[Archived] Rovers V Liverpool

[bigbrandjohn]

What about Ward A.

Even one of my mates who cannot stand Keef had to admit that he was ever so slightly better than Ashley.

My other mate then uttered "O'Mara"!

Come on. John O Mara was class. Bought for 30K on the back of a hattrick for Brentford against us. Come to think of it did he ever score a goal after that. That was the same match I believe,certainly same ground that Ben Arentoft scored a 30 plus yard own goal.Nobody has mentioned him.

[Hughesy]

Special mention for Samba, who defensively speaking played maybe his best game for Rovers. Few players in the world can contain Gerrard throughout the match as well as he did (though that only encouraged Gerrard to dive around...)

Iv said it time and time again....Samba is BY FAR our best defender/ possibly best player and if Lescott is worth £20m then so too is Samba.

Grella did very well in combination with N'Zonzi. Maybe that's the key.

Worse Liverpool team I've seen.

Agree totally. NZonzi once again played a quality game........infact it was his best game again and Grella did his job very well too.

That Liverpool team is not even top 4 material.

I'm getting a bit fed up with Di Santo missing these one on one opportunities, it could well come back to haunt us come the end of the season.

What you mean the difference between 9th or 10th?

[Miker]

Samba was indeed excellent and he showed today that he can cut it with the best defenders in the world. Not many defenders can come up against Steven Gerrard and contain him and render him devoid of any real chances for 90 minutes, especially on his 500th anniversary. Nelsen was just as good as well.

Grella and N'zonzi were superb in the middle and helped control the game, N'zonzi will grow into an excellent box-to-box midfielder I feel because he was very good defending and sending some excellent through balls to our players. Grella is more defensive and we are truly a lot tighter at the back and look much stronger with him around. I'll agree to disagree with den because I did think he was good before these last 2 games and have been happy ever since we signed him, it's just unfortunate he hasn't had as much opportunity to show just how good he is due to injuries.

Our team is extremely encouraging because we have a lot of depth and quality throughout the team and I actually don't know who I would start in the next match. When you look at the subs we used, such as Hoilett and Kalinic and compare them to Liverpool's El Zhar and N'gog... you have to be pretty happy with your team.

I've said that our priority in Jan needs to be a left winger, but if Hoilett can play as he did last night when he came on, then maybe not!

[iamarover]

Same old Gerrard, always cheating!

Just came home from the excellent Blackburn Rovers Oslo supporters Christmas party, what an evening. I hope the people of Blackburn take great pride in the fact that Blackburn have an excellent following in Norway!

I would have taken a 0-0 draw before the game, but in retrospect I think we should have won this one. Liverpool's a distinctly average team without Torres on the pitch.

What a gem Stephen N'Zonzi is. He never misplaces a pass, breaks up play in an excellent manner, and even has an eye for the killer pass. Genius!

I hope we will see the following team against Hull:

Robinson

Chimbonda - Nelsen - Samba - Givet

Emerton - Grella - N'Zonzi - Dunn

McCarthy - Kalinic/Di Santo

Granted, Dunn might be slightly more ineffective on the left, but I'd loathe to see us going back from the successful 4-4-2 formation to 4-4-1-1, and I think Grella/N'Zonzi were excellent in the centre of the midfield against Shitepool.

Lurid can you give us an idea of numbers? How many were on the toot at your party? And how many fans do we have there?

[Stoic]

I realised that Emerton has taken over set-piece duties. Bamboozled by that to be honest, McCarthy is our best set piece taker and to be honest he would have whipped in a more dangerous delivery than Emerton today. With Liverpool's frailties with set pieces, having conceded 10+ goals, it would have made sense to let McCarthy take them.

I'm pretty sure Emmo only took set pieces after McCarthy went off. Benni was taking them before that.

[FourLaneBlue]

Very few of us seem able to see that ER. If Grella was injury proof and had enjoyed a good long run in thr team he'd be one of our better performers.

Grella does the simple things very well and provides great security to the back four but he has not been able to do this often due to his truly awful injury record. If he ever gets a decent run in the team we will see how his presence makes us far more secure.

[Damage]

Got to agree, Mokoena is BY FAR the worst midfielder if not player I have ever seen in a Rovers shirt.

Wrong! Yes he's not the most capable but when he was asked to do the job that he was desinged to do - disrupt the attack - he always did that extermely well. The problem that moko has is that people think he is goiung to start spraying balls all over the park. he does one job! is that enough? i dont;t know - probabaly not but I would rather moko in th e sqaud as a desroyer for 5 matches a season than julie as a 20 match ballerina!

[Florida Rover]

Who sang at half time?

demi holborn.a nice job she did too!

[alexanders]

Our team is extremely encouraging because we have a lot of depth and quality throughout the team and I actually don't know who I would start in the next match. When you look at the subs we used, such as Hoilett and Kalinic and compare them to Liverpool's El Zhar and N'gog... you have to be pretty happy with your team.

This is what I said 2 weeks ago and got laughed at.

Didnt catch a lot of the game today, due to having a friend over and working on the house.

Saw most of the second half and have to say it was the same story again with franco di santo Just imagine if we had scored against fulham, against stoke and agan today. We would be top half on the table!

Glad we are above Burnley and they look like a sinking ship!

[Iceman]

Ive replayed the Kalinic effort again, and i think people are being a bit harsh. By the time Kalinic gets to the ball, Reina is already on to him and he has no chance to even decide what he wants to do. Reina did well, by being quick and alert to what was happening. A good point for us, and Hull next. Things are looking much better defensively, but still lack of goals is the worrying part at the moment.

[alexanders]

Ive replayed the Kalinic effort again, and i think people are being a bit harsh. By the time Kalinic gets to the ball, Reina is already on to him and he has no chance to even decide what he wants to do. Reina did well, by being quick and alert to what was happening. A good point for us, and Hull next. Things are looking much better defensively, but still lack of goals is the worrying part at the moment.

I agree with you Iceman. If Hoilett had released a pass a bit earlier Kalinic would get more time to decide if he wanted to curve the ball around Reina or run around him. Also have to say it was a beatiful turn inside Liverpool's box. Too bad it didnt go in, but I have to say he is looking a very good player.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

Granted, Dunn might be slightly more ineffective on the left, but I'd loathe to see us going back from the successful 4-4-2 formation to 4-4-1-1, and I think Grella/N'Zonzi were excellent in the centre of the midfield against Shitepool.

Still played 4-4-1-1 yesterday - it just felt like 4-4-2 because we had 2 strikers on the pitch!

[DE.]

Ive replayed the Kalinic effort again, and i think people are being a bit harsh. By the time Kalinic gets to the ball, Reina is already on to him and he has no chance to even decide what he wants to do. Reina did well, by being quick and alert to what was happening.

I agree, the chance was not as easy as people are making out. The weight of the pass from Junior was a little heavy meaning that by the time Kalinic got to the ball Reina was basically already there.

[thenodrog]

Great defensive midfielders get forward.

Could you accurately define 'get forward' for us graham?

[alexanders]

Havent seen Makelele going forward many times and he is the best there is among defensive midfielders.

[thenodrog]

Andrews did little wrong when he came on. Now he might not be good enough...but he is still a Rover.

The substitutions didn't help much imo. I've no problem with Hoillett for EHD but Benny was contributing far more than Di Santo when he was winched and when Andrews came on Grella, N'Zonzi and Emo appeared completely perplexed. We were then treated to a huddle of midfielders in the centre of the pitch virtually able to hold hands and with nobody wide right.

[RovertheHill]

Another great game. Two out of three this week ain't bad! I would have taken a point before but came away slightly disappointed not to have won. Benitez has ruined Liverpool. Too many average players and an over-reliance on Gerrard and Torres. Today they played 4-5-1 but nobody really supported the front guy apart from 10 minutes in the second half.

On to Rovers, we've had a problem with playing well in one half and then rubbish in another but again today we played well throughout. Robinson is infuriating - he makes world class saves and then looks dodgy on seemingly placid crosses. The defence is starting to look much more solid - Nelsen even went on a jinking left wing run that left at least 2 Liverpool defenders in his wake - it was like watching the Italian Job recreated with a bus Midfield is getting better. I think Nzonzi is starting to blossom. People complained on here that he just plays backwards and sideways - but I reckon that as a young lad in the big league he's been told to keep it simple until he gets the pace and confidence in his game, which we are starting to see now. He really looks a great find. Grella I think needs a run of 3 or 4 games to get up to the pace of the league. When he does I think he will be good for us. Whether he's capable of that run is another question. His record so far would suggest not. On the subject of KA being the worst player in 39 years - bit of a moot point really - like the sh1te version of Pele is better than Maradona - different eras. I think Mokoena and Kuqi push him close but he is our worst current midfielder but should NEVER be the subject of booing when he comes on. Diouf is adding nothing at the moment - I'd rather have Pedersen in the team.

Overall a good performance and happy with that

[thenodrog]

I thought Nelsen and Samba together were as good as i have ever seen them.

Well intentioned comment I'm sure but lets not forget they were only playing against the talents of the hardworking but very limited Dirk Kuyt.

[thenodrog]

Nelsen and Samba were fantastic but you are wrong about Diouf. He contributes the square root of f all. Hoilett would be much better.

I dont entirely agree Al. I'm with 47er. There is a place for them both. EHD has the experience to work the left whilst Hoilett is a wonderful quicksilver option to replace him after 65 mins or so. He has significantly altered our attacking emphasis twice in the last week and against two top teams. Hoilett's downside is a tendency to give the ball away cheaply in dangerous situations.

[Iceman]

Could you accurately define 'get forward' for us graham?

He probably means box to box. Getting up and down the pitch, much like Essien.

[alexanders]

Hope these quotes isnt true:

Allardyce Rues Kalinic miss

Is he trying to destroy the kid's confidence?

[thenodrog]

Still played 4-4-1-1 yesterday - it just felt like 4-4-2 because we had 2 strikers on the pitch!

Football is 11 v 11!

Yesterday Lpool played 4-4-1-1 and so did the Arse. No doubt they too will have supporters like ours who inanely bang on about some rigid footballing Shangri La of 4-4-2.

Without Torres available though is Rafa seriously expected to drop Gerrard and play N'Gog or A N Other just to go 2 up top with Kuyt?

[thenodrog]

I agree, the chance was not as easy as people are making out. The weight of the pass from Junior was a little heavy meaning that by the time Kalinic got to the ball Reina was basically already there.

I'd have loved that chance. A touch to the side and Reina was completely out of the game. His only option would have been to rugby tackle Kalinic. He'd have been sent off but unfortunately our only reward would have been a free kick.

I'm amazed though in this day and age that so many strikers elect to shoot 'through' a keeper rather than going round. One touch these days from a goalie and it's a pen and a sending off. The odds have never been so much in favour of the strikers.

[tcj_jones]

That Kalinic miss when Reina came sprinting out... My God, I'd even expect my fat Sunday League CF to have waddled the ball round him and finish, it was that bloody easy!

[thenodrog]

Havent seen Makelele going forward many times and he is the best there is among defensive midfielders.

Ditto Gattuso, Campo, and our own Sid Cowans and David Batty. Tugay scored some gems but I can't rem many from inside 30 yards. If we could sign any of those in their pomp I'd be absolutely delighted.

Hope these quotes isnt true:

Allardyce Rues Kalinic miss

Is he trying to destroy the kid's confidence?

Lay off alexanders..... it's hardly a withering criticism of kalinic is it?