[Archived] Michael Appleton - New Rovers Manager

[arbitro]

Was that the case last night, the team couldn't see the game out or was it a stupid mistake by one player who hadn't been on the pitch that long?

I actually thought that for the last 10 minutes we dropped a little deeper and let them have plenty of possession. During this period Rhodes became far more isolated. Goodwillie was stupid but I honestly think we should have kept pushing on for the second goal.

[Rover_Shaun]

Playing devils advocate but....

What if say you actually posted something sensible.

What if say you actually attend a game and see what really happens on the pitch

What say if you actually stop winding people up

What say if you actually supported the team.

As they say around here 'nob off' :-D

I see you avoided the question

[EgyptianPete]

As they say around here 'nob off' :-D

I see you avoided the question

Just like fishing this ain't it

[Rover_Shaun]

Still avoiding? He will probably get more rope from the Rovers Fans because he is english

[Adam C]

Who's judging Mr Hysteria? I have my doubts granted but there's nowt I can do but wait and see. Hope he proves me wrong.

You judged Appleton before even the first game. As I recall you had an addition to your signature which then read something like

"SACK THE BOARD... SHAW OUT. SINGH OUT. AGNEW OUT. APPLETON OUT. This disgraceful appointment will end in tears"

I think that is the definition of judging someone before they have had a fair crack of the whip.

[Rover_Shaun]

Rashness caused by the disappoinment of not getting a decent manager in. Obviously he's here for now and going nowhere so I'll just have to wait for you to all catch up ;-)

He is a poor pound shop appointment imo. Time will tell just how poor. He is lucky he is english and northern as that will shroud him for a while.

[arbitro]

Rashness caused by the disappoinment of not getting a decent manager in. Obviously he's here for now and going nowhere so I'll just have to wait for you to all catch up ;-)

He is a poor pound shop appointment imo. Time will tell just how poor. He is lucky he is english and northern as that will shroud him for a while.

Just out of interest who would you have liked?

[Adam C]

Fair point, I figured it was a comment made in desperation! I agree that he seems to be a really poor appointment. Whenever I tell someone who our new manager is the inevitable response is "Who?"

But.... I think he may just come good. Somebody else made the comparison to Souness - I think that could well be an apt one. Souness was just what we needed last time to get us out of this division and I am hoping that Appleton can have the same effect. Similarly he gives the impression that he won't take any nonsense and will be stamping his authority on the team. I just hope he can refrain from potentially leg-breaking challenges in training...

[EgyptianPete]

Still avoiding? He will probably get more rope from the Rovers Fans because he is english

I take it you mean Appleton, not me.

[rovers11]

That's an interesting question, blue and white army. What would the club do if Appleton has the same record as berg after 10 games?

Personally, I think we'd have to look at the bigger picture and see whether Appleton was laying down foundations for a successful future. By that I mean, has he got the team organised, what are their fitness levels like, is he balancing up the squad with new signings.

The way he wants to play is being solid and compact with pacy wingers who can get crosses into the box. If we are seeing the beginnings of that working plus the new signings making a difference then id keep him.

Under berg, we were getting worse and not better. 10 games is long enough to implement some of your ideas across to the players. All we saw was a disorganised mess that was seeing us drop like a stone.

[Pedro]

Usual set of non-attending idiots giving their blind opinions again.

Rovers played well last night against a good Brighton side. We had effort in spade fulls and really should have finished them off but for some poor finishing and world-class goalkeeping. It wasn't perfect by any means but we weren't in any danger until a stupid challenge in the box. If we play like we did and approach the game with the same attitude and levels of commitment (our work-rate and closing down was outstanding) we will win many of the remaining games. The players conducted themselves like they did under Bowyer - which is a good thing and they will soon win the crowd over if they continue to give a @#/?.

That's an interesting question, blue and white army. What would the club do if Appleton has the same record as berg after 10 games?

Personally, I think we'd have to look at the bigger picture and see whether Appleton was laying down foundations for a successful future. By that I mean, has he got the team organised, what are their fitness levels like, is he balancing up the squad with new signings.

The way he wants to play is being solid and compact with pacy wingers who can get crosses into the box. If we are seeing the beginnings of that working plus the new signings making a difference then id keep him.

Under berg, we were getting worse and not better. 10 games is long enough to implement some of your ideas across to the players. All we saw was a disorganised mess that was seeing us drop like a stone.

The one and only time I called Radio Rovers I called in because people were slating Souness towards the end of his first few months in charge. I said that he is weighing up the situation and the attitudes and abilities of the players etc. with the following season in mind. I said that he would have them sorted for the next season and ship a lot of the deadwood out...they almost laughed and cut me short - but I was 100% right. Appleton doesn't strike me as a mug who will put up with failure, hopefully we have chanced accross a good manager here, only time and results will tell.

[T.J.Newton]

Playing devils advocate but....

What if say you actually posted something sensible.

What if say you actually attend a game and see what really happens on the pitch

What say if you actually stop winding people up

What say if you actually supported the team.

+100

blue and white army- i've no memory of seeing any of your posts prior to the last few weeks, but now you just pop up every 2 minutes coming out with the same tired old dribble, you come across more as a childish MB troll than an actual football/rovers fan.

[Lathund]

I'm cautiously optimistic about Appleton. All we have to go on are two games, the hiring of staff and what he has said to the media, but based on that I like what I'm seeing. Firstly because while he has talked about the owner's ambitions, I don't think he's said any more positive guff than you'd expect, and he's called it a "circus", talked about the poor recruitment and mistakes being made etc. Some might say that Berg did too, but only really *before* he was hired.

But mainly what makes me feel positive about it is that he seems to have a plan. He talks about a coherent recruitment strategy and assembling a squad that's suited to the way you play, and one of the first things he does is to hire a scout he's worked with in the past. He talks about the unbalanced squad and playing players out of position; next game he plays not our best 11 players, but plays wide midfielders as wide midfielders and we immediately look more balanced. There are signs that he knows what he wants to do, and immediately sets about doing it.

Now, having a plan is not the same thing as making that a reality. Nor is it a guarantee that it will work. But I am a big believer in that continuity, planning and a systematic long-term approach are the key factors in being successful and sustaining that success. In football terms I believe you can go a long way simply by doing the basics right. Things like have only players who want to play for the club, play those players in their best roles in a balanced formation, and keep up the fitness levels.

If given support by the owners I think he will do that. I don't think we'll reach the playoffs this season (In fact I'm fairly sure of that) but I think his record will be better than our overall record before his appointment. And that we will improve from there; the caveat being that this depends on exactly how much he is asked to slash wages.

Positivity tends to get you slagged off here, so I might as well point out that he was not my first choice, far from it. Nor do I like the way this manager search (Or the previous one(s)) were concluded. And my opinion on the owners is no different than it has been ever since they forced out JW. But I do believe that MA can steady the ship and get us moving in the right direction.

Only time will tell if this post is going to make me look extremely silly or not!

[EgyptianPete]

Rashness caused by the disappoinment of not getting a decent manager in. Obviously he's here for now and going nowhere so I'll just have to wait for you to all catch up ;-)

He is a poor pound shop appointment imo. Time will tell just how poor. He is lucky he is english and northern as that will shroud him for a while.

Ha ha ha ha ha, you really are a troll, keep taking the tablets, might dissolve some of that venom. Rovers fan my arse

[EgyptianPete]

That's an interesting question, blue and white army. What would the club do if Appleton has the same record as berg after 10 games?

Personally, I think we'd have to look at the bigger picture and see whether Appleton was laying down foundations for a successful future. By that I mean, has he got the team organised, what are their fitness levels like, is he balancing up the squad with new signings.

The way he wants to play is being solid and compact with pacy wingers who can get crosses into the box. If we are seeing the beginnings of that working plus the new signings making a difference then id keep him.

Under berg, we were getting worse and not better. 10 games is long enough to implement some of your ideas across to the players. All we saw was a disorganised mess that was seeing us drop like a stone.

It could be that Berg was told he had to use the coaching staff he had, if he could have brought his own team with him things may have been different we will never know.

It certainly looks from the outside Appleton has total control with who he has appointed so far, last night you could see the difference, yes still passes were going astray but last night the players worked to get the ball back(not seen that in many a month) so in my eyes once the confidence comes back the miss placed passes will be less and less and therefore we will move the ball quicker to the right player.

Appleton played both Pederson and Olson wide, for all we know he may be looking to add these type of playes to the squad and only used the said two to see if it balanced the team, which it did. Not thick these northerners you know.

[thenodrog]

Once a ref, always a ref, eh ref?

Regardless of whether the 5 minutes was justified, the only person who warrants blame is Goodwillie, I think to look elsewhere would be wrong.

Put himself on instead of a midfielder did he?

He is a poor pound shop appointment imo.

Should be OK for a pound shop club with pound shop supporters then shouldn't he?

[bluefred]

Put himself on instead of a midfielder did he?

Should be OK for a pound shop club with pound shop supporters then shouldn't he?

guess whos looking to wind folk up.

[onlyonejackwalker]

Ha ha ha ha ha, you really are a troll, keep taking the tablets, might dissolve some of that venom. Rovers fan my arse

I can confirm he is a big Rovers fan. Whether you agree or not he has every right to post and he may well yet be proven correct about the abilities of MA. He can take what he gives out, so don't hold back as he won't take offence, he is just very passionate about the club and saddened by the last two years or so.

[chris_h]

Ha ha ha ha ha, you really are a troll, keep taking the tablets, might dissolve some of that venom. Rovers fan my arse

Please stop quoting the tool Pete, it gets around the ignore function.

[thenodrog]

guess whos looking to wind folk up.

I'm at a loss as to why you consider that a wind up. Tell me which bit isn't accurate.

[bypass06]

Palermo sign Mauro Formica from Blackburn Rovers

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11682/8429490?

[Waggy76]

Palermo sign Mauro Formica from Blackburn Rovers

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11682/8429490?

Good one donkey less !

[arbitro]

Palermo sign Mauro Formica from Blackburn Rovers

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11682/8429490?

What on earth are 'acquisition rights'?

[Rover_Shaun]

I can confirm he is a big Rovers fan. Whether you agree or not he has every right to post and he may well yet be proven correct about the abilities of MA. He can take what he gives out, so don't hold back as he won't take offence, he is just very passionate about the club and saddened by the last two years or so.

Thanks OOJW but you know that BRFCS has always been a place where one mass opinion dominates and board can sometimes rounds on those with the who disagree. I have been guilty of it in the past as we probably all have.

Most of us backed Berg against our better judgement and I for one feel once bitten twice shy. I don't think Appleton is up to the task so that is why I am reserving the right to let Appleton earn my trust and prove that despite being under qualified he is worthy of such a job. Support needs to be earned

I very much hope I am wrong about the new manager because that will mean the Rovers are prospering (even inspite of Venkys ineptitude).

[Doug]

Good one donkey less !

He's one of the mistakes. Well done MA. More to go I hope.