[Archived] Henning Berg - Rovers Manager

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

People are pointing the finger in the wrong direction.

Venky's are to blame for the entire situation we find ourselves in.

They employed and stuck by an utterly crap manager for two years. And gave him free reign to assemble a squad that's simply not good enough.

There's only so much that Berg can do with the dross he's been landed with. Too many of them are not up to the job. Simple.

To a point you're right but the buck stops with Berg now. He chooses the squad and the starting eleven, up to now I'm not impressed. The midfield is a running sore.

[Muddboy]

But he doesn't even play the ones who ARE good enough! (or least have yet to prove they aren't!)

I think Berg's the kind of guy that wants consistency in his starting line ups. That's why he's stuck with the players he has and I admire his bravery.

But the fact is that these players are only capable in fits and starts and Berg's learning that – albeit the hard way.

If he does make changes for Sunday (and I expect him to), the dross that wore the blue and white tonight only have themselves to blame.

[Reedy You're A Star]

Need to ditch this 4-4-1-1 system. We're not good enough in midfield to carry a luxury player like Rochina. We need back to basics 4-4-2 and get crosses in to the box from the wings. Rochina is a good player, but not the player we need right now. Gomes should be brought back in to partner Rhodes and help him out.

[Amo]

I think Berg's the kind of guy that wants consistency in his starting line ups. That's why he's stuck with the players he has and I admire his bravery.

I'd rather he picked the best eleven, but that's just me.

[PAFELL]

Some over the top reactions on here. None of us like seeing rovers lose and play as badly as they did tongiht.

But did any of us really believe that after nearly two years of Kean that Berg or for that matter any manager was going to be able to come in and transform this lot over night? I did not.

What I do expect and hope for is Berg will be able to get this team playing properly - but I know it will take time. The pressure part is, they must have promotion. Although there are worrying sings, asking for his head at this stage in my view is still too early.

But yes the clock is ticking. Folk are rightly concerned. Berg still has to get to know his players abilities or lack of. There are also still on going battles within the club.

[Devon Rover]

Some over the top reactions on here. None of us like seeing rovers lose and play as badly as they did tongiht.

But did any of us really believe that after nearly two years of Kean that Berg or for that matter any manager was going to be able to come in and transform this lot over night? I did not.

What I do expect and hope for is Berg will be able to get this team playing properly - but I know it will take time. The pressure part is, they must have promotion. Although there are worrying sings, asking for his head at this stage in my view is still too early.

But yes the clock is ticking. Folk are rightly concerned. Berg still has to get to know his players abilities or lack of. There are also still on going battles within the club.

PAFELL, I agree with some of this. However, it still feels a bit like 'excuses, excuses'. On-going battles within the club will have impacted on Kean and Black. It wouldn't have excused them either.

I'm not calling for his head but I am saying that the situation looks more bleak right now than it did before Berg arrived. He needs to turn that around very, very quickly. There isn't time for Berg to learn the players' abilities. He seemed to me to have had plenty of opportunity to do a lot of that whilst a TV pundit and commenting on Rovers regularly before he took the post.

[blueboy3333]

When Berg was appointed Shebby Singh stated that 'promotion was the minimum expectation'. Berg repeated this when he took over. Thats a lot of pressure to put on yourself. Berg has since brought none of his own staff in and continues not to play Simon, Pedersen or CKR. Do people still think he's 'his own man' and not a yes-man? i have my doubts.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

He has to be given time but by christ this is not the start we all wanted to his tenure.Problem is I cant help but feel Berg is learning his trade....

We swore blind this could not be allowed to happen again.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

SS has gone quiet, any news on what he's up to ( other than picking the team for HB )?

[ruggles1995]

We need to get rid of the rubbish! Hanley, dann, Murphy, etuhu ALL need to get out and be replaced with competent players to do a job! And as for Formica n king being on the wings!? No no no they aren't wingers, Formica is a behind the striker player and king IS a striker. If we play with wingers then play blooming wingers! 2 new centre halfs 2 new centre mids and 2 out n out wingers in the team and we have a strong side. It's not good when the spine of the team is the weakest!

[roverandout]

said from the beginning this was a poor appointment and would only end in tears, you only have to look at the other managers who we missed out on and how they have somewhat turned their side's fortunes around

[Mercer]

Berg is now going to come under great pressure.

To be brutally honest, after half a dozen matches, IMO, he aint impressing.

Tonight, IMO, his team selection was wrong, his substitutions weren't great (why no Simon ?) and his tactics non existant.

I fear that we have got a slimmed down version of Kean and some of his comments on Radio Rovers afterwards were almost as bad - "Rovers had 10 chances versus Bolton's 6" ! I think I must have been watching another match.

He sits at the bottom of my performance league table for new managers - these facts don't lie and are the only ones that matter:

• Holloway 6 matches, 13 points, averaging 2.2 points per match
  
• Freedman 6 unbeaten matches, 10 points, averaging 1.7 points per match
  
• Dyche 6 matches, 10 points, averaging 1.7 points per match
  
• McCarthy 6 matches, 10 points, averaging 1.7 points per match
  
• Appleton 4 matches, 4 points, averaging 1.0 points per match
  
• Berg 6 matches, 5 points, averaging 0.8 points per match
  

Troubled times ahead.

[Amo]

Berg still has time to turn things around and the Dingledome would be a great place to start.

The more appropriate question might be: Will the owners LET him?

I still believe there's something shady about our selection policy.

[Blue n White Rover]

Blaming Venky's for tonight's defeat is nonsense. It boils down to Berg's stubbornness not to change the team.

Etuhu was shocking and should have been taken off at HT. Instead, he's taken off at 2-0 and Lowe finally have us some much needed legs in the middle of the park. Lowe has to start against Burnley. Also, 4-4-2 worked a lot better. Rhodes had a lot more service and he needs to stick with this formation.

Venky's have to take a huge part of the blame, but tonight the finger can only be pointed at the man in charge.

Hopefully he can change it around but 2 home defeats on the bounce isn't very promising and is signs for concern.

[JAL]

As a manager you're only as good as your players, as they go and do the job for you. But after sticking up for Henning and seeing Joshua King tonight my concerns have suddenly grown what a poor player.

[booth]

Could our Norwegian fans now inform us about Berg's ability to turn things around?

[bubblerrovers]

Lets be honest, no one expected HB to be appointed, The club has not learnt it's lessons from SK, we need an experienced man in charge to get the best from the kean poor crop of players we have now. I'm convinced Berg will be a complete failure. After Sunday things really will hit the fan

[Puffsan]

Listened to it on radio rovers. Sounded like we were really crap. Think our main problem is that we don't have any leader on the field, one who can roll up his sleeves and do good performance to inspire the others when our team has a bad day. Thought Murphy would be this guy when he signed, but heh doesn't look motivated.

Vuckevic is the only player I have seen this season who has an aura and passion that I think could inspire the other players. CKR also has a bit of this aura when he's not on his period.

We need a new centre half. Dann and givet are not leader types and Hanley is far too young, need a new midfielder as well. Also think it is time to drop rochina and bring back nuno. He has not deserved to be dropped.

I expect and demand massive changes very soon. Honeymoon is over, time to bring results berg.

Im still very confident that berg will turn this around, just very worried he will do it too late for us to challenge for promotion.

But at least we are still higher on the table than wolves and bolton who got relegated with us, just to put things in perspective

[Mercer]

Listened to it on radio rovers. Sounded like we were really crap. Think our main problem is that we don't have any leader on the field, one who can roll up his sleeves and do good performance to inspire the others when our team has a bad day. Thought Murphy would be this guy when he signed, but heh doesn't look motivated.

Vuckevic is the only player I have seen this season who has an aura and passion that I think could inspire the other players. CKR also has a bit of this aura when he's not on his period.

We need a new centre half. Dann and givet are not leader types and Hanley is far too young, need a new midfielder as well. Also think it is time to drop rochina and bring back nuno. He has not deserved to be dropped.

I expect and demand massive changes very soon. Honeymoon is over, time to bring results berg.

Im still very confident that berg will turn this around, just very worried he will do it too late for us to challenge for promotion. - What gives you that confidence ?

But at least we are still higher on the table than wolves and bolton who got relegated with us, just to put things in perspective - Bolton are unbeaten in 6 and streets ahead of us in terms of structure, organisation and motivation - that is all down to Freeman and, IMO, they will go up this season.

[dr who true blue]

Bolton fans singing- you should have kept steve kean ,finding it hard to disagree.

[JAL]

Blaming Venky's for tonight's defeat is nonsense. It boils down to Berg's stubbornness not to change the team.

Etuhu was shocking and should have been taken off at HT. Instead, he's taken off at 2-0 and Lowe finally have us some much needed legs in the middle of the park. Lowe has to start against Burnley. Also, 4-4-2 worked a lot better. Rhodes had a lot more service and he needs to stick with this formation.

Venky's have to take a huge part of the blame, but tonight the finger can only be pointed at the man in charge.

Hopefully he can change it around but 2 home defeats on the bounce isn't very promising and is signs for concern.

Lowe offers nothing to the team

[PAFELL]

said from the beginning this was a poor appointment and would only end in tears, you only have to look at the other managers who we missed out on and how they have somewhat turned their side's fortunes around

The other managers did not come into a club where there are still internal fights going on with in the club.

[dr who true blue]

Who booed shebby at half time shame on you

[martonrover]

The other managers did not come into a club where there are still internal fights going on with in the club.

Hey, he knew the score when he accepted the job. We all know what he said about any manager who agreed to work for Venky's.

He has to be given time but this was a massively risky appointment.

[garnersfags]

Stubborn is a word that has been used about Henning's approach. I agree that he has been determined to stick to Black's very conservative strategy which leaves the best striker in the division isolated and feeding off scraps. At the other end, we look very weak and every team creates numerous chances against us, always scoring at least one or two.

This is not hindsight but I cannot accept a tactical system that minimises the service to Rhodes and leaves us so open at the back. To finally admit that one up front wasn't working 40 minutes into the Bolton game by sending King to partner Rhodes shows that Henning is struggling. For 2 consecutive games he has been out-thought by the opposing manager. Millwall and Bolton were well organised and cut off the already minimal service to Rhodes which rendered us totally ineffective. Our leaky defence, not helped by a lacklustre Olssen and a shaky central defensive partnership, is put under pressure as we cannot keep the ball up front, and we are crying out for Givet's solidity and talent, even with his mental and physical flakiness. Henning doesn't agree and we may be sliding down the table.

He really needs to be able to react when things are not working. Millwall created a number of good chances throughout the game on Saturday and I think Henning had to see this and act to shore up the defence but he has decided that this formation and personnel are untouchable. This decision was exposed in the 1st minute of the Bolton game.

So, he appears to be taking his time to settle in after intial positive signs, and there is time for him to turn it around. The tangible fans' anxiety tonight resulting in booing after 5 minutes and total crucifixion of a number of our players,shows the pain the supporters are still feeling and also that Berg may not be given much slack as he struggles to get it right.