[Archived] Rovers V Charlton

[DE.]

I wasn't an Appleton man, but we could have 20 managers this season, and none of them could raise the dead in this team.

Utterly dispiriting!

Um, Bowyer did alright?

[Tom]

A note on some of the players

Kean - poor kicking but not to blame for goals, one good save

Kane - played to the best of his ability, he's just not that good

Dann and Hanley - not really at fault today and they have so little in front of them they have to resort to long pointless balls

Olsson - pathetic pathetic pathetic pathetic

Simon - touches of class but largely ineffectual

Murphy - pathetic, may as well have been playing netball he's so static when he gets it

Lowe - ok off the ball but when he gets it he may as well pass it straight out for a throw

CKR - obvious ability but bad decision making and bad attitude, would rather foul a man than win the ball

Rochina - awful, if there are two good options he normally picks the third which is often 'run directly into traffic'

Rhodes - unfair to judge him as he was only on the pitch for one minute although he did superbly in that one minute

[rovers11]

There is no quick fix here. These players just don't have the appetite and need shipping out. Of today's squad, I would ship out Olsson, Kane (very limited player), Vuckevic, Murphy, Kazim, Pedersen and Givet.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

Bower's luck would have run out sometime, the Wolves showing was uninspired, and he took our two brightest players off and put us under pressure. It's the players that aren't good enough. Changing manager doesn't help, but we have needed experience, yet the powers that be have failed time and again to hire it.

[tonygreenbank]

You could be right. Appleton stood like a statue for 90 minutes. I think I might be finished now. Thought it couldn't get any worse. Today it did. More disappointed today than I can quite grasp.

Paul I feel for you. Ive not witnessed a home game since September since we moved down here to Cornwall. It is agony reading about whats happening at our club and today listening to the football programmes and know that the team is not performing.

How agonising to be actually there!

Im coming up north in two weeks for a few days to see the Ipswich game. I do hope that things are a little better by then.

I hope that you and the many other loyal fans on here are there as well!

[DE.]

Im coming up north in two weeks for a few days to see the Ipswich game. I do hope that things are a little better by then.

As am I. Don't think I've ever been less enthusiastic to visit Ewood.

[Blackpool_Rover]

Look on the bright side...the NHL starts in 2 hours

[Mercer]

Wow, where the feck do you start after that.

First 15 minutes we did okay, pressed the ball well high up the field and Rochina looked menacing driving with the ball.

After that, IMO, just disgraceful - where was the passion in front of the owners and a new manager.

CKR summed up the attitude of many of the players, IMO, after 41 minutes when we got a free kick on the rioght hand side playing towards the Darwen End. He got up and strolled head down towards the penalty box not even looking back to see who was taking the kick and where the ball was. If had been Appleton, I would have hauled him off there and then.

I think most of that lot are a shower of shyte and I made the mistake of shelling out a hundred punds for 4 tickets and it wont happen again for a long time. I refuse to put money into the pockets of players who, IMO, are not simply not fit to wear the shirt and don't seem to care.

[G Somerset Rover]

It's no suprise that Kane has been poor for the past two games. My Chelsea supporting mate said he was nowhere near ready for Championship football, plus he could barely get a game at PNE in league one.

We have so many bang avarege players and a completely unbalanced squad - largely full of attacking midfielders who can't cut it in the Championship. We have to be great bets to go down next season if Venkys are still here.

[RockinRover]

Well this is going one of two ways and neither of them are good sadly. Either we'll get relegated again and Venky's will finally sell but the damage will already be done or we're destined to be stuck in the Championship forever, hovering above the relegation zone but never above mid-table. At the end of this season I can see us losing Rhodes and Olsson and then we'll definitely be no better than any other team in this league.

Right now the squad needs a real overhaul. We need a new right back because to be honest as good as Henley has been since he got promoted from the youth set up, we need an instant impact, not potential. We need a new centre back, Hanley gets turned nearly every game way too easily and Dann can't read the game. We need two new wingers as right now we have noone with pace and noone who can put a decent cross in. We need two new midfielders. Someone to get stuck in and someone who can really support Rhodes. We also need another striker to partner Rhodes. Someone like Best but not injury prone and they need to be able to hold up the ball.

Until we have these players, we're never going to get back up. We currently have too many journeymen in our squad who are only interested in how many numbers are on their paycheck. We need Championship quality players who have either tasted the Premiership and want to get back up or who have never been there and want to get there. We need hunger and desire. Right now, it's clear we have none at any level of the club.

[G Somerset Rover]

Well this is going one of two ways and neither of them are good sadly. Either we'll get relegated again and Venky's will finally sell but the damage will already be done or we're destined to be stuck in the Championship forever, hovering above the relegation zone but never above mid-table. At the end of this season I can see us losing Rhodes and Olsson and then we'll definitely be no better than any other team in this league.

Be no bad thing to lose Olsson. The kid understandably doesn't wanna be here (would anyone under Venkys?!), but his performances this season have been p!ss poor and he can't be arsed.

[Jock]

Most players(or workers) will do as little as possible at work. If your management doesnt care why will they bust a gut for Rovers.

We have to rid ourselves of Venkys.

Stop all these meetings with Shabby, theyre laughing at us behind our backs.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

It's no suprise that Kane has been poor for the past two games. My Chelsea supporting mate said he was nowhere near ready for Championship football, plus he could barely get a game at PNE in league one.

We have so many bang avarege players and a completely unbalanced squad - largely full of attacking midfielders who can't cut it in the Championship. We have to be great bets to go down next season if Venkys are still here.

Was this MOM Kane ?

[G Somerset Rover]

Was this MOM Kane ?

Granted I only saw the Wolves game but from those I've spoken to from today it sounds like he was poor again.

Also, it's usually a man with a white stick who picks the MOTM at Rovers!

[Stuart]

I'm baffled by the substitutions today.

We were awful in the first half (CKR, left wing; Rochina, hole) and in the second half, Appleton swaps them (Rochina, left wing; CKR, hole). Within 5 mins we equalise. Great stuff, we think.

Then he changes it and bring Vuckevic off (has he ever played a full game? Makes you wonder about contracts!) and brings Pedersen on. (Pedersen, left wing; Rochina, right, CKR, hole).

Rochina the ignores his position and does what he wants - even to the point that the new young kid at right back has to visibly tell him off).

Then Rochina is rightly removed - had a shocker, again - and we change the team backwards. (CKR, left wing; Pedersen, right wing !!, Nunes, hole).

At which point the wheels fell off in terms of performance and discipline.

Appleton has his work cut out but if he persists with these tactics and simply tinker with the personnel then we may as well not bother playing Rhodes.

Oh, and we can fairly safely say goodbye to the play-offs.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Maybe a new manager - but it is the same old problems.

Though many will probably disagree - I thought Lowe had a good match today - one of the few players passing and moving.

Murphy just isn't suited to the Championship - he was closed down far too easily. He is the one player that Appleton needs to replace as soon as possible.

The most noticeable thing - we weren't played off the park - we were run off the park - they just out fought us from start to finish. It is so disappointing - if our players just matched the passion of these teams we do have the greater technical ability. Looking at it objectively - they didn't actually create a great deal - and Dann and Hanley actually played quite well.

Kean - ok

Kane - ok

Dann - good match

Hanley - good match

Olsson - ok

Simon - flatters to deceive

Lowe - good game

Murphy - just too slow

CKR - dis-interested for most of the match

Rochina - wow, absolutely awful

Rhodes - scored as usual

[broadsword]

I guess Appleton looking like a jacked-up convict must have really have scared the players into playing out of their skins today.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Then he changes it and bring Vuckevic off (has he ever played a full game? Makes you wonder about contracts!) and brings Pedersen on. (Pedersen, left wing; Rochina, right, CKR, hole).

IMO he looked absolutely knackered when he came off - and had been increasingly ineffective. Just a shame we didn't have King to bring on.

[DE.]

I guess Appleton looking like a jacked-up convict must have really have scared the players into playing out of their skins today.

The same stuff was said about Berg. "Oh, he's a no nonsense type". "He won't put up with any crap". "He'll whip the players into shape".

Fact is football has moved on. The players are the ones with the real power, now. If they don't want Appleton to succeed, he won't succeed. Simple as that, and if anyone thinks Venky's are going to give Appleton the funds necessary to completely overhaul the squad... prepare to be disappointed.

[rog of the rovers]

Granted I only saw the Wolves game but from those I've spoken to from today it sounds like he was poor again.

Also, it's usually a man with a white stick who picks the MOTM at Rovers!

Kane was fine today, so I think your friend must have been watching a different game to me!

Martin Olsson was shocking today, awful clearance for their first goal and the cross for the second goal also came down the Rovers left. Similarly, Kazim-Richards was poor, but at least he delivered a good ball for Rhodes to score.

The disappointing thing for me, was the lack of desire, the poor work rate and the persistence with playing 4-5-1. Poor Rhodes is feeding off scraps and once again scored with his only chance.

[Stuart]

IMO he looked absolutely knackered when he came off - and had been increasingly ineffective. Just a shame we didn't have King to bring on.

We have definitely missed King. People were writing him off after his first home game too.

[cn174]

To be fair to Kane, once Vukcevic went off (again for no reason) he was playing right back with absolutely nothing in front of him. On a couple of occasions he had the ball and was looking to pass, but there was just noone at all to give it to. No movement up front, no outlets, nothing.

Rubbish.

[arbitro]

We have far too many players who consistently make the wrong choice. This isn't just today, it has been happening for some time now. It really needs a good clear out and ALL the dross has to go. I honestly don't think I have ever seen a Rovers player who infuriates me like Ruben and CKR is just awful. Olssen was today given the run around by a player who was at Stevenage last season.

[Mike Graham]

Dreadful dreadful game. Appleton stood there for 90 minutes with a dumb Steve Kean like expression and did not communicate with his players once. What a dummy!

And good on those Rovers fans who snowballed the Rao's.

[ABBEY]

According to Twitter they got hit by snowballs on arrival.

One got hit right in his mush.