[Archived] Eric Black

[Amo]

I believe their top priority is to appoint someone who will appease the fans. If their main concern is cash flow, which I'm sure it is, then getting fans back down to Ewood is a top priority as well as winning promotion. I don't think it will be Black.

They haven't shown any interest in appeasing the fans thus far. Kean was the main sticking point of our miserable attendances and they still weren't prepared to sack him. It took a well timed resignation for him to finally leave.

[yoda]

Eric Black, Eric Black riding thru the glen,

Eric Black, Eric Black with his band of men,

Loved by the Vs, hated by the Blues,

Eric Black, Eric Black.

Crunch!!!

Kean, who put that branch there

[DE.]

For the record, I'd still get behind Black if he did become the manager... mainly because he isn't Kean. But it wouldn't be the best choice for the club, would it?

Judging by Black's first three games it would be a total and utter disaster. Anyone who thinks 3-5-2 is a good idea with our team in this league needs their head looked at,.

[mhead]

Anyone info on Mrs Black. If she is a persuasive negotiator its a 'shoe-in' if hubby wins on saturday. ABB.

[Hughesy]

WE NEED A MANAGER - Not another assistant promoted!!

NO THANKS

[Kamy100]

Eric Black Interview with the LT:

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/9995402._/

[G Somerset Rover]

Not a bad interview at all from Black there.

Still, he shot himself in the foot big time saying he didn't know which positions Simon could play in.

[braddock]

It doesn't matter as he won't be playing.

[Stuart]

Not a bad interview at all from Black there.

Still, he shot himself in the foot big time saying he didn't know which positions Simon could play in.

It's certainly better than the bile we used to get from Kean.

I didn't agree with the "working class" statement. Do Blackburn folk really only want to see energy and aggressiveness? I prefer results, ideally with some moments of magic.

[G Somerset Rover]

It doesn't matter as he won't be playing.

Well it does, because our caretaker manager should know which positions a regular international, £2.5 million signing plays in.

In any case, nobody can tell me that Lowe or Formica are better options on the right flank. Both have been abysmal in that role this season.

[DE.]

Not a bad interview at all from Black there.

Still, he shot himself in the foot big time saying he didn't know which positions Simon could play in.

I found the interview quite banal to be honest. He's just saying things to try and get the fans onside. For example:

It is a working class town and they want to see energy and aggressiveness.

An easy way to tell if a quote like the above has any substance is to reverse it and see how absurd it is in reverse.

It is a working class town and they want to see lethargy and passiveness.

Absurd in the extreme. What fan of ANY club ANYWHERE would not want to see energy or aggressiveness on the pitch? It would make no sense to want anything else.

On the other hand...

“I have been in the league a long time and I am not deluded by results,” he said. “You can’t be deluded as a coach, you have to be performance based.

“Results keep you in the job but if you are doing that on a slightly shaky basis you have to be trying to resolve that basis. I would have to agree we have not performed exceptionally well. The first few results were fantastic but I don’t think it was sustainable.

“We are a Championship team. I don’t care if we have 22 Premier League players, we are a Championship team and it is a different league. I know the differences and I know what is required in the make up and I am not convinced at the moment we are there.

This whole section seems to be a massive dig at the master of delusion Steve Kean, which is nice to read. He's spot on here, but as I said before regarding Black: He knows the problems, but doesn't have a clue where the solution is. I think his comments regarding our strikers prove this.

[OJRovers]

Spot on DE4

Black knows the problems, but isn't good enough to come up with a solution; see 5-3-1-1 formation disaster.

You won't get many managers in this league having Rhodes,CKR,Gomes,Dunn,Formica,Rochina,Vukcevic (plus Goodwillie/Best) as striking options.

If you can't get then to play together, then you shouldn't be in the job.

[Rover_Shaun]

_{I see Vukcevic is still a legend in peoples very distant memories}

[den]

"It is a working class town and they want to see energy and aggressiveness."

Quite condescending in my opinion. Trying to lower the expectations of fans who have just seen their club play 18 out of 20 years in the top league. Fans who have seen some of the best players ever to play for the club in it's entire history.

Might as well have said "as long as we turn up they'll be happy, they know no better".

[RevidgeBlue]

"It is a working class town and they want to see energy and aggressiveness."

Quite condescending in my opinion. Trying to lower the expectations of fans who have just seen their club play 18 out of 20 years in the top league. Fans who have seen some of the best players ever to play for the club in it's entire history.

Might as well have said "as long as we turn up they'll be happy, they know no better".

Well, its been a while, but completely agre Den!.

Extremely condescending imo. Not everyone in Blackburn is or considers themselves working class, especially these days, Patronising barsteward.

In any event, you want to see your team peforming with passion and heart regardless of your background. You don't want to see them loafing about.

I guess this means we can look forward to more "energetic" performances from the likes of Lowe in midfield whilst players with real ability such as Vukcevic and Rochina are increasingly frozen out.

I said it after the two away games that imo Black was far worse than Kean. Under Kean we couldn't defend well but could at least create a reasonable amount of chances and score a respectable amount of goals.

Under Black we can't do either it seems.

[Amo]

Whenever I've seen him play I don't understand what the fuss is about. I believe he's had two good international performances this year. I can't really say I've seen anything in his performances at Rovers that suggest he's our saviour.

It reminds me of Steven Reid. Every time he played he was OK. Every time he was out it was "can't wait for Reid to come back!". Followed by no improvement in results or performances.

Hardly spoiled for choice in midfield, are we?

Simon can play across midfield, he's an established international, and he's still only 26. He must be doing something seriously wrong if he can't break into our current side. When the assistant manager doesn't even know what positions he plays, it suggests there could be more to this than meets the eye.

In Steven Reid's case, he just lived off 'that' Wigan goal for three years.

[RevidgeBlue]

One other minor point on Black, that is annoying the hell out of me, if we do appoint him as manager it must be the first time ever a caretaker manager has been appointed without saying he wants the job.

The slimy git will neither confirm nor deny he is interested in the position full time. Probably because he knows if he does formally confirm an interest it will send the fans into uproar.

Grow a set man and either confirm your interest properly or rule yourself out of the full time running officially.

[G Somerset Rover]

One other minor point on Black, that is annoying the hell out of me, if we do appoint him as manager it must be the first time ever a caretaker manager has been appointed without saying he wants the job.

The slimy git will neither confirm nor deny he is interested in the position full time. Probably because he knows if he does formally confirm an interest it will send the fans into uproar.

Grow a set man and either confirm your interest properly or rule yourself out of the full time running officially.

He's extremely interested Rev - that's coming from somebody I know who knows him well.

[RevidgeBlue]

He's extremely interested Rev - that's coming from somebody I know who knows him well.

Obviously he is, but when asked the tosser just mumbles some rubbish about not having had chance to think about it or similar.

[Stuart]

One other minor point on Black, that is annoying the hell out of me, if we do appoint him as manager it must be the first time ever a caretaker manager has been appointed without saying he wants the job.

The slimy git will neither confirm nor deny he is interested in the position full time. Probably because he knows if he does formally confirm an interest it will send the fans into uproar.

Grow a set man and either confirm your interest properly or rule yourself out of the full time running officially.

Kean had a set. He had such a big set that he convinced himself he was a Premier League manager.

Knowing the reaction it would cause, a bit of respect and even humility - even if it is non-committal - is a welcome change from the bullkean we've had to stomach for nearly two years.

[patrickvalery]

I actually thought if you can see past the well intended but equally patronising section it was a decent interview. He was honest and i think that makes for a refreshing change. I simply read it as a opportunity taken to have a good old dig at Kean. The missing ten percent he talks about is quite obvious really. A big brusing center forward for Rhodes to play off. Its not rocket science. With an aging Murphy in the middle of the park we need to make sure when the ball goes forward we've got someone strong enough to take care of it. Not let it come straight back and catch us out of position in the midfield. Kean signed too many airy-fairy types and it is being exposed in this division.

I am 90% certain Black will end up as our next manager. Its not something i am happy about. Results have been poor to say the least. But i will say this much for him, he spotted how fragile we are at the back and he attempted to change it. He realised that was detrimental to our forward play and he understands that a balance needs to be struck. Unfortunately to do that we need a center forward who can take a few knocks. Despite a massive outlay this summer, we only secured Best to fill this role. Kean spent poorly in the summer and we might well pay the price for that. When you think the likes of Hieder Helguson were available for loose change, our transfer business looks decidedly shoddy. Black might not be able to manage a squad of players. He might not be able to motivate the side as well as some. His team selection might not be up to much. But it's obvious to me that he does know the game and he can see where we're falling short. I actually find it quite refreshing to hear somebody at Rovers tell it like it is. If it were Holloway saying it everyone would applaud him for his honesty.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Who cares if he's an honest person? Is that going to guarantee promotion? Of course not.

Mark my words if he gets the job Rovers will not get promoted.

[patrickvalery]

Who cares if he's an honest person? Is that going to guarantee promotion? Of course not.

Mark my words if he gets the job Rovers will not get promoted.

I don't think anybody is saying that we would get us promotion. But having somebody tell it like it is seems far better than a tubby bald bloke telling everyone how well the side played when for the umpteenth time the side he'd put out had had their pants pulled down. I don't want Black in the job whatsoever, the club needs an experienced man at the helm. But i won't sit here and vilify him either. He might be bobbins but he seems to me like a decent, straight talking bloke. That said, he hasn't been honest enough to admit he craves the job.

[ross-shire rover]

Just posted in the new manager thread that we need a man with proven managerial experience, not a few weeks as caretaker manager here and Birmingham. Somebody above says a friend of a friend knows he's interested in the job. Well it would be unbelievable if he wasn't wouldn't it? It won't be his fault if he gets the job, it'll be the person who approves it whoever that might be. And that's another topic all on its own. Who actually is going to make the final decision? I love the idea that they're taking their time to make the decision so they'll get it right. It'd be hilarious if it wasn't so tragic.

Oops. Apologies to Eric. Just realised he was a manager for a couple of years before teaming up with Bruce.

[roverandout]

black should step away for the good of the club, he knows fans dont want him and by taking it he would be aggrevating the fan base again, it would also show no-one with in the club give two jots about the supporters, he should learn a lesson from kean's mistake, stay in the background here or wherever and he will keep his name in tact and have a very good coaching career