[Archived] Rovers vs Boro

[den]

Looking forward to this tonight. For me, it's the first time I've seen rovers play since last season. It will be interesting to see Jordan Rhodes, who many fans have said is "class" - and some are even comparing him to Shearer. Obviously he's not another Shearer, but how talented is he? I'll have a better idea tonight.

As for the game generally, I don't expect to see anything different to what we've seen for the last couple of seasons, which amounts to, basically, no quality, no tactics and no bloomin' idea.

£8m? [shakes head]. Not on tonight's showing.

My second paragraph turned out right though. No quality, no tactics and no idea. This is the inevitable outcome when you continually sell your best players. Fans on here have defended the sales of EHD, Emerton, Jones, Samba, Hoilett, Nelsen, Nzonzi and just about everyone else that's left the club including John Williams. Some have even said the way forward is to buy players from the Championship - where there's apparently plenty of talent. All that's unveiled now, there's nothing in this league, including rovers.

One viewpoint on here recently has been that the best way forward for rovers fans is to get down to Ewood and back the team. The argument being that we need to do that because we have to go up this season. Well, we do need to go up this season, that's true, but there's no way in hell that getting down to Ewood and backing this lot is going to get us promoted. We're on a wing and a prayer here, we have to hope that Kean goes and we can attract a manager who can somehow get enough out of a pretty poor squad and get us out of this league.

The fans have to look at the best way to rid us of Kean, not look at backing the impossible.

[Veevs]

Wow.. its almost 2 years since Kean stole the job.. week in week out we see the exact same tactics, organisation and fitness levels.

Personally I don't blame the players (although Edinho is awful), its how they are asked to play is what is at fault here and has been since day one.

Murphy in the role he is being put in (he will have instuctions on where to play and pass and how to move during a game) without outlets for his style of passing is a liability of the highest order.

We we never get the best out of Rhodes in the role he is playing, which is a disgrace given the obvious ability the lad has.

The defence is utterly deviod of any confidence, the way they are setup and the tactics they employ is horrid.

Ribiero and Formica are complete disasters on the right, neither of them should be put into that role as its simply does not suit their skills or experience.

Nunes looked good but again how he is being asked to play does not take advantage of his abilities.

Overall its the SSDD Kean simply does not have the brain to play to players strengths and the oppositions weaknesses, the simple fact that so many highly regarded players have suddenly become awful under his tenure clearly backs this up. I work in web development as a manager and now a management consultant in my 14 year career I have seen an awful lot of managers do the same thing, they read something in a book or are taught one way of doing things and try to force it onto their teams disregarding the individuals abilities, experience and importantly personalities and motivation.. what you find in 90% of cases is this results in massive drops in performance, more sick days, people not enjoying their jobs and completly disjointed deliverables.

[thenodrog]

If that is the standard on offer ... and judging by reports on here it is then the 10000 die hards have my sympathy. No one can enjoy that surely?

I started a chant in the pub for Boro at 0-2 down. If ever a club put a gun to it's head and pulled the trigger it's us. Those that have left by the Venky's hand must have been pissinig themselves last night.

[Torgeir]

Murphy looks off the pace and is supposed to be the key to our build-up play. I think a lot of why we fail to control games is because of him. Our defense kept roosting the ball up field where our strikers won no headers, so in the end we really didn't have any ideas on how to create anything offensively. Also, if you look at Boro's first goal you see our central midfield rushing towards the ball just as it is about to get played (by Bikey I believe), leaving our defenders on their own. Olsson, who is our quickest player and could have easily caught up with Jutkiewicz, jogs after the situation and leaves Givet to do the job. Givet covers the far corner well and Robinson's job is to keep him from scoring at the near post but was unable to. Robinson almost conceded a free kick that he was unable to deal with as well, and looks very unimpressive to me.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

£8m? [shakes head]. Not on tonight's showing.

I have to apologise - always happens, you say how good a player looks - and then his next match ..........

I think to be fair - the service to him was useless - and he was very isolated most of the match.

It was interesting watching on sky - you could see how tactically poor we are. The gaps between our midfield and defence when defending is absolutely criminal. Very little operates as a team, either attacking or defending - it is all about individuals. We seem to start every match slowly - rather than going at teams - the last ten minutes showed what could have been achieved.

I did think even with Kean at the helm we could get top 6 - I am beginning to wonder now. Even the Sky commentators picked up on the strange atmospere at Ewood these days - over the season it will start to erode at the players.

Well we are still on two points a game - which over a season would be enough to get promoted. Kean didn't get to his "mythical" points total. So the Venky's now have the opportunity to jettison the reason for most of the current problems - and bring in a manager who knows what he is doing, while we are still in what (points wise) is a good position.

[readsi3k]

Morning,

1st post be gentle,

Don't know if this can be confirmed,

3 or 4 Boro fans where ejected last night because they had a Kean out banner.

(My son works on match days in one of the catering bars)

Anyone else hear of this last night?

I saw 2 banners, one said Kean Out (not sure on the other).

From where I was it appeared the stewards tried to remove them, were met with resistance, and then it all kicked off. So much for banning banners to keep the peace.

[Shabani]

I broke my boycott last night and went to the game (was a spare ticket though..), more out of curiosity than anything to see how bad our performances actually are

It was much, much worse than expected.

I think the pass completion rate last night was about 13%, of which Murphy and Orr got noweher near that number.

The difference between the two sides last night was the managers. Mowbray set his side up to absorb pressure, hit us on the break using pace and did it to devastating effect.

On the other hand, I have no idea what Kean's tactics were last night. They just seem to involved trying to get the ball to Rhodes and then hoping something happens. Woodgate and Bikey are two very experienced CBs who were always going to be able to deal with Rovers long balls all night. Not once did I see Rovers try a through ball to Rhodes, to try and expose the two CBs.

Notably poor perfomances from Murphy, Formica (no-one is that slow in their 20s) and Ribeiro.

Also the formation in the second half was a shambles. After Formica realised he was being dominated on the wing by their left back, he came insider and Orr pushed up. Except this left a giant gap at right back which their pacy 19 expolited God knows how many times.

[Ossydave]

Many things annoyed the hell out of me last night but one of the worst things is the fact that Murphy took a series of pathetic set pieces BLATANTLY just aiming for Etuhu every single pissing time despite the fact he is completely useless in the air, it was so obvious Boro must have thought it was an actual joke.

My hatred for Kean intensified massively last night when he just stood there clueless not making changes.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Notably poor perfomances from Murphy, Formica (no-one is that slow in their 20s) and Ribeiro.

Last nights performance by Murphy was an improvement on how he played against Barnsley - which gives you an idea of how bad he was against Barnsley.

[Pedro]

I saw the banner, just before kick off, it lasted about 10 seconds until the stormtroopers removed the banner and those who unfurled it.

Seriously? I said to the people around me that it was all over a banner but I was taking the ###### and I could hear it spreading...Unbelieveable behaviour if it turns out to be true.

[RoyRover]

One of the things that stuck out for me last night was the huge amount of space that Middlesbrough players could run into and work in. This again comes back to tactics and fitness and how we are lacking in both. Football pitches by their nature are big and a single person isn't going to take up a lot of room even in a section of it. That's why you have to be tactically tuned in as individuals and as a team to know how to combat the space, how and when to close it down and suffocate teams. You need to be fit to do this. We aren't anywhere near as fit as other teams. And we have a manager who doesn't know how to set a team up tactically to defend properly. Hence teams just come through the middle of the field in waves and have done ever since he's been in charge.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I have to apologise - always happens, you say how good a player looks - and then his next match ..........

I think to be fair - the service to him was useless - and he was very isolated most of the match.

It was interesting watching on sky - you could see how tactically poor we are. The gaps between our midfield and defence when defending is absolutely criminal. Very little operates as a team, either attacking or defending - it is all about individuals. We seem to start every match slowly - rather than going at teams - the last ten minutes showed what could have been achieved.

I did think even with Kean at the helm we could get top 6 - I am beginning to wonder now. Even the Sky commentators picked up on the strange atmospere at Ewood these days - over the season it will start to erode at the players.

Well we are still on two points a game - which over a season would be enough to get promoted. Kean didn't get to his "mythical" points total. So the Venky's now have the opportunity to jettison the reason for most of the current problems - and bring in a manager who knows what he is doing, while we are still in what (points wise) is a good position.

How many of those points have we deserved ?

[Pugg]

Has Kean learnt to make subs when we are losing yet?

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

How many of those points have we deserved ?

Does it matter if it gives the next manager a good starting point

[philipl]

Does it matter if it gives the next manager a good starting point

Exactly

[adsfortheblues]

Does it matter if it gives the next manager a good starting point

There won't be a next manager, not for a very, very long time. Why are people even entertaining the idea that there will be?

[Gav]

Many things annoyed the hell out of me last night but one of the worst things is the fact that Murphy took a series of pathetic set pieces BLATANTLY just aiming for Etuhu every single pissing time despite the fact he is completely useless in the air, it was so obvious Boro must have thought it was an actual joke.

My hatred for Kean intensified massively last night when he just stood there clueless not making changes.

I said the very same thing Dave, it was pathetic and predictable.

Anyone else think we lack fitness also? Or is it just me? Boro looked much sharper and much fitter to me.

[Ossydave]

They've looked unfit for a long, long time now and its ridiculous. Leads me to believe they just arse about in training and have a laugh with their mate Kean, 'one of the lads'.

[Gav]

They've looked unfit for a long, long time now and its ridiculous. Leads me to believe they just arse about in training and have a laugh with their mate Kean, 'one of the lads'.

Youre probably right.

It's absolutely criminal that a side lacks fitness in this day and age. You can be the worse player in the world, but you should always be fit, no excuses on that score.

[thenodrog]

£8m? [shakes head]. Not on tonight's showing.

In defence of Rhodes even Shearer would struggle with the service he received last night....... or rather the service he DIDN'T receive. Whether he's any good or not will have to wait for another manager to show his potential either at Ewood or elsewhere.

They've looked unfit for a long, long time now and its ridiculous. Leads me to believe they just arse about in training and have a laugh with their mate Kean, 'one of the lads'.

Very little hunger or desire in that squad imo.

[philipl]

Two things were horribly painful last night.

The gulf between Premier League and Chumpianship

The gulf in ability to get around the pitch between Boro (who could and did) and Rovers.

Pedestrian is the only polite term for how poor Rovers are now.

[Ossydave]

Youre probably right.

It's absolutely criminal that a side lacks fitness in this day and age. You can be the worse player in the world, but you should always be fit, no excuses on that score.

Exactly, fitness isn't hard to coach

I know for a fact fat boy Hanley is a regular stuffing his face in KFC too.

Two things were horribly painful last night.

The gulf between Premier League and Chumpianship

The gulf in ability to get around the pitch between Boro (who could and did) and Rovers.

Pedestrian is the only polite term for how poor Rovers are now.

I think Leicester were better than Boro, in saying that neither were THAT good and we could quite easily have snatched a late point last night. The league is terrible and like you say, a million miles from the PL.

[onlyonejackwalker]

"The gaps between our midfield and defence when defending is absolutely criminal. Very little operates as a team, either attacking or defending - it is all about individuals. We seem to start every match slowly - rather than going at teams - the last ten minutes showed what could have been achieved."

Fully agree. The gaps in our team when defending are ridiculous and all teams can just play straight through us. Even if we go up we are coming straight back down for sure. All and sundry find it easy to score against us and always have under Kean. Until we start getting some clean sheets there is no way we will finish in the top two.

The last ten minutes? You mean when playing route one percentage football and scoring our goal and creating some pressure? We have seen those tactics before, but they weren't deemed sexy enough.

Our luck could not last forever and we have already been found out. The solution is pretty straight forward. Remove the current manager and get someone in who can get us up and keep us up.

[Alan75]

As I havent watched Rovers for a period of time I've reserved my judgement

After reading comments by one memeber who I have a lot of respect for, that after not taking much notice of football over the summer he had taken more interest going to Ewood, listened to commentaries and watcheed the league show highlights; I seriously though of going to Ewood myself last night.

However due to work commitments I ended up watching the game on tv. Boy was I so glad. This has to be the worst organised Rovers team that I have witnessed watching. Kean's tactical awareness makes Jim Iley or for the younger readers Paul Ince look like Alex Ferguson.

Hell will freeze over before I venture out to watch this team that has No passion, no commitment no game plan - if Kean stays in charge it will also be no fans.

[Guest Wen Y Hu]

Parsonblue's match report is now published to the front page here.