[Archived] Hull Preview

[jim mk2]

Just back from the game, bloody freezing, frustrated but happy none the less for the three points. I say happy but the reality is, and ind all seriousness, that performance was utter dire, what should have been a solemn occasion following the untimely death of John Taylor, we really should have seen more from this Rovers team against a very very poor Hull team who played most of the game with 10 players.

The worst thing about going to the game was thinking about JT even though I never knew him. Sad as I felt about his death (being a football fan) I was looking forward to the game and hopefully the 3 points. After Stoke, Rovers owed their fans big time. When I heard the team selection, talk about deflated. I was absolutley gutted to see 1 up front, the inclusion of Andrews and Diouf as well as Salgado at right back. All the talk pre match was about taking the points and remembering our lost supporter.

Rovers won and I'm sure John Taylor looking down would be absolutely delighted.

Stop bloody carping and be grateful for another 3 points against all the odds.

[Tom]

We weren't in full control at all times, if it wasn't for a good Robbo save it would have been 1-0 Hull, they also had a header off a corner that looked in until it hit a shoulder

[tony gale's mic]

And it's quite obvious you are so pro-Sam that you will never agree with me - football's a game of opinions and ours are poles apart. OK, we created chances - almost exclusively from free-kicks, corners, long-throws or just lumping it in. Call me a purist, but that's not the type of football that I would class as enjoyable to watch. Against 10 men we had what, 2 shots on target?

An yeah, I must not be pro-Rovers, seeing as I've had a season ticket since 1982.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8502171.stm

Two shots on target?

Try 10 shots on target. 10 off target too.

Like I said, the amount of anti-Sam bias is incredible. I'm not saying you're not pro-Rovers, but your anti-Sam bias is taking over. To say you've been going since 1982 is irrelevant because last time I checked he hasn't been manager since 1982.

[Exiled_Rover]

Never looked like scoring from open play. Hull were always in a game that they should have been buried in when they went down to 10 men. That's all down to the manager and his poor team selection and substitutions (Roberts ffs!).

I'm not anti-Allardyce, but I'll call a spade a spade and he got lucky tonight.

[roverblue]

Just back from the game and I am frozen solid!!!!

Great result, good 1st half, poor 2nd. Should have had them dead and buried but failed to take the few good chances and their keeper made some good stops.

Positives are Niko, Olssen and a decent turn from Diouf of all people.

Negatives, Nzonzi and Andrews were poor neither have the ability to take the game on or get stuck in defensively. They both like to stand on half way line and just pass it 3 yards to the nearest player. But with Dunn, Grella, Basturk to fill in these roles the future looks brighter.

Overall a happy rovers, 9 more points to go!!!

[tony gale's mic]

We weren't in full control at all times, if it wasn't for a good Robbo save it would have been 1-0 Hull, they also had a header off a corner that looked in until it hit a shoulder

Surprise surprise, in football the other side might on, occasion, make your keeper make a save. Sometimes Van der Sar gets tested at Old Trafford in games United control. Something tells me that even if they show a few highlights from our game on MOTD, the "shoulder" incident won't make the cut.

That was the only save he made.

We made Myhill make several saves.

We had the ball in Hull's final third far more than they had it in ours.

That's called being in control.

Never looked like scoring from open play. Hull were always in a game that they should have been buried in when they went down to 10 men. That's all down to the manager and his poor team selection and substitutions (Roberts ffs!).

I'm not anti-Allardyce, but I'll call a spade a spade and he got lucky tonight.

Both the goal and Emertons chance were from open play. Being very good at set pieces is an important part of football, especially if you don't have the funds to buy a creative maestro in midfield who can pull the strings and create moments of magic to unlock defences. It's called playing to your strengths.

I wasn't too pleased with Sam's starting 11 but how many times have we declared ourselves happy with the 11 and gone on to lose this season? The fact is that of the players he left out, there wasn't anyone crying out for a starting place.

[Tom]

Surprise surprise, in football the other side might on, occasion, make your keeper make a save. Sometimes Van der Sar gets tested at Old Trafford in games United control. Something tells me that even if they show a few highlights from our game on MOTD, the "shoulder" incident won't make the cut.

That was the only save he made.

We made Myhill make several saves.

We had the ball in Hull's final third far more than they had it in ours.

That's called being in control.

That to me is

Of course we had more chances they played 50 minutes with 10 men. I don't remember Myhill making many saves at 11 v 11. I was just stating it wasn't as one sided at all times.

For me above all else being one nil up against a team as crap as hull, with a man extra the second half was really poor. Most people around me seemed to agree as well

[super_arran]

Never looked like scoring from open play. Hull were always in a game that they should have been buried in when they went down to 10 men. That's all down to the manager and his poor team selection and substitutions (Roberts ffs!).

I'm not anti-Allardyce, but I'll call a spade a spade and he got lucky tonight.

Emerton through on goal, to me that looked like we could have scoed from open play.

Also can I pont your attention to ollson's goal.

[MarkBRFC71]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8502171.stm

Two shots on target?

Try 10 shots on target. 10 off target too.

Like I said, the amount of anti-Sam bias is incredible. I'm not saying you're not pro-Rovers, but your anti-Sam bias is taking over. To say you've been going since 1982 is irrelevant because last time I checked he hasn't been manager since 1982.

It's not an anti-Sam bias, it's an anti-negative, percentage based, dull, devoid of flair or creativity football bias. Unfortunately Sam is it's, ahem, 'finest' proponent, and even more unfortunately, it's our club he's practicing it at.

If you're happy with it then fine, but don't criticise others just because they don't share your opinion.

[RevidgeBlue]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8502171.stm

Two shots on target?

Try 10 shots on target. 10 off target too.

Like I said, the amount of anti-Sam bias is incredible. I'm not saying you're not pro-Rovers, but your anti-Sam bias is taking over. To say you've been going since 1982 is irrelevant because last time I checked he hasn't been manager since 1982.

I'm not going to argue with the stats but apart from the goal I can really only remember one clear cut chance, Givet's header which admittedly must go down went down as one of the misses of any season.

Other than deal with a succession of corners etc we didn't give their keeper much to do at all.

Edit: oops Emerton as well once they had thrown caution to the wind.

[super_arran]

Double post

[cn174]

I'm not going to argue with the stats but apart from the goal I can really only remember one clear cut chance, Givet's header which admittedly must go down went down as one of the misses of any season.

Other than deal with a succession of corners etc we didn't give their keeper much to do at all.

And Emerton's 1 on 1 miss.

[MarkBRFC71]

I'm not going to argue with the stats but apart from the goal I can really only remember one clear cut chance, Givet's header which admittedly must go down went down as one of the misses of any season.

Other than deal with a succession of corners etc we didn't give their keeper much to do at all.

Don't forget Emerton's effort, straight from the Jason Roberts School Of Finishing ....

[sambo]

The Darwen End was rocking tonight, quality lads.

And was it a Hull fan who shouted during the silence?

[Exiled_Rover]

To be fair the Hull fans sorted him out quickly.

[brightonrover]

Suspect tonight's result makes us virtually safe but also highlights the fact that this is the poorest Premier League since it began.

All the teams up to Villa and Everton are complete rubbish and even the top three aren't as good as they have been in previous seasons.

We're staying up despite the football we're playing, not because of it.

[RovertheHill]

Rovers won and I'm sure John Taylor looking down would be absolutely delighted.

Stop bloody carping and be grateful for another 3 points against all the odds.

I'm sorry but "against all the odds?" I've railed against the anti-Allardyce posting on here for a long time but tonight exposed all of the problems we have. This was not Chelsea or Man U. Hull are a poor team. Sorry, they are absolutely p*ss poor. And we set up with a pretty negative formation which we stick with even when we get a lucky goal. And we still stick with it when Boateng gets a red. So excuse me but not killing off a p*ss poor side down to 10 men is not in any way, shape, or form, "against all the odds". When your biggest attacking threat is your left back for 60 minutes that's not great. Yes we finally had a couple of point blank chances that should have killed them off, and the move that put Emerton through was good, but the fact is we didn't kill them off and that's worrying. Very worrying.

Anyway, delighted with the points, thought Salgado did well finally but I do worry that Nico is wondering what the hell he has let himself in for

[Sysagent]

Yeh it was a Hull fan that shouted in the minutes silence, but fair play to the Hull fans they sorted it out very quickly...

As for the match yeh my knees have just started to thaw out!

MOTM for was Salgado what a performance he had tonight he was everywhere in the second half just like Diouf was in the first one good to see.

Kalinic was toiling as usual but to no avail and this needs to be remedied sooner than later they guy needs supplying with quality service, Robinson when called upon did the business, Andrews was average but did do quite a few good passes at key moments but did nearly gift Hull a goal in the 2nd half.

Tell you one thing I did observe about tonight was the fact we didn't miss Samba, Givet and Nelsen were solid in the center and Olsson was as consistent as ever.

[jim mk2]

I'm sorry but "against all the odds?" I've railed against the anti-Allardyce posting on here for a long time but tonight exposed all of the problems we have. This was not Chelsea or Man U. Hull are a poor team. Sorry, they are absolutely p*ss poor. And we set up with a pretty negative formation which we stick with even when we get a lucky goal. And we still stick with it when Boateng gets a red. So excuse me but not killing off a p*ss poor side down to 10 men is not in any way, shape, or form, "against all the odds". When your biggest attacking threat is your left back for 60 minutes that's not great. Yes we finally had a couple of point blank chances that should have killed them off, and the move that put Emerton through was good, but the fact is we didn't kill them off and that's worrying. Very worrying.

Anyway, delighted with the points, thought Salgado did well finally but I do worry that Nico is wondering what the hell he has let himself in for

A manager who has got the team to relative mid-table security with no money to spend on an ageing squad with limited ability that needed overhauling 2 years ago, is against the odds in my book.

[dazmaz]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8502171.stm

just a quick quote from that article

'few would begrudge Blackburn victory on a night that began in sombre fashion with an impeccably-observed minute's silence for John Taylor'

mainly the point in bold, i was very cloce to a perfect minutes silence, barr the retarded hull fan who decided to shout loosers as loud as he could, oh and the few blackburn fans who decided to rise to him. if that had been one of our fans he would of been rolling down the stairs! thankfully the majority of fans kept silent and joined in the w@nker chant directed towards the hull fan, after the minutes silence.

on a high note, another 3 points in the bag, wasnt the best game iv ever seen but a good 3 points none the less. ollsens goal was a stroke of magic (though it seems the bbc has put it down as a OG) and we had quite a few chances to finish a poor hull side.

we should of had a penalty in the first half when kalinic was brought down from behind (if not it was a corner) yet only a goal kick was given.

again the darwen end rocked ewood park, and from what i could see the blackburn end looked (and sounded) like they had been told they where all going to to be zapped by aliens if they started to sing, am i looking forward to returning to my usual seat in the BBE? well no not really but one plus point is i wont have to que up for 25 mins at half time (i actually went to the bar 5 mins before HT) for a pint.

a huge kudos to all the singers in the DE with the John Taylor songs.

[RevidgeBlue]

Kalinic was toiling as usual but to no avail and this needs to be remedied sooner than later they guy needs supplying with quality service,

I think we'd get a lot more out of Kalinic if he had a partner alongside him to share the workload but if we are going to persist with him on his own up front, we could at least play the ball into his feet. He is getting quite adept at shielding the ball with his body whereas he stands little chance going up for a high ball agiainst two or thre defenders.

[HairwayToSteven]

All the blokes calling for creativity just baffles me. The hysteria lacks in seriousness. Where is the creativity going to come from? Look at our team, do we have a single player that has this creativity that you're demanding? With our funds it's simply incredible that we defy the odds, season in - season out. Look at the amount of talent we've lost over the last few years, and the amount we've been able to spend of it. Add to that the ridiculous prices players with any quality goes for these days and you've got the answer to why we're employing the tactics we do. It's not like you can hang the scouts either, there just aren't many players that are capable of doing a job in the EPL, let alone someone with actual creativity. We've been lucky in the past, picking up players that have had their careers on hold for a few seasons. Gambles that have paid off. Look at our players, acquired for next to nothing.

I doubt you'll find any team out there in these circumstances that have lasted for very long in the EPL, and somehow we do. Still sour grapes. It annoys me every single time I read through the threads here. Some people are sane though, and keep me reading. It's like the witch hunt for nicko. Some people just cannot be pleased, and they'll hate Sam no matter how great his results are. At the end of the day, if we employ M'borough tactics we'll plummet down into obscurity before you can even say Sam Allerdyce, and we won't be back either. Not without some Arab sheikh being bored and if I'm frank, a bit silly - given the demographics of the Blackburn area). I'm all for criticizing when it's due, but it just isn't. The purists can go watch Arsenal and dream, but it's just that, a dream. It'll never come true, and the sooner people realize that and support the team and Allerdyce, the better. At least for my sanity. We're punching above our weight, and fantastically so.

[Cortez]

I have to agree with the point in respect of Nicko. He looks like he has quality and potential to be a bit of a fox in the box. At the minute he's being asked/forced to be a jack (giraffe) in the box. Our few attacks are built up at such a slow pace that we never or rarely produce a ball from the wide which gives a striker a chance to be running onto it. Nicko looks to me like he has great positional sense and he will score goals if the delivery is right. At the moment he is getting nowt. We have no quality whatsoever coming from the wide areas, the only bright spark is Olsen who at least has a bit of pace. The rst of the midfield is so pedestrain and hence we rely on the big hoof and try to pick up the pieces. Pretty dire to watch and, I would imagine, pretty frustrating for a striker like Nicko to endure for any length of time.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

I thought Andrews played alright today. I personally don't think him and N'Zonzi are the ideal midfield pairing but Andrews certainly wasn't awful today like a few people are making out.

It was a priceless victory, we took our foot off the gas a bit but felt in control throughout the match.

IF Hull stay up then it will be a miracle. They were an awful side and it slightly worries me that we only won 1-0 but a win is a win!

[tomphil]

I'm sorry but "against all the odds?" I've railed against the anti-Allardyce posting on here for a long time but tonight exposed all of the problems we have. This was not Chelsea or Man U. Hull are a poor team. Sorry, they are absolutely p*ss poor. And we set up with a pretty negative formation which we stick with even when we get a lucky goal. And we still stick with it when Boateng gets a red. So excuse me but not killing off a p*ss poor side down to 10 men is not in any way, shape, or form, "against all the odds". When your biggest attacking threat is your left back for 60 minutes that's not great. Yes we finally had a couple of point blank chances that should have killed them off, and the move that put Emerton through was good, but the fact is we didn't kill them off and that's worrying. Very worrying.

Anyway, delighted with the points, thought Salgado did well finally but I do worry that Nico is wondering what the hell he has let himself in for

Agree with most of this. Ok a wins a win and its an important one but 2nd half just showed all the problems with Sam's style, quite how we could look so poor against when 1 nil up against a dreadful side down to ten men and who offer little attacking threat other than set play's. Thats the annoying thing when there is a chance to play a bit on the deck and try and exploit the space with overcomitting men forward, we get Niko chasing awkward high forward balls isolated up front on his own. Terrible football and just no need for it under the circumstances.