[Archived] Rovers V Coventry Fa Cup (replay) Preview

[Fraserkirky]

First half excellent.

Second half was embarrising. It's like no-one had seen a 4-3-3 before, what a nightmare.

We won zero 2nd balls in the second half, ZERO!

Thought Carlos looked very good, in the first half, when he tucked into the middle behind Roberts and RSC!

Givet looks the balls by the way. Wonder if he and Samba would make a good partnership in the middle.

Jesus Christ why on earth did we not sign a centre midfielder in January.

Unfortunatly we or Big Sam still don't know our strongest team and it's all a big of a mess.

[JAL]

I think that's a bit harsh on Carlos. The guy is one of the rare technically-gifted players we have, but he's being wasted out wide. He's also been in and out of the team, grabbing a few appearances here and there. Warnock and Andrews certainly aren't the answer in midfield.

Why ?

Hes not quick enough to able to demonstrate those undoubted skills he posesses.

You can wait all you like for Carlos to come good, but for him to come good the standard of football around HAS to drop. Where do you Rovers to be playing their football next season, lets not forget that Ince had given up on him aswell.

Warnock and Andrews are both rubbish players, though Warnock has earned far more respect for his performances under Hughes though this season hes been far from effective.

[hi-jaq]

Watched he highlights on TV & yep... Disappointed!!! although it wasnt our strongest team, only a couple of changes to that side that was started and you would have the best we can offer. I agree with most that Robbo wasnt at fault for the goals, although his positioning could have been better for the Gunnarson goal... he would have still had to make a very good save to stop it!!! (By the way, Gunnarson looks a good prospect ive heard, if we stay up??? one for the future perhaps???)

i dont know where we go from here... against Man U, if Sam plays 442, whats the best team??? Below is my opinion... What do we think???

Robinson

Ooijer - Samba - Nelsen - Givet

Diouf - Grella - Dunn - Warnock

Santa Cruz - McCarthy

Bench - Bunn - Zurab - Vogel - Mokoena - Pedersen - Roberts - Villanueva

Thats the best i can think of out of current available payers... What has happened to Vogel anyway... I think he's at the very least better than Keith Andrews & deserves a go from the bench if not the odd start... Andrews is total & utter PAP!!!

Here's to scoring the goal at Old Trafford that puts a stop to this Bloody Defensive record, Man U fans cant shut up about!!!

[John]

Midfield not good enough - Givet looks top quality, pity we won't be able to buy him.

No wonder Sam looks unhappy, look at our remaining fixtures, we are down.

[philipl]

Having seen the goals again, I will exhonerate Paul Robinson from the criticism I posted yesterday.

But I will not excuse Roberts for that terrible miss in the first half- that was the moment we failed to win the tie and once again I have to say Roberts does not deserve a starting place. We simply cannot afford a forward who misses gily-edged chances the way Roberts does.

Second half was just awful. We didn't win a single second ball. Warnock played like he believed what he said about this game not mattering.

Givet is clearly the business but what we can do with midfield now has me perplexed.

I wrote back in November after we failed to sack Ince quickly enough that we were as good as relegated. I don't think that under Sam's leadership but we really could have done without Pompey winning yesterday when City failed to turn up at Fratton Park.

The replay is going to be a toss-up but we can win it if we want it badly enough.

[1864roverite]

Coventry have just caused the Rovers crowd to be half of that estimate.

Tickets are £20 FOR AN ADULT.

I just cannot understand why they dont just use the cup and keep all tickets at a fair price of £15.00.

[OJRovers]

Watching the woeful display of K Andrews yesterday after watching the superb play of Jordi Gomez in the midfield of Swansea makes me wonder whether we went for the wrong League 1 player in summer. A potential replacement for Tugay - he looks class.

[dingles staying down 4ever]

Having seen the goals again, I will exhonerate Paul Robinson from the criticism I posted yesterday.

But I will not excuse Roberts for that terrible miss in the first half- that was the moment we failed to win the tie and once again I have to say Roberts does not deserve a starting place. We simply cannot afford a forward who misses gily-edged chances the way Roberts does.

Second half was just awful. We didn't win a single second ball. Warnock played like he believed what he said about this game not mattering.

Givet is clearly the business but what we can do with midfield now has me perplexed.

I wrote back in November after we failed to sack Ince quickly enough that we were as good as relegated. I don't think that under Sam's leadership but we really could have done without Pompey winning yesterday when City failed to turn up at Fratton Park.

The replay is going to be a toss-up but we can win it if we want it badly enough.

I could not agree more Phil, I said Ince should have gone after the Sunderland 2nd half farce and I've stated my views on roberts so many times but Sam likes a big donkey up front doesn't he? Roberts misses can account for about a minimum of six points missed, need I say more.

It was not Warnock who played like it did not matter, but I don't think Sam is overly bothered about the cup.

Also do you get the feeling that Sam does not rate Dunn as a midfielder as every game he has been involved since Sam has been here - he has played wide.

[wellesbourne]

For the few thousand Rovers who turned up the veil was pulled back and we got a long, painful look into our possible future. Very, very average players playing against very average opposition on a rough pitch (money will be saved everywhere possible) in front of thousands and thousands of empty seats. The second half performance was frightening. Coventry came out determined to fight back and they did with Rovers rocking on their heels as they struggled to find an answer to waves of pressure. Then the Lone Ranger arrived and the pressure intensified, whoever this guy is he turned the game for Coventry. As the second half progressed Rovers became a complete, utter and total shambles lacking any sort of passion, ability, fight or desire. God knows how we scored a goal.

If we go down, and it looks increasingly likely we will when we can't win this sort of game, the better players will leave and we will be left with the dregs on display today. These are supposed to be some of our fringe players plus some first choice. We don't have a squad with any depth at all.

There are plenty of areas to blame for our current position; the Trust for lack of investment, Ince for everything he did, Ince for selling Bentley, Williams for employing Ince, the failure to sell RSC and invest in the squad in January. The list is endless but ultimatley the responsibility lays with the PLAYERS who frankly have let this club down very badly in the last 12-14 months. For half this season they've simply hidden. They're a bunch of overpaid, selfish tossers.

I'm not angry, not depressed what I saw today was such a bleak vision of the near future it leaves me feeling nothing at all. If we go down I believe we're finished, for good.

We're going to Old Trafford next week, probably for the last time.

SPOT ON PAUL. Only 1 team deserved to go through today. And that was Cov. Travelled back with the COv lot as work with 'em and live just down the road. They couldn't believe how poor the crowd was, how poor some of our players were, what lack of passion and commitment there was out there in blue 'n' white.

Am gutted. Got home - had a beer, considered things and duly backed us to go down.

Also got some grief in JW Upper for encouarging the crowd to stop getting on the players backs and abusing them every time they came down the touchline in 2nd half. Yes i know they are poor, Treacy, Andrews, Villeneuva - not good enough. Outplayed in 2nd half by a very very average Coventry side (Gunnarson excepted).

By all means have a go in the boozer before or after or on here but not on the ground. The overpaid numpties do need our support and whilst i am massively disillusionned with them and football in general this is still my club !!

And still can't work out why Dunny (v ineffective in 2nd half) played on left with Villeneuva on right ! Sure should have been other way around.

But can't also believe the lack of passion in the crowd (probably seem resigned to defeat before game as started most weeks). £15 ain't bad value but te public of Blackburn don't deserve a Premier League Club and the players in blue 'n' white today don't deserve to be playing in the Premier League.

Well done to the few lads back left of BBurn end who as usual tried to get behind their team which i know was not easy as this was a devastatingly poor performance.

Totally pished off but at least not far to travel home from the replay ! Wembley may be 2 games away but on yesterdays performance it seems a million miles away. Right must take my happy pills !!!

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

£15 ain't bad value but te public of Blackburn don't deserve a Premier League Club.

Please with the greatest of respect DONT start with that bull...looks like the 'MASSIVE CLUB' Coventry fans have got into your head !

[Nate]

BFS our saviour? Like hell. My offer of still kissing anybody's rear if we stay up is still on.

[wellesbourne]

Please with the greatest of respect DONT start with that bull...looks like the 'MASSIVE CLUB' Coventry fans have got into your head !

No SG - with due respect we are small town who should be grateful to our benefactor (which i know we all are) but was thinking about some of the memories and the trips to Celtic, Leverkusen etc and as a kid stood on the Bburn end in the late 70's early 80's couldn't have dreamed of that. Just remembering where i came from and grateful for the experiences - Cov are @#/? and their support is worse than ours - they are a city 3x bigger than us who have gates 2/3rds of ours.

Didn't mean to cause any offence nor to the many ST holders who also go week in week out who didnt go yesterday.

Guess i am old school and the cup is massive for me - memories again of Cov in 1980, Villa same year , Everton away where we took more fans than we had home supporters on yesterday.

Will always follow my team and get behind them on the ground despite some of my protestations on here however X

[Mr Maureen]

Please with the greatest of respect DONT start with that bull...looks like the 'MASSIVE CLUB' Coventry fans have got into your head !

The truth hurts Simon.

Wellesbourne's comments are accurate.

Fans make a club and I'm afraid the Rovers have 3rd division fans.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Agree totally wellesbourne,and it was their cup final hence the 'big support'......lets see how many they take to Burnley.As all Rovers fans know we are not a 'big club' and have never pulled them in for cup home games like yesterday,its a shame but fact.

As you rightly point out for the size of their city their level of support is one of the worst in the leagues,they have no room to gloat and I just hope you got that point across!

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Fans make a club and I'm afraid the Rovers have 3rd division fans.

How wrong you are Maureen...spoken like a true non Rovers fan.

[ABBEY]

The truth hurts Simon.

Wellesbourne's comments are accurate.

Fans make a club and I'm afraid the Rovers have 3rd division fans.

pilock ...and JUST HOW MANY FANS DID THEY BRING IN THE PREM LEAGE TO EWOOD,NOT BLOODY MANY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STOP TROLLING

[Oklahoma]

Well, I have no doubt in my mind that Sam should rest all first team players in the next cup match.

[ABBEY]

Agree totally wellesbourne,and it was their cup final hence the 'big support'......lets see how many they take to Burnley.As all Rovers fans know we are not a 'big club' and have never pulled them in for cup home games like yesterday,its a shame but fact.

As you rightly point out for the size of their city their level of support is one of the worst in the leagues,they have no room to gloat and I just hope you got that point across!

EXACTLY THEY ARE FROM THE 2ND BIGGEST CITY IN ENGLAND !!!...WIN NOWT APART FROM THE CUP DECADES AGO!!!!!

IT WAS THEIR CUP FINAL AND BIG DAY OUT YESTERDAY NOT OURS!!!!!!

[Mattyblue]

The truth hurts Simon.

Wellesbourne's comments are accurate.

Fans make a club and I'm afraid the Rovers have 3rd division fans.

No club has '3rd division fans'.

Clubs in big metropolitan areas get more bums ok seats, but isn't that obvious?

Meet a commiteed Liverpool fan, rovers fan, Northampton town fan etc etc, no difference. Spend stupid money on season tickets, away trips, merchandise, spend hours on the Internet for news on their club.

Never confuse actual numbers with passion. Myself and many others love this football club, so I won't hear that we 'don't have the passion'

Up the Rovers

[John]

SIMPSON TARGETS REGULAR PLACE

Keep dreaming Danny, your awful.

[gumboots]

The truth hurts Simon.

Wellesbourne's comments are accurate.

Fans make a club and I'm afraid the Rovers have 3rd division fans.

Since fans of some of the lower league clubs are some of the most passionate I'd be happy to have 3rd division fans. If you meant third rate then it's not those who were there yesterday who are 3rd rate but those who could have been there and chose not to be.

[modes98]

Well, I have no doubt in my mind that Sam should rest all first team players in the next cup match.

I agree. With the Hull match at the weekend, although it is on the sunday, we can't afford to lose any players to injury or tiredness after further extra time.

[RovertheHill]

The truth hurts Simon.

Wellesbourne's comments are accurate.

Fans make a club and I'm afraid the Rovers have 3rd division fans.

In the middle of the greatest economic crisis this country has faced in most people's lifetimes, with hundreds of thousands losing their jobs, to have a go at fans who have NO OPTION but to pick and choose the matches they attend is crassness and insensitivity of the highest order. Well done. Next time Man C are on TV have a look at the gaps in their stadium - and they've got a £95M squad. Sooner or later this will hit every club, including the Chelsea's and Utd's. Unfortunately, it hits clubs like us first.

[Bazzanotsogreat]

Missed the last 4 home games - Yesterday proved several things to me.

Andrews is the poorest midfielder we have had in the last 10 years

We struggle to break down poor sides from open play.

The lack of pace in the team is killing us in midfield & up front.

Oh I realy think we will struggle to stay up this season- given our tough run in.

[LeChuck]

Watching the woeful display of K Andrews yesterday after watching the superb play of Jordi Gomez in the midfield of Swansea makes me wonder whether we went for the wrong League 1 player in summer. A potential replacement for Tugay - he looks class.

I think he's on loan there from a Spanish team, so I don't know if they'd be willing to sell or not. Good player though.