[Archived] Wigan At Home - 27Th January 2010

[MarkBRFC71]

I would say the first choice right back should be Salgado.

We haven't seen anything like the best of him because he's always been played out of position. He's better at going forward than the other two, and arguably a more no-nonsense defender although height-wise he would not be much use at a corner or free-kick.

You don't play for Real and Spain so many times without being pretty good ....

[John]

I would say the first choice right back should be Salgado.

Do you think he is quick enough?

[mellison24]

Do you think he is quick enough?

Salgado would be my choice behind Jacobsen. While Salgado lacks the pace he can read it as well as Jacobsen AT LEAST, if not better.

[thenodrog]

If you read my post properly, you would know that AT THE TIME I wanted Kalinic to stay on. He'd just scored ffs! I thought it was Sam going: 'You've scored, so we're taking you off sunshine'. I wanted him as part of the 2-strikers up front......

I booed not thinking about Kalinic being knackered. I thought, he's scored, he's on a high, let him carry on. It was when I gopt home I thought about him being fit for west ham and fair play to the sub in the end.

You need to read my post properly it still stands. Here try again mellison "Sometimes it's better to put your brain into gear before engaging your gob."

By your own admission you neglected to do so.

More likely the herd flock mentality that someone else mentioned earlier? Only takes a few to start then the easily swayed will just join in.

I've corrected you LeChuck. It's more accurate now.

[thenodrog]

Chimbonda – looks half asleep half the time - was at fault for the goal. Time to give Salgado a run in his proper position?

He was fouled ffs!

[mellison24]

You need to read my post properly it still stands. Here try again mellison "Sometimes it's better to put your brain into gear before engaging your gob."

By your own admission you neglected to do so.

That wouldn't happen at all. Certainly not from me. I'm a nervous wreck at footy games and often react on instinct. I'm usually the first to leap up at a bad decision (or even boo Sam's sub). While I wish I hadn't booed, I also prefer acting on instinct. That's what I do (whether wrong or right) in a heated atmosphere. Had it not been for the ref, I doubt I'd have been quite so keen to boo. At that point, I just felt like a lot was going against us. Then Kalinic scores (yay) and then he gets taken off. My instinct was 'wtf???' So I acted on it.

I'll point out that I act on instinct WITHIN REASON haha

[1864roverite]

Some interesting views on the game, some I agree with some I simply have to laugh at.

The most important thing was to win the game, we did that and took a vital 3 points. After the heartbreak of the semi final loss it really didnt matter how the points were won it was vital that we just had to win the game.

My view is simple, and I have said it before.

Keep ANDREWS off the pitch and we will win, especially at Ewood.

The first half was, IMO, a good half which Rovers played some good stuff. The lead should have been at least 2-0. What concerned me was how they came out and approached the start of the second half. They looked disorganised and very quickly conceded a goal from the new centre back at the heart of Wigons "defence". Rovers gave too much space away, conceded too much ground, backed off and almost paid the price.

To see Niko score his first league goal was everything he deserved. I am sure that he will go on to become a hero with our fans. As the game petered out, Rovers should have done more damage to our negative goal difference with good chances squandered by our strikers.

The positive :

another welcome 3 points, Niko notching, MGP's screamer, Chimbonda seemingly back to his best, the BITE shown by Reid when he came onto the pitch, how we have missed a midfielder who is not afraid to get stuck in.

The negative :

Sams second half tactics had me baffled, the team baffled and the crowd lost, Diouf's lack of a performance and the seemingly endless times that Rovers backed off creating pressure on the home goal.

Very impressed with the Darren Enders song club. Keep it up.

Sam has laid the gauntlet down to his squad. Take 4 points from Wham and Stoke and Rovers could easily find themselves with bloody noses in the top 9. It would seem that MGP playing central gives them another edge and with both Samba and Dunny due to return the chance to bury the East End hoodoo is clearly there for Rovers. The injury list is shortening, the effort is returning, the bad blood has left and this may affect in a positive way for Roberts to come good knowing that fatlad has gone. One thing is certain, the players are there for each other and the way they greeted the Kalinic winner said it all.

I just wish Sam could be a little more positive in approaching these kind of games and have a little bit more belief rather than caution that his team are actually quite a decent footballing outfit. I cannot wait to see Basturk entering the fray in a couple of games time, he really can play the killer ball and of Niko continues to forage like he has done recently, he will score a bagful, ditto for Frank and even more so for Roberts.

Finally, what a pity the ref was a complete TW^T

[thenodrog]

just sounds like you when ince was here

I don't want to sound conceited but I obviously exhibited far more intuition, foresight and knowledge of football than you waggy. You would do well to pay more attention to my opinions.

The fact of the matter is that you were wrong in your opinions on Ince and Allardyce and you are still wrong. Problem is that you have gone too far down the wrong road and are unable to turn around without losing face completely. You have to crash blindly on through the undergrowth of your ineptitude pretending all the while that you have far reaching insight that Allardyce is the wrong man. You have made yourself look daft time and again yet you keep chirping up with ever more ridiculous objections. We won and got 3 points last night so rather than give any credit to Allardyce you simply attack individual players.

One day of course you will get your wish, Allaryce will move on. That much is pretty much inevitable given that not counting TP we've had 9 managers since Jack Walker took over 20 years ago! btw Thats just over 2 years each manager! When that happens you'll be able to stick out your chest and say 'I told you so'. I hope losing all respect and credibility on here has been worth it for you.

Rem you would still have Ince here and without an absolute miracle happening would have seen the unthinkable happening in us swopping places with Burnley last May! Tell me how your support for Ince would have gone down in the Walmesley given that scenario?

[deryck guyler's spoon]

I don't want to sound conceited

ffs!!

[thenodrog]

He faded badly Gav, but fairs fair the first half I thought he played well.

Exactly the same with Hoillet ozzie.

Maybe we should afford Martinez and his players some credit for closing down and stopping the 2 wide players that were creating so much danger for them in the early stages.

[47er]

Salgado would be my choice behind Jacobsen. While Salgado lacks the pace he can read it as well as Jacobsen AT LEAST, if not better.

Sorry, I know its probably unfair but I can't get the nightmare of Salgado at Goodison out of my mind.

[braddock]

i wish people would stop singing 'get in to 'em', as soon as we haven't had the ball for ten seconds. when we are containing the other team who have the ball at the halfway line or out wide with no support and us with a covering defender there really is no need to dive in or leave gaps behind. wigan were going nowhere for large periods and charging in would not have been a good idea.

close down strongly when they move into dangerous positions but not for the sake of it when we have a lead to preserve. given the width wigan were trying to play with it would have been easy for them to stretch us if we didn't soak up some of the pressure.

[roversmum]

'Get into 'em'? - In the hope that it puts fear into the opposition! My take on it is that it's just a fans' way of saying 'come on, lads, no fannying about' etc. See what you mean though, Braddock but I'm sure the lads know what they have to do...

[mellison24]

Sorry, I know its probably unfair but I can't get the nightmare of Salgado at Goodison out of my mind.

I thought the same, but lately he's played at least a bit better. Not my starter, but good back up and it seems he is wanted as a coach (just a guess due to his constant advice-giving in pre-match warm-ups).

[Blue blood]

First chance to post since the game. Was pleased with the result, have mixed feelings about the game.

I thought we were well on top against a poor Wigan team until the game, and it was a belter and then we sat off. This is my gripe with Sam. I wasn't booing or joining in the chanting, but I was certainly hacked off. For me as soon as we scored we let the pressure off a clearly rattled Wigan. At that point they were at 6s and 7s and if we'd have continued to press a goal fest could have ensued.

This continued into the second half, which combined with Wigan getting chance to re-organise at the break led to the inevitable equaliser. The fans were well within their rights to be annoyed and vent their frustration. This sitting back and defending a one goal lead is suicidal as we clearly cannot do it. The sooner Sam wakes up to this the better. Having said that the 4-4-2 chants were wrong - nothing wrong with the formation, it was the style which we were playing which was the problem.

After they equalised we reverted back to playing good football, again with inevitable consequences. We got the goal and saw out the game comfortably without being as dominant as we were in the first half.

Much has been said of Kalinic, Peds, etc. already but a few points into a few debates on here:

Diouf in the first half was a mixture of good and bad - he did a few brilliant passes, but then he gave the ball away very cheaply several times which could have been exceedingly costly. He doesn't get enough right, or do enough of the right brilliantly to be worth putting up with the wrong. Second half he did naff all, which again has been all too frequent and was rightly hauled off. Not wages well spent in our squad to me.

Kalinic - I'd have given him 5 mins with Di Santo. He's clearly the future of the club, and clearly can play the 1 up front holding the ball up and getting into good positions, working his socks off. However I like his predatory instinct, and feel that with a strike partner to take some of the running/defensive work off him, he'd get into more scoring positions (neither roberts or di santo does) and get more goals. Also since he's the future of the club, building an understanding with our other forwards would be very useful.

Incidently I thought Nelsen was excellent defensively, especially in the second half, where I got a better view of the guy from the darwin end. I thought Olsson looked a bit lost at sea, or whatever the expression is at lb, Emerton had a poor game by his standards and Chimbonda looked rattled by the stick the away fans gave him which affected his performance, although he settled down in the 2nd half.

On the way back stopped off at a service station and met some other rovers fans. Encouraging to see that Cumbria is populated by a few more rovers fans.