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

[bigbrandjohn]

Looks like our nearly acquired 442 or whatever has a potential recruit. He is trying to escape 451. aren't we all ? http://www.tribalfootball.com/blackburn-chasing-livorno-striker-cellerino-432461

[Fife Rover]

Well after our 2nd half display on Saturday I feel Sam should be taking both Benni and Jason aside and saying straight out to them that they are starters for the next game and for as long as they produce that kind of form. But they must always keep in mind that there are other younger strikers breathing right down their necks and just waiting the chance to replace them. Whoever gets the shirt will keep it until he loses fom or interest, and will then be replaced and will have to sit on the bench and accept that the man in form gets the shirt.

[Plastic Head]

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.

It was a good shot, but he could have run accross his goal line and kicked it away.

I thought he should have been 3 or 4 yards off his line but he seemed to be right on it.

[luredbycheaptickets]

TimmyJimmy: I was lured by cheap tickets. I'm not a big Rovers fan, which means I have none of your history and passion, but also none of your expectations or baggage.

Some of the stuff you say doesn't make sense to me. It must be rooted in years of success, now slowly ebbing away. The club once had Jack Walker, and Alan Shearer, but those days have gone. I understand how hard that is. However:

"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."

The drip drip of not being beaten at home since the opening day, winning 4 and drawing one?

"Every match seems to be a must win these days. It wears you down when every game is played in the last chance saloon."

There are 27 matches to go, and we are 13th.

"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."

I can't believe you've been at the ome games this season. We have created loads of chances, been on the front foot most of the time, and Dunny has been fantastic.

"Portsmouth as it turned out was a must win game, I didn't fully appreciate that until I checked the league/points position."

If we had lost on Saturday, we would have been 3 points off 13th with 27 games to go.

"The first half was just the same old turgid depressing crap, doing the same old things and expecting a different result."

It was the only turgid depressing crap this season at Ewood, and we have only lost once, to mega rich City.

"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."

You are in a bad way, aren't you? Only once have we not got something. Our home record is played 6, won 4, Drawn 1, Lost 1, For 11 Against 7

As for the away form, I totally agree with you.

[the original david brent]

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.

correct me if im wrong but in the last 5 home games we

- had a cracking 2nd half against portsmouth

- put 5 past peterboro

- beat our rivals burnley in what was one of the best first halves of football ive ever seen in the 20 years ive followed rovers

- scored a last minute winner against a top 6 side

- outplayed and put 3 past wolves

personally i think thats decent entertainment!

[T4E]

I've got my first season ticket in 6 years this season, and have been thoroughly pleased with what I've seen at Ewood so far and delighted at the value for money. At times we've been excellent. We've scored 3 goals in 3 of our 6 home games. We were excellent against Villa. I didn't go to Man City. WE BEAT BURNLEY.

Away, we're dreadful. Moaning about our home form is like complaining that Jordan doesn't have big enough tits while ignoring the fact that she's got a face like a slapped arse.

[JAL]

It was a good shot, but he could have run accross his goal line and kicked it away.

I thought he should have been 3 or 4 yards off his line but he seemed to be right on it.

I think people might be coming very close to concluding enough is enough. A couple of clean sheets in the next few games would certainly help Paul Robinsons cause and buy him some time.

[Iceman]

What about the saves Robbo has made, to keep us either in the game or saving us from total embarrassment. We so quick to point out the mistakes, but forgetting the good things he does.

[TimmyJimmy]

Luredbycheaptickets and david brent - I understand your comments and applaud the positive attitude. My comments concern all our recent matches not just the home games, I watch both. I have heard/read stout defences of the 451 or 4411 we play but no one to my knowledge has ever suggested it's entertaining. It's not.

I should have kept my mouth shut as I'm now being pushed to explain stuff which is emotional and not necessarily logical, but then that's the nature of the game I guess.

What drove me to blind rage during the first half was seeing no lessons learned from the previous three matches and sticking with Peds and Diouf who are both so obviously out of form. If we had carried on the same way in the second half we would have lost and we would have been bottom. Alternatively as you say we could describe it as 3 points off 13th place. My view gives a better grasp on the desperate situation we would have been in because the momentum would have been all against us, we'd be on the way down the league and all the others would be going up the league.

No slight on Dunny was intended, I simply meant that he was being forced to play box to box and that is not his game, he's not that fast to get up there and support the loan striker on a consistent basis, his game is to occupy the hole and terrorise the defence, he'll struggle to do that sitting in front of our back 4.

Yes you're right about the results and points gained since Sam turned up and that's why I support him, however big players have been sold and I don't believe we have been set up correctly to get the best out of what we have left (recently).

Bottom line is he fixed the issues in the second half so now I'm happy. All my comments were about the first half and my expectation that things wouldn't change going into the second half that's why I was having a hissy fit.

I maintain that supporting the Rovers these last two years has been a labour of love because there's been precious little by way of entertaintment, and I'm not going back to the Shearer days either, Souness and Hughes put out some decent sides let's not forget. Fair shout about the Bumley game that was special of course but all the more notable because it was the exception entertainment wise

Dump the wingers, play 2 up front and let's go for it - home or away. It's a game of opinions and that's mine.

[luredbycheaptickets]

Well fair enough Timmy, but you said things like "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," and "If not away then at least at home we have to start playing in the other half of the pitch," and "let's go into games thinking we have a least an even chance of getting something."

I think those comments and others are all inclusive of home games and are extremely pessimistic, especially set against the reality of the home matches, which have been positive, enjoyable and productive, apart fom 45 minutes on Saturday.

We do need to vary the tactics, and we rally need to sort it out away from home, I agree.

[dazmaz]

correct me if im wrong but in the last 5 home games we

- had a cracking 2nd half against portsmouth-what what the hell was the first half all about, one of the worst half a game i have ever watched... and that includes chelsea

- put 5 past peterboro- being a shyte champ side i should bloody well expect so

- beat our rivals burnley in what was one of the best first halves of football ive ever seen in the 20 years ive followed rovers-and what about the 2nd half? why on earth park the bus when burnley where clearly suruggling to match us. though i agree with the first half being great

- scored a last minute winner against a top 6 side-we played decent in parts of the game, lucky villa where shat

- outplayed and put 3 past wolves again we played decent against a team that was weaker than ours

personally i think thats decent entertainment!

sorry but in my book only one of those matches i agree on to a extent. where winning is great the utter crap football we have been playing isnt good enough. why we are paying £200 for a season ticket whne we can go watch a better game of football at pleasington is anyones guess. the games where we have played 2 up front where great, yes we lost but we where very unlucky to lose.

451 relies too much on set peices, and we have the players to be dangerous at then BUT we dont have a single player who can put a decent ball in (scrap that mcarthy was great at delivering set peices against pompey)

i personally would love to see a 442 and have a real go at bolton, fulham, stoke and liverpool (the latter being the real test)

[thenodrog]

why we are paying £200 for a season ticket whne we can go watch a better game of football at pleasington is anyones guess.

Bingo!!! I wondered how long it would take before the daft decision to flog a dead horse and virtually give ST's away to the great unwashed returned to bite the club on it's arse.

Feel free to take yer hook to Plessy Daz. The up side of the club's charitable stance means that they will not miss your considerable financial support one bit.

[1864roverite]

EEEE by gum, there is some tripe being banded around.

What do people expect of BRFC ? Are we a team expected to grace the top 10 of The Premiership ? Are we a team that is no longer Premiership material ? Do little old Blackburn Rovers deserve a seat in the top table ?

What would people rather have ? An Ince led season to oblivion and the destruction of our club ? Or would fans like a team that is led from the front, can play football but can fight it out with the sluggers and win ? Or alternatively, some fans semingly think that Blackburn Roves should be the full force attacking football unit that saw us march gloriously to the title triumph some 15 yrs ago on a shoestring budget that is virtually half of what the lowest of the low in the league have to spend themselves.

Get real some of you. Who do you think could have saved Rovers last season ? Who do you think there is available to come and do a job on the budget we have at our club similar to what Sam is doing right now?

We are a club in a financial straight jacket, limited funds mean limited means. That means that we go with what we have and make a buck or two along the way, selling our crown jewels and unearthing pebbles that need shining and turning into gleaming stones.

It matters not that we won does it ? JHC of course it bloody well does. I was as mad as anyone at the first 45 minutes however, we came out and won the game 3-1. Now that is 5 home games on the bounce and you just cannot have a grumble at that (unless your a spoilt fan brought up with success).

There are no miracles waiting to happen at Ewood Park, there is no more sugar daddy, there is no hope of an Arabian/American/South African takeover to laden the coffers of the club to let them buy better players and as I cannot recall any more super rich Rovers fans our budget shows no signs of changing in e immediate future.

Can anyone out there moaning about SA name the man that could work it better at Rovers in the current situation ?

Not ONE of the moaners has named a potential replacement or suitor to the job.

SA has his critics, he has his ways BUT he gets on with the job. Accepting Rovers current status is something Rovers fans need to accept before realising just how fortunate they are to have a club in the top league, because the reality is once its gone, ITS GONE FOREVER.

[Amo]

EEEE by gum, there is some tripe being banded around.

What do people expect of BRFC ? Are we a team expected to grace the top 10 of The Premiership ? Are we a team that is no longer Premiership material ? Do little old Blackburn Rovers deserve a seat in the top table ?

What would people rather have ? An Ince led season to oblivion and the destruction of our club ? Or would fans like a team that is led from the front, can play football but can fight it out with the sluggers and win ? Or alternatively, some fans semingly think that Blackburn Roves should be the full force attacking football unit that saw us march gloriously to the title triumph some 15 yrs ago on a shoestring budget that is virtually half of what the lowest of the low in the league have to spend themselves.

How did you get that from fans being disillusioned at the lacklustre approach against the (penniless) bottom club?

It also wasn't long ago that Mark Hughes had us in the top 10, on a paltry budget. Yes, there are more clubs with greater spending power than us, but you'll also find the same perennial underachievers. We could still be in the mix with the right consistency and measured ambition. There is some difference between healthy optimism and blind arrogance (see Leeds, Newcastle et al).

[RIML]

Comments from Alan McInally - spot on.

[Exiled_Rover]

Hughes took a few gambles on players that paid off big time - Nelsen, Samba, Warnock, Bellamy, Santa Cruz and Bentley to name a few. He had a great eye for talent and was obviously doing something behind the scenes to get all of those players performing. We've not replaced that ability to find a good player for nothing, which is why we're in the situation we're in now - paying decent wages to mediocre players.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

I do wonder whether all the negativity is down to the dislike of Sam or his tactics ?

Since the inception of the infamous 4-4-1-1 formation - I have long thought that it doesn't work - but sparks of genius from Dunny keep covering up the obvious deficiences in the formation.

Last weekends first half showed how it doesn't work - Da Santos worked his socks off, but rarely held up the ball, Dunn was frustratingly ineffective against a midfield set up to frustrate him - and the whole thing came unstuck.

BUT, Sam realised it wasn't working and drastically changed the formation. It terms of pure tactics - it was a little sledgehammer like - but in terms of psychology, it was perfect. The crowd got an immediate lift (as well as a huge surprise) and the team were given more of a forward impetus.

Football is littered by managers who comes across the best formation by chance - maybe this will be Sam's (and our) big break ? Not sure 4-3-3 will work every week - but 4-3-1-2, with Dunny in the hole (or McCarthy when Dunn out) would be my preferred way forward. As showed on Saturday - all you need is forwards willing to run the channels to make up for the lack of width that comes with playing no wingers (or full backs bombing forward) - and Da Santa, Roberts, Hoillett and Kalanic would give us plenty of options.

[Miker]

Last weekends first half showed how it doesn't work - Da Santos worked his socks off, but rarely held up the ball, Dunn was frustratingly ineffective against a midfield set up to frustrate him - and the whole thing came unstuck.

BUT, Sam realised it wasn't working and drastically changed the formation. It terms of pure tactics - it was a little sledgehammer like - but in terms of psychology, it was perfect. The crowd got an immediate lift (as well as a huge surprise) and the team were given more of a forward impetus.

This is what most of the negative fans are missing. You can play a formation of 5-5-0 and still beat a team comfortably if the sort of formation you've employed severely exposes the other team's weaknesses. There's nothing wrong with Sam's current formation with one up front, it has worked numerous times already. The problem on Saturday against Portsmouth was that Hart identified the strength of our formation and stopped it. They isolated Di Santo and kept Dunn at bay and virtually made our wingers useless.

Sam could see that and by employing 3 strikers, he put Hart's tactics into disarray. There was no longer a clear player to mark such as Di Santo and Dunn, suddenly there were threats all over the pitch. It was a surprise tactic and it would never have worked as effectively if Sam had made the change at any other time. If he setup this way at the beginning or played a 4-4-2 then Hart would have been able to come up with a plan of how to nullify that formation as well, instead it was used effectively at half time to win us the game.

[thenodrog]

We are a club in a financial straight jacket, limited funds mean limited means. That means that we go with what we have and make a buck or two along the way, selling our crown jewels and unearthing pebbles that need shining and turning into gleaming stones...........

There are no miracles waiting to happen at Ewood Park, there is no more sugar daddy, there is no hope of an Arabian/American/South African takeover to laden the coffers of the club to let them buy better players and as I cannot recall any more super rich Rovers fans our budget shows no signs of changing in e immediate future.

What is desperately needed to carry us forward is unity and hopefully a siege mentality. We seem to have forgotten that it's us against the rest and the last thing needed is the enemy within. The Barmy army is one thing but our own army of 5th columnists is another thing altogether. And you all know who you are! I'm truly suprised at some of the kamikaze attitudes that I see on here. Forget the by-product of the Walker years that have bred a generation with spoilt brat expectations just consider that for BRFC fans there is no longer such a thing as a perfect world, there is only the one that as a collective we make for ourselves.

[RovertheHill]

Away, we're dreadful. Moaning about our home form is like complaining that Jordan doesn't have big enough tits while ignoring the fact that she's got a face like a slapped arse.

Classic

[Fife Rover]

What is desperately needed to carry us forward is unity and hopefully a siege mentality. We seem to have forgotten that it's us against the rest and the last thing needed is the enemy within. The Barmy army is one thing but our own army of 5th columnists is another thing altogether. And you all know who you are! I'm truly suprised at some of the kamikaze attitudes that I see on here. Forget the by-product of the Walker years that have bred a generation with spoilt brat expectations just consider that for BRFC fans there is no longer such a thing as a perfect world, there is only the one that as a collective we make for ourselves.

Well said Theno!!! You have quite succintly put into one small paragraph all the major thoughts that I have, and have been bursting to say, but unfortunately (not having your agression) was always at a loss of how to express.

So what he said.....seconded!!

[Paul]

Fife also consider this is the person who believes the longterm future of our club is Blackburn Rovers and who I understood took up golf as an alternative to watching the team at one point. Perhaps it would be worthwhile questioning this post as the previously expressed view suggest Blackburn Rovers should disappear and the action suggests he thought it best to walk away rather than support the club to help"carry us forward in unity."

[thenodrog]

Fife also consider this is the person who believes the longterm future of our club is Blackburn Rovers and who I understood took up golf as an alternative to watching the team at one point. Perhaps it would be worthwhile questioning this post as the previously expressed view suggest Blackburn Rovers should disappear and the action suggests he thought it best to walk away rather than support the club to help"carry us forward in unity."

Hah.... The biter bit! Admin hoisted by admins own petard! I take it you meant Blackburn Rovers?

Oh btw Thanks Fife.....

...... and a special thanks to SteB!

[the original david brent]

sorry but in my book only one of those matches i agree on to a extent. where winning is great the utter crap football we have been playing isnt good enough. why we are paying £200 for a season ticket whne we can go watch a better game of football at pleasington is anyones guess. the games where we have played 2 up front where great, yes we lost but we where very unlucky to lose.

451 relies too much on set peices, and we have the players to be dangerous at then BUT we dont have a single player who can put a decent ball in (scrap that mcarthy was great at delivering set peices against pompey)

i personally would love to see a 442 and have a real go at bolton, fulham, stoke and liverpool (the latter being the real test)

[the original david brent]

referring to your above post dazmaz which i made an error with, difference is i see rovers with the glass half full and you obviously see them with a glass half empty. you've chosen to remember the bad bits of our home games, i've chosen to remember the good bits, and it is the latter why as football fans we spend our hard earned money on £200 season tickets. (£150 in my case!)

I agree with you that we should give it a real go at bolton, possibly with the same team and formation that played pompey in the 2nd half. Megson will fully expect us to throw caution into the wind with the usual 4-4-1-1 and bolton will be taken aback if we take the game to them with a 4-3-3.

As for pleasington, ive played there for many years on sunday, you want to watch a game on the pitch that is up on the hill, miles from anywhere, in mid winter and then decide if it is better than rovers!