[Archived] Fulham Preview

[broadsword]

Perhaps Sam is taking the old Liverpool approach in that he must learn the way we play in the stiffs for a season before we let him play in the first team regularly.

Hmmmm ... Liverpool put the player in the reserves for a season to learn "The Liverpool Way", you know, decent football, movement, passing. Are you saying that there is a "Blackburn Way"?

To paraphrase Bob 'oskins, I've heard of bringing players on slowly before, but this guy's in a ###### coma!

He's a tidy little player, and he should be playing from the off on sunday.

[Dan]

We are going to get the same old non working line up with one up front. Hoof hoof hoof hoof It won't work and he'll bring on subs in the second half, but by this point we'll be 2 nil down having had one chance at goal. We'll play much better for 20 mins and grab a goal. People will ask why we didn't start like we finished. People will moan at Sam and people will defend him, saying he is the best we can hope for. Groundhog day. Over and over and over again every bloody week. Sam will say we were unlucky and Di Santo should have scored his 1 on 1 that he tamely hit at the goalies legs. The tannoy will be very loud at half time and full time.

[ABBEY]

We are going to get the same old non working line up with one up front. Hoof hoof hoof hoof It won't work and he'll bring on subs in the second half, but by this point we'll be 2 nil down having had one chance at goal. We'll play much better for 20 mins and grab a goal. People will ask why we didn't start like we finished. People will moan at Sam and people will defend him, saying he is the best we can hope for. Groundhog day. Over and over and over again every bloody week. Sam will say we were unlucky and Di Santo should have scored his 1 on 1 that he tamely hit at the goalies legs. The tannoy will be very loud at half time and full time.

old fashioned nuttall st sit down protest needed.

[Tom]

We need him on song more than ever, but slightly concerned over Dunn's fitness for this one. He looked so tired in the last 10 mins last night.

I thought he looked tired in the first minute

[Mr. E]

start Di Santo and Kalinic upfront with Dunn and/or McCarthy behind to support them. Why have we not tried this? It would take up places for important players like Andrews, Pedersen and Roberts?

[patrickvalery]

Tht article is astounding. As far as i knew Sam was being paid by Blackburn Rovers not Kalinic. His first interest should be ensuring we get 3 points tomorrow. The way Kalinic played against Villa suggests he is our best option of getting these points. You simply cannot be this cautious. The lad is raring to go.

As for tactics its not rocket science. the 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1 we are subjected to isn't working. The defensive midfielders don't seem to protect our back four. Unfortunately our back four have a very soft under belly and its getting a good old tickling most weeks. 2 up top is the order of the day. Lets try to keep the ball in the oppositions half for a while and give our creaky back four some breathing space for once.

Robinson

Salgado Nelsen Samba Chimbonda

Hoilett Emerton Nzonzi Pedersen

Di Santo Kalinic

Give Dunny a rest and hope he can produce the goods in the return leg at Villa Park.

[Paul]

For me this match starts a crucial run of seven games, finishing with Liverpool, which must yield a minimum of 12 points. Bolton, Hull and Wigan are home matches we should be winning, in fact MUST win if we are to have a realistic chance of survival. After those three games Fulham at home looks the most likely to give us points, though I realise asking for four straight home wins is reaching for the moon. West Ham and Stoke away are unlikely to yield much and Liverpool is just too far off to have any idea of how they will perform.

Coupled with a very kind fixture list for this weekend and we have a great opportunity to gain breathing space. Pompey, Bolton, Hull and WHU should all lose their games meaning a win for Rovers would put us six points clear of the bottom four, though all have a game in hand and Bolton have three!

Time for Allardyce to earn his crust or leave. If he's seriously thinking about dropping Kalinic I reckon he'll be leaving. Defeat tomorrow is not acceptable.

[Bobby G]

A draw tomorrow could be costly at the end of the season.

[bob fleming]

Time for Allardyce to earn his crust or leave. If he's seriously thinking about dropping Kalinic I reckon he'll be leaving. Defeat tomorrow is not acceptable.

If he doesn't start with Kalinic tomorrow, who was our best player on Thursday by some distance, then for me it can only mean: -

1. Sam is taking the p***.

2. He wants to get sacked and paid up.

3. We'll play one up front again.

4. It'll be bloody awful to watch. (Big boot to an isolated striker surrounded by two 6 foot+ centre halves, if that striker who has been unfortunate enough to be selected for the lone role does somehow win the first header he then needs to hold the ball up and wait for either Dunny (always been known for his effortless ability to get up and down the pitch of course), Keith (probably running the wrong way / pointing), Grella (Sat in Nuttall St), Bert (diagonal head down run from right wing to left - to leave the ball (and Bert) at Mortens feet) NZonzi (Who will pass back) or Morten (who will immediately cross aimlessly into the box in an attempt to pick out our second striker, who isn't playing, or just fall over or start drying his hands in case he somehow wins a throw).

5. People will boo.

6. I'll drink too much on a Sunday.

I'm looking forward to it already Sam. Cheers.

(p.s. Bullet Points 3-6 above will undoubtedly occur even if Kalinic does start)

[AlanK]

Its seems to be me that Sam is more obsessed about sports science than he is about football. He has probably had Kalinic wired up to some gizmo`s ( see bad guy in Rocky IV ) and noticed a muscle a fibre is 0.3% strained or some crap like that.

He wants to concentrate on the football and just bloody play the best team. And that includes Kalinic.

[Majiball]

Its seems to be me that Sam is more obsessed about sports science than he is about football. He has probably had Kalinic wired up to some gizmo`s ( see bad guy in Rocky IV ) and noticed a muscle a fibre is 0.3% strained or some crap like that.

He wants to concentrate on the football and just bloody play the best team. And that includes Kalinic.

I reckon he' still using the same methods he had a bolton.

Rovers do actually have the Omega system, which funnily enough you get wired up to and it supposedly tells you whether the player is ready to train. Don't ask me how it works, no-ones figured that part out, if you know what I mean. Liverpool had one and got rid of it because when the players lay down regardless of condition they passed the test, or so I'm told.

Sams real obsession is stat's, not sports science. If he was truly obsessed with the science and not the numbers our players would be a lot fitter.

[AlanK]

Either way he should get back to basics and stop looking at monitors and start looking at the field.

[nellybc]

I would like to see

Robinson

Chimbonda Givet Nelsen Olsson

Emerton Nzonzi Salgado Hoilett

Kalinic Di Santo

I feel that Samba is due a rest. He just seems to be a yard off the pace in the last couple of weeks. Rest wont do him any harm before wednesday.

Dunn could be very crucial in the away leg because lets be honest sam is not going to give us two strikers up top in that match so are best hope is that dunn is fully fit for that game

There appear to be plenty of options but these involve square pegs into round holes again:

Emerton to right back - Chimbonda could replace olsson - Reid could come into the middle of the park if he is fit enough - McCarthy to play behind the two instead of hoilett out wide and narrow up the midfield. Does seem pretty pointless playing with wide players and a midfield when all we seem to do is bypass them.If Salgado is to play then surely we should get him involved on the ball in the middle of the pitch, not at right back or right wing where his lack of pace is severly exposed.

[Majiball]

Hmmmm ... Liverpool put the player in the reserves for a season to learn "The Liverpool Way", you know, decent football, movement, passing. Are you saying that there is a "Blackburn Way"?

To paraphrase Bob 'oskins, I've heard of bringing players on slowly before, but this guy's in a ###### coma!

He's a tidy little player, and he should be playing from the off on sunday.

Blackburn way = Direct flank play, committed football.

I wonder if Kalinic was put on a part time contract such is his slow development.

[philipl]

We could get lucky and Fulham will be as bad as they were at Stoke in the first half.

On the other hand, Fulham's second half performance at Stoke is much more par for the course this season.

If we play 4-5-1, I am sure we will lose. The players are not attuned to it, the defense cannot keep it tight and Fulham's defence is one you can be certain will handle a lone attacker with ease, irrespective of having players missing.

If we lose, I hope we take a real thrashing to leave nobody in doubt about the issues.

[Amo]

The 4411 sucks, because all you have to do is man mark Dunn, which is not tricky with his pace. Straight away whoever the striker is has lost his passing option when he's in possession. Its why I'm desperate to see a second striker it changes the dynamics in the danger area considerably.

No, no, no. 4-4-1-1 is not the problem. The problem is the team selection and the rest of the gameplan (long ball emphasis, wasted throws etc.) It's just easier to malign the formation, instead of thinking about the finer details.

[Steve Moss]

I feel that Samba is due a rest. He just seems to be a yard off the pace in the last couple of weeks. Rest wont do him any harm before wednesday.

I think resting Samba and Nelsen is the way to go. They've both seem off a bit. Letting them take a break may do them a world of good a couple weeks down the line. Instead, I'd play Jones and Givet (if fit).

[tcj_jones]

I've got a feeling we'll win this one. 2-1.

[roversmum]

A lesson of what NOT to do needs to be taken from the second half of the match at Fulham. A single striker and direct passing simply will not work against Fulham.

[brfc4ever]

Don't have to write anything. What i think of the game has been said here :

Here's hoping that Sam takes a leap of faith, and starts Kalinic, Di Santo, Hoilett, Olson and Jones.

MUST Win. In many instances this season, people have regarded games as must not lose, however, this one is simply a must win.

Try ATTACKING. It isn't a coincidence that we look better when we ATTACK!!! Pull your finger out Sam!

The first of our MUST WIN games.

A defining point of our season.

Win and it looks a little better.

Lose and the cages will be rattled, the SAM OUT brigade will be in full swing and Rovers could well find themselves in the bottom 4.

Rovers must employ 4-4-2 and KEEP ANDREWS OFF THE PITCH.

start Di Santo and Kalinic upfront with Dunn and/or McCarthy behind to support them. Why have we not tried this?

If he doesn't start with Kalinic tomorrow, who was our best player on Thursday by some distance, then for me it can only mean: -

1. Sam is taking the p***.

2. He wants to get sacked and paid up.

3. We'll play one up front again.

4. It'll be bloody awful to watch. (Big boot to an isolated striker surrounded by two 6 foot+ centre halves, if that striker who has been unfortunate enough to be selected for the lone role does somehow win the first header he then needs to hold the ball up and wait for either Dunny (always been known for his effortless ability to get up and down the pitch of course), Keith (probably running the wrong way / pointing), Grella (Sat in Nuttall St), Bert (diagonal head down run from right wing to left - to leave the ball (and Bert) at Mortens feet) NZonzi (Who will pass back) or Morten (who will immediately cross aimlessly into the box in an attempt to pick out our second striker, who isn't playing, or just fall over or start drying his hands in case he somehow wins a throw).

5. People will boo.

6. I'll drink too much on a Sunday.

IF Fat Sam plays 4-4-2 then 2-0. If he's back to his very succesful 4-5-1 then 0-2 and bye bye.

[Amo]

IF Fat Sam plays 4-4-2 then 2-0. If he's back to his very succesful 4-5-1 then 0-2 and bye bye.

The funny thing is that Dunn was essentially Kalinic's strike partner against Villa. But for some reason, people believe an official 4-4-2 will solve everything, regardless of who plays and what our gameplan is. Seriously, I wish people would stop making this non sequitur.

[Majiball]

No, no, no. 4-4-1-1 is not the problem. The problem is the team selection and the rest of the gameplan (long ball emphasis, wasted throws etc.) It's just easier to malign the formation, instead of thinking about the finer details.

I've voiced my concerns over the other aspects of our play, but I consider the formation flawed for our players and as such a problem.

[brfc4ever]

The funny thing is that Dunn was essentially Kalinic's strike partner against Villa. But for some reason, people believe an official 4-4-2 will solve everything, regardless of who plays and what our gameplan is. Seriously, I wish people would stop making this non sequitur.

If Dunn was his strike partner, then he should be up top. I think its funny that some people actually defend these defensive tactics.

[John]

The funny thing is that Dunn was essentially Kalinic's strike partner against Villa. But for some reason, people believe an official 4-4-2 will solve everything, regardless of who plays and what our gameplan is. Seriously, I wish people would stop making this non sequitur.

We were picking up points, at home, when playing 4-5-1 earlier in the season. As others have mentioned, one of our main problems, is the overreliance on a decent Dunny performance in order for us to win matches. He has been crucial and played an important part in the games which we have won this season.

[waggy]

i honestly think we will win tomorrow,by hook or by crook,lifes just like that,when i'm nearing a return to ewood fate will play its deadly hand,2-0 rovers field and o'mara