[Archived] Stoke Preview

[philipl]

Have to admit I gave up following the game.

What an awful thing to have posted.

[bubblerrovers]

If you really need to ask that question then somebody needs to show you the door ... when will the FS lovers realise its the lack of football that p!sses people off.

Do you think Mourinio or Ferguson could do any better with our pathetic excuse of a squad, show me the door, Play football make me laugh. We'd lose 6 nil every week

[SamTheShrew]

Do you think Mourinio or Ferguson could do any better with our pathetic excuse of a squad, show me the door, Play football make me laugh. We'd lose 6 nil every week

They wouldn't have spent 6million on a player incapable of playing the system he insists works.

Or tried to force out the one striker at the club who is probably most useful at playing it.

Alardyce is assured of a job because there is no-one better with the finances we have. He will get points ugly, thats for sure.

That doesn't mean that fans who pay their hard earned money don't have the right to want something better than the crap that is witnessed every saturday

[booth]

Do you think Mourinio or Ferguson could do any better with our pathetic excuse of a squad, show me the door, Play football make me laugh. We'd lose 6 nil every week

Believe it or not, some of us do go to games and have seen them play football. I'm not asking for 90 minutes of sexy football, I didn't mind when Hughes had them playing the ugly stuff because you knew if it weren't working he'd try something else. Sam however, just gets them to lump ball after ball into the box in the hope of the opposition making a mistake. The problem with that is that we then end up under a lot of pressure as we're unable to retain possession.

There was a moment when Salgado passed the ball and went running into space. Moments later he was telling whomever attempted to pass the ball back to him PASS IT TO MY FEET. You could clearly see it. Instead if got lumped out for an opposition throw in.

Some of our players aren't great but as someone else said, we should allow the players to play to their strengths. Diouf and Olsson are never going to win balls in the box when playing against Stoke. It doesn't take an ounce of thought to know that, yet Allardyce kept them hoofing balls in.

[Dan]

Anyone else think Niko is finished at the club? You are chasing for an equaliser and who do you turn to? Benjani who hasn't scored a league goal for what feels like an eternity. I think the young lad will do well at another club, probably abroad that plays to his strengths. He just doesn't fit here.

We would have been better using that £6 millon for Janko or another 6 foot 5 wall of a player if Sam won't adapt.

I feel very sorry for him, it can't be much fun playing at Rovers; having the ball hoofed at you at head height and no support. Shearer in his prime wouldn't do much better at the moment. Sam's tactics don't bring out the best in good players. Do players hate Sam's tactics like football fans do? I never spoken to a neutral that has a good word to say about our Sam(with the exception of a few Bolton fans). It's no wonder we can't sign players, they must only come for the money, because playing with these @#/? tactics can't be too much fun!

[Harrier7]

Never mind lads - come along to the Crown ground if you want entertainment, 100% commitment and brilliant one touch play, plus lethal finishing.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

How many Rovers were at Stoke today?.I personally attend few if any away games these days...........

Totally apathetic when it comes to Rovers away,you just know what to expect and its dire,uninspiring football folks!

God help us if our home form takes a turn for the worse.

[Clitherover]

Never mind lads - come along to the Crown ground if you want entertainment, 100% commitment and brilliant one touch play, plus lethal finishing.

I intend to soon, how much are tickets?

[Doogs]

We can not keep clean sheets, we can not create chances, and on the odd occasion we do, we cant score. All this equals relegation. Well don Sam.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

Stoke have a better side than us and it showed. Apart from Blackpool and possibly West Brom all other teams on paper are better than ours. Without significant investment in January on 2 or 3 players that can make an instant impact, we are going to be VERY close to relegation come May next year.

I like kalinic and feel he will have a good career, just not at Rovers. We will also be lucky to get anywhere near 6 million back.

This isn't knee jerk, it's the stark reality of our situation. IMO we have gambled one season too many without investing in some quality.

[Dan]

John Williams needs to grow some balls and tell Sam his tactics aren't working, instead of sitting next to him looking gormless. Surely he has to question what is going on? No other team would want BFS as their manager, there is a reason.

[Amo]

We're a miserable side. This isn't an overreaction to today's result, before the usual mob begin scrutinizing the matchday thread. It's an expression of my general apathy towards our team. Now, I admit I've largely fallen out of love with the game, but Rovers were always my one ray of hope. Oh, I'm sure we'll do okay this year, but at what cost? I don't go into games with the same anticipation anymore. I think the only times last year were the Dingle derby and the semi-final second leg at Villa. I don't enjoy watching us play, because the vast majority of our games are a predictable slog. The work ethic is there, in bundles, but little else. I'd expect that from a lower league side, not an established PL side with a bulging wage bill.

Now, let's deal with the usual red herrings. I have no problem playing long ball. There's no quarrel there. Plenty of teams play that way, and even the best use it as an outlet. What I DON'T approve of is when the team plays this brainless heads-down hoofball. And pleeeease, don't say that it's all a myth and we play decent stuff. Spare me. We've shown glimpses of it (mainly last year, during the tail-end of last season) but for the most part, it's hoofball/anti-football/however you wish to label it. Lump it into the box, hope Samba or Nzonzi clatter it home, or maybe hope the goalie spills it for Kalinic to convert. I'm just tired of watching us play that way, when we all know that with the right ethos and team selection, this team could mix it up.

Also, for all his swagger, Sam was outmatched by Tony Pulis today. Just think about that.

[Mr. E]

John Williams needs to grow some balls and tell Sam his tactics aren't working, instead of sitting next to him looking gormless. Surely he has to question what is going on? No other team would want BFS as their manager, there is a reason.

If John Williams had some balls he could have squeezed out enough money for us to buy at least one cheap player this transfer window.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

We miss Tugay.

[ABBEY]

Relegation beckons with one trick expertly led hoof ball....just go baboon.

[Dan]

We miss Tugay.

Tugay would be wasted playing with this shower of @#/?, he can't head the ball and isn't physical enough for Fat Sam's 'tactics'.

Relegation beckons with one trick expertly led hoof ball....just go baboon.

As each week passes and I see the way we play I am sure of it. We play the worst football in the league by an absolute mile. Rovers should pay the home fans to attend, everyone knows it now, we are long ball Rovers and we play ugly football. It's embarrassing when neutrals ask you who you support. They just look at you with disgust. Before people talk ###### about money, we CAN play better than this, we have shown it on several occasions, just our stubborn stupid expert of a manager can't see it. Real Madrid? He wouldn't be welcome managing Stockport County.

[patrickvalery]

..... What I DON'T approve of is when the team plays this brainless heads-down hoofball. And pleeeease, don't say that it's all a myth and we play decent stuff. Spare me. We've shown glimpses of it (mainly last year, during the tail-end of last season)....

Agree Topman. But the above is the crux of it really. We have players capable of entertaining when the pressure is off and points are not required for safety. However Sam's insistance on playing the percentage game in order to attain the necessary points total to stay up is the issue. It is all well and good in terms of preserving our top flight status but it does lttle for the paying faithfull. Sadly when it comes to the world of football, Sam's ethos is a close to a sure thing as you can get for ensuring we stay on the PL gravy train. At this time its enough to satisfy his employers. The fans complaining is not ideal to the board, but its far more acceptable than risking missing out on the big bucks ala Tony Mowbary at WBA etc... The big test will come if and when we ever get bought. If a few million is invested this brand of football will not please owners or fans. Sam will have to show the world just how good he really is.

[SamTheShrew]

We're a miserable side. This isn't an overreaction to today's result, before the usual mob begin scrutinizing the matchday thread. It's an expression of my general apathy towards our team. Now, I admit I've largely fallen out of love with the game, but Rovers were always my one ray of hope. Oh, I'm sure we'll do okay this year, but at what cost? I don't go into games with the same anticipation anymore. I think the only times last year were the Dingle derby and the semi-final second leg at Villa. I don't enjoy watching us play, because the vast majority of our games are a predictable slog. The work ethic is there, in bundles, but little else. I'd expect that from a lower league side, not an established PL side with a bulging wage bill.

Now, let's deal with the usual red herrings. I have no problem playing long ball. There's no quarrel there. Plenty of teams play that way, and even the best use it as an outlet. What I DON'T approve of is when the team plays this brainless heads-down hoofball. And pleeeease, don't say that it's all a myth and we play decent stuff. Spare me. We've shown glimpses of it (mainly last year, during the tail-end of last season) but for the most part, it's hoofball/anti-football/however you wish to label it. Lump it into the box, hope Samba or Nzonzi clatter it home, or maybe hope the goalie spills it for Kalinic to convert. I'm just tired of watching us play that way, when we all know that with the right ethos and team selection, this team could mix it up.

Also, for all his swagger, Sam was outmatched by Tony Pulis today. Just think about that.

I agree with this whole-heartedly. I don't see how anyone can defend the way we play football at the moment, it is utterly pointless.

The only argument that keeps being put forward is that it is effective, play to your strengths etc...but clearly it is NOT effective, and does not appear to be our strength

[Harrier7]

I intend to soon, how much are tickets?

Here's the link.Happy, gung-ho football guaranteed!

http://www.accringtonstanley.co.uk/index.php/club/pricese's the link.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

The almost uniform overreaction on here is pathetic. We were crap today, no doubt about it, but there is no need for so much rubbish to be written.

The ugly football was appalling to watch but it'll work against the vast majority of sides in this division and we will stay up playing it - as we did last season. A poor game away at Stoke wont, and shouldnt suddenly scrap that.

Simply put, we havent got the players to be effective playing any other way. We havent got the money to purchase better players to play any other way and we have had success (relatively speaking) playing the way we are.

Am I defending Sam? No, not particularly, but im not looking at it in such a blunt one dimensional view. I know Sam would probably play this way regardless of what players he had at his disposal, however, as Ince proved, we dont have players who are capable enough to play pretty football and beat teams and that is that. Regardless of how you want to view Sam's tactics, with our players we have hardly any alternatives. Stay up ugly or go down pretty.

[joey_big_nose]

I agree N'zonzi was poor. I thought he should've been subbed earlier for a striker to go 4-4-2 to try something new and push on for a goal.

I disagree about Pedersen though, at least in the first half. He was involved in the few good things we did in that first half, but he was definitely pretty useless in the second.

Well that is the real problem for us, we are utterly dependent on Pedersen. He started the season very well, but has faded recently and we are in a position where we have no one who can take his role apart from Dunn who is consistently injured. Bad news for us. A decent first half hour does not hisde the fact that we desperately needed to change but had no real options to do so without altering formation.

If I had been Sam I would have looked to bring Kalinic, Olsson and Benjani on, and EH Diouf (just for the yellow, as he was excellent otherwise), Pedersen and M Diouf to go 442. We would have had a creatively abject midfield but at least an extra proper striker up top.

We are really suffering from a lack of decent passers. Not sure I would pass all the blame to Sam, he had no money to work with and he has shown in the past that he values creative attacking midfielders (Djokaeff, Okocha erc.) and he was after Popov who was denied due to lack of funds.

We are at the start of October, two months till the window, so we need to find a changeup for Pedersen out of the current squad. It is an absolute priority. We tried Hoilett late on today, Linganzi has to be in the frame also. Someone needs to step up as MGP could be off the boil for a while. Always the way with him - half a dozen good games then half a dozen poor ones.

As I said, not a terrible result today, but clearly a plan B involving passing play needs to be worked out very quickly. If not I can see teams smothering our play through organised defensive tactics.

[Mattyblue]

I've always been a Sam supporter, only on the basis he gets results.

I'm assuming that is the justification for the rest of the pro-Sam camp.

But, if results continue to go badly this season and there is no takeover, what manager of quality would take us on? Average squad, near the bottom of the league, low confidence and zero transfer budget.

[Amo]

Am I defending Sam? No, not particularly, but im not looking at it in such a blunt one dimensional view. I know Sam would probably play this way regardless of what players he had at his disposal, however, as Ince proved, we dont have players who are capable enough to play pretty football and beat teams and that is that. Regardless of how you want to view Sam's tactics, with our players we have hardly any alternatives. Stay up ugly or go down pretty.

OMG. Do you even attempt to read what people post or do you just prepare the same reply each time we lose?

No one is asking us to play attractive, one-touch, Barcelona-style football. There is such thing as compromise, you know. The problem is that Sam places too much emphasis on his percentage game and leaves no room for Plan B. It wasn't going to work against Stoke. They know this game inside out. He should have adapted his team and his tactics to combat them. If there's one thing worse than ugly football, it's ugly football THAT DOESN'T WORK!

[Mattyblue]

I've always been a Sam supporter, only on the basis he gets results.

I'm assuming that is the justification for the rest of the pro-Sam camp.

But, if results went badly this season and there is no takeover, what manager of quality would take us on? Average squad, near the bottom of the league, low confidence and zero transfer budget.

[Dan]

The almost uniform overreaction on here is pathetic. We were crap today, no doubt about it, but there is no need for so much rubbish to be written.

The ugly football was appalling to watch but it'll work against the vast majority of sides in this division and we will stay up playing it - as we did last season. A poor game away at Stoke wont, and shouldnt suddenly scrap that.

Simply put, we havent got the players to be effective playing any other way. We havent got the money to purchase better players to play any other way and we have had success (relatively speaking) playing the way we are.

Am I defending Sam? No, not particularly, but im not looking at it in such a blunt one dimensional view. I know Sam would probably play this way regardless of what players he had at his disposal, however, as Ince proved, we dont have players who are capable enough to play pretty football and beat teams and that is that. Regardless of how you want to view Sam's tactics, with our players we have hardly any alternatives. Stay up ugly or go down pretty.

That is total ######, it isn't as black and white as pretty or ugly. We are rubbish at playing long ball football, we play better when we get it on the floor. We have been useless all season and take away 3 goalkeeping errors(1 most possibly as foul on the goalie) and an O.G. and see where we'd be. We are awful and unless things change we are heading for a relegation battle.