[Archived] Wolves Preview

[Alex Rover]

This selection has nothing to do with beating Wolves and everything to do with Sam's ego taking on the boo boys.

Bit premature that Phil, don't you think?

[philipl]

It was an injury-ravaged Wolves we played with only one front man against at home.

And we did not keep a clean sheet either.

[berkshireblue]

It was an injury-ravaged Wolves we played with only one front man against at home.

And we did not keep a clean sheet either.

Phillipl - Go onm say you were wrong it wont hurt

City played Arsenal with the same formation as we played wolves 4 -2 - 3- 1

2 holding midfielders then a man in the hole with 2 widemen behind a striker , very common

[KoNG]

Glad we got City early on in the season they are tonking Arsenal and Bellamy played a blinder.

Adebayor scored and printed the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Gooners... It caused some anger...!

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Just got back from the game. Excellent performance by the lads, especially by Dunny who was great and lasted another 90 mins. Grella was also quality today and worked well with Andrews. Felt sorry for Givet after thinking he scored when it was actually Roberts.

[berkshireblue]

Just got back from the game. Excellent performance by the lads, especially by Dunny who was great and lasted another 90 mins. Grella was also quality today and worked well with Andrews. Felt sorry for Givet after thinking he scored when it was actually Roberts.

you must drive fast to get back home

[Tim Southampton Rover]

you must drive fast to get back home

Not when I'm in Blackburn. A short walk down the road.

[Darwen Rover]

Well played lads.. a good all round performance I thought against an average Wolves side..

Robinson - 7 - Did well when called upon

Jacobsen - 7 - Very solid

Samba - 7 - Faultless against very little threat in fairness

Givet - 8 - This guys oozes class

Chimbonda - 6 - was dissapointed with him after last weeks performance, was a bit lazy and not as up for it as last week.

Andrews - 7 - Good game played well

Grella - 8 - must say very impressed, best game he's had since the Middlesbrough game last sason.

Diouf - 7.5 - He makes things happen and is almost savage like in terms of getting the team (and often the opposition) going

Pederson - 7 - Shame he didnt score, a solid performance

Dunn - 8.5 - Very good didnt stop running all day and was teh person most likely to make things happen.

Roberts - 7.5 - If he could finish (and stay onside!) he would be called Drogba!

Very encouraged by what I'v seen in the 3 games this season and the squad we now have seems to diffcult to predict the 1st eleven when all fit..

WOULD LOVE IT if we could beat Villa and show Warncok he's made the wrong decison (although I hold no malice against the guy - he always gave 100% whilst at our club so cant fault him)!

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Jacobsen had a really good game today. Very solid and worked well with Dioufy and Pedersen.

[Exiled_Rover]

Man of the match for skysports - Pedersen Constant threat, best player on the pitch

Surely that's a joke. He's (Please don't use that word again)ing useless.

[jannerman]

From RoversSG twitterfeed....

"85:58 - Rovers fans singing to Salgado - Are you Tugay in disguise?"

Love it

[47er]

A pleasant aternoon.Some ordinary defending would cause us problems with a better team than Wolves who looked relegation fodder today. Some great performances, none better than Dunn.

Darwen End fuller than last home game----up and down!

[Martin]

Wolves were awful.

Rovers formation worked.

Andrews had his best game for Rovers, now that's not sayin much, but he played well and deserved a goal.

Givet and Pedersen also looked good.

Chimbonda looked shaky at times.

Three points, let's kick on.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

Heard the team on the way to the match and thought ' oh ****! but have been pleasantly surprised. Thought Diouf had an excellent game and his link up with Dunn was a joy to watch at times - again we should have had at least 1 pen.

Must be said that Wolves were poor, but we did play well and you can only beat what's in front of you.

Still not convinced by one up front and there were times in the second half when decent crosses went in and there was no-one in the area. Roberts also tried his hardest to miss another 1 on 1.

Surprised by the2 out of the 3 substitutions. Thought it would have been a great time to bring Hoilett and Kalinic on for 10-15 mins.

Overall, much better performance, some lovely football (on the deck with little flicks etc second half). Though on this basis you'd have to pencil Wolves in for a relegation spot.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Happy with the points/players/performance.

My only concern is that we''re up against hard teams for the next 5 or so games.

[Stuart]

I must admit to being one of those shaking his head when the team was announced before the game. However, I think Philipl got it spot on when he mentioned Sam's selection being a thumbed-nose to the non-expert Blackburn punters.

That said, the tactics worked and we got a result against a poor Wolves side.

Couple of things I didn't understand though:

1) Sam not replacing Roberts with Kalinic late on. I'm sure that it would have been great for his confidence - having said that if he didn't score against Wolves then the BBC could have picked holes in him again. Not really that interested in helping Chelsea develop Di Santo any more. He can be used when we are struggling and need him to get a result.

2) Instead choosing to replace Jakobsen, who had had another solid game, with Salgado. Seems to me Salgado is first-choice right back and was being given a run out. Got to give Lars credit for his professionalism - sprinting off as soon as his number was called. (I guess you don't keep Michel waiting!)

Also a shame that Samba picked up a knock and had to be replaced by Nelsen. Hopefully nothing too serious becuase Nelsen Mk II (following his first injury) was/is often a liability and Mr. E called it right when Nelsen came on and we ended up conceding.

It wasn't a great start to the match but the first goal settled it (thank goodness it was Dioufy sprinting towards the goal and not Roberts - his hundredth one-on-one balls up, before Dunn followed up to make sure was noted). Once that went it we got a bit of confidence. Always worry when we go one up and don't capitalise for a long spell - just waiting for the sucker punch to come. Thankfully when it did, we had already wrapped the game up.

Robinson - 7 - cope well with most things - slight scare when the ball bobbled as he was kicking it but not real problems

Jacobsen - 7 - starting to really like this guy - shame he is probably going to be Salgado's boot boy

Samba - 7 - a good performance as always

Givet - 9 - this man is class and becoming a firm fans' favourite - haven't seen the replay but a great shame his goal was taken away from him - particularly as he was getting treatment on the floor at the time!

Chimbonda - 7 - Had a pearler last time out and was always going to struggle to repeat it - just good this time

Andrews - 7.5 - Thought he did really well today, did everything asked of him calmly and professionally. If he can get through a few more games without making any major ricks the calls for his head may well stop.

Grella - 8 - had a good game today - hope he can have a good spell injury free

Diouf - 7 - linked up well at times with Chimbonda and Dunn

Pederson - 7 - SSN man of the match did someone say? Didn't see it myself but he had a decent game. Hit the post with his second free kick when I was predicting he'd score following his initial sighter

Dunn - 9 - All action display, another 90 minutes under his belt - not sure if he'll get this free role in many games this season but clearly enjoys it. Deserved MoM.

Roberts - 7 - Another one-on-one miss but credited with the second - not sure he deserved it - will reserve judgement until I see the replays. Does annoy the hell out of me with his attempts to win free kicks and his histrionics and smirking when he doesn't get them. Just get on with playing football - it's rubbing off on Dunny too.

One the whole a good day today. 3-1 win, should have scored a couple more and could have kept a clean sheet (glass half empty) but 13th now, 2 points behind the dingles with a game in hand.

And there's a new DVD being released on 23rd September documenting our recent (last 4 games) against the dingles. Just in time to whet the appetite prior to the big one on 18th October.

[Guest Kamy100]

Thrilled to get three points but have to say that Wolves were extremely poor. Grella, Dunn and Givet were superb. Andrews had a good game and for me Samba/Givet should be the first choice centre back partnership.

I personally still think that playing 4-5-1 at home is not the way forward. Amazed that Kalanic/Di Santo weren't bought on to give them some game time.

[RovertheHill]

Thoroughly enjoyable game despite my initial selection misgivings. The only time we looked under any threat was from set pieces because Robbo had a touch of the Grobbelaar's today.

To say Wolves were "industrial" would be unfair to heavy machinery. Add to that a myopic referee and a linesman who did n't know the rules (flagging for offside from a throw-in) and it could have been one of those days.

However, we won, we scored from open play (twice) and at times we played some lovely one-touch pass and move football. Even Keith looked confident today. Shame we conceded at the death but I'll be more than happy to watch that again on Football First later.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Much Improved performance as the sun shone down Ewood way.A well deserved man of the match award to Dunny and I thought the whole team showed a real desire to win today.Would have loved to have seen Kalinic given a chance against a quite frankly pathetic Wolves side.

Fantastic reception for Emerton and Salgado

Onwards and up boys!

[RovertheHill]

Massive problems outside the ground, season ticket holders tickets not working, lots of people outside the ground, amazed that kick off hasn't been delayed. Lots of gaps particularly in BBE.

Oh yeah - forgot about that Took my card off me and gave me a receipt - hope I get it back before the next game!

[sambo]

Very pleasing result

Robinson 7 Easy enough day for him today

Jacobson 7 Very solid, impressed, seems to be settling in.

Samba 7 Solid, apart from a few suspect moments in the first half, where Wolves looked a bit dangerous

Givet 8 Brilliant performance.

Chimbonda 7 Played well, would love him to have a left foot.

Diouf 8 Excellent, looked lively and great awareness for his goal.

Andrews 7.5 Did very well today, should have scored first half and was unlucky not to second half. Finally getting in some good positions in attacking areas.

Grella 7 Had a quiet game, which is good when you're in a defensive position. No fuss, looked good.

Dunny 9 Ran the game today, always in good positions and leading by example.

Pedersen 7 Played well, whipped in some tantilising free kicks.

Roberts 7.5 Did well in his lone position, benefited from Dunn's performance.

Salgado 10 But seriously, he looked very impressive when he came on, without too much pressure.

Emerton 7 Not much time, but looked lively and I can't wait to see him back properly.

Nelsen 6.5 Did okay, but his arrival coincided slightly with a bit of a lack of concentration at the back.

Very happy today, what happened with Roberts' goal? Was sure it was Givet's..

And what was that chant at the top of NO5. Went '.... wherever you may be, we were born to hate Burnley....'

Any idea?

[Stuart]

Wrong link, Sorry!!!

[CaliRoverNYC]

I have happy to hear that Ewood drew nearly 25,000 fans assuming espn's stats are in order.

[1864roverite]

A gloriously sunny day at Ewood as Rovers hosted The Wolves.

As I entered the ground I quickly learned the team line up. I was very surprised to find only 1 change from the previous match and straightaway it had a look of yet another 4-4-1-1 or -4-5-1.

As the game kicked off it was clear that the line up was more 4-2-4 or 4-3-3 or even a bit of 4-4-2 with Dunny playing almost alongside Roberts. The bench looked very healthy with options in every position, our young strikeforce of Kalinic and di Santo amongst them.

With 3000 travellers from the Dark Country, Ewood was a mass of colour with the sun beating down on a lush Ewood pitch. It looked great and there was a decent atmosphere.

Some good football, plenty of passing, effort and MOVEMENT from the off as Rovers attacked the Darwen End, but it came to nothing until a defence that looked iffy but up for it, was breached by a rampaging Diouf. he nicked the ball off the toes of Mancienne and burst forward slotting the ball under the keeper. 1-0 Rovers.

Rovers then had a period of dominance but just couldnt find the second goal. Andrews, a pale shadow of his former self, missed two glorious chances, Pederson hit the post but the ball wouldnt just come and we settled for the single goal at half time. The first half had seen Rovers not really troubled by Wolves as Robbo was unemployed apart from free kicks and goal kicks.

As the teams came out for the second half, no changes for Rovers but a giant came on for Wolves, a 6ft 7inch striker who appeared to dwarf Big Chris Samba ! Trouble loomed ! From the kick off Rovers laboured, huffed and puffed. It was the Rovers of the wham game who had come out to play anti football. The passing had gone, the movement ended and the effort had dwindled from the play. Not until a fantastic header from GIVET and a glance from Roberts did Rovers settle down. 2-0 Rovers and game over. Rovers then contrived to play some really good football. The pass and move game returned, Dunny orchestrated the middle, Grella and Andrews coped well in midfield, the defence were not panicked despite over robustious tackling and challenges from Wolves players. A great pass released Roberts, MGP by the way, but as we come to expect with him 1 on 1 witht he keeper he dolloped, however, there was Dunny to wrap up the 3 points by tapping the ball home. Was he offside ? I thought he was but who cares 3-0 Rovers.

It was time to introduce a change and Emerton returned to the team to a great reception. He played some great stuff. Nelsen replaced Samba whilst Salgado came on for a 5 minute cameo. As the game petered out, Wolves giant centre forward scored a mere consolation 3-1 Rovers and the the points were ours as a poor referee Bennet blew his whistle for the final time this afternoon.

Rovers move up the table to 12th spot and out of the relegation zone, news filters through that our enemy Burnley have been trounced at Liverpool 4-0. Great day as I headed home to sunny Leyland.

I am a fierce critic of Andrews and I wasn't too pleased to see him in the team. Today I am going to praise him as I thought he had a half decent game. He should have scored two at least, however, despite these failings his passing and effort was generally quite good today.

MGP played well, Dunny ran the show and could have had at least 1 penalty. Diouf was back to his annoying best and even Roberts, despite his limited ability tried hard, at least he scored a glancer ! The defence was well marshalled by Samba and Givet, whilst Chimbonda and Jacobsen continue to impress. Grella controlled everything in front of the defence.

I am not too sure this tactic employed by Sam will be effective against a top football team, say a Chelsea or Manure. It may well be an effective tactic against an Everton or Villa, both of whom loom on the horizon and both are games that Rovers should be looking to win.

At one point Rovers had a passing phase of approx 31 passes. It looked good, it felt good and today Rovers have ended the goal drought as we move upwards. Yes it was only against a poor Wolves side, who appear destined for the drop, but as the age old saying goes, you can only beat whats in front of you.

A good end to a good game.

[gumboots]

Thrilled to get three points but have to say that Wolves were extremely poor. Grella, Dunn and Givet were superb. Andrews had a good game and for me Samba/Givet should be the first choice centre back partnership.

I personally still think that playing 4-5-1 at home is not the way forward. Amazed that Kalanic/Di Santo weren't bought on to give them some game time.

Samba's injury and subsequent double vision meant that the striker sub couldn't happen. Obviously being 3-0 up meant that Emerton and Salgado were going to get a little run out but we felt that a strikerwould have been the other sub if possible