[Archived] Everton Preview

[Tom]

A professional footballer aged just 31 dies of cancer earlier in the week and you don't think it deserves a moments reflection?

[AlanK]

Chuffed with this result. We won!

And still people moan.

No, we don`t play pretty football but its not as ugly as some folk say either. Some Chelsea fans don`t like the way their team plays.

Punching above our weight. No we are not. Blackpool are. West Brom are. Stoke, Brum, Bolton etc could all say the same. For the past 18 years we have been in the top flight for 16 of them. We are an established Premier league team.

In trouble? Nope. Speak to Wigan, West Brom and West Ham fans tonight. Could we have 3 teams going down beginning with the same letter?

We look ok. Not great but not bad. Importantly though we look competitive.

[RevidgeBlue]

A professional footballer aged just 31 dies of cancer earlier in the week and you don't think it deserves a moments reflection?

Yes, from people who knew him and from the football club he was associated with.

[jim mk2]

A professional footballer aged just 31 dies of cancer earlier in the week and you don't think it deserves a moments reflection?

The death of an obscure player with no connection to Rovers is no reason to hold a minute's silence.

Chuffed with this result. We won!

And still people moan.

No, we don`t play pretty football but its not as ugly as some folk say either. Some Chelsea fans don`t like the way their team plays.

Punching above our weight. No we are not. Blackpool are. West Brom are. Stoke, Brum, Bolton etc could all say the same. For the past 18 years we have been in the top flight for 16 of them. We are an established Premier league team.

In trouble? Nope. Speak to Wigan, West Brom and West Ham fans tonight. Could we have 3 teams going down beginning with the same letter?

We look ok. Not great but not bad. Importantly though we look competitive.

Good post and the idiots with agendas against the manager, Pedersen and sundry other players should reflect on it.

Will they change their tune ? I doubt it.

[AlanK]

Got to agree with the Rev and Jim. If we hold a minutes silence for every footballer who dies we would never get the match started.

Good to see Halsey back as a ref on a more positive note.

Anyway....back on thread

[Hughesy]

Agreed - We paid our respects to OUR main man....its a shame for that lad, but he had no connection with us - harsh but true, reality is that someone dies every day with the same condition. No need for a mins silence.

[Fife Rover]

Whilst I acknowledge that it is always sad when any young person dies many years before their time, and is an absolute tradgedy for their family and friends, there is absoutely no reason whatever that a crowd at a football match where there had been no connection at all with the deceased should be expected to hold a minutes silence before a match. To those that think there should have been I ask " where do we draw the line?"

For a personal example: My son who was a very good and very well known amateur footballer in Dunfermline and was also like myself a life long supporter of Blackburn Rovers died totally unexpectedly from a massive heart attack on Dec 18th 1994 exactly 1 week before Christmas. He was out doing last minute Christmas shopping with his wife and suddenly collapsed in the middle of a large dept store in Dunfemline and in spite of the efforts of the store first aider and the ambulance crew he was pronounced DoA at the local hospital. He was just 29 and had all his life to live and a wife and 3 young children left behind. He did not even live to see his beloved Rovers win the EPL Championship just a few months later.

So given that he was very well known in his career in the city of Dunfermline and also a well known amateur footballer should there have been a minutes silence observed at Dunfermline Athletic's next home game ( or indeed at Blackburn Rovers) ? I don't think so!....... and of course there was not, nor should there have been. To those that are complaining about the failure to hold the minutes silence at Ewood on Saturday I ask .......what do you think in the case I have given? and what is the difference?

[Tom]

Fair enough, each to their own I suppose.

I was just hoping there was on a personal level as I have a fondness of Exeter.

Sorry to hear about your son Fife, that's just tragic

[thenodrog]

My thoughts exactly. I had already mentally awarded MOM to MGP long before it was announced. Also strong candidates for me were Salgado, Jones, and all the back line. Also worthy of a merit were Both Dioufs', Kalinic, N'zonzi and Robbo. And counting up that makes all eleven that finished the match.

Some of the people that have actually slated Pederson on here saying he was rubbish etc are just too unreal to ever take seriously again. Just to give one example out of the countless class touches he demonstrated and that I can remember in detail. In the second half one of the back line "hoofed" a long ball out of defence to break up an Everton attack and it was aimed staight for Pederson standing about 10 yards into the BBE half and almost on the left touchline. As the ball arrived about thigh/waist high he just plucked it out tof the air with outside of his right foot and all in one moved off with it infield. and with his next two steps or so he had seen M. Diouf over on the RH side just outside the box and hit a glorious lobbed pass over the Everton heads and right to were M. Diof could just run on to it, which he did. That is only one of many good things he did, but which it seems are too subtle for complete football numpties to appreciate or even to see either it would appear.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+12%3A2&version=NIV

[thenodrog]

Overall though I'm starting to get the feeling that we're finally playing in the sort of manner you would expect from an Allardyce team - "Thou shalt not pass" and "We will not beaten" etc. It might not have been a game for the neutrals yesterday but I found our dogged determination and bloody mindedness quite uplifting.

Two words 'Team spirit'.

Diouf mk2 looked hot when we had the ball BUT made no effort at all to influence play when Everton had the ball....

I agree.

[RevidgeBlue]

Two words 'Team spirit'.

We just didn't have it until February of last season though.

[Steve Moss]

We just didn't have it until February of last season though.

Which just follows Benni's departure. Coincidence?

[Neil Weaver]

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+12%3A2&version=NIV

Never had you down as a Pulp Fiction fan Gord. Well we learn something every day. After all that ginger stuff, is this a better likeness?

[mhead]

Two points:

-Where's Waggy? Gone to ground again?

- and using my season ticket on Saturday for my first and last match pre-October my 2 lasting memories are going to be...first the guy in the all over blue and white condom(the stewards just did not know what to do) and the blackburn end chant " We've only got two Dioufs" PRICELESS and what football at Ewood is all about.

Main talk going out was "37 points now needed from 37 games !!"

[waggy]

Two points:

-Where's Waggy? Gone to ground again?

- and using my season ticket on Saturday for my first and last match pre-October my 2 lasting memories are going to be...first the guy in the all over blue and white condom(the stewards just did not know what to do) and the blackburn end chant " We've only got two Dioufs" PRICELESS and what football at Ewood is all about.

Main talk going out was "37 points now needed from 37 games !!"

ışm here in turkey lovıng every last mınute as a rovrs fan watched the game sat same old l@rdarse football but 3 poınts serves the muppets.gone to ground never 6 weeks ın sud afrıca and 3 ın turkey pal.

[tonyoz]

Well i really enjoyed that game...........agree with everything you said Revidge Blue. When the defence are playing like that, I somehow feel that I want to be part of it too. I think Phil Jones gives us something we have been missing - energy in midfield allied to a good hard tackle. I love it!

Here is my favourite quote from the pressboys:

Blackburn have become increasingly adept at devouring sides at Ewood Park with a combination of physical play combined with a mix of even more physical play.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premiership/blackburn-beat-everton-after-howard-gaffe-14912250.html#ixzz0wl22fRJu

If I am allowed one small reservation: I am still not convinced by Kalinic - but I really hope he proves me wrong.

[Blue blood]

Great result against a team with a lot of quality and a lot of resources invested in them. Outfighting an Everton side is no mean achievement.

Very helpful to read some balanced and detailed match reports, there seem to have been lots of encouraging things about our performance. For me some of the big stand out things seem to be:

- The Jones as defensive mid worked - it did the job of shutting out the everton attack. Not sure it's right for every game but it is a handy option to have.

- Salgado didn't get utterly done, and both he and E Diouf had good games. These ar my biggest reservations about the team, Salgado in particular, I'm not sure either are up to scratch, so both having good games is a very encouraging sign.

- Kalinic's goal. Sure there was a blunder but Kalinic had to really be alert to the opportunity and get to it before the defender. That's the sort of awareness/instinct you want from a striker.

Only negative point seems to be Dunn going off. If there is one signing we do need to make this season it is a creative midfielder, as we can possibly survive with three strikers (plus Samba) up front - especially if we only play one up, but no one else can really do the creative midfield role.

[Montfort]

I was on holiday in France when both my son and daughter texted me that Rovers were winning and then had won. ( The family that supports rovers together, stays together !). I rushed back to the hotel room to get the match report on BBC World News "Final Report". Lots on Blackpool - fair enough. What did they say about the Rovers match - Everton wore pink and Howard droped the ball. I was expecting a bit more.

Delighted with the result. Everton were an excellent side last season and very hard to beat.

Only slight worry, the Sunday Telegraph said that we only had 30% of the possession. we will have to be good to get results with that amount of the ball.

[den]

Only slight worry, the Sunday Telegraph said that we only had 30% of the possession. we will have to be good to get results with that amount of the ball.

Well if Everton had 70% posession, then it proves that posession counts for nothing.

The obvious thing to me was that we needed more threat on the break. Diouf gave us a little more threat when he came on, but it still wasn't enough.

All round it was a tremendous performance. Approached the game as good teams do, saying to the opposition "well you lot wont score whatever you do. If we can grab a goal all well and good, but you lot wont" As I say, the same kind of approach with more threat on the break will make us a really good side. Lapse away from that approach and it wont work.

[laughatthedingles]

Full credit to Big Sam for Saturday and that is not something I take saying lightly.

His tactics were spot on and performed to perfection by the players. He identified Everton's threat all comes centrally and in the space between your defence and midfield, that is where Cahill, Arteta, Osman, Pinaar all love to ply their trade and in playing Jones there and also Nzonzi we didn't allow any space there whatsoever. This tactic also allowed Samba and Nelsen to stay in their central defence position and not need to step out to pick up any of the players mentioned, this meant we were then never succeptable to the late runs by Cahill or Fellaini.

Player ratings:

Robinson - 7 comfortable throughout, dealt with crosses well, didnt have a lot to do which meant what he did do became more difficult but he concentrated well.

Salgado - 7 think back to his performance early last season against Everton, thank god his is the player he is now and not that version!

Nelsen - 7 back to his solid best when asked to just do his own job and not be covering for others.

Samba - 7 him and Nelsen on this form are an impressive presence.

Givet - 7 did well but all his defending was 'centre half' type defending, by that I mean he was heading the ball out alot and blocking shots, when faced up by a winger he is shown up as a centre half out of position, luckily for us Everton don't really play with wingers.

Jones - 7 struggled to get to grips with the pace of the game early on, got better and better, can definately play this role, reminds me very much of Rodwell.

Dunn - Pity!

Nzonzi - 7 thought he looked good when he came on, should have scored though!

Diouf - 7 looked better than he has previously, looked a bit fitter too, still don't like the guy.

Pedersen - 8 was immense, his energy and willingess to do his bit for the cause should be applauded, really benefits from playing inside and not having the pressure of delivering the perfect ball all the time.

Olsson - 6 worked hard but did little really.

Kalinic - 8 had very little support but did what you want any striker to do, scored with his only chance.

Sub:

MB Diouf - looks lively this one, think as a sub will be his best role though.

[AggyBlue]

Only slight worry, the Sunday Telegraph said that we only had 30% of the possession. we will have to be good to get results with that amount of the ball.

We played the whole of the second half on the break, making quite a few good chances. In reality it could have been three or four nil.

I was up and down in my seat more times during that second half than any game last season.

[Ozz]

i still cannot believe we played a team with Saha, Arteta and Cahill and none of them scored.

Really good day Saturday, barring the Original was off in The Navigation (Apologies to Iamarover). Three bit's of fun at the Darwen End.

1. The slim fella in the Riverside in the blue and white halved body suit-Excellent stuff-geddim on the club shop.

2. The guy on the roof of the catering box under the Jumbotron-A chant went up of We Can See You On The Roof-to which he started acting up. Then some hi-viz wearing people noticed him. He then disappeared, only to re-appear on the ground being strong-armed off into the distance.

3. The brilliant lad who I think has Downs Syndrome playing up to the singing section at the back of the stand-Who have now nicknamed him Rooney (he's a little chubby) and has his own song now.

[den]

We played the whole of the second half on the break, making quite a few good chances. In reality it could have been three or four nil.

Oddly, even though I just said we didn't carry enough threat, we still created three? good chances. I did think we were a bit naieve though, we still gave the ball away far too easily far too often. Not complaining though Aggy, excellent performance but there was still something to work on with our breaks.

[Mike Graham]

nice to see you mentioned in the matchday programme Den, looking at you I would have said you had been watching Rovers for 70+ years, mind you watching t'blues is good a good ageing technique.

[den]

nice to see you mentioned in the matchday programme Den, looking at you I would have said you had been watching Rovers for 70+ years, mind you watching t'blues is good a good ageing technique.

Eh?