[Archived] A Brighter Future?

[old darwen blue]

Grella

Ah, understood

[CrazyIvan]

Excellent write up and well said. Things with Venkys aren't perfect and at times have been much less than that. An understatement is that they have made some mistakes. But what's important now is what they do next. Frankly, what they say (or more like what is reported that they may have said) is not so important. Actions are much more important. End of season is a clean slate.

Does anyone else think that, right when Rovers needed them, the fans stood up and were counted? They turned up in numbers and properly supported the club home and away. It must have been a big lift to the players to see and hear Rovers fans getting properly behind them when, at times this season, they've been quieter than a graveyard at night and boos and chants of 4-4-2 have rung out. Long may that continue.

[Gav]

Time for a new thread-"J. Jones-----is he the New Messiah or merely a reasonable Premier League player?"

A very good player that has been essential to our premiership survival would be more apt. Filled a position that several managers have unable to do, credit to Mr Kean I'd say.

[Majiball]

A very good player that has been essential to our premiership survival would be more apt. Filled a position that several managers have unable to do, credit to Mr Kean I'd say.

Cough, Anderson, Cough.

[Gav]

Cough, Anderson, Cough.

BUNKUM.

[walk down bolton road]

Time for a new thread-"J. Jones-----is he the New Messiah or merely a reasonable Premier League player?"

He does get booked too often, because he piles in too often and, unfortunately for us, its often on the edge of the area. Good player, hope we keep him but he's not as important to us as Phil Jones or Samba.

Totally agree,keeping hold of Phil Jones , Samba , Hoilett are a must.Also with the promise of Rochina we have a base to build from.

[RoyRover]

The keeper situation is also interesting I think Robbo is a great keeper but who do we have as cover?

If my memory is correct, Mark Bunn played a couple of times this season when Robbo was out injured and did very well.

As for reasons to be optimistic, Olsson, Hoillet, Rochina, Jones, N'Zonzi, Hanley and Formica are a few of the young players that we should be looking to build the team around. There's also the hope that the owners start to rectify their mistakes and of course having a good transfer fund this summer.

[thenodrog]

If venkys pump a few quid into our transfer fund next seaon the future is bright, no doubt about that.

All the other stuff is secondary, give Kean or a new manager 10-15m and we're on the up in a big way.

I think the summer will prove the doubters wrong, but let's see what happens.

Why would they do that gav? Why ffs?

I doubt they will get any return on any money they chuck at BRFC. Rem Joan said that old man Rao was insistant that business is just a matter of common sense. A doctrine that is massively at odds with Premier league finances isn't it?

Yes we finished worse off, but hardly suprising considering the lack of investment by the previous.

Why? Despite all that when Kentaro changed the manager we were in front of our position the previous year when we ended up a creditable 10th.

Cough, Anderson, Cough.

BUNKUM.

Bunkum.

[tonyoz]

I doubt they will get any return on any money they chuck at BRFC. Rem Joan said that old man Rao was insistant that business is just a matter of common sense. A doctrine that is massively at odds with Premier league finances isn't it?

Why? Despite all that when Kentaro changed the manager we were in front of our position the previous year when we ended up a creditable 10th.

You're not going to continue this theme all through the Summer are you? Surely it's time to let "he who should be forgotten" move on to his new pasture?

[BuckyRover]

Jim should be glad we sacked him. He's only going to negatively affect the employment statistics.

[yeti-dog]

You're not going to continue this theme all through the Summer are you? Surely it's time to let "he who should be forgotten" move on to his new pasture?

God bless Gordon...continually harking back to the good old days of Love Thy Neighbour, The Black and White Minstrel show,Betamax,black and white TV's,Maggie Thatcher, Big Sam, Rubiks Cubes, Woolworths et al whilst sucking wistfully on a Werthers Original....

[Lathund]

I'm not hugely optimistic, yet at the same time I'm not as worried as I was a couple of months ago. I'm still no fan of Kean, but I am encouraged by the fact that we did see an improvement towards the end of the season, so that after a poor start (Well the first few games were good, as things often are with a new manager) we have at least been moving in the right direction, and playing some decent football. Once the defense shored things up we also started getting results. The problem of good first halves and poor second halves remains though... which is very different from our time with Sparky. Should morph the two of them together.

[gumboots]

I'm not hugely optimistic, yet at the same time I'm not as worried as I was a couple of months ago. I'm still no fan of Kean, but I am encouraged by the fact that we did see an improvement towards the end of the season, so that after a poor start (Well the first few games were good, as things often are with a new manager) we have at least been moving in the right direction, and playing some decent football. Once the defense shored things up we also started getting results. The problem of good first halves and poor second halves remains though... which is very different from our time with Sparky. Should morph the two of them together.

But has been a problem for longer than Kean has been in charge! How often did we have a decent first half under Allardyce only to concede in the 47th minute and end up chasing the game? I know that it got to the point where we were looking at the clock waiting with bated breath to see if we'd get to 50 mins and still be level or leading.

[CrazyIvan]

Sky did a breakdown of the first half v second half table earlier today. If the games ended at half-time Rovers would have been in the top 4, if they'd only started at half-time, Rovers would have been bottom of the league. What is it about this team under the last few managers that we can't put an entire game together? We used to have the opposite problem, crappy first half and a good second and that happened under Hughes a lot too.

[BangkokRover]

Sky did a breakdown of the first half v second half table earlier today. If the games ended at half-time Rovers would have been in the top 4, if they'd only started at half-time, Rovers would have been bottom of the league. What is it about this team under the last few managers that we can't put an entire game together? We used to have the opposite problem, crappy first half and a good second and that happened under Hughes a lot too.

Certainly not a new problem. Rovers for some reason have never been able to easily close out games

[Stockport rover]

Does anyone know what date next seasons fixtures will be out?

[PAFELL]

Does anyone know what date next seasons fixtures will be out?

Do you mind, we are just recovering. The heart and the nerves need a rest.

[Ste B]

Fixtures = 17th June

[thenodrog]

God bless Gordon...continually harking back to the good old days of Love Thy Neighbour, The Black and White Minstrel show,Betamax,black and white TV's,Maggie Thatcher, Big Sam, Rubiks Cubes, Woolworths et al whilst sucking wistfully on a Werthers Original....

So whats your modern day equivalent? X factor / twitter / Grand theft auto / gameboy and Primark ffs? Listen sonny.... 'The more things change the more they stay the same.' You will save yourself a lot of angst and soul searching if you accept that asap.

[Bobby G]

I feel this is a defining summer in the future direction of the club, definitely in the short-term.

I can see a lot of movement in the playing squad already, with ins and outs.

Effectively the owners will need to talk to the key players now in the non-pressure atmosphere with the season over and convince them that we are able to compete AT LEAST with clubs outside the Big 5 (Man City surely in there now). Its important we dont lose players to the likes of Villa, Newcastle, Spurs, or teams along those sizes anymore. Not many of our players would break into the Big Five. Potentially its just Samba, and Jones with Samba only good enough for maybe Liverpool or Arsenal's defence, but Jones I feel would be soon enough good enough for any defence in the world. He will be England's best center back for years to come and if his head is on right one day people will mention him among Europe's best. That I am certain of and I aint even English to blow his trumpet.

Keeping Phil Jones will be difficult but Id help myself by making him captain this summer and try to gain some added loyalty out of him.

[BangkokRover]

I think keeping Phil Jones is actually quiet easy, now if John Williams was around this would be perfect for him.

Just sit him and say look we want to keep you for as long as possible and make you best possible player. Of course at some point we know you will leave and we respect that but at the moment you are best served here. Playing week in week out is what you need, let us reward you with the best contract we can give you and you help us get the maximum return for Rovers a club we know you love and would probably return to later in your career.

[imy9]

Has Jones not recently signed a 5 yr deal?

[Bobby G]

Yes he did during January/February if I'm not mistaken. Right?

[imy9]

So why give him another new deal or even assurances. Sure that would have been done at the time!

[BangkokRover]

What I want from Phil is the same Damian Duff. While I was up set that he left Rovers for Chelsea, he came back from the world cup with out a contract signed. Signed the contract with Rovers in a week of getting back and then joined. Of course he left for Chelsea a week or two later but the club got "if I remember correctly" a club record transfer of £17.5 million.

You can't ask for fairer than that.