[Archived] Allardyce on Kean and Venky's

[Gav]

Sam was subject to the most biased, discriminatory, pre-judged treatment of any Rovers manager in the 30 years of following Rovers that I've witnessed. And yet many of the same people who spent 2 years dishing it out now have the cheek to complain people aren't giving Kean a fair crack of the whip!

That mantle has now been firmly passed to Steve Kean now without a doubt.

[Mattyblue]

Haha, think we could both see where this was heading. I'm deaparting this thread.

[John]

Thats not what I recall. Was off work the day he was appointed and spent the afternoon glued to Sky Sports News listening to Rovers fans ringing in to complain and being interviewed outside the Roversstore, again mostly complaining. This when we were in the most desperate need for a fixer since Hodgson got sacked, the reaction was even more hostile when he was touted for the job along with Ince the summer before.

Maybe not the majority, but a large minority of our support were against him from the very start. He managed to shut them up for a little while by pulling off a miracle escape but even that didn't buy him much loyalty/time. Spent the next season guiding us into the top half despite having lost Santa Cruz, Warnock, Bentley and Friedel over the last 2 seasons and having to replace them at a small fraction of the cost. And all the while some people never shut up about his "arrogant" interviews, our away performances and hoofball.

Sam was subject to the most biased, discriminatory, pre-judged treatment of any Rovers manager in the 30 years of following Rovers that I've witnessed. And yet many of the same people who spent 2 years dishing it out now have the cheek to complain people aren't giving Kean a fair crack of the whip!

Summed up perfectly.

Take a bow son!

[Andy]

That mantle has now been firmly passed to Steve Kean now without a doubt.

Hasn't though, has it?

Sam was disliked by a small, but vocal, minority due to previous connections/comments/style of football.

Kean is disliked by more than a minority due to poor performance and results.

If Kean had the ability to inspire and organise the team to win matches on a regular basis, you'd count the number of detractors on one hand.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Commentator just said "They're queuing down Green Street for season tickets"

You just need to look at the Trevor Brooking stand to know thats just not true, its empty.

More hype and bull from the media,loving up to a so-called London 'big club'

That said, I've nothing against not so big Sam and West Ham.

[American]

In fairness I thought the football was pretty vibrant.

I thought the best midfield player at keeping it on the ground and starting some dangerous attacks was Noble - who was then taken off.

[Takemyhandsboss]

Sat next to him at Brightons first game of the season,

said although he never felt accepted by the fans he wished us all the best... he then added but I think you'll go down.

Spoke about a few of the players and who he rated and didnt and that Diouf speaks to him alot and I might see him at West Ham away.

[A cup of beans]

That may be so, but fans have the right to expect the side so show an iota of interest and motivation rather than not bother at all. They are getting paid to play, after all, they could at least have made some attempt to do so.

i dont need to add anymore on specific games.

the guy is self obsessed. anyone remember his grandson, as mascot in the worthington cup final, wearing a shirt with 'little big sam' on his back?

as for the comments about him building a vibrant sell-able club etc.. he deserves some credit, but his role is over-hyped. i even read an article last week.. solely crediting sam with the idea for lowering season ticket prices!

he's repeating old interviews for much of the article.. and most of his claims are laughable.

the article doesnt deserve anymore comment from me. But this audio - near the bottom of the page -is radio gold! but is again an example of how self obsessed he is.. its a 49 second clip with 40 seconds about him!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14356630.stm

Sat next to him at Brightons first game of the season,

said although he never felt accepted by the fans he wished us all the best... he then added but I think you'll go down.

Spoke about a few of the players and who he rated and didnt and that Diouf speaks to him alot and I might see him at West Ham away.

interesting insight. he hates the club and are fans.. but carry on the love-in!

[Mattyblue]

interesting insight. he hates the club and are fans.. but carry on the love-in!

Hates the club and his fans? Where your evidence of that then?

ps what's wrong with his grandson having 'little Big Sam' on his shirt? I'm sure it was an proud ocassion for all his family.

[Andy]

If you say so.

It's hard to take your opinion seriously Zachory when your blatent dislike for the man stops you from giving any kind of impartial view.

How in the world do you get that he hates us and are (sic) fans from that sentence?!

It's a fair and true comment with no hint that he bears our club any ill, which in the circumstances he was sacked, he is more than entitled to.

[Jackson]

Sat next to him at Brightons first game of the season,

said although he never felt accepted by the fans he wished us all the best... he then added but I think you'll go down.

Spoke about a few of the players and who he rated and didnt and that Diouf speaks to him alot and I might see him at West Ham away.

The question for me is, will they come up?

With that squad, it shouldn't be too hard for the footballing maestro.

[John]

It really is not worth debating with most of the Sam haters, their dislike of the man clouds any rational debate.

[Jackson]

It really is not worth debating with most of the Sam haters, their dislike of the man clouds any rational debate.

Agreed. Ditto for those with attrition nostalgia.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

interesting insight. he hates the club and are fans.. but carry on the love-in!

..........I'm gobsmacked at how blinkered, prejudiced and inexplicably hostile you are to the guy that you can twist a comment that he never felt accepted by the fans and in his footballing opinion thinks we'll go down (which by the way most of the rest of the football world also think), into meaning he hates the club and the fans.

For the record he's got every reason to hate the club as it is now (i.e. minus Williams and plus Anderson, Kean and Venkys) but I think the complete lack of what would have been a fully justified rant for months after his sacking is a good indication that he doesn't. As for the fans, in his first apperance on Sky after the sacking (West Brom home I think it was) he praised the support from the Darwen End who he said have been fantastic.

[K-Hod]

It really is not worth debating with most of the Sam haters, their dislike of the man clouds any rational debate.

True, I was not a lover or a hater, but thought he did well for us. By the same token, rationality escapes many of the Sam lovers as well John

[John]

True, I was not a lover or a hater, but thought he did well for us. By the same token, rationality escapes many of the Sam lovers as well John

In relation to results, it was a successful period for the club with him in charge, he did extremely well with minimal financial resources – when someone does well for their club, either as a player or manager, most fans will look back fondly.

[Steve Moss]

It's hard to take your opinion seriously Zachory when your blatent dislike for the man stops you from giving any kind of impartial view.

I wouldn't pay any attention to Zac. His reasoning on most issues is juvenile, at best.

[PAFELL]

Nothing did 'unravel', we finished mid table, another good effort. On the way to more of the same again last season.

It's pretty simple really, some fans hated the bloke, some put up with him because of results, some thought he doing a bloody good job.

Wouldn't you agree?

There is no doubt Sam did a good job at Rovers. That cannot be denied. To be honest though, I loathed the football and the giving up before a ball was kicked against certain teams. He thought that was the best tactic, I didn't.

Not sure folk hated Sam as a person, but hated the football style / waving the white flag v the big teams and his ego.

Sam v Kean is a none contest. Sam is an experienced manager and Kean is a coach and a joke of a manager.

[Gav]

Come on Steve no need to attack Zac, he's posting what he thinks, right or wrong he's entitled to do without people attacking him.

This site has always been held above all others due to the above, this seems to be getting lost in all the mayhem of late.

[PAFELL]

Sat next to him at Brightons first game of the season,

said although he never felt accepted by the fans he wished us all the best... he then added but I think you'll go down.

Spoke about a few of the players and who he rated and didnt and that Diouf speaks to him alot and I might see him at West Ham away.

I also was at Brightons first match of the season v Doncaster. Brighton impressed me to be honest, especially the second half. I rate Gus Poyet higher than Kean. Poyet set that team up well on Saturday, tough tackles as well.

[BuckyRover]

There is no doubt Sam did a good job at Rovers. That cannot be denied. To be honest though, I loathed the football and the giving up before a ball was kicked against certain teams. He thought that was the best tactic, I didn't.

Not sure folk hated Sam as a person, but hated the football style / waving the white flag v the big teams and his ego.

Sam v Kean is a none contest. Sam is an experienced manager and Kean is a coach and a joke of a manager.

We agree.

I definitely didn't hate him as a person. I quite like his punditry for example.

I just didn't like him as our manager. He seemed to feel that he was beneath us, conveniently forgetting that we offered him a route back into top flight football.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

True, I was not a lover or a hater, but thought he did well for us. By the same token, rationality escapes many of the Sam lovers as well John

Does it?

Reasons for the Sam love:

First season surivial - fact

Second season top half - fact

Cup semi-final - fact

Overachievement with meagre resources - opinion/fact

Input in superb ticket prices - repeatedly quoted by club sources

Great home record - fact

Reasons for the Sam hate:

Plays hoofball - opinion

Is egotistical - opinion

Poor away record - fact

Poor transfer record - opinion/fact

Is fat/a walrus/a slug - ugly prejudice

Now taking an objective look at that I'd say the Sam "lovers" display far more rationality than the "haters".

[K-Hod]

Does it?

Reasons for the Sam love:

First season surivial - fact

Second season top half - fact

Cup semi-final - fact

Overachievement with meagre resources - opinion/fact

Input in superb ticket prices - repeatedly quoted by club sources

Great home record - fact

Reasons for the Sam hate:

Plays hoofball - opinion

Is egotistical - opinion

Poor away record - fact

Poor transfer record - opinion/fact

Is fat/a walrus/a slug - ugly prejudice

Now taking an objective look at that I'd say the Sam "lovers" display far more rationality than the "haters".

Not exactly. Some of the 'lovers' of SA still defended everything he did, even the things that were deplorable- i.e meek surrender in some away fixtures, which grated on many people. I guess the point I was making was that groups of people on either side of the love/hate divide were totally blinkered in their views, to the point where rationality did escape them.

[Steve Moss]

Not exactly. Some of the 'lovers' of SA still defended everything he did, even the things that were deplorable- i.e meek surrender in some away fixtures, . . .

Who?

[Mattyblue]

Not exactly. Some of the 'lovers' of SA still defended everything he did, even the things that were deplorable- i.e meek surrender in some away fixtures, which grated on many people. I guess the point I was making was that groups of people on either side of the love/hate divide were totally blinkered in their views, to the point where rationality did escape them.

I was at plenty of away games to witness some abysmal performances, and Old Trafford for the infamous 7-1, I came away from those games fuming.

I couldn't understand the mentality, my view was what is better for morale, form etc?- us standing off the opposition and getting spanked, or having a go and though probably still shipping goals, at least the fans and players could hold their heads up afterwards.

yet, I saw the bigger picture, many couldn't/wouldn't.