[Archived] Blackburn Vs. Everton (preview)

[BRFC1995]

great result, great 4 days. allardyce is forced to work with inherited garbage and he's doing a fine job, we are too hard to beat to go down, if sams points to games ratio keeps up we should comfortably get 42pts on current form and i think 40 is probably going to be the magic number again.

[rog of the rovers]

great result, great 4 days. allardyce is forced to work with inherited garbage and he's doing a fine job, we are too hard to beat to go down, if sams points to games ratio keeps up we should comfortably get 42pts on current form and i think 40 is probably going to be the magic number again.

Some sense finally.

What anoys me is those on here who clearly don't go to the games, then have a good rant. Particularly those who live locally.

Sams league record

P 10 W 3 D 5 L 2 Pts 14

with 11 to go if we can match the current form then that puts us on 41 points probably enough to stay up.

[Commondore]

No we are playing hard-to-beat football. Keep it tight and hope to nick a winner. Its temporary to help us get out of trouble. Exactly what Hughes did when he kept us up, and nobody complained then!!

Hughes did change that approach the next season however (tough admittedly we weren't playing like Brazil then either), do you think Allardyce will?

Ince liked us to play a nice passing game - look where that got us, anyone remember the game against the big teams when we just rolled over?? What would you rather, roll over and die or keep it tight and hope to nick a winner?

There's a difference between trying to play football with a competent manager and trying to play football with an incompetent one. Ince did not have the tactical awareness to make it as an offensive minded coach, but there are plenty of managers out there who do. There's also a lot of difference between playing a passing game and "rolling over and die".

[stuwilky]

Colin,

Givet got booked for the clash of heads in the second half.

[neekoy]

Just to comment on Jason Roberts' miss.

He wasn't just on his own against Tim Howard, he had Everton defenders really close on either side of him.

His final touch was constrained by them, so it's a bit unfair to suggest that he should have beaten Tim Howard. He was at full stretch.

I do wish he'd done it though.

Rubbish game.

Did Wiley book anyone?

So he obviously lacks the ability to be a top half table team finisher. 8 out of 10 strikers in this league would have put that away.

[47er]

Just to comment on Jason Roberts' miss.

He wasn't just on his own against Tim Howard, he had Everton defenders really close on either side of him.

His final touch was constrained by them, so it's a bit unfair to suggest that he should have beaten Tim Howard. He was at full stretch.

I do wish he'd done it though.

Rubbish game.

Did Wiley book anyone?

Guardian minute by minute reporter thought Roberts was terrified of using his left foot.

[dave birch]

With the number of regular first teamplayers out of the Everton side, that was two points lost in my book.

[Paul]

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.

For weeks I've had this game, along with Villa at home, down as one were a point would be a bonus. So 1 from 6 out of those two games is better than I expected. However after the Hull result, with the possibility to move up to 13-15th, I expected more and went to the game expecting to winn (a novel feeling of late). I'm disappointed with the result but consol myself it's one more point than I would have expected.

The match confirmed a number of things for me. To get Everton out of the way - I got a bit of criticism for suggesting Moyes is over-rated and Everton lack any flair, entertainment value or creativity. I'd suggest last night proved me 100% correct, Everton are awful. Bloody difficult to beat but awful to watch - just as we are at present but have not been for the past 6-7 years. Somone mentioned Moyes as a potential successor to Fergusson - he wouldn't last five minutes at OT.

Sam got it right last night. We couldn't afford to let Everton score as 1-0 would have finished the game. Good defence had to be the order of the day in the hope of securing at least a point, then hope we could nick a 1-0 or even 2-0 if Everton responded to going behind.

What else was confirmed? Jason Brown is a good keeper despite what some on here say. He never lets us down and fills the reserve role very well. How good he would be in an extended run is debatable. All the talk about a crisis recall for Bunn was hot air coming from the usual sources. I'm aware Bunn was recalled but using Brown was always the right decision.

RSC is not a right winger, he was wasted last and probably had an eye on Eastlands as usual as he clearly couldn't be arsed. £20m striker, makes me laugh and cry in equal amounts. Only Hughes thinks he's worth around that, we should have taken the money.

We have no creativity. Well we all know that.

Grella was utterly apalling. I think we all know he's bad, didn't realise just how bad until last night.

Thought Andrews did well

Ooijer was grim

Roberts is not the player to lead the line on his own. Given the effectiveness of RSC and Roberts last night it might have been better to have swapped their positions. Roberts isn't a winger but he probably would have achieved no less than RSC did and Roque would have achieved more in the centre.

Thought Diouf had a very good game. I'm beginning to like him, a much better player than I'd expected.

Overall 4 points from 2 games is good and I feel our survival chances have improved in the last 4 days. We still need at least 13 points though and I struggle to see how this side will win the four games needed to achieve this. If we stay up it will be because three teams are worse than us, rather than by our own efforts, and I'm begining to wonder if as few as 36-37 points could be enough?

[dave birch]

OK Paul, anyone..If Everton had put their full first team out, would we have won?

[Mc Love]

Please get rid of Jason Roberts!!

Also the players wont know what has hit them until we are relegated, thats if we dont stay up. And if we do stay up I would expect sam to ship a good amount of bodies, bodies that tonight seemed like they couldnt give a fiddlers fart if they played for us!

[47er]

OK Paul, anyone..If Everton had put their full first team out, would we have won?

First-------how could anyone know that? Second--------Everton are going for a Champion League place and they rest key players? Is that what you are suggesting?

Third-------who cares? We can only play the team the other lot put out.

Four---------if they could have put out a stronger team and chose not to---good, we could do with a break.

[allrovertheworld]

Please get rid of Jason Roberts!!

Also the players wont know what has hit them until we are relegated, thats if we dont stay up. And if we do stay up I would expect sam to ship a good amount of bodies, bodies that tonight seemed like they couldnt give a fiddlers fart if they played for us!

You are posting in the correct thread aren't you? Last night the players worked their socks off. I can not pick out any player who did not put a shift in. Please highlight one to me because I must have been watching another game.

[dave birch]

The point is 47, that they put out a team that was not their 1st eleven. The Rovers 1st eleven couldn't beat them. It wasn't because they didn't want to put them out, it's because many were injured.

The bottom line is, we blew an opportunity to get another two points, two points that we badly need.

[modes98]

The Rovers 1st eleven couldn't beat them.

But what does that prove. Had they fielded their "first 11" they would have had a completely different style and tempo to their play. It would be a completely different type of game with different players.

[LeftWinger]

Why the hell did Mokoena and Treacy get on but no sign of Dunn or McCarthy? It baffles me.

That annoyed me too. Fair play the lads worked hard, but Dunn and McCarthy are the sort of players who could have turned that point into three. I thought he was not using his final substitution in case Brown had to come off injured, but to bring Treacy on instead of Dunn or Benni was very strange.

We were never going to win the game with Treacy, Andrews and Mokoena in the same midfield.

[dave birch]

But they didn't, and we still didn't win.

It was less important to them as it was to us.

We should have won, full stop.

If you remember back to the first game of the season, we won, apparently, beacause the team didn't play to Ince's instructions. He wanted them to play for the draw, they (the team) wanted to win.

[Mike Graham]

You are posting in the correct thread aren't you? Last night the players worked their socks off. I can not pick out any player who did not put a shift in. Please highlight one to me because I must have been watching another game.

??

that was a woeful display last night , from a Rovers team who have no passion and woul;d struggle in the Championship.

As for Roberts he should be shot at dawn. Earlier posters said he had lost us 4 or 6 points this season...no it is far worse: Boro away; Sunderland away; Pompey away; 2 aginst Man City at home and of course that criminal act last night.

I may take up knitting for more entertainment.

[brfcs5359]

??

that was a woeful display last night , from a Rovers team who have no passion and woul;d struggle in the Championship.

As for Roberts he should be shot at dawn. Earlier posters said he had lost us 4 or 6 points this season...no it is far worse: Boro away; Sunderland away; Pompey away; 2 aginst Man City at home and of course that criminal act last night.

I may take up knitting for more entertainment.

Bolton away, missed penalty at West Ham, Chelsea at home and going back Leverkussen away...

[47er]

The point is 47, that they put out a team that was not their 1st eleven. The Rovers 1st eleven couldn't beat them. It wasn't because they didn't want to put them out, it's because many were injured.

The bottom line is, we blew an opportunity to get another two points, two points that we badly need.

How many players were missing from our "First Eleven"? Pedersen, Reid,Emerton, Dunn(on the bench but obviously not fit) and Robbo------almost half the team. I still don't get your point.

[brfcs5359]

Pretty much agree with all. Everton and Rovers last night, nothing between them. The quality players are all injured, Dunn, Arteta, Yakubu.

Sam got it right EXCEPT Cruz out wide. Should have played anyone but Roberts with Cruz up top. Rovers dominated the 2nd half and should have won.

Brown - 7 - Excellent

Ouijar - 6 - Disciplined, reliable

Nelsen - 8 - Dominant, right place right time.

Samba - 6 - Committed

Givet - 7 - Read the game well, committed.

Diouf - 5 - worked hard, slow, never looked like any end product

Warnock - 7 - Captain Fantastic. Ok not that good but all action, committed and drives forward

Andrews - 5 - Good workrate. PROZONE performance with little or no distinction

Grella - 4 - Poor. Needs to get to the pace of the game and stop panicking on the ball.

Cruz - 8 - Great touch, vision, head and shoulders above the rest

Roberts - 2 - Awful touch all night. Needs to concentrate on the ball rather than wrestling with the opposition. The one thing he is there to do, he didn't.

---------------------

Tugay - 5 - Off the pace now. One glimpse of magic from the old maestro tho.

[dave birch]

How many players were missing from our "First Eleven"? Pedersen, Reid,Emerton, Dunn(on the bench but obviously not fit) and Robbo------almost half the team. I still don't get your point.

By my reckoning they had seven out of their 1st eleven.

We had Emerton, Reid you can't count, hasn't played in eons; Dunn was available. Robbo, yes, Pedersen suspended, so that's 3, 4 at best.

If you don't get the point that they had many more not playing then, that's up to you, but it doesn't take away the fact that we could have, should have won.

[philipl]

There are quite rightly a lot od complaints about the quality of entertainment and lack of goals in this season's Premier League but to be frank, there is one main place to look for the reason for this and that is the referees.

Last night we had the amazing situation of the home crowd booing the ref for not allowing an advantage to the away side.

Alan Wiley was THAT bad!

Before having any sort of a go at the Rovers, posters should look at the top of the table and see that had Everton won last night they would have been within 2 points of Arsenal and 5 points of the now faltering Villa in 4th place. That is how big yesterday's game was to the opposition.

But Everton registered just one shot on target (great save by Jason Brown) and the injury time volley over which caused this frozen spectator any palpitations.

Sam had obviously told Rovers to keep compact so at least half a dozen chances to break got frustrated when the player in posession halted and passed square or back. But still we had two great chances- Jason Roberts is probably up to eight points squandered this season now by wussing a one on one or one on none position.

Then Keith Andrews should have smashed towards the far corner when in space inside the box instead of passing inside to a crowded central area.

Keith Andrews had by far the best half I have seen him play for the Rovers in the first half and boy we needed him to do so because I bet the opta stats revealed that not one instance of posession by Grella did any damage to Everton but most did a lot of damage to Rovers.

To repeat what my contact at Juve told me, no club with European ambitions would ever have considered signing Grella.

At least defence was very tight again.

And we saw £34m was spent in the summer for an awful lot of hair (Jo and Fallaini) and not a lot else.

The game was horrible, the other results were even more horrible and the survival target is back up to 38 points at the very least. Still confident Rovers will be OK but following in Hull's footsteps at Craven Cottage in every sense next week would be a big boost.

[LeChuck]

To repeat what my contact at Juve told me, no club with European ambitions would ever have considered signing Grella.

The Grella signing winds me up so much, and I blame JW equally as much as Ince for allowing that clown to spend £3.3 million on someone that old.

We only get to spend that sort of money on a midfielder once every few years - Savage was the last one, probably have to go back to Barry Ferguson before that. I'm appalled that Ince was allowed to get away with spending so much on a such a poor player, he really offers nothing to the team whatsoever, and at 30 he's not going to improve at all.

[Eddie]

Philipl, I'd agree with your optimism if it weren't for the fact that we've been slowly progressing towards this route one, direct football since Allardyce has taken charge. Now, many will say it's all about picking up points at this stage, but I would say what we're seeing is a manager incapable of getting a side to play in any other way. Our squad simply isn't that suited to playing in this style. I'm worried about us going down (although I still don't think it will happen), but I'm also becoming worried that I won't see Rovers put in an exciting or enjoyable performance for the foreseeable future (certainly not a string of them or produce them on a consistent basis). Part of me feels as if we've sold our soul to the devil on this one.

[philipl]

I believe it was 5m Euros in which case unless we hedged our currency exposure, Grella could be costing us nearly £4.5m.