[Archived] Birmingham Preview

[Majiball]

Check it Rovers enter the record books!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20190188

I knew the fans would return after Kean, but who knew we had so many.

[Lurid Coat]

Have a word with yourself, Jim. Can't recall you going on like this when we kept winning games under Kean whilst getting outplayed at the same time.

We definitely deserved the three points today, so a draw is slightly disappointing. Our overall performance, however, was uplifting - apart from a spell of about 15 minutes in the first half. There's no doubt in my mind that Nunes and Vukcevic should start instead of Marcus and Rochina the next match.

Danny Murphy was, once again, somewhat of a liability - at least in the second half. Immobile, and kept setting up attacks for Birmingham by misplacing passes straight to the opponent.

[John]

Had a feeling the result would be an anti climax - plenty of possession against an average Birmingham team.

No win yet under Berg and defence looking shaky as ever - hopefully we can work out how to win matches quickly as a bit of a gap appearing at the top.

[jim mk2]

Rubbish result. Two more points lost. It's just not happening for us is it ?

Berg has 2 points out of 9 - relegation, not promotion form.

Sloppy defending cost us again. Eric Black in his short time in charge showed he knows how to set up a defence and should have been given the job.

[pick32]

need to improve in the final third, can see what henning berg is trying to do, think we will become good this season based on the last two performances. Should of been 3 points and a comfortable victory the way we played.

[roverandout]

i agree jim, i still think berg is out of his depth

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Robinson

Henley Dann Givet Martin

Vukcevic Murphy Etuhu Nunes

Rochina Rhodes

Needs to be the team next game imo.

When Best is back, swap him for Rochina.....and get a left back and play the real Olsson on the wing.

Away at P'boro and at home to Millwall coming.up.....2 very winnable games.

Really need to win them as our next games are Bolton (H), Burnley (A), Cardiff (H), Blackpool (A), Brighton (H), Boro (A).

[jim mk2]

need to improve in the final third, can see what henning berg is trying to do, think we will become good this season based on the last two performances. Should of been 3 points and a comfortable victory the way we played.

Points are all that matters and how we played is irrelevant - as I kept on saying under Sam.

Away at P'boro and at home to Millwall coming.up.....2 very winnable games.

Today was "winnable". Why should those matches be different ?

[blueboy3333]

Fowler and Savage just called Berg an uninspiring choice as manager when we could have had McCarthy or Holloway. They could well be right.

[Steve Moss]

An attendance of 149,141 is acceptable, but we can do better.

It's only three games into Berg's tenure. Let's calm down. It takes time to restore fitness levels and impose a proper tactical system. We should appreciate the fact he's improving performances remarkably. He seems an excellent manager and its only a matter of time before draws turn into wins.

Whether we get promoted this season or not is too soon to say, but we don't need to panic just yet.

[Amo]

Not a great return for Berg, so far. Certainly not the sign of a team chasing promotion.

On the plus side, it's good to see players like Vukcevic, Rochina & Nunes being integrated into the side. Formica looked bright today, as well, but was clearly being played out of position and left the right-hand side hugely exposed.

[Mr. E]

"sloppy defending" doesn't cover it. When we were attacking, Birmigham needed just one man to challenge a player, get the ball, boot it away, bring it forward. Nothing extraoordinary, just straight-forward, solid, doing the job a defender is supposed to do.

Our defenders? The ball comes in the box, they start panicking, turn a simple attack into a pinball machine, run around each other, bump into each other, no one knowes where they are shooting at, no one knows who to cover, what's going on, utter chaos. A circus clown routine couldn't come up with such utter nonsense.

An this has been going on for the past 2-3 seasons. The entire compost of a defense needs to be shoveled out tomorrow.

[BRFC1995]

Rubbish result. Two more points lost. It's just not happening for us is it ?

Berg has 2 points out of 9 - relegation, not promotion form.

Sloppy defending cost us again. Eric Black in his short time in charge showed he knows how to set up a defence and should have been given the job.

what results did black get in his 1st 3 games ??? drew 2 lost 1 charlton forest wolves

memories are getting seiously short on here, no way in hell Black should ever have gotten the job

Berg has inherited garbage lost to palace not a suprise to anyone, very hard done by not to beat huddersfield and been let down by numbnuts Hanley today.

I'm really not in the slightest bit down because .....OUR MANAGER IS NOT A SCUMBAG! GET IN

[DP]

Points are all that matters and how we played is irrelevant - as I kept on saying under Sam.

Today was "winnable". Why should those matches be different ?

Good to see Jim back to his old self. Reminds me of the last time we were in this league and got promoted under Souness.

We played well today and controlled the game. A definite lack of a cutting edge but more down to a lack of composure than ability IMO. Keep playing like that and the wins will come.

[moerpho]

Ok...more positives than negatives...I think...but what is glaringly obvious is that we need at TOTAL revamp of our defense. The ineptness of Dann, Hanley and Martin Olsson (thought Henley had an ok game in defense) seems to be contagious and all confidence is sucked out of the team. We desperatly need two central defenders and a left-back come january. Also....we need to start with Vuckcevic and Nunes alongside Rochina. How Formica got MotM is beyond me...perhaps you who were at Ewood did see something we TV-watchers didn't see?

Also feel sorry for Rhodes who is in the wrong team. The way we're playing he won't get the chances he needs to score. Perhaps starting Rochina, Vuckcevic and Nunes might provide him with enough chances? Also would like to see Gomes more involved.

All in all kinda disappointed but still a better showing than all those horror-shows under Kean. Still early days for Berg but really hope he will get rid of Black and Hendry and bring in his own people. Our main achilles heel is our defensive display....

[rovers11]

Fantastic performance. The best for quite a while. Disappointing not to get 3 points but play like that and we will win a lot of games this season. Defence needs to tighten up though.

Murphy was excellent and got a standing ovation when he came off. 7 points of 2nd now which is a bit of a worry.

[roversoutsider]

today, the tactics were spot on but the players couldn't kill the game off. We were flying after we took that lead. But then, the awesome foursome at the back doing their job.How poor can one defend?And to think colin hendry earns £8000 p/w to make them do that. So, for me, as a manager berg got it spot on but we did not have the players to score from half chances.I agree that Nunes was electric after he came on.But, he shouldn't be starting yet. He leaves olsson completely exposed. I would put vukcevic,who had a fantastic cameo,on the left wing and ckr on the right and play rochina just behind rhodes.

[Hekla]

Haha at some people on here. Berg out of his depth after three games? Some people need to use a brain..

[G Somerset Rover]

'Excellent manager' Steve? Go steady.

Really need 6 points from our next 2 fixtures. As I've said the top few are pulling away and that cannot be allowed to continue. We're never going to do a Reading, so need to be within touching distance going into the new year if we want an automatic spot. Henning needs that monkey off his back or panic will set in at the club.

[BRFC1995]

Fowler and Savage just called Berg an uninspiring choice as manager when we could have had McCarthy or Holloway. They could well be right.

2 words that should never be in the same sentance

Fowler probably thinks ince was doing a bang up job here

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Today was "winnable". Why should those matches be different ?

Today was winnable. But we didn't win, so we have to try and win the next 2.....7 from 9 isn't too bad.

We're 2 points outside the playoffs.....alarm bells aren't ringing yet.

Players need to get used to Berg's system and ones like Vukcevic and Nunes need to develop an understanding with their teammates.....we also need to build up confidence and fitness.

/

Hughes didn't work wonders overnight....far from it.....there's enough time left of the season to catch up with the top 2......8 points? How many were Utd ahead of City in March/April? Can't remember exactly but they had a pretty big lead.

[CapeTownRover]

i think people are a bit harsh here. Okay, its 2 points dropped, but Berg has now had 3 games to see who wants it more. He will have noted now hopefully, that Simon and Fabio Nunes should be starting. The big issue for me is this, we need to seriously play 2 up front, but that means bringing in Gomes or a loan striker. It also means, that we have to drop Rochina, who has been one of our better players, along with Formica and Marcus Olsson. We need to get a defender in as well, and get Givet back, because we can not afford to give such silly goals away

[Mercer]

Fowler and Savage just called Berg an uninspiring choice as manager when we could have had McCarthy or Holloway. They could well be right.

Think Berg knows the score - promotion this season or you are off !

Now 8 & 7 points adrift from 1 & 2 - at best, looks like it's the play-off lottery.

Holloway, McCarthy, Dyche & Wee Dougie all settling nicely into their new jobs with points returns of 6, 6, 6 & 5.

Mr Berg has 2 from 9. Hmmm..

'Excellent manager' Steve? Go steady.

Really need 6 points from our next 2 fixtures. As I've said the top few are pulling away and that cannot be allowed to continue. We're never going to do a Reading, so need to be within touching distance going into the new year if we want an automatic spot. Henning needs that monkey off his back or panic will set in at the club.

Kept saying similar about Kean !

[Ricky]

Rev, I have to disagree with you regarding Rochina. Too many misplaced passes. Start of the second half was a prime example, we'd kept the ball for about 15 passes and ruben tried a ridiculous cross field pass and smashed the ball straight out of play!

Simon did far more when he came on.

[DE.]

If we're being brutally honest this is another in a long line of very poor results that will see us stay in this division until next season at the very least. No way this team is getting promoted, nowhere near good enough.