[Archived] Blackburn Rovers vs. Aston Villa

[ross-shire rover]

ZING!

Have you lot never heard of Bryan Douglas ?

[RibbleValleyRover]

Hoofball under Sam is, and always has been, a myth. The team has started playing very well and they are on form now. When the team has been off colour (and our 'class' of player means it's more often than the top teams) the football looks dreadful. Passes go astray continually. To avoid that and being under pressure, players tend to get rid of the ball quicker and that does result in big hoofs up the pitch. Playing the percentages means we do put the ball in the box in the air and put the keeper under pressure. It works. That isn't hoofball, it's tactical.

BTW, this entire hoofball v non-hoofball argument is circular. People believe what they want and it will always be so.

I don't agree with the term 'hoofball' I prefer the term 'playing a very direct game'.

We look to get the ball from back to front as quick as possible often by Robbo hitting it long and aiming for either the lone striker to control and layoff or for the opposition to give the ball back to us. If we get the ball back higher up the field we do use mixed passing but the initial forward moves almost always are started from a punt from back to front.

It's a style of system that has in my view a fine line between success and failure. If you come across a side that can capitalise on the amount of possession you are going to give them in midfield there is a good chance you will be punished. Or if you come across a side that can keep possession and set up attacks when the ball is launched forward to their back four there is a good chance you will be punished.

[daveoftherovers]

Enjoyed it, 2nd half inparticular, and the Villa baiting was good sport (Sh8 Support me lord and Handball especially as they brought so few!)

I thought all but Givet had a good game and it was astute by Big Sam to haul him off, a previous poster is right, Villa are normally a VERY dangerous side, so to blank them out is a top result.

MGP is starting to kick into gear again, Dunny got 90 mins (And showed he still has some energy and a sublime turn) Hoilett showed that he isn't toilet, Nelson and Robinson had good games, Phil Jones shouldn't shoot, but had a good game, great energy, Solgado looks better every game, Samba eats high balls for breakfast, Goujon is a raw monster of a man, Roberts is still on a mission (long may that continue and Doiufy (Deliberate for the spelling & grammar police) is still our best player so far this season...

Reference this:

Seemed a very warm Lancashire welcome for the new owners, though someone should have nipped over to the club shop for a couple of club parkas for them.

And someone should nip out and buy them a couple of decent suits, how good would you feel going out with them 2, you couldn't fail, all that money and ??? No accounting for taste!!!

[MarkBRFC71]

I was there. I know we were terrible. What's that got to do with anything?

Yes we have improved.

The whole point is that you can't accept that it's anything other than Allardyce moving on from "Hoofball". People knew at the time that we were playing badly, but in some peoples opinion, it wasn't simply because Allardyce was telling the players to do nothing but hit it long. We've improved since then, but you still can't accept that it isn't simply because Allardyce has changed his whole outlook on how to play football.

To believe that someone like Sam is going to change completely, his whole ideas on football overnight is daft and I would argue insulting to him.

I never said the change in tactics and style was the ONLY reason for the improvement in results and performances, but it is a huge contributory factor. I also never said he'd totally changed his 'whole idea on football' but he HAS undoubtedly changed the way WE play.

The tactical changes have made the players seemingly more comfortable, better suit the players we've got, compensate for the lack of pace in midfield by allowing us to build attacks more slowly and provide better support to the front man, while closing the opposition down higher up the pitch, more often and more quickly. I find it blindingly obvious to see on the pitch - I'm flummoxed that you cannot see it to be honest Den.

Anyway we've done it to death - we'll have to just agree to disagree. Whatever the reasons for the improved performances we can at least agree that we're playing as well as we've ever done under BFS.

[den]

.,.,

[JAL]

Brad Friedel has now conceded more goals at Ewood Park than any other ground.

Getting older, Brad looks like hes losing a little bit of spring in his body.

What with Paul Robinson now at his peak, we can now relax and say yes, glad there was a change in No. 1 keepers at Rovers.

[Montfort]

If you can't be bothered to spell his name correctly, what does it mean?

Laziness, ignorance, inability to spell?

I'm hardly a pedant, am I montfart?

For your information, as I suspect you don’t know already, a pedant is “one who insists unnecessarily on detail, one who shows off his learning”. With this definition, I suggest that the term is appropriate.

I was rejoicing in a great Rovers victory and agreeing with a colleague on some great individual performances. You by comparison ……

I will not be dignifying any further comments that you make on this topic with a response as there are better things to do, more interesting things to talk about

[AHoyle90]

Sams tactics this season and last have always been the same, maybe we have started to play a bit more passing but its still mostly direct and was yesterday. When it works its great and gives us some important wins, when it doesn't, it makes us look terrible and the manager clueless, but there you go, its working at the minute and we cant have any complaints that Sam Allardyce is doing a fine job.

[ancient]

Improved performances at Ewood, my take on this, some weeks ago as BFS lay in his bed he was visited by the Arch Angel Gabriel who told him quite plainly he was f-----g fed up with balls keep coming in his garden.

COME ON ROVERS

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Robinson - 8

Salgado - 8

Samba - 8

Nelsen - 8

Givet - 7

Jones - 8

EHD - 7

Pederson - 8.5

Dunn - 7

Hoilett - 7.5

Roberts - 8.5

Subs

Chimbonda - 7.5

Goulon - 7

Mama - 8

Marks in todays Guardian-

Robbo-5.9

Salgado-7.3

Samba-5.1

Nelsen-5.8

Givet-5.6

Hoilett-5.2

Dunn-4.6

Jones -5.2

Pedersen-6.8

E H Diouf-4.0

Roberts-6.0

No marks given for substitutes.

[JAL]

Marks in todays Guardian-

Robbo-5.9

Salgado-7.3

Samba-5.1

Nelsen-5.8

Givet-5.6

Hoilett-5.2

Dunn-4.6

Jones -5.2

Pedersen-6.8

E H Diouf-4.0

Roberts-6.0

No marks given for substitutes.

I'd agree that Dunn, Hoilett and Diouf were the poorest performers by far. What marks did they give for Steven Warnock ? thought he was shockingly poor.

[BuckyRover]

Marks in todays Guardian-

Robbo-5.9

Salgado-7.3

Samba-5.1

Nelsen-5.8

Givet-5.6

Hoilett-5.2

Dunn-4.6

Jones -5.2

Pedersen-6.8

E H Diouf-4.0

Roberts-6.0

No marks given for substitutes.

I love the Guardian. They pretend they are protecting the working man yet always find the opportunity to stick the boot in to us.

[tony gale's mic]

As regards the style of play, I think he mixes it up game to game. Sometimes a more direct and less ambitious style has helped us pick up points. Take the games vs City and Chelsea. Chelsea was arguably the better performance, we looked to attack more whereas vs City we mostly sat back and hoofed. But against City we were far more comitted to defending which IMO is why we got the point. Against Chelsea we fell asleep at the back a couple of times and conceded twice, even though we could have scored a couple more than we did.

There's definitely been games where Sams made an error of judgement and gone for too direct a style. However there's also been games IMO when this long ball style has nicked us a point.

[Amo]

I'd agree that Dunn, Hoilett and Diouf were the poorest performers by far. What marks did they give for Steven Warnock ? thought he was shockingly poor.

Today's Mirror gave Salgado 5/10, lower than the rest of the defenders, whilst Ashley Young got a 7/10. I thought Salgado had Young in his pocket, tbh.

[Smithy]

Today's Mirror gave Salgado 5/10, lower than the rest of the defenders, whilst Ashley Young got a 7/10. I thought Salgado had Young in his pocket, tbh.

And I guess young has the reporter in his pocket.

[JAL]

Today's Mirror gave Salgado 5/10, lower than the rest of the defenders, whilst Ashley Young got a 7/10. I thought Salgado had Young in his pocket, tbh.

Love watching Salgado...... what a quality player thank god hes only 35 .

[Fife Rover]

Marks in todays Guardian-

Robbo-5.9

Salgado-7.3

Samba-5.1

Nelsen-5.8

Givet-5.6

Hoilett-5.2

Dunn-4.6

Jones -5.2

Pedersen-6.8

E H Diouf-4.0

Roberts-6.0

No marks given for substitutes.

So now you know..........don't buy the Guardian.

[47er]

Marks in todays Guardian-

Robbo-5.9

Salgado-7.3

Samba-5.1

Nelsen-5.8

Givet-5.6

Hoilett-5.2

Dunn-4.6

Jones -5.2

Pedersen-6.8

E H Diouf-4.0

Roberts-6.0

No marks given for substitutes.

Harsh on Diouf! Also Givet apparently played better than Samba and almost as well as Nelsen (who i thought was MOM). And Givet went off at half-time!

[Wilky]

Yesterdays game was brill... Big up lads and what a start for a new era..

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Tapatalk

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I'd agree that Dunn, Hoilett and Diouf were the poorest performers by far. What marks did they give for Steven Warnock ? thought he was shockingly poor.

Villa's marks-

Brad-5.4

L Young-5.8

Dunne-5.8

Clark-4.5

Warnock-4.7

Downing-5.3

Hogg-5.0

Bannan-5.2

Ireland-3.4

A Young-6.0

Agbonlahor-4.0

[JAL]

Villa's marks-

Brad-5.4

L Young-5.8

Dunne-5.8

Clark-4.5

Warnock-4.7

Downing-5.3

Hogg-5.0

Bannan-5.2

Ireland-3.4

A Young-6.0

Agbonlahor-4.0

I'd say they are pretty consistant and accurate marks. Cant help but feel that after watching the game if Villa lost Ashley Young they would be in trouble. All on on just one player alone.

[Amo]

I'd have scored:

Robinson - 7

Salgado - 7

Nelsen - 7

Samba - 7

Givet - 6

Hoilett - 6

Dunn - 5

Jones - 7

Pedersen - 8

E. Diouf - 6

Roberts -7