[Archived] Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers

[RIML]

Having watched the highlights, our goal was a nice move. As for both Liverpool's goals, awful defending.

[AlanK]

I went to see Cheltenham v Port Vale yesterday and I can tell you Cheltenham play with exactly the same tactics as us although slightly better all be it in a lower league.

I have said it many times before and I will say it till I am blue in the face, I would prefer we were in the championship playing football rather than play awful with the perverse desperation of staying in the premier league hanging over our heads.

We don`t play football anymore. WE DON`T PLAY FOOTBALL ANYMORE!. Its bloody shocking. When was the last time we got the ball down and knocked it around? I preferred being in the championship with Flitty, Short, Brad, Duff, Dunn, Jansen etc. It was easy on the eye and you could appreciate the football. I bloody hate the way we play. Its desperate @#/?.

[JAL]

Just going off the tv highlights Olsson and Dunn looked exceptionally bad. IF Allardyce ever plays Olsson at left back again then he aint no expert but more conman.

The lack of pace from Dunn and Grella in particular was frightening, they both looked more suited for League 2 than the premiership.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

We're only 9 games in and a loss to Liverpool away is a good reason to sack the manager?

What a bunch of drama queens. We'll be fine. We've beaten Everton at home and taken a point off City away, both more than we did last season. We'll get the points we need.

[47er]

I went to see Cheltenham v Port Vale yesterday and I can tell you Cheltenham play with exactly the same tactics as us although slightly better all be it in a lower league.

I have said it many times before and I will say it till I am blue in the face, I would prefer we were in the championship playing football rather than play awful with the perverse desperation of staying in the premier league hanging over our heads.

We don`t play football anymore. WE DON`T PLAY FOOTBALL ANYMORE!. Its bloody shocking. When was the last time we got the ball down and knocked it around? I preferred being in the championship with Flitty, Short, Brad, Duff, Dunn, Jansen etc. It was easy on the eye and you could appreciate the football. I bloody hate the way we play. Its desperate @#/?.

If you think relegation to the Championship will see us flourishing with the likes of Flitty, Short, Brad, Duff, Dunn, Jansen again etc you must have rocks in your head. That was when Jack was bankrolling us. We lost a fortune in the 2 years we were down.

The first thing you'll see if/when we are relegated is Premier League clubs we used to see as cannon fodder sniffing around our players. Jones will be off to a top 4 club and the lesser lights will end up at Stoke, Birmingham etc. Season tickets will rise enormously in a vain attempt to compensate for lost TV revenue and crowds will dwindle. Brockhall will be sold.

Be very careful what you wish for.

[bazza]

We're only 9 games in and a loss to Liverpool a bottom three team away is a good reason to sack the manager?

What a bunch of drama queens. We'll be fine. We've beaten Everton at home and taken a point off City away, both more than we did last season. We'll get the points we need.

I've done the edit for you. Besides it's the week in, week out drudge that we're sick of.

[Mattyblue]

If you think relegation to the Championship will see us flourishing with the likes of Flitty, Short, Brad, Duff, Dunn, Jansen again etc you must have rocks in your head. That was when Jack was bankrolling us. We lost a fortune in the 2 years we were down.

The first thing you'll see if/when we are relegated is Premier League clubs we used to see as cannon fodder sniffing around our players. Jones will be off to a top 4 club and the lesser lights will end up at Stoke, Birmingham etc. Season tickets will rise enormously in a vain attempt to compensate for lost TV revenue and crowds will dwindle. Brockhall will be sold.

Be very careful what you wish for.

Thank Christ for that response! Ive read some tosh on here, but that took the biscuit from AlanK.

Most Rovers fan quickly panic when results go awry because we realise that relegation would be a complete disaster, we won't be able to bounce back with Jack's backing, our wage bill would be crippling- think Boro, think Charlton.

[Parsonblue]

The last few games have underlined the need for investment in the team and today was no different. I know that it's popular to have a go at the manager and the tactics - and goodness knows there were many doing that at Anfield this afternoon. If our manager had been given a significant amount of money to spend in the summer then fair enough. However, he was the only manager in this League who was given virtually nothing to spend during the transfer window. The fact that we finished tenth last season, had trimmed the wage bill by selling Benni and had gained extra TV revenue resulted in a transfer budget of something like one and a half million. A sum which makes a mockery of our claims to be a Premier League club.

I have always felt that the Trust have done an excellent job for the club. However, I do believe that the takeover distracted the powers that be from the shortcomings on the pitch. We have failed to strengthen when it was obvious, last season, that we needed to improve certain areas of the squad. The old saying that if you're not going forwards, you're going backwards was never more true than it is today at Ewood Park. You can't stand still in football and that is what we have tried to do and we are now paying the price.

If and when we are sold the new owners will have to back the manager - be it Sam or someone new - with a considerable amount of money to improve the squad in both midfield and attack. I still believe that Sam will keep us up this season but at some point the new owners if we get them, or the Trust if we don't, are going to have to sit down and come up a with different financial strategy for the club. We are continually told, and I certainly believe it, that Premier League football is imperative for the future of the club. However, without serious investment in the playing staff I doubt Sir Alex Ferguson could keep this club afloat in this League for much longer.

[JAL]

We're only 9 games in and a loss to Liverpool away is a good reason to sack the manager?

What a bunch of drama queens. We'll be fine. We've beaten Everton at home and taken a point off City away, both more than we did last season. We'll get the points we need.

What, with a non existant attack, who've you been watching this season.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

I've done the edit for you. Besides it's the week in, week out drudge that we're sick of.

You believe Liverpool are a bottom 3 team? I'm sure you'd have no problem finding a bookmaker and putting a few hundred on them to be relegated then. Or even finding the odds for them to finish in the bottom half of the table.

9 games.

[bazza]

You believe Liverpool are a bottom 3 team? I'm sure you'd have no problem finding a bookmaker and putting a few hundred on them to be relegated then. Or even finding the odds for them to finish in the bottom half of the table.

9 games.

And Liverpool are still in the bottom three after beating us today.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Er yes. But that didn't answer/disprove anything I said.

I agree that we are not playing well. But the important thing is we are picking up points. An average of a point a game would probably see us stay up, but I expect we'll manage quite a bit more than 1.0 points per game.

[MarkBRFC71]

Have it your way. You are obviously commenting through the euphoria of todays defeat. No doubt you are currently enjoying a celebratory glass or two of your favourite poison.

But rest assured whilst you are trudging around footballs backwaters with your £500 season ticket in your wallet and the single mini bus load of fellow away fans Allardyce will likely still be managing a team in the Prem.

I said it before - we are just as likely to go down with Sam there as not. His system relies as much on pure luck as any managerial genius.

I did think that he was the best man under the current financial constraints, but his inability or just plain stubborn resistance to changing his system to get the best from his players worries me, because I can see him taking us down unless he changes it.

I NEVER enjoy us losing. Once of a time I'd have been gutted and in a mood for days, but Allardyce - and the trust - are both sucking the soul out of the club. It's hard to be anything other than apathetic these days.

[JMillZz]

Don't know if anyone heard Lawro's commented on MOTD2 saying how he doesn't understand why Sam isn't changing things as we're playing negative tactics and losing and so you'd have thought he'd maybe give it a go and come out with a bit of fire. But Lawro probably knows stubborn old sam far too well as do we.

I'm not a fan calling for Sam's head, I'm purely just horrified at every home and away game I go to. It's just horrible going to watch Rovers and barely enjoying it. Sam-lovers, admit it, the football's atrocious.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

A hell of a lot of knee jerk reactions on here - but that is the way it seems to be with Sam in charge. We win a match and the antic-Sam brigade hide under their rocks - lose a match and out they come again. This match was disappointing considering how Liverpool have been playing recently - but at the start of the season I would have basically written this match off.

What I struggle with - last few games of last season we seemed to have got to grips with Sam's tactics (love em or hate them) and were showing a good mix between hoof and football on the ground. This season - we seem to have gone backwards.

For me - we need to recall Roberts - like him or not he is our best player for playing as a lone striker - push Olsson into midfield (to add some much needed pace) - and place Diouf as the second striker (even in a withdrawn role), he is the one player who looks capable of holding up the ball and bring other players into play.

Unlike many on here - when I look at our squad it looks stronger (on paper) than it has done for a long time. Something is wrong - possibly a second season dip in form for players like Nzonzi (though I never thought he was more than a competent player anyway) - or maybe we are just missing a fully fit in form Dunn (who made so much difference last season). We are likely to get beat by Chelsea - the Wigan match is the one after which fans can really start to worry if we are still in the same boat.

[beerwins]

The last few games have underlined the need for investment in the team and today was no different. I know that it's popular to have a go at the manager and the tactics - and goodness knows there were many doing that at Anfield this afternoon. If our manager had been given a significant amount of money to spend in the summer then fair enough. However, he was the only manager in this League who was given virtually nothing to spend during the transfer window. The fact that we finished tenth last season, had trimmed the wage bill by selling Benni and had gained extra TV revenue resulted in a transfer budget of something like one and a half million. A sum which makes a mockery of our claims to be a Premier League club.

I have always felt that the Trust have done an excellent job for the club. However, I do believe that the takeover distracted the powers that be from the shortcomings on the pitch. We have failed to strengthen when it was obvious, last season, that we needed to improve certain areas of the squad. The old saying that if you're not going forwards, you're going backwards was never more true than it is today at Ewood Park. You can't stand still in football and that is what we have tried to do and we are now paying the price.

If and when we are sold the new owners will have to back the manager - be it Sam or someone new - with a considerable amount of money to improve the squad in both midfield and attack. I still believe that Sam will keep us up this season but at some point the new owners if we get them, or the Trust if we don't, are going to have to sit down and come up a with different financial strategy for the club. We are continually told, and I certainly believe it, that Premier League football is imperative for the future of the club. However, without serious investment in the playing staff I doubt Sir Alex Ferguson could keep this club afloat in this League for much longer.

Thats the real question isnt it, if he had the funds would we be better off? Dont get me wrong I know we have spent bugger all but when he has spent we have bought players who could easily fit into a basketball team, including the new 6 foot 2 powerhouse, I like to compare us to the nearest thing which is Stoke and they are so much better than us becasue they mix it up, they have Etherington, Fuller, Tuncay and Gudjohnson who are all capable of adding a bit of magic and variation to the rigid gamestyle they employ we have Olsson and a half crocked Dunny.

Given the funds would Sam buy these creative players we need or would he buy the powerhouses that enforce the neverending rigid longball game. In the second half today you could see we tried to play some football and I started to to get the old feeling back that we were actually enjoying our game again only to be let down by our lack of real quality.

Nobody in this league plays the football we play as I said I compared us to Stoke but they are so much better at it than us because they mix it up, we play football like an army team, so predictable and so rigid with no creativity at all, in the first half Robbo punted every ball long as did every other defender, in the second half because of the lack of ariel threat we passed short, Robbo rolled the ball out and the team looked to pass to feet, we played better and created chances.

I am not a big fan of sacking managers, they need plenty of time to get the squad playing their way but I feel Sam has had enough time, he doesnt seem to be able to blend the first half with the second, its hoof or not, its long ball or short, no variation unless we are losing, its too predictable. The even bigger question is why spend 6 mill on Kalinic and try to fit him into the tactics we play, its becoming embarassing for the lad who must wonder why the hell he came to us, Sam has had money to spend and I dont think he did a good job, im sure plenty will disagree but we have no out an out left back, too many right backs, a striker that isnt a targetman running around like a headless chicken and a midfield problem that hasnt been sorted for years.

If Sam was to retire at the end of the season I wouldnt be sad, and as for those that think we cant do better or play better need to get a grip, Newcastle are above us with a caretaker manager and playing better, Rovers have had a good team spirit for as long as I can remember but I dont recall seeing a team so down today.

[thenodrog]

Until Lancashire Utd emerge from the carcass of Rovers and our neighbours, he will bang his drum that Blackburn is not worthy of a Premier League side and we should make way out of the top flight in favour of the 20 clubs from the largest conurbations.

Ok mattyblue....... Before you get too insulting exactly what makes you (and your 2 mates at the time of writing) think Blackburn is worthy of a Prem Club without a serious benefactor willing to blow millions on us? Our crowds are good for the size of the town granted but way below the Premier League average and our gate / merchandise receipts are an embarrassment. We are almost having to give ground seats away. Without the Walker input 20 years ago we would never have seen the inside of the Prem League never mind win it.

[47er]

Don't know if anyone heard Lawro's commented on MOTD2 saying how he doesn't understand why Sam isn't changing things as we're playing negative tactics and losing and so you'd have thought he'd maybe give it a go and come out with a bit of fire. But Lawro probably knows stubborn old sam far too well as do we.

I'm not a fan calling for Sam's head, I'm purely just horrified at every home and away game I go to. It's just horrible going to watch Rovers and barely enjoying it. Sam-lovers, admit it, the football's atrocious.

I'm not a "Sam lover",in fact I find the very thought repulsive! However I have supported him on the basis that no-one else could keep us in the Premier League on the funding levels we've got. So, in my view the Trust is primarily to blame for the state we are in by not allowing us to resolve weaknesses in the squad we could all see and gambling on a takeover to provide the funding they didn't.

However today's performance was unacceptable, dire if you like and leaves me asking 2 questions:

What happened to the optimism generated at the end of last season where we stormed to 10th playing good football and thriv ing on the contributions from young, inexperienced players taking their chance?

Will prospective owners shake their heads at the sad state we are in and decide ites easier to put their money in another basket?

[thenodrog]

WE DON`T PLAY FOOTBALL ANYMORE!. Its bloody shocking. When was the last time we got the ball down and knocked it around? I preferred being in the championship with Flitty, Short, Brad, Duff, Dunn, Jansen etc. It was easy on the eye and you could appreciate the football. I bloody hate the way we play. Its desperate @#/?.

You have a point of sorts but if it were now we really couldn't afford to sign most of those guys. The board simply wouldn't stump up for them. And worse still if we went down then I'm damned sure we'd neither be able to sign players of their ilk nor be able to hold on to them if we had. Things have changed massively around here. The liklihood is that we'd follow up a relegation battle from the Prem with a relegation battle from the Championship.... in front of a single figure crowd too.

[beerwins]

Ok mattyblue....... Before you get too insulting exactly what makes you (and your 2 mates at the time of writing) think Blackburn is worthy of a Prem Club without a serious benefactor willing to blow millions on us? Our crowds are good for the size of the town granted but way below the Premier League average and our gate / merchandise receipts are an embarrassment. We are almost having to give ground seats away. Without the Walker input 20 years ago we would never have seen the inside of the Prem League never mind win it.

I understand your posts and agree slightly, we really have no claim to being in the prem every season for the size of the town, and I fully accept that, if we go down we go down and we have to learn to deal with that. Reality is we are in the top flight and have been for some time and we dont have to play the football we do or spend the money that other clubs do to survive you just have to employ the right people and have the right business plan.

I do plenty of work in Bolton which is a massive place and the ammount of fans they get is just pathetic but because of there placement so near to manchester its very hard for them, Blackburn on the other hand is in a good place to steal Prestons, Bumleys and even Boltons fans with enough marketing, that could add 5 to 10000 fans a year if done right.

The Trust have done a great job of tiding us over but its time for new ideas with new owners that dont have other eggs in other baskets who know how to raise Blackburn rovers up without losing anything that we all hold so dear, but with the football on offer at the moment we are lucky to have the fans we have.

[Miker]

A hell of a lot of knee jerk reactions on here - but that is the way it seems to be with Sam in charge. We win a match and the antic-Sam brigade hide under their rocks - lose a match and out they come again. This match was disappointing considering how Liverpool have been playing recently - but at the start of the season I would have basically written this match off.

What I struggle with - last few games of last season we seemed to have got to grips with Sam's tactics (love em or hate them) and were showing a good mix between hoof and football on the ground. This season - we seem to have gone backwards.

For me - we need to recall Roberts - like him or not he is our best player for playing as a lone striker - push Olsson into midfield (to add some much needed pace) - and place Diouf as the second striker (even in a withdrawn role), he is the one player who looks capable of holding up the ball and bring other players into play.

Unlike many on here - when I look at our squad it looks stronger (on paper) than it has done for a long time. Something is wrong - possibly a second season dip in form for players like Nzonzi (though I never thought he was more than a competent player anyway) - or maybe we are just missing a fully fit in form Dunn (who made so much difference last season). We are likely to get beat by Chelsea - the Wigan match is the one after which fans can really start to worry if we are still in the same boat.

Spot on - I share those exact thoughts. We were well on the up in the second half of last season, both in terms of results and performances and we started off pretty well this season too, but past few games our performances have been quite shocking. We've devolved into a "block-and-clear" team ... we literally do very little besides win the ball and hoof it clear. I'm a fan of the direct game and think it's extremely effective when done right, mixed together with some short passing in and around the opposition box, but we simply haven't been very good at it at all lately.

Our passing has been awful, Conference-level really. I think it's been coming down to having a really poor midfield. Against Liverpool, N'zonzi and Pedersen were poor and were running around more aimlessly than Andrews. Dunn was distinctly average as well and devoid of creativity. It was only after Grella came on that we had any sort of semblance in midfield.

We must get the midfield right because the midfield has to dictate the play by both relieving pressure off the defence and creating opportunities in attack. They've been doing neither and we're going to suffer both in defence and attack as a result.

[Hughesy]

I just cant wait for next saturdays reaction!

[beerwins]

I just cant wait for next saturdays reaction!

Nor I, your positive spin on the usual tripe is more amazing than Lawro's inability to pick better results than randoms.

[RoyRover]

This was always going to be difficult game to get something out of after the Americans came in, as the players and fans would be on a high. I'm not so much disappointed by the fact that we lost, but this consistent negative style of play that Sam employs. It clearly isn't working and something needs to change. We can't rely on luck as the way of scoring our goals. As much as I think that Sam is to blame for the position we are currently in, I also believe that there is no better person to get us out of it. However a change of tactics is needed and a more high percentage style of play employed.

[AlanK]

You have a point of sorts but if it were now we really couldn't afford to sign most of those guys. The board simply wouldn't stump up for them. And worse still if we went down then I'm damned sure we'd neither be able to sign players of their ilk nor be able to hold on to them if we had. Things have changed massively around here. The liklihood is that we'd follow up a relegation battle from the Prem with a relegation battle from the Championship.... in front of a single figure crowd too.

Not going to disagree with you at all there Theno. However, my point remains. If I go to the cinema I expect a good movie. Thats the idea. If I buy a book I expect a good read and if I go to the football i expect some football. Its all wrong. If you don`t stay in the premier than expect administration, further relegation and 1 man and his dog to attend games. Or just lump it, throw it, charge at them and hope. Its awful

If you think relegation to the Championship will see us flourishing with the likes of Flitty, Short, Brad, Duff, Dunn, Jansen again etc you must have rocks in your head. That was when Jack was bankrolling us. We lost a fortune in the 2 years we were down.

The first thing you'll see if/when we are relegated is Premier League clubs we used to see as cannon fodder sniffing around our players. Jones will be off to a top 4 club and the lesser lights will end up at Stoke, Birmingham etc. Season tickets will rise enormously in a vain attempt to compensate for lost TV revenue and crowds will dwindle. Brockhall will be sold.

Be very careful what you wish for.

Nonsense. Blackpool were favourites to get relegated last year and got promotion playing football. Their chairman quit within a month of premier league action because of the farcical financial situation.