[Archived] Blackburn Vs Portsmouth. Ewood Park, 7Th November.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

I'm glad we were able to shake the shackles of that rigid and pathetic 4-5-1 and actually take the game to Portsmouth. I thought Sam would persevere with his efforts, but credit where it's due for seeing what we all could and turning it around. I don't care what anyone says about McCarthy's casual attitude & lack of fitness, the guy has genuine class which is a rarity in our squad. He must play an important part in our campaign.

Still a little perplexed that Kalinic was untried again. One of most expensive signings and yet we're lucky to see 20minutes of him.

Regarding Kalinic. We have the luxury of having 2 proven strikers in Roberts and McCarthy. If you're losing 1-0 at half time i dont think its worth throwing in an inexperienced player over those two. I want to see far more from him, but i dont think today was the right day. Not when Roberts/McCarthy were available. Im sure Sam will give him game time when he needs it

[only2garners]

You can't take the messages on here complaining about our 4-5-1 formation and those chanting to stop it seriously, as we weren't playing it. It was 4-4-1-1 as it has been on the last 3 home games (all of which we won). So you can't really blame Sam for starting that formation again today. A combination of Portsmouth sussing the formation out and Dunn having a pretty awful game meant we offered nothing in the first half. That formation will only work if Dunn's playing well, which he has been but wasn't today. So Sam changed things and it worked.

[RIML]

You can't take the messages on here complaining about our 4-5-1 formation and those chanting to stop it seriously, as we weren't playing it. It was 4-4-1-1 as it has been on the last 3 home games (all of which we won). So you can't really blame Sam for starting that formation again today. A combination of Portsmouth sussing the formation out and Dunn having a pretty awful game meant we offered nothing in the first half. That formation will only work if Dunn's playing well, which he has been but wasn't today. So Sam changed things and it worked.

Correct "if it isn't broke don't fix it"

The formation wasn't broke before today, but it was clearly broke at half time, so he fixed it simples.

[Amo]

You can't take the messages on here complaining about our 4-5-1 formation and those chanting to stop it seriously, as we weren't playing it. It was 4-4-1-1 as it has been on the last 3 home games (all of which we won). So you can't really blame Sam for starting that formation again today. A combination of Portsmouth sussing the formation out and Dunn having a pretty awful game meant we offered nothing in the first half. That formation will only work if Dunn's playing well, which he has been but wasn't today. So Sam changed things and it worked.

Dunn was playing so deep and Di Santo so isolated it was essentially a 4-5-1.

[broadsword]

So, then, was this a tactical masterstroke from Mr Allardyce?

Why didn't he just play 4-4-2 from the start with players that could work an attacking system?

I really don't give a damn what anyone says, I have absolutely no faith in this manager whatsoever. No-one can tell me he'd have made those changes at half-time if Robinson hadn't have let that goal in and it was still 0-0.

[Mr. E]

Today Dunn got a lot more freedom when we had two strikers up front, whereas in the first half he was going at it pretty much alone and getting nowhere.

[sam_rovers]

technically, responding to that goal is what makes him a good manager in my opinion. Another manager may have waited till the 60th or 70th minute, or if he was Rafa Benitez remove his best players, to make his changes.

No one can deny that Sam pulled off a masterstroke at half time. We can criticize the start and the performance in the first half, but the man deserves credit for the changes he made.

[broadsword]

Give over, we were playing Portsmouth at home.

It was tantamount to an admission that his tactical masterplan was a load of bobbins.

He just resorted to that because his plan A clearly was never going to work, and anyone could've told him that before the game. Acknowledgin his mistake does not make him Capello.

[bazza]

I am delighted that we got the three points but the feelings I had at half time just won't go away.

My mate was saying we were missing Andrews, and he cannot stand him!

I was thinking of how much I agree with Waggy and that BFS must be replaced.

I have no more faith in Big Sam after that shocking first half of hoofball, hit and hope football.

OK. So he changed it at half time and we were fortunate it worked.

I still think that unless Sam changes his tactics from the start of the game and gives younger players such as Kalinic and Hoilet much more match time, we are relegation certainties.

I have that sense of foreboding. I hope I'm wrong.

[only2garners]

Dunn was playing so deep and Di Santo so isolated it was essentially a 4-5-1.

And that was Sam's fault was it? He clearly wasn't playing in the middle of a midfield 5. Compare to last week when he was in the middle of a 5. That helped to stop United playing but meant that we had no support for Di Santo. It wasn't much better in the first half today but that was more Dunn not getting close enough to Di Santo.

[roversmum]

In reply to Bazza-

Nevertheless can we enjoy our moment in the sun? It's nice to enjoy the win for the moment without having to worry about the rest of the season at least for a few days...

[CrazyIvan]

I am delighted that we got the three points but the feelings I had at half time just won't go away.

My mate was saying we were missing Andrews, and he cannot stand him!

I was thinking of how much I agree with Waggy and that BFS must be replaced.

I have no more faith in Big Sam after that shocking first half of hoofball, hit and hope football.

OK. So he changed it at half time and we were fortunate it worked.

I still think that unless Sam changes his tactics from the start of the game and gives younger players such as Kalinic and Hoilet much more match time, we are relegation certainties.

I have that sense of foreboding. I hope I'm wrong.

Simply, you are wrong. We won't be going down. It worked, not out of fortune but because it actually WORKED. The players took upon themselves the plan Sam had given them and we deserved to win.

[imy9]

I am confused, we played the 4-4-1-1 formation against Villa and WON, against Burnley and WON, so why the need to change it?

It takes a brave manager to drop two players at half time and completely change a formation, can you think of many other instances when this has happened? I seem to recall The Special One did it a lot but not many others.

To the anti Sam brigade, we WON the game, 3-1 , playing some decent football at times too.

I have complete faith in Big Sam and said that we would win this game on a different thread because we always win the games that are massive in the context of our season- that is not about luck it is down to the manager- FACT.

[Miker]

Give over, we were playing Portsmouth at home.

It was tantamount to an admission that his tactical masterplan was a load of bobbins.

He just resorted to that because his plan A clearly was never going to work, and anyone could've told him that before the game. Acknowledgin his mistake does not make him Capello.

That is just a stupid post.

As someone has mentioned, we've won our last 3 Home games playing 4-5-1 and there is absolutely no reason to change the system because for one there was nothing wrong with it in previous games, and two it takes more effort from the players to get used to the formation. What Sam did, as any good manager would do, was identify that the formation and the system wasn't working, so he changed it at half time to exploit Portsmouth's weaknesses. He changed it and we scored 3 goals and won.

I was reading this thread from the start of the game til the latest post and it was just hilarious to see all the people mocking Sam and having huge tantrums during the first half. All the people that were having the tantrum were unsurprisingly absent from the board by the end of the game. If you, as a fan, are upset by this performance then I'm not sure how you can call yourself a fan. You should be celebrating the fact that we won, the players had the desire and determination to win the game for the fans and the club and the manager had enough sense to change things around in order to obtain a win.

[broadsword]

Why bother changing it at all then, it's obviously a genius system.

I am a fan, and I'm worried that the guy we have in charge isn't suitable. I'm starting to wonder who was actually responsible for his success at Bolton (was it him or one of his army of coaches?)

Beating a poor Wolves side, an off-colour Villa and a Burnley side with a woeful away record I wouldn't take as a rubber-stamping of this tactical approach.

But it obviously keeps you happy.

[RibbleValleyRover]

I am confused, we played the 4-4-1-1 formation against Villa and WON, against Burnley and WON, so why the need to change it?

For the formation to work we need two players to be having a good game. Dunny and the lone striker in front of him. It also requires players to support the lone striker especially from out wide. First half Dunny wasn't playing well and was too deep, Di Santo wasn't being supported enough from central midfield or out wide.

The formation is great when players are firing on all cylinders and everything is working tactically, but when its not we are far too easy to play against and don't offer enough of a threat.

It takes a brave manager to drop two players at half time and completely change a formation, can you think of many other instances when this has happened? I seem to recall The Special One did it a lot but not many others.

It was good to see Sam changing it at HT rather than wait until the 60th or 70th minute, i wonder if the booing from the crowd maybe had a small impact in that decision?

[Roost]

Why bother changing it at all then, it's obviously a genius system.

I am a fan, and I'm worried that the guy we have in charge isn't suitable. I'm starting to wonder who was actually responsible for his success at Bolton (was it him or one of his army of coaches?)

Beating a poor Wolves side, an off-colour Villa and a Burnley side with a woeful away record I wouldn't take as a rubber-stamping of this tactical approach.

But it obviously keeps you happy.

Bryan,

I agree with your posts.... that was the worst first half I have seen for a long time.

Why set up so negatively against Portsmouth?

Whilst I am happy with three points, I really fear for the rest of the season.

[Miker]

Why bother changing it at all then, it's obviously a genius system.

I am a fan, and I'm worried that the guy we have in charge isn't suitable. I'm starting to wonder who was actually responsible for his success at Bolton (was it him or one of his army of coaches?)

Beating a poor Wolves side, an off-colour Villa and a Burnley side with a woeful away record I wouldn't take as a rubber-stamping of this tactical approach.

But it obviously keeps you happy.

It takes two sides for a game to be won, if one side is poor tactically, then the other side is set up really well tactically. It's not a genius system, but it's a system that does work, but usually it has worked against a 4-4-2 formation. Portsmouth play a different system to other teams we've played and the 4-5-1 wasn't going to work. It's hard to identify that until you see in game that it's absolutely hopeless.

It was probably him, his army of coaches and the players... that's what makes a team. Sam's job is to identify weaknesses during a game and when it comes down to the big decisions, have balls to make changes and make sure they were the right ones. His other job is to keep players motivated and while I think his half time talks have been pretty awful most games, he has shown over the course of his time here that he can get a determined performance from his players and score goals and win or draw games that look hopelessly lost.

[LDRover]

So, then, was this a tactical masterstroke from Mr Allardyce?

Why didn't he just play 4-4-2 from the start with players that could work an attacking system?

I really don't give a damn what anyone says, I have absolutely no faith in this manager whatsoever. No-one can tell me he'd have made those changes at half-time if Robinson hadn't have let that goal in and it was still 0-0.

Spot on Bryan.

In fact we were fortunate to concede so early meaning that changes HAD to be made. There was as much chance of us conceding in the 85th rather than the 15th minute and if that had happened we'd have been goosed because mark my words, there was no way he was changing things at 0-0. It was West Ham all over again.

By the way, if Diouf is our biggest wage earner (which I believe he is) it's a bigger robbery than the Brinks Mat heist. He contributes bugger all.

But...a crucial 3 points cannot be understated. Massive.

[Miker]

Bryan,

I agree with your posts.... that was the worst first half I have seen for a long time.

Why set up so negatively against Portsmouth?

Whilst I am happy with three points, I really fear for the rest of the season.

A system which has given us 8 goals in 3 home games is in no way negative

[1864roverite]

Bryan

try and take a positive view pal.

Villa poor ? They lie 5th in the league and have just bttered Bolton 5-1. Off colour at Ewood ? We had to fight to stay in the game and won it at the death, I dont think for one minute they were poor.

Burnley fought to the end and although we were comfortable at 3-1 they nicked a goal at the end to create a little bit of panic.

Wolves are just crap.

Sam had the nerve to make changes taking off our wide men, that shows that he has the nouse top change things when they are not working. Any fan could see Rovers set up today was being destroyed by Pompy, who had just scored 8 goals in 2 games. Every game is tough and you have to win ugly at times. Today the first half was pug ugly and poor but we recovered and won the game, thats all that really matters.

Fans at Ewood have been spoiled in the success we have had over the past 17/18 yrs. In the days of the total reality check, Rovers have shown they can just about cope with the financial demands on a TOP FOOTBALL CLUB, thats why we are no longer in debt, have a decent record in the trophy stakes and have a nice little set up many clubs envy.

Be grateful that today we took 3 points.

As for those who think relegation is a certainty, name us 5 teams who have won 5 on the bounce at their home ground ?

Lets talk about Hull, Wigan, Pompy, Wolves, Birmingham, Everton, Bolton, Wham, fulham, Burnley and Stoke.

Are all those clubs better than Rovers ? No they are not. Rovers, on their day, will beat 99% of those teams and not one will come to Ewood and take the 3 points. From that list we have a further 21 points on offer at Ewood and I will back our team to take each and every point. Added to our current total that makes 34 in the bag. We have to break our hoodoo and will do at Bolton.

So then to survive this season we require a further 3 points away from home (if we accept our home form against the poorer relations). all the gloom and doom just wanna makes me drink even more !!

[dillhallblue]

So, then, was this a tactical masterstroke from Mr Allardyce?

Why didn't he just play 4-4-2 from the start with players that could work an attacking system?

I really don't give a damn what anyone says, I have absolutely no faith in this manager whatsoever. No-one can tell me he'd have made those changes at half-time if Robinson hadn't have let that goal in and it was still 0-0.

Spot on Bryan !

I honestly think his arse started twitching when he heard the boos ringing at half time. It was as loud as i've ever heard it and we've had some dire performances over the past few years !!

I think he only intended on making one change at half time because i can only remember Benni warming up in the 1st half and not Roberts - i may be wrong ! He made the double change to appease the fans and make it look like he was taking drastic action. There would have been more than jeers at full time if things hadn't worked out result and performance wise !!!!

[philipl]

There is some rubbish being written here.

Allardyce got it horribly wrong today like Ince got it horribly wrong in games last season.

Allardyce reacted and got it right in the second half unlike Ince who didn't have the wit to change things around.

Sam is by no means perfect but he's not that bad overall.

Even under Sparky we used to bemoan that we got performances repeatedly that were good for one half and indifferent in the other.

[bazza]

It's time Sam realised what we want at Rovers.

He's had enough time. Let's see if he does what we want.

I have my doubts that he will.

To Roversmum..........Sorry for spoiling your celebration. Of course I'm celebrating today's result as well.

[47er]

You can't take the messages on here complaining about our 4-5-1 formation and those chanting to stop it seriously, as we weren't playing it. It was 4-4-1-1 as it has been on the last 3 home games (all of which we won). So you can't really blame Sam for starting that formation again today. A combination of Portsmouth sussing the formation out and Dunn having a pretty awful game meant we offered nothing in the first half. That formation will only work if Dunn's playing well, which he has been but wasn't today. So Sam changed things and it worked.

Agree with that. The 4--4-1-1 depends heavily on Dunn and he was off his game in the first half.In truth it looked like one of our away performances to half-time. It was noticeable how much he improved when there was greater support up front. Portsmouth had worked us out, maybe we should put 4-4-1-1 to bed for a while and bring him out occasionally?