[Archived] Sunderland Preview - 20:00 Monday 18th October

[MarkBRFC71]

Why not? We've scored seven league goals this season, Pedersen has assisted in two of them. He's been our most created player.........just ahead of Robinson

Only due to the law of averages - he takes all our set-pieces so 1 or 2 are bound to come off. He started the season well, but as predicted by many has slid back to mediocrity alarmingly quickly. Olsson should deffo play though - without him and/or Hoilett we have no pace at all.

Anyway our top assister is 'Opposition Keeper' isn't it?

[RIML]

Only due to the law of averages - he takes all our set-pieces so 1 or 2 are bound to come off. He started the season well, but as predicted by many has slid back to mediocrity alarmingly quickly. Olsson should deffo play though - without him and/or Hoilett we have no pace at all.

Anyway our top assister is 'Opposition Keeper' isn't it?

No, our top assister is Pedersen. Also his goal against Sunderland last season got us back into the game. You say he 'takes all our set-pieces' dropping a player who takes corners, free kicks and throw-ins, makes me wonder..... where would our goals come from

EDIT: Some nice comments from Paul Merson

And Blackburn do have a few players who can play football. El Hadji Diouf can play on his day and Morten Gamst Pedersen is as good as anybody at delivering the ball. Blackburn get the ball in the other half and play from there - and there's nothing wrong with that. You have to cut your cloth accordingly

MERSON'S MAGIC MAN

MORTEN GAMST PEDERSEN - His service will be vital to the result of this game. He is very good in dead-ball situations and that could be the difference. If Blackburn keep getting the ball in the right positions they can get a goal out of a tight game.

[Amo]

Why not?

Because he's earning the reputation of a poor man's Rory Delap.

[RIML]

Because he's earning the reputation of a poor man's Rory Delap.

Pedersen is a poor man's Rory Delap at throw-ins...... Rory Delap is a poor man's Pedersen at delivering the ball with his feet. It works both ways

[Amo]

Pedersen is a poor man's Rory Delap at throw-ins...... Rory Delap is worse at delivering the ball with his feet than Pedersen. It works both ways

There was a time when Pedersen had more to his game than set-pieces. It has since left him. Even his dead-ball delivery is weak, but necessitated by our percentage game.

[RIML]

There was a time when Pedersen had more to his game than set-pieces. It has since left him. Even his dead-ball delivery is weak, but necessitated by our percentage game.

You might think it's weak but his delivery from dead-balls is as good as any other Rovers player we have in the team right now.

What have I started I am now officially 'a one woman Pedersen defence force'

[Amo]

You might think it's weak but his delivery from dead-balls is as good as any other Rovers player we have in the team right now.

What have I started I am now officially 'a one woman Pedersen defence force'

I don't know about that. You've just made one hell of a back-handed compliment.

[Miker]

Pedersen's crosses and set pieces in recent times have been a huge improvement compared to what it was when Sam first took over. Personally, I think he's a vital part of the team. I think this is evident because whenever the TEAM plays poorly, he takes the brunt of the criticism.

I don't see this being an easy game at all, Sunderland have been improving their squad every season and the players they have now are more than good enough to cause problems for most sides, but they consistently underperform. So it will be interesting how they do against us.

[Amo]

Personally, I think he's a vital part of the team. I think this is evident because whenever the TEAM plays poorly, he takes the brunt of the criticism.

He's one of the, if not *THE*, highest earners at the club. He deserves flak for his half-assed performances.

[John]

He's one of the, if not *THE*, highest earners at the club. He deserves flak for his half-assed performances.

Why is it his fault the club have decided to pay him well?

[Amo]

Why is it his fault the club have decided to pay him well?

With great money comes great responsibility.

[John]

With great money comes great responsibility.

Yeah, he should have shown some humility and asked for a lower salary, that's what I would have done....

[Amo]

Yeah, he should have shown some humility and asked for a lower salary, that's what I would have done....

What does that have to do with anything?

Pedersen signed a payrise at the top-end of the wage scale. If you do that, you should accept the responsibility that comes with it.

[Mattyblue]

I slag off MGP as much as the next man, never known a more frustrating player.

However, you can not fault his commitment, works very hard off the ball, of course that often goes unnoticed.

As for his wages, the bloody lot of them get obscene piles of cash! .

[John]

What does that have to do with anything?

Pedersen signed a payrise at the top-end of the wage scale. If you do that, you should accept the responsibility that comes with it.

The stats usually show he covers a lot of ground and works pretty hard. Two decent managers in Sparky and Sam have acknowledged that and decided to play him more often than not - as for ability/quality, well most of our squad are lacking that.

[1864roverite]

After todays sequence of results a win is imperative for Rovers and would take us healthily into the top 10.

A loss and we are relegation zone.

[Mr. E]

BFS has had more than half a month to reevaluate and reassemble the shambles that was the Stoke game, no excuses now. Sunderland will be hard to beat, but when we lose silly points elsewhere, we have to win these.

[Brfcrule1]

I have to agree with all on here this is a must win game at all costs because after today's results we are perilously close to the drop zone and need points fast. Relegation should also be avoided at all costs as that would be catastrophic for us would probably mean we go bust. Looking at how former prem. lge teams have done in the championship means we would never stand a chance. For instance M'Boro still in the c'ship booed off at F/Time the M'Boro end nearly empty would mean the end. For L'Pool to drop out of the lge. would be even more disastrous. I have to say though it is amazing too see how a former prem. Team have seen attendances fall dramatically & how poor the team are performing. I also feel we did good to avoid bringing in Boyd he has hardly set the championship alight!. I would not be surprised to see them relegated to Div.1.

[Hughesy]

2-0 win should take us 7th....come on boys we can do it! Big 3 points if we can take them.

[Tom]

Just seen the highlights of Bolton's scrappy win, what I wouldn't give for one of them on Monday!

We need an early goal and then to keep the pressure up but at times under Sam getting the first goal has almost been bad for us.

I'll say 2-1 Rovers with Hoilett getting his first PL goal for the winner

[Commondore]

Just seen the highlights of Bolton's scrappy win, what I wouldn't give for one of them on Monday!

We need an early goal and then to keep the pressure up but at times under Sam getting the first goal has almost been bad for us.

I'll say 2-1 Rovers with Hoilett getting his first PL goal for the winner

I would be VERY surprised even to see Hoilett on the pitch against Sunderland. Black Cats seems to be their usual sketchy selves though, and they are exactly the kind of team that Allardyce football should work well against. I say 2-1, Emerton and Nico K.

[gumboots]

We can all hope to win but I reckon most of us have this awful feeling that Bent will play and score and we'll lose 2-1. I no longer go to matches with even the limited amount of optimism I used to have even 6 months ago. I reckon the constant takeover speculation is affecting everyone (players must be as aware as we are of it even though it's not really out there in the press or on tv) even if they try to put it out of their minds. I'd love to see a win tomorrow and hope for one as fervently as anyone but I just find the believing really hard nowadays.

[MarkBRFC71]

No, our top assister is Pedersen. Also his goal against Sunderland last season got us back into the game. You say he 'takes all our set-pieces' dropping a player who takes corners, free kicks and throw-ins, makes me wonder..... where would our goals come from

Whoever else we chose to take them? If Diouf took all our setpieces he'd be top assister. The way we play whoever takes the setpieces will be top assister - it's got nothing to do with quality.

As I said he started the season well but even his staunchest defender had to admit that the last few games he's offered nothing other than the odd decent free-kick. If Dunny's ever fit (I know that's a big if) MGP would be the one I'd drop.

As for the game, given our recent performances a draw would be a great result. The players we've got should be able to get a result, but the style of football and the tactics hold them back IMO.

[John]

We can all hope to win but I reckon most of us have this awful feeling that Bent will play and score and we'll lose 2-1. I no longer go to matches with even the limited amount of optimism I used to have even 6 months ago. I reckon the constant takeover speculation is affecting everyone (players must be as aware as we are of it even though it's not really out there in the press or on tv) even if they try to put it out of their minds. I'd love to see a win tomorrow and hope for one as fervently as anyone but I just find the believing really hard nowadays.

Maybe the takeover talk affects some of the members on here however I really can't believe it has made any different to the players.

Sam said it was a distraction for us in August as clubs thought we might have more money than we did (thanks Syed).

It's not as if the national media have been reporting on it on a daily/weekly basis - there is even minimal coverage in the LET apart from the odd random article or repetitive line of "a number of interested parties are in talks" etc etc.

[RIML]

Whoever else we chose to take them? If Diouf took all our setpieces he'd be top assister. The way we play whoever takes the setpieces will be top assister - it's got nothing to do with quality.

As I said he started the season well but even his staunchest defender had to admit that the last few games he's offered nothing other than the odd decent free-kick. If Dunny's ever fit (I know that's a big if) MGP would be the one I'd drop.

As for the game, given our recent performances a draw would be a great result. The players we've got should be able to get a result, but the style of football and the tactics hold them back IMO.

There's a reason why Pedersen takes the majority of our set-pieces and I'm guessing it's because Sam thinks he's the best at taking them, that's why I think he should be in the team.

Just going back to what RVR said,

"Pedersen and Olsson don't deserve to be in the side"

Pedersen's not had many shots on target but he's had a couple of decent games, a couple of average games and I don't like saying this but he's not had a poor game this season, which is why I disagree with the above comment, he hasn't had a bad performance and he's our main threat from set-pieces.