[Archived] Rovers v. Newcastle Preview - February 1, 2012

[Torgeir]

I thought Kean could have put one more body upfront earlier, and Rochina was a poor sub.

[moerpho]

Another loss as expected. But by all means....we played well enough it's just that we can't defend properly for 90 mins and with The Yak out we have none to finish off our chances. See people having a go at Petrovic? I might be alone in this but thought he played well and set up several of our chances with good passes in a forward direction. Unlike N'Zonzi who only passes back or to the side and slows down attacks. I thought we looked weaker when Petrovic came off. Some of Petrovic' long passes to Modeste in the first half almost reminded me of Tugay.

Also thought Hoilett had a bad day at work and Modeste must've studied Roberts since childhood for tips on finishing. Dann feels more and more like a liability defending. Givet is twice the defender he is. Givet also looked the one most likely to score today. Says it all really....

All in all: not good enough! Not much more to say. How anyone can believe we have a chance of staying up is beyond me. We've now played 23 games this season without a clean sheet - that equals relegation. Thankfully I'm away this weekend so I won't have it ruined by wathcing Rovers on saturday (even if it's only on telly...). Gutted.

[Torgeir]

Never thought I'd say this when we bought him but we massively missed Yakubu tonight. You've got to hand it to Kean though for replacing Jason Roberts with an ideal replacement, Modeste another player that is a 'handful' but useless when it comes to actually putting the chances away. What the hell was he doing when he was through clear of goal and decided to snatch at it with his left? Krul even gave him two relatively simple chances by vacating his goal for Modeste on two occasions and he couldn't even get it on target in either case.

It's games like tonight that will see us relegated.

Yes. And the one against Everton.

Missed penalties.....

[DE.]

Am I right in thinking we've won a pathetic 3 games at "Fortress Ewood" this season?

[broadsword]

dont no how anyone can moan, we were easily the better team just couldn't finish today. Easily premiership standard football on show today.

If we can't finish but the other team can, how does that make us the better team?

You don't get points for artistic impression, you have to put your chances away.

[Andy]

I thought Kean could have put one more body upfront earlier, and Rochina was a poor sub.

You're right, he could have done - and should have done.

If only he wasn't useless and clueless.

[mjs]

Rovers were unlucky tonight.

Rovers were what they have been all season; weak, lacking a spine and too easy to score against.

No clean sheets = relegation (hadn't seen your post moerpho!!).

[martonrover]

Still definitely not going down and not far off the top ten Mr Kean?

[rovers11]

You don't need to, Ricky. "Set the team up well" and still lost 2-0. That's our Keano!

We lost 2-0 cos the team isnt good enough. Good teams dont have 20 shots on target and fail to score. I personally think what is happening on the field is secondary to whats happening off it. Under venkys we have no chance. They need to go and then we can move forward. Even if we get relegated and get new owners in, we'll be in a stronger position than we are now. Its not fair on us fans to put up with the club like it is at present.

I'll obviously be gutted if/when we get relegated but absolutely delighted if it signals the end of the chicken pluckers

[hesfromburn]

So the Glaring midfield problem wasnt sorted and showed tonight.

Have to hope Orr can go right back and lowe to midfield we need some bite in there. Petrovic is toothless in midfield and just cant defend at all.

Hanely should be brought back in, because so far dann looks about as much of a waste of money as Kalinic was.

Luckily teams around us have done poor and STILL havent broke away but the fact is its US who are in the bottom 3 not them but with arsenal away next its only going to get harder.

[Hasta]

Come on. The effort was there, just missed shots on goals. Rovers had over 20 chances. Rovers were unlucky tonight.

I am happy to blame kean when he is responcable. He was not tonight. Players should have put chances away.

If you buy players who can't finish and they miss lots of chances then you only have yourself to blame.

Similarly if you buy players who make mistakes like the first goal and they then cost you a goal with those mistakes it's your fault.

The reason we are playing Modeste up front on his own is because Kean has let the squad get incredibly thin and short of quality. We have known this transfer window and last that we are short of firepower and it has not been addressed. Therefore you have to take responsibility when you cannot score. Similarly Dann does not look a £6mill defender and Petrovic looks woefully out of his depth on home performances.

The sign of a good team is when you play poorly and win. Therefore the sign of a bad team must be .......................

[booth]

dont no how anyone can moan, we were easily the better team just couldn't finish today. Easily premiership standard football on show today.

Just couldn't finish? We conceded two goals, if we "just couldn't finish" we would have at least a point!

I could have told you we wouldn't score after about 20 minutes. I even asked who was going to score when I saw the starting eleven.

[alexanders]

Devestated

[rovers11]

If you buy players who can't finish and they miss lots of chances then you only have yourself to blame.

Similarly if you buy players who make mistakes like the first goal and they then cost you a goal with those mistakes it's your fault.

The reason we are playing Modeste up front on his own is because Kean has let the squad get incredibly thin and short of quality. We have known this transfer window and last that we are short of firepower and it has not been addressed. Therefore you have to take responsibility when you cannot score. Similarly Dann does not look a £6mill defender and Petrovic looks woefully out of his depth on home performances.

The sign of a good team is when you play poorly and win. Therefore the sign of a bad team must be .......................

No, you're completely missing the point. Kean wanted to sign players. Venkys didnt give him any money. Im not a kean fan but venkys are the real culprits. Most of the players kean has signed have not even been chosen by him.

[Majiball]

Still definitely not going down and not far off the top ten Mr Kean?

We're only 9 points off 10th with 45 points left to play for, we'll easily catch them up, easily.

[LeChuck]

Kean wanted to sign players. Venkys didnt give him any money.

Most of the players kean has signed have not even been chosen by him.

Firstly, if Kean spends on money on international players like Vukcevic then decides not to play them, he can't complain when there is no money. It's been obvious to everyone on here that we had too many second strikers, he should have done something about it.

Plus £7 million on Dann is criminal. There are loads of centre backs at his level for a fraction of the price.

Secondly, only the January transfers last year were out of Kean's control - so that's Rochina, Formica, Jones and Santa Cruz. Since then, it's been all him.

[Exiled_Rover]

The second goal happens in every game when one team is throwing everything forward for an equalizer. Not going to criticise that one.

The first was just a RIDICULOUS amount of luck for Newcastle. It was going wide before Dann stuck his foot out.

I think they had two shots on target all night and scored two goals - only of of those shots on target went in. That's football for you and why it's so ######.

We absolutely stuffed Newcastle tonight. Should have been a comfortable 3-0 on the balance of play. Sadly when your luck is out it's out.

[Hasta]

No, you're completely missing the point. Kean wanted to sign players. Venkys didnt give him any money. Im not a kean fan but venkys are the real culprits. Most of the players kean has signed have not even been chosen by him.

Well in that case don't come out and say "we aim to get our business done early" , "we have more money to spend then at other times" and "this is my team, judge me know".

Make noises that you are unhappy with the owners like every other manager does in that situation and not pretend that they are the best thing since sliced bread. Billy Davies ultimately talked himself out of a job at Forest by complaining about the board and there lack of spending (and to be fair to Davies look where they are now). However at least his football manager reputation was not harmed. Kean on the other hand is a coward who's doing everything he can to ensure he gets his paycheck.

The first was just a RIDICULOUS amount of luck for Newcastle. It was going wide before Dann stuck his foot out.

It's the 10 seconds of play before the shot that is appalling.

[Torgeir]

You're right, he could have done - and should have done.

If only he wasn't useless and clueless.

Team was set up alright from the start. We simply didn't take our chances. A lot of people where calling for Rochina here. He's got a good left wand but didn't deliver tonight. Our squad is just too weak, I won't put all the blame on Kean for that.

So the Glaring midfield problem wasnt sorted and showed tonight.

Have to hope Orr can go right back and lowe to midfield we need some bite in there. Petrovic is toothless in midfield and just cant defend at all.

Hanely should be brought back in, because so far dann looks about as much of a waste of money as Kalinic was.

Luckily teams around us have done poor and STILL havent broke away but the fact is its US who are in the bottom 3 not them but with arsenal away next its only going to get harder.

Did we have a glaring midfield problem tonight? Can you honestly say we didn't dominate the game from start to finish? Dunn, normally a good penalty taker, misses a pen. Dann sticks his leg out and the ball deflects into the back of the net after a soft pass in no-mans land. Dominating possession. Creating chances.

It's frustrating, but come on. We deserved something from this game.

[EWOODACE1]

i hate kean as a manager but i cant blame him for tonight. modeste is woeful and could have scored 4.saying that his hold up play was decent. dann had an easy header and shouldered it to krul. formica could have done better. hoilet missed a couple of half chances. rochina was the wrong sub

[Stuart]

Mass exodus and not a single boo after the the second went in. People have now given up. There is no fight left. Just acceptance that we are a poor shower of a team, with nothing but bad luck, bad technique and excuses.

Kean was, quote, "happy" with the transfer window. I wasn't. But I have even less faith that he could organise a good team if we'd signed Piqué and Messi.

Mediocre first half whilst Dunn could still breathe but too narrow and lacking movement in the second. Just what does he say to them at half time??

The damage was done in the first half of the season though and we are not going to cause enough "upsets" to turn it around.

Honestly can't see me going next season if Kean and/or Venkys are still involved.

[Tom]

Well that was a kick in the teeth!

Played well, dominated but if you give the team 2 goals and can't even beat a goalkeeper from 12 yards out then you will lose.

Modeste worked really hard but lacked composure in front of goal, Dann isn't good at all IMO and today showed that we have to hope Orr is better than we think as Lowe looks like a midfielder at full back and can't pick up a man.

Today I wont blame Kean, he set a side out that battered the opposition and created over 20 chances and lost to a freak goal after a sloppy pass and a late hammerblow. Where I will blame him is that due to our start we can't afford to have 'one of those days' even if they do happen to everyone.

[Exiled_Rover]

So the Glaring midfield problem wasnt sorted and showed tonight.

Have to hope Orr can go right back and lowe to midfield we need some bite in there. Petrovic is toothless in midfield and just cant defend at all.

Hanely should be brought back in, because so far dann looks about as much of a waste of money as Kalinic was.

Luckily teams around us have done poor and STILL havent broke away but the fact is its US who are in the bottom 3 not them but with arsenal away next its only going to get harder.

I swear people watch different games to me.

Petrovic and N'Zonzi work well together. Suddenly we have a pair that can tackle, run and pass. That's made a world of difference, evidenced by the results we have picked up. They're not exceptional, but they're Prem standard, which is a huge upgrade to what we were throwing out there (like Pedersen in the middle - the master of banging the ball aimlessly into the channels).

Yakubu would have scored a hatful today. Modeste has all the attributes you look for in a lone striker, he just isn't a very composed finisher. That's why he was on loan. We still created more than enough chances to win the game.

[hollowsr]

I've blamed Kean in the past for West Brom and Bolton defeats and a fair few others but tonight was not his fault.

We dominated them for the entire game tonight but things just didn't go our way. Their first is ridiculously unlucky it could go anywhere from the deflection, they deflected lots of shots and each one went away from goal.

Second goal we were going for it, that's about it.

Venkys are to blame for this, we need money put into the squad and not rely on cheap players. Reading Kean's comments about wanting experience it seems like from "but we were met with doors getting slammed in our face so we had to move on" comments that it wasn't just opposition clubs slamming the door but probably Venkys also.

[PAFELL]

If you buy players who can't finish and they miss lots of chances then you only have yourself to blame.

Similarly if you buy players who make mistakes like the first goal and they then cost you a goal with those mistakes it's your fault.

The reason we are playing Modeste up front on his own is because Kean has let the squad get incredibly thin and short of quality. We have known this transfer window and last that we are short of firepower and it has not been addressed. Therefore you have to take responsibility when you cannot score. Similarly Dann does not look a £6mill defender and Petrovic looks woefully out of his depth on home performances.

The sign of a good team is when you play poorly and win. Therefore the sign of a bad team must be .......................

Dunn missed a penalty - he was not bought by Kean. Dunn missing a penalty is not Kean's fault. Kean does have a lot to answer for, but not Dunn missing a penalty or tonights result. Ironically Messi missed a penalty tonight, so it happens to the best.

Venkys are to blame for the state of the squad - not Kean. He can only buy what players he can with what he is given. I would be surprised if he even chose the players. Rovers missed Yakubu tonight. If the penalty had gone in, maybe things would have changed.

Rovers had over twenty chances, they did not play bad.

Horrible result considering the effort etc. I am happy to blame Kean for this, but cannot do so tonight.