[Archived] Blackburn Vs Arsenal

[Ferrit]

Great spirit shown by the lads to come back twice there.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves however, we were dominated for large parts of the game and Arsenals back 4 are clearly all over the place. Add that to the fact we had one that was arguably offside, and 2 own goals suggests we certainly rode our luck.

That being said, was impressed by Yakubu, Dann and Lowe when he moved to right back and it could be the kind of result that kick starts our season.

Kean needs alot more than that to change my opinion, I still firmly believe he's not the right man for the job. I've been wrong before however, so maybe he can still turn it around.

[imy9]

What a result.

I said at half time that this team has the making of a top 10 team.

What we need is for the midfield to be tighter. Rochina is a good player going forward BUT he loses the ball a ridiculous amount of times.

Replace Rochina and Formica with Olsson and Simon, then bring them on late on.

Credit to Kean, the players are clearly playing for him, but for f*** sake if you are not getting sacked then please change the f****** tactics.

[Rovermatt]

What a heroic performance from all involved in the second half. From front to back, every man gave his all and did his job. Admittedly this is an Arsenal side with some very deep-rooted problems but they had us up against the ropes in the last ten minutes and we weathered the storm.

I don't think Kean has much of a clue about what he's doing but fair play to him today. I'd rather we got three points now and sacked him later than getting nothing today.

Yakubu's signing was not especially welcome by many (myself included) but he is undoubtedly a goal-scorer of some repute and his goals today were taken by a player the like of which we've been missing since McCarthy discovered Burger King. The first in particular was absolute class.

[Mr. E]

Well it has happened.

I read that we've beaten Arsenal 4-3, and I feel sick to my stomach. Any piece of joy that Kean or Venkys receive ruins everything for me.

They have taken the club I followed since I was 4 away from me.

[LeChuck]

Samba and Dann are the best CB pairing we have had in so many years.

Yet we conceded 3 goals and needed our goalkeeper to save us on several occassions.

Says a lot about how rubbish the midfield and full backs are at defending. Givet is so poor at left back it's unreal.

[Hekla]

Excellent second half. I admit I was critical in the first half but I'm so proud of the players, excellent win. Samba and Dann are immense, we can be positive about those two. A good thing is that we create chances and can score, that is never a bad thing. Has anyone been this emotional or is it just me?

[Amo]

Credit where it's due, that was a fantastic result and an intense spectacle. I did have a feeling we'd get a result today. Kean has a knack for upping his game against the big guns, and the protest took a lot of pressure off the players. This one result shouldn't hide the fact we have a poor manager in charge of the club, nor does it repudiate the protest, but we all know that will buy him more time, so I'd only be wasting my breath calling for his head.

Robbo made some top-drawer saves and kept us in this game.

Yakubu shows the difference between a striker who can finish and Jason Roberts.

Petrovic look shaky at first but grew into the game and showed some class.

Dann had some wobbly moments but still looks like becoming a crowd favourite.

Olsson was an inspired sub and shows why he should play left-wing more often.

[levirover]

Great win Rovers! Players obviously behind Kean, lucky but deserved some luck after Everton game. Now Kean please play only 1 of rochina/formica and play olsson to shore up midfield. We need to have two holding midfielders that are diciplined if Kean wants to play soo many attacking mid players.

[Darwen Rover]

Kean eyes looked v glassed in the post maych interview like he'd been crying

[slough_rover]

Credit where it's due, that was a fantastic result and an intense spectacle. I did have a feeling we'd get a result today. Kean has a knack for upping his game against the big guns, and the protest took a lot of pressure off the players. This one result shouldn't hide the fact we have a poor manager in charge of the club, nor does it repudiate the protest, but we all know that will buy him more time, so I'd only be wasting my breath calling for his head.

Robbo made some top-drawer saves and kept us in this game.

Yakubu shows the difference a striker who can finish and Jason Roberts.

Petrovic look shaky at first but grew into the game and showed some class.

Dann had some wobbly moments but still looks like becoming a crowd favourite.

Olsson was an inspired sub and shows why he should play left-wing more often.

My thoughts exactly.

[Fitz808]

great to sit in a pub full of arsenal fans in north east london and watch that happen. really a rather smashing way to spend an early afternoon

clearly a range of positives and negatives today.

positively:

the yak - sniff a chance and put it in

junior - plain and simply junior

coming out at the start of the second half and playing at the kind of footy to put arsenal under pressure

jason lowe doing really well at RB

vuckinic's arrogance

olssen - providing tempo when we needed it

robbo's shot stopping

negatives

robbo's kicking

running out of steam again

starting nervously

ending nervously

deciding to play the end of the game without the ball

petrovic off the pace still

probably a lopad more, but noce to have three on the board... and it was arsenal too. they may be weaker than usual, but they're still a top team.

[Hekla]

I'm not a fan of Kean but it shows he cares, you only have to see his face in the interview and also during the match.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

First off - I'm against Kean being our manager

BUT

Now that Kean isnt going to get the sack, cos it's clearly obvious now to everyone that the club/players are 100% behind him, I think it's time we put all that behind us for the time being.

The fans were superb today, it really gave the players a lift.

Whether you chant Kean's name in the ground, it's up to you, but we've just gotta do our bit and keep and maintain a positive atmosphere at Ewood.

Great result today.

[imy9]

A mention for Petrovic, I thought he grew in confidence as the game went on and I firmly believe that given a dozen games he will be first 11 player for us, Simon also looks excellent on the ball, a wonderful day, the world looks nicer when you get three points, has it really been that long?

[s_simpson_9]

Just enjoy it. 3 unexpected points. Breath. :-). Woohoo

[Hekla]

Agree about Vukcevic, no lack of confidence in his body. Hugely talented on the ball, will only get better.

[RevidgeBlue]

Lucky win for Rovers.

Dominated by Arsenal in the first half (they could have been 4 or 5 up) and apart from a decent finish by Yakubu we were by far the second best team. Second half Arsenal looked a different team, a complete shambles defensively which saw them score 2 own goals. Arsenal had more chances in the second half and it required some top quality saves by Robbo.

Plus points from the result:

It's a win- three points closer to survival.

Yakubu looks like he can offer something this season.

Robbo- brilliant performance, got us the three points more than anybody.

Negative points:

The win means Kean likely won't be going anywhere for a while. With a lot tougher games coming up it's going to be difficult to get enough points. Rovers now might leave it too late after this result.

The sheep will be on later to proclaim Kean a genius but the truth is we were lucky today, the sort of luck (one off-side goal and two own goals)you don't get often.

Absolute nonsense imo.

I came on here expecting to see plenty of posters disappointed we won and it looks like I was correct in that respect.

Arsenal were by far the better side first half, we were by far the better side in the second and came from 1-2 down to 4-2 up.

This is ARSENAL we were playing not Norwich or Swansea. They're still a quality outfit, how many times have we beaten them in the last ten seasons?

We do have one glaring area to address - the left back position - Givet has had a couple of absolute nightmares in the last two games.

On the plus side, for the first time in quite a few seasons we have genuine ability all over the pitch offensively and always look capable of creating something.

Yakubu was a revelation today. Didn't get the ball much but practically every touch he made was absolute quality. Hope he can keep that up.

[deryck guyler's spoon]

First off - I'm against Kean being our manager

BUT

Now that Kean isnt going to get the sack, cos it's clearly obvious now to everyone that the club/players are 100% behind him, I think it's time we put all that behind us for the time being.

The fans were superb today, it really gave the players a lift.

Whether you chant Kean's name in the ground, it's up to you, but we've just gotta do our bit and keep and maintain a positive atmosphere at Ewood.

Great result today.

Absolutely. Something from Newcastle is definitely gettable and that should be everybody's focus now.

Once you have Lady luck on board anything is possible! (Yakubu looked suspiciously offside for the third)

[Martin]

Important three points today.

We were as lucky today as we were unlucky against Everton.

Nice to have a striker that can score. First finish was class. Roberts can concentrate on the radio.

Robinson, Samba, Dann all fantastic. Onwards and upwards.

Rochina and Vukcevic made very poor decisions today.

[Tom]

Is this real life?

Anyone who dismissed the bad luck against Everton has no right to say today's win was down to luck.

Steve Kean has just won at the most perfect time for him. Day of a protest, live on tv and the owners there. He'll be a happy man tonight.

[otto man]

Well it has happened.

I read that we've beaten Arsenal 4-3, and I feel sick to my stomach. Any piece of joy that Kean or Venkys receive ruins everything for me.

They have taken the club I followed since I was 4 away from me.

\well you know what to do then? Naff off and support the dingles you @rsehole!

[Abid6814]

The Yak was immense, if he stays fit he will score goals, some great touches, in the right positions, excellent hold up play and best of all he seemed to be enjoying the game!

Olsson needs to start in midfield he provides a lot more protection for Givet. Totally agree its one of Formica or Rochina and I'd go with the latter on current form.

Samba and Dann were immense, I thought Jason Lowe in general had a good game a few slip ups but showed real potential and deserving of an opportunity.

Hopefully Petrovic or Grella can become the default partner for Nzonzi in midfield we do need a bit of steel and now have enough speed on the flanks to provide the creativity.

Lets hope we can build on this!

[moerpho]

What an amazing game! Norwegian commentators are praising both Rovers and the game. Still.......can't help but feel this was the worst Arsenal-side that has visited Ewood in years. I still struggle to see what strategy/formation we play and Kean still can't get it right when chosing his starting 11. Even though we won I still want him gone! The sooner the better....

But....this should be a day for positives! So....some points (beside the first 3 league points of the season):

- was mildly baffeled and very angry when Kean put Petrovic on for an injured Salgado. Thought he should have put Olsson on and let either Givet or Dann play right back. Still....thought young Jason Lowe did a good job when asked upon. Actually thought we looked less frail down our right side with him playing rather than Salgado (who has been a major liability all season). Big pat on the shoulder for Lowe!

- Yakubu! Looks like exactly the kind of striker we've been missing for a couple of seasons - the kind that scores goals and knows how to both get into scoring position (look at his positioning for the 4-2 goal) and bring others into play. Let's hope this wasn't a one-off and that Kean doesn't put him on the bench next game.

- we have som quality flair players in our setup but we desperatly need a coach (or manager?) to teach these young players to make better decisions - both attacking and defending. This especially goes for Rochina (who had a stinker) and Formica who both seem to have ability, but tend to make bad choices over and over.

So...what a strange day! I'm so so excited for the win and the 3 points, but I fear this might've been a one-off against a poor Arsenal side and still don't trust Kean to be the right man for the job. We desperatly need better organisation on the field and better tactics for days when Lady Luck is stuck at Old Trafford. I hope I am wrong and that this is the beginning of a good spell for Rovers. But looking at the fixturelist (and the dugout) I'm not filled with confidence. Still....UP THE ROVERS!!!

[otto man]

Well it has happened.

I read that we've beaten Arsenal 4-3, and I feel sick to my stomach. Any piece of joy that Kean or Venkys receive ruins everything for me.

They have taken the club I followed since I was 4 away from me.

Well you know what to do then? Naff off and support the dingles you @rsehole!

[callumrovers]

Some of you still wouldnt be happy if we had beat Arsenal 8-0.

Enjoy this fantastic result, and stop with the Kean bashing, its getting boring.

Some of you still wouldnt be happy if we had beat Arsenal 8-0.

Enjoy this fantastic result, and stop with the Kean bashing, its getting boring.