[Archived] Rovers v West Ham

[LeChuck]

Ignoring all the off-field antics, if that's at all possible, this is the team I'd like to see against Stoke. I'd say it's quite ambitious, by our usual standards, but we're at home and have nothing to lose. We always flounder when we try to beat Stoke at their own game, so let's try something different:

ROBINSON

SALGADO - SAMBA - NELSEN - MORRIS

LINGANZI

EMERTON - PEDERSEN

HOILETT - OLSSON

KALINIC

We definitely need to change it from the last game, but I'm not sure that shape would offer any penetration. I'd go for...

......................... Robinson

Salgado .... Samba ..... Nelsen .... Olsson

.............. Goulon ........ Pedersen

... Hoilett .......... E. Diouf ......... M. Diouf

........................... Kalinic

[Yorick]

Ignoring all the off-field antics, if that's at all possible, this is the team I'd like to see against Stoke. I'd say it's quite ambitious, by our usual standards, but we're at home and have nothing to lose. We always flounder when we try to beat Stoke at their own game, so let's try something different:

ROBINSON

SALGADO - SAMBA - NELSEN - MORRIS

LINGANZI

EMERTON - PEDERSEN

HOILETT - OLSSON

KALINIC

Suicide. From Morris forward there's not a tackle in the lot of em.

[Amo]

We definitely need to change it from the last game, but I'm not sure that shape would offer any penetration. I'd go for...

How so? We've got Olsson & Hoilett out-wide, Salgado & Morris on the overlap, Emerton & Pedersen toiling away in the middle, and Linganzi clearing up at the back. I think it gives us as good a fighting chance as any.

Your line-up would also be a big improvement on Saturday, as well.

Suicide. From Morris forward there's not a tackle in the lot of em.

Then kindly point out who should play, otherwise your point is moot.

[Yorick]

Then kindly point out who should play, otherwise your point is moot.

No it isn't. It's simply a comment on your amateurish selection and your comment that 'we have nothing to lose' against Stoke.

Anyway the place to debate this is for another thread.

[Amo]

No it isn't. It's simply a comment on your amateurish selection and your comment that 'we have nothing to lose' against Stoke.

Sure it is. If you can't suggest an alternative then you don't have a case. And please explain how the defensive midfielder, the young left-back and the two full backs-come-wingers don't have a tackle in them.

Anyway the place to debate this is for another thread.

Which we don't have yet.

[Miker]

We have to go 4-4-2 I think, with Roberts injured and Benjani undeserving of a starting place next week, I think Kalinic has to start and I'd rather he plays with a partner.

If we play 4-4-2 with Kalinic and MB Diouf up front and manage to beat Stoke with Kalinic having a good game(and/or scoring), the owners (and Steve Kean) will quickly win back the fans and there will be something a lot more positive for all of us.

[Yorick]

Sure it is. If you can't suggest an alternative then you don't have a case. And please explain how the defensive midfielder, the young left-back and the two full backs-come-wingers don't have a tackle in them.

No. I can't be bothered arguing.

[den]

Topman - the "nothing to lose" comment - are you sure the result doesn't matter?

[BPF]

Ignoring all the off-field antics, if that's at all possible, this is the team I'd like to see against Stoke. I'd say it's quite ambitious, by our usual standards, but we're at home and have nothing to lose. We always flounder when we try to beat Stoke at their own game, so let's try something different:

ROBINSON

SALGADO - SAMBA - NELSEN - MORRIS

LINGANZI

EMERTON - PEDERSEN

HOILETT - OLSSON

KALINIC

Hate to say it, but there is a reason that tripe like Benjani is being picked ahead of Kalinic....

Waste

Of

Money

[Amo]

Topman - the "nothing to lose" comment - are you sure the result doesn't matter?

Yup, because I'm not confident of a result unless we shake things up.

[dopper69]

with proper warm ups, cold weather has bugger all to do with it

You never see a lion stretching and having a warm up prior to getting a kill ha ha

[Brfcrule1]

I have to say after travelling down from this side of town it was disappointing from our end the ref was awful did not see a lot of fouls committed by WHU. However there goal someone should have challenged Parker they were very lucky how the ball was deflected to Stanislas. I thought the groundsman did an amazing job but in that 2nd half we should have had a clear penalty when Benjani was clearly held back having said that I think it was a bit harsh to single out Dunny as 90% of the players were awful and to be honest once big Jase went off our forward line lacked all movement cos whenever Dunny got the ball the forwards made no runs their movement up top was so poor so all Dunny could do was pass sideways as none of the strikers made runs def. Kalinic should definitely play against Stoke. Benjani really must be sold in January I know we got him in for free but he is not mobile enough & if keano thinks Benjani made an impact when he came on he was not watching the same game as me as most of the time he was on his back****. His hold up play was awful but I did think after 70 mins Dunny looked to be labouring. But the major area of concern was in defence yes Salgado is good going forward but I noticed on many ocassions in the first half he was skinned several times and we were lucky to come in at half time at 0-0 2nd half he was much better but against top sides you have to play for 90 minutes not 45 it was only pure luck due to WHU's confidence being so low and their poor finishing they didn't win. However I have to say I hope the team who supposedly won the world cup go down the cheating southern softies deserve everything they get the way they theatrically went down holding their faces they should be in Mamma Mia an oscar winning performance from them and some of their players challenges are bordering on the side of assault. It was good to see the pie shop come on I wonder whether he still thinks he made the right choice going to that bunch of losers?. I do hope they do go down their area around the ground is very much like Burnley's only one good thing in West Ham the road out of there.

[JMillZz]

To be fair, Benjani did quite well for us prior to his injury and was probably first choice ahead of Roberts and Kalinic. Horrible performance yesterday though, he needs to show a massive improvement in our next game. I am not confident at all with Benjani and Kalinic our only choices to play up front now with Roberts injured...

After that performance Benjani should not play the next game. He was appalling. You also seem to think that Roberts is good? Kalinic is a better player but often Roberts is more effective based on his strength, other than that Roberts is a poor player.

What summed up the players' attitude was after West Ham had scored, there was a point where we got a goal kick, the fans wanted the win and the players were just walking out of the area at a snails pace though Robinson was raring to go. The whole of the Darwen End (me included) and perhaps other stands screamed at the players to get up and go for it. They got a bit of a shock from the fans.

What I don't understand is as a professional footballer how is it so difficult to stay in shape? If I was offered £10k a week or more to get myself in peak physical condition I'd be in the shape of my life. It really gets me annoyed how they earn so much and put in such a lack of effort, which in my eyes is insulting to us normal folk.

Hate to say it, but there is a reason that tripe like Benjani is being picked ahead of Kalinic....

Waste

Of

Money

You don't hate to say it, you just dislike Kalinic.

you could see it in Dunn's eyes that he knew he had had a shocker. Either that or just a sad reluctant acceptance that he basically appears to be finished

I spoke to him in Rios nightclub in Whalley last night and he knew he hadn't played well. I said how awful Benjani was and he said "what about me, for 10 minutes it was like I was playing for West Ham"

[chris]

Compared to Benjani, Dickov is a god, and I didn't like the little fella.

but now we are desperate.

Come soon Jan, we need our 5 million pound superstar

[Athlete]

That was the worse game I have ever witnessed as a Rovers fan to say were devoid of ideas in the first half would be an understatement !

todays papers give the attendance as over 21,000 - there was never so many on more like 18,000 at best

the roads surrounding Ewood were treachorous to say the least the so travel may have had something to do with it !

[92er]

But the major area of concern was in defence yes Salgado is good going forward but I noticed on many ocassions in the first half he was skinned several times and we were lucky to come in at half time at 0-0 2nd half he was much better but against top sides you have to play for 90 minutes not 45 it was only pure luck due to WHU's confidence being so low and their poor finishing they didn't win.

I avoided MOTD last night, but I turned "Breakfast" on just in time to see our goal and theirs.

It kind of confirmed Salgado was out of position yet again for the other team team scoring.

The other thing I would like to add for people who didn't go and which I don't think anybody else has alluded to, was the increased number of chantings of "There's only 1 Jack Walker".

[crazykiller]

compared to benjani dickov is a god?

Dickov was excellent for us anyway people seem to forget he was our top scorer in 2004/05 and when paired with bellamy upfront the pair were a pain to all defences.

[Jimmy612]

Yup, because I'm not confident of a result unless we shake things up.

Well we were getting results OK enough before things were so disastrously shaken up last Monday.

[Jimmy612]

compared to benjani dickov is a god?

Dickov was excellent for us anyway people seem to forget he was our top scorer in 2004/05 and when paired with bellamy upfront the pair were a pain to all defences.

Correct. Once Hughes had identified Stead as not being up to scratch for the Prem we went 4-5-1 with Dickov on his own up front. For the remainder of the season Dickov sweat blood for the cause despite having to mplay with a persistent groin injury. He was a Sav or a Speedie with his never say die attitude.

[John]

I thought Dickov did not get enough credit - for his work rate and sneering alone he caused problems for defenders.

[Darwen Rover]

My team for Stoke:

Robinson

Salgado Givet Samba Olssen

Hoillett Pederson Emerton EHDiouf

Kalinic MB diouf

[FourLaneBlue]

We only lost Roberts to a muscle pull. Maybe the cold weather didn't help.

In just what kind of parallel universe are we?

One in which Jason Roberts playing guarantees a win?!?

[Steve Moss]

My team for Stoke:

Robinson

Salgado Givet Samba Olssen

Hoillett Pederson Emerton EHDiouf

Kalinic MB diouf

I would go with the same player but lined up differently.

Robinson

Salgado Givet Samba Olssen

Emerton Pederson EH Diouf

Hoillett Kalinic MB Diouf

But only because I think the squad are more familiar with 4-3-3 more than they are with 4-4-2.

In just what kind of parallel universe are we?

One in which Jason Roberts playing guarantees a win?!?

One in which Jason Roberts not pulling up injured after 8 minutes meant we could have benched Dunn or Emerton for Olssen or Hoilett after 60 minutes.

[FourLaneBlue]

The performance was below par, but the thing that annoyed me more than anything this afternoon was the booing of Benni McCarthy. Some people have such short memories, yeah he's getting on a bit and piling on the pounds but he was a champions league winner who chose to come to little old Blackburn and scored for fun in his first season, and when the big boys were calling he may have wanted to leave but still stayed at Ewood!. I've never celebrated so wildly as i did when Benni scored that beauty agaainst Arsenal in the quarters, simply magic and a joy to watch (at times)

I don't think I have ever seen so much innacuracy spouted in the space of one post before.

Benni went on strike to get his move. That alone warrants booing.

As for him having to "come to little old Blackburn"...was that the "little old Blackburn" that had just finished sixth, only 4 points off a Champions League place? Yeah...we must be such an awful option to someone who was peddling himself around to any Prem club.

As for "when the big boys were calling he may have wanted to leave but still stayed at Ewood"...is that the same Benni who whined because he couldn't get his dreamed Chelsea move then sulked for months after? Something he himself admitted to? That same loyal Rovers diehard went on strike to get a move to the lower-placed West Ham. More gravy train for him.

As for him "piling on the pounds a bit" now...that is what he, unprofessionally, did throughout his Ewood stay. Getting paid a fortune for regularly being unfit.

If you are going to have a go at those who made their way to Ewood through the snow on Saturday, better to make sure it is justified. If they want to boo Benni who is still on 50k or so a week, fair play to them. How about leaving "little old Blackburn" out of it, though?

[LeChuck]

Benni found it hilarious anyway, the camera was on his face when they announced the substitution with instigated the booing.