[Archived] The Dawn Of A New Era

[adopted scouser]

Very depressed after yesterday, had a great night out (with Burnley friends), nice Sunday lie-in and then a flick through this MB.

Conclusions - IMO, Rovers are becoming / have become a laughing stock, you only need to read the papers, listen to the pundits and listen to friends, colleagues who support other teams.

Perhaps more importantly, I sense a growing disillusionment with many, many of our supporters - this MB largely says it all.

New owners, new manager - should be exciting times, however, feels more like the dawn of a dark era.

Feel exactly the same. Others used to rip the p1ss out of us under Allardyce with his 'style' of football, it was rubbish but at least it felt safe.

Listening to him on 'Goals on Sunday' this morning compounded the fear, it 'dawned' on me that there is a huge difference between a coach and a Manager.

[Mattyblue]

Indeed AS.

I make no bones about the fact that the wellbeing of the club comes before 'playing football the right way'.

I enjoyed the fact I would come down to Ewood under Allardyce and with a few exceptions expect and witness a win.

Those basking in the short honeymoon of Kean were so shortsighted it's unreal.

[John]

True, people have been laughing out loud recently at the goings on at our club. New era has started like a complete shambles.

[Kelbo]

Feel exactly the same. Others used to rip the p1ss out of us under Allardyce with his 'style' of football, it was rubbish but at least it felt safe.

Listening to him on 'Goals on Sunday' this morning compounded the fear, it 'dawned' on me that there is a huge difference between a coach and a Manager.

I watched Kean on the sidelines and he doesnt appear to see or know what is happening on the pitch, he doesnt look a manager, he looks as someone said earlier, a Rabbit in headlights and the approaching car is quickly heading towards him!!

[tony gale's mic]

If we finished in the top 7 this year, it would be 'Sam who...?'

Some of our fans said the same about Sparky.

1. We won't finish in the top 7 this season. Pointless argument. Even IF we did, I'd be eager to see whether Kean's success over half a season was just that (as seen with many managers of newly promoted sides trying to play expansive football) or whether it sustained itself over multiple seasons like Sam managed.

2. I certainly wasn't one of them. Sparky had managed a Wales side to their most successful qualifying performance in recent memory, beat Italy and Germany, drew with Argentina and Croatia, was respected by the likes of Bellamy and Giggs as a manager, took them 50 places up the world rankings, and just missed out on qualifying for Euro 2004. He had managed successfully before and out thought some of the best managers in the international game. Kean hasn't managed before. This is the fundamental difference.

[Majiball]

I watched Kean on the sidelines and he doesnt appear to see or know what is happening on the pitch, he doesnt look a manager, he looks as someone said earlier, a Rabbit in headlights and the approaching car is quickly heading towards him!!

Whenever I've seen him in the dugout I've always thought he was stood there thinking and thinking is a good thing. He's obviously a thinker, he's thinking about what's going on on the pitch and other matters that require thinking. I'm sure I read somewhere that he's a strong thinker as well, so lets give him the benefit of doubt and assume he's using his strengths and is thinking, not crapping his pants over whether to stay in the middle of the headlights or jump to one of the sides.

[Bobby G]

Whenever I've seen him in the dugout I've always thought he was stood there thinking and thinking is a good thing. He's obviously a thinker, he's thinking about what's going on on the pitch and other matters that require thinking. I'm sure I read somewhere that he's a strong thinker as well, so lets give him the benefit of doubt and assume he's using his strengths and is thinking, not crapping his pants over whether to stay in the middle of the headlights or jump to one of the sides.

[Veevs]

Whenever I've seen him in the dugout I've always thought he was stood there thinking and thinking is a good thing. He's obviously a thinker, he's thinking about what's going on on the pitch and other matters that require thinking. I'm sure I read somewhere that he's a strong thinker as well, so lets give him the benefit of doubt and assume he's using his strengths and is thinking, not crapping his pants over whether to stay in the middle of the headlights or jump to one of the sides.

I liked what Kean was doing in his early games, but in the last two matches he has become inept as a manager and very much a one trick pony.. We failed too use the flanks against wigan and tried too pass it through the marsh land that is the middle of their pitch.. then against newcastle who are a major threat down the left we left Salgado alone for the whole match, even soddin Dunn and jnr where playing down our left, gifting one of the best left backs in the epl a free license to wander forward.

I like the plan they have.. but too acheive it they need to stop being so naive and trust in a much more experienced manager... jesus even dingles know Newcastles strengths and weaknesses...

[Fife Rover]

no, they have been continually hounded.

'you're messiah has gone, get over it' is the usual tone.

I have never been a disciple of Allardyce football, neither were the majority of his supporters on here, we just realised he had done a good job through a difficult period for the club.

The shortsighted ones on here that believed sacking 'hoofball' Sam and replacing him with a complete novice on the back of a handful of decent performances was a sane decision can't look further than the end of their nose.

They took delight in deriding us as the same 'football dinosaurs' that Sam was, never realising that our support for an experienced management structure was for the good of our club.

The end of the season was the time to say thanks and goodnight Sam when safety was assured, this situation has unnecessarily risked it all.

Excellent post Matty. I agree 100% with ALL you have said there.

[Majiball]

I liked what Kean was doing in his early games, but in the last two matches he has become inept as a manager and very much a one trick pony.. We failed too use the flanks against wigan and tried too pass it through the marsh land that is the middle of their pitch.. then against newcastle who are a major threat down the left we left Salgado alone for the whole match, even soddin Dunn and jnr where playing down our left, gifting one of the best left backs in the epl a free license to wander forward.

I like the plan they have.. but too acheive it they need to stop being so naive and trust in a much more experienced manager... jesus even dingles know Newcastles strengths and weaknesses...

For me one of a few things should happen when a player starts playing out of position, either shuffle the pack (if they are causing trouble) or at least pull others across to cover or tell them to get their ass back in position (if they're not causing trouble and we're being exposed).

I'm happy to let Kean have the next 6 weeks with 3 games to try and get things right on the pitch. It's not easy and he's got to do it mid season so it's only fair.

[Mercer]

If we lose our next two league games against Villa & Fulham away, and there's a good probability, will be interesting to see how Venkys react. The Blackpool match could just then become the most critical in our history - lose that and boy, we would have real problems and so would Venkys. We would be in freefall with a far from easy run-in and a rookie manager !!! Not so happy days ahead.

[Iceman]

so now we are crying out for Allardyce, but people were so obsessed with exciting football. i knew this would happen, and was hoping, that people would understand the crippling effect of losing Allardyce would have on the club.

yes the football was horrible to watch, the results at time was crap, but you cannot take away the experience he had as a MANAGER.

[tony gale's mic]

so now we are crying out for Allardyce, but people were so obsessed with exciting football. i knew this would happen, and was hoping, that people would understand the crippling effect of losing Allardyce would have on the club.

yes the football was horrible to watch, the results at time was crap, but you cannot take away the experience he had as a MANAGER.

Careful, you'll be told by certain people to stop going on about our old manager, despite the fact his sacking is a huge part of the reason why things don't look good for us now.

[philipl]

Give Kean the chance to sort it in the next six weeks. He has had a window and will see his side back to full strength so everything is going for him.

We are still closer to 7th than 18th thank goodness.

[jim mk2]

Give Kean the chance to sort it in the next six weeks. He has had a window and will see his side back to full strength so everything is going for him.

We are still closer to 7th than 18th thank goodness.

Unless you are being sarcastic I think's that a head-in-the-sand attitude. Rovers' display on Saturday was very worrying and showed a manager who appears to be getting worse with his selection and tactics rather than one getting to grips with his new job. Fulham and Villa have both been in good form of late and unless Kean can somehow devise a plan that the players believe in I can see us struggling to get a point from those 2 matches.

[Iceman]

we are just as close to the bottom 3, as what we are to the top 7.

[Steve Moss]

I'm happy to let Kean have the next 6 weeks with 3 games to try and get things right on the pitch. It's not easy and he's got to do it mid season so it's only fair.

When it concerns the PL survival of the Rovers, I'm not interested in "fair". I'm far more concerned with "competent" and "effective". I believe a run of 10 PL games is more than a sufficient run of games to evaluate whether a rookie manager is competent and effective at this level. But if fairness is the determinative issue, he's had 10 more games that 90%+ of first team coaches will ever get, so the club has been more than fair to Kean for even giving him the chance.

Kean's either up for it or not. Based on what I've seen and read so far, I believe he's not. My opinion, however, is not worth much. The owners' opinions are the only ones which matter. Accordingly, I hope either: 1) I'm flat out wrong; or, 2) the owners act quickly and decisively to replace him with a proven manager.

[imy9]

so now we are crying out for Allardyce, but people were so obsessed with exciting football. i knew this would happen, and was hoping, that people would understand the crippling effect of losing Allardyce would have on the club.

yes the football was horrible to watch, the results at time was crap, but you cannot take away the experience he had as a MANAGER.

We were giving up before matches started against the big boys away from home, the players and the manager were getting booed after WINS, I could go on, but the past is exactly that, the past. I most certainly dont want to see Sam back unless ofcourse we're bottom and then Sam will be in his element

We are going through a transitional period, a dozen games having taken over mid season was hardly ideal- this is not Kean's fault but quite clearly the owners who decided that Sam's tenure had to end.

6 weeks, as many have said already, will be like a mini pre season and I expect to see a big improvement in performance and points. It is a massive change for the players to change their style of play mid season, I have faith that Kean and the boys will turn it around.

[tony gale's mic]

We were giving up before matches started against the big boys away from home, the players and the manager were getting booed after WINS, I could go on, but the past is exactly that, the past. I most certainly dont want to see Sam back unless ofcourse we're bottom and then Sam will be in his element

We are going through a transitional period, a dozen games having taken over mid season was hardly ideal- this is not Kean's fault but quite clearly the owners who decided that Sam's tenure had to end.

6 weeks, as many have said already, will be like a mini pre season and I expect to see a big improvement in performance and points. It is a massive change for the players to change their style of play mid season, I have faith that Kean and the boys will turn it around.

We had about 5-6 games a season where we didn't really compete. Fans booing Sam and the team after WINS was more of a reflection on those fans than it was on the team. Some people had taken survival for granted under Sam, when in reality clubs with massively negative transfer budgets and a threadbare midfield should be scrapping it out amongst the relegation candidates by all rights rather than sitting comfortably in tenth.

I didn't see much change in the style of play on Saturday. Only under Sam that style of play usually worked pretty well at Ewood.

[Steve Moss]

. . . I have faith that Kean and the boys will turn it around.

That's comforting if your faith is strong enough to heal the sick and raise the dead. Assuming that a "St." is not in front of your name, however, I prefer to rely on objective facts.

And objectively speaking, we look to be in serious trouble. While we are not bottom 3, we are flirting with it far more than we are pushing for a top 10 spot.

[imy9]

That's comforting if your faith is strong enough to heal the sick and raise the dead. Assuming that a "St." is not in front of your name, however, I prefer to rely on objective facts.

And objectively speaking, we look to be in serious trouble. While we are not bottom 3, we are flirting with it far more than we are pushing for a top 10 spot.

We are FIVE points off 7th and FIVE points off 18th, St is not in front of my name but "Objectively speaking" you are incorrect.

[jim mk2]

We are FIVE points off 7th and FIVE points off 18th, St is not in front of my name but "Objectively speaking" you are incorrect.

We've taken 4 points out of the last 15. Which way would you say we are heading ?

[imy9]

We've taken 4 points out of the last 15. Which way would you say we are heading ?

We are going through a bad patch- as all teams do- the table does not lie and at the end of the season will not lie.

[Kelbo]

I would love to know on just what you base your faith imy?

[jim mk2]

We are going through a bad patch- as all teams do- the table does not lie and at the end of the season will not lie.

Kean has taken 11 points out of 30 which is relegation form. It seems the bad patch started when he took over.