[Archived] Henning Berg - Rovers Manager

[Stuart]

not online as far as i know.

ive read it in the Sunday People

Fair enough, ta. Nicko?

[John]

Fair enough, ta. Nicko?

Aggers>Nicko.

[riverside returns]

More evidence of the Agnew attempts to destabilise the club and undermine the manager.

[chaddyrovers]

Fair enough, ta. Nicko?

Yeah

Aggers>Nicko.

Could be?????

More evidence of the Agnew attempts to destabilise the club and undermine the manager.

maybe a good point

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Berg isn't the man to get us out of this mess and he never was. This group of players aren't good enough to get us out of this division and they never were. Two facts that are as plain as the nose on your face. The situation was crying out for an experienced manager, used to this style of football who was big, big,big on motivation. Not a quiet,likeable but introspective Norwegian. We needed a real blast of fresh air blowing though the club. At the moment it's riddled with guys who's heads go down at the first obstacle in their path. For me Holloway was the man but I would have thought that Mick McCarthy would have been a decent choice also. Of course all that's water under the bridge now, we are were we are. How long we carry on like this isn't up to me or you or any Rovers fan. Until the cancer that is Venky's and their clique are removed from the running of Blackburn Rovers F.C. this decline will just continue. My personal approach is to stay away from anything to do with the club until they are gone. If that makes me less of a fan so be it. Maybe that's what woke me up at half past four this morning.

[Hasta]

I'm sorry but the team is'nt good enough does'nt work for me, apart form central midfield where we seem to overlook for the last 4 years we are better than most teams teams in this division, defense has problems but individually should be strong , Dann , Hanley, Givet, Henley,Olsson good god man, even I could make something out of that, they have all been classed as individually promising or have had decent careers before they started here, the central midfield is weak but still is massively underperforming and if you want to talk about the amount of wing players or creative players we have, Olsson, Veckevic, Rochina, King, Pederson and many more, all are more than capable at this lvl, then we have Rhodes and CKR and Best up front!

This is a squad that should be up there, you can disagree and blame individual performances and if you werte including Etuhu in the argument I may well agree but there is more than enough potential to get us higher than we are yet we are failing, my opinion is that Shebby is putting his two penneth in, doestn it seem strange that Shebby has a few fans meetings and he next match maybe 3 or 4 players are dropped and the captain is changed, you cant just do that at this lvl , dropping key players and changing captain is keaning amatuer and it reeks of crass just like our owners.

Honestly if we get relegated people will still peddle this garbage about the squad being good enough to finish top 2.

Robbo is obviously unfit. Dann makes too many mistakes. Hanley gets cut some slack because he is young and come through the youth team but he's not good enough. If he had cost 3 or 4 million we would be whinging like mad. Etuhu is the most shocking midfielder I've seen for a while to have played regularly in the prem. Murphy is past it - his head might still know what to do but his body can't do it any more. Lowe is stealing a living as a footballer at this level. CKR and Rochina may be good enough to get us promoted but think they are far better than they are and have no idea how to be a 'team player'. Rhodes' finishing is electric but his lack of pace means he will always rely heavily on the payers around him. MGP and Dunn are past it.

I do think offensively we could cause teams big problems if we could keep the ball and put teams under pressure. However we cannot dominate a game. I doubt once yesterday whether Etuhu or Lowe ever received a pass from the back, turned and looked up and played an accurate ball FORWARD ! Murphy tries to do it but gets caught in possession too often. None of the 3 are quick / good enough to position themselves in the right areas and win the ball back regularly. We need 2 central midfielders desperately next month. We also need to sort the defence out and somehow mould a 'team' out of the building blocks that we have got.

[John]

Berg should be doing better but at the moment I don't think we could attract a manager to make a real significant difference (usually costs money).

Spine of the team is awful. Defence is pretty poor too - Dann has been SLIGHTLY better this season but still responsible for a number of goals.

Generally, we lack pace and have no players who can get stuck in.

We will see how good the team as surely other clubs will be in for our top players in January......

[Damien]

Is berg the worst manager yet? He can't be far off!

[T.J.Newton]

I think the comparisons to Mark Hughes start at rovers and Bergs start are very good, both needed to completely overall things behind the scenes(coaching staff and training techniques) the biggest difference though is Hughes inherited a squad with some genuine quality senior players(Friedle, Neil, Emerton, young pedersen, Tugay, Reid) and was only missing a goalscorer and some centre backs, he brought in Nelsen, Samba and Mokoena in the January window to make them solid and keep them up and then Benni in the summer to score the goals(and prob spent less than 5million in total), where as Berg has quite the opposite problem, he's inherited a squad of below average journeymen and inexperienced(but quality) youngsters, the only chance he has of improving the squads fortunes is if he can work miracles in the January transfer window and make some real inspired signings(but i think he will have to sell before he can buy).

Another big(massive) difference is that the board during Hughes time gave him their full support and complete control(as long as he stayed within the clubs budget), now we have Shebby Singh who wants to control and have final say in every deal and always seems to think he knows better(even though there is nothing in his past that even qualifies him to be anywhere near a professional football club).

My Point is Berg is not the Problem(no other manager could do much better with these players, working under these clowns).

p.s. note that all of those senior players(other than peds!) Hughes inherited where natural leaders and have all made captain at some stage in there career, we now don't have a single leader in the entire squad.

[NeRvOuS Wr3Ck]

What is it with four letter surnames with managers at rovers, iley kidd ince kean burg is it just me are they all jinxed or something.

[martonrover]

I think the comparisons to Mark Hughes start at rovers and Bergs start are very good, both needed to completely overall things behind the scenes(coaching staff and training techniques) the biggest difference though is Hughes inherited a squad with some genuine quality senior players(Friedle, Neil, Emerton, young pedersen, Tugay, Reid) and was only missing a goalscorer and some centre backs, he brought in Nelsen, Samba and Mokoena in the January window to make them solid and keep them up and then Benni in the summer to score the goals(and prob spent less than 5million in total), where as Berg has quite the opposite problem, he's inherited a squad of below average journeymen and inexperienced(but quality) youngsters, the only chance he has of improving the squads fortunes is if he can work miracles in the January transfer window and make some real inspired signings(but i think he will have to sell before he can buy).

I would also cite two other differences - Hughes was at the club before the circus took over. Also, he has more presence and aura than Berg.

[Mike Graham]

They are all associated with those other 4 letter words like: s**t, Abbs, twit, k**b and fool.

my apologies to Abbs!

[philipl]

The problem at Rovers is the whole club.

[Athlete]

Imo if berg has any dignity left he'll walk... Just before KO yesterday in the Scots bar there was a rumour of a player bust up...got the team news Robbo dropped went in the game as soon as Blackpool scored there was no passion left in the side whatsoever 2nd half we were even worse....the only time we will see any improvement at Rovers is when Venkys. Singh. Etc leave;

[DE.]

Henning should never have taken the job, let alone walk now after 9 games.

The problem is, from Henning's point of view, it will look absolutely awful if he resigns at this point. Excuse or not, his record will show that he failed badly at his last 2 jobs and considering how new to management he is he'll find it difficult to get any prominent position in the game as a manager any time soon if he leaves now.

[T.J.Newton]

I dont think Berg simply walking out would solve much, id rather see him come out and say there are BIG problems within the squad and the infrastructure of the club, id imagine that would most likely lead him to get sacked but at least he'd leave with his dignity back in tact and the real issues aired publicly and the clowns running the club with nowhere to hide(or excuse to hide behind).

[martonrover]

Henning should never have taken the job, let alone walk now after 9 games.

The problem is, from Henning's point of view, it will look absolutely awful if he resigns at this point. Excuse or not, his record will show that he failed badly at his last 2 jobs and considering how new to management he is he'll find it difficult to get any prominent position in the game as a manager any time soon if he leaves now.

If he couldn't get the gig at Bury before what chance has he got anywhere now?

Back to the pundits sofa me thinks.

[JMillZz]

I sat watching the Blackpool game with a good friend of mine who is an Arsenal fan. Since rooming with me on exchange in China he has taken a keen interest in Rovers. He said to me during the game, "how is Rochina not starting?" and questioned both Vukcevic and Etuhu, who were both in my opinion completely below par (bar the occasional good play from Vukcevic). He also thinks we need a new right back.

For me, we are so weak and poor on the ball it is unbelievable. What does Etuhu do? Is he supposed to be a battler? He is appalling. Our defence is scarily shaky, including Olsson. There is no communication between each third. Rhodes, King and CKR got no support from the midfield, the defence also and the ball often bypassed the midfield straight to the opposition. For all Pedersen's weaknesses I would much rather see him in there than Etuhu.

Berg is picking the wrong team consistently and I have absolutely no faith in him to be honest. I would love him to turn it round but after yesterday's second half against a poor Blackpool side I just can't see it. We need a massive clear out in January, including the staff if that hasn't been changed already. New RB, CB, DM, CM, AM, FW. And all of good quality. If we spend any less than £10mill in Jan I think we are screwed.

[T.J.Newton]

(

Berg is picking the wrong team consistently and I have absolutely no faith in him to be honest. I would love him to turn it round but after yesterday's second half against a poor Blackpool side I just can't see it. We need a massive clear out in January, including the staff if that hasn't been changed already. New RB, CB, DM, CM, AM, FW. And all of good quality. If we spend any less than £10mill in Jan I think we are screwed.

Dont forget LB, defensively Martin Olson is the worst left back ive seen here in 20 years(and that includes callum davidson, Nissa, Gray) and also whatever you think of Paul Robinson ability wise, its obvious he hasnt been happy here for a long time and too much water has passed under the bridge for that to change so he should go.

[Amo]

Olsson scares the bejesus out of me at left-back.

Vukcevic below-par? Best player in the first-half and almost scored from range. Faded after the restart but then how many games has he started in the last year or more? To put him in the same bracket as Etuhu is absurd.

[JMillZz]

Dont forget LB, defensively Martin Olson is the worst left back ive seen here in 20 years(and that includes callum davidson, Nissa, Gray) and also whatever you think of Paul Robinson ability wise, its obvious he hasnt been happy here for a long time and too much water has passed under the bridge for that to change so he should go.

You're probably right there! I still think he has something to offer and has been previously solid but I must say he is nothing short of shambolic defensively this year (and under Kean). A new LB to at least offer competition or move Olsson up field is probably necessary. for me, CM is where we need to invest. We have not one player in midfield to inspire the team or fans. Savage could get the crowd going with his work ethic, Tugay with his vision and brilliance. Hell at least Mokoena put a tackle in!

Olsson scares the bejesus out of me at left-back.

Vukcevic below-par? Best player in the first-half and almost scored from range. Faded after the restart but then how many games has he started in the last year or more? To put him in the same bracket as Etuhu is absurd.

To play him in a narrow 3 in midfield is absurd to me. It isn't his position and he isn't what we need in there. In the first half he was good and offers a bit of creativity but our midfield was completely lost second half. He (and others) didn't supply anything to Rhodes and didn't challenge the Blackpool midfield. Maybe if we had someone else other than Etuhu it would give Vukcevic a chance to show what he can do, but often he dilly-dallied on the ball and lost it in the second half. Admittedly Etuhu is 100 times worse but I guess I am well and truly focusing on the negatives. Clear he is lacking game time indeed. An after-effect of the Kean era.

[rovers11]

which players were you impress by please?

Rhodes and CKR were good signings.

Gomes, Murphy, etuhu, Rhodes, Best, CKR were all good signings on paper. Etuhu and Murphy haven't worked out thus far, CKR, Rhodes and Gomes have done fairly well. King, Nunes and Rosado look like they have potential.

Overall, our transfer business wasn't that bad. Central midfield and defense are real weaknesses for us. The spine of the team is poor.

[broadsword]

You must be joking.

We bring in Rhodes who is a fine goal-poacher, but we don't have the team to set him. That makes him a poor signing. That £8m could've been spent on four or five decent players who could've got us up. Instead we spent pennies on dross. How many players have you listed that are a must to go down on the team-sheet? None of them, I would wager.

Plus you've confessed that the team has no spine. It also has no pace, balance, desire or bite to it. So how could the 12 or so players we signed over the summer be good business? It was a disaster.

[USABlue]

Is berg the worst manager yet? He can't be far off!

No he's just about the same as that one fella........Mark Hughes.

Gomes, Murphy, etuhu, Rhodes, Best, CKR were all good signings on paper. Etuhu and Murphy haven't worked out thus far, CKR, Rhodes and Gomes have done fairly well. King, Nunes and Rosado look like they have potential.

Overall, our transfer business wasn't that bad. Central midfield and defense are real weaknesses for us. The spine of the team is poor.

Who?

[tomphil]

The thing that got me was when you go down with the worst defensive record in the division, having sold or let go (forced out) your best defenders why the hell not start at the back and sign some more. Obviously this was down to the previous twerp but still we now have a centre half as manager so he should see thats where we need to start surely.