[Archived] Stoke City Preview 18th April

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

I always fear our fans don't voice their discontent enough, the players need to know when we're let down. Btw Pedersen is a disgrace, I hope the fans let him know.

Agree with that Sambo...placid at the best of times are Rovers fans and most of the time that just isn't good enough,the players need to be made aware of how we feel.

The story of Pedersen grinning like a chesire cat after the game are the final straw for me as far as that dolloper is concerned.

[nicko]

There is a contract clause in Roque's contract, so does that mean we do not have to accept anything under £18million?

If no one comes in for him with £18million will Rovers keep him or is he definately going this season?

It's easy to point at our midfield, but which players are we going to buy, we won't be able to find another Tugay, I don't know of a cheap and decent Left Winger. So money MUST be spent.

I don't think there is any chance that a club will bid Roque's £20 million 'release' figure.

In fact it might end up at around £10 to 12 million...an awful lot less if he is a Championship player.

Your best hope is an auction.

And the ideal world is a quick sale to fund a lot of new faces.

If not it's only going to get worse.

[roversmum]

Peds was probably embarrassed. Difficult really. If you let the players know of your displeasure they will probably react badly and play worse. On the other hand, we are trying our best to support and encourage them...

[Blue n White Rover]

I don't think there is any chance that a club will bid Roque's £20 million 'release' figure.

In fact it might end up at around £10 to 12 million...an awful lot less if he is a Championship player.

Your best hope is an auction.

And the ideal world is a quick sale to fund a lot of new faces.

If not it's only going to get worse.

Any idea how much money we have to spend if we don't sell Roque? If we have enough money for 2 CM and another average striker. We should be okay with Roque up top.

[broadsword]

Peds was probably embarrassed. Difficult really. If you let the players know of your displeasure they will probably react badly and play worse. On the other hand, we are trying our best to support and encourage them...

He's a fanny bag and needs an enormous kick up the arse. Someone put some iron in his tea 'cos he's got none in his guts.

On a totally unrealted note, here are some dwarves fighting (sorry, didn't know where else to put this):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i38X8GA0wAY&NR=1

[1864roverite]

As muchas I admire my fellow members of this board I have jiust arrived back home from Stoke via mankchester, chorley and Leyland.

I am utterley dejected, depressed and forlorn (as well as being drunk).

Roves were NOT outplayed, it was a case of you throw it and I will throw it.

The defence was never troubled with rd throw ins and tbh thats all Stoke had, they were abominable.

Rovers, through the wiley feeet of Andrews conceded because he cannot pass to a team mate. He was shocking.

Robbo - 8 nothing to do, 1 save

Ooijer - 6 nothing to do

Nelsen - 7 won everything

Samba - 6 won everything in defence won faff all u front

Givet - 7 calass

MGP 0 did faff all

Andrews -0 did faff all apart from set up the stoke winner

Warnock - 4 did faff all

The axe - 7 did okay, a mystery why he was substituted

Diouf - 7 motm - no support

Benni - 5 no support, no help, no NOTHING

Rovers lost n abonimable game, it wasnt even football. Stoke are atrocious and we still lost.

The onlt thing of mention is the credit o tjhe Rover support = MAGNIFICENT BUt the team let us down.

Seeing Tugay in the tunnel was simply awful, seeing Andrews supply tyhe pass that led to Stoke s goal was awful.

Rovers didnt creat4e, they didnt try thy didnt do faff all apart from make us all cry. shocking, truly awfu;l, stoke are truly an awful team to watch, I have rsi of the neck.

Its so sad that they are 5 [ponts clear because stoke is a faff hole of a place, no atmosphere, shiyte pies and shye ale, shyte ground shyte everything ye thtey still beat us.

itsa shyte night and I m going tobed.

night night roll on wigan

[Paul]

I'm afraid Allardyce is the wrong manager for Rovers. He has a fixation with percentage football - whatever that is, but I guess it means the more times you get the ball in the box the greater the chance of scoring. Well today we spent 90 minutes hoofing the ball from defence into the box, throwing it from close to the halfway line, yes the frigging halfway line into the box. What did we create? Nothing absolutely nothing, not one single opportunity, half chance or shot on goal. Worse still we didn't win a single ball from one of these thrown ins or long balls out of defence. Not one header. Can I just mention, for the manager's benefit - their blokes are bigger than our blokes. This means they have an advantage when the ball is in the air. I suggest putting it on the ground would be a good idea. When Stoke scored the manager's reaction was to shrug his shoulders, put his hands in his pockets and stroll back to the bench. It then took five minutes to get Dunn on the pitch!

Not many who actually went have posted yet so lets be clear about this game. The defence did all that was expected of them. Nelsen was magnificent, Samba immense. We have no midfield and McCarthy cannot play as a lone striker. The team stuck to the plan, did what the manager has asked them to do, which is simply kick it - hard - up the pitch. It was very noticeable with Dunn and Carlos playing we managed to keep the ball down for short periods and the Stoke defence struggled against them. In 90 minutes those two might have created a chance or two.

In 90 minutes neither Stoke City or Blackburn Rovers made any attempt to play anything that can be described as football. Note the first four letters they are important - FOOT - this is what the premeirship has become. 4-5 teams that can play and another 14 or so who employ, on vastly inflated wages, players who are not good enough for the Championship. It is frankly a joke. The PL have been taking the p!ss for years and look at the dross we have ended up with. Neither team has any saving grace, not a single creative midfielder or forward worth mentioning. There's no point in moaning about our club it's the whole rotten league that is at fault. Crap complete and utter crap.

And as for the atmosphere from the Stoke fans? Ha! I could do better on my own. Delilah sounded like a dirge the one time it was sung. "Oh when the reds" was impressive I must admit but that was it. The JW did us all proud though.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Peds was probably embarrassed. Difficult really.

Give over Mum, its embarrassing watching him play for us thats about the top and bottom of it!

[SoccerHQ]

Because after the good work of getting out of the relegation zone, it looks like we're doing everything to get ourselves back into it.

Stoke and Liverpool are two of the three hardest grounds to get a good result this season, how many points did you realistically expect to get from the two games particularly without two strikers.

Your three home games will make or break you not away games.

[1864roverite]

Rubbish, the goal was down to a mistake by Givet who hesitated fatally letting the Stoke player get the ball and then allowing him to turn and get his shot in.

Not much Robinson could do about it.

I like you Rev BUT Andrews was at fault for setting it up

the man is simpy a liabilty

[ABBEY]

I like you Rev BUT Andrews was at fault for setting it up

the man is simpy a liabilty

ha wazza ...dont post ###### ha theres only me and jordan who do that lol

[bazza]

I haven't been to the game; listened to radio commentary and read this thread.

That is three successive games of utter tripe. Someone said it's worse than 99.

I cannot see us getting another point; not even WBA at home.

Perhaps it's best that we go down this season instead of doing a "Derby County" next season.

What a mess!!

[SoccerHQ]

10-12m will be pretty good fee for RSC imo considering he's gone back to norm and been injury prone this season and is coming up to 30.

i agree your midfield is woeful, too many old, injury prone or just not good enough players in it so that's where your major surgery will be.

[des]

having watched the game, if we do not get our forwards fit, its going to be veryhaed for us to stay up.

Our defence is fine.

our forwards are ok if and when they are fit.

As noted before our midfield, must be the worst in the prem. If you cannot win and keep the ball then you will get beaten, if you cannot make goal chances them you will not win games.

We need two up front any two, five in the middle and three at the back, and go for wins.

I think we will stay up not because we are good enough, but that three other teams are worse ( only just)

take a good look at others teams like Leeds etc, if we go dowm it could be us, heres hoping its not

[SoccerHQ]

I haven't been to the game; listened to radio commentary and read this thread.

That is three successive games of utter tripe. Someone said it's worse than 99.

I cannot see us getting another point; not even WBA at home.

Perhaps it's best that we go down this season instead of doing a "Derby County" next season.

What a mess!!

Funny as I'm sure in the last two home games, you gained 4 points against West Ham and Spurs, two teams you struggle to get results against normally and have much more quality than the final three teams you'll play at home.

You'll be fine.

I can't believe any of you lot expected anything at Anfield and judging by the comments it seems most of you haven't bothered to look at Stoke's superb home record (9 home wins) plus you've generally displayed very good away form since Big Sam took over so it gradually evens out.

[1864roverite]

des

on todays esfforts alone

WE ARE DOOMED

des

on todays esfforts alone

WE ARE DOOMED

IT WAS AWFUL AT BEST

I am shocked at the inept display at a ground where the opposition was bad

[DE.]

We must surely use Dunn and Grella in the center at Wigan if they are remotely fit? Sounds like defence is solid, we just need to work out a link between midfield and attack that can actually cause problems. And play anybody other than Andrews.

[Stonesrick]

A few of things to note after today's shambles.

1. As we all know we didn't have a single effort on goal today and on the 2 occasions we got to the byline in the second half, both Pedersen and Warnock produced shocking crosses.

2. Samba and Warnock who have both put in some awesome performances over the last few months both seemed to be running on empty . It's not their fault but we had no one to step in and take over the mantel apart from Nelsen.

3. I am also beginning to worry about Sam's tactics which showed little evidence of a Plan B.

Nicko's earlier post summed things up about our current state of affairs.

[SoccerHQ]

Bit harsh blaming Andrews for the goal, yes he gave it away poorly but the move took another 30 seconds for the goal to happen.

Givet should've done better and so should've Robinson as it was pretty much straight at him.

[DE.]

Aye... can't help but think Brad would have saved that

[1864roverite]

Lets be brutal

IT WASD BLOODY AWFUL - Another description is shYTE - it was woeful.

I am lashed up but please I am distraught. 38 yrs and more and I have never witnessed worse.

Andrews is ######, Andrews is crap he is a liaibility. h cost us the game singlehandedly.

fo rme, only 5 of that team today would survive a cull.

I am stunned, drunk and ###### off. I ma off to y bed

[Eddie]

3. I am also beginning to worry about Sam's tactics which showed little evidence of a Plan B.

I don't want to go into "I told you so" mode, certainly as Allardyce has enough time to really impress me in the next few weeks, but how did the majority of you not see that we lacked a plan B or even a decent plan A until this week?

[SoccerHQ]

Whatever plan he's used seems to have got you many good away points at Fulham, Hull, Sunderland, Boro no?

These points will keep you up.

[AggyBlue]

Rovers lost n abonimable game, it wasnt even football. Stoke are atrocious and we still lost.

True.

Apart from us, they are the worst team I've seen all season. I just couldn't see them scoring if we had played all night until Andrews clanger.

We were/are too one dimensional, we don't even try to mix it up.

What makes it even worse is that we don't even have any midfielders to run onto the knock downs (if we could have knocked any balls down) to play the hoofball tactics successfully.

Fantastic support throughout the whole match, if the players had put as much desire and effort in we would have cruised it.

On a lighter note, did anyone else see David Dunn pull Beaties shorts down as he came out for the warm up

[DE.]

I don't want to go into "I told you so" mode, certainly as Allardyce has enough time to really impress me in the next few weeks, but how did the majority of you not see that we lacked a plan B or even a decent plan A until this week?

As has been mentioned before, it's a results business and until recently Allardyce has been getting us results. Indeed, during January we would have had a couple of extra wins had our players not made stupid mistakes (Roberts, Derbyshire). Yes, we've played badly... but we've played badly all season. I'm not sure we have the squad to play well, individual players have cost us points so often that it'd be funny if it wasn't so sad. We have a solid defensive base with absolutely nothing in the middle and an inconsistant and currently unavailable attack. The fact McCarthy would rather be eating a big mac than at the gym says it all about the attitude of both him and a number of our players. Major cull needed whether or not we survive this season.

Also, I get the feeling Big Sam is here to stay... so we might as well get used to him.