[Archived] Henning Berg - Rovers Manager

[broadsword]

Yes, but even if he takes us to the bottom of teh table, will he get sacked? I'm not so sure. He's Singh's man, and the clowns in Pune are incredibly slow to react.

They took 6 weeks to get a new man in after Kean resigned. They might be panicked a second successive relegation and bin Berg, but what do they do then? Get Black back in? Appoint Brunskill? Why hasn't Berg started appointing his own backroom team?

It stinks, someone else is at the controls methinks.

[jim mk2]

Black is looking a genius compared to Berg at the moment.

[USABlue]

I was disillusioned with the appointment but after seeing us play chose to back him, I must be honest I am wavering now. It is the selection of the team that is bothering me. Remember many of us said Berg would be his own man and would not take kean from Shebby. I am now not so sure Singh isn't pulling is strings. If this is the case then Henning MUST have agreed to that set up coming in. Total speculation on my part but worrying. I hope he pulls together something for Sunday, perhaps that can be a catalyst, I'm hanging on to the darkest before the dawn cliche at the moment.

[Ewoodbhappy]

Of course it is venkys fault Ffs !!! They've single handly shagged us over. They appointed cock. , they kept him , they dithered and dallied in appointing ,they don't ever attend .

Scumkys out

Agreed - ALL THE PROBLEMS AT ROVERS LIE AT THE FEET OF VENKYS.

Lets face it for two years now we have had a group of incompetants running the club. We are that desperate for good news we keep falling for these false dawns.

There is nothing in the structure of the OWNERS/BOARD/TEAM MANAGEMENT/PLAYING SQUAD that gives me confidence. The whole club is a freakin shambles. I wish Berg well - but just dont see any way he can improve things. Whether that's down to his inexperience or the conditions within the club he has to deal with can become a little blurred. We are definately still in decline. A win on Sunday would be most welcome - put it will be just a sticking plaster on a furkin big wound.

I know we are all desperate for a return to the Premier League, but what would it really mean, and who would benifit?

Sorry to say but the glory days are behind us. Will it stop me from supporting Rovers?

No. I was there before the glory years, and will remain now. I just want real honest people running BRFC. I want to see a team that will play with pride. At the moment we have free loaders either unwilling or incapable of that, all put together by the nightmare ownership that is Venkys.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

Yes, but even if he takes us to the bottom of teh table, will he get sacked? I'm not so sure. He's Singh's man, and the clowns in Pune are incredibly slow to react.

Logically, if Kean was on a point ultimatum (the rumoured 16 out of 21) or the "lose 3 consecutive games and he's gone" then surely Berg will be operating under a very similar remit as his target is promotion this year. Given our slow start, any manager wanting to secure promotion cannot afford to lose 3 games on the bounce. I'd love to know how Shebby would answer that one.

My last 3 live games have been

Wigan (last game in the Prem)

Wolves (after Kean walked)

Bolton (last night under Berg)

In those three games I've seen 3 different managers. Under each one we played 4-2-3-1, the teams lined up with virtually the same personnel (swap Yakubu for Rhodes)

and in each game there was no pride, lots of side and back passing and virtually no attempts at goal. We lost all 3 games.

To me, NOTHING has changed. Same shet, different arse.

[rovermagic]

edited

We averaged about 22k two seasons ago. What is average drop of a relegated club? 33%? Are we much worse than that? You have to factor in discounts. 'Cause match day revenue so important.

[RoyRover]

I was pretty neutral to the appointment of Berg. I thought we could have done better, but at the same time thought that a guy who had such a strong connection with the club would be able to galvinise the team and turns things around, despite having a fairly ordinary track record as a manager in Norway. I don't want to be too reactionary, as I think we've have been genuinely unlucky in some games, particularly Huddersfield and Birmingham, where we should have picked up maximum points. But to go down that road of 'should have', then you start to sound like Steve Kean.

Berg needs to start winning and soon. If we lose to Burnley, it will be a massive blow, mentally as much as anything. He needs to start making changes to the team. He picks the same 11 players week after week, despite the fact that many of them have underperformed in most of those games. Hanley, Murphy, Rochina and Formica all need dropping. Givet, Vukcevic, Pedersen and Gomes need to start. He can't keep giving the same players chances week after week, when they don't perform.

The poor set of players that Berg has at his disposal is down to Kean and Singh. But it's his job to get the most out of them, which he has failed to do so far. Dropping one or two players would automatically make us better and it's troubling that he hasn't and again points to the theory that he isn't the one picking the team or certain players aren't being allowed to play.

Whatever has gone on to date, will be quickly forgotten about if we beat those dirt bags from up the road on Sunday and start picking up more points.

[Amo]

I don't want to be too reactionary...

Pet peeve but 'reactionary' really doesn't mean what people think it does.

[greco]

Either you didn't read the posts that I did, or your memories failing RVR. Thinking and arguing that losing the top people at the club isn't such a big problem, isn't a neutral stance.

If you referring to those who said something along the lines of "no need to worry, when there is a takeover, it´s perfectly normal to replace key employees", then there were quite a few who wrote so.

[RoverScot]

Berg needs a transfer window to sort out the team's problems as we are paying too much in wages to a squad of good players but who are not suited to the Championship.

Berg is frustratingly limited to having these good players that will never comprise a good championship team. We should have 1 or 2 out of Dunn,Murphy,Rochina,Formica, Gomes, Vukcevic, Pedersen - not a whole team's worth. The back up of Goodwillie, Edinho, Slew, Anderson, Jorge is atrocious as well. It's almost as if the squad has been acquired through a drunk Scotsman, a dodgy agent, a Malaysian television pundit and the owner's nephew on Facebook.

Berg's move for Friedel was part of what we need - an experienced spine of good warriors who are willing to fight for the cause but who also have the quality. In 2000-2001. we had Friedel, Berg, Short, Hughes, Flitcroft. We don't have these warriors at the moment but, Flitcroft aside, we didn't have them in 1999/2000 either so a good transfer window is clearly required.

[ada2020]

Berg needs a transfer window to sort out the team's problems as we are paying too much in wages to a squad of good players but who are not suited to the Championship.

Berg is frustratingly limited to having these good players that will never comprise a good championship team. We should have 1 or 2 out of Dunn,Murphy,Rochina,Formica, Gomes, Vukcevic, Pedersen - not a whole team's worth. The back up of Goodwillie, Edinho, Slew, Anderson, Jorge is atrocious as well. It's almost as if the squad has been acquired through a drunk Scotsman, a dodgy agent, a Malaysian television pundit and the owner's nephew on Facebook.

Berg's move for Friedel was part of what we need - an experienced spine of good warriors who are willing to fight for the cause but who also have the quality. In 2000-2001. we had Friedel, Berg, Short, Hughes, Flitcroft. We don't have these warriors at the moment but, Flitcroft aside, we didn't have them in 1999/2000 either so a good transfer window is clearly required.

All good points, do you think they will make cash available?

[RoyRover]

Pet peeve but 'reactionary' really doesn't mean what people think it does.

"Glad you're here to point all the mistakes I'm making!" Ace Ventura.

[RoverScot]

All good points, do you think they will make cash available?

They are willing to put up with the current wage levels so even with a one in, one out policy, there would be enough cash to improve the squad greatly. Even Madame's '£5 million net spend and leasing players' strategy would be enough if this was supplemented with shifting out the deadwood.

The last couple of games have shown Championship level players like Burke, Eagles and Wood causing problems and they will be on wages that are similar or below what we are paying for our average players. There is no point having someone like Mauro Formica on the right hand side doing clever flicks and passes if 3 other players are doing the same thing ineffectually.

This is why we can claim to have better players than other teams but not a better team itself. The team would be a decent Portuguese league team but we are in the English championship not the Primeria Liga. Thus we are wasting resources in the same way we were wasting them on Ward, Blake, Peacock, McKinlay and Dailly in 1999/2000.

[John]

I was worried when Berg said early on in his tenure 'we need to play the game in the right way'.

Don't give a Kean about passing football or Robbo rolling the ball out to the dork Dann.

Need to mix it up more and couple of selection changes too possibly - keep saying it but need to grind & graft out results - accept that the playing staff is not suited towards this style of play but the results return so far from Berg has been very poor.

Also find it odd there has not been one behind the scenes appointment either in terms of a new coach or head of fitness, needs freshening up IMO.

[Oklahoma]

This is why we can claim to have better players than other teams but not a better team itself. The team would be a decent Portuguese league team but we are in the English championship not the Primeria Liga.

Are you sure about that? Not saying that portuguese league is the best but it is better than the Championship

[JAL]

Hennings certainly left me feeling deflated after seeing the signing of Joshua King last night.

[RoverScot]

Are you sure about that? Not saying that portuguese league is the best but it is better than the Championship

Its more the style of play. Vukcevic was a top player for Sporting Lisbon, Gomes did well at Benfica, Rosado was the Portugal u21 captain and Rochina and Formica's style of play would suit that league as well. Its a better league as its more technical so we have the right players for that league but not this one. We could therefore could be a good mid-table Portuguese league team with the squad balance we have but it doesn't translate into being a good championship team.

e.g. The team required to be good enough for Millwall or Bolton away on a cold December night isn't the same as in the Primeria league. Basically I'm saying we have good players but for the wrong type of league(both Premier and Championship) which has been the result of bad transfer policy from bad management in the last 2 years.

I would therefore place more faith in Henning Berg than I would in Kean, Anderson, Vinny Rao, Simon Hunt or Shebby to sort it out. Joshua King being Norwegian and Manchester United was an obvious one for Berg but is only a small piece of the building blocks required to make the squad competitive at this level.

[Oklahoma]

I know what you mean. For the championship, players have to be diferent. We have some of those but, in general, the portuguese players are more technical.

I think we need a "Jermaine Johnson" type of player for the midfield or maybe two. A GK would also be welcome. When Best is back, maybe we can have a balanced team.

[RoverScot]

Indeed, a new Goalkeeper is where we can start. A 41 year old Friedel would have got down to the ball more quickly than Robinson against both Huddersfield and Birmingham - a cost of 4 points which would mean we would be in the top 6 and only 5-6 points off the two two. Even Adam Bogdan last night was commanding the box on our set pieces whereas Robinson was flapping around which is not what we need when our centre backs have the tendency to be shaky.

An experienced, commanding Centre back to partner any of the others we already have, along with a new Gk, would make such a difference to our defence. Add a Jermaine Jones type, a crossing right winger and a physical centre forward(Best or a back up to Best) and the team wouldn't be far off being very good for this level.

[Stuart]

Henning needs the one thing we haven't got.

Time.

As for people writing off Josh King after one game... meh!

[thenodrog]

Got to go I'm afraid .

If you mean Murphy and Etohu and a number of other useless excuses for footballers I agree. If you mean the manager after just 6 matches then don't be daft. Both Souness and Hughes had average to poor 1st seasons.

Just suppose you get your way ...

1. who would you get in?

2. Who do you think would come?

3. How would you get so many sh1t players on ludicrous contracts out?

Coco and the Fat Controllers legacy will be long lasting, severely damaging and will not be amended overnight. It could even finish us.

[thenodrog]

Agreed. I firmly believe most other teams' managers in this division would love to have our squad. I'm not saying it is brilliant by any stretch of the imagination. But it is better than most. And it was good enough to get the team into the play-off zone and winning matches. So far Berg has failed to even keep progress steady, never mind motivate the players/team to do better.

Eh? Love our squad??? No fit proper target man / centre forward.... weak all along the back line.... godawful has-beens in central midfield...... and a bog ordinary gkeeper!!

Good job Kean left us with an endless supply of inside forwards eh?

[Exiled in Toronto]

Henning needs the one thing we haven't got.

Time.

As for people writing off Josh King after one game... meh!

Makes one despair doesn't it.

Obviously Berg has to take accountability for results, they are on his record and no-one elses, plus I've never been a fan of "I'm new here" as it tends to drag on.

However, the notion that the calibre of a manager can be definitively judged after 6 games is ludicrous.

Our current situation is reminiscent of when we went down to the 3rd for the first time ever. We should never have gone down, best squad by miles, should cakewalk this dross was said then just as now. We got in a new manager over the summer and where were we at the end of October? 19th. Furphy the next season got us to with a point or 2 of going up and went on to manage Pele.

Next time we were in the 3rd, good squad, Iley's fault we went down etc etc. Got a new young manager in over the summer. Where were we at end of Oct? 17th I think, didn't win any of his first 6 home games. Kendall went on to have a fairly good career.

As to judging King after one game. One of the worst ever debuts by a signing I remember was a certain Henning Berg, personally responsible for 3 of Sheff Weds 4 goals against us at Ewood in a semi-final. We clearly should have got rid.

[Stuart]

As to judging King after one game. One of the worst ever debuts by a signing I remember was a certain Henning Berg, personally responsible for 3 of Sheff Weds 4 goals against us at Ewood in a semi-final. We clearly should have got rid.

I also remember a certain Andre Oojier having a 'bit of a mare' on his debut, to put it mildly.

[USABlue]

Has anyone opened dialogue with Hull fans as to how King performed for them during his loan spell?