[Archived] Brill Middlesbrough Preview by m1st :)

[Neal]

Lot of talk about Henley on here. I question his attitude, mainly due to the amount of times he's spotted out on the p*ss. Lad keeps some pretty bad company too. Hope he sorts it out.

[roversfan99]

Isn't that Hanley thats always drinking?

[Rover_Shaun]

Just seen Lowe's goal and what a good strike it was. Well worthy of a debut senior goal. What next for Low. A newspaper dedicated to him?.........actually I've seen the LT online recently and thought it had been renamed to the Lowe Evening Telegraph lol

[Tom]

Isn't that Hanley thats always drinking?

Hanley, Kean and Goodwillie seemed to spend a fair amount of time on the lash but not sure if that's sorted now with Goodwillie up In Scotland

[DE.]

Without Dunn we've scored 11 goals in 11 games and found it near impossible to break down the likes of Middlesbrough, Charlton and Huddersfield at home. Crabbing along the halfway line watching Cairney and his sidekick spoilers contemplate a cutting pass like a budgy surgeon contemplates operating on an unsedated lion, and inevitably opting for the pointless ball out to the full-back, is very much going through the motions in my opinion. We have a lot of poor players now who will never achieve the level of Olsson's PL journeyman.

Just because the team lacks talent doesn't mean they aren't working hard. I've seen no evidence the players aren't giving their all, despite their lack of quality. You seem to be confusing a lack of talent with a lack of effort.

What did Olsson give us last season? I'll save you the trouble of trying to remember - the answer is nothing.

[Bucksrover]

At Championship level I think we have enough quality in the squad to do well.

In terms of attack - between King, Cairney, Taylor and Marshall (as well as the free-scoring Jason Lowe) I think we have enough potential talent to unlock defences and create for Rhodes. A key thing is getting Marshall and Taylor confident and producing consistently - but in saying that, even though Taylor has been a sub recently and was only on for a bit against Boro he went on a great run, beat a couple of players and very nearly put a chance on a plate for Rhodes.

I think the challenge for the January window is signing Cairney, keeping Rhodes, and trying to do some deals to get Best and co off the books.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

You seem to be confusing a lack of talent with a lack of effort.

No I'm saying it amounts to the same thing and I don't understand this mentality of celebrating the departure of our better players.

If we have talent and no effort, the manager can work on correcting the effort. If we have effort and no talent, we're screwed.

[Amo]

I honestly think the only player we've missed from last season is Kazim-Richards. He made a nuisance of himself up front and Rhodes profited from his hold up play, but even he was a player who divided public opinion because of his gangsta persona. Do I really think we miss Pedersen, Givet, Murphy, Olsson etc.? Not particularly. Most of them have seen better days or weren't interested in fighting for the cause.

[Tom]

We miss the polish keeper as well but I agree Kazim was good in his direct style

[JonnyBRFC]

I agree. Kazim was direct and made things happen. He did 'get at' the opposition and really wind them up. I'd imagine he was on big wages though.

[Roverthechimp]

We miss having a complement/alternative to Rhodes - not surprising seeing as our two other strikers have hardly played and rochina/dunn have been gone for a while.

[DE.]

No I'm saying it amounts to the same thing and I don't understand this mentality of celebrating the departure of our better players.

If we have talent and no effort, the manager can work on correcting the effort. If we have effort and no talent, we're screwed.

I don't know what you're talking about now. Nobody is celebrating the departure of our better players, it's just nicer to cheer a team who actually puts their all into their performance rather than watch a group of supposedly talented players go through the motions without any pride in their performance. If you prefer the latter then good for you.

We'll see where we are at the end of the season before we judge whether it "amounts to the same thing", though.

[Neal]

Isn't that Hanley thats always drinking?

No, I meant Henley.

[roversfan99]

How do you know he is often out drinking?

[Amo]

A shame, if true. Kelbo (RIP) always said the kid had a good head on his shoulders.

[Bucksrover]

I agree. Kazim was direct and made things happen. He did 'get at' the opposition and really wind them up. I'd imagine he was on big wages though.

From what I saw of him he was great for us when he was in the right mood - but could have a tendancy to strop and had a bit of attitude. I think with Bowyer's focus on getting the right personalities as well as the right skills he probably wasn't too sad to see him go.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

I don't know what you're talking about now. Nobody is celebrating the departure of our better players, it's just nicer to cheer a team who actually puts their all into their performance rather than watch a group of supposedly talented players go through the motions without any pride in their performance. If you prefer the latter then good for you.

We'll see where we are at the end of the season before we judge whether it "amounts to the same thing", though.

Well maybe celebrating is too strong a word but there's certainly a lot of good riddance/didn't need him anyway/better off without vibes about a number of players who were disposed of in the summer.

We can judge it right now, look at our results under Bowyer last season and look at them this season. The mistake everyone makes is lumping all our results last season together and then comparing them to this season. Well thats rubbish in my opinion because its comparing players under a half-decent manager in Bowyer to players under a mix of managers which included 2 of the worst Rovers have ever had in Berg and Appleton.

The group of players "without any pride in their performance" last season picked up 20 points in 12 games for Bowyer, 14 in 8 for Kean, and 9 in 6 for Black. Take out the bumbling disruption caused by a joker from Blackpool and a legendary player but rubbish manager from Norway, and we'd have made the play-offs at a stroll. Cause we had a better team.

[DE.]

Well maybe celebrating is too strong a word but there's certainly a lot of good riddance/didn't need him anyway/better off without vibes about a number of players who were disposed of in the summer.

We can judge it right now, look at our results under Bowyer last season and look at them this season. The mistake everyone makes is lumping all our results last season together and then comparing them to this season. Well thats rubbish in my opinion because its comparing players under a half-decent manager in Bowyer to players under a mix of managers which included 2 of the worst Rovers have ever had in Berg and Appleton.

The group of players "without any pride in their performance" last season picked up 20 points in 12 games for Bowyer, 14 in 8 for Kean, and 9 in 6 for Black. Take out the bumbling disruption caused by a joker from Blackpool and a legendary player but rubbish manager from Norway, and we'd have made the play-offs at a stroll. Cause we had a better team.

Pure speculation on your part, the only fact is that we nearly got relegated last season. If we finish well clear of relegation this season it'll be an improvement across the board, from management to players.

Of course with our financial losses mounting up we really need promotion this season rather than just avoiding relegation, but I don't believe the quality of the team is high enough to achieve that goal.

[Majiball]

Lot of talk about Henley on here. I question his attitude, mainly due to the amount of times he's spotted out on the p*ss. Lad keeps some pretty bad company too. Hope he sorts it out.

Why are so many of our younger players actually doing this? why are the club allowing it?

[DE.]

Why are so many of our younger players actually doing this? why are the club allowing it?

who's going to lay down the law beyond the manager? Derek "rogue" Shaw?

[bluebruce]

who's going to lay down the law beyond the manager? Derek "rogue" Shaw?

Why should it have to be anyone beyond the manager? If he wants to punish players for drinking binges (which, IF it is true they are happening, he should be), then those above him should certainly support it insofar as they are needed.

And if there is such a culture at the club...wonder if it is anything to do with all the young players we have.

[DE.]

Why should it have to be anyone beyond the manager? If he wants to punish players for drinking binges (which, IF it is true they are happening, he should be), then those above him should certainly support it insofar as they are needed.

And if there is such a culture at the club...wonder if it is anything to do with all the young players we have.

I think we should wait for evidence of these supposed drinking binges before forming a mob to go down to Ewood and string Henley and the rest of the youngsters up.

There's nothing to suggest Bowyer doesn't discipline strongly when required. He certainly handled Leon Best well enough.

[Rover_Shaun]

If Leon Best is the watermark then can we expect half the team to be benched to the potential detriment of the club's league position, form, morale?

[Mike E]

The only player I've seen on a night out (anywhere) in the last 2 years was Hanley (being an arsehole at that club that's now shut down in Whalley). He was doing that whole 'Do you know who I am?' schtik to a barman who was Aussie

[cesus]

I've just seen that Fulham player Sacha Riether has had retrospective action taken for the stamp on the young United lad. We saw a rather malicious incident at Ewood on Saturday involving Rhodes, would have that incident been reviewed? Or does only the Premier League have a review panel?