[Archived] Rovers versus Manchester City, 25th April 8pm

[John]

Kean has made a lot of bad tactical choices, but we have had the worst luck with ref decisions I can remember. Two pens (at least) that shouldn't have been given and two long bans for Nzonzi and Givet that were unfair.

On top of that losing Nelsen till the end of the season, and we are all assuming Hoilett will be fit. If he isn't we are sunk.

True, the good managers are usually the lucky ones.

[LeChuck]

You're usually spot on in my estimation tactic wise Maj, so I find this gung ho suggestion quite surprising

A tiny, tiny bit of manipulation and it's not gung ho, it's solid.

Robbo

Salgado Samba Givet Olsson

Jones Jones Pedersen

Hoillet ................... Rochina

Kalinic

I'd be very happy if we start with that.

[roversmum]

Forgot that RSC cant play....that could help us.

Aslong as we dont start Jason Fkin Robers that is!

He was at his best yesterday... falling over and missing the goal completely. Deserves to start

[67splitscreen]

Is Hanley not an option to playing Olsson at FB.

Made one or two errors but nothing tragic to date, maybe the wrong game but just a thought, plenty of experience in the back line to help him along.

Plenty of mobility in the MF with tough tackling from the Jones duo.

Olsson going wider if Rochina drops inside to support Kalinic.

----------------------------Robbo

---Salgado-----Samba-------Hanley------Givet

------------Jones-------Jones-----Olsson

-------Hoilett------------------------------Rochina

-----------------------------Kalinic

Bunn-Emerton-MGP-Dunn-Diouf-Benjani-Roberts

[Tom]

Let's hope Samba can have his new best mate in his pocket on Monday

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3536493/Mario-Balotelli-wins-25000-then-gives-1000-to-a-tramp.html

[superniko]

Is Hanley not an option to playing Olsson at FB.

Made one or two errors but nothing tragic to date, maybe the wrong game but just a thought, plenty of experience in the back line to help him along.

Plenty of mobility in the MF with tough tackling from the Jones duo.

Olsson going wider if Rochina drops inside to support Kalinic.

----------------------------Robbo

---Salgado-----Samba-------Hanley------Givet

------------Jones-------Jones-----Olsson

-------Hoilett------------------------------Rochina

-----------------------------Kalinic

Bunn-Emerton-MGP-Dunn-Diouf-Benjani-Roberts

I'd agree with this team, it could be jigged around putting Olsson on the wing and moving Rochina more central. I also believe that even though Jones is a Defender we seriously missed him in Midfield and Dunnys legs just aren't up to it and Pedersen isn't up for a relegation battle. So with the bite of Jones and Jones and the flair of the top4 together it gives no other choice than Hanley in Defence which I don't think is too much of a worry.

----------------------------Robbo

------Salgado------Samba-------Hanley------Givet

---------------------Jones-------Jones---------

-------Hoilett--------------------------------Olsson

--------------------------Rochina

------------------------------Kalinic

[92er]

I don't particularly rate Diouf, but I wonder if he would be psyched up for this match? They just beat the club that emplys him?

[Florida Rover]

Purely hypothetical but play along...

Rovers 1 City 1

89th min Olsson fouled in box.PENALTY!

Who do you want taking that kick that could preserve our status?

For me its Dunny if he's on pitch.

[47er]

refs... ??? i thought you reckoned it was all steve kean's fault

As I said----- troll. You are on here to deliberately provoke. OK you're not Waggy. Are you a ventriloquist's dummy with Gav's hand up your a*se?

[Majiball]

I have to say for me this would be suicide. With five across the middle we are going to struggle to get the ball, with three we won't get it at all and give the quality City wide players free reign to murder our full backs who are vulnerable to pace and trickery as it is.

You're usually spot on in my estimation tactic wise Maj, so I find this gung ho suggestion quite surprising.

Here's my thinking.

Hoillet in the hole with licence to basically do what he wants, he likes to run with the ball so he'll basically be a third striker. The strikers play in the channels in this formation, this also matches our strikers up height wise with the full backs (Hughes) gives us an easy option when we're under the cosh. Confidence is low so for me we will need this, an easy low technical ability hit an area out ball (Sam). So when we need to go long we look to hit the full backs with junior nipping in behind/infront (he's easily quicker than both so headers don't need to be accurate just into space and as he's quickest he's the favourite). When we send the ball we need it to stay there non of our strikers look up to the job so I wonder if junior can do it with his feet? It also gives junior a lot of licence to attack lescott and I think Juniors feet will get the best of him running at him. We also get the extra man at the back and pin back their full backs

I worry about Salgado V silva so we can cover him with samba as we have the spare man at the back and Samba can keep up with Silva, easily. Jones and Jones are not the best technically so Junior in there will also always give them a short pace as his pace will mean he can find space. The two jones tackle the city bruisers in De Jong (P) and Toure (J), pedersen then has barry. Ped's plays because I want his set pieces, and I'd be tempted to try and make him angry, dunno why.

Its a much better idea than sitting back we need a goal and an early one so do the unexpected, at worse it's easily switched round to a 4-4-1-1 should we need to defend deep or hang at the end of one of the halves. A straight 4-3-3late on, if say they go a man down one quick shuffle again and we're 4-4-2, one sub (N'zonzi?????)and it's 4-5-1.

Robbo

Salgado Samba Givet Olsson

Balotelli

Jones Jones Pedersen

Silva Dejong Toure Barry Johnson

Hoillet

Kalinic ------------ Rochina

Kolarov Lescott Kompany Zabaleta

Hart

[joey_big_nose]

Fairplay Maj, good answer.

However my personal estimation is that Man City would just get the ball and keep it, spread it wide to Silva and Johnson who would take apart our full backs. If Samba or Fivet come across then it pulls apart the back line allowing Balotelli or the onrushing Toure to get on crosses.

And if we are playing Sam-type long balls I don't think Kalinic or Rochina will be able to pull them out of the air.

Like Le Chuck says the players you pick are the right ones for me but I think we are looking at 451/4231.

[Andy]

I think it's a game that will be won through the battle in midfield and if we play 3 (both Jones and MGP) against the 5 of City shown in Majiball's post, we'll be walked all over.

We need to start tight, maybe play a flat 5 in the middle and then if the game opens up, let 1/2 of them drift forwards - either onto the wings or supporting the front man.

Whatever happens, it's vital we keep tight and don't concede for the first portion of the game.

[Plastic Head]

Purely hypothetical but play along...

Rovers 1 City 1

89th min Olsson fouled in box.PENALTY!

Who do you want taking that kick that could preserve our status?

No referee would give us a last minute penalty. That would go against their instructions from the Premier League.

If by some miracle they did though, Robinson.

Let's hope Samba can have his new best mate in his pocket on Monday

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3536493/Mario-Balotelli-wins-25000-then-gives-1000-to-a-tramp.html

"DO you know the tramp who got the cash? Call The Sun"

Mayeb it was Rooney and he didn't recognise him.

[Majiball]

Fairplay Maj, good answer.

However my personal estimation is that Man City would just get the ball and keep it, spread it wide to Silva and Johnson who would take apart our full backs. If Samba or Fivet come across then it pulls apart the back line allowing Balotelli or the onrushing Toure to get on crosses.

And if we are playing Sam-type long balls I don't think Kalinic or Rochina will be able to pull them out of the air.

Like Le Chuck says the players you pick are the right ones for me but I think we are looking at 451/4231.

Silva and Johnson are a big risk, but what else can you do double up the winger and full back on them? that means they'll have extra men to keep the ball with in posession and we are in effect playing an Italian style team. Trouble is whether you play 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1 we still run the risk of leaving our center backs exposed because we have the same set-up in both as I do in my 4-3-3. Don't forget that with one command from the technical area (how novel would that be) I can tell Kalinic to stay central and Hoillet and Rochina take up the role of wingers, changing it to a 4-5-1 should the need a rise.

I wouldn't always look for Sam type balls with Rochina & Hoillet you can still play into feet and in behind as both are quick. But this way we have the option and I'd far rather put Kalinic and Rochina up against their full backs than there centre backs who will eat them alive. With the striker running the channels, both the full back and the centre back must be aware of where they are and with Junior slightly deeper they will be tempted to step up and close him down. The second that happens we have broken their back-line's shape and we will be able to create something.

I completely understand why people want to play 451/4231 but I want to score and with one up top we won't we all know it. 4-3-3 which in effect it is isn't all that different from 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1, well I just want to pin there full backs right back so we can cut off their wingers support as well, isolating them and reducing their threat.

United pulled a fast one on Mancicni the other day sitting deep and asking them to attack as opposed to countering for the first half or so Uniteds plan worked well. Mancini took a long time to adjust Man city about 30 minutes or so, so I'm hopeful this surprise will give us 30 minutes of time at the start where they are figuring out how to change it. Hopefully we can nick one that way. I also want to score first as I don't want us to go behind as I am not sure how either A) the players or the crowd will react if we go 1 goal down. Also the other consideration was the ease with which we can escape under the cosh, Kalinic and Rochina will have success against the full backs, not all the time but say 50/50. We took until the 43rd minute against Everton to enter their penalty box, and it was the 92nd (taken form a match report) before we hit the target. I reckon I could get a shot on target within 1 minute of kick-off playing that way and hope that would get the crowd going.

Why do people see it as 3 V 5 in midfield? I see a 5 V 5 as our full backs mark their wingers who really are more attackers than midfielders and will be further up the pitch than my diagram shows. (Please may I have an andy gray style chalkboard Glenn???)

4-3-3 is the best way to counter 4-5-1, especially when you need points and goals and not for one second do I think we'll get a 0-0, so to pick up points we'll need a goal, I don't see 4-5-1 reaping that. You see for me if we play wide midefielders (ie hoillet and gamst) then for me they will drop further back and double up which will give city the advantage as the easy ball back to the full back will always be on and from there they can spread the play and keep possession. The personnel chosen for the front roles will want to stay up that end of the pitch and so City will have to leave men back, if they don't which at first I suspect they won't, then for me that's our best chance (the first time) to get the goal and lead we need to get points, but more importantly get the crowd going and believing we can get something.

Nice thing is if it's not working we can easily change our shape into about 5 different variations, so I have plan B, C, D, E, F and so on and they are all formations we have previously played so they know them as well. It's been a long time since we saw that at Ewood.

Personally for this one I think if we start with a flat 5 we'll never penetrate and talk of riding it out looking to nick one later on is not for me as I reckon it's exactly what Mancini will have accounted for and if we let them do that we will lose and I can't be having that.

[Majiball]

A tiny, tiny bit of manipulation and it's not gung ho, it's solid.

Robbo

Salgado Samba Givet Olsson

Jones Jones Pedersen

Hoillet ................... Rochina

Kalinic

I'd be very happy if we start with that.

This is the beauty of the way I suggest. Quick switch and we change the players City's defenders have to mark, which means they'll have to adapt and while they do that hopefully we can take advantage and nick one or create something.

[Majiball]

Its too narrow. We have pace on the flanks ----why not use it? Also, Givet left-back surely and Ollson pushing up? Its our only hope.

Johnson will destroy Givet. He can use both feet goes outside and cuts in, givet will be so dizzy at the end he'll be out for weeks. At least Olsson has the pace to stay with him and recover as if Johnson beats Givet frequently and I suspect he will then we will be very exposed.

[Roverdale]

Robbo

Salgado Samba Givet Olsson

Jones Jones Pedersen

Hoillet

Kalinic Rochina

Almost spot on.. I'd say drop Hoillet back into a right wing position, push Pedersen to the left and drop either Kalinic or Rochina back a little so one is playing off the other. I didn't actually see the Everton game so I'm not sure whether Rochina or Kalinic would be better in this role.

[AndyB]

City could be a bit vulnerable at the back hopefully

My link

[Hughesy]

Have no fear guys, all is not lost.....

Who comes back into contention for monday night:- KEITH 'AKA PELE' ANDREWS

[OJRovers]

If Andrews starts on monday, Kean deserves all the protests/abuse he will get.

I think we should keep P.Jones in midfield, makes our team look so much better.

[RibbleValleyRover]

I thought Super Keith was out for the season?

[92er]

I thought Super Keith was out for the season?

That was certainly in print at some stage.

A few weeks ago it came out he would play again this season.

[Jimmy612]

Robinson

Salgado....Samba....Givet....Olsson

..........JJ.....PJ....Ped..........

Hoillett.......................Rochina?

...............Benjani

4-5-1, Struggling to find anyone for the left hand side, don't know if Rochina is quite ready but he showed some nice glimpses against Everton.

[Majiball]

Keith won't play.

It's a home game remember, Keith only does away days.

[Plastic Head]

Have no fear guys, all is not lost.....

Who comes back into contention for monday night:- KEITH 'AKA PELE' ANDREWS

RIOT !

Keith won't play.

It's a home game remember, Keith only does away days.

The only thing we can be sure of is that there will be at least 4 changes from the last team we played.

Idiot ^^^^