[Archived] Watford Preview

[ABBEY]

Hypothetical question for a hypothetical situation abbey. If it's your club and the previous manager was suing you for dismissal would you play a player and pay him and his agent massive appearence money on top of his salary in the knowledge that the previous manager will benefit from financial kick backs?

Id pick my best team .

[thenodrog]

Id pick my best team .

I was speaking as an owner or a Director not as a manager Abbey.

[RevidgeBlue]

Two 1-0 wins in four days which looks very impressive on paper and hopefully helps keep us competitive at the business end of the table until the new manager (?) comes in.

However I'm still of the view that Black needs to be removed from the equation as a matter of urgency. I honestly don't feel we're defending significantly better than when Kean was in charge, it's just that our opponents haven't punished us when they've had the chance. Both Wednesday and Watford could easily have had a couple of goals with steadier finishing. Three centre backs is completely unnecessary and leaves us light in other areas of the pitch.

Up front Black has completely removed whatever creative spark the team had. The Club buy an 8m striker who will score goals if you give him the chance. So Black sets the team up in such a way that he is completely starved of support and service. Way to go.

Of the creative players who've shown promise this season, Gomes can't get a look in, Rochina probably wouldn't get a look in if Dunn were fit and Nunes probably wouldn't get a look in if he were fit.

In midfield, the Club spend a fortune bringing Murphy in, and yes I know he's been very poor thus far. However, has Black never heard of the old adage "Form is temporary, class is permanent"? I stil expect him to be a key player this year under a new manager (?) You could understand it if he'd been dropped in favour of someone outstanding but he's been dropped in favour of Lowe who to me doesn't look like an out and out midfielder, has zero creativity and isn't a very good passer of the ball.

Ironically, due to injury and being all hands to the pump for the last six or seven minutes we looked like we could finally play a bit right at the end when we had Rhodes, Rochina, Gomes, Kazim Richards Murphy and Etuhu on the pitch all at the same time. We've had a much better shape when Murphy's come on for his 2 cameos, albeit extremely brief ones.

All credit to Rhodes for keeping his concentration right to the last to score a sharp winner. A lesser player would have thrown the towel in after 75 -80 minutes after such a dispiriting afternoon, then that tube CKR snatches the ball off him for the penalty. Black should have over-ruled him on that.

Never known what seemed a very low crowd indeed as flat as yesterday. The feelgood factor induced by Kean's dismissal has been completely lost. It's ridiculous really because at the end of the day, we're sat quite handily in the table. Such was the paucity of the match day experience that after 74 minutes ONE man in the BBE bellowed "Get f****** Harry Redknapp in!" and it was so quiet you could hear it quite clearly in JW upper, producing titters all round. The highlight of the afternoon until our late and underserved winner.

Ability aside we really could do with a chirpy character like Harry or Holloway in to put a bit of a feelgood factor back into the place.

[Roverthechimp]

A good win, an improved team performance, better defensively but not quite clicking up top. Substitutions that seem logical and players that fit the formation we are playing. Of course there are things everyone would do differently (opinions are like arseholes, everyone has got one!) but post Kean we are looking more like a team that can get out of this league and start the rebuilding process after dismantling that has taken place.

Simon - he's become a superstar by not playing! Reality suggests he is the new Grella with a contract that makes Salgados look reasonable...

Personally hope Black takes a job as manager somewhere else if not retained as assistant because he seems very competent, of course his weakness may be the financial dealings but a decent chairman/exec could deal with those bits.

As for our financial situation: we had a wage bill of 45 millions on turnover of about 52 millions hence the culling of the high earners. Would predict our wage bill for this season is closer to 25 - 30 millions something that is covered by our (subsidised) revenue of approximately 25 millions (the rest from previous player sales). In two years time the high earners will be off the wage bill (dunn, robinson, murphy, Dann, givet, pedersen et al) IF we are stuck in this division.

The future is bright - the future is blue n white

[philipl]

Hugely relieved by Rhodes' late strike- took this chance brilliantly.

Defense much tighter than in Coco's day but midfield still nothing special. Etuhu's decision making not the best.

Kazim Richards should have been stopped by the bench from taking that penalty.

[ABBEY]

I was speaking as an owner or a Director not as a manager Abbey.

i wouldnt tell a manager who could and could not pick for fear of him walking.

[philipl]

Oh and the level of officiating was abysmal

[Blue n White Rover]

Kazim Richards should have been stopped by the bench from taking that penalty.

Good point you make here. However, this is where we need a captain who is an outfield player. He would have been able to get the ball off Kazim-Richards and given it to Rhodes to take.

Robinson can't run the full length of the pitch to get involved with this. Not a fan of goalkeepers being captain, yet we had 2 yesterday.

[thenodrog]

Kazim Richards should have been stopped by the bench from taking that penalty.

Why?

[JAL]

Hugely relieved by Rhodes' late strike- took this chance brilliantly.

Defense much tighter than in Coco's day but midfield still nothing special. Etuhu's decision making not the best.

Kazim Richards should have been stopped by the bench from taking that penalty.

Rhodes is a great youngster to our club as for Richards his actions have now shown himself up hopefully the new man in charge will bin him along with a few more and only then may the good times role.

[Al]

Why?

Couldn't be because we had a well recognised and successful penalty taker in Rhodes on the field could it Gordon?

[JAL]

Oh and the level of officiating was abysmal

He gave us a penalty what more do we need

[Blue n White Rover]

Rhodes scored 1 pen for HTFC last season & missed two

I'm sure he's scored 2 out of 2 this season for them? Including a pressure kick in the last minute to give them a winner.

[braddock]

Kazim Richards should have been stopped by the bench from taking that penalty.

How?

[thenodrog]

Couldn't be because we had a well recognised and successful penalty taker in Rhodes on the field could it Gordon?

I don't know if thats the case and furthermore I don't know CKR's penalty taking abilitiy either... and I suspect few on here do either including you and PhilipL.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Did Nuno Gomes "change the game" when he came on? Did I read that somewhere?

And does anyone want to do some player ratings? Preferably more than one person.

[tomphil]

Robbo .6. Spectator for most of game.

Orr .6. Steady but untested really, didn't get forward enough despite loads of space down right flank, prob told not to ?

Dann .8. Calm and composed, some good last ditch tackles.

Hanley .6. Not really noticed which must mean a steady game.

Givet .7. Usual rugged commited performance which resulted in injury, gets dragged inside to much when playing left back.

Lowe .6. Busy performance, no frills but passing needs to improve, nowhere near as bad as some on here make out till injury forced him off to good applause.

Peds .7. Decent game, was suprised he was taken off.

Roch .7. Thought he worked harder than usual and was a threat throughout, still tries to do to much at times

Etuhu .6. Hard working .Lacks flair but a big presence. Should have passed forwards a bit more.

CKR .5. Flatters to deceive. Poor lazy game acted like a prat by snatching ball then missing pen but looked miles better when he went wide right when Gomes came on. Not proper match fit yet and should have been subbed i thought.

Rhodes. 8. Chased everything, took his goal like a top finisher but first touch let him down a few times.

[G Somerset Rover]

According to CKR on twitter he 'raped the full back' over the past couple of games. Well that's how I read it in his broken English anyway. The guys a tool.

[alexanders]

Not the best attitude.

[Majiball]

Well Saturday was the first time I've been in Blackburn for the proceedings leading up to a match since Kean appeared. What struck me most was the lack of people walking around the town. I drove straight through to Livesey Branch Road no issue at all, no mass blockades of people crossing the street the pubs looked empty as did the streets. I've never seen Blackburn so quiet on match-day.

Venky's what have you done, the town is dying and it's all your fault.

I guess killing chickens got boring.

[SydneyRover]

Rhodes is a great youngster to our club as for Richards his actions have now shown himself up hopefully the new man in charge will bin him along with a few more and only then may the good times role.

CKR does seem to have a problem with his attitude, however if we get an experienced head in then I'd much prefer he try and turn that round rather than bin him completely, as if harnessed properly he's definitely one of the better players in this league talent wise.

[Majiball]

They all have an attitude problem, it's what comes from being allowed to do as they please and having a manager to afraid to be harsh in case he loses support. Worst part of all is it will be habit by now and whoever comes in will have to break that. People will resist and bitch like children.

[Waggy76]

CKR does seem to have a problem with his attitude, however if we get an experienced head in then I'd much prefer he try and turn that round rather than bin him completely, as if harnessed properly he's definitely one of the better players in this league talent wise.

Richards is a very poor mans Howard Gayle !

Get rid , he offers nothing !

[braddock]

He's a decent player who will come in handy this season. Stop looking for another scapegoat.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

He's a decent player who will come in handy this season. Stop looking for another scapegoat.

Hate to say it but 100% agree for once. The scapegoaters are predictable beyond belief, Kean has gone, now the players get it.

Richards is fast and strong, there's always been a perplexing lack of appreciation for those qualities among our fans (as Jason Roberts would attest to), but they're 2 qualities that we are very lacking in throughout most of the rest of the team.