[Archived] Michael Appleton - New Rovers Manager

[Stuart]

think thats his really name

Oh. Thought it was Shaun...

[chaddyrovers]

Oh. Thought it was Shaun...

could be.

[perthblue02]

Is it not Steve

[Stuart]

Is it not Steve

Possibly

[tonyoz]

Something very familiar about this comment from the Arsenal News Review:

From Errin :

Until Arsenal fans stop going to watch games.

Game after game nothing will change.

Sadly, that is a last resort but we are at that point

[Stuart]

Must be a bitch for them ONLY making the Champions League year after year.

It's slightly different but I remember Bobby Robson being sacked for not reaching the Champions League spots and they headed into a downward spiral thereafter resulting in relegation. That was what, about 10 years ago?

I couldn't really give two keans about Arsenal to be honest but if the fans hound Wenger out after competing year on year at the top end of the table, producing great players and getting to watch football as a thing of beauty then they deserve some severe disappointment during their wake up call.

Listening to their fans bleating on talk sport this morning was a rare pleasure. One fan even said after yesterday's defeat "I just want to know the truth". What the hell does that mean? The truth is your game plan didn't work and ours did.

Even more daft, they'd be the first to complain if they resorted to Stoke-type football - even temporarily and on a game-by-game basis.

I'd love it if they sacked Wenger and brought in Pulis or Curbishley. Maybe they should have gone balls-out for Guardiola when he was available. Tough luck.

They worst thing is that like with Chelsea there will be nothing said against the fans and, if anything, the will get media sympathy. They're a "big club" and "deserve success". Yet with a small northern town club...

Pah!

[DE.]

I can understand their anger when it comes to the price they pay to watch football at the Emirates. Their ticket prices are sickening and in return for paying an eye-watering premium they see their best players sold and players bought who are nowhere near good enough. I wouldn't want Gervinho here, so how he gets near Arsenal's first team is beyond me. He's awful, and not the only total dud that's been brought in to replace genuine talent that's been sold on.

If they think changing manager is going to solve their problems though, then they're in for a big wake up call when Wenger departs and the next manager isn't able to handle the budget restrictions anywhere near as well as he currently does. It isn't Wenger that's the problem at Arsenal - it's their board. In theory their financial plan makes sense but to bleed the fans dry with horrific ticket prices in the process just takes the @#/? and will eventually come back to haunt them.

[Andy]

Chaddy is on sky ?

Bit rich

[Stuart]

I wouldn't mind so much DE if they were bleating about ticket prices but they aren't. I agree they should be though.

Makes me laugh that a linesman was dropped because he made reference to the prices. Makes you wonder what powers the Arsenal board wield

Maybe it's part of a conspiracy by the press and media not to report the ticket prices but instead to give soapboxes out when it comes to Wenger-bashing.

I'm not a Wenger fan by any stretch. If anything I don't like the moaning beggar, especially in defeat, but you can't argue with his record. There is a greater reward from finishing 4th in the league than winning a cup. That's not his fault it's how football is in the 21st century. Yet he has hit that target year on year. And this despite having to reinvent his team from another crop of youngsters year on year. You have to admire that.

[DE.]

To be honest Stuart I don't really hold any sympathy with the Arsenal fans. If you pay £2000 for a season ticket then quite frankly you're a mug and deserve whatever crap you're fed. It's prices like Arsenal's that make the whole game look bad and give other clubs the incentive to rip off fans who just want to get behind their team without having to pay a fortune for the privilege. Arsenal fans should have boycotted a long time ago in protest against such prices.

On a personal level I agree Wenger is a bit of a cock, but as you say his record is outstanding and speaks for itself. Arsenal fans are aiming their ire at the wrong person and will probably only realise this once his successor comes in and fails to achieve anywhere near the same level of consistency.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

He's brought in some average players on big money.

They say they can't afford to pay a player 180 grand a week, but instead have three fuds who don't get a game all on 60 grand a week, eg Djourou, Squillaci and Almunia.

Gervinho 10.6 million, undecided about Giroud but he's no top striker (13 million), Andre Santos 6 million, Arshavin 15.

Arshavin is an attacking CM but is played on the wing, just like Rosicky was for all those years.

Schezny (sp?) is average at best. They've got no real leaders in the team.

Their fans are mugs who swallowed the "4th place is like a trophy" and "just wait until the financial fair play rules come into play" for far too long but they need a new manager and a new board imo.

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2013/01/10/3661169/the-hypocrisy-of-wengers-socialist-arsenal-wage-structure

http://arsenaltruth.squarespace.com/arsenal-truth/2012/11/4/arsenals-1434m-wage-bill-exposed.html

[m1st]

This: https://mobile.twitt...2232576/photo/1 has been on another thread and, given that this is a thread about our Manager, demonstrates, imo, what a bloody good 'un we've aquired.

[booth]

you do talk more Sh!t then ever.

I dont take drugs or drink Alcohol.

get your facts right for once

Good job you pointed that out, I was gonna call the police.

[SouthAussieRover]

I dont take drugs or drink Alcohol.

Perhaps you should.

It might make your posts easier to understand.

[Plastics]

This: https://mobile.twitt...2232576/photo/1 has been on another thread and, given that this is a thread about our Manager, demonstrates, imo, what a bloody good 'un we've aquired.

I like that. I like that a lot.

[Guest Norbert]

Wenger is a spent force at Arsenal. He used to get in great players like Vieira, Petit, Pires, Fabreags and Henry, but now they're long gone and the replacements like Gervinho, Mertesacker, Squilachi and a lot of the younger players have no leadership qualities. Wilshire and Oxlade-Chamberlain do show promise, but they'll never develop to their full potential in a team of talented yet spineless players. Wenger and the board has now turned Arsenal into a selling club lucky to get into the Champions League, whereas 10-12 years ago they were right up there going for the title, the domestic cups etc.

Wenger's arrogance has shown him up time and time again. He thinks you can win the title without an adequate goalkeeper, defence or midfield workhorse. He also thinks he can just shove some African teenager or domestic youth player into these positions and they'll automatically become great players because they grew up playing his tippy tappy football.

[Silencio]

Love it that we are getting clean sheets almost every game under Appleton. This is the weakest squad we've had for 20 years but Appleton is proving that a good manager can make a massive difference to a defense, as Hughes/Allardyce did. If we can just tilt the balance towards getting a few more goals between now and the end of the season we could get into the play-offs. Let's hope Bentley and Best make a difference in that department.

[gumboots]

Talking to Leeds fans on the way back from City yesterday - they'd been to city, not me- and they reckoned we'd get above the Boro at least.

[bypass06]

Boss Appleton dedicates Cup win to Rovers’ travelling army

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/blackburn_rovers/news/10234249.Boss_Appleton_dedicates_Cup_win_to_Rovers____travelling_army/

Jubilant Dann insists upbeat Blackburn Rovers can be a match for anyone after Arsenal win

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/blackburn_rovers/news/10234247.Jubilant_Dann_insists_upbeat_Blackburn_Rovers_can_be_a_match_for_anyone_after_Arsenal_win/

[DE.]

“We defended manfully and got a little bit of luck when we needed it. I openly admitted we work really hard on defending in training, we work on our shape a lot as it is important to make sure you are hard to beat before you start going a little gun-ho.

“I think we are getting to a point where the players understand what I want from them out of possession. If we can add to that with a little bit of quality and a little bit of composure then we will be a match for most teams.”

Finally, somebody who gets it. We heard similar claptrap from Kean about "closing the back door" but never actually seeing any evidence of that on the pitch, the nice thing about Appleton is that his words are 100% backed up by what's happening on the pitch and it's great to see.

[bypass06]

Finally, somebody who gets it. We heard similar claptrap from Kean about "closing the back door" but never actually seeing any evidence of that on the pitch, the nice thing about Appleton is that his words are 100% backed up by what's happening on the pitch and it's great to see.

Also, good to see Leon getting a run out today.

[gumboots]

this is surely the answer to the question asked by many "He talks the talk, but can he walk the walk?" Answer would be, and I know it's early days yet, that it appears he can. Was great to see just how together the players appeared to be on the highlights we saw of Saturday's match, is good to see just how much harder we are to beat, and good to see that credit is coming from players to manager, manager to players and both manager and players to fans. that's how proper clubs work. we're all in it together and should show mutual respect, because that way works best.

[Guest Norbert]

Maybe the fact he had a spell at Portsmouth, where it seemed the club was about to close down every week, players coming and then being sacked to cut costs every so often etc. has sharpened his skills in bringing teams together and boosting morale. Like I said before, after every game, he just impresses me a little more.

After putting up with Steve Kean's grotesque ineptitude, the complete disorganisation on the pitch, and his wilful provocation of the fans, it is dizzying to have a young manager who at least seems competent. He's not the next Mourinho, Dalglish or even AVB but Appleton is really starting to prove himself to be an efficient manager already.

[The Rover of Finland]

Also, good to see Leon getting a run out today.

That is excellent news. Maybe he is available either at Leicester or for the Peterboro at Ewood.

[tonyoz]

Well! I can’t get over the transformation we have witnessed since Appleton’s arrival. The defence is unrecognisable from the shambolic shower that had leaked goals from day one.

I didn’t think such a turn-around was possible but it’s interesting to have a look at what Appleton has done with the resources at his disposal. How many of us would have adopted the same strategy if given the opportunity?

1 He retained Kean over Robinson. OK so that was an easy one………..but how about these:

2 Givet (who den and I agreed a month ago was our best defender) hasn’t had a sniff.

3 Orr against all sanity was recalled from QPR.

4 Simon, who’s potential seemed immense was released.

5 Rochina, the hero of many and our main source of creativity (yes, and frustration) - gone!

6 Formica and a few Portugeezers gone.

7 Gomez and all the rest of of Shebby’s foreigners sidelined and waiting for the exit sign.

8 Mainly home-grown players he knows or has worked with before brought in to replace them.

9 MGP, Dann, Hanley and others revitalised.

10 All this organised into a fighting unit that relishes clean sheets.

It’s easy to agree with all the changes now but Appleton had the courage of his convictions - all of us are reaping the benefits. Let’s hope he can maintain the momentum.