[Archived] West Brom v Blackburn Rovers

[OJRovers]

Mama Diouf, Ollson, Hoilett and Kally (apart from that tackle) were good today.

Junior has to start next game.

Dunn not good again.

MGP another poor game, we can't be carrying him just for his set pieces. Hopefully he'll get back to his decent form earlier in the season.

Bunn is an excellent back-up keeper to Robbo, did some excellent saves today.

To the Hanley doubters, I thought he had a big game today, is looking good alongside Nelsen who is making sure he is in the right place (like he did with Jones last year)

[JAL]

What with a new manager, and a new optimism running through the club, plus a few highly talented players lined up in january, this should be ...an easy victory.

Apologies, and hands up for the above, was being very cynical when posting after witnessing the last two drab home games.

Full credit to the team, Steve Kean, and last but not least, all the supporters who actually went and supported the team, my hat goes off to you all.

[Muddboy]

Amazed that we managed to win without any players who can play CM in a 4-4-2 (Well, apart from Emerton I guess. But he's not a natural there). Well done to everyone involved. Great to see Niko score a couple, now let's just hope it's a 1 match ban, although I fear that may very well be classed as violent conduct and be 3.

Bunn looked very good. Made a fantastic save, and a couple more ordinary ones. Handled the ball cleanly as well. I don't think there's anything in the rumours that Robinson wants away, but we do look pretty well set for keepers if that happens (Fielding and Kean being highly rated).

Having seen a lot of Bunn at Northampton, I've always said he'll be a good asset to Rovers.

He just needed a chance to get between the sticks so that he could show what he's made of.

I hope Robbo's not injured for long but am happy to rely on Bunn if we need to.

[roverich]

Finally a return to 4-4-2 (or maybe 4-5-1; I'm never quite sure whether M.B.Diouf is playing as a striker or winger) with a recognisable midfield (2/3 central players and 2 wingers) and we finally get the result we needed. A sensible formation with clearly defined positions which the players understand and the flexibility to switch between 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 as the pace and momentum of the game dictate. I hope Steve Kean has learnt something today!

(I have nothing against Kean but he's yet to show any tactical intelligence and only gets it right when he finally copies Sam - he undoubtedly needs time to get the players pulling in his direction but until then I am glad he has finally shown willingness to use a known system that works, even if it isn't his own)

So a return to Sam's shape and tactics that we've seen consistently through the first half of the season and we get our first win since he got the boot. I hope Venky's have learnt something today!

So the first good result we get since Sam left is when we play the system and players Sam himself would have played. I hope the anti-Sam brigade have learnt something today!

[alexanders]

Great win! Im so happy now.

[philipl]

At the end of the season, this is going to be one enormously important win. Never mind the games in hand, that is a 7 point gap down to 18th.

Match stats look weird though- possession 59-41, shots on 10-4 and shots off 11-2 all in West Brom's favour with 37% of the game in our final third. That game seemed to be much much more even than that.

Great to see the players all going to our fans at the end.

[joey_big_nose]

Fantastic result.

Positives:-

Bunn looks a top quality keeper

Robinson is a top quality keeper

Olsson's defending was very good in the second half

Nelsen was outstanding

Diouf and Kalinic had excellent games (the aboslutely stupid red card apart)

Hoilett again looks the part

Negatives:-

Dunn was terrible

Hanley does not look like he is up to this league yet. Good in the air but his pace and positioning are very suspect. Hopefully Samba sorts things out with the board and comes back in.

Emerton and Pedersen had poor games (though Ped's set pieces were very good)

Kalinic getting sent off absolutely needlessly

The main issue for me is that out team looks very poor shape wise. We defended last ditch well at the end, but the majority of the game we left acres of space right through midfield. The tactics seem very gung-ho which reminds me, unfortunately, of the Ince debacle. We need a more solid shape, with a huge emphasis on a proper holding player shielding the defence.

If we drop Dunn, start Hoilett, and find somebody to play defensive midfield (can Linganzi do that?) alongside Ped's I would feel much more comfortable about the team.

[Stuart]

Seriously good result. Especially away.

Hope we don't turn into a team that can't do it in front of their own fans. We really need to improve the atmosphere at Ewood and consign the ghost of Big Sam to Rovers' history.

Sickening that Stoke lost at home to Fulham. Such an open league though, same points as Blackpool who have THREE games in hand on us!

[grizfoot]

Kalinic & Mame DIouf looked completely different players from the Stoke game whether that's just because WBA defense is crap I don't know. But fair credit to the both them throught they were superb today, silly sending off for Niko when 3-1 up. Although he got nothing from the referee all afternoon and you could see maybe why he got frustrated, but not room for shocking tackles like that in the game. West Brom's player also deserved his red card, was more of a kick than a tackle.

One world-class save from Mark Bunn was vital also, if had gone 2-3 I could have seen us conceding another. But that save kept it 1-3 and played a vital role in us getting the three points.

[alexanders]

Finally a return to 4-4-2 (or maybe 4-5-1; I'm never quite sure whether M.B.Diouf is playing as a striker or winger) with a recognisable midfield (2/3 central players and 2 wingers) and we finally get the result we needed. A sensible formation with clearly defined positions which the players understand and the flexibility to switch between 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 as the pace and momentum of the game dictate. I hope Steve Kean has learnt something today!

So a return to Sam's shape and tactics that we've seen consistently through the first half of the season and we get our first win since he got the boot. I hope Venky's have learnt something today!

So the first good result we get since Sam left is when we play the system and players Sam himself would have played. I hope the anti-Sam brigade have learnt something today!

what??????

[Amo]

Thoroughly deserved win for Kean and the lads when we needed it most. I can safely say, until Kalinic got sent-off, that's the most entertained I've been watching Rovers for sometime. The last half-hour was back to the walls stuff, but the players proved there's no shortage of spirit in the camp with the way they dug in and fought for the three points.

Hero of the match - Kalinic

Great opening finish from our £6m man and a glancing header for his second. Let's hope the change of management can give him a new lease of life at Rovers and prove the doubters wrong.

- And special mention to Mark Bunn, who was more than up to the task when called upon.

Villain of the match - Kalinic

It probably deserved a yellow, but it was still a clumsy and needless tackle which put us on the backfoot for the rest of the match.

However, this win was not without its point of order:

Kean's respect for old pros Pedersen, Dunn & Emerton must have blinded him to the gaping big hole in our midfield throughout the game. I'm never going to be comfortable until we give someone like Linganzi the nod.

[Bobby G]

Finally a return to 4-4-2 (or maybe 4-5-1; I'm never quite sure whether M.B.Diouf is playing as a striker or winger) with a recognisable midfield (2/3 central players and 2 wingers) and we finally get the result we needed. A sensible formation with clearly defined positions which the players understand and the flexibility to switch between 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 as the pace and momentum of the game dictate. I hope Steve Kean has learnt something today!

So a return to Sam's shape and tactics that we've seen consistently through the first half of the season and we get our first win since he got the boot. I hope Venky's have learnt something today!

So the first good result we get since Sam left is when we play the system and players Sam himself would have played. I hope the anti-Sam brigade have learnt something today!

It was definitely 4-5-1 with Mame down the right. With our midfield, I wouldnt play otherwise!

[Andy]

Great result today and a vital win for everyone, by all accounts.

Delighted to see Niko score two, I'm a big fan and have always thought that with a strike partner alongside him, he'd thrive.

Good on Bunn for coming in and showing that he's more than capable of stepping in for Robbo.

Didn't see much of the match, so I can only go off the result and what I've read on here, but what a cracking result and what a time to get it

[beerwins]

Really proud of the lads today and the fans at the match, they were brilliant and i'm sure it lifted the players to hear them so vocal.

Well done to Kean too, some stange substitions but I think if we had sat back on the lead it could have been a lot worse, It certainly looks today like Roversider said that Kean has got the team behind him.

We really need to sign some quality in midfield though, its like a free run for any team that attacks through the middle.

[Mercer]

Unexpected but fantastic result!

Takes a lot of pressure off.

By no means out of the woods but things a tad brighter now.

[Bobby G]

Thoroughly deserved win for Kean and the lads when we needed it most. I can safely say, until Kalinic got sent-off, that's the most entertained I've been watching Rovers for sometime. The last half-hour was back to the walls stuff, but the players proved there's no shortage of spirit in the camp with the way they dug in and fought for the three points.

Hero of the match - Kalinic

Great opening finish from our £6m man and a glancing header for his second. Let's hope the change of management can give him a new lease of life at Rovers and prove the doubters wrong.

- And special mention to Mark Bunn, who was more than up to the task when called upon.

Villain of the match - Kalinic

It probably deserved a yellow, but it was still a clumsy and needless tackle which put us on the backfoot for the rest of the match.

However, this win was not without its point of order:

Kean's respect for old pros Pedersen, Dunn & Emerton must have blinded him to the gaping big hole in our midfield throughout the game. I'm never going to be comfortable until we give someone like Linganzi the nod.

That was a leg breaking challenge Topman. It was a red unfortunately.

[T4E]

find somebody to play defensive midfield (can Linganzi do that?)

Steven N'Zonzi could do that. Is he still injured? The stalling of his development is the biggest on pitch disappointment of the season so far.

[booth]

Finally a return to 4-4-2 (or maybe 4-5-1; I'm never quite sure whether M.B.Diouf is playing as a striker or winger) with a recognisable midfield (2/3 central players and 2 wingers) and we finally get the result we needed. A sensible formation with clearly defined positions which the players understand and the flexibility to switch between 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 as the pace and momentum of the game dictate. I hope Steve Kean has learnt something today!

(I have nothing against Kean but he's yet to show any tactical intelligence and only gets it right when he finally copies Sam - he undoubtedly needs time to get the players pulling in his direction but until then I am glad he has finally shown willingness to use a known system that works, even if it isn't his own)

So a return to Sam's shape and tactics that we've seen consistently through the first half of the season and we get our first win since he got the boot. I hope Venky's have learnt something today!

So the first good result we get since Sam left is when we play the system and players Sam himself would have played. I hope the anti-Sam brigade have learnt something today!

Copies Sam? If I were you I'd watch the game, then comment on it

[Valois]

To all those negative Nigel's before the game, were are you now? I said before the game we should go out and play positive attacking football, and we did. Ok the gaps in midfield is a worry, but we have 4 centre mid players injured. Lets hope we can get a couple back soon, as some good additions in January. Really impressed with Kali and Mame today, Bunn was quality in the 2nd half, and they didnt create much when we went down to 10 men, just hit the bar. Dunn is a worry as looks terrible at the moment. He has to be dropped for the Sunderland game surely. No Salgado or Kali now either, bit worrying as the squad is seriously depleated already. Upto 9th in the league, and looked like we want to pass it around and play good football today. Things are looking a lot better. If only we could have won those last 2 home games now we would be 6th in the league.

[slough_rover]

Finally a return to 4-4-2 (or maybe 4-5-1; I'm never quite sure whether M.B.Diouf is playing as a striker or winger) with a recognisable midfield (2/3 central players and 2 wingers) and we finally get the result we needed. A sensible formation with clearly defined positions which the players understand and the flexibility to switch between 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 as the pace and momentum of the game dictate. I hope Steve Kean has learnt something today!

(I have nothing against Kean but he's yet to show any tactical intelligence and only gets it right when he finally copies Sam - he undoubtedly needs time to get the players pulling in his direction but until then I am glad he has finally shown willingness to use a known system that works, even if it isn't his own)

So a return to Sam's shape and tactics that we've seen consistently through the first half of the season and we get ourfirst win since he got the boot. I hope Venky's have learnt something today!

So the first good result we get since Sam left is when we play the system and players Sam himself would have played. I hope the anti-Sam brigade have learnt something today!

I'm sorry but were we watching the same game? This performance was nothing like a Sam away game. You say Kean should learn something from this game, yet you are the one that clearly needs to.

[alexanders]

And to think we were AWAY and havent won against brom since 2005. We also were without P.Jones and C.Samba. Makes it even more impressive.

Have to say all the players are very down and this game truly shows that they dont want to play for this manager

[Clitherover]

Fantastic result, made my day!

Well done to Stevie Kean, hope this is a start of a great career for him.

:brfcsmilie:

[Bobby G]

I didnt see Junior do anything notable since he came on, but a couple of people were very impressed with him today for some reason.

One thing I can give Kean is his substitutions are always attacking.

PS. This was our first away win (outside the North West) for the whole of last season and this season I think. Could be longer if someone verifies it!

[m1st]

9th in the league. 8pts from Champions League.

We'd be sixth if we beat Stoke and West Ham. Oh well, top 5 here we come!

At least we're up to ninth; and, okay, all the teams below us have games in hand on us [some have three], but Villa, for example, seem to be in freefall. It's been fascinating listening to the BBC commentators and pundits trying to find polite synonyms for "crap" when describing Villa!

[Valois]

Copies Sam? If I were you I'd watch the game, then comment on it

Agree, we didnt play anything like what we did under Sam. We actually kept the ball down and pass it around quite well. Ok when Kali got sent off we resorted to route one, but we had to.