" . I won't argue with your judgment but I think he was just a very good manager.

You don't have to be "terminally thick" (your words) to understand this, but you seem to be having great difficluty.

Even *you* could get West Ham promoted with that squad - its certainly as good as the one he left behind at Rovers, and waaaaay better than anything else in the Championship. I envisaged more players leaving to be honest but credit to the club for retaining the likes of Green, Matty Taylor, Noble, Carlton Cole, Faubert and Collison and bringing in people like Nolan, Carew, Bentley and Lansbury. It's probably a better squad than we've got at present.

But, you've not answered the question - why did this "very good manager" get ignored for 4 Premier League vacancies in favour of the likes of Roy Hodgson, Alex McLeish and Martin Jol - all with far less PL experience? Why did he have to drop down to Division 2 to get a job?

[jim mk2]

Even *you* could get West Ham promoted with that squad - its certainly as good as the one he left behind at Rovers, and waaaaay better than anything else in the Championship. I envisaged more players leaving to be honest but credit to the club for retaining the likes of Green, Matty Taylor, Noble, Carlton Cole, Faubert and Collison and bringing in people like Nolan, Carew, Bentley and Lansbury. It's probably a better squad than we've got at present.

But, you've not answered the question - why did this "very good manager" get ignored for 4 Premier League vacancies in favour of the likes of Roy Hodgson, Alex McLeish and Martin Jol - all with far less PL experience? Why did he have to drop down to Division 2 to get a job?

So if even "I" could get West Ham promoted why did you sneer when Sam took the job and doubt they would be promoted ? None of those players were likely to leave and West Ham probably would have stayed up last season anyway with a better manager - such as the one they have at present. Sam's attracted some good signings too - I wonder why that is ?

Who knows why Sam was overlooked - if he was indeed overlooked. From what I remember reading his dismissal from Rovers came as a great shock and he did not want or actively seek another job. Perhaps West Ham was the right offer at the right time for him.

What is more or less certain is that he will be a PL manager again next season while the club from which he was dismissed will be in the Championship. And some of the stupid supporters of that club still cannot see there was no reason for Sam to lose his job on any grounds.

[thenodrog]

Jol or O'Neill are both better managers than Sam - had we got either Allardyce's reign would be largely forgotten apart from an excellent job in keeping us up after the Ince debacle.

I have major doubts that either of those wouldn't have kept us up in that season and I doubt too that we would have finished in the top half the season after. Maybe you have missed it but Jol is currently struggling at Fulham and seems to be losing the players whilst O'Neill too is abrasive and he has never had a really top job either. You say that anyone can get WHU up with their squad well I think that would be a hell of a site better achievement than winning the SPL and a domestic cup or two with Celtic for goodness sake.