[Archived] Poll Time - Rovers 12 Months Under Big Sam

[Sandiway Blue]

Thats funny I though the poll was are you happy with direction the clubs moving in, not should Sam be sacked. Big difference and the results would be also reflect that.

It says `Are you happy with the direction that the club is heading under the management of Sam Allardyce 12 months on?` thus surely asking the question are we happy with the position Rovers are in league wise and also HIS management style?

Otherwise surely the poll should be renamed `are we happy with the direction the club are heading under current ownership?`

[DE.]

Judging by Bacup blue's and the 'drog's responses, the yes vote is perhaps over-stated by those that thought it was a sacking vote. If it were a sacking vote, I would have voted differently.

Sam has certainly got to up his own game in the second half of this season.

Exactly, I'm sure the majority of 'no' voters do not want Sam sacked, they're just not happy with our current direction - myself included.

Some nasty replies on here from some of the supposedly "real" fans, perhaps not understanding the nature of the poll.

[47er]

I think that what this thread shows is that out of the 209 people who voted thus far only 46 will catergorically say that they are happy with the direction that the club is going, the remaining are either not happy or on the fence at the moment.

This is not to say that Sam should be sacked, but what must happen is that by the end of the season there have to be signs of improvements, in terms of the results and the style of play. However, I do feel that if results over the next 2 weeks continue to be poor then Sam will start to feel the pressure from the fans.

As often with polls it all depends on how the questions are framed. I'm not happy to be 3 points from the relegation pack but I am pleased to be 3 points from the top half. I'm happy about the way some of the new players are developing but I need more time to properly assess their impact. If the question was "should the manager be replaced?" I'd reply "no". If the question was "should we allow the manager more time to develop a new side I'd answer "yes".If the question was "are the owners to blame for our struggles or the manager?" I'd answer "the owners". I don't like being pushed into questions that don't fit with my view of things so I won't be responding.

Logically everyone should vote "not sure" because the manager is building a new side and we all need time to see how it works out. But then someone , as above would take that as evidence of mass dissatisfaction when its really just common-sense.

[Mc Love]

Rome wasnt built in a day - slow and steady is the way we are going and if it helps us next season then whats wrong with that?

Too many rovers fans expect instant results week in week out. We aint Man Utd or Chelsea.

[Bobby G]

We cant sack the manager at this point of the season. Some people have lost the plot.

We all know most of the Rovers fans dont like Big Sam, but think of the future of the club. It would be suicidal to take a gamble on someone else.

With that said, this month is crucial in turning our season around.

[Amo]

We cant sack the manager at this point of the season. Some people have lost the plot.

We all know most of the Rovers fans dont like Big Sam, but think of the future of the club. It would be suicidal to take a gamble on someone else.

With that said, this month is crucial in turning our season around.

Indeed. We're not in an ideal position, but a club of our finances is severely limited in what it can and can't do from a hiring/firing standpoint. Sam has earned some breathing space with his rescue act last season, but he needs to turn things around before the board has no choice but to pull the trigger.

[DP]

Not happy because we're barely above the relegation zone and our fixtures in the 2nd half of the season aren't as welcoming as the 1st half. Home fixtures against the big 3 means we're going to have to rely on our away form or break our big 4 hoodoo. Just as last season I was confident there were several teams above us that would run in to trouble, I now look down the table and see a number of teams who could have a strong 2nd half.

Of course sacking Sam would be a rash and financially stupid decision especially as he now has a transfer to plug a few holes, if we have any money to spend.

But.... think Sam think. Your system doesn't suit our players. We don't have a Kevin Davies type player and David Dunn can't be relied upon to be fit week in week out. We do, however, have a couple of young strikers who look like they can play a bit when the ball's on the deck.

So, how about trying to play some football?

[thenodrog]

Too many rovers fans expect instant results week in week out. We aint Man Utd or Chelsea.

I think more than a few want us to be like Man City. A new manager every year and no trophies to boot.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Definite sitting on the fence from me. We are at a cross-road - we have some absolute dross - but also some reasonable young players starting to come through.

Injuries will make or break our season - a fully fit Dunn and Grella is asking a lot, but combined with Nzonzi and Emerton we have the makings of a midfield that could offer a route away from up and under football.

Kalanic looks very promising - a few goals and we might start to see the best of him.

For an experienced manager - Sam seems scared to vary his tactics - which I find amazing as surely pro-zone shows that set tactics rarely produce consistent results as teams become too predictable and easy to defend against. Maybe he recognises that all Andrews offers is a willing runner (though I sometimes think we would be better with 10 players).

Time for Sam to show his worth - though I fear his roots as a defender mean he will always be a safety first manager.

[Miker]

For an experienced manager - Sam seems scared to vary his tactics - which I find amazing as surely pro-zone shows that set tactics rarely produce consistent results as teams become too predictable and easy to defend against. Maybe he recognises that all Andrews offers is a willing runner (though I sometimes think we would be better with 10 players).

I don't think that's true at all because he's varied his formation and tactics throughout the season and at half time as well. People seem more annoyed at what they perceive to be wrong tactics at the start of the match, such as during games like Portsmouth. I agree that Sam gets his tactics wrong on occasion, but he has shown time and time again that he is willing to change things around and try to improve the performance and he has had a lot of success with that.

In quite a few games his tactics have been spot on, but the team's execution hasn't been perfect and it's cost us points. Personally, I have faith in Sam to get more out of the team as time goes by for two reasons. Firstly, the team has shown a lot of character and determination to get back into games, which is something a team like ours really needs. Secondly, he is putting faith into young players such as Hoilett, Kalinic, Di Santo, N'zonzi, Olsson and Jones, which is really good to see and very promising.

We have two problems in our team: lack of pace and lack of concentration. The first, can only be solved by signing new players with pace, which is slowly being done with younger, faster players being brought into the squad gradually. The second, is very hard to teach and really needs to come from the team gelling together, especially defensively. Both things need to be addressed by Sam, but there is a limited number of things he can do to fix it.

[LeChuck]

our fixtures in the 2nd half of the season aren't as welcoming as the 1st half.

[TimmyJimmy]

I found a couple of interesting items this weekend which are relevant to this discussion IMO.

The first was an article by Gulliem Balague in which he discussed Liverpool's problems but he could very well have been talking about us. Snippets from the article are ...

"Results are the consequence of a complex set of circumstances behind the scenes, but the majority cannot see beyond the surface and what they wrongly perceive as simple failings at managerial level"

"If Liverpool were not called Liverpool, they’d be receiving praise for punching above their weight"

"The manager has to work with inferior resources to every other club expected to win the title"

"The allure of instant gratification is persuading too many fans that there must be some magical shortcut preferable to the road of steady progress down which Rafa is trying to lead the club"

Ditto for us and Sam I think. He fields the team that has to be drawn from the players/budget he has and on the results of injuries and training outcomes etc., etc, much of which we seem to ignore when we want a whipping boy (me included). If we had not won the EPL and been successful in the Cup and had a run of European qualifications in the 'golden years' then we would be perceived as punching above our weight right now. If Liverpool are perceived to have inferior resources and that the fans should lay off Rafa how much more so for Sam? The last point about instant gratification is also the subject of the second item of interest.

The Sunday Supplement had a very interesting discussion about the plague of booing that is sweeping through the game, even prompting Chelsea fans to boo their team on occasions!?!

The question was asked, why? The conclusion was that the X-Factor generation expect a vote and a voice on everything. The whole era of instant gratification and reality TV is driving some pretty snotty behavior. One journo asked what good the boo boys thought they were doing and how did they think they were helping the team/player concerned. Given that performance is about many things including a sense of belong, and esprit de corps and confidence how does booing and constant criticism of the manager and the players possibly improve matters.

For me Sam has done all right. I am constantly frustrated by our performances, formations, refs etc etc etc but that's just my inability to cope with failure, however after the heat of the moment and when I calm down I always come back to the realisation that things can get better for us by degrees and that we have to trust Sam and the board to do the right thing for the club. Let the manager manage, let the players play and let the supporters support. Sam's doing a good job.

Over to the "I want my say" boo boys.

[Hughesy]

Wasnt just me then!

We have been away to most of the big 4 - yet our 2nd group of fixtures are tougher!? How?!

[philipl]

Wasnt just me then!

We have been away to most of the big 4 - yet our 2nd group of fixtures are tougher!? How?!

Oh dear Hughesy, do you really need it spelling out?

Just look at the fixture list and our results- our worst away results and performances (Brum, Everton and Fulham) have come at clubs relatively close to us in the table and we have more of those sorts of clubs to go to. There is nothing to indicate that away wins will pull us out of trouble.

Our best results have been at home but we have Chelsea, Arsenal and Man U yet to visit Ewood so our second half home points total will inevitably be less than our first half.

[thenodrog]

Oh dear Hughesy, do you really need it spelling out?

Just look at the fixture list and our results- our worst away results and performances (Brum, Everton and Fulham) have come at clubs relatively close to us in the table and we have more of those sorts of clubs to go to. There is nothing to indicate that away wins will pull us out of trouble.

Our best results have been at home but we have Chelsea, Arsenal and Man U yet to visit Ewood so our second half home points total will inevitably be less than our first half.

Look on the bright side.......... we might have a midfield free from injury!

[DE.]

"Results are the consequence of a complex set of circumstances behind the scenes, but the majority cannot see beyond the surface and what they wrongly perceive as simple failings at managerial level"

"If Liverpool were not called Liverpool, they’d be receiving praise for punching above their weight"

"The manager has to work with inferior resources to every other club expected to win the title"

"The allure of instant gratification is persuading too many fans that there must be some magical shortcut preferable to the road of steady progress down which Rafa is trying to lead the club"

Are these direct quotes from the article about Liverpool? If so, what utter ######.

[joey_big_nose]

I found a couple of interesting items this weekend which are relevant to this discussion IMO.

The first was an article by Gulliem Balague in which he discussed Liverpool's problems but he could very well have been talking about us. Snippets from the article are ...

"Results are the consequence of a complex set of circumstances behind the scenes, but the majority cannot see beyond the surface and what they wrongly perceive as simple failings at managerial level"

"If Liverpool were not called Liverpool, they’d be receiving praise for punching above their weight"

"The manager has to work with inferior resources to every other club expected to win the title"

"The allure of instant gratification is persuading too many fans that there must be some magical shortcut preferable to the road of steady progress down which Rafa is trying to lead the club"

Uh what? Liverpool have spent buckets and buckets of cash?!?? Torres (30m), Mascherano (20m), Riera (12m), Babbel (10m), Johnson (18m), Aquilani (20m), Benayoun (5m), Kuyt (9m). Net they must have spent more over the last three seasons than Man Utd (who are operating on a profit I think after the sale of Ronaldo) and certainly Arsenal. Only Chelsea will have spent more (and I am not sure about that. Over the last few years Chelsea have been pretty quiet in the market), and Man City if you count them. What the bleeding hell is he on about? It is not that Rafa has not been backed, it is that he has bought average players for big money. Standard Liverpool whinging.

[Miker]

Just look at the fixture list and our results- our worst away results and performances (Brum, Everton and Fulham) have come at clubs relatively close to us in the table and we have more of those sorts of clubs to go to. There is nothing to indicate that away wins will pull us out of trouble.

Our best results have been at home but we have Chelsea, Arsenal and Man U yet to visit Ewood so our second half home points total will inevitably be less than our first half.

Ugh... and they Sam is the one obsessed with numbers and statistics...

[47er]

Oh dear Hughesy, do you really need it spelling out?

Just look at the fixture list and our results- our worst away results and performances (Brum, Everton and Fulham) have come at clubs relatively close to us in the table and we have more of those sorts of clubs to go to. There is nothing to indicate that away wins will pull us out of trouble.

Our best results have been at home but we have Chelsea, Arsenal and Man U yet to visit Ewood so our second half home points total will inevitably be less than our first half.

Sorry but that is ######! We lost away to Everton, Birmingham and Fulham but we will be a different proposition at home. And who's to say our away form won't improve? We'll get to 40 points at some week in the season and stay up.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

I don't think that's true at all because he's varied his formation and tactics throughout the season and at half time as well. People seem more annoyed at what they perceive to be wrong tactics at the start of the match, such as during games like Portsmouth. I agree that Sam gets his tactics wrong on occasion, but he has shown time and time again that he is willing to change things around and try to improve the performance and he has had a lot of success with that.

In quite a few games his tactics have been spot on, but the team's execution hasn't been perfect and it's cost us points. Personally, I have faith in Sam to get more out of the team as time goes by for two reasons. Firstly, the team has shown a lot of character and determination to get back into games, which is something a team like ours really needs. Secondly, he is putting faith into young players such as Hoilett, Kalinic, Di Santo, N'zonzi, Olsson and Jones, which is really good to see and very promising.

We have two problems in our team: lack of pace and lack of concentration. The first, can only be solved by signing new players with pace, which is slowly being done with younger, faster players being brought into the squad gradually. The second, is very hard to teach and really needs to come from the team gelling together, especially defensively. Both things need to be addressed by Sam, but there is a limited number of things he can do to fix it.

In many cases he has changed formation - but it his obsession with long throws and long punts from Robinson that I find frustrating - and that I feel makes us too predictable. Unlike some fans - I do think these can be effective - but only if varied with a shorter game and approach (number of times I have seen players going for a quick short throw, only for them to be frustrated as Morten is wiping the ball ready for yet another long throw into the box). It is these tactics that I was mainly referring to - plus his safety first approach in matches that we should have taken by the scruff of neck rather than playing it safe all the time.

Also, I would say that his change in tactics are often because he has got his tactics wrong in the first place. A good manager starts the game with the right tactics more often than he doesn't.

I am not anti-Sam - and will wait until he has a fully fit squad to see how the style of football shapes up in the long term. At the moment it has been dreadful - with the odd glimpse of what could be - as I said, we are at a cross-road.

[TimmyJimmy]

Are these direct quotes from the article about Liverpool? If so, what utter ######.

Yes indeedy, quotes taken from :

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/guillem-balague/Guilem-Balague-column-Why-Liverpool-are-actually-punching-above-their-weight-despite-what-the-critics-are-saying-article260271.html

I am not defending his comments, I have absolutely no interest in Liverpool or what they have/have not been up to, just thought it provided an interesting analogy to the views others have about Sam on this thread. The thrust is 'sometime you just have to let some sh!t slide brother'. I'm saying we should give Sam a bit of breathing space, he's no better or worse than a dozen other managers in the EPL, AND, however constrained the media darlings may think Rafa is then Sam's in whole lot deeper do-do.

[FourLaneBlue]

Look on the bright side.......... we might have a midfield free from injury!

Why...have you heard we are buying someone?

[DP]

Sorry but that is ######! We lost away to Everton, Birmingham and Fulham but we will be a different proposition at home. And who's to say our away form won't improve? We'll get to 40 points at some week in the season and stay up.

The point I was making (and only Philip seemed to understand) is we are relying on our home form to pick up points, but we still have to play the top 3 teams at home who we've failed to beat for God knows how long.

And saying our away form might pick up is a bit like saying Sam might change his tactics or Dunny will stay fit for the remainder of the season. It's unlikely!

[DE.]

Yes indeedy, quotes taken from :

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/guillem-balague/Guilem-Balague-column-Why-Liverpool-are-actually-punching-above-their-weight-despite-what-the-critics-are-saying-article260271.html

I am not defending his comments, I have absolutely no interest in Liverpool or what they have/have not been up to, just thought it provided an interesting analogy to the views others have about Sam on this thread. The thrust is 'sometime you just have to let some sh!t slide brother'. I'm saying we should give Sam a bit of breathing space, he's no better or worse than a dozen other managers in the EPL, AND, however constrained the media darlings may think Rafa is then Sam's in whole lot deeper do-do.

Yeah, I can see how the quotes can relate to us.... just shocked that the journo applied them to Liverpool.

[den]

And saying our away form might pick up is a bit like saying Sam might change his tactics or Dunny will stay fit for the remainder of the season. It's unlikely!

Why? Form fluctuates doesn't it? No-one knows the future DP.