[Archived] The Relegation Battle Aftermath

[Majiball]

Maji-it's a week on Saturday.

Thanks mate, would have been lonely.

[Blue blood]

I was thinking about this last night, my preferred team from now until the end of the season would be....

Robinson

Emerton Samba Nelsen Olsson

Hoilett Dunn Jones Pedersen

Santa Cruz Roberts

Why? Well, it bares an uncanny resemblance to our strongest team when Hughes left (the last time we were genuinely a successful team):

Friedel

Emerton Samba Nelsen Warnock

Bentley Dunn Savage Pedersen

Santa Cruz Roberts

Only three outfield players are different. Not only that, but three players who roughly share similar attributes:

Olsson/Warnock: Defender happier going forward

Jones/Savage: Bit of a headless chicken, can be rash but will get stuck in and offer protection

Hoilett/Bentley: Will drift around and create, not great defensively

I think we could get enough points from that team to stay up.

Great well thought out post, and very encouraging to think that the nucleus of the team we have had which has been decent in the past is still there. Certainly on paper, the players should be capable of getting the points needed to stay up (it really brings home how utterly inept our management is...)

A few things - obviously post suspension I think Givet has to fit in somewhere probably at lb. I'd definately do that, especially as Olsson offers so much more going forwards and isn't as solid as Warnock defensively by any stretch imo.

Also I reckon at least 3 of these players - Rocky, Roberts and Dunn have gone downhill since the days of Hughes, and were not the players they were, which makes things a bit less potent. Having said that we do seem to potentially have more pace in the team and in Diouf and Kalanic some interesting striking options from the bench.

Personally I'd go something like as follows:

Robbo

Emerton, Samba, Nelsen, Salgado (Givet when available)

Holliett, Jones, Pedersen, Olsson

Santa Cruz, Kalanic (or potentially a more physical option Roberts)

I think that Olsson is wasted at lb and truth be told a bit too much of a liability. However given he is very exciting going forwards we would be better served with him at left mid.

Peds looked promising in cm under Sam and I honestly don't think Dunn has the legs any more for a 5 man midfield much less a 4 man midfield. Ok Peds isn't quite as creative but with Olsson and Holliett on the flanks I think we've more about us going forwards.

Up front I do think Kalanic is a better player than Roberts, although IF Roberts and Santa Cruz can reignite their partnership then that'd be better for the team.

Obviously getting the best team is more important than getting all the best players, and finding that magic combination with what you have is what good management is all about. Not sure Kean can do it, although trying a former manager's successful gameplan may well be his best option forward. Far too sensible an idea for Kean to use mind.

[Jimmy612]

Obviously getting the best team is more important than getting all the best players, and finding that magic combination with what you have is what good management is all about.

Why go for the Hughes formation/team when it would be much more simple to revert back to Allardyce methods tried and tested from 3 months ago.

[Iceman]

Robinson

Salgado Samba Nelsen. Bert

Hoilett J Jones. Olsson

Formica

Santa Cruz Kalinic

Got to go for the win!

[J*B]

Robinson

Salgado Samba Nelsen. Bert

Hoilett J Jones. Olsson

Formica

Santa Cruz Kalinic

Got to go for the win!

Blackpool play strong counter attacking football - imagine we're attacking, lose the ball and they make a counter. Let's imagine our forward players are behind the ball running back, we'd probably have:

Robinson

Salgado Nelsen Samba Bert

Jones

Behind the ball. They play with 3 strikers, and CA will be making the play just behind them.

That leaves 1 spare player. Salgado will get brutalised for pace and will have nobody ahead of him to cover.

Basically, that teams suicide.

[Iceman]

Blackpool play strong counter attacking football - imagine we're attacking, lose the ball and they make a counter. Let's imagine our forward players are behind the ball running back, we'd probably have:

Robinson

Salgado Nelsen Samba Bert

Jones

Behind the ball. They play with 3 strikers, and CA will be making the play just behind them.

That leaves 1 spare player. Salgado will get brutalised for pace and will have nobody ahead of him to cover.

Basically, that teams suicide.

we had 3 defensive minded midfielders on the field, and we still got beat heavily. Best form of defence is to attack and put the opposition under threat. Its go big or go home, because if we continue with this negative selections, then we as fans will start comitting suicide.

[J*B]

we had 3 defensive minded midfielders on the field, and we still got beat heavily. Best form of defence is to attack and put the opposition under threat. Its go big or go home, because if we continue with this negative selections, then we as fans will start comitting suicide.

Fair play if that's your opinion. Our strongest team in mine is either 4-4-1-1 (depending on Formica) or, currently 4-4-2. RB/LB is a problem because our best RB atm is Emerton, however he's probably needed to cover LB thanks to Givet.

I'd go:

Robinson

Salgado Jones(Or Nelsen/Hanley depending on PJs fitness) Samba Emerton

Hoilett Jones NZonzi Olsson

Roque Kalinic.

[Iceman]

I have no issues either with your thoughts J*B, but I just feel, that if we sit back we going to lose. We seem to have lost that strength in defence, why that is I'm not sure. We are playing at home, so its us who need to dictate the play and make things happen. In our last few home games, we looked like the away team, because we sat back looking to defend

I also don't know, why we back off when teams attack us, instead of putting the boot in, and closing down the opposition.

Its a vital game, and if we win, it will just put added pressure on the teams below us, while easing it for us slightly.

[K-Hod]

Still don't like Olsson at left back at all, he gets caught out so many times!

If we could get Emerton in there until Salgado returns, that would suffice. Give Givet time to recuperate whilst injured, then come back in revitalised!

Still don't like Olsson at left back at all, he gets caught out so many times!

If we could get Emerton in there until Givet returns, that would suffice. Give Givet time to recuperate whilst injured, then come back in revitalised!

[Sverre]

GOOD TRAINING WEEK

Posted by Morten on the 11th March 2011

Today we finished a very hard training week with an internal game, which of course my team won with a very nice 3-1 result. Since it is cup round this weekend and we’re not playing, we have trained very hard all week, and there has been quality in everything we’ve done. Today Ruben Rochina was very good, and he had some teriffic driblings wich made an old football heart happy. Ryan Nelsen is back, and people are aware of the challenges we face in the next games. Therefore, I think it looks promising for the coming period.

Morten Gamst Pedersen

Does anyone know whether the internal game was against another club, or did the teams consist of Blackburn Rovers players only?

Also promising to hear about Rochina playing well, hopefully we will stay up and the lad will prosper in the coming seasons. But what about Formica? Is he still battling his hamstring injury?

[CAPT KAYOS]

The scary thing is we are worrying about Blackpool - when in all reality it should be them worrying about us

[Mercer]

The scary thing is we are worrying about Blackpool - when in all reality it should be them worrying about us

Spot on - however, a measure of how far we've fallen under our new owners and manager!

[joey_big_nose]

Spot on - however, a measure of how far we've fallen under our new owners and manager!

To be fair they have worried and beat better teams than us this season. We would be crackers to go into this game too confident, even if we were in the top eight.

[CrazyIvan]

To be fair they have worried and beat better teams than us this season. We would be crackers to go into this game too confident, even if we were in the top eight.

And they have won more away games than Manchester United apparently...

[pksrover]

Does anyone know whether the internal game was against another club, or did the teams consist of Blackburn Rovers players only?

Also promising to hear about Rochina playing well, hopefully we will stay up and the lad will prosper in the coming seasons. But what about Formica? Is he still battling his hamstring injury?

As it was an internal game I would assume this game was between two teams made up of Rovers players

[m1st]

For me, one of the downsides of any fans' Board like this is that, because we all want [e.g.] Rovers to do well, we tend to focus exclusively on our team, apparently without taking into account how other teams are faring at the same time; realistically, surely, any of the teams currently in the bottom half of the Premier League could get sucked into the relegation zone.

I agree with CAPT KAYOS; really it's Blackpool who should be the more worried of the two teams a week tomorrow - I believe they are more easily beatable than we are.

Keep the faith.

[dubdubdub]

Why go for the Hughes formation/team when it would be much more simple to revert back to Allardyce methods tried and tested from 3 months ago.

Because that'd be ######.

[John]

Big Col's take on it

LEGENDARY defender Colin Hendry has urged the current Blackburn Rovers team to prove they have the desire to avoid relegation this season.

[47er]

Fair play if that's your opinion. Our strongest team in mine is either 4-4-1-1 (depending on Formica) or, currently 4-4-2. RB/LB is a problem because our best RB atm is Emerton, however he's probably needed to cover LB thanks to Givet.

I'd go:

Robinson

Salgado Jones(Or Nelsen/Hanley depending on PJs fitness) Samba Emerton

Hoilett Jones NZonzi Olsson

Roque Kalinic.

When you look at that side, its far stronger than Blackpool's. At least it appears to be.

This is the problem, whereas Blackpool's team is stronger than the sum of its individual parts, we are the opposite.

And that's down to poor management which leads to loss of morale and poor performances.

Chuck in a bit of bad luck---injuries,suspensions,ref decisions etc and what do you get?

A relegation nightmare.

[CAPT KAYOS]

To be fair they have worried and beat better teams than us this season. We would be crackers to go into this game too confident, even if we were in the top eight.

We are at home - plain and simple

We should not worry about anybody - wary of certain things maybe but never worried.

It should always be the visitors that has the worries to concentrate on us.

[Miker]

Worrying about Blackpool at Home is a joke. Thinking about the fact is depressing.

[Roversi]

both teams will be full of nerves, if the crowd gets on the lads backs early on we will definatly lose. the crowd will play an important part come the weekend.

[JAL]

Why do one or two on here think that the Rovers crowd wont be behind the team this saturday . They obviously don't know or understand the Blackburn crowd.

[Mattyblue]

I have been absolutely disgusted with the goings on this year, but I will be behind the team all the way to the end.

I think the atmosphere will be superb. However, if we go a couple of goals down on Saturday, all hell will break loose- and you know that JAL.

[John]

Wigan v Birmingham this weekend, pretty big game too.