[Archived] City Away - Monday 11 January 2010

[MarkBRFC71]

Screaming that Allardyce should go isnt going to acheive anything. Its the lack of talent in the squad that is killing us. Sam's negative tactics are the same ones which worked fine for Hughes 3 years ago when we faced the bigger clubs. The problem is the team itself. The second half was an improvement but not by much. We looked second to City but at least we caused them problems. Losing like that is different to losing as we were in the first half.

If anyone can post a different team to the one Sam chose tonight, and i bet i can find 4/5 faults in it. Sam isnt doing well, but its as much to do with the lack of quality in the side as it is his tactics.

Oh, and Andrews is the worst footballer i have seen at this level. I hate this man with a passion. Awful.

But who keeps picking Andrews? The Expert.

The problem is NOT the players, it's the manager and tactics. Most of our team would walk into Stoke or Birmingham's teams, yet they are well clear of us?

[RevidgeBlue]

ESPN reports that Rovers changing room locked, even John Williams can't get in!

It saves having to come out to give an interview and explain that shower of ****.

I was quite looking forward to hearing him try to explain that away as well.

[hi-jaq]

Sam's negative tactics are the same ones which worked fine for Hughes 3 years ago

Formation maybe... Tactics, defiately not!!!

Hughes played in your face, strong physical football. Based on fitness, stamina & strength, with some crazy tackling, organised defending & sublime passing & creativity (from Tugay, obviously).

Allardyce plays... Inept, square pegs in round holes, 'don't close them down till they are 5 yards from our goal', heartless, prideless, poor excuse for a proud football club, shocking crap I have ever seen.

Tactically, he hasnt a clue, his signings have completely baffled me & I've had euough... £6m on Kalinic, I like the lad, I think he looks good, but for that money, we could have had, someone like Benjani, and invested the rest in midfielders.

We were shocking tonight, no one can defend that... and in all reality, every discision Allardyce has made, has led up to this run of poor form... I hope his days are numbered, next 2 games... crucial!!!

[Beta Ray Bill]

We had a decent team then. (compared to now, at least.)

Glass half full post.BRB

The big difference then was that we had players who could play, players that made you jump up from your seat when they recieved the ball, Players prepared to shed blood for the cause.

Oh for a Duff, Jansen, Short, Flitcroft now.

Wasn't actually passing comment on the performance or even the likelihood, more the short term memory (or lack of knowledge of those who've not been on brfcs as long as others) as to the mood then and the mood now.

It's almost identical in almost identical circumstances, that's all.

And the last line was pointing out what become of that season, as I suspect some have forgotten that as well.

[grizfoot]

Citeh are unbeaten at home this season and their multi-million pound stars are looking too impress their new manager. The odds were stacked largely against us and the result comes as no suprise. Got to hold your hands up and say Tevez and Bellamy are both world-class on current form and our defense had no answer to them.

Our away form is very worrying and the home form is slowly getting worse as well. Big Sam seems to set up every game with the intention of trying to keep it tight and try and nick a goal at the other end. For me we don't have the sort of players to do that, our midfield is far too weak to soak up any pressure and doesn't protect our defence enough. That being said even if we played with a slightly more attacking outlook I don't think the result would have been any different, if anything it probably would have been worse.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

But who keeps picking Andrews? The Expert.

The problem is NOT the players, it's the manager and tactics. Most of our team would walk into Stoke or Birmingham's teams, yet they are well clear of us?

Im sorry, thats wrong. Individually we're shocking. Lets look at it. Robinson, Samba, Dunn. The only 3 who could probably stand a chance in another prem team. The rest wouldnt get a look in. Diouf, Andrews, Gamst, Roberts, Kalinic, Nelsen, Jacobsen, Nzonzi, Olsson... how many of these would walk into Stoke's or Brum's team?

The Andrews debate is fair enough. He is the worst player ive ever seen in the blue and white. Ince's reign and the bringing in of Andrews and Grella is still haunting us.

[Guest Kamy100]

It saves having to come out to give an interview and explain that shower of ****.

I was quite looking forward to hearing him try to explain that away as well.

I was also wanting to hear what he had to say.

[DE.]

urgh. I never absolved Sam from all the blame. I said that it is AS MUCH to do with how poor our individual players are as it is his negative tactics. Has he done well over the past 1/2 months? No. But at the same time there are players out there who should play a heck of a lot better then they are now.

I dont think it mattered whether we played 442 or 451 because we're just not good enough to beat teams like Man City any more. Our players are just bad. The manager has to take responsibility but i look at that squad tonight and think what would i have done differently, and quite frankly there wasnt that much i would have changed.

He has no money to buy decent enough players who could make a big impact, therefore he's obviously going to say that he's happy with the way it is.

You almost did.

Regardless, I do agree with you that our players are rubbish. We have a genuinely poor squad and we are vastly inferior to most sides in the premiership now. Still, we knew that last season and Sam was employed to stop the rot. He managed it temporarily, but it's back with a bite. As I said: why are we performing so much worse this season under him with basically the same group of players?

[broadsword]

Wasn't actually passing comment on the performance or even the likelihood, more the short term memory (or lack of knowledge of those who've not been on brfcs as long as others) as to the mood then and the mood now.

It's almost identical in almost identical circumstances, that's all.

And the last line was pointing out what become of that season, as I suspect some have forgotten that as well.

I'm not sure I'm with you.

I can understand someone saying that the previous time was an over-reaction, but is it an over-reaction now?

What counts are the prospects for this team, and right now even Paul Ince wearing dark glasses on a galloping horse in a sandstorm at midnight could see that we are in deep doo-doo.

Being in a cup semi-final don't mean much given that apart from chelsea we've had an easy ride.

I wish my mood could be better, but it ain't.

[Plastic Head]

I actually think we will get something at the COMS tonight.

Four corners and a goal.

4-1 City.

Sadly predictable (we actually only managed 3 corners)

A sad predictable performance from a team picked by a sad predictable manager.

If he thinks we can't beat any club in the league on a given day then he can f off.

If he thinks Andrews is an acceptable selection for any Premier League club then he needs to f off.

If he thinks the formation and tactical approach we employed today gives us the remotest chance of even drawing a game he can f off.

11 games without a win means he should be told to f off.

Over to you Mr Willy. I like you thought he was the right manager at the time of appointment and maybe he was at the time, but his time has now gone and we await the next man to try to get blood out of a stone. This guy can't squeeze sh!t out of a turd.

We are heading for relegation like a runaway train at the moment. Drastic and swift action is needed to give us a chance. It might not work. but something must be tried.

[Doogs]

Did you go to Wigan away last season?

Yes i did, and todays performance and many more this season have been just as bad

[RibbleValleyRover]

The problem is NOT the players, it's the manager and tactics. Most of our team would walk into Stoke or Birmingham's teams, yet they are well clear of us?

The players have to take a huge part of the blame for our situation, a lot aren't playing to their potential or ability, hell a lot look like they don't give a ######. Some of these players didn't perform under Ince as well, so whilst the manager has to take some of the blame you can't exclude the players from it, the same applies to the owners.

If its true Sam has shut the door to give them a right bollocking then one of two things will happen:

1. Some of these players respond and raise their game.

2. Sam loses the dressing room and we are basically doomed.

[bazza]

Relegation beckons, we really are poor from 1 to 11. No Money i don't see where we go from here

Fortunately there are many other sides as poor as we are. But make the most of the premier league football you see us play because eventually we will go down and stay there. Enjoy while you can!

We had them on the rack in the second half, scored a goal and I was hoping that we could snatch a second to save some face. But I knew it would end 4-1 and it did.

Never mind, roll on Thursday night to see another top class game.

[Alan75]

Sam the Bolton man is doing exactly what I as a Rovers fan would do if I was manager of Burnley.

[grizfoot]

Sam the Bolton man is doing exactly what I as a Rovers fan would do if I was manager of Burnley.

Hand in your CV, you never know.

[Beta Ray Bill]

I'm not sure I'm with you.

I can understand someone saying that the previous time was an over-reaction, but is it an over-reaction now?

What counts are the prospects for this team, and right now even Paul Ince wearing dark glasses on a galloping horse in a sandstorm at midnight could see that we are in deep doo-doo.

Being in a cup semi-final don't mean much given that apart from chelsea we've had an easy ride.

I wish my mood could be better, but it ain't.

Were you on the board in 2001/02? The sentiment, tone and general despondency was exactly what it's like now. A few people were valiantly saying it'll come good in the face of facts that we were then, just as now, "in deep doo-doo". No-one could see a way out of the inevitable relegation with a squad that had generally done Ok to get us out of Div 1 but was lacking something for the top flight. We might as well write off the cup as it was a distraction (although there was a good chance of beating Sheff Wed). These were the views of people on here, regardless of how right or wrong they were.

The road to Cardiff in 2001/02 wasn't exactly tough either bar Arsenal.

[rebelmswar]

Pretty dire performance on all levels.

Manager chewing teams ass as thoroughly as he chews his gum.

Chairman locked out of dressing room as securely as he is locked out of the bank account.

Team with as much passion and verve as a flaccid penis.

Happy f%$*in New Year.

[modes98]

Yes i did, and todays performance and many more this season have been just as bad

It wasn't that bad and if you think it was then go back and watch it on the season review. Wigan is easily the worst I have ever seen a Blackburn Rovers team play. At least in this and the Brum game we turned up for about 20 minutes, not that its any use when you gift them 2 easy goals to start with.

Problems need to be fixed and we need a win on sunday, just a small matter of Villa in between a nice drain on the energy levels.

[broadsword]

Yes I was on the board then, it's prone to over-reactions, but this time it feels different.

the problems this time run deeper than a squad lacking a certain something.

[grinder]

No desire,no passion,no nouce,no tactics,no skill,no creativity and no balls (apart from the ones in our net)

You could see it coming that someone like Tevez would get 3 against us. He wouldn't had Hughes or Souness been in charge even with some of the dross that passes for our team these days.

How many times have we conceded inside the first 10 minutes this season - it says something is vety wrong in the way the EXPERT is setting us up but he will always be too arrogant to admit it

We are capitulating without fighting and thats what makes it worse. I thought Ince was the worst we had suffered since Jim Iley but now I'm not so sure.

[JAL]

ESPN reports that Rovers changing room locked, even John Williams can't get in!

Think you'll probably find they are hiding in there Kamy, waiting for everyone to go, before they sneak out.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

My point of view is basically this:

The players arent good enough -

Sam could pick any formation and use any tactics and we still would find ourselves in this position. We have no talent going forward and only pose a threat if we commit virtually the whole team to attack - which is why we've managed to come back from behind on a couple of occasions.

The Hoofball tactics -

Its a simple choice. Do we either

A ) play tippy tappy football up until the penalty area and lose possession without causing any problems at all,

OR B)do we just lump it up to at least give their defence something to think about.

We cannot play version A) as we do not have the players and B ) is ugly and very rarely makes any difference. Hard call either way

Sam's negativity -

Understandable if they worked. They havent worked all season. The second half today showed that at least with a 442 we could potentially squeeze in a goal somehow. The idea of containing City with a 451 manned by our inept midfield and unreliable defence, was never going to work.

Overall, just a dire situation to be in. Just get us to the end of the season playing in the same division and i'll be happy. Forget the Carling Cup. Even if we got to Wembley, we'd get dominated by one of the Manc sides.

[Muddboy]

Over to you Mr Willy. I like you thought he was the right manager at the time of appointment and maybe he was at the time, but his time has now gone and we await the next man to try to get blood out of a stone. This guy can't squeeze sh!t out of a turd.

Thanks for that analogy.

You've just made me smile on an otherwise very depressing evening.

[bazza]

Oh, and Andrews is the worst footballer i have seen at this level. I hate this man with a passion. Awful.

Andrews was no worse and no better than any other Rovers player tonight. Get off the man's back! Stop the bullying!

[Tom]

I've been thinking about it an a part of me actually envies Newcastle for all we mocked them.

They're playing in a worse league but playing nice football and winning games.

I wouldn't mind a season or two down there now BBC has a highlights package but sadly we'd never come back possibly.

I'd much rather watch a young side playing football than this shower of sh1te hoofball