[Archived] Michael Appleton - New Rovers Manager

[Stuart]

Eric Black said it after the game.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/9958555.Givet_talks_expected_after_Valley_mystery/

You might think that is definitive but it still full of speculation. A decent man-manager would have Givet playing. Although, like Jim said earlier today, I wouldn't blame the player for feeling lie they've been keaned around too much and have had enough.

50% of Rovers fans (who are supposed to love the club) have given up on the club so why not 50% of the players.

[ABBEY]

You might think that is definitive but it still full of speculation. A decent man-manager would have Givet playing. Although, like Jim said earlier today, I wouldn't blame the player for feeling lie they've been keaned around too much and have had enough.

50% of Rovers fans (who are supposed to love the club) have given up on the club so why not 50% of the players.

THE FANS ARE NOT GETTING PAID THOUSANDS OF POUNDS A WEEK.

[Stuart]

THE FANS ARE NOT GETTING PAID THOUSANDS OF POUNDS A WEEK.

But why does that mean they should care more about Rovers than any other clubs offering similar money?

It's a job. If their working conditions are crap, their manager clueless and owners don't care, their performance will drop. Doesn't matter he much they are paid.

[jim mk2]

THE FANS ARE NOT GETTING PAID THOUSANDS OF POUNDS A WEEK.

Irrelevant. If you're fed up with your job and are looking to leave your place of employment you don't put the effort in. Happens in all walks of life.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

1 Cardiff City 21 15 2 4 8 1 38 21 +17 47 2.24

2 Watford 20 12 3 5 4 2 44 24 +20 39 1.95

3 Leicester City 22 12 5 5 10 5 41 16 +25 41 1.86

4 Crystal Palace 21 10 8 3 7 3 39 22 +17 38 1.81

5 Hull City 22 11 4 7 7 5 28 26 +2 37 1.68

6 Middlesbrough 21 11 2 8 6 3 36 27 +9 35 1.67

7 Millwall 21 9 8 4 7 5 31 23 +8 35 1.67

8 Burnley 21 9 6 6 8 4 30 27 +3 33 1.57

9 Charlton Athletic 21 8 7 6 5 4 30 29 +1 31 1.48

10 Nottingham Forest 21 8 7 6 6 6 29 28 +1 31 1.48

11 Leeds United 21 9 4 8 5 5 27 32 -5 31 1.48

12 Derby County 21 8 6 7 4 4 30 30 0 30 1.43

13 Ipswich Town 21 7 6 8 4 6 23 34 -11 27 1.29

14 Brighton and Hove A 20 5 10 5 5 6 25 25 0 25 1.25

15 Peterborough United 21 8 2 11 3 4 34 36 -2 26 1.24

16 Bolton Wanderers 21 5 9 7 3 5 30 30 0 24 1.14

17 Blackburn Rovers 20 5 7 8 4 6 22 25 -3 22 1.10

18 Birmingham City 21 5 8 8 3 4 28 31 -3 23 1.10

19 Sheffield Wednesday 21 6 4 11 6 10 20 27 -7 22 1.05

20 Huddersfield Town 22 5 7 10 4 6 23 43 -20 22 1.00

21 Blackpool 22 4 9 9 3 4 30 38 -8 21 0.95

22 Wolverhampton Wndrs 21 5 5 11 4 6 22 32 -10 20 0.95

23 Barnsley 21 3 6 12 2 6 18 33 -15 15 0.71

24 Bristol City 20 3 3 14 0 8 23 42 -19 12 0.60

That's the table since Kean left.....Played, Won, Drew, Lost, Clean Sheets, Failed to Score, For, Against, Goal Difference, Points, PPG.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

Madness. We've moaned for ages about not having leaders or people who have any kind of experience and then you're saying sell or give away the lot. it's a balancing act. get rid of some, yes, i fully agree but not the lot and certainly not bring in a whole new team. that doesn't work either or QPR wouldn't be where they are and they brought their lot in with a chance at preseason - we'd have to do it with games coming thick and fast.

What leadership exactly are these players bringing? Does Murphy drive the team forward when we're behind? Tear into team mates for lack of effort? What leadership does Dann bring.or Etuhu....or CKR or any of the others on the list. Players like Dunn, Givet and Pedersen seem to care and would add a little passion...but when was the last time one of these players actually had a game, never mind a good performance?

This season is written off. We have no chance of reaching the playoffs and won't go down. Between now and summer the whole lot need shipping out. Three or four now, the rest at the end of the season.

Bring in some experience from the lower divisions, players with something to prove. They may not have the same "ability" but I'm sure they'll be just as effective.

There would still be a smattering of experience and quality around, Nuno Gomes, Simon and Best plus a core of kids through the academy (Kean, Hanley, Henley, Robbie Cotton, Jason Lowe, plus the one or two useful players such as King, young Nunez and Rochina.

Look at Cardiff's side. No mega names (Bellamy excepted) but running away with the league.

I just don't think we'd lose much by letting a raft of players go. TBH it was the cull last year where the wrong players went that did for us. Imagine what Nelsen, Roberts, Salgado and Emerton would have brought to the table this year.

[gumboots]

Not talking mega names but you cannot ship out a whole team and bring 11 new players in and expect success.

[mhead]

Spot on "Windy"

And Gumboots the answer to your question is GORDON LEE.

In 1974 we were in the same state as we will be in 2014.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

Not talking mega names but you cannot ship out a whole team and bring 11 new players in and expect success.

It's not shipping out a whole team though is it. Half the players I mentioned don't get in the first team, so no loss there. Of the ones who do, Olssen clearly wants away, his brother should be nowhere near the first eleven. Etuhu has been awful, ditto Murphy. Dann is average at best as is Formica. CKR blows hot and cold but is clearly a disruptive member of the squad and has anyone actually missed Robbo since Kean came in?

Four or five committed players coming in for that lot alongside the core of youngsters would serve us alot better.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

As has been mentioned many times, shipping out Murphy, Etuhu and Pedersen will be easier said than done.....much, much easier.

[gumboots]

I'm not arguing for keeping all our current lot either. I.just think we need to be careful.Appleton's 3 in and 3 out seems about right provided we get rid of the right ones and bring in players who fit into the first team straight away and balance the squad. Wanting wholesale changes at this stage will usually not succeed. Just because it did once, which I assume is being suggested, does not cancel out the number of times it's been shown not to

[Kelbo]

What leadership exactly are these players bringing? Does Murphy drive the team forward when we're behind? Tear into team mates for lack of effort? What leadership does Dann bring.or Etuhu....or CKR or any of the others on the list. Players like Dunn, Givet and Pedersen seem to care and would add a little passion...but when was the last time one of these players actually had a game, never mind a good performance?

This season is written off. We have no chance of reaching the playoffs and won't go down. Between now and summer the whole lot need shipping out. Three or four now, the rest at the end of the season.

Bring in some experience from the lower divisions, players with something to prove. They may not have the same "ability" but I'm sure they'll be just as effective.

There would still be a smattering of experience and quality around, Nuno Gomes, Simon and Best plus a core of kids through the academy (Kean, Hanley, Henley, Robbie Cotton, Jason Lowe, plus the one or two useful players such as King, young Nunez and Rochina.

Look at Cardiff's side. No mega names (Bellamy excepted) but running away with the league.

I just don't think we'd lose much by letting a raft of players go. TBH it was the cull last year where the wrong players went that did for us. Imagine what Nelsen, Roberts, Salgado and Emerton would have brought to the table this year.

From my info, unless he changes miraculously, Robbie Cotton will be out, awful attitude, a problem lad!!

[chaddyrovers]

From my info, unless he changes miraculously, Robbie Cotton will be out, awful attitude, a problem lad!!

very true.

[ABBEY]

Irrelevant. If you're fed up with your job and are looking to leave your place of employment you don't put the effort in. Happens in all walks of life.

been fed of my job for 25 years but still get it done.

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

Wanting wholesale changes at this stage will usually not succeed. Just because it did once, which I assume is being suggested, does not cancel out the number of times it's been shown not to

Under normal circumstances I'd agree Gumboots but it's going to take something pretty radical to shake the general malaise and give the manager (not that I have much faith in him) the opportunity to take the club forward.

Heard similar about Cotton a couple of years ago but they were hoping they could sort him out. Hoped the fact he was still here might have meant he'd changed. Ah well - ship him out as well

[Roversider]

Appleton is always impassive from the trouchline as far as I know from comments from Blackpool fans, he also has a reputation for sorting things out tactically and I suspect he learned some difficult things from the display against Charlton. He also has experience of the Championship and was busy scouting targets for Blackpool and I'm sure they will now become our targets.

It is a tough task for him but he is clearly a pretty focussed individual so the jury is out but I remain optimistic. The biggest problem is that we didn't get a new manager in for the start of the season and we are going to feel the pain of the Kean era for the rest of the season, if only for the players who arrived and left under his expert inept guidance. Because of that this season may well be beyond Appletion to turn around but the Championship is always one where a good run will propel a club into a play-off slot from an almost impossible start.

He needs to bring in players who know and follow his style, ship out some of the poor performers, particularly the expensive ones. I'm sure he already knows who needs to come in and what positions.

Guess we need to batten down the hatches, hope for some good transfer activity and that Appleton will mould a side capable of competing week in and week out. He will get Leon Best though in the next month and he will be like a big signing if he is fit.

[rovers11]

Appleton is always impassive from the trouchline as far as I know from comments from Blackpool fans, he also has a reputation for sorting things out tactically and I suspect he learned some difficult things from the display against Charlton. He also has experience of the Championship and was busy scouting targets for Blackpool and I'm sure they will now become our targets.

It is a tough task for him but he is clearly a pretty focussed individual so the jury is out but I remain optimistic. The biggest problem is that we didn't get a new manager in for the start of the season and we are going to feel the pain of the Kean era for the rest of the season, if only for the players who arrived and left under his expert inept guidance. Because of that this season may well be beyond Appletion to turn around but the Championship is always one where a good run will propel a club into a play-off slot from an almost impossible start.

He needs to bring in players who know and follow his style, ship out some of the poor performers, particularly the expensive ones. I'm sure he already knows who needs to come in and what positions.

Guess we need to batten down the hatches, hope for some good transfer activity and that Appleton will mould a side capable of competing week in and week out. He will get Leon Best though in the next month and he will be like a big signing if he is fit.

That's a pretty fair assessment. If given 2 and a half years, Appleton will get us promoted imo. I strongly believe he is the right man for us.

[Rover_Shaun]

Oh dear

[broadsword]

That's a pretty fair assessment. If given 2 and a half years, Appleton will get us promoted imo. I strongly believe he is the right man for us.

Saints preserve us! Some people can talk themselves into anything.

Out of all the people available, he's the man? Strewth.

[John]

Strongly believe too....

[Rover_Shaun]

"Welcome to Ewood Mr Appleton; Our saviour"

or

"Welcome to Ewood Venkys. We have chosen to ignore your record and support the team"

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Well didn't see that coming.

And now people will start blaming the players again instead of backtracking on Appleton. Its like groundhog day at this club.

[Mike E]

If the players don't put the effort in, but the manager's tactics make sense then how is that his fault? It's their fault. If form continues to be shoddy then you can blame Appleton.

To blame him after one game, where the players are so poor they feel the need to apologise on twitter, is utter folly.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Its the managers fault because these players just won 3 and drew 1 of the last 4 games under Bowyer. They weren't performing for Berg, they were performing for Bowyer, they didn't perform for Appleton. Whats the difference? Not hard it is it!

And nobody on here knows whether Appleton's tactics were good enough because nobody has the knowledge or experience to judge tactical battles at that level. The only thing that can be accurately judged by the layman is end product. Less possession, less shots on target, less goals, 0 points.

A poor start from a poor manager. But if it takes another 10 games and another wasted season to convince you then suppose we can carry this on then, I'm sure the idiots in charge of this club will make sure he doesn't go anywhere.

[DE.]

Whilst I'm not going to judge him based on one match, I also don't understand how anyone can say or feel he's "the right man for the club". Based on what? His poor record at Portsmouth? His average-to-poor record at his brief stint at Blackpool? The rumour that he's apparently a great coach (where have we heard that before)? The fact he looks well 'ard?

I don't believe we will get to see whether Appleton is good enough or not, as I think the players have already cast judgement on him and will not play for him. I don't think Venky's will give him the money necessary to replace the main players responsible and thus it's entirely possible that by the summer we'll be looking for another manager.

Hope I'm wrong.