[Archived] Worst And Best Performances

[Bohinen 22]

It has been a season to forget; no doubt about it, full of inconsistent performances. Over the years though what has been the worst Rovers performance you have witnessedp live and more cheerily, the best?

[Husky]

Burnley and Burnley at home.

[JBiz]

Duffy sticks in the memory since his last 30 minutes or so in the shirt range from absolute hero to complete zero!

Santa Cruz and Bentleys seperate spells?

[frosty]

Team performances I'm guessing?

If so then the worst I've seen live is probably Millwall at home in the FA Cup QF replay in 2013. I'd been to the away game just a few days later and that was pretty dire but the replay really was pitiful. We just kept lumping the ball up to Shittu's head for 90 minutes, I can't remember anything else of the game apart from that. I know that they scored from a corner - the overall quality was that low that I doubt either team would have scored from open play even if the game was still being played now. There were some abysmal performances under K*an but we still had a few bits of quality in the team (Yakubu, Hoilett mainly) that livened those games up a tad.

I'm relatively young still so the best performances I've seen live would probably come from our first couple of years in the PL under Souness (01/02 and 02/03) with Duff, Dunn, Jansen, Tugay, Cole etc. Or Hughes' team between 05 and 08, that was an excellent squad too. Probably one of the games we beat one of the 'big boys' at home which was a pretty regular occurrence for both of those teams. Good times!

[BlueMonday]

Spurs away 2012. Should have been fighting for our lives and we put in a shocking gutless performance. So bad I still think we threw the match.

We recorded ZERO attempts on goal. ZERO!!!

I knew we were done for after that. When I saw coco's post match interview I nearly smashed the telly.

Best performance, Home to Derby in the Play off semi final. 0 - 2 down but didn't know we were beaten. Came storming back for a 4 - 2 win, Blackburn End going crazy. Everything we are not now.

[blue kiwi]

Worst performance getting beat at Rochdale 2-0 in 1971.

Best beating Utd 2-0 on a shearer wonderland.closely followed by the 5-2 home win v Plymouth 75.

[Jimbobololo]

Worst - Spurs away 2012 and best - Barnsley at home 1989

[Mike E]

Going 4-1 up against Utd (before winning 4-3) was something pretty special for 14yo me.

As for worst, I'd have to say it's between Yeovil at home under Bowyer for boredom, or Spurs away under Kean for pure infuriation.

[arbitro]

The 7-1 defeat at the Theatre of Dreamers when Allardyce started Herold Goulon and he got the hook after about twenty minutes. Plymouth at home in '75 is the one that sticks in the memory as the best.

[Athlete]

Worst the spurs game 2012 away

Best the play offs against Derby

[Hasta]

Spurs away undoubtedly the worst.

Probably when we put 7 past Forest was the best. Had Super Atko not put through his own net against Liverpool in the cup at the start of the 90's that could have been up there.

During Mackay's poorest season, it was a gigantic effort against the Champions at the time and we thoroughly deserved to win that game.

[Tom]

The first half against Peterborough at home a couple of years back stands out absolute shambles

[G Somerset Rover]

That Spurs match still irks me now. You look at the side that we put out (Yak, Hoilett, Pedersen, Dunn) and it's quite ridiculous how we couldn't muster a shot, on or off target, in 90 mins. Still a bit fishy that one.

[K-Hod]

The worst- Christ, how long have you got? It feels like over the past 5-6 years every poor performance has been 'the worst ever'! Though the first half against Peterborough, the Yeovil game where we 'respected the point' and the Millwall cup Quarter Final are the ones that spring to mind!!

The best- beating Man United 2-0 at home in 93-94, Forest 7-0, Burnley 5-0 etc etc.

[oldjamfan1]

This might be an odd couple of games to pick, given some of the ones that I've just been reminded about reading this thread (Spurs away and Millwall at home were gutless and awful, the complete opposite of the Plymouth and Derby games where we came back from being 2-0 down early on to comfortably win both). I was at the two latter games but witnessed the other two on TV.

But for me the best and worst were both against Man City.

The best was a 4-0 victory at Ewood on the day Simon Garner broke the club goal scoring record, and also the day of the Hillsborough tragedy, in April 1989. We absolutely hammered them that day, it could quite feasibly have been 10-0.

The worst was a 6-0 spanking at Maine Road in 1983.

[Amo]

That Spurs match still irks me now. You look at the side that we put out (Yak, Hoilett, Pedersen, Dunn) and it's quite ridiculous how we couldn't muster a shot, on or off target, in 90 mins. Still a bit fishy that one.

Love a good conspiracy theory, but I would attribute this to a struggling, relegation-bound side using an unfamiliar formation (3-5-2 that day, wasn't it?). In-game betting scams are possible on individual decisions, like bookings, throw-ins, etc. but for this one to have worked, it would imply complicity of practically the whole team, brought the integrity of club heroes like Dunn & Pedersen into disrepute, and relied on everyone at the club keeping shtum about it afterwards.

[Jock]

Worst- Citeh 6-0 at Maine Road

Best- Derby at Ewood, the fecking ground was shaking. Even the Riverside was singing.

[G Somerset Rover]

Love a good conspiracy theory, but I would attribute this to a struggling, relegation-bound side using an unfamiliar formation (3-5-2 that day, wasn't it?). In-game betting scams are possible on individual decisions, like bookings, throw-ins, etc. but for this one to have worked, it would imply complicity of practically the whole team, brought the integrity of club heroes like Dunn & Pedersen into disrepute, and relied on everyone at the club keeping shtum about it afterwards.

I agree it's extremely unlikely. Most of us on here have played football at some sort of level. If you're getting a hiding in a match then you get frustrated and just start having pops at goal from 30-40 yards. We didn't do that which is why it is a little suspicious. You can only assume however that the players had downed tools and didn't really give a flying one anymore.

[Gav]

Its an impossible task really, but I'll have a quick go.

Best from my perspective was probably beating Coventry City in the FA Cup back in the early 80's, I remember being on cloud 9 for months after beating a first division club, I still get goose bumps now. Oh wait a minute, what about Wembley 87, beating that shower 5-0 April fools day, winning the league cup, winning at turd moor anytime, Derby play offs, Leicester playoffs.

Worst is easy, Palace away in the play offs, i have never had a worse day watching Rovers and probably never will, devastated, terrible misses by both Garner and Ian Miller, the side just folded, pressure, expectation, bad bad day at the office.

The Spurs game away under that **** will probably come out at some stage as being fixed in my opinion, anyone who witnessed that saw a side not even put a tackle in for 90 minutes, fixed.

[oldjamfan1]

Its an impossible task really, but I'll have a quick go.

Best from my perspective was probably beating Coventry City in the FA Cup back in the early 80's, I remember being on cloud 9 for months after beating a first division club, I still get goose bumps now. Oh wait a minute, what about Wembley 87, beating that shower 5-0 April fools day, winning the league cup, winning at turd moor anytime, Derby play offs, Leicester playoffs.

Worst is easy, Palace away in the play offs, i have never had a worse day watching Rovers and probably never will, devastated, terrible misses by both Garner and Ian Miller, the side just folded, pressure, expectation, bad bad day at the office.

The Spurs game away under that **** will probably come out at some stage as being fixed in my opinion, anyone who witnessed that saw a side not even put a tackle in for 90 minutes, fixed.

Yeah I think if the question had been 'most and least enjoyable experience watching Rovers' Wembley 87 and Selhurst Park 89 would probably be very strong contenders for me. The FMC Final was a woeful game, if memory serves me right, not that we cared at the end of it though!

[Blue blood]

If it's actually seen that limits things both ways:

Think I'll go with Ray Hartford (if memory of his comments serves me correctly) and the 3-0 tubbing of Chelsea the season after we won the league. The performance was the definition of dominant. Also team performance wise - rather than high score line or happiness factor - a couple of games that stand out are against Arsenal. One under Souness when we won 2-0, the other in the FA Cup replay when we beat them 1-0.

Worst - Tottenham "no shots" away, Crewe "179 shots, no goals" home, Millwall "hoof it" FA Cup replay, oh and Doncaster away, Rotherham away, in fact any Yorkshire minnows away who we've just not been bothered about competing with over the last few seasons.

[Mike Graham]

BEST: Plymouth at home in 1975.

WORST: Wolves and Rotherham away under GB last season.

[tomphil]

BEST : There's been loads - Palace 5-4, Villa Archibald game ,Palace 1st leg of Play Offs, Derby in Play Offs, Norwich when we scored 7 which was a huge statement, Preston 6 nil (ha ha), Burnley 5 nil (ha ha ha), Forest when Jack officially opened new Ewood, Sheff Weds 7-2, Newcastle 5-2, West Ham smashed similar.

Many more though I'm really struggling to think of any outstanding ones in the last 6 yrs. This season Ipswich at home, Boro at home were very good.

WORST: 70% of the last 6 years have been garbage even some we've won and a lot of draws. Ones that stick in memory more than others though are Bristol Rovers at home under late end of D McCKY, Liverpool & Sheff Wed at home in the relegation season 99ish, Millway QF at home under Appleton, Peterborough at home with Orr & Murphy etc Have to also West Ham this season after the first 15 min, yeah they were good and we only had 10 but it we were as bad as we could be I think, they should have had 8 without doubt.

Things get clouded now though as what you would have called absolute garbage 10 years ago often passes off as the norm over the past few years. You can see why other fans think we are spoiled sometimes although they wouldn't see it any different if it was them.

[speeeeeeedie]

I agree with a lot of the games Tomphil mentioned. Hammering Norwich was fantastic. Shearer's lob was brilliant. The Forest game was too. Crossley threw one into the net. They got relegated that season and haven't been back since.

Burnley away in 2000. It was before the 5-0 game but showed how much better we were than them.

What year did Swindon beat Rovers in the playoffs? They won at Ewood in the first leg. I have vague memories of Rovers going 3-0 up about 4 games in a row at home that year. Games were over by half time. The second halves were training games.

Another was Rovers 2-0 against Oldham. They were going up as champs, Rovers were scraping clear of relegation. It looked the opposite.

I've not watched much Venkys era Rovers and I'm glad I haven't. It's pitiful.

The West Ham game was so sad. It just showed how bad Rovers have become. Completely outclassed by a Premier League team. The players couldn't string 2 passes together.

[wolfie]

Worst - Spurs away. I've still not really got over that. I'm not on the greatest wage in the world so train fare and ticket took quite a chunk out of that months wages. Most spineless, gutless performance ever. Having to listen to Kean telling the world after the game that 'We've not put in a poor performance all season' didn't help too muc, either. I decided after that game to boycot until Venkys left and beside 2 exceptions (where friends who were fans of the opposing team wanted me to go on the match with them) I've not set foot in Ewood since. Was considering coming back to Ewood next season but the continuing fiasco with Lambert not knowing his budget etc and the crumbling management structure is making me reconsider.

One of my favourite games, but not necessarily best performance was beating Pompey at home in the season we last got promoted. We went 1-0 down quite early and struggled getting back into the game. The league was pretty tight at the time and we really needed to win to get automatic promotion. We ended up winning 3-1, with 3 goals in the last half hour. One of those games where you could feel the stands shaking as the goals went in.