[Archived] Rubén Rochina

[donnermeat]

My money will be on him being off on loan somewhere in January anyway. He doesn't want to play in this league.

[Tom]

Dunn has been class at times this season but once again has sadly shown why we can never rely on him when thinking about our line up, a minor setback has now seen him miss 5 games is it?

[onlyonejackwalker]

Can't agree with you on this, Rochina is miles better than Dunn...if we're still in touch when he comes back, he could just be the difference between 10th and 6th....

Although its a big ask to still be in touch by January...Old Dunny is living off 3 games a season, picking his games, ..no real contribution throughout the season....should be moved to a coaching role with the under 9s

Rochina is MILES better than Dunn? Based on what? A few cameos in the Championship? Get a grip. We all hope Rochina can develope into the player we believe he can be, but on the evidence to date there are no guarantees. Until Rochina learns to get his head up and have a wider appreciation of the teams field position and start choosing the right options more frequently and consistently, he will never achieve his full potential. I thought Barca taught 2 touch football to youngsters, not 10.

[yoda's brother]

Rochina is MILES better than Dunn? Based on what? A few cameos in the Championship? Get a grip. We all hope Rochina can develope into the player we believe he can be, but on the evidence to date there are no guarantees. Until Rochina learns to get his head up and have a wider appreciation of the teams field position and start choosing the right options more frequently and consistently, he will never achieve his full potential. I thought Barca taught 2 touch football to youngsters, not 10.

ignore sparky, he is on one of his daily wind ups.

[Lhrover]

rochina for me is our best player, weve really missed out since hes been injured. We are much better with him and its vital we keep him.

[Stuart]

Personally I think Dunn is our best player but he's currently tied up in a battle for his signature between medical science and a glue factory. Maybe they can reach a win-win agreement.

[lraC]

May I remind everyone, that we acquired Rochina through some deal done by a certain agent. Dunn is a Rovers fan and for those reasons alone, one has to be far superior to the other.

I hope Rochina comes back into the team and proves to be worth the amount that this agent, once said Rovers fans think he is worth A very small transfer fee and an extraordinary agents fee, but the agent seemed to think he was worth around £8 million!

[Amo]

I'd say Rochina has more raw talent than Dunn did at that age. Difference being that Dunn had a manager who knew how to get the best out of him (initially, at least) and he wasn't playing in a foreign league, whereas Rochina has spent his formative years at the Ewood Big Top, playing under numerous "managers" without a clue what to do with him. Rochina surely has potential to flourish under Bowyer in this young Rovers side. If we're lucky, he won't be dumped back home in January.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Just to establish I do rate Rochina and think he's got a very important role, because more often than not Dunn will be injured. But a fully fit Dunn versus a fully fit Rochina is no contest for me. That goal Dunn scored against Bolton is something I've seen Rochina attempt about a hundred times since he arrived here and kind of pull off once, away at Bristol City last season when he fell over halfway through and then got up again and finished.

[thenodrog]

Rochina has more natural ability imo but Dunny has more between his ears. I must say I love watching them both play.

[roversfan99]

I'd say Rochina has more raw talent than Dunn did at that age. Difference being that Dunn had a manager who knew how to get the best out of him (initially, at least) and he wasn't playing in a foreign league, whereas Rochina has spent his formative years at the Ewood Big Top, playing under numerous "managers" without a clue what to do with him. Rochina surely has potential to flourish under Bowyer in this young Rovers side. If we're lucky, he won't be dumped back home in January.

Totally disagree. Dunny got in the England squad at that age didn't he, he was dominating in the Premier League, he was being billed as the next Gazza.

[Amo]

Totally disagree. Dunny got in the England squad at that age didn't he, he was dominating in the Premier League, he was being billed as the next Gazza.

I don't think you really thread my post through. No one's doubting Dunn was a highly-talented prospect but his game didn't come along until he was playing in a settled side with a proper manager in charge. Those are luxuries that Rochina has been without from the very first moment he landed here. I still think that in terms of raw technique and ability on the ball, Rochina is streets ahead of Dunn at that age. SKH mentioned the bias towards Rochina because of his exotic heritage. Well yeah, there's a very good reason for that. Ruben's a product of La Masia. He graduated from the greatest footballing academy in the world and his ability is there for all to see. All that's needed is for him to get it working upstairs and he'll be one hell of a player.

[DanLad]

I don't think you really thread my post through. No one's doubting Dunn was a highly-talented prospect but his game didn't come along until he was playing in a settled side with a proper manager in charge. Those are luxuries that Rochina has been without from the very first moment he landed here. I still think that in terms of raw technique and ability on the ball, Rochina is streets ahead of Dunn at that age. SKH mentioned the bias towards Rochina because of his exotic heritage. Well yeah, there's a very good reason for that. Ruben's a product of La Masia. He graduated from the greatest footballing academy in the world and his ability is there for all to see. All that's needed is for him to get it working upstairs and he'll be one hell of a player.

But if the greatest football academy in the world couldn't draw this out of him, how will anyone else?

[darrenrover]

I don't think you really thread my post through. No one's doubting Dunn was a highly-talented prospect but his game didn't come along until he was playing in a settled side with a proper manager in charge. Those are luxuries that Rochina has been without from the very first moment he landed here. I still think that in terms of raw technique and ability on the ball, Rochina is streets ahead of Dunn at that age. SKH mentioned the bias towards Rochina because of his exotic heritage. Well yeah, there's a very good reason for that. Ruben's a product of La Masia. He graduated from the greatest footballing academy in the world and his ability is there for all to see. All that's needed is for him to get it working upstairs and he'll be one hell of a player.

I wholeheartedly agree. My only doubt is a possible absence of grey matter. Only time will tell.

[Amo]

But if the greatest football academy in the world couldn't draw this out of him, how will anyone else?

Well, we don't need him to play for the best club in the world, do we? Barca's standards are a teeny bit higher than ours, I reckon.

[roverstdt]

Rochina is an interesting talent, who I believes needs games in order to improve. Technically everything is there, he just needs to develop his mental side and learn to make the right decision when offloading the ball. The question of even comparing him to Dunn is useless as they are very very different players. if Cairney is available for under 1m I think we need to sign him up even though it will be bad for Rochina. I think come January I would love to see us sign Cairney, and sell off Etuhu, Ribiero, and Best to reduce the wage bill a little more

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

SKH mentioned the bias towards Rochina because of his exotic heritage. Well yeah, there's a very good reason for that. Ruben's a product of La Masia. He graduated from the greatest footballing academy in the world and his ability is there for all to see. All that's needed is for him to get it working upstairs and he'll be one hell of a player.

Personally I don't think there's a good reason for any bias when it comes to football. I think players should be judged on their product on the pitch, not who coached them or where they came from. How good a player is might be something made of tens of different things.

Raw talent, which academy they were at, who coached them, their personal drive to get the best of their ability, their ability to adapt, their ability to continually improve upon leaving an academy, as you say their manager and team-mates, how settled their personal life is, what motivates them, what their priorities are on the pitch. Probably plenty of other things that only a top class athlete would know.

But what we see at Ewood is the end product, the combination of everything. And from what I've seen at Ewood, Dunn is the better player. Picking one aspect of their upbringing and using that as a reason for bias is just wrong in my opinion. Shearer was educated at Southampton's youth set-up, Grabbi at Juventus.

[Sparky Marky]

I think come January I would love to see us sell off Best to reduce the wage bill a little more

Yeah, good idea...sell Best and replace him with Raphael De Vita.....man, you got to be kidding

[roversfan99]

I don't think you really thread my post through. No one's doubting Dunn was a highly-talented prospect but his game didn't come along until he was playing in a settled side with a proper manager in charge. Those are luxuries that Rochina has been without from the very first moment he landed here. I still think that in terms of raw technique and ability on the ball, Rochina is streets ahead of Dunn at that age. SKH mentioned the bias towards Rochina because of his exotic heritage. Well yeah, there's a very good reason for that. Ruben's a product of La Masia. He graduated from the greatest footballing academy in the world and his ability is there for all to see. All that's needed is for him to get it working upstairs and he'll be one hell of a player.

Dunn has always had raw ability, when he was young he still had raw technique, he had the ability to drop a shoulder, to curl a shot into the top corner, but he also had the raw strength to bounce off defenders and a footballing brain. He was playing in the Premier League and starring in it. I think you are underestimating his technical ability.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Dunn has always had raw ability, when he was young he still had raw technique, he had the ability to drop a shoulder, to curl a shot into the top corner, but he also had the raw strength to bounce off defenders and a footballing brain. He was playing in the Premier League and starring in it. I think you are underestimating his technical ability.

Dunn's ability to take the ball totally in his stride is his most impressive quality for me and one which I would describe as truly world class. Regardless of the pace or direction of the pass, the angle or direction he's running at, or which foot the ball comes to in his stride, he immediately glues it to his foot with no loss of balance or pace. He then seems intrinsically already aware of where any opposition players are around him and with no measurable thinking time at all moves into space. He's so good at it that you just kind of get used to it and forget its there but its something about Dunn that I find incredible and that I've rarely seen at such an accomplished level. His goal against Bolton was a perfect example of it happening in the box but he does it repeatedly in every match elsewhere on the pitch.

[Sparky Marky]

Dunn's ability to take the ball totally in his stride is his most impressive quality for me and one which I would describe as truly world class. Regardless of the pace or direction of the pass, the angle or direction he's running at, or which foot the ball comes to in his stride, he immediately glues it to his foot with no loss of balance or pace. He then seems intrinsically already aware of where any opposition players are around him and with no measurable thinking time at all moves into space. He's so good at it that you just kind of get used to it and forget its there but its something about Dunn that I find incredible and that I've rarely seen at such an accomplished level. His goal against Bolton was a perfect example of it happening in the box but he does it repeatedly in every match elsewhere on the pitch.

Beer goggles

[Hekla]

Beer goggles

Do us all a favour and leave please.

[DanLad]

Well, we don't need him to play for the best club in the world, do we? Barca's standards are a teeny bit higher than ours, I reckon.

I think you have misunderstood my point.

I was meaning that if the alleged best academy in the world cannot unlock these better decision making abilities (or whatever everyone views that Rochina is currently lacking), then maybe they are not there to be unlocked. Maybe he has effectively reached the end stage of his youthful development and what you see is what he's got.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

Players reach their peak around their late 20s. There's plenty of time left for him to develop.

[roversfan99]

Yes there is, and he is already a good option to have when fit. However, he is not technically better than what Dunn was at a similar age, it's just Dunn had a more complete package which allowed him to break into the England squad and star in the Premier League, ie his strength and decision making were much better. Also Dunn is a better option in most cases now as he is much more productive.