[Archived] GAME THREAD - Bristol City Away 12/13

[Rovermatt]

There are some astonishing assumptions being made on here about automatic promotion almost being assured. The Championship season is a long, tough one. Allied with the fact that we have the worst manager in the league and lack any tactics to speak of, anyone expecting this fool to pull us through the business end of the season is having a laugh.

Yeah we've made a good start but so what? Kean and the other cancerous elements within the club are still to be excised and promotion will only see him given a new contract, thus putting us at the mercy of his obvious ineptitude for a few years more.

[Ericcentre]

Is anyone able to give me the low-down on how Danny Murphy played yesterday? I thought he was one of the most underated premiership players of the last 3 or 4 seasons at Fulham, so was impressed when we managed to bring him to Ewood,

While I know his performances haven't been top drawer in preseason and the opening few games, I have heard conflicting reports on his performance yesterday. John Salarko on soccer Saturday said that Murphy was 'pulling the strings' and 'controlling the game', while people who I have spoken to who went to the game have said that his performance yesterday was in the same vein as his previous performances I.e. - needs to improve. I think he can be an important player for us this season and just wondered if his performance improved yesterday?

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Thought he was improved yesterday on what had been a poor start to the season previously. The problem is he's no legs and offers nothing defensively, so if he isn't on the ball and pulling the strings then we're carrying him. But to be fair that's what he was doing yesterday and he did it well.

[Mattyblue]

It's ' shrewd' management to take off a tiring 36 year old striker on around 70 minutes and replace him with a young forward, is it?

I'd say it's a basic tactical subsitituon. However, saying that as he was making ZERO subs last season, Stevie must be improving.

[Stuart]

There's a sneering dismissive tone in this post which surprises me Stuart.

Not sneering nor dismissive at all BRB. Just an observation on the changing tone of the MB at the start of this season.

[Kelbo]

The point on here missed by many is our conceding of goals, many coming from wide areas as last season, we have been fortunate in a few games not to concede more but for me something is clearly wrong, Our full back situation for example, we have had right midfielders playing both right and left full back, Kean doesnt know if Martin and Marcus Olssons best position is left midfield or full back and we lost Salgado, dont play a lad who for me is the best full back at the club (Adam Henley) and someone who is a full back, not a makeshift, the organisation defensively is so wrong and it seems to me that full back and wide midfield are the problem areas, its great attacking but as with last year, the full backs are left exposed which means the centre backs get dragged out of position and we are all over the place at the back.

Ribiero is full back one week wide right the next, surely we should be consistant, injuries apart, when you are top of the league and unbeaten, you are never going to gel when chopping and changing is the order of the day.

A team defends as a unit and both the first team and ressies should play a similar system, allowing players who move to the first team can slot in to their natural positions. I will accept offensively we look decent and we appear to have the ability to score goals, on the flip side, we have the inability to prevent goals, really good sides dont do this and in my opinion, over the season, this will be a major factor. At the moment, we are top of the league, enjoy it whilst we can but I fear we could come unstuck due to our poor defensive capabilities!

[Rover & Out]

The relentless negativity on this board is becoming boring.

It takes a special person to look at yesterday's game and focus solely on our defending and conceding of three goals.

I'm no Kean fan but an individuals opinion becomes less valid when a positive or negative outcome is greeted with the same biased response.

Yesterday's game was fantastic entertainment and I'm sure would have put a smile on many fans faces.

[USABlue]

Chuffed to bits about the win and our position but I have this nagging worry of when is the bubble going to pop. Many many teams have started seasons top or thereabouts only to finish in the relegation spots or close to them. Credit where it's due but I am still very nervous with the man in charge. Happy for Rhodes sounds like him and Nuno have the making of a lethal tandem.

I wish these matchday threads would stop deteriorating into a Kean out fest, I enjoy reading about the match and peoples views we have a whole other thread for Kean bashing.

[LDRover]

Can't believe the general concensus is that their goals were unavoidable.

The first was from a throw in in the first minute, no challenges or reaction to a loose ball in the box. Shocking stuff.

The second sees a Bristol player on his own in our box. No-one within three yards and defenders guilty of the ultimate sin of ball watching. Unforgivable at any level.

The third is a good finish but Robbo goes down in installments and, having gone a goal up a minute earlier, surely we should be more switched on?

However, a very good result and one cannot argue with being top of the league.

[Mattyblue]

I have to say even with Kean I can't see us being too far away, the standard is much poorer than I imagined. The man has ended up with the best squad and highest wage bill in the league.

However, with a proper manager we'd walk the league and more importantly unite the fanbase..

It all feels very hollow when I see an empty Ewood greeting victories.

[thenodrog]

At a birthday bash yesterday afternoon and therefore didn't follow the game closely.

A major plus point must be the spirit and abilityof the players to come back after letting late goals in to gain points at the death so well done to the squad for that. However it seems that we are continuing last seasons failing of being far too easy to score against. We are way too brittle and fold as soon as the slightest pressure is exerted on us. Last year around this stage of the season I opined that we were certainties for relegation cos we gave goals away so easily that we would have to score 3 to win. As far as I can to date see very little has changed. We have some good strikers but we are expecting them to do too much.

[Exiled in Toronto]

Not sneering nor dismissive at all BRB. Just an observation on the changing tone of the MB at the start of this season.

Maybe the tone has changed because things have changed from the predicitons from the know-alls on here:

We were supposed to sell all our good players, especially Robbo, Givet, Olssen - still here

We were supposed to have no strikers at all - we have Gomes and Rhodes

We were supposed to be asset-stripped - we made our record transfer

We were supposed to be unable to sign anyone with any pedigree at all - we have 2 proper central midfielders with hundeds of prem games between them in the first time for years

We were supposed to be plummetting unstoppably towards the 1st division and oblivion - after 5 games we are top

No-one is saying everything is rosy or the last 18 months didn't happen; but things are definitely not as bad as they looked last May, so why wouldn't the tone change?

It's also noticeable that the only people saying we were lucky yesterday are the ones who a) didn't go and are being critical of anyone daring to enjoy a thrilling away win

[SouthAussieRover]

+1.......and some more.

[broadsword]

My joy at a thumping away win is tempered by the fact that we have that arsehole in charge.

I see him as an intruder, an interloper and the Venky's as an occupying force. It's too far gone to warm to them now.

I don't think anyone on here would claimn to be a know-it-all, but there was a definite feeling of doom and gloom in May and given the way we got relegated, it's not entirely surprising some people (me included) thought we would drop again. I'm not sure you really need to adopt the tone you do, but whatever floats your boat.

You can't argue with being top of the table, yet our manager is tactically clueless, we can't defend, and questions remain about the owners, have they gambled the club's future on getting back this season? Let's also not forget the dossier that is held on the club and the Lavissa court case and the rumoured Umbro court case. We could have owners with criminal records as well as a manager with one.

Let us not forget we are only 5 games into the season. We ride our luck in every game. Perhaps we will get rumbled at some point.

[onlyonejackwalker]

Maybe the tone has changed because things have changed from the predicitons from the know-alls on here:

We were supposed to sell all our good players, especially Robbo, Givet, Olssen - still here

We were supposed to have no strikers at all - we have Gomes and Rhodes

We were supposed to be asset-stripped - we made our record transfer

We were supposed to be unable to sign anyone with any pedigree at all - we have 2 proper central midfielders with hundeds of prem games between them in the first time for years

We were supposed to be plummetting unstoppably towards the 1st division and oblivion - after 5 games we are top

No-one is saying everything is rosy or the last 18 months didn't happen; but things are definitely not as bad as they looked last May, so why wouldn't the tone change?

It's also noticeable that the only people saying we were lucky yesterday are the ones who a) didn't go and are being critical of anyone daring to enjoy a thrilling away win

I think some perspective on both sides is required.

We have played 5 games only. We have conceded 6 in the last two games. We have the most expensive squad and highest wage bill in the division. We should be confident away at clubs that have invested a fraction of what we have spent. We should hope to be better defensively and not to have to score 4 to win. The man in charge has a very poor record spanning 18 months, as do his paymasters. Off field concerns with shirt and ground sponsors, staff redundancies, falling shop sales and commercial revenues. We have the lowest gates at the club for circa 20 years and are gambling heavily this season on an instant return to the PL. The season is new and many challenges will be presented along the way.

Equally, most will have been suprised with us breaking our transfer record, retaining some of the better PL players we had left, our unbeaten start to the season, the committment and effort being displayed by the players, the financial committment shown by the club, decent results to date, being top of the league, scoring for fun, increased club communication, and seemingly (early days) a degree of unity amongst our squad.

We need to go up simple as that. Whoever is in charge is irrelevant in some ways as the financial implications of failure would be horrific. That said, most would love a return to classier times, with classier people in charge, common decency and transparency of behaviour befitting a community organisation steeped in history and loved by so many.

[RibbleValleyRover]

The main reason why we went down last season was because we were conceding an average of two goals per game due to Kean's inability to put out a well balanced side. This occurred because Kean isn’t a proper manager, he doesn’t have the tactical acumen to be one.

So far this season we have been leaking just as many goals as we did in the previous season but down to some individual brilliance by some players when it comes to finishing we have managed to overcome this. The likes of Rochina and Rhodes scoring top class goals are the reason why we are top, not Kean.

Anyone who thinks scoring 3 goals per game or more is feasible all season long in order to get wins is living in dreamland. Better managers in this league will eventually figure us out.

[Presty On Tour]

Rather enjoyed my first visit to Ashton Gate.

Pubs were good in the Hotwells, pump house and the nova by the river and there was a bit of a trek to the ground but all worth it.

Thought Rhodes was a class act yesterday, 2 quality finishes and his all round play was excellent. Hell of a game though, good banter with the Bristol fans and the elation at the end was something else.

Defense needs a bit of work but reshuffling with Hanley and Ollson coming on in the first half didn't help matters.

Overall a good away trip and fantastic support from the Rovers!

E-I-E-I-O It's up the football league we go!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

The relentless negativity on this board is becoming boring.

It takes a special person to look at yesterday's game and focus solely on our defending and conceding of three goals.

I'm no Kean fan but an individuals opinion becomes less valid when a positive or negative outcome is greeted with the same biased response.

Yesterday's game was fantastic entertainment and I'm sure would have put a smile on many fans faces.

I don't agree, we're giving simple goals away left right and centre. As long as we're having to score several times to get a result each game we'll struggle to stay in the promotion chasing pack. When was the last time an opposition player had to do something extraordinary to score against us ? Most of the goals we're conceding at the moment would embarrass a school team.

[Kelbo]

The relentless negativity on this board is becoming boring.

It takes a special person to look at yesterday's game and focus solely on our defending and conceding of three goals.

I'm no Kean fan but an individuals opinion becomes less valid when a positive or negative outcome is greeted with the same biased response.

Yesterday's game was fantastic entertainment and I'm sure would have put a smile on many fans faces.

And it takes a special idiot not to address the problems which have existed during the whole of Keans tenure at Rovers, not just yesterday, for the past three seasons!!

[AggyBlue]

The relentless negativity on this board is becoming boring.

It takes a special person to look at yesterday's game and focus solely on our defending and conceding of three goals.

I wonder if Kean, Robinson or any of our defenders are happy with conceding three?

I know what the answer is, so why can't fans be unhappy too?

After all shipping lots of goals been our Achilles heel since Kean took over.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Firstly in both the last two matches where we have leaked goals we have lost two defenders relatively early in the game - in Givet arguably are best defender.

To be honest in both matches it seems to be a concentration thing - in both Leeds and Bristol matches we were arguably coasting (Leeds at 2-0 and Bristol at 2-1) - and looking likely to be the ones to score next.

Also - and it may sound strange - but in both matches we start off we more defensive midfield players playing on the wings - in Ribeiro and MGP. IMO this allows the opposition to push their right and left backs forward. For me - we need to get Simon on the right and Olsson Mk2 (when fit again) on the left. We need to stop sitting back and starting putting teams under pressure - rather than getting the upper hand but then attempting to coast through matches.

One last thing - mentioned numerous times by the great Mr Garner yesterday - we are now the big scalp, teams will work harder and probably play better when they play us. Last time we were relegated we struggled with the hard work that opposition teams put in - this time we have got off to a better start.

[Rovermatt]

Not that anybody is claiming otherwise but things are far from rosy, no matter what a few wins suggest. Kean is a nobody, the Indians fools, the owners faceless. This is the reality.

[Gav]

I think we all need a little perpective here, yes you can enjoy the win, even I cheered the 4th and 5th goals! but the bigger picture still needs addressing and that is we must get rid of Kean before the club can progress.

A good start to the season should never deflect from the feeling against Wigan at home when we went down, the fanbase was united that night, and a couple of wins in the championship shouldn't gloss over the real issues.

Great win yesterday granted, but this idiot needs to be removed asap.

Kean Out

[pick32]

think its obvious to everyone that we haven't really deserved the results what we have been getting but why not stop complaining enjoy the 3 points and if we lose a few numpty gets his p45, this situation is win win.

[andymcg06]

What goes on in some of the people's heads that post on here really is beyond me, we are unbeaten and TOP of the league but yet still people moan.

What more do you actually want ? The Venkys are not going to sack Kean when we are unbeaten in our first 5 games and sitting at the top of the table, and to be honest if we are winning games why would you want them to rock the boat again ?

Don't get me wrong I HATE Steve Kean, but I love seeing the team do well and win games so if we continue to do that with Kean as manager I don't see a need to replace him while we are in this league.

People need to stop moaning about everything we are unbeaten and top of the league !! ENJOY IT !!!