[Archived] Rovers v West Ham

[PAFELL]

arrange a demo at the Wham game against T'indians based on the ten days of Christmas:

1. The Riverside all walk out 5 minutes early;

2. Waggy will run naked through Rishton

3. Abbs will stay sober and keep off THE CAPS

4. Jackson will pi$$ himself;

5. Gordon will embrace people of Indian faith;

6. Hughsey will announce the game is called off;

7. Den will stop making sensible posts every couple of weeks or so;

8. the EDL will join the Blue Brigade with a chant calling for a boycott of halal chicken and mushroom pies;

9. Nicko will deliver The Hand of God to Ewood, and;

10. 1864 keeps off the ale (where are you 1864Roverite ?).

Giblets to protests - does the team, no good. Does the current stand in manager no good.

Before we all start a lynch mob, lets wait for the plans the venky's have.

What if they have more money than they claimed or people think.

What if they do sign quality players and we end up watching a good, stylish winning football team.

what if the club finishes in the top 5.

The mood on here will be all joyful.

[BRFC1995]

just heard our likely targets are geovanni and boyd............'pessimistic' does'nt do justice to just how deflated that makes me, jesus.

1-0 wham, already see sunday newspaper headlines and sam being incredibly smug on sky........we don't have good enough players to play good football need to buy them 1st can just see salgado and givet getting cut to shreds if we play expansive football on saturday with this crop.

[DanLad]

Is it possible that Grant could have been emptied out and Big Sam installed before the game on Sat'day?

[Radagast]

It all depends on how the squad react, and I get the feeling one of the teams that takes the field is going to be on the end of a doing. Either the atmosphere in the camp completely deflates and a flat, rudderless Rovers team gets cuffed, or they band together with a "win it for Big Sam" attitude and the Hammers feel the brunt of it.

Factor in that we usually provide struggling West Ham sides with a launchpad and I'm sadly leaning towards the former.

[PAFELL]

It all depends on how the squad react, and I get the feeling one of the teams that takes the field is going to be on the end of a doing. Either the atmosphere in the camp completely deflates and a flat, rudderless Rovers team gets cuffed, or they band together with a "win it for Big Sam" attitude and the Hammers feel the brunt of it.

Factor in that we usually provide struggling West Ham sides with a launchpad and I'm sadly leaning towards the former.

They will win it for Big Sam.

Tony Parkes has said that some players will be happy with the sacking of Sam.

I am prepared to give Steve keane a shot at the big time. He is respected by the players, so they will lisen to him. He is going to need support and I suggest that is our task.

I do not believe he is a mug - just may be a gem in this situation. It is just a gut feeling I have. Nothing to do with the Venky's / kentaro. Just some of his reactions from the touch line. Hard to put into words, but WHU are in for a hiding on sat.

[BuckyRover]

"win it for Big Sam"?  He's gone.  I don't think there will be many cheering for Big Sam on Saturday imo.  As Parkes said, many of the players will be relieved. The shackles are off, let's see what transpires.

[Ewood Spark]

Interesting dilemma for WHAMers on Saturday ... the scouting files may as well be thrown in the bin. You can bet Keane will be prepared for Grant ... but Grant won't have a clue what to expect from Keane's selection/style.

[bazza]

I wish I was going to this one...........BUT I CAN'T

I'm going to miss it.

Get behind the lads and give the Hammers what for. It's got to be a Rovers romp.

[Roversider]

No place on Saturday for anything but a committed support to the team - that is who we are about, not the manager or the owners. There needs to be a really positive vocal support for the Rovers. This is a critical game for us, we can nail West Ham to the floor with a win.

Time to be positive, POSITIVE!!!!

[DanLad]

It'll be really interesting to see the side on Sat'day.

Will it be a sea change or much of the same?

Hopefully we will see a better standard of football, but still enforce fortress Ewood. I do honestly think we have looked our most dangerous when we've actually played a bit of football. Fingers crossed.

ISTR Kean being very highly rated on Footy Manager a few seasons ago, FWIW...

[RevidgeBlue]

It will be interesting to see if Kean goes out on a limb on Saturday or initially sticks largely with Sam's methods that have achieved limited success.

Personally I'd like to see a lot less long ball and the players attempting to pass the ball to each other on the ground.

I'd also like to see Jones at CB, Olsson at LB, Hoillet more involved in first team matters and Kalinic and Roberts up front in a 4-4-2.

[Hullrover]

arrange a demo at the Wham game against T'indians based on the ten days of Christmas:

1. The Riverside all walk out 5 minutes early;

Surely this would be a vote of confidence!

[DanLad]

One of the ideas was to not turn up until 5 mins into the game. I don't usually get there until then anyway. Will I be tarred as a radical?

[King Kenny's Magic]

It will be interesting to see if Kean goes out on a limb on Saturday or initially sticks largely with Sam's methods that have achieved limited success.

Personally I'd like to see a lot less long ball and the players attempting to pass the ball to each other on the ground.

I'd also like to see Jones at CB, Olsson at LB, Hoillet more involved in first team matters and Kalinic and Roberts up front in a 4-4-2.

We might actually have the pleasure of seeing players play in their best positions. I'm looking forward to seeing Jones at the heart of the defence if that's the case. If Olsson plays at LB with Jones at CB then we should have a bit of pace and sharpness back at the back. We have looked ruddy static at times!

[slough_rover]

One of the ideas was to not turn up until 5 mins into the game. I don't usually get there until then anyway. Will I be tarred as a radical?

I dont think most people will honestly care. I will be there and both the team and Venkys will be getting my full support. I also look forward to attending a few away games without total fear of subjecting myself to arguably the worst away football in the league.

[King Kenny's Magic]

I dont think most people will honestly care. I will be there and both the team and Venkys will be getting my full support. I also look forward to attending a few away games without total fear of subjecting myself to arguably the worst away football in the league.

Here here!

[Mercer]

I have friends who follow the Hammers closely and they feel that Avram will be the next casualty. Apparently, he cuts a very lonely and uninspirational figure who 'watches' whilst his coaches run the sessions. West Ham will be there for the taking if we are at the races but I bet the biggest cheers were in the East End when Sam was sacked because they hated / feared their visits to Blackburn, Bolton.

[m1st]

W. Ham are a real bogey team for us - ask anyone old enough to remember the game played at Ewood on 28th December 1963; two days after we'd tubbed them 8-2 at their place [Pickering 3; Douglas; McEvoy 3; Ferguson] and everyone thinking the return game would be a stroll for us - there was a cartoon on the back page of that day's "Daily Mail" of a scorecard-seller, rather than a programme-seller outside Ewood - result 1-3.

Because I have friends who live a couple of stops along the District Line from Upton Park, I've been to quite a few of our games there in more recent times and can't remember seeing better than a draw.

However, they really do seem to be at a low ebb this season, irrespective of them beating Man. United in the Carling Cup. Even if we hadn't had the traumas of the last 36 hours, I'd have been expecting a fairly comfortable win. Hopefully, Steve Kean will have the players fully motivated and we'll be able to do our goal difference some good at the same time as leaving them even more isolated at the bottom of the table. I'd hope for a scoreline like the Wolves game and I don't care how we get them!

The two players of theirs who need to be watched, imo, are Scott Parker and, if he plays [he's only started twice this season], Radoslav Kovac. Parker will run midfield if we don't shackle him and whenever I've seen Kovac against us, he's come across as "an uncompromising midfielder" if you know what I mean.

I wonder if Benni'll be on the bench for them?

[Blueboy Downunder]

"We are looking forward for the best for the fans. This is for their benefit. We are concerned about the fans."

COURTESY OF SKYSPORTS.COM

Following on from this, you would certainly be concerned with the fans on saturday and thereafter...if we don't get 3 pts. you'd be very concerned with the the fans think, mr rao!!

[philipl]

As if the West Ham game wasn't big enough already!

Porn boys have told Avram Grant it is a must win.

[LeChuck]

It will be interesting to see if Kean goes out on a limb on Saturday or initially sticks largely with Sam's methods that have achieved limited success.

At home the success has been more than limited.

We should stick with the tactics for this game, especially against a powder-puff West Ham team who will crumble under the pressure.

If Kean wants a different style he needs to implement it slowly, if he goes for a big change straight away it could backfire badly.

[King Kenny's Magic]

As if the West Ham game wasn't big enough already!

Porn boys have told Avram Grant it is a must win.

It's going to be a very tense affair! What if we play well and lose,what will the Rao family say then?

[Jackson]

It's going to be a very tense affair! What if we play well and lose,what will the Rao family say then?

Statistically, we'd have lost this with Sam in charge and so that should allieviate some of the pressure.

[King Kenny's Magic]

Statistically, we'd have lost this with Sam in charge and so that should allieviate some of the pressure.

Cool,at least we have a head start lol! I remember fondly Alan Partridge using the word "allieviate". He was talking about the pedestrianisation of Norwich city centre,whilst having a fumble with Jill at his Travel Tavern(3 Stars!).LOL!

[Ozz]

It's going to be a very weird atmosphere on Saturday. Clearly the majority of fans think sacking Sam is a big mistake, but to whom do the attending crowd direct their disapproval? Kean? Williams? The team? It is bound to cause unrest inside the stadium, and at best an atmosphere not conducive to inspire any great performances on the pitch. And if that was to continue, we will soon be in a relegation fight.

Venkys have shown themselves to be naive in the extreme in manageing an EPL club. They have massively underestimated the value of stability, harmony and the massive efforts made by the board over the last three years in creating a relatively successful Premiership team. It wouldn't take much to throw all that away in a thrice, indeed we nearly did it just by appointing Paul Ince in 2008, never mind ripping up the blue print and starting from scratch.

Massive massive challenge ahead for the club, and the inital responsibility lies with Kean, and most importantly the players-results are all that matters and with out Allardyce they are the ones who must dig deep in every game to ensure that the new owners succeed despite themselves and their bizarre mangement style.

Lose on Saturday to a dead and buried West Ham and they may have the 20,000 people inside Ewood letting them know how they feel, and that will only end in one way, sooner or later.