[Archived] Rovers v Everton

[Balwer]

question for all of you defending Kean. Did you think, after 30 minutes, with Kean's starting XI on and before two injuries forced him to make changes, that we were the better side?

[DE.]

Kean using the amount of times we were in their box stats again. I've never heard any other manager use that stat. Bizarre. Obviously "massive amounts" of positives, blah blah blah. "Exceptional apart from the result". As usual.

[Andy]

Maybe if Kean had picked a decent side from what we have available, we wouldn't be talking about "what-if's". Kean didn't take the penalties himself, but he is responsible for picking that gormless lummox up front.

So yes, I think Kean's ineptitude did play its part in thsi defeat.

magicalmortensleftpeg - read the above.

These are the reasons why Kean has to foot most of the blame for defeat today.

Missed penalities are bad luck/technique; nobody could or would seriously blame Kean for the missed penalties.

He maybe should have instructed somebody more suitable to take them (eg Emerton), but that's by the by.

[daverich]

Kean wants sacking purely for picking audrey roberts every game

Ok it isn't his fault that we missed two penalties, but it is his fault when it comes to team selection, no formica, rochina or goodwillie in the starting line up, if we would of had just formica and goodwillie starting today we probably would have won the game in open play.

[Jimmy612]

WE MISSED TWO PENALTIES FFS!!!!!!!!!!!! That isn't Kean's fault! Yes he's a useless manager, but its not like the players didn't have a chance to win the game today did they.

Are people this damn stupid to understand???????

Quit sympathising over Kean??! What, Hoilett and Formica miss two pens, and its Kean's fault? Thats totally unreasonable.

Kean needs to be fired. He isn't a good manager. But today wasn't his fault. Jesus.

correct. I don't like Steve Kean, I don't think he's a manager! We looked far better after the forced substitutions, food for thought for him there! 4-5-1 is far better for us, lets hope he continues with that formation.

Hoillets penalty was crap, Formica was unlucky. How the ref has awarded their penalty I have no idea! Such a good defensive header by Samba!

Kean still has to go, he isn't a manager. Today is very very unlucky! We looked much better in that second half.

[Amo]

Im not saying we played well. All im saying is that today we had two players who missed penalties. That is why we lost the game. Those two players lost us that game. They had the chance and blew it.

But it's not the first-time we've been "unlucky" under Kean, is it?

To say that Kean deserves the sack based on today because two players cant score from the penalty spot is ridiculous.

He doesn't deserve the sack based on today.

He deserves the sack for all of his results. They're not good enough.

[Andy]

Is it?

Is there any scientific fact in your theory?? Tosh

Not much Kean got wrong IMO today. The only thing was not playing Goodwillie from the start. When was the last time you saw rovers dominate a game for 90 mins playing football??

Don't know, but we certainly didn't today.

And let's not be fooled - this was probably the weakest side we will face this season, certainly at home.

Today was this season's equivalent of the Liverpool game, but sadly J.Rob is no Benjani.

Jesus, there's a sentance I never thought I'd write.

[stu07]

I dont think I have been this frustrated and upset about a result for a long, long time. We can blame the players for not practising their spot kicks, the ref for giving a dodgy last minute penalty and the manager for picking a terrible starting line up.

It just all went wrong today but I will say I liked the look of Formica, Goodwillie and Hoilett today and hope we stick with them. I have faith we will get results but we need them NOW.

Edit: Samba was also immense back today, boy do we need to keep him badly!

So its not just me. Just have the biggest knot in my stomach. Kean needs to go.

He's saying that we were in their box 60 times, thats what happens when you play Roberts.

[chris]

Is it?

Is there any scientific fact in your theory?? Tosh

Not much Kean got wrong IMO today. The only thing was not playing Goodwillie from the start. When was the last time you saw rovers dominate a game for 90 mins playing football??

You play bad and you lose and you play well and you lose

you need scientific evidence for that? we are talking 22 points in 26 games (thats approx right)

But putting scientific evidence a side, Hardford lost the first two games of 1996 then we played excellent against Man U and didn't win, we then went another 8 games without wining and were 20th in October.

Hoagson also had a similar experience against Chelsea in a 4-3 defeat in 1998, Hodgson in the bottom three aftyer that, we played great but lost.

I feel a little sorry for Kean but also I also think not signing a striker and playing Roberts is a tactic thats starting to shoot himself in the foot.

[Tom]

On the referee, not even taking into account the penalties (one of ours I thought was a dive but didn't see theirs) he was absolutely appaling, Salgado booked for a slightly high foot due to Anichibes reaction, Hoilett booked for a foul he didn't see, Samba got wrong side of his man 2 or 3 times yet the ref gave us a free kick, utterly inept both ways.

[67splitscreen]

He needs to be changed/sacked/demoted whatever, purely on his starting eleven.

I don't need stats to tell me we were far more effective after the three substitutions than before, end off.

Putting JR and a sandbag in the same sentence is an insult to one of them, I'll leave it too you to decide which?

[booth]

Initial thoughts - Easily the better team today and desered three points. These results pop up now and again where a team gets overun and win.

Sorry but Keans not to blame for todays loss.

He set the team up wrong from the start. It was only after the changes that we looked like doing anything in the game, changes to rectify his own mistakes. To make it even worse, he was forced to make those changes due to injuries (apart from the last sub). I have no doubt we'd have ended the game with Dunn and Pederson if it would have been up to him.

Goodwillie and Formica looked much more of a threat together.

When will the penny drop that Pederson and Dunn's best days are behind them, and Roberts has never been a premiership class striker?

Everton were so poor we should have been in front before any penalties were given.

As a sidenote, Petrovic looked awful. I hope that's just a temporary thing.

And yes the referee was appalling, even if you don't take into account the dodgy penalty.

[ABBEY]

GET A REAL MANAGER IN BEFORE ITS TO LATE YOU CRAZY NO IDEA CHICKEN DIPPING FEATHER TICKLING MUPPETS!!!!YES WE SHOULD OF could have WON BUT IF YOU DONT SCORE YOU DONT WIN SIMPLE!!! WHY IS ROBERTS PICKED WHEN HES AT BEST CRAP?

THE REF JEEEES WHAT A PILLOCK EVERY FOUL WAS GREETED WITH A ROVERS YELLOW AND ONLY ONE OF THERES ,2 PENS NO CARD FOR THE BIN DIPPERS!!!!!

INJURIES? BOLLUX TO THIS NO STRETCHING BULL ,HAMMYS ARE SAVED BY FULL WARM UPS ,STRETCHING AND BEING FIT!!!!!!

BRING ON ARSSENAL THINK IT COULD BE A WALLOPING!!!!

[RovertheHill]

Kean using the amount of times we were in their box stats again. I've never heard any other manager use that stat. Bizarre. Obviously "massive amounts" of positives, blah blah blah. "Exceptional apart from the result". As usual.

I imagine he picked it up from a certain former manager who used to talk about the stats for scoring from shots outside the box versus inside, and such-like.

I'm pretty gutted after today but I did think we played well. I was disappointed that we started with Roberts up front. If we are going to play 4-5-1 then he is simply incapable of doing that. He's not good enough - he can't hold the ball, he can't head the ball and his one strength was running past defenders - he can no longer do that. We looked a lot more comfortable at the back and I think that was as much to do with having good and experienced defenders back as to Everton being poor. Overall we should have been 4 up before the last minute and so I don't necessarily think this was Kean's fault - although I don't agree with his team selection. Using today as a stick to beat him with is probably unfair. Doesn't mean he should stay as manager though - his record over the last 9 or 10 months suggests we are not going to go on the 4 or 5 game unbeaten run that we desperately need to do and so now is the time if you ask me.

[scunnyrover]

I honestly can't believe what's just happened, 2 missed penalties, hit crossbar and post and numerous of other chances. Just don't think today was our day. Keans not at fault for the loss today but his team selection is shocking. Like above posters have said we improved after petrovic and formica come on.

Kean needs to go and samba needs to stay. On a positive formica looked good and not as frail as people thought he would be. Hoillet played real well and n zonzi and petrovic look good together.

Now off to down my sorrows out n around blackburn

[pick32]

Even sky are getting it right if you go onto the match report it says "Roberts-Dull should he have started?" also goes on to say the top topic is can steve kean cling to his job for much longer.

[JAL]

On the referee, not even taking into account the penalties (one of ours I thought was a dive but didn't see theirs) he was absolutely appaling, Salgado booked for a slightly high foot due to Anichibes reaction, Hoilett booked for a foul he didn't see, Samba got wrong side of his man 2 or 3 times yet the ref gave us a free kick, utterly inept both ways.

Sour grapes Tom he gave us two magnificent opportunities to score a goal to their one.

Only losers blame the referee ..........dont be a loser !

[Stuart]

What an awful way to lose a game.

What makes matters even worse is that Kean will "get away with" the defeat today as the penalty misses will mask over the fact that he picked the wrong team.

After watching the team attempt to play the right way mid-week albeit against Sheffield Wednesday, and almost giving Kean the benefit of the doubt for the slog the last 75 minutes became, out came Allardyce's team (yes Allardyce's team) to play the football that all the Sam haters hated and all Sam apologists apologised for. I couldn't believe what I was watching.

What was quite plain was that when Goodwillie came on to partner Formica, the game changed and we looked a much more threatening and entertaining side. You could argue that it was a good tactical move but he only made his first changes when Dunn and Pedersen were withdrawn through injury, and he only realised Goodwillie should replace his mate Roberts after 71 minutes!

Everton were terrible and there for the taking, and we could barely have wished for two weaker teams to come to Ewood at the beginning of the season.

Our current situation was summed up perfectly by the farce that was Pedersen's injury. He was down for about a minute while the ref didn't think it was enough to stop play, yet when the ball went out he immediately whistled and signalled to the bench to allow the physio on. I don't know what the hell our staff were playing at because they didn't seem to have a clue as to what was going on. Finally, after what seemed like an age, we finally sent Mr Spock on, accompanied by a chorus of jeers. Absolutely clueless.

I left the ground feeling sick and completely empty. Listening to Kean on Radio Rovers taking the positives (or taking something else beginning with P) just made me angry.

His reasons for us missing the penalties? Well "Dunny" went off injured and he would have taken the first one (so no Plan B.) and "Gatto" taking the ball off Goodwillie for the second (no leadership to intervene).

Hearing him describe Formica as "Gatto" and Dunn as "Dunny" shows that he is nothing but a cheerful, glass-half full, poor man's Steve McLaren.

Get the hell out of our club you complete charlatan.

[Mattie456]

Don't know, but we certainly didn't today.

must have been watching a different game this afternoon

[pick32]

Even sky are getting it right if you go onto the match report it says "Roberts-Dull should he have started?" also goes on to say the top topic is can steve kean cling to his job for much longer.

The Sack race

Looks like its apparent to everyone bar Venky's.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Absolutely Gutted.

Gutted for myself - gutted for Emerton (as he didn't deserve his send off to be like this) - gutted that the Premier League employs refs like the clown we had today (how many times did Distin go over the top of Roberts and nothing was given - and yet he gives that penalty and virtually every 50-50 to Everton)

The irony - Kean could get sacked after a game that we bossed - and really should have won.

Though some may disagree - this is possibly the best team Rovers have had in ages. All we need is a decent centre-forward - and we could really start picking up points. However - though we were the better team, Everton always looked more organised - and we relied on the individual flair of players rather than team work. I can see what Kean is trying to do - and a team pattern is emerging - but I think now is time for him to go. HOWEVER - please don't sack him unless you have somebody lined up !

[Guest TheArtistFormallyKnownAsJB]

I have never seen a poorer refereeing performance. I honestly would love to send te FA/referees governing body a copy of todays game with some of the aformentioned incidents highlighted. Completely out of his depth, unable to use his assistants, even off the pace in terms of the second half.

My old man put it best - "make's you paranoid doesn't it?" It most certainly does.. Maybe the Referees have it in for us just like the media seem to do.

As for a performance... Slow to start, but after the two substitutions we were easily the better team. I can see the progress the team is making, and we especially look dangerous from open play as opposed to set pieces. Samba is a rock at the heart of the defence. We have needed him so badly, Salgado and Olsson seemed to have better defensive displays today because of him. I also think Petrovic could be a star for Rovers if he can up his own tempo a little. As for the likes of Hoilett, Goodwillie and especially Formica; they are going to scare a lot of defences this season.

Ironically, our set piece probably let us down. I am 100% certain I have never seen two penalties for the home side missed at Ewood before. The first was tame, and the second was extremely unlucky.

I can't be to upset with todays score in the end. We deserved all three points, and as someone stupidly said we would not player an easier team at home this season - That could not be more false. Moyes has so much experience, and we made his team look below par. If we can keep that level of performance in defence and attack, perhaps replacing Jase - we will finish comfortably above Everton come May 2012

I'm not worried yet..

[Tooogs]

I will start with the fact that I would love Kean out and a proper manager come in... BUT... the players are there. It's just the players being chosen that's all wrong. The team for the next game has to be...

Robinson

Bruno Samba Givet Olsson

NZonzi Petrovic

Vukcevic Formica Hoilett

Goodwillie

[BRFC1995]

The Sack race

Looks like its apparent to everyone bar Venky's.

Keans name stands out a fecking mile on that list.........loads of good proper managers and then this utterly random nobody right at the top like sore thumb

[LeftWinger]

I am 100% certain I have never seen two penalties for the home side missed at Ewood before.

We missed two against Bolton a few years ago - Roberts and McCarthy.