[Archived] Samba Reinstated as Captain

[Valois]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1343173/Chris-Samba-gets-Blackburn-captaincy-heart-heart-Steve-Kean.html

So Samba has been given the captain's armband back, and it looks like he will stay, unless a bigger club comes in for him. What are people's views on this?

I'm not to sure how I feel, but I really hope we can hang on to big Chris, he's a massive player for the club.

[chaddyrovers]

Great news that Samba is staying at rovers!!! Good boost to the fans aswell! Captain staying

[Valois]

Definitely positive news, along with the Nelsen's statement in regards to the senior players having a meeting with the owners in regards to the future of the club.

What a difference a couple of days can make, things were looking pretty bleak, but a good away win, followed by this, and Nelsen's statement. Lets all hope for a good 2011 for Rovers.

Wish all my fellow Rovers fans a happy new year, lets continue to back the team 100%, and lets hope we can have some great success in the following year, it was once the dream of a great man.

[ada2020]

Stay unless a bigger club come's in for him, so what does he define as a bigger club?

Top four would never touch him, way to clumsy which leads to him giving away to many fouls and, worst case, getting sent off.

He would not get the captaincy back that easy if I was in charge, good on him for listening to what the manager has to say with regards to the future of the club but he would never be handed that arm band back that easy.

He earned it first time round, he should do so again.

Do not get me wrong I would love him to stay, but a standard has to be set.

Still, I trust the manager to make the decisions, maybe there was more to the conversation than has been reported.

[Valois]

I agree, I guess if someone in Europe came in for him with the right kind of cash we would have to let him go. But I think the fact Kean has stated today that we a re bringing in players to add to the squad not to replace anyone, suggests that we are no looking to sell anyone in January, including Samba. Of course if the right money was on the table, and its in the best interest for both club and player we would have to let him go.

All in all I am happy for him to be reinstated, its another kick in the nuts to the media who are gunning for our much loved club at the moment.

[philipl]

Excellent news

[Lancs Rover]

And let's add Happy New Year to Steve Kean.

Baptism of fire or what?

How many problem does any manager, not just a suppposed rookie, have to contend with?

Player revolt over the takeover, whole club resentment regarding the premature managerial sacking, captain wanting away, stand-in captain laying into the new owners, one of the clubs best prospects for decades carried off and out until the end of the season, most of the team indulging in "performance art" in his first two games in charge.

And what does he do? Reacts calmly, re-engages the wayward totemic captain, doesn't start to blame a' la Hodgson, allows us - the fans and the club - to retain a sense of dignity when everyone in the media was preparing to feast on our demise.

Well done Steve Kean, our Quiet Man.

H'way the lads, 2011.

[RovertheHill]

And let's add Happy New Year to Steve Kean.

Baptism of fire or what?

How many problem does any manager, not just a suppposed rookie, have to contend with?

Player revolt over the takeover, whole club resentment regarding the premature managerial sacking, captain wanting away, stand-in captain laying into the new owners, one of the clubs best prospects for decades carried off and out until the end of the season, most of the team indulging in "performance art" in his first two games in charge.

And what does he do? Reacts calmly, re-engages the wayward totemic captain, doesn't start to blame a' la Hodgson, allows us - the fans and the club - to retain a sense of dignity when everyone in the media was preparing to feast on our demise.

Well done Steve Kean, our Quiet Man.

H'way the lads, 2011.

Well said.

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Results will dictate Keans fate but I think he has dealt with adversity well so far. Others think differently and onlybtime will tell which of us are right.

[Bobby G]

Long may it continue.

Sometimes not losing the things you have means more than getting new things.

[Darwen Rover]

Great news!!

[John]

Results will dictate Keans fate but I think he has dealt with adversity well so far. Others think differently and onlybtime will tell which of us are right.

I wish him all the best and let's hope for a successful era.

The main question remains though, which a lot of people are discussing by the way, did he stab Sam in the back?

[Bobby G]

Kean stabbing Sam in the back? That would be a bit OTT wouldnt it?

[John]

That's what Sam thinks and a few others, anyway let's move on but leaves a sour taste - I think a confidentiality clause was agreed last week so doubt we will hear much more.

[Bobby G]

If by stabbing in the back, it would refer to agreeing to take over the reins even before JW called him up, then that would make him in the know about Sam's departure, which would be possible. But if it means he had a proactive role in getting the owners to get rid of Sam, I highly doubt it.

[gumboots]

I wish him all the best and let's hope for a successful era.

The main question remains though, which a lot of people are discussing by the way, did he stab Sam in the back?

How would he have better access to the new owners than Allardyce did? Surely he'd need that to be able to "stab him in the back". If he did have better access then you have to ask what was Allardyce doing to let that situation develop, when Kean was out on the pitch doing the coaching till all hours if we are to believe what impressed the owners. I think Allardyce was always on borrowed time. Despite the love in there's been on here and in the press, many Rovers fans, whilst questioning the timing of his sacking and the apparent lack of a planned successor, did not like him or the football the team were serving up under him and that must have been obvious to anyone coming into the club. I know it's a results business and we were just about getting good enough results to make watching us worthwhile but everyone knew what we'd play like and it was getting a bit harder each match to look forward to going to Ewood let alone going to an away game.

[John]

Who manages Kean again and just helped him get a new, revised contract?

Anyway, as I said, the issue is still being discussed by a lot of people in the game - but let's move on.

[philipl]

I think Kean is doing stunningly well given the messy smelly way he has ended up where he has.

The lack of finesse from Pune is mind boggling- they clearly gave no thought whatsoever that their actions and words would leave the impression that Kean colluded with his agent to dispose of his predecessor. Kean might be entirely innocent and simply very very lucky but he couldn't have been set up for regicide any better by what the people around him have said and done.

The comments from Pune about motivation problems under Sam were absolute rot and could only have come from Jerome Anderson causing trouble or- and this is where divisions and problems could lie ahead- Steve Kean. All this is too fresh in the memory for it not to come out again as a source of dressing room conflict if there are bad rough patches ahead this season. Kean could be totally innocent but what has been said in Pune means somebody was telling porky pies to make Sam look bad.

Let's not forget, Allardyce and John Williams had virtually no access to the owners in the weeks leading up to Sam's dismissal.

Back to Samba and Kean has inherited a pretty difficult dressing room full of egos and prickly tempraments by all accounts- one of Sam's accomplishments was the way he unified. motivated and earned loyalty from the Rovers squad and kept them together even though Roberts and Chimbonda were having a wet Monday morning every day of the week.

Kean immediately pricked Chimbonda's bubble when Sam was sacked in no uncertain manner and perhaps by taking on Samba so publicly was another way of stamping his authority. Let's hope that is the case but I still think Kentaro would love to get their cut on the extra spending Samba's sale would cause.

[Roost]

Stay unless a bigger club come's in for him, so what does he define as a bigger club?

Top four would never touch him, way to clumsy which leads to him giving away to many fouls and, worst case, getting sent off.

He would not get the captaincy back that easy if I was in charge, good on him for listening to what the manager has to say with regards to the future of the club but he would never be handed that arm band back that easy.

He earned it first time round, he should do so again.

Do not get me wrong I would love him to stay, but a standard has to be set.

Still, I trust the manager to make the decisions, maybe there was more to the conversation than has been reported.

Very good post.

A case of the tail wagging the dog if you ask me.

Not happy at all with him being reinstated as captain considering he wanted (and perhaps still wants) away only last week.

[Hughesy]

The comments from Pune about motivation problems under Sam were absolute rot and could only have come from Jerome Anderson causing trouble

Knew you would have got his name in there somewhere....your obsessed with him!!

[RibbleValleyRover]

A bad decision in my opinion.

He was rightly stripped of the captaincy when he notified clubs he wanted out at a time when the club needed some leadership. Quite pathetic and a sign of weakness that they have decided to give it him back especially so soon after the incident and without any effort made to win it back by his actions on the pitch.

[Hughesy]

Perhaps the heart to heart really had an impact on Samba's decision making?? Its good to see that our new man isnt afraid to tackle things head on - im not so sure other managers with bigger ego's would have done the same.

The players where asking questions so Kean went and got the answers - something Sam didnt do in the 5 weeks prior to his sacking when the new boys took over.

[den]

Knew you would have got his name in there somewhere....your obsessed with him!!

Well he is running the football side of the club isn't he. It was Anderson who chose Steve Kean wasn't it?

I mean, if he didn't make those decisions, who did? Were Venky's clever enough to know who Steve Kean was?

[philipl]

Perhaps the heart to heart really had an impact on Samba's decision making?? Its good to see that our new man isnt afraid to tackle things head on - im not so sure other managers with bigger ego's would have done the same.

The players where asking questions so Kean went and got the answers - something Sam didnt do in the 5 weeks prior to his sacking when the new boys took over.

Sam repeatedly sought meetings with the new ownership and was repeatedly knocked back. In the same way, they have had periods of refusing to talk to John Williams and not working with him or through him.

That hughesy is as big an og comment as they come- why were they willing to talk to Kean and not to the senior professionals?

[Mattyblue]

Perhaps the heart to heart really had an impact on Samba's decision making?? Its good to see that our new man isnt afraid to tackle things head on - im not so sure other managers with bigger ego's would have done the same.

The players where asking questions so Kean went and got the answers - something Sam didnt do in the 5 weeks prior to his sacking when the new boys took over.

So Kean said 'right lads, I'm off to Pune and I will get you answers', or was it a call from Venky's and/or Kentaro ordering him to the airport?

Naive isn't the word for you sometimes Hughesy

[RevidgeBlue]

Sam repeatedly sought meetings with the new ownership and was repeatedly knocked back. In the same way, they have had periods of refusing to talk to John Williams and not working with him or through him.

You know nothing of the sort so stop posting speculation/gibberish as if it is fact.

As for the Samba situation, excellent work by Kean. Samba is by far our best outfield player and a worthy captain. However we can't have the team captain coming out in ther media as he has been doing. If Samba is prepared to knuckle down Kean has shown himself to be a reasonable man and not one to bear a grudge.