[Archived] Nikola Kalinic

[ABBEY]

hes never had a consistent run of games,keans philosophy is score at your peril.Score and your dropped.

[den]

Decent finisher fair enough

Still this is said.

Amazing.

[davulsukur]

What about Derbyshire? I liked him as a Rovers player, but he was always a fourth choice striker behind Santa Cruz, McCarthy and Roberts. This didn't change after Sam came in.

Roberts had plenty of chances in Sam's first full season in charge, but was severely underperforming towards the end and rightly lost his place at the start of last season to Kalinic. I don't think there was a single person wanting Roberts to stay at that point. And again, after dropping Roberts for a number of games, Sam brought him back in and he responded with 2 goals in 2 games.

If your trying to imply that Allardyce dropped Roberts and didn't give him a squad number in order to provoke a reaction to get him to come back into the team and score some goals then you're crazy.

Allardyce treated Roberts badly. And he is only still here as Allardyce couldn't shift him. Roberts is a hard working proffessional who would have worked hard for the club and his team mates (and himself)and did his job to the best he could when asked DESPITE being treated like dirt by Sam. Which is more than Niko has done.

[braddock]

hes never had a consistent run of games,keans philosophy is score at your peril.Score and your dropped.

Like Mama Diouf under Allardyce?

[Tom]

Still this is said.

Amazing.

I am not fully convinced but I was giving him the benefit on that one, even with that I don't think he has enough.

And decent but nothing special. As I've said before, Derbyshire was a decent finisher, just as good on the ball and just as lightweight, the signing of Kalinic has to go down as a mistake by Sam although in his defence his targets were going one by one and it was getting desperate.

[ABBEY]

Like Mama Diouf under Allardyce?

hes had enough chances to show he couldnt score in the Wam.

[braddock]

hes had enough chances to show he couldnt score in the Wam.

Scored plenty in one week in the cup and against Arsenal, never plays that role again.

[ABBEY]

so so you rate him? i dont ,AH WELL .

[braddock]

so so you rate him? i dont ,AH WELL .

I thought your point was that under Kean if you score you get dropped. That's all I was saying.

[Miker]

Is a lack of effort not enough?

Well, given Andrews keeps getting played by managers maybe putting in the effort in training is all you need to get selected.

Was he indeed, because after the Villa game when Niko was dropped in favour of RSC, RSC was injured for 2 games and Niko was dropped for Jbob. RSC then returned for the Newcastle game and partnered Niko, where Niko did naff all.

Similar to the Chelsea game, it's so hard to judge from that game against Newcastle because we were so tactically inept it was a miracle we drew that game 0-0. All our strikers did naff all that game.

[davulsukur]

Well, given Andrews keeps getting played by managers maybe putting in the effort in training is all you need to get selected.

Similar to the Chelsea game, it's so hard to judge from that game against Newcastle because we were so tactically inept it was a miracle we drew that game 0-0. All our strikers did naff all that game.

Yup i was there, it was horrible. Santa Cruz did hit the Bar/post mind you.

Maybe you need to put the effort in training and show something in the games you get. Which is why Niko is on the bench all the time. Andrews is a mystery mind you, although being only 1 of 2 natural centre mids who are not injured regularly you can maybe see why he gets the odd game.

[Miker]

Allardyce treated Roberts badly. And he is only still here as Allardyce couldn't shift him. Roberts is a hard working proffessional who would have worked hard for the club and his team mates (and himself)and did his job to the best he could when asked DESPITE being treated like dirt by Sam. Which is more than Niko has done.

Completely agree that Roberts is a hard working professional and a really nice guy. He was given plenty of chances by Sam when he first came in and in his first full season in charge, he showed that he wasn't good enough in the end and was told he can leave, Benjani and Mame Diouf were brought in as replacements. I don't see anything wrong with that. My point is that when Roberts was finally played by Sam, there was a fire in his belly. If Sam treating him like dirt put that fire in his belly then hey, it worked. It wasn't a case of "hey I can't sell him and I don't want to play him, so I'll just let him rot in the reserves".

What has Kean done to try and get Kalinic to perform? Well, nothing because he's barely played him. In fact, he's done more to crush his confidence than try and raise it.

[Tom]

Completely agree that Roberts is a hard working professional and a really nice guy. He was given plenty of chances by Sam when he first came in and in his first full season in charge, he showed that he wasn't good enough in the end and was told he can leave, Benjani and Mame Diouf were brought in as replacements. I don't see anything wrong with that. My point is that when Roberts was finally played by Sam, there was a fire in his belly. If Sam treating him like dirt put that fire in his belly then hey, it worked. It wasn't a case of "hey I can't sell him and I don't want to play him, so I'll just let him rot in the reserves".

What has Kean done to try and get Kalinic to perform? Well, nothing because he's barely played him. In fact, he's done more to crush his confidence than try and raise it.

From where I am sitting that's exactly what it was. Sam had no intention of playing Roberts until he had to.

[ABBEY]

should you not be working mr m?

[davulsukur]

Completely agree that Roberts is a hard working professional and a really nice guy. He was given plenty of chances by Sam when he first came in and in his first full season in charge, he showed that he wasn't good enough in the end and was told he can leave, Benjani and Mame Diouf were brought in as replacements. I don't see anything wrong with that. My point is that when Roberts was finally played by Sam, there was a fire in his belly. If Sam treating him like dirt put that fire in his belly then hey, it worked. It wasn't a case of "hey I can't sell him and I don't want to play him, so I'll just let him rot in the reserves".

What has Kean done to try and get Kalinic to perform? Well, nothing because he's barely played him. In fact, he's done more to crush his confidence than try and raise it.

Thats the way you look at it, which gives Kalinic all the benifits of the doubt and kean none. Barring his brace against Brom, he hasnt shown a great deal in his time to suggest he will be a premier league hit. Kean dropped him for whatever reason, if he was going to be banging in the goals, he would be playing as we needed the goals. Instead he was ousted by Roberts, who you quite rightly point out, wouldn't have been missed if Allardyce had sold him. Ironically we would have missed him badly in the latter part of the season had Sam got his way.

TCO's comment sums it up.

And decent but nothing special. As I've said before, Derbyshire was a decent finisher, just as good on the ball and just as lightweight, the signing of Kalinic has to go down as a mistake by Sam although in his defence his targets were going one by one and it was getting desperate

[Tom]

should you not be working mr m?

As always mate, tough life being a planner!

[ABBEY]

wished i was nancy pampered in the office! any jobs ?

[A cup of beans]

And Zacchius you're wrong, Niko set us up for the win then acted like a total idiot and had to hope the rest of the team bailed him out, Mark Bunn won us the game.

SET US UP FOR THE WIN! his 2 goals won us the match.. stop digging!

there's plenty of other examples you couldve picked, in games where he has underperformed and missed chances, but to single him out for a red card, in a game that he scored 2 is laughable!

[Tom]

It really isn't, he let the team down by needlessly getting himself sent off no two ways about it. It was stupid and totally pointless and if it wasn't for Bunn we would have dropped points due to it regardless of his goals.

He did do well until that pathetic moment though

[davulsukur]

SET US UP FOR THE WIN! his 2 goals won us the match.. stop digging!

there's plenty of other examples you couldve picked, in games where he has underperformed and missed chances, but to single him out for a red card, in a game that he scored 2 is laughable!

I agree with TCO and think its laughable that you dont think him getting sent off could have cost us points.

I'd more inclined to forgive a striker for missing a chance here and there rather than getting sent off for a stupid challenge.

[ventures19]

Couple of months ago i saw a number of articles in Croatian media talking about some of the clauses in Niko's contract, apparently there is a clause which entitles his former club Hajduk to be paid around £1m once Niko has scored 15 goals for Blackburn. At the moment i believe he is on 14 goals?

Do you think this had anything at all to do with him being left out of the team in the 2nd part of the season?

[newfan]

Couple of months ago i saw a number of articles in Croatian media talking about some of the clauses in Niko's contract, apparently there is a clause which entitles his former club Hajduk to be paid around £1m once Niko has scored 15 goals for Blackburn. At the moment i believe he is on 14 goals?

Do you think this had anything at all to do with him being left out of the team in the 2nd part of the season?

hmm funny and interesting

[Baz]

Couple of months ago i saw a number of articles in Croatian media talking about some of the clauses in Niko's contract, apparently there is a clause which entitles his former club Hajduk to be paid around £1m once Niko has scored 15 goals for Blackburn. At the moment i believe he is on 14 goals?

Do you think this had anything at all to do with him being left out of the team in the 2nd part of the season?

I'd say it was more down to him being rubbish.

The only concern I have with selling him is that we already need 2 strikers and look to be struggling to bring them in. I dont rate him, so wish him well in his career if he wants to move on, as he couldnt get in the team with the worst strikers (as a group) I remember at the club in 25 years of watching.

[RevidgeBlue]

The fact Sam doesn't appear to be interested in coming back in for him speaks volumes for me.

If he was actually any good and just a poor unfortunate soul who was a victim of of bad man management by the overlord of all evil Steve Kean as some are suggesting, he would surely be able to fill his boots at championship level.

The fact is, two managers don't appear to rate him.

[gumboots]

The fact Sam doesn't appear to be interested in coming back in for him speaks volumes for me.

If he was actually any good and just a poor unfortunate soul who was a victim of of bad man management by the overlord of all evil Steve Kean as some are suggesting, he would surely be able to fill his boots at championship level.

The fact is, two managers don't appear to rate him.

Nor do others at the club.