[Archived] Steve Kean

[Sverre]

Fulham - unlucky not to get a point(awful decision by the ref)

Blackpool - unlucky not to get all three points - (awful decision by the ref)

Arsenal - played very well as a team (awful decision by the ref)

I stated last week that we should start seeing the kean way of working now as he has had plenty of time with the players and his new staff. It is starting to show now and if the last three games are to go by we should be okay.

However, 2 points from 9 is very poor.

Onwards and upwards.

word

[chaddyrovers]

Good tactics today from Kean. Played the right way against Arsenal.

Maybe he will be a manager. But he's still got alot to do before he will be a decent to good manager.

Hope for more of the same from the next 7 games!

I still don't like how he got the job and he still wouldn't be my choice for the manager job but I think it is time to move on until the end of the season when we can judge him.

[jim mk2]

Well done Steve and the lads for an amazing 3 points I did not expect. !!

Que ?

[jim mk2]

Fair play to the manager for stopping Arsenal playing their natural game and a point well earned today but before we get carried away the praise comes with 3 big caveats.

1. The improvement in the perfomances has coincided with the return of Phil Jones who has shown how much he has been missed since December.

2. Kean must build on this good defensive performance and show against Birmingham that he can set up a team to win matches.

3. Kean should have gleaned more points than his current miserable tally and we should be safe by now.

Today was a small step in the right direction but Kean has a long, long way to go before he has convinced me he should be managing Rovers.

[PAFELL]

Good tactics today from Kean. Played the right way against Arsenal.

Maybe he will be a manager. But he's still got alot to do before he will be a decent to good manager.

Hope for more of the same from the next 7 games!

I still don't like how he got the job and he still wouldn't be my choice for the manager job but I think it is time to move on until the end of the season when we can judge him.

Happy with a point. But in my view this was also due to Arsenal missing golden chances - so Rovers had good fortune on their side today. which after the past two penalties in the last two games makes a good change. Team played well all the same, battled etc and deserved the draw. Still motd only gave Rovers a brief mention.

...

can't argue with that

[Tom]

Hats off to the manager - looks like he got it right defensively today. Is he finally learning how to organise and manage a football team ?

Now he has to set up the team not to lose to (and preferably beat) Birmingham. Every point counts now.

Very fair of you to say and hard to argue with it.

Make no mistake 3 points next week is far more important than one today (obviously)

[deftangel]

Great result today and completely concur with VintageAddidas & Jim Mk2 assessments. We've been a bit unlucky and had some bad decisions the last three games but as I said on Twitter, a point today isn't going to mean a whole lot unless we can take three from Brum.

Today must have been the first game for a while that I agreed completely with the selection.

As much as the table is tight, I think top 8 is a little bit of a stretch too far, Nicko On the other hand, Arsenal did not miss a stack of chances today. The only clear cut one in the first half was Wilshire's and in the second there was some good defending but we were well worth that point.

[Hughesy]

Love how some believe it was down to Arsenal missing loads of chances....they had 1 really clear cut chance that fell to Wilshere in the 1st half...apart from that they had 3 headed chances late on. Usually against us they find at least 10+ good chances and take at least 3 of them!

Tactics were on the money today....Hoilett once again seemed to enjoy his role & Olsson too. Only 1 player id have swapped would have been Emerton/ MGP.

Excellent point....a point that could be the catalyst for abit more belief.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

If you hadn't lost Phil Jones in Kean's first game and had ever found a striker this season you would be sitting in the top eight.

Not sure about top 8. One thing that worries me - the rumours that Jones allegedly was promised a centre half position when signing his new contract. I would how he finds the centre midfield position. Personally I would see it as part of his education -- he may not. However - nobody can doubt that we need him in centre midfield until the end of the season at least.

[roverwhelmed]

Not sure about top 8. One thing that worries me - the rumours that Jones allegedly was promised a centre half position when signing his new contract. I would how he finds the centre midfield position. Personally I would see it as part of his education -- he may not. However - nobody can doubt that we need him in centre midfield until the end of the season at least.

Isn't he a Rovers supporter too?

Surely he'll want to do what is necessary to save this football club from relegation. I'd hope so.

[Miker]

Not sure about top 8. One thing that worries me - the rumours that Jones allegedly was promised a centre half position when signing his new contract. I would how he finds the centre midfield position. Personally I would see it as part of his education -- he may not. However - nobody can doubt that we need him in centre midfield until the end of the season at least.

I've maintained for a while that he's excellent in midfield, I hope he stays there. Samba and Nelsen are a fantastic partnership in defence, so until one of them goes, we don't really need Jones in there. However, with JJ leaving and The Zonz not being too dependable, we need Jones in midfield for sure.

Props to Kean for getting a fantastic and much needed result. We're not exactly safe, but it will give the team a lot of self-belief. Blackpool half-time might have been a turning point for the team. Let's hope so!

[BangkokRover]

I couldn't type for laughing.

Lack of spirit? Player muntiny? No organisation? Tactical no-mark?

Yeah.

If you hadn't lost Phil Jones in Kean's first game and had ever found a striker this season you would be sitting in the top eight.

oh look a flying Pig, Rovers must be in the top 8.

[rebelmswar]

oh look a flying Pig, Rovers must be in the top 8.

Mmmmmm bacon.

[cruz]

The 0-0 draw was a pleasant surprise and a nice addition to a great day troffing pint in the manchester sun....yes SUN in manchester !!!!!!!!!!!

[philipl]

Here's hoping this is the start of Kean making good managerial decisions after weeks of bad ones.

[joey_big_nose]

Arguably one of the best drilled Rovers performances of recent times. I said before this in another thread that a manager is expected to really do three things:-

1) Organise the shape of the team - particularly defensively

2) Employ effective tactics

3) Motivate the players

In all three departments Kean did as well l as anyone against Arsenal away in recent years.

For me the performance was the fruition of improvements over the last three games where we should have picked up more points (I think it is quite reasonable to say on balance of play we should have won against Blackpool and drawn at Fulham).

Birmingham is the big test - a draw minimum but really a win is required. Nzonzi (unless we appeal) will be suspended so I think we should swap him out for Kalinic, bring in Pedersen for Emerton and go 442. Big question about Olsson who was excellent in most respects against Arsenal but still left us exposed on the counter. It may be tempting to bring in Givet.

[Ricky]

Annoyingly I don't think we'd have a hope of overturning the red card. It was a harsh red but the panel would look at the way he jumped in. We've seen them given before and I think they'd go with the ref on it.

As he'll be out is it worth starting with Dunn instead. He'll be up for it against one of his former teams and with the jones boys there to do the leg work he can just concentrate on the creative side of things. Could work very well.

I think we have to accept that niko is not going to get a look in under Jean which is disgraceful as he's probably been our best forward this season.

[joey_big_nose]

Annoyingly I don't think we'd have a hope of overturning the red card. It was a harsh red but the panel would look at the way he jumped in. We've seen them given before and I think they'd go with the ref on it.

As he'll be out is it worth starting with Dunn instead. He'll be up for it against one of his former teams and with the jones boys there to do the leg work he can just concentrate on the creative side of things. Could work very well.

I think we have to accept that niko is not going to get a look in under Jean which is disgraceful as he's probably been our best forward this season.

I think you right about Nzonzi. We have been so unlucky referee wise.

About Niko I wouldn't bet on it. Kean has said he sees him at a striker who needs to play in a pair (which I agree with), and with the workrate of the two Jones we can afford an extra man up top. I can even see Niko starting the next game.

[thenodrog]

He did from Sam Allardyce on ESPN.

@ 19:29 on Saturday 2nd April ... "Blackburn - tactically - did exceptionally well"

@ 19:37 ... "they played a very very good tactical game" - SA again

I'm not suprised Tris, we'd reverted to Sam's tactics.

[joey_big_nose]

I'm not suprised Tris, we'd reverted to Sam's tactics.

Disagree about this. We were set up differently compared to how Sam would have done it. The emphasis was releasing down the left rather than getting the ball straight up to Cruz. Set pieces were bad too - we created everything from open play on the break.

[thenodrog]

Disagree about this. We were set up differently compared to how Sam would have done it. The emphasis was releasing down the left rather than getting the ball straight up to Cruz. Set pieces were bad too - we created everything from open play on the break.

We've frequently released down both wings under Allardyce. With 4-5-1 how could we not do. Our problem was always that no one was close enough to the centre forward, and that our centre forwards didn't have the holding up quality that RSC has.

[John]

I'm not certain about a top 8, however some of us on this board hadn't written Steve Kean off. Admittedly a small percentage.

Tonight I am enjoying the result and a feeling that I am not without some basis in my hopes for the manager.

The debate has not been strictly about Kean's managerial ability - of course when looking at his results record, it is on a par with Paul Ince however that can only improve I hope. For the results he has picked up alone, naturally fans are going to worry.

It is also about how he got the job in first place and how involved he was in the sacking of a very good, experienced manager. As someone pointed out to me yesterday "of course Kean was in on it."

I missed it however Sam apparently made comment on SEM yesterday? - anyone catch what he said? I know he has a confidentiality clause which restricts probably what he would like to say...

[Amo]

The debate has not been strictly about Kean's managerial ability - of course when looking at his results record, it is on a par with Paul Ince however that can only improve I hope. For the results he has picked up alone, naturally fans are going to worry.

It is also about how he got the job in first place and how involved he was in the sacking of a very good, experienced manager. As someone pointed out to me yesterday "of course Kean was in on it."

I missed it however Sam apparently made comment on SEM yesterday? - anyone catch what he said? I know he has a confidentiality clause which restricts probably what he would like to say...

Don't buy that, John. If Kean exceeded all expectations, no one would give a damn about SEM or how he got the job. Fans are that fickle.

[John]

Agree with the fickle point.

That's not the point I was making - the current resentment towards the manager is a combination of results obviously, but ALSO how he managed to end up in the job.

[Parsonblue]

Don't buy that, John. If Kean exceeded all expectations, no one would give a damn about SEM or how he got the job. Fans are that fickle.

I couldn't disagree more. I don't care how well he does, the way in which is got the job will never sit easy with me. I support the team, will do so at every match, but I will never be able to bring myself to support the manager no matter how well we do.