[Archived] Hull Preview

[Sysagent]

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.

I think what it needs is Sam to start moulding the team around him more and playing to his strengths, he is after all our six million pound striker...

[JAL]

Great credit must go to Martin Olsson, did really well and Ryan Nelsens second half performance very strong in the challenge intercepting some threatening attacks.

What a shocking miss from Brett Emmerton, he looked like he'd no idea whatsover in what to do next when he was faced with the Hull goalie in a one v one situation.

Thought Hull out muscled us at times and looked the far fitter side.

You know its bad for Rovers when we have to endure ninety minutes of Keith Andrews, hes got to go !

[BuckyRover]

He did ok. Was it not his long ball that set up the Emerton chance?

[RevidgeBlue]

Great credit must go to Martin Olsson, did really well

Agreed. He was our only real creative spark going forward and looks a real star in the making.

I think we have to find a way of permanently using him on the left side of midfield though as his attacking capabilities are largely stifled at LB imo.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Not a brilliant game but you look at the squad we have and er well,errr mmmmm there you go.What should we expect?

But...

A win,3 points in the bag and the table looks ok and I'm now fully thawed out...I'm happy.

[Tom]

Can I just point out that you can be totally peeved with the style of football we are playing right now and not have an agenda against the manager.

It seems as soon as you show signs of being fed up with it on here you must be anti-Allardyce

[RovertheHill]

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.

It isn't hysteria, or fantasy, to expect to be able to get the ball down, play it creatively (yes with the players we have), move it about and create decent chances against a very poor side down to 10 men. If we had been playing Man Utd or even someone like Everton tonight then you might have a point that it doesn't warrant criticism. But it does tonight. We have a team that has proved 2 things to me this season. First, that when we go at teams (usually when we're behind at home) we really do cause problems and we are a good side. Second, when we play the cautious 5 in midfield keep-it-tight-and-nick a goal we are slow, predictable and rely on lucky breaks in the box. And we are usually incapable of keeping it tight. The trouble with Allardyce for me is that he won't mix it up. It's rigid, one style, and predictable.

[jim mk2]

Not a brilliant game but you look at the squad we have and er well,errr mmmmm there you go.What should we expect?

Exactly. A top-half championship squad in mid-table in the Prem. The manager deserves a medal.

[RevidgeBlue]

Tonight's game was poor imo but I'm quite happy with the 3 points.

Not so sure if I'm quite so happy with a decent home record but just laying down and dying nearly every away game.

Conversely if we were poor every single game home and away but invariably came out with a 1-0 win I'm sure I'd be delighted.

[RevidgeBlue]

Exactly. A top-half championship squad in mid-table in the Prem. The manager deserves a medal.

Come off it jim, the owners may well be slowly strangling us with their lack of investment but the majority of this squad finished 7th two seasons ago.

We're obviously nowhere near as good as we were but should still be good enought to stay up with room to spare.

And there's a lot of work still to do if we're actually to finish where we are now.

[Miker]

Easy not to be a cynic when your not spending your hard earned money watching that Miker

*yawn*

Miker, you have some very weird views indeed.

Well it seems that the views in my joke post are being echoed by all the cynics on here and my normal views are being echoed by the non-cynics on here, so go figure. I'm just challenging the mob rule I see on here day after day.

Miker, I know for some reason you're hopelessly in love with Sam, so I don't expect my post - which is my opinion based on what I SAW, actually AT the game (which gives you a far better perspective than watching it on NO STREAMING LINKS THANKS or whatever) to change your mind. After all, don't they say 'love is blind?'

My love for Sam stems from the fact that he is able to ###### so many people off just by trying to do his job. You gotta love a guy for being able to do that, it takes some character. I respect him as a manager for taking this job even though the fans didn't want him here in the first place. Whether he took it out of desperation or out of determination, he took the job to do it and he has been. I haven't been reading too far into his interviews like you and some others and trying to turn his every word into something negative, so I just don't see him in the same light as you, that's about it. I see Sam as realistic, sensible and down to earth. You see him as underambitious, negative, and selfish. That's the difference.

People complained about the line up and I don't think they need to go eat some humble pie, I just think they need to open their eyes and realise that we can't just completely disregard some the players in our team, however bad they've played in the past. People were saying last season that Olsson was terrible and he has no chance in making it in the Premier League, yet 1 year on, he has hit top form and has been absolutely superb for us lately. Pedersen was written off by many, but he's been moved to a new position and has shined there.

Whatever you think about Sam's hoofball tactics, they are sometimes effective and while we are without our key midfielders, I am quite happy to persist with it if it means it will get us points. I don't know what people expect really, this isn't indoor football for us to be passing it on the ground. If you've ever played football for any sort of club, then you will know that playing it in the air is the most challenging thing for a player. Anyone can kick a ball, it takes a lot more skill and effort to send accurate high balls in and win them. If our players have those skills then let them use it to their advantage. As it stands though, we are now getting quite a few players into the team who can effectively play along the ground and dribble with the ball, but that part of the team is not complete yet. By next season I fully expect us to be mixing it up effectively. You can quote me on that next year as well if you need.

[PMT]

You know its bad for Rovers when we have to endure ninety minutes of Keith Andrews, hes got to go !

Please can someone tell me (seriously) what qualities Andrews brings to the team. I'm not that tactically clued up but I watched him tonight; apart from a couple of passes I didn't think he saw anything of the ball and just seemed to run around pointing at spaces and hiding (although not as much as he has done on other occasions).

I don't understand his value, with other choices on the bench?

[Miker]

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

Pulling at straws here. Your post suggests we should be excusing the Stoke game as well because Samba was sent off. There's just no consistency. Yea it was a crap Hull team, who had managed to beat Man City and draw with Chelsea just a few weeks before. So let's not give teams labels ok? It's a premier league team playing a full strength squad. We beat it, end of.

[DE.]

Very pleased with the result, no matter how it came about. Olsson has flourished from being an obscure and often derided reserve into a serious contender for the first team.

The performance wasn't great, but it was enough. I was expecting us to come out against ten man Hull in the 2nd half and bury them, but we actually played worse.

Hull are dire, for what it's worth. No idea how they got a draw against Chelsea or how they beat City, but I'd bet on them going down along with the dingles and Portsmouth at the moment. We won't play a much worse team all season.

Bolton is going to be an interesting game... they'll be far more of a challenge than Hull were, and in all honestly though the result tonight was good our performance needs to improve a lot if we're going to beat Bolton.

[philipl]

Miner, I don't mind that much that Sam the manager pisses me off or some other fans, or even some players. My discomfort increases when I consider that Sam has rightly or wrongly driven three of my favourite players of the past decade out of the club and get seriously narked when I hear that there is serious doubt about Sam being voiced by a majority of the first team squad.

Sam either has to get his act together or go.

[RevidgeBlue]

I respect him as a manager for taking this job even though the fans didn't want him here in the first place.

You're certainly wrong on that point, support for his appointment as a man who could do a job and keep us up last season was virtually unanimous.

[tony gale's mic]

Come off it jim, the owners may well be slowly strangling us with their lack of investment but the majority of this squad finished 7th two seasons ago.

We're obviously nowhere near as good as we were but should still be good enought to stay up with room to spare.

And there's a lot of work still to do if we're actually to finish where we are now.

You're missing the two key players of that season - Bentley and RSC. Stick an in form Bentley on the right and a fully fit Santa Cruz to play alongside Niko and we'd be up there with Birmingham if not highrt.

We're 8 points clear of the drop zone. We are not in a relegation battle currently...we're looking like staying up with considerable room to spare.

You're certainly wrong on that point, support for his appointment as a man who could do a job and keep us up last season was virtually unanimous.

No it wasn't. See the first few pages of this thread.

[Tom]

Pulling at straws here. Your post suggests we should be excusing the Stoke game as well because Samba was sent off. There's just no consistency. Yea it was a crap Hull team, who had managed to beat Man City and draw with Chelsea just a few weeks before. So let's not give teams labels ok? It's a premier league team playing a full strength squad. We beat it, end of.

It was game over at Stoke before Samba went off in all reality, at 1-0 Hull could easily have got back in it tonight.

The fact is we won which is the main thing in all of this but even against 10 men we never wrapped the game up and they could have nicked an equaliser, in fact I thought they were going to with that free kick on the edge of the box.

For some reason you seem to think people have an ulterior motive but for me that simply isn't the case. I call it as I see it as a Rovers fan (if you look back I was all for the appointment of Sam and even defended him after some awful displays at the likes of liverpool last season and Chelsea this season)

[tony gale's mic]

Miner, I don't mind that much that Sam the manager pisses me off or some other fans, or even some players. My discomfort increases when I consider that Sam has rightly or wrongly driven three of my favourite players of the past decade out of the club and get seriously narked when I hear that there is serious doubt about Sam being voiced by a majority of the first team squad.

Sam either has to get his act together or go.

Tugay left who was far past his best, Benni left who was overweight, had no desire and is also past his best, and Warnock left for £7m, most of which Sam didnt get to put back in the side.

And he has to go because you heard some rumours that the first team squad don't like him? The majority? What did they take a straw poll?

Funny you base your views on our manager on those factors. I base them on results and so far he's doing an okay job. Not amazing but not anywhere near enough to warrant the sack.

[PAFELL]

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.

kalinic did well tonight I thought. Yes he needs a partner, but the hull defence were marking him heavily tonight which gave more room for Ollson to move about.

[Exiled_Rover]

Miner, I don't mind that much that Sam the manager pisses me off or some other fans, or even some players. My discomfort increases when I consider that Sam has rightly or wrongly driven three of my favourite players of the past decade out of the club and get seriously narked when I hear that there is serious doubt about Sam being voiced by a majority of the first team squad.

Sam either has to get his act together or go.

Who are the three players?

[Miker]

You're certainly wrong on that point, support for his appointment as a man who could do a job and keep us up last season was virtually unanimous.

Really? Why don't you go read the beginnings of the Sam Allardyce thread and then see if you want to repeat that sentence. I wasn't even talking about that instance, I was talking about fans not wanting him to be appointed before Ince was.

[RevidgeBlue]

I wasn't even talking about that instance, I was talking about fans not wanting him to be appointed before Ince was.

Completely irrelevant.

By December 2008 even the vast majority of those who didn't want Sam appointed at the time Ince was, accepted he was the right man for a short term firefighting job last season.

[Miker]

Miner, I don't mind that much that Sam the manager pisses me off or some other fans, or even some players. My discomfort increases when I consider that Sam has rightly or wrongly driven three of my favourite players of the past decade out of the club and get seriously narked when I hear that there is serious doubt about Sam being voiced by a majority of the first team squad.

Sam either has to get his act together or go.

Where did you hear this from? Maybe you can share your sources with us. I don't see how he's driven three players out, please elaborate. When you do elaborate, please show me some real evidence that this occured.

For the record, Samba is my favourite player and I wear his name on my Blackburn shirt. Although it's hard for me to say, but if Samba was dropped in favour of having Nelsen and Givet in the centre, I would be ok with it as I think he deserves to be dropped.

[PAFELL]

Tugay left who was far past his best, Benni left who was overweight, had no desire and is also past his best, and Warnock left for £7m, most of which Sam didnt get to put back in the side.

And he has to go because you heard some rumours that the first team squad don't like him? The majority? What did they take a straw poll?

Funny you base your views on our manager on those factors. I base them on results and so far he's doing an okay job. Not amazing but not anywhere near enough to warrant the sack.

Even though I am not in favour of Sam, I want Rovers to do well whoever is the manager. Rovers had some good chances tonight that should have made the game very easy. Sadly they sat back for awhile, which gave Hull confidence to come forward - who also had decent chances, which would have been buried by better teams. I suppose at this time of year you have to expect nervous players.

Often we see teams play better with 10 men then 11, we saw that again tonight. For all my gripping with regards to Sam you cannot take away what the team has done at home - only losing two prem games, man city and spurs.

Good results keep the club in the prem - which is what we all want. I am thankful for the result tonight, but I cannot help feel that Sam is killing good style football in some of the younger players, who I believe have the ability to play a good passing game if given the right training and practice. But they are not receiving that training nor the practice and that is evident in the games we see. Rovers will imo survive this season because there are worse teams in the prem this season. Summer transfers will be interesting this summer. If Sam is still with Rovers.