[Archived] Liverpool Preview

[DarrellH]

What a shambles... I do like Sam but today was nothing short of a disgrace. If the attitude is that we're not good enough to compete against any and every team in this league we may as well give up. Keith Treacy? He'd struggle getting a game for Shamrock Rovers, never mind Blackburn Rovers. Samba up front, I mean come on... the guys a top class center half (on his day). Whatever next, we'll be seeing Jason Brown on the left wing after his old school teacher gave him a rave review from his days playing there?

OK, we all knew today would be a difficult game, but please give us the fans the respect we deserve and put a team out that stands a chance. Benni McCarthy has a Champions League winners medal at home playing as a striker - Chris Samba doesn't!

[Hughesy]

Id rather we won next week at Stoke that got a point today (at best) by putting out our strongest line-up. Why risk injuries for a big, big match!!

[AggyBlue]

Let's hope that the players can pick themselves up for the Stoke game, otherwise our stay in the PL will be as good as over one week from now.

Stop being a drama queen, the outcome of the Stoke game won't see us relegated if we loose but it could mean a huge step closer to safety if we win.

Anything from the Stoke game is a bonus IMO.

[dave birch]

For me, the last two games have been an all time low.

The Spurs game was dreadful to watch, and this game, well, we didn't even try to compete.

I know we had many players out, but give it a go at least.

[RevidgeBlue]

For me, the last two games have been an all time low.

The Spurs game was dreadful to watch, and this game, well, we didn't even try to compete.

I know we had many players out, but give it a go at least.

Agreed Dave, let's not kid ourselves, we were terrible against Spurs as well and got lucky. It's going to be a very long last six games unless we can start playing a bit better.

As for yesterday, I can only say that if we go down on goal difference it would be no more than we deserve after effectively throwing the away games at Arsenal and Liverpool.

The other thing that occurs to me is that if you are going to treat certain League matches as higher priority than others then you might as well go the whole hog and throw some youngsters in to the ones you don't think you can win. An injury to Samba now would be near fatal to us, if you are going to take the view that it is important to rest key players, rather than flog him to death in the wrong position you might as well put someone like Marcus Marshall in who would at least be playing in his accustomed position and if he picked up an injury it wouldn't be too costly.

Not a strategy I like, I wish we didn't do that at all. A bad break/unlucky defeat at Stoke and we may be wondering why we didn't try a bit harder at Anfield.

[bigbrandjohn]

I didn't see the game, so I trust the judgement of the posts. The bottom line is that Sam will be judged by both the Chairman and us on whether he kept us in the Premiership. He is keeping his powder dry on his thoughts on the quality of the squad because he needs to keep them motivated.

If we stay in the Premiership it will be because he weighed up the odds of winning games and losing games and chose the best and fittest team against those where he believes the points will come.

We are decimated as a squad and so he is gambling in a way that we may not have witnessed in a long time but he wants to achieve. He doesn't want to be seen as damaged goods again after Newcastle. He also wants his bonus for staying in the Premier League.

I believe he will succeed because he is shrewd but I also believe he will blow the squad up and do some serious dealing in the Summer, whether we have the money or not.

That will be the time to judge him. If he fails in his task, then everyone loses, including him.

It certainly wont be pretty, it will test all of our resolve and as someone not too remote in spirit from todays opposition once said “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.”

Keep the faith my friends.

[brfc4ever]

Robbo, Andrews, Ooijer, Nelsen, Givet, Dunn, Tugay, Mokoena, Warnock, Treacy, and Number 4, Christopher Samba, leading our line...

WTF ?

Glad i was to drunk to care about football yesterday. Unfortunately I'm not today.

[brfc4ever]

If we stay in the Premiership it will be because he weighed up the odds of winning games and losing games and chose the best and fittest team against those where he believes the points will come.

Why even show up ? If You dont, You lose 3-0.

[Paul]

I understand Allardyce's thinking yesterday, I know about our injury list, I agree Stoke is the more important game to win but none of this, absolutely none of it is acceptable to me as a football and Blackburn Rovers supporter. It's something of a relief to read people like Tris and Revidge hold the same view. Those of you who are finding yesterday's capitulation acceptable and are accepting of the reasons do not understand what you are doing, nor do you appreciate the longer term implications, which are very, very significant.

In the last 10-15 years the Football League and FA cups have both been devalued by clubs fielding weakened teams. Everyone connected with the sport seems to feel this is acceptable. I don't and have stopped going to some of these games. Any fan who accepts and agrees with yesterday's actions is supporting the complete devaluation of the PL and professional football. You are accepting it's OK for teams to pick and chose the games in which they attempt to win. Look at our two away games at Old Trafford and Anfield. Had we won or drawn at OT, where we tried to play and win, and Liverpool went on to win the title Rovers would effectively have handed the title to Merseyside. This is wrong.

Look at the UEFA cup, a competition many Rovers fans see as the pinnacle of achievement for us. Last time Bolton played they put out a weakened team and lost, Villa recently got dumped out fielding a youth / reserve team, last week Martin Jol wanted to field a weakened Hamburg team but his directors would not allow it. Tell me what is the point in entering a competion to lose? The fans are being taken for a ride - give us the money and then we'll decide if it's worth putting out a team. Villa fielded a weakened team and now the best they can hope for is to qualify for the same competition again - just desserts or what? You have to laugh at that.

I went to Anfield yesterday knowing we would lose, I went with a little hope we might scrape a draw, I went with an even smaller hope and KNOWLEDGE that occassionally shock results happen. I wasted my effort and will not go again if I suspect the same will happen.

[den]

Den, to borrow your smug self-satisfaction for a second, "you want to remember about writing off Villaneuva when he's not had a real chance in his best position - especially after what was a useful cameo today." (Strictly speaking this smugness lacks logic because a cameo means very little but as you tend to eschew logic in sniping about youth players, I follow).

You've got in for youth/reserve football. Being balanced on this issue is completely beyond you. And I also get the feeling that you intentionally misinterpret my points so that you can trash young players - whilst you keep strangely quiet about the insipidity of experienced players like Gamst, Mokoena and so on.

Treacy WAS the star of ROI U21. He WAS the star of our reserve side. THE GOD himself, Mark Hughes, picked the guy to play for the firsts when he was just 16/17. He had some promise. He deserved the promotion. However, he hasn't built on that early promise, so it is right that he is ditched after what has been more than a fair hearing at first team level.

I will continue to advocate "unseen, untried" youngsters getting first team exposure because in the long-run, it is the ONLY way Blackburn Rovers, small town club, can compete at a decent standard. Any youngster who puts in consistently good reserve campaigns and gains international honours and plays in the same position as a underperforming regular DESERVES a chance at the top.

Not all will make it. But if you don't reward reserve players you disincentivise the whole system and you won't get anyone coming through. I also think it fair that if, like Gallagher and Treacy, they get a real chance but do not impress, they should be moved on. Which is why I find it appalling that Treacy continues to feature for the side.

I haven't got it in for youth team football, or reserve team football, I am however, realistic

about it. The arguments you put forward for Treacy, you put forward for seemingly dozens of other youngsters, none of whom made a pro career at PL level.

As for me "sniping" at youth team players - how pathetic. Many posters on here have watched the youth team games and told us all that there's very little coming through the system. The proof of the failure at academy level is there for all to see. What do you do? You have pushed the names of many youngsters forward, none of whom you have seen, simply on the merits of their supposed form in the reserves. Not one single youngster that you have pushed, usually on the simple logic that they can't be any worse than some of the current first team, has been close to making it at Ewood.

Go and watch the lads, tell us what their strengths and weaknesses are, - rather than just reading about them, - and we'll all listen.

It gets boring listening to you telling us all about the next kid that's going to make it big, then within months slagging that same player off. What's "balanced" about that.

[Tris]

Stop being a drama queen, the outcome of the Stoke game won't see us relegated if we loose but it could mean a huge step closer to safety if we win.

Anything from the Stoke game is a bonus IMO.

I don't think it's being over dramatic to say that Stoke is a must win game for us.

We have a manager who clearly believes that the Chelsea game is already lost and that message will have got through to the players by now.

The last thing we want is to actually need something from the final game against West Brom - Rovers don't have the luck to survive that scenario - or the bottle one suspects with this current bunch.

That means we need 8 points from 4 games - we must be mathematically safe by the time the final whistle blows at Ewood on May 9th against Portsmouth. For me, that makes Stoke next week an absolutely must win game.

[RovertheHill]

Whilst I wouldn't say that Stoke is a must-win game I think it's a mustn't-lose game, and we all know how good we are at those...

Stoke - 1pt

Wigan - 3pts

Man C - 0pts

Portsmouth - 3pts

Chelsea - 0pts

That would give us 41pts going into the last game

[MCMC1875]

Ince was a nightmare - course he was

BFS is a robot - course he is.

replace him at the end of the season because we have some tradition and values at this club, unlike the teams he has managed before. 1 of those traditions is that we are a team that try and win football games..................nuff said.

BFS OUT!!

Alreet Neil

Your inbox is full.

In Sam we trust. He is saving us from eternal damnation in the 2nd division.

[G Somerset Rover]

Big Sam said that he put Samba up front because he saw what "Drogba managed to do against Liverpool in the week". Bloomin hell Sam - Drogba on form is probably the top striker in world football. When he's up for it he's unplayable. Chelsea also had Malouda/Lampard and co. working off Drogba and picking up any knock downs. We had an out and out centre back attempting to knock them down for Keith Treacey/Mokoena and the rest.

IMO only Robinson, Samba (hardly his fault), Doran and at a push Tugay and Givet can be excused for that performance..it was an embarrasment of the highest proportions.

I don't like to single players out for bad performances after such a dire team display, but Andrews and Treacey made Riera and Insua look like Messi and a young Roberto Carlos due to their inept and shocking performance. Their ability to be able to follow play and keep their eyes at the feet of the opponent when they had the ball was truly awful. As somebody else mentioned, Simpson or Ooijer at right back would have been a much more sensible option..come to think of it an academy right back or some random man plucked off the streets could have done a better job than Andrews. It's not even like Riera has blistering pace or countless tricks at his disposal.

I'm sick off getting hammered against the big boys. We shouldn't moan how they're unplayable and have spent loads more than us so they're going to destroy us etc etc. Teams have gone to Anfield and got draws this season so it is not impossible.

Teams who roll into venue's like Anfield with our mentality get everything they deserve. Let's just hope the decision by the management to write this one off as it were doesn't come back to bite us on the a**e.

[47er]

I don't think it's being over dramatic to say that Stoke is a must win game for us.

We have a manager who clearly believes that the Chelsea game is already lost and that message will have got through to the players by now.

The last thing we want is to actually need something from the final game against West Brom - Rovers don't have the luck to survive that scenario - or the bottle one suspects with this current bunch.

That means we need 8 points from 4 games - we must be mathematically safe by the time the final whistle blows at Ewood on May 9th against Portsmouth. For me, that makes Stoke next week an absolutely must win game.

Why would we need 42 points to stay up? Newcastle would need 12 from 6 games to equal that and they won't do it. We need 2 wins. Wigan seem to have given up since they reached safety, and Portsmouth couldn't beat West Brom yesterday. A point at Stoke would be fine.

[Guest Vinjay606]

Name another manager who was willing to come that would have kept us up from that awful position of 13 points 18 games?

Since he was interested how about Mancini?

[MCMC1875]

Bang on the money.

Football is a sport, it's about winning and losing and doing one's level best. I walked into Anfield today - having been shown the team news 10 minutes earlier on a mobile phone in the Arkles - thinking that my club had already put this one down as a bad day at the office. I thought that the low point this season would have been Wigan away, where we witnessed Ince's ineptitude hit the point of no return and a degree of confusion among the 11 players which was astonishing at this level.

Today was worse. I feel like we threw the match. Once the team sheets were in, there wasn't a single moment when Rovers had the slightest chance of even drawing this game. If the manager thought we might scrape a point against Liverpool with that team then he hasn't got a clue. If he went into the game thinking it's OK to lose then he shouldn't be in football.

The one positive after 90 minutes (other than the resolute display from Robinson) was the spark brought by Carlos Villanueva, but it was too little too late. Perhaps if Rovers had played a proper formation with available fit players in their proper positions from the start, it might have been 4-1 or 3-1 or 3-0 or 2-1 - or who knows, something better. We'll never know.

What we do know is this. Playing well and losing can help confidence ... being told you're good enough to compete with the best club teams in the world is uplifting. There was a message to our players and fans today === we are not good enough to compete so we won't bother trying. It's totally deflating. Let's hope that the players can pick themselves up for the Stoke game, otherwise our stay in the PL will be as good as over one week from now.

Sam is not as naieve or as short of ideas as you may think. Wait and see...............

lets see spit,benni for starters....glad ive not paid 38 dabs......SAMBA UP FRONT ON HIS OWN IS CRAZY! WE LOAN OUT STRIKERS AND DONT REPLACE THEM ,OK SAMBA WAS GOOD THERE LAST WEEK AND ITS OK SAYING HE WAS A STRIKER UNTIL HE WAS 17 BUT THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A REASON AS TO WHY HE DIDNT STAY THERE......if you think that team is as strong as we have then all the 22 txts ive just recieved are wrong too.

GOOD POINT ABBEY. WHY HAVE DARBYSHIRE & GALLAGHER NOT BEEN RECALLED???

[MCMC1875]

Diouf has 4 yellow card, we need him more at Stoke.

Good point.

Isn't there an amnesty on totting up yellow cards late in the season?

I think Sam chalked this game off before it started. Clearly resting some players.

Have to agree - can't think of another explanation.

[CrazyIvan]

I watched this match and was disgusted by the lack of challenge from midfield. Andrews was poor but he got no help. Tugay was nowhere in that match, it passed him by. I watched a number of players just run straight through where Tugay should have been, he stood and watched a number of times. Warnock worked hard but wasn't effective, he needed a decent midfielder to work alongside him. Dunn was also nowhere. Treacy ran into dead-ends over and over. The best period Rovers had was when Grella came on with Carlos. Grella actually made a difference.

Midfield went missing. We lost that battle and the game because of it.

[ABBEY]

Why even show up ? If You dont, You lose 3-0.

EXACTLY ! WE DONT DESERVE TOP FLIGHT FOOTBALL ANYMORE ,IF WE DONT EVEN TRY AGAINST THE TOP 4 THEN IM AFRAID WE SHOULDNT BE IN THE SAME DIVISION...I GOT WASTED LAST NIGHT AND HUNGOVER TO HELL AND IT STILL HASNT CHANGED MY MIND THAT YESTERDAY IS UP THERE IN THE TOP 5 MOST EMBARASSING DAYS IN MY LIFE AS A ROVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whilst I wouldn't say that Stoke is a must-win game I think it's a mustn't-lose game, and we all know how good we are at those...

Stoke - 1pt

Wigan - 3pts

Man C - 0pts

Portsmouth - 3pts

Chelsea - 0pts

That would give us 41pts going into the last game

if we turn out with attitude of yesterday or the energy i cant see us getting more than 2 points.

[thenodrog]

Don't know why everyone's so surprised, this is what happens when you get by on a shoestring for years.

I'm fed up with it.

Really Bryan? Remember there are approx 88 other clubs in a similar situation to varying degrees. Save your ire for the Champions League, Johnny Bosman and Jimmy Hill.

Q for you....... Would it be better for BRFC and the supporters if Jack Walker had metaphorically kept his hand in his pocket?

[ABBEY]

Sam is not as naieve or as short of ideas as you may think. Wait and see...............

GOOD POINT ABBEY. WHY HAVE DARBYSHIRE & GALLAGHER NOT BEEN RECALLED???

my reply to the texts was ..(mystic abbey) was we would lose at least 4-0 and poss 7 ...i wasnt far off.WE ARE BLACKBURN ROVERS IF YESTERDAY SHOWED US ANYTHING WE CANT AFFORD TO "LEND " ANYONE OUT.It is ok saying wages this wages that we need every man at the pump and we dont have them cos there borrowed elsewhere.gally/derbs etc would have at least put effort in yesterday.Im so angry about yesterdays team i could quite easily not renew my ST next year im that disgusted that the manager can treat the fans like this.

[jim mk2]

A point at Stoke would be fine.

Agreed. It's more important not to lose to your relegation rivals. Talk of Stoke being a must-win is daft.

[MCMC1875]

trelleborgs ,arse the other season,cardiff battering us at home in the eighties or city dicking us six around the same time.

Today was an absolute pathetic ,embarrasement ,im ashamed to be a rover tonight.

You forgot the 5-0 drubbing at Wimbledon in the League Cup!

[thenodrog]

The worst was the lack of effort and why are we spending millions on a youth set up,

A point I've made many many times. Times have moved on since we won the title. Statistics now show that the Prem is the richest league in the world means that finding a kid who willturn into a Prem player on our doorstep is like finding a hen with teeth. Forget youth what we should be doing with our resources is resurrecting fading stars from other (bigger?) clubs like Samba, Givet, Bentley, RSC, Robinson etc etc That is the better way forward imo than finding the next Tiny Taylor, Joel Garner or Ben Burgess for clubs in the lower divisions.