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

[47er]

I obviously can't condone his lashing out as he did, but I can sort of understand it and to some extent sympathise. I had a perfect view of the incident as it happened just in front of my seat, and the Pompey player was all over Chimbonda as though he was trying out a few different wrestling holds on him. Chimbonda tried to shake him off but couldn't and so he got frustrated and lashed out. OK it was the wrong thing to do, but neither the ref or his assistant were taking any action to signal a foul on Chimbonda when it must have been obvious what was going on. Maybe the ref realised this and that is why he did not show either player a red card, because going strictly by the book that is what both should have got.

I guess Mr. Mariner decided it was in the best interests of all concerned to just give both players a strict warning and a yellow each.

Not the first time for Chimbonda this season is it? I didn't realise what a short fuse he has till we signed him. If he had been sent off, and 99% of refs would have, we'd have gone in at half-time 1-0 down and with 10 men. i hate to think of the consequences of that.

[FourLaneBlue]

Why is it that anyone who criticises Allardyce has to hate him?

He didn't say that though did he? Some fans hate Allardyce as well as what he represents and have since before he was appointed. Despite thinking he is the right man for this club I cannot say they do not have some valid points. Despite that...some will not give him credit whatever happens.

Nowhere did he say "that anyone who criticises Allardyce has to hate him"...frankly we all have a lot to criticise after the away performances of the last six months. With some more winnable away games coming up we do need to some points from our travels. Making sure this run of away defeats ends at Bolton would be a good start.

[RovertheHill]

Why is it that anyone who criticises Allardyce has to hate him?

Btw, you still haven't answered my question. Do you think Sam would have made the changes at half time (or at any time) if it had been 0-0?

I'm sorry I wasn't sure whether it was rhetorical. I think he may have changed it had it been 0-0 and we'd played that badly. Probably not if we'd have played okay. But then I'm not Allardyce so it's pure speculation.

And in no way did I say that anyone who criticises Allardyce has to hate him - where was that in the post? I said a good proportion. You can often spot them because they usually start with "I don't hate Allardyce but..." Personally, I have a certain respect for those like Spencey 7 (where is he these days btw) who just come out and say that they hate him.

And I was being serious. If he is turning a significant proportion of the paying punters away when season tickets are the best value in the entire league then his position isn't sustainable

[broadsword]

Put it this way, a proportion of people didn't want him, he's not doing much to win them over.

I honestly can't stand his personality, but I'm trying not to let that affect my judgement of him as a manager. People can be forgiven a lot of things if they're successful. But for those going on about the home record, just look at the big picture. Having a great home record isn't so pleasing when you lose every away game.

I see Hull won today, so if his gamble hadn't come off then we would've been bottom. To be bottom in November definitely isn't good and that would've been a reflection on the manager.

i'm trying to judge things in absolute terms. Yes, I'd be delighted in a way if Allardyce left, I honestly can't stand him. But the price for that would be Rovers up the creek and that's not a price worth paying.

My gut feeling is that, without an army of helpers behind him that he had at Bolton, Allardyce is behind the times and his personality doesn't get players wanting him to play for him. But we'll probably be stuck with him for a few years.

A bit depressing really.

[brfcs5359]

Allardyce clearly has mental issues. He admits to being the most nervous of managers. Lays blame quickly at players but jumps to his own credit when winning. And in the face of any probing question gets all shirty and arrogant in a child like attempt to belittle the questioner.

His tactics are from the dark ages and if he is a visionary, can someone tell him to do his visions at 3pm and not 4pm. It would I am asuming be an advantage to apply wisdom for 90minutes rather than 45. Or perhaps I am one of those thick fans Sam refered too.

Well just remember this old Chinese proverb Sam. Noah was an amateur boatbuilder and professionals built the titanic!

[Tom]

Got to admit I found Sams comments after the match slightly disappointing, I know he takes some credit for the changes but the way he said it made it sound as though the first half was all down to the players and the second half down to him.

I'm sure these interviews are a lot longer than we see though and could be edited that way.

[cn174]

Got to admit I found Sams comments after the match slightly disappointing, I know he takes some credit for the changes but the way he said it made it sound as though the first half was all down to the players and the second half down to him.

I'm sure these interviews are a lot longer than we see though and could be edited that way.

If you go on the match report on the BBC website there is a longer version. He yakked for about 10 minutes to radio rovers, it was on in the Blues after the game, got bored about half way through!

[niggit]

To me, i took it as a dig towards people, with what was said about Ince this time last year. Seems quite the same.

[colin]

Got to admit I found Sams comments after the match slightly disappointing, I know he takes some credit for the changes but the way he said it made it sound as though the first half was all down to the players and the second half down to him.

Same for me too. I really didn't like it the way he came over. It was a bit of a repeat of his comments after the Manchester United game. It's a sort of "I'm perfect, it's just these morons I've got to work with that makes life difficult for me" attitude.

I'm going off the bloke.

But I was a Rovers' fan many years before he was manager and I'll still be a Rovers' fan many years after he departs.

It may be a getting-old thing but I'll out-live his tenure in charge.

[Majiball]

At the end of the day prior to this game I won't admit to being the most optimistic about how Saturday would go. We'd taken a couple of beatings since Burnley and really been made to look less than ordinary. I was worried how the players would respond it can't have been easy on them, either.

Sam made a move that most on here had been clamouring for and had finally seen the light, Emerton started. Unfortunately though by half time I was really beginning to wonder whether we where destined for a repeat of last year.

Second half started and I thought WTF, how the hell are we going to line up? 433 never figured in my head its an anti Sam formation, its too attack focused. But what a turn around and I'd have happily bitten your arm of for that score prior to the game.

He deserves credit, he finally came up with a plan B and one that worked. Paul Hart is a man who considers his tactics and he certainly didn't have an answer in his notes for 433. He also made the bold move of subbing two players at half time a rarity in our league and one that Pedersen and Diouf won't forget soon.

Roberts must have been on the BBC website recently picking up some shooting tips. Whatever Sam said to them hit home as it truly was a tale of two half's. So credit where its due, well done and well done to those players who figured out it wasn't a friendly at half time.

It would be nice however to be able to play for 90, and actually take the lead for a change. So lets hope we start in the next game (surely becoming the worst away team ever in our history is a serious point for motivation) and perhaps build a little distance between us and the bottom three and get above the Neanderthals.

[thenodrog]

A bit depressing really.

Well I'm sure that Ince would love to come back to the Prem like some prodigal son. Brian Kidd too.

Now tell us all again ........... how depressed are you about SA bryan?

[bigbrandjohn]

How smug has BFS after the game at his genius? He didn't mention the fact that all the fans have been calling for a different formation all season, including having more than 1 attacking player in the team, and yet he has been refusing to change. He deserves credit for sorting out a horrendous first half but must also take responsibility for putting that side out in the first place.

Agreed. I have read all the posts and not being a maths genius the concept of 4511 or 4211111 sound very clever but my simple mind tells me this. Play with two strikers who have a proven record of scoring goals and work the rest out around that concept, That is how we have played in the past and it has served us well.

[mode_m]

Great result, I think Rovers have a good shot at winning the next three games also (Bolton, Fulham, Stoke City).

[Miker]

No one's made any mention of the fact that you have to be pretty happy with your team when you can have two players on the bench to come on and totally change the game around.

I'm not sure what interviews people have read or heard, but Sam did mention that Roberts and McCarthy changed the game. Yes he deserves to take credit for the tactics and the win because it was his decisions that led to victory, but at the same time he has to take the fall when things go wrong and he has done that. He's never said "the players have to do this" or "they were terrible", he's said that WE need to stop conceding or WE need to improve our away form. Fact is, Sam should be receiving criticism when things go wrong and praise when things go right, but this doesn't happen. Fans refuse to praise him when things go right and when things go wrong they immediately call for his head.

Roverthehill is right. It's possible that we need to get rid of Sam, if only because he angers so many fans. Who cares if he got us out of relegation, who cares if we currently have the joint 5th best form at Home and Overall, who cares if the majority of our squad is now fit, who cares if he's gotten the best out of Dunn in 3 years, who cares if Roberts is actually scoring goals under him... we should sack him because we, the fans, aren't happy and we are selfish like that.

[TimmyJimmy]

It takes a certain maturity to own up to being a big soft cry baby.

Guilty on both charges theno.

...got talkied in to staying for 2nd half because i was going to chuck my ticket on the pitch and cancel my direct debit at half time.

Glad to know I wasn't alone.

The guy above who was clinically depressed at half time - we haven't lost at home since the first day, and have played well in every game at Ewood. One bad half and all that was forgotten? And means every tactic used previously was wrong?

Bizarre.

Not so. It takes a lot to get me down. It's easy to tackle one big knock down, it's the slow drip drip that wears me out.

I was talking about this with some mates in the pub before the match and they said they couldn't remember the last time they went to see the Rovers with any optimism. Every match seems to be a must win these days, we seem to be constantly clinging on to some edge with oblivion below us. Go back a few years when we were a top half team and it hurt to lose but it didn't matter in the scheme of things, we'd just missed an opportunity to climb even higher, we'd fix it next week. Now every loss is a mega significant event. It wears you down when every game is played in the last chance saloon.

I don't know how long you've been reading this board but do me the kindness of reading a few of my posts first before jumping to conclusions. I have no problem with Sam. Although this isn't a d!ck measuring contest I have been following the Rovers home and away for 50 years, I've earned the right to get p!ssed off from time to time. My point is simple Peds and Diouf are out of form therefore don't play them. We have no wingers worthy of the name so don't play any. Lining up with one up front calls the opposition on to you, Dunny drops back and doesn't have enough puff to join in the attacks quickly enough, same for the rest of the 'midfield', result constant pressure on the edge of our box, balls hacked away anywhere which then come straight back. If not away then at least at home we have to start playing in the other half of the pitch, even Benny and Di Santo can't score from the halfway line.

Portsmouth as it turned out was a must win game, I didn't fully appreciate that until I checked the league/points position. Yet again we turn up with the same out of form players playing in the same ineffective positions, misplacing passes and panicking under pressure brought on by having to scrap for ball on the edge of our own box ad nauseam.

The first half was just the same old turgid depressing crap, doing the same old things and expecting a different result. Continuing in that vein would IMO lead to relegation and the loss of something very dear to my heart. That's depressing and bizarrely I was depressed.

I'm not anti Sam and I'm not anti any player, I'm anti this God awful depressing predictable play it all in our third mentality. Sam knows this of course, as Nicko pointed out, Sam was heard screaming 'get in the f---ing box' but if the players won't do it they won't do it.

I've calmed down now but please give us something to turn up for, a bit of hope and expectation for instance, let's go into games thinking we have a least an even chance of getting something. Only a sadist would pay for what we have had to endure for the last season and a half. I'm fed up of turning up out of duty surely a bit of entertainment isn't too much to ask for once in a while.

I'm pro Sam and I'm pro JW, I understand why we are where we are but I don't have to like it.

[waggy]

lets hope thats rip to one striker at home.has anyone else noticed how soft rovers players are now,samba is the latest one to turn his back on a goalbound shot.i ask does the ball hurt or something,watched a load of fa cup games this weekend and i never so any player turning his back,what we would give for a colin hendry,that guy put his body on the line for the rovers.ps when is robbo going to save a shot from 20-30 yds

[Miker]

Guilty on both charges theno.

Glad to know I wasn't alone.

Not so. It takes a lot to get me down. It's easy to tackle one big knock down, it's the slow drip drip that wears me out.

I was talking about this with some mates in the pub before the match and they said they couldn't remember the last time they went to see the Rovers with any optimism. Every match seems to be a must win these days, we seem to be constantly clinging on to some edge with oblivion below us. Go back a few years when we were a top half team and it hurt to lose but it didn't matter in the scheme of things, we'd just missed an opportunity to climb even higher, we'd fix it next week. Now every loss is a mega significant event. It wears you down when every game is played in the last chance saloon.

I don't know how long you've been reading this board but do me the kindness of reading a few of my posts first before jumping to conclusions. I have no problem with Sam. Although this isn't a d!ck measuring contest I have been following the Rovers home and away for 50 years, I've earned the right to get p!ssed off from time to time. My point is simple Peds and Diouf are out of form therefore don't play them. We have no wingers worthy of the name so don't play any. Lining up with one up front calls the opposition on to you, Dunny drops back and doesn't have enough puff to join in the attacks quickly enough, same for the rest of the 'midfield', result constant pressure on the edge of our box, balls hacked away anywhere which then come straight back. If not away then at least at home we have to start playing in the other half of the pitch, even Benny and Di Santo can't score from the halfway line.

Portsmouth as it turned out was a must win game, I didn't fully appreciate that until I checked the league/points position. Yet again we turn up with the same out of form players playing in the same ineffective positions, misplacing passes and panicking under pressure brought on by having to scrap for ball on the edge of our own box ad nauseam.

The first half was just the same old turgid depressing crap, doing the same old things and expecting a different result. Continuing in that vein would IMO lead to relegation and the loss of something very dear to my heart. That's depressing and bizarrely I was depressed.

I'm not anti Sam and I'm not anti any player, I'm anti this God awful depressing predictable play it all in our third mentality. Sam knows this of course, as Nicko pointed out, Sam was heard screaming 'get in the f---ing box' but if the players won't do it they won't do it.

I've calmed down now but please give us something to turn up for, a bit of hope and expectation for instance, let's go into games thinking we have a least an even chance of getting something. Only a sadist would pay for what we have had to endure for the last season and a half. I'm fed up of turning up out of duty surely a bit of entertainment isn't too much to ask for once in a while.

I'm pro Sam and I'm pro JW, I understand why we are where we are but I don't have to like it.

I'm surprised that people are that pessimistic going to games. The only time I've actually felt pessimistic was against Arsenal and Chelsea and when we went up with Arsenal I couldn't help but feel very nervous that we wouldn't hold on to the lead. The realistic situation that every club is going into each game knowing it's a must win. What happened last season was that relegation places were quite open for the bottom 10 places very late into the season. So everyone was in trouble. It wasn't the same the season before when Derby was far below everyone else and there were really just about 6 teams scrapping for relegation. The top 4 was pretty clear and there was a great deal of predictability in the league. Now we have what is essentially a top 7 and the rest is fairly unclear.

Nevertheless, I have been optimistic that we would avoid relegation at the start of the season and I still am. We are not on any sort of losing run at the moment. Our away form might be poor, but our Home form is brilliant, so there's really no issue here. A lot of teams lose away and play poorly, it's not an excuse, but it's not a cause for panic.

[bigbrandjohn]

Another good reason to be playing two up front. It may stop the agents winding up our strikers to push for a move. They both smell 15% plus

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/blackburn/6525875/Blackburn-Rovers-Portsmouth.html

[LeftWinger]

I'm obviously one of the more optimistic fans on here. Even when we were losing at half time and had been playing awful - I was confident we'd win the game. We need to stop going behind at home, but the spirit we're showing to keep fighting back at home is a good sign at least.

[JAL]

Driving to this game late on saturday trying to make the start of the second half couldnt believe the number of people who were walking away from the ground. Not knowing the half time score made me think theres a problem here for Rovers.

Walking onto the riverside just as MaCarthy and Roberts were coming on the crowd cheered loudly, and the second half began in a very positive manner for me.

Talking to my mates who'd witnessed the first half saying it was one of how dreadful it had been with Pedersen and Diouf getting an absolute slating. BUT the focus afterwards or the attention changed to the credibility of Paul Robinson and his inability to stop another stopable shot from range.

[thenodrog]

BUT the focus afterwards or the attention changed to the credibility of Paul Robinson and his inability to stop another stopable shot from range.

Very worrying trait he is developing. Pretty soon it'll get in his head like crosses with John Butcher. Robinson is the goalkeeping equivalent of Jason Roberts..... useful and talented players until they are given time to think.

Having said that why any one of our midfielders cannot get themselves goal side and tight on the player on the ball forcing them to turn away and pass I cannot begin to comprehend. Like playing to the whistle and moving after passing it is one of football's basic lessons.

[JAL]

Very worrying trait he is developing. Pretty soon it'll get in his head like crosses with John Butcher. Robinson is the goalkeeping equivalent of Jason Roberts..... useful and talented players until they are given time to think.

Having said that why any one of our midfielders cannot get themselves goal side and tight on the player on the ball forcing them to turn away and pass I cannot begin to comprehend. Like playing to the whistle and moving after passing it is one of football's basic lessons.

Was the root cause one of our players unneccessarily conceding posession by kicking the ball needlessly out of play.

Surely all teams would rather have their opponents shooting from distance, rather than working themselves into the box within closer range.

A midfield general is an absolute must though for big Sam and Rovers come january to help young N'Zonzi.

[Blue blood]

A vital 3 points. Classing it as a must win was perhaps a tad OTT, but if we were relegated/or facing relegation near the end of the season had we lost or drawn this match, it'd be certainly highlighted as one of the games we should have done better in.

Not a massive fan of the 4-4-1-1 but given that we have looked good with it in the last three home games, I had no complaints about playing it. I was also delighted to see Emerton in instead of Andrews, and thought on paper - especially with Givet at lb and Chimbonda at rb as well - that we had our strongest line up out. I was stunningly suprised to hear the first half was a pretty dire affair.

The changes at half time - Sam must be given credit for that. It certainly wouldn't have been my idea to put on two strikers, yet it worked a treat. On reflection though the taking off of Diouf and Peds is perhaps not as drastic as it appears. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to deminish Sam's tactical acumen, but for a while now I have thought that in the 4-4-1-1, (or 4-2-3-1 as it sometimes seems) that Diouf and Peds offer no width whatsoever. I can recall in the West Ham game and the Villa game thinking how narrow we looked, and even against the Dingles, much of our width came thanks to the full backs pushing up. In light of this, swapping our "wide" players for strikers, was hardly going to narrow our attacking play. In fact from the sounds of it, it seems like Roberts and Benni ran the channels and got out wide far more than our supposed specialist midfielders.

So aside from sorting out a fit centre to the midfield - I'd be happy with Grella (if fit) and Emerton with N'Zonzi developing - as the season progresses I think we must really look to be sorting the wide positions too. I've often been a fan of Peds, especially for his work rate, but we cannot have two wide players who lack pace and the ability to go out wide. Holliett is the obvious choice, especially as in the one up front system, the onus on him defensively where he is weaker is deminished.

One final point - Benni is stunningly important and must stay. Not only has he the predatory instincts a striker needs, he adds creativity, which Dunn is the only other player to really provide. Both have been mentioned by previous posts. The other thing that he does is bring out the best in Roberts. I cannot think of a good game Roberts has had when he hasn't played with Benni. If we loose Benni we are in effect loosing one and a half strikers, because Benni significantly boosts the effectiveness of Roberts. Sadly I think Benni will leave as he isn't Sam's type of striker.

[Stuart]

I'm sorry I wasn't sure whether it was rhetorical. I think he may have changed it had it been 0-0 and we'd played that badly. Probably not if we'd have played okay. But then I'm not Allardyce so it's pure speculation.

And in no way did I say that anyone who criticises Allardyce has to hate him - where was that in the post? I said a good proportion. You can often spot them because they usually start with "I don't hate Allardyce but..." Personally, I have a certain respect for those like Spencey 7 (where is he these days btw) who just come out and say that they hate him.

And I was being serious. If he is turning a significant proportion of the paying punters away when season tickets are the best value in the entire league then his position isn't sustainable

Not necessarily you RTH but look back over this or the Sam thread. There are plenty of accusations of hate of the manager.

Apologies if you took this as a swipe at you.

Hand on heart, I don't believe he would have changed formation or tactics had we been 0-0 at HT.

[CAPT KAYOS]

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.

Agree with you on this one Bryan - not one manager could have got away with not changing anything on Saturday.

Still convinced it was the crowd that swayed it - not happy with the booing but the backing of McCarthy and the 451 you're having a laugh must have stirred and given evidence to the call.

People can scorn those singing the 451 one but we weren't even playing that or the 441 - Dunn was on the left wing for most of the first half.

As I sang at the time - Blackburn Fan's Blue n White Army & '3(v)1 to the Blackburn End'

waggy

Posted Today, 11:51 AM

lets hope thats rip to one striker at home.has anyone else noticed how soft rovers players are now,

Waggy, I have been posting this for ages (since the MU game at home last season) - in particular the Centre backs saying we don't have any who take the lead and put their head on the line with determination.