[Archived] Watford v. Blackburn Rovers preview

[thenodrog]

no need.

rovers or nothing for me.

them that swap teams are plastics end of.

Really? Yet their money is as good as anyone elses. Personally I'm sure it was exactly what Jack Walker was hoping for 20 odd years ago.

[Andy]

You can't swap your team, its just not doable.

You support the team you're born closest to, or failing that, the team that's in your family and has been for centuries.

[yoda's brother]

Really? Yet their money is as good as anyone elses. Personally I'm sure it was exactly what Jack Walker was hoping for 20 odd years ago.

i give up with you.

ITS IN THE BLOOD

no effing lancashire whatever for me.

or any other team.

[Uddersfelt Blue]

Not sure what you mean. However there are many types of fans but the 4 main groups imo are....

1. The one who pays to follow and support his team no matter what standard or level the football or the set up is. 60% of people who attend live matches will be in this category. Examples of the extremes of this are to be found in just about every Div 2 team and most Div 1 teams and even some Championship clubs. Their teams will never ever win promotion to the top table and the standard of football on show is usually one notch above park football. They exist solely on stubborn and usually misplaced loyalty. Admirable but only in a stupid and futile manner.

The standard of Leagues 1& 2 is one notch above park football?

I've read and written some rubbish on this board but that just takes the biscuit!

[Salgado Is A Hero]

You can't swap your team, its just not doable.

You support the team you're born closest to, or failing that, the team that's in your family and has been for centuries.

Surely it's the other way round?

[aletheia]

Oklahoma

Goodwillie not ideal but he wouldn't be a midfielder just a striker playing in the hole. Sick of staight line 442. We may get some interplay going with Dunn, Goodwillie and Rhodes. Gomes in same place is a good shout though. If you look at the shape i suggested, 3 players on left side and 3 on right provide a little solidity.

[Harrier7]

Not sure what you mean. However there are many types of fans but the 4 main groups imo are....

1. The one who pays to follow and support his team no matter what standard or level the football or the set up is. 60% of people who attend live matches will be in this category. Examples of the extremes of this are to be found in just about every Div 2 team and most Div 1 teams and even some Championship clubs. Their teams will never ever win promotion to the top table and the standard of football on show is usually one notch above park football. They exist solely on stubborn and usually misplaced loyalty. Admirable but only in a stupid and futile manner.

That's the most condescending piece of crap I have ever read on this messageboard. Try telling that to the hardcore Stanley fans who have enjoyed a season of brilliant, passion filled football ,admittedly along with a few truly dire performances too. You wouldn't get them to watch the awful fare served up by Ewood's grossly overpaid prima donnas if you paid them.

[thenodrog]

? I don't rem writing that.

[JAL]

Difficult to disagree with that. 4-4-2 has served us badly this season but it is the formation that appears to suit our star player Jordan Rhodes best. imo he truly is a fox in the box but a real donkey out of it. He has been a quandary for every manager we've had this season. Yet again I am reminded of the old adage that 'there is no i in team'.

You've got it there Theno, which makes it important who the other ten players are that you surround him with at this level. That is for me apart from Hanley, CKR, Henley and Todd Kane, i'm struggling to think of any others who can go with and support Jordan Rhodes such as been the rank awful recruitment of players over the past season.

[thenodrog]

You've got it there Theno, which makes it important who the other ten players are that you surround him with at this level. That is for me apart from Hanley, CKR, Henley and Todd Kane, i'm struggling to think of any others who can go with and support Jordan Rhodes such as been the rank awful recruitment of players over the past season.

I think Jordan Rhodes needs to spend the close season working out how he could support a proper target man! That could be the making of him cos he most definitely does not come in that category.

[thewarhurstward]

Rhodes will be on the road,get real gents

[JAL]

I think Jordan Rhodes needs to spend the close season working out how he could support a proper target man! That could be the making of him cos he most definitely does not come in that category.

Thats how you'd tackle the situation Theno,fair enough. For me playing manager/coach i'd want my other nine outfield players capable of working the ball in and around the box on a fairly consistant level throughout games to give Jordan those opportunities to score.

The bit id ask of Jordan in developing is his defending from the front, closing down up field, win the ball then attack or give it back, go and find those spaces up and behind the oppo's front line and hopefully we'll find him.

Though my selection of player would be one that, they can all put a foot in, they can all track back, and they can all score goals, then hopefully through hard work and team work and good fortune we'd get the desired results.

Arte et labore

[den]

Thats how you'd tackle the situation Theno,fair enough. For me playing manager/coach i'd want my other nine outfield players capable of working the ball in and around the box on a fairly consistant level throughout games to give Jordan those opportunities to score.

What you're doing there JAL, is working out how to get Rhodes to score more goals. He's already getting 25/30 goals in a season, so to ask for more goals is a bit optimistic. What the manager needs to work out is how to get the other useless sods to score. Not having a front man in the side who can hold the ball up until others get forward - or play others in has been our problem this season.

Get out of that one then!

[Oklahoma]

" Creative and fast" and our midfield don't belong in the same sentence.

I know.

It is incredible that we have to consider that Dunn is our most creative player in the team.

[darrenrover]

Christ, how complicated has football become?

Simplicity used to say set up with a strong spine. GK, Central Defender, Central Mid and a natural finisher. The necessary pivots of a team.

That leaves another 7 players to fanny around with in whatever may be the most favoured formation of the day but the basics remain the same.

Stop the opposition scoring and create chances at the other end.

We've a guy whose scored 25 goals from probably 40 chances in the best part of a full season and it ain't good enough?

I know it's stating the obvious but wtf have the others offered since August?

[JAL]

What you're doing there JAL, is working out how to get Rhodes to score more goals. He's already getting 25/30 goals in a season, so to ask for more goals is a bit optimistic. What the manager needs to work out is how to get the other useless sods to score. Not having a front man in the side who can hold the ball up until others get forward - or play others in has been our problem this season.

Get out of that one then!

I agree with you and Theno in what your saying, Theno suggests that he wants Rhodes to develop better with a partner which is fine but the other players have to be of a higher quality than what we currently have.

Do you have to play long all the time ? Not a Rhodes strength, so, why cant others build up play progressively together. What we need is more competent effective playing staff, but hey, we need someone who knows whats required. Rather than having a bunch of agents putting their two legged dummies in OUR shop window wearing OUR colours.

[G Somerset Rover]

We need to try to incorporate Rochina into our side next season if he wants to stay (and we stay up of course). Lack of creativity is galling.

[Mike E]

Could Rochina not be an ideal replacement for Dunn? Both have a habit of just running with the ball and either running up a blind alley or creating an opportunity. Both also chip in with goals (and Rochina and Rhodes seemed to have a better understanding of each other than any other pairing this season imo).

[thenodrog]

I agree with you and Theno in what your saying, Theno suggests that he wants Rhodes to develop better with a partner which is fine but the other players have to be of a higher quality than what we currently have.

Do you have to play long all the time ? Not a Rhodes strength, so, why cant others build up play progressively together. What we need is more competent effective playing staff, but hey, we need someone who knows whats required. Rather than having a bunch of agents putting their two legged dummies in OUR shop window wearing OUR colours.

If Rhodes wants to be a success in the Prem then he has to add more to his game. His goals tally is eyecatching but he'd no way score that amount in the Prem and when his goals tally did dry up what else has he got to offer? Nowt.

I've noticed Jay Rodriguez at Southampton recently and his work rate and mobility is amazing. It wouldn't do Rhodes any harm to take a leaf out of his book.

[den]

Christ, how complicated has football become?

We've a guy whose scored 25 goals from probably 40 chances in the best part of a full season and it ain't good enough?

I know it's stating the obvious but wtf have the others offered since August?

So what are you going to do next season if there's no real money available - carry on as we did this season? After all like you said, it's a simple game, so there must be a simple answer?

You think the people who are making these comments about Rhodes don't realise they are sticking their necks out? It would be dead easy to join the "Rhodes is god" fan club, but they are asking questions, knowing they're likely to get stick - that only Maj has tried to answer.

I'll make another point. People say that without Rhodes we would have been relegated this season - which, if we'd had to play with ten men - we definitely would have been. The counter argument is that if that £8m had been spread between three or four players, we might well have dominated possession more and scored closer to two goals per game, rather than the measly average of just slightly over a relegation inviting, one goal per game.

[Guest Wen Y Hu]

Parsonblue's match report is now published to the front page here.

[Daremz]

Came to London this weekend to make my 'away-end-debut' in the Watford-match. The sun was shining, had a good drink in the 'Moon under Water' before the game with my mate and went to Vicarage to pick up my tickets and watch the game. Atmosphere in the away-end was good for the first 20 minutes, when Rovers showed initiative and some good passing, without creating anything. Second half started brightly but after the goal it was GAME OVER. Absolutely shocking.

The weekend itself was a great experience, to be in the away end for the first time was great, but the way Rovers played: horrible.

Hopefully we can pick up the much needed points, but I do fear...

[JAL]

If Rhodes wants to be a success in the Prem then he has to add more to his game. His goals tally is eyecatching but he'd no way score that amount in the Prem and when his goals tally did dry up what else has he got to offer? Nowt.

I've noticed Jay Rodriguez at Southampton recently and his work rate and mobility is amazing. It wouldn't do Rhodes any harm to take a leaf out of his book.

Lets not forget that this season has been a step up for him in terms of standard of football that hes been playing and hes managed it very well, so well that I fully expect him to pick up the player of the season award for his efforts.

Of course hes got to improve his all round game but with all thats gone on at the club, with the instability of managers coming and going. How can any of us could have expected anymore from Jordan Rhodes this season.

[Amo]

Lets not forget that this season has been a step up for him in terms of standard of football that hes been playing and hes managed it very well, so well that I fully expect him to pick up the player of the season award for his efforts.

Of course hes got to improve his all round game but with all thats gone on at the club, with the instability of managers coming and going. How can any of us could have expected anymore from Jordan Rhodes this season.

Shouldn't you be blaming Lowe for Saturday's result?

Oh right...

[JAL]

Shouldn't you be blaming Lowe for Saturday's result?

Oh right...

Lowe didnt play but if he had we could have expected a bigger defecit in the scoreline.

First time id seen Jones and Williamson and they looked every bit as bad as Jason