[Archived] Groundhog January - Rovers V Villa

[Guest Kamy100]

Well you bang on about losing fans because of Sam.

Lets say we are on course to sell 20,000 with Sam at say £15 average

OR if Sam wasnt here we would sell 25,000 at £15 - there is 75k difference, which is then split between the 2 clubs.

Not much of a difference in Premier league footballing terms...Fact not Fiction

Yes BUT, more home fans, creates a better atmosphere which should "lift" the team.

Lets hope that there is a late rush for tickets, it would be a crying shame if we can't fill the stadium for a semi-final. Regardless of what people think of Sam, they should get down to Ewood and support the team.

[Hughesy]

Yes BUT, more home fans, creates a better atmosphere which should "lift" the team.

Lets hope that there is a late rush for tickets, it would be a crying shame if we can't fill the stadium for a semi-final. Regardless of what people think of Sam, they should get down to Ewood and support the team.

THANKYOU - which is exactly what I was saying yesterday, we reduced prices because its all about SUPPORT not MONEY for us, as it means very little in terms of anything for us.

The TV money, our share of Villa's sales & competition money will equate to far more.

[Bobby G]

This is utter nonsense where people correlate a low attendance in any of our games to Big Sam being manager or our style of play.

People have forgotten how our attendances have been over the past 5-7 seasons, even under some peoples misguided retrospective look at Hughes' sexy football. This is the first season attendances are up and that's only due to the season ticket scheme, thanks to JW.

If the attendance isnt up to scratch on Tuesday, its because people can't be asked, and there is absolutely no excuse to missing a DAMNED cup semi-final, especially when we know how rare they are for a club like ours.

If I was living anywhere in England Id be there for the match.

[ABBEY]

If the attendance isnt up to scratch on Tuesday, its because people can't be asked, and there is absolutely no excuse to missing a DAMNED cup semi-final, especially when we know how rare they are for a club like ours.

If I was living anywhere in England Id be there for the match.

asked what???

no excuse? ££££ ,work ,bored etc

another slagging of the ewood fans by a non attendee.

[Parsonblue]

Once again, i feel sorry for the Rovers fans who spent money to watch crap!

You need't feel sorry for those of us who turn up at every game to SUPPORT our club. I've been doing it for almost 50 years and continue to do so. I feel sorry for those fans - I won't call them supporters - who simply want to follow a football club during the good times and as soon as the going gets tough they moan and groan.

Yesterday we didn't arrive until 3.25pm - due to the car park known as the M6 - and within minutes of taking our seats Dunn had missed a penalty, we went 2-0 down and had Diouf sent off. Do I regret the £39 spent on coach and match ticket - not a bit. It's called supporting your club through thick and thin. The more I read on this messageboard the more I realise that this concept seems to be alien to many of our fans.

[Bobby G]

asked what???

no excuse? ££££ ,work ,bored etc

another slagging of the ewood fans by a non attendee.

I attend whenever I am in the country.

Abbey, I can understand people missing games, even league games for the reasons you have mentioned. But a CUP SEMI-FINAL, I am sorry I cant understand that and if someone is able to go, then being "bored" is no excuse. Work or money restrictions, thats a whole different matter.

[ABBEY]

BOBBY ..people are head burying because the majority are very peed off with whats being offered up by sam...i love the fa cup and couldnt afford to go, not that i would because its so damn boring. i know its a semi but it wouldnt surprise me on tues if we played for 0-0 again.

[JAL]

Sam has praised Olsson and Jones based on yesterdays game, the former largely for his forward forays in the wing-back position.

Jones let the ball go over his head for Villas first goal.

[Tom]

Take Coyle in an instant how deluded are you we've a proven manager at this level who kept us up last season against all odds and with a bit of luck we'd have more points on the board than we already have. Yet you want a manager who is unproven at this level and has seen his side get results on what was the crest of a wave from last season. Now they are being found out they have no answer yet you want him as the new man at the helm. If the sories are true if he was to leave to go to Bolton theres a £4 milion figure compensation to be paid (like we could afford that) as well as paying off Sam and his backroom team. Fair enough its your opinion but as i've said before JW wont change anything no matter what so get behind the team and support them hopefully onto bigger and better things!!

As a season ticket holder I do get behind and support the team but as a paying punter I also reserve the right to question what is going on at the club.

I've said many a times that Sam was the right appointment last season but now I along with many others I suspect are getting to the stage of being truly bored with the fare we are served on a league match day.

With Coyle we may or may not be better off but I imagine I wouldn't be as bored.

Also I'm not buying this luck thing, I don't see where we've been unlucky, you could argue that without a bit of luck we've had we'd be in the bottom 3. I was at Bolton where they had an effort that hit the bar then seconds later we scored and then our second was a total fluke. You could argue we were lucky to win that one. It works both ways.

[AggyBlue]

As a season ticket holder I do get behind and support the team but as a paying punter I also reserve the right to question what is going on at the club.

In reality, it's 'Like it or lump it'

[Tom]

Too right Aggy but I can comment and moan on here as much as I like, doesn't mean I don't support the team.

[roversmum]

You need't feel sorry for those of us who turn up at every game to SUPPORT our club. I've been doing it for almost 50 years and continue to do so. I feel sorry for those fans - I won't call them supporters - who simply want to follow a football club during the good times and as soon as the going gets tough they moan and groan.

Yesterday we didn't arrive until 3.25pm - due to the car park known as the M6 - and within minutes of taking our seats Dunn had missed a penalty, we went 2-0 down and had Diouf sent off. Do I regret the £39 spent on coach and match ticket - not a bit. It's called supporting your club through thick and thin. The more I read on this messageboard the more I realise that this concept seems to be alien to many of our fans.

I don't regret it either. We are made of strong stuff on Away Travel Coach No 1.

Arriving at Ewood at 10.50am in a blizzard, we sat stoically in our cars for a while until we heard that the coach had arrived and was on the main road waiting. The second coach had not arrived so we did not set off an hour late and due to hold ups on the motorway we eventually arrived just as Dunny was about to take his penalty. It was quite nice to get some air and we settled down to watch the rest of the match.

I thought we did pretty well with 10 men considering. Dunny's penalty could have turned the game - what a weak shot that was. Tsk Dunny . I certainly have no issue with the chosen team considering the up coming semi-final, but to be honest had luck gone our way we could have won this too.

I've done my share of moaning but for some reason I feel hopeful. The news that a certain Mr Roberts is up for sale has heartened me too. Give Sam a break.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Simple fact of the matter - Jack's dream failed because of lack of support within Blackburn and surrounding areas.

The club continues to have one of the largest % per population average attendances in the country.

Your statement is simply not true DMTP.

[ABBEY]

Too right Aggy but I can comment and moan on here as much as I like, doesn't mean I don't support the team.

but punters know nowt said the expert.

[Gav]

Fans won't buy tickets because they are sick to the teeth of seeing sh*te being played on the field i.e.no competing; not one or two games but most games this season.

I must admit I'm considering not going on Tuesday, not because of money, not because of work, but because the football is just cr@p and far to many of the current crop of players are just not putting in the effort.

You pay your money to be entertained and if that isn’t happening you can adopt the position:

“Well at least they’re trying, even though we’re not good enough” but even this isn't happening....

Simply the dross served up so far this season, Burnley game apart, has been extremely poor on the whole, the worst I’ve seen in many years. I’m not sure I want to pay £50, rush home from work and get down to ewood to witness another lacklustre display from players who don’t give a toss, and a manager who just isn’t up to the job at the moment.

This is from someone who back in the 80's would have given a couple of limbs to reach a cup semi final.

Too right Aggy but I can comment and moan on here as much as I like, doesn't mean I don't support the team.

This is exactly the place to comment and moan TCO, you're spot on, some just don't get this the messageboard malarkey do they

[tony gale's mic]

but punters know nowt said the expert.

You sound like a broken record.

[RevidgeBlue]

Predictably, Villa have bagged an easy tie in the 4th round, Brighton at home.

Who knows what might have happened had we put our strongest team out?

[AggyBlue]

I must admit I'm considering not going on Tuesday, not because of money, not because of work, but because the football is just cr@p and far to many of the current crop of players are just not putting in the effort.

Well there'll be another next year, you might fancy that one

[CrazyIvan]

A few quick thoughts on Saturday. We very nearly didn't go because my mother-in-law passed away on New Years Day in the early hours but we were told to go by father-in-law, we needed to see my sister who lives in Brum and my wife decided she felt up to and wanted to go.

Jason Brown. Not good enough by any stretch of the imagination. Robbo would get slated for letting in those free kicks and the pen. (Both pens were poor to be honest.)

Dunn, good to see him back and can understand why Sam only played him for just over a half. Shocking pen though.

Reid was ok, not back to his best but he would be better than Andrews in that position imo, only just mind.

Olsson was pretty good but he had Diouf ahead of him first half but I'll come back to that. He pressed forwards well and with good effect.

Givet and Jones did generally ok. A few moments for both and I don't know what Givet was thinking to give away the pen but otherwise ok.

Chimbonda looked a bit out of sorts but still did ok. I don't think he liked Diouf getting sent off though...

Diouf is a complete moron. Why he dived in when the ball had gone I do not know. There isn't an excuse in the book for that challenge apart from wanting to extend his Christmas a bit more. To be honest we played better with 10 in the second half.

Salgado is not a right winger.

Kalinic looked good again. Got a goal because he was in the right place. I like him and I like his work rate. Constantly busy with a decent touch and a way of turning defenders and making himself space that is impressive.

Di Santo could learn a thing or two from Kalinic! Not his best performance by any stretch and Sam sacrificed him for Pedersen.

Pedersen was good again. He did some brilliant work at times and when he is in the mood he has some fantastic close control. Keep on playing like that and he might be worth a new contract!

Sam made a very clever tactical change in the second half that worked very well. He made us a 3-4-2/3-5-1/5-3-1 formation. the first for general play, the second for pushing on and the third for defensive play. It worked well too.

I don't pay that much attention to press conferences and comments made by managers as you can pick holes in whatever anyone says and managers tend to say some frankly bizzarre things. Slating Sam for his comments can be done by anybody and often is by all sorts of supporters and press. What matters most is what happens in the background, behind closed doors and that is where I think Sam is doing pretty well.

All in all, Rovers played ok. Not great letting in two soft free kicks and a silly pen to give away but some of our play was very good. Passing in the second half and the work by some of the defenders in getting forward (especially Ollson) and getting back was excellent. I don't care that much that we lost this one but I'd like us to win on Tuesday. We'll see if we get there but if we don't it's because some things are much more important than watching one game of football.

[Amo]

Salgado is not a right winger.

Goddamnit, why does Sam keep wasting him there. The guy can pass and tackle, but he ain't the nippiest anymore. He needs a good run in the middle of the park.

[joey_big_nose]

Sam made a very clever tactical change in the second half that worked very well. He made us a 3-4-2/3-5-1/5-3-1 formation. the first for general play, the second for pushing on and the third for defensive play. It worked well too.

All in all, Rovers played ok. Not great letting in two soft free kicks and a silly pen to give away but some of our play was very good. Passing in the second half and the work by some of the defenders in getting forward (especially Ollson) and getting back was excellent. I

On this note is it about time we did something radical and go 5-3-2? I am extremely skeptical of such a large defensive change, but if it worked well at Villa I am more open to the idea:-

--------Di Santo--------Kalinic

------------------Dunn

----------Grella--------Nzonzi

Olsson---------------------------Emerton

--------Givet---Samba---Nelsen

----------------Robinson

It could give us more natural width than we currently have, and allows a more natural configuration for our central midifield with Grella and Nzonzi sitiing and Dunn playing behind two strikers.... It also lets us drop Diouf and Pedersen (although MGP seems to be having a bit of a renaissance) Quite tempting.

[Steve Moss]

I like this formation, but I'd be inclined to switch N'Zonzi and Emerton.

[mellison24]

I like this formation, but I'd be inclined to switch N'Zonzi and Emerton.

N'Zonzi as a wingback? I dunno. I'd keep it as it is. Or put Emerton in Grella's place and have Chimbonda as the wingback. I'd like to play just Kalinic up front and try Pedersen in a free role alongside Dunny and see what happens. We might see some of his screaming goals again. I quite like that formation; very flexible.

[alexanders]

Too bad we didnt go full-strength now that the game tonight is called off.

[gumboots]

Too bad we didnt go full-strength now that the game tonight is called off.

And how were we to know it would be? Suppose we'd gone all out at the weekend, got injuries, villa had some players missing and we could have hammered them tonight with our full team but didn't have it. Hindsight is wonderful.