[Archived] Michael Appleton - New Rovers Manager

[Ricky]

Still not sure how we managed to beat Hull and Leicester early on in the season but those points could be vital. Tough games coming up against them both again.

I have a wager on with a forest supporting friend that we will finish above them. Going to go to the wire I reckon.

[RoyRover]

The players are playing more like a team but unless the midfield is sorted out by loan signings , the play offs are a pipe dream..

This is absolutely key. We've managed to scrap by with an inadequate midfield all season. We need to get a decent midfielder in now to give us an extra push. Appleton has siad that he wants four more signings. One or preferably two will be central midfielders.

[John]

This is absolutely key. We've managed to scrap by with an inadequate midfield all season. We need to get a decent midfielder in now to give us an extra push. Appleton has siad that he wants four more signings. One or preferably two will be central midfielders.

Williamson presumably was brought in for centre midfield?

[Guest Norbert]

Still not sure how we managed to beat Hull and Leicester early on in the season but those points could be vital. Tough games coming up against them both again.

I have a wager on with a forest supporting friend that we will finish above them. Going to go to the wire I reckon.

It's down to Kean's brilliant management...................

And we should finish above Forest. Davies may last to the end of the season, or he may last about 4 games. And returning managers don't tend to do as well 2nd time round.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Wow - just looked at the fixtures - no wonder Appleton wants more people in - two matches a week, and some very tough ones - coming up in the next month. Looking at the fixture list - would be tempted to play the fringe players against Arsenal.

[Plastics]

I see very few positives in making the next round of the cup. I hope he rests a few of those without a good deal of stamina.

[McClarky]

I just think the squad has been so decimated over the last 2 years I can't see any hope of us staying up next year if we went up. We have either tried and failed players, untried players or past it players. Apart from maybe Rhodes I can't envisage a single 1 of our current team being able to hold their own at that level.

kean - untried so maybe

Orr - tried and failed

Dann - as above x 2

Hanley - not quite good enough

Olsson - maybe but seems to have gone backwards

Lowe - not good enough

Murphy - maybe but well past his best

Peds - past his best

Other Olsson - nowhere near good enough

Richards - not good enough

Rhodes - maybe

Better to spend another year trying to fix things I think so I'll settle for 7th with Burnley behind us so we can do them again next year.

[Plastics]

I just think the squad has been so decimated over the last 2 years I can't see any hope of us staying up next year if we went up. We have either tried and failed players, untried players or past it players. Apart from maybe Rhodes I can't envisage a single 1 of our current team being able to hold their own at that level.

Better to spend another year trying to fix things I think so I'll settle for 7th with Burnley behind us so we can do them again next year.

Unlikely we'll be able to build without promotion this year. Very likely to lose key players if we stay down. Much better to aim for being a yoyo club than not getting promoted right now.

[SydneyRover]

I just think the squad has been so decimated over the last 2 years I can't see any hope of us staying up next year if we went up. We have either tried and failed players, untried players or past it players. Apart from maybe Rhodes I can't envisage a single 1 of our current team being able to hold their own at that level.

kean - untried so maybe

Orr - tried and failed

Dann - as above x 2

Hanley - not quite good enough

Olsson - maybe but seems to have gone backwards

Lowe - not good enough

Murphy - maybe but well past his best

Peds - past his best

Other Olsson - nowhere near good enough

Richards - not good enough

Rhodes - maybe

Better to spend another year trying to fix things I think so I'll settle for 7th with Burnley behind us so we can do them again next year.

No matter whether we are good enough or not, if we can go up this year it will be much better for our club if we do.

Promotion is a lottery at the best of times and after next season the parachute payments which have allowed us to give big wages to the likes of Rhodes will dry up, crowds will fall further and our club will be in a lot of trouble.

If we go up, we get the PL windfall, returning fans, increased gate receipts and then the parachute payments for a further two seasons even if we get relegated again.

Besides, Blackpool, Norwich and Swansea have held their own to varying degrees and no one thought there was much PL quality in those sides. Also one would hope if we got promoted we would strengthen in some way.

[chaddyrovers]

Before we start talking about the squad for the Premier League, lets us get promote first.

Appleton has said the squad was unbalance when he took over and he is address this issue which is a major problem with Squad for 2 years or so.

He has said yesterday after the game that he wants to bring 3 new players this week. so hopefully he does this and the owners allow him to do this. Right Winger, centre back and centre mid player.

this summer I expect/want Appleton to change the squad vastly with players being bought in by the manager and not other people at the club.

I expect Rochina, Formica, Robinson, Riberio, Gomes, Goodwiliie, Henrique, Rosado, Sandomierski(loan) and Givet(out of contract) to leave. with Kaz possibly going back to Turkey and maybe Peds and Dunn also leaving.

[roversfan99]

Much easier said than done to offload all that crap.

[Philly13]

Appy is a rubbish name. Like most lazy British nicknames, it is a case of just adding an o or y to the surname, or the first sylable of it. I prefer stuff like 'The raging potato' aka Keith Wood, or that American football player they call the Purple Jesus. Some thought and wit has gone into that.

There's also an American Football player nicknamed Clipboard Jesus, a far better nickname.

[Plastics]

Dingles call Dyche 'ginger Mourinho'. But then they are deluded.

I would never have called him Appy until I saw some people on here so adverse to it for no good reason. No I quite like it.

(Had they had a good reason, even one I didn't agree with, then I wouldn't like it, but it's so inoffensive and nothing-y that it amuses me that it annoys others)

[LeChuck]

I just think the squad has been so decimated over the last 2 years I can't see any hope of us staying up next year if we went up. We have either tried and failed players, untried players or past it players. Apart from maybe Rhodes I can't envisage a single 1 of our current team being able to hold their own at that level.

kean - untried so maybe

Orr - tried and failed

Dann - as above x 2

Hanley - not quite good enough

Olsson - maybe but seems to have gone backwards

Lowe - not good enough

Murphy - maybe but well past his best

Peds - past his best

Other Olsson - nowhere near good enough

Richards - not good enough

Rhodes - maybe

Better to spend another year trying to fix things I think so I'll settle for 7th with Burnley behind us so we can do them again next year.

Sorry but that's far too simplistic. You could go through Southampton and Reading's teams and pick out players that have failed in the PL/other clubs before. If you'd done that at this point last season with Reading's squad what would you have been writing about Jason Roberts, Ian Harte, Leigertwood, Le Fondre, Hunt etc? Probably saying they're not good enough as you have done with most of ours.

If (and I know this is a massive if) we get promoted then chances are we'll be able to make a decent go of it in the Premier League. Recent history shows that a team good enough to make the PL is able to compete fairly well. It's been a while since a team got promoted and was totally out of their depth.

Given that I think this year's Championship is no weaker than previous years then I see no reason why that should change next year.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Also players like Kazim, Dann and Hanley have already proven they could handle the Prem, and a maybe for Martin Olsson?

That was only 11 of our players as well. There's Henley, Nunes and Best, any returning loan players and the small matter of the whole of the summer to buy reinforcements......as well as King and DJ Campbell.

Obviously there is a long way to go and reaching the playoffs will be hard, let alone potentially having to overcome, for example, both Leicester and Watford but only atrocious teams get relegated without a fight.

[den]

I reckon our present squad would struggle to win a game against any of the PL sides.

[USABlue]

Next week will be a test of that.

[Ricky]

Away at Arsenal is a test for any team in Europe!!

[47er]

Henley the forgotten man then? I think he'd come on in the PL.

We have hardly any Premier League standard players left after Kean's attempts to "increase the value of the squad".

I think pointing to Blackpool, Burnley, Norwich and Swansea lacks validity. Their teams grew together and, with one or two additions, were able to approach a Premier League season with some confidence.

We are a patched-up side in contrast without the "rhythm" those other promoted sides developed.

So its down to Appleton now to get a settled side together, develop camaraderie and make us greater than the sum of the original parts.

Its a tall order and I wish him well. We have to go for promotion and embrace it if we win it but we'd be red-hot favourites to go straight back down again.

[The Gull]

Henley the forgotten man then? I think he'd come on in the PL.

We have hardly any Premier League standard players left after Kean's attempts to "increase the value of the squad".

I think pointing to Blackpool, Burnley, Norwich and Swansea lacks validity. Their teams grew together and, with one or two additions, were able to approach a Premier League season with some confidence.

We are a patched-up side in contrast without the "rhythm" those other promoted sides developed.

So its down to Appleton now to get a settled side together, develop camaraderie and make us greater than the sum of the original parts.

Its a tall order and I wish him well. We have to go for promotion and embrace it if we win it but we'd be red-hot favourites to go straight back down again.

To be fair, if we go on to secure promotion then it would mean that we go on a good run which can only galvanise the squad over the next few months, and hopefully produce a better team. Confidence is massive in any sport and this team needs a run and some structure to try and give them a chance.

If we don't go up then it is another rebuilding project in the summer to try and get rid of those who are too far down the line of continued failure to be resurected within our team. This would be inevitable anyway I assume due to the cost savings required.

[bypass06]

Blackburn Rovers star Rhodes in seventh heaven

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/blackburn_rovers/news/10219531.Blackburn_Rovers_star_Rhodes_in_seventh_heaven/

[True Blue & White]

Appy is a rubbish name. Like most lazy British nicknames, it is a case of just adding an o or y to the surname, or the first sylable of it. I prefer stuff like 'The raging potato' aka Keith Wood, or that American football player they call the Purple Jesus. Some thought and wit has gone into that.

Well he looks like Lord Voldemort but we're already using "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" as a nickname for a previous manager.

[Plastics]

GET IN! Well done Rhodes. Keep going.

[DanLad]

Dingles call Dyche 'ginger Mourinho'. But then they are deluded.

I would never have called him Appy until I saw some people on here so adverse to it for no good reason. No I quite like it.

(Had they had a good reason, even one I didn't agree with, then I wouldn't like it, but it's so inoffensive and nothing-y that it amuses me that it annoys others)

You won't be surprised to hear that 'Ginger Mourinho' isn't original, of course. Bolton were using it with reference to Megson, and I wouldn't be surprised if they nicked it, as well.

[Amo]

Well he looks like Lord Voldemort but we're already using "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" as a nickname for a previous manager.

I thought "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" was used for a certain agent who throws libel threats if he sees his name mentioned?