[Archived] Blackburn Vs. Everton (preview)

[Mr. E]

I would have taken a draw before the game so I'm not too down.

Everton are hard to play against and we gave it our best effort. The quality just isn't there.

A few players I missed out there tonight were Emerton Dunn, Pedersen and Reid (2 long term injuries ago). Slightly more creative midfield that.

I can see why Sam didn't play Benni though.

and why is that?

[RoyRover]

That was easily one of the worst games I have ever seen. Absolutely dreadful stuff altogether! No quality, no ability to create chances and Jason Roberts again missing gilt edged chances. This in no way is laying our current position at the feet of Jason Roberts, because it's the team and Paul Ince's fault that we are in the position we are in, but his inability to score when it really matters in this game and others, has cost us a number of points. I have to question why David Dunn and Benni McCarthy weren't introduced, because they have the ability to open teams up. We were so bad at keeping the ball, crossing into the box and just any general quality that we deserved nothing from this game. This was a great chance to pick up another win and after Spurs, Stoke and Hull all winning, we find ourselves back in the bottom 3 and facing 4 very difficult games. I'm very annoyed about tonight's result!

[Eddie]

If that's what we're in for under Allardyce...

It's a decent point, Everton are a good side, but they didn't play well and if we'd actually bothered to go for the game I think we would have won. We had two or three spells of 5ish minutes where we actually pressed, but we generally sat back and then pumped the ball forward at any opportunity and bypassed our midfield. Doesn't matter if we have Andrews or Fabregas in there for us, our midfield just can't get involved with the style of football that we play. We are turning into Bolton of a few seasons ago. I hate it.

[tchocky]

and why is that?

Because he was expecting a scrappy game with long balls to the front and needed someone to wrestle the Everton defense to get on the end of them. Knock the ball down to Rocky and Diouf.

Edit - to those that have us down after todays results please remember we have a game in hand on both Hull and Stoke and better goal difference.

[Blue n White Rover]

Jason Roberts cost us that game. It's as simple as that. I reckon Sam thought we'd keep it nice and tidy for most the game and the one chance we do get we have to put it away. Unfortunately for Rovers, it fell to our worse finisher Jason Roberts. If we go down, he will be one of the main culprits. If he could finish we would be well away from the mess we are in right now!

Sitter VS Sunderland

Header he should've scored in the last minute VS Boro

Todays one-on-one he should've scored.

That's 6 points he's cost us.

Anyway, a point I was expecting to be honest, and most fans will be relatively happy with that.

Attention now turns to Fulham. Lost today to a last minute winner, face United on the weekend, if they lose it will be 2 defeats on the trot, confidence may well be low. Hopefully, we'll take full advantage.

Still optimistic we can do it.

Jus a quick last pointer. Well done Jason Brown, made a great save in the 1st half and played through the pain barrier in the second half. Great team player, Well done!

[Commondore]

If that's what we're in for under Allardyce...

It's a decent point, Everton are a good side, but they didn't play well and if we'd actually bothered to go for the game I think we would have won. We had two or three spells of 5ish minutes where we actually pressed, but we generally sat back and then pumped the ball forward at any opportunity and bypassed our midfield. Doesn't matter if we have Andrews or Fabregas in there for us, our midfield just can't get involved with the style of football that we play. We are turning into Bolton of a few seasons ago. I hate it.

100 % agree. This was my main concern with the Allardyce employment, and our football quality will decline a bit more for every day he's in charge. I always thought that talk of "experienced relegation-battle war horse" always seemed like bull, I really don't think any manager with a bit more of a wish to actually play football would have been worse off than we are now.

[Amo]

I'm not surprised it wasn't a classic. Everton don't concede many, so if we were gonna win we had to take whatever chance we could muster...and unfortunately it came to Roberts.

Still, we're 3pts from 15th with a game in hand. It's hardly a foregone conclusion.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Jason Roberts cost us that game. It's as simple as that. I reckon Sam thought we'd keep it nice and tidy for most the game and the one chance we do get we have to put it away. Unfortunately for Rovers, it fell to our worse finisher Jason Roberts. If we go down, he will be one of the main culprits. If he could finish we would be well away from the mess we are in right now!

Sitter VS Sunderland

Header he should've scored in the last minute VS Boro

Todays one-on-one he should've scored.

That's 6 points he's cost us.

Anyway, a point I was expecting to be honest, and most fans will be relatively happy with that.

Attention now turns to Fulham. Lost today to a last minute winner, face United on the weekend, if they lose it will be 2 defeats on the trot, confidence may well be low. Hopefully, we'll take full advantage.

Still optimistic we can do it.

Jus a quick last pointer. Well done Jason Brown, made a great save in the 1st half and played through the pain barrier in the second half. Great team player, Well done!

You're forgetting the header at Bolton in the dieing minutes- that's two more points. He really is a blunt instrument !

[stuwilky]

Last time I checked this was a SUPPORTERS message board.

Some of you lot are negative at the best of times, after a hard fought draw that we were unlucky to snatch a win its downright depressing.

Miserable bunch.

[Gamst]

Having Moko, Andrews, Tugay at 60yrs old and Treacy all in the midfield at the same time and still getting a point against a top 6 team...miracle, but really shows our lack of depth/quality in midfield. I remember years ago watching a masterclass in 1 on 1s by a certain Jason Roberts on Football focus. I couldnt think of a worse striker for the job! I had no confidence that he would score that! How priceless 3 points would have been!

Its a decent point considering the team out there and the opposition, but with the way other results went and the predicament we find ourselves in, I can't help but be dissapointed. We did our best, but just lacked any quality.

Our position is made all the more precarious by the fact that other teams around us seem able to win home games. You have to fancy Stoke and West Brom at home, whereas we just look devoid of quality. This is going to be very close!

[broadsword]

What happened to the team that played Man Utd then? Maybe they needed resting for the Hull game so they could be fresh for tonight. :-S

Roberts, well, gee, what can I say? I just knew he was going to bloody miss, he was like a goalie-seeking missile. Can he evern finish his breakfast let alone a 1-on-1? So bloody frustrating.

I can only think the Man Utd performance was a blip, and that this team needs some serious surgery. We have some real bang-average players in our squad and we are very short on attacking verve. I think staying up will be a very close-run thing this year.

if only fat Rob were still here!

[PAFELL]

Because he was expecting a scrappy game with long balls to the front and needed someone to wrestle the Everton defense to get on the end of them. Knock the ball down to Rocky and Diouf.

Edit - to those that have us down after todays results please remember we have a game in hand on both Hull and Stoke and better goal difference.

I think that Stokes next game is Everton away- Newcastle I think will go down along with WBA and Boro. Sam knew that today would be a scrapy game and that Everton have a good defence - he held back dunn and macarthy for the fulham game - and fulham have a game over the weekend - rovers do not, this could work in rovers favour.

[McClarky]

I can't remember a season with so many dire, dull and depressing games. If Dunn isn't fit for the run in I just can't see where the wins are going to come from as we can't create chances at all. Tonight was a shocker and if we continue like this we will go down. Even when we did win on Sunday we were absolutely awful until we scored then after controlling most of the 2nd half we ended up nearly throwing it away. It sin't looking good.

[Paul Mellelieu]

Anyone who went to the game got any thoughts?

I think we nearly got it right, considering Everton's away record this season: keep it tight and push on last 20 minutes.

Stoke look like they will be safe now, considering their home form and remaining fixtures.

[evukovic]

I rarely post on this forum, simply because I enjoy reading more than adding my two cents to the pile but I felt compelled to say something. Andrews is awful. I lost count the amount of times his 'passes' missed the mark. It was terrible. He should be taken out and shot but I'm fearful that with Rovers budget, they'd give the responsibility to Roberts...who would miss!

[McClarky]

I think that Stokes next game is Everton away- Newcastle I think will go down along with WBA and Boro. Sam knew that today would be a scrapy game and that Everton have a good defence - he held back dunn and macarthy for the fulham game - and fulham have a game over the weekend - rovers do not, this could work in rovers favour.

I think you are maybe getting carried away with the nonsence they spout about rotation and rest. Dunn and McCarthy will not be match fit next Wdnesday and if they do play they will do nothing as they haven't played for ages. Like several other players in our squad, they have had so few games since New Year they have had no chance to find any momentum and get into any form. Dunn's no-show tonight was very surprising, especially as 2 midfiledrs did come on (including Mokoena). it was as if we were playing for a point. I have been saying for agees that out top players are not match fit and I think BFS's policies are doing us untold damage.

JUST PICK YOUR BEST TEAM EVERY GAME AND GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO GET SOME FORM GOING BEFORE IT@S TOO LATE!

[Paul Mellelieu]

I think you are maybe getting carried away with the nonsence they spout about rotation and rest. Dunn and McCarthy will not be match fit next Wdnesday and if they do play they will do nothing as they haven't played for ages. Like several other players in our squad, they have had so few games since New Year they have had no chance to find any momentum and get into any form. Dunn's no-show tonight was very surprising, especially as 2 midfiledrs did come on (including Mokoena). it was as if we were playing for a point. I have been saying for agees that out top players are not match fit and I think BFS's policies are doing us untold damage.

JUST PICK YOUR BEST TEAM EVERY GAME AND GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO GET SOME FORM GOING BEFORE IT@S TOO LATE!

Considering Dunn's recent performances, it's not surprise he's been dropped.

[Guest Kamy100]

We were playing a team in the top 7 today, I thought that game was very ugly and to many long balls for my liking, but at the end of the day we got a point which in the long run could prove crucial. Everton are a well organised team who are very hard to break down, we superb at the back and created one golden chance which Roberts unfortunately spurned. The game against Fulham was always going to be crucial, I said before the Hull game that we ideally needed 7 points from the next three games and we now have 4. It will be very difficult at Craven Cottage, but if we are good defensively then we could sneak 3 crucial points.

[Tom]

Just got back, dull game with little attacking threat from either side really. A few points:

- the ref was simply awful

- thought Andrews did well as did Moko when he came on, Tugay was really poor

- Roberts did ok lots of running but poor finishing again

- great save from Brown in the first half

- The Everton fans were really poor

- there didn't look to be 12 places between the teams

- also why was dunny on the bench if he wasn't fit to play out 20 minutes or so

[JAL]

Anyone who went to the game got any thoughts?

I think we nearly got it right, considering Everton's away record this season: keep it tight and push on last 20 minutes.

Stoke look like they will be safe now, considering their home form and remaining fixtures.

We lack players who can take someone on and beat a man, run at him in a one v one situation. This fully justifies the clamour for Dunny in the team as he seems to be the only one in the squad capable of achieving this feat at the moment its a great pity his body is knackered and past it.

Everton arent that good, its the lack of strength in depth that has come back to haunt us just like it did at Coventry last week.

We lacked the ability to open Everton up down the right, down the left, and throught the centre with the sole exception of Jason Roberts going through the centre only to pass back to their goalie.

At the end of the day a point isnt a bad thing.

Keep the faith its going to be close.

[RevidgeBlue]

Got to admit that before tonight's game, having won at Hull, I wouldn't have been too disappointed with a draw.

However it was the manner of the performance that completely knocked me for six tonight. Absolutely woeful. Players in the wrong position. Diouf had previously done well on the right so why move him? RSC was totally wasted out wide and we had no width from either flank.

There was nothing to suggest in tonight's performance that we're capable of winning ANY of our remaining home games.

Then Sam came on Radio Rovers saying basically how in his view we dominated the game. Not the view from where I was sat. Yet again we seemed to physically run out of steam in the last 20 minutes and Everton looked the only side likely to nick it towards the end.

For me we still look a long way short of being a team capable of staying up. Although we look a lot more organised defensively under Sam, I have to say we looked a lot more capable of scoring under Ince.

It's going to be a coin flip.

[JAL]

Just got back, dull game with little attacking threat from either side really. A few points:

- the ref was simply awful

- thought Andrews did well as did Moko when he came on, Tugay was really poor

- Roberts did ok lots of running but poor finishing again

- great save from Brown in the first half

- The Everton fans were really poor

- there didn't look to be 12 places between the teams

- also why was dunny on the bench if he wasn't fit to play out 20 minutes or so

The ref didnt get anything wrong whats wrong with you TCO

[RevidgeBlue]

I rarely post on this forum, simply because I enjoy reading more than adding my two cents to the pile but I felt compelled to say something. Andrews is awful. I lost count the amount of times his 'passes' missed the mark. It was terrible. He should be taken out and shot but I'm fearful that with Rovers budget, they'd give the responsibility to Roberts...who would miss!

Have to disagree. Thought in the first half Andrews was probably our most effective player. Grella on the other hand was truly dire.

Andrews faded in the second half once the Axe came on and he went out wider but overall he was no worse than anyone else.

[sambo]

Boring, rubbish, no creativity, Roberts is awful, Santa is a striker, where was Benni or Dunn? Givet looks good, but I fear for our premier league status.

[DE.]

If Hull can beat Fulham at Craven Cottage there's no reason we can't, so as it stands we're still in with a good shout of staying up. This was a point gained, and the Barcodes and Pompey will still be very nervous about things.

I think the disappointing thing about tonight is Everton were there for the taking - without Arteta they're half the team and they rarely threatened us outside of Pienaar's chance which was excellently saved by Brown (I thought he had a really solid game in general tonight) and Lescott's half-chance at the end. We looked like we did not know what to do in the final third, and if we could produce better crosses/set piece deliveries we may have nicked something there.

Andrews seems to be a hot topic of debate and I think that whilst it's obvious he puts in 110%, he does not possess the necessary quality to be in a successful premiership team. I also think that his headless-chicken style running wore him out by the end, whereupon he became pretty much useless. He's the type of player that exists within teams that are going down. Roberts is in that category as well. We need to ship players like this out and replace them as soon as possible.