[Archived] Rovers V Reading

[JAL]

What an eye opener.

IMV, clear from the start that Reading were better organised, more energetic, quicker and slicker. We were like a pub team in comparison.

Yep, we scored two and missed some chances (Graham could and should have had a hat trick) but many of Reading's difficulties were self inflicted as they tried to be over elaborate at the back.

If Reading had been more clinical, they would have scored six - I lost count of the number of half chances and opportunities they squandered. Some of their approach play was excellent.

Defensively, we were woeful and you could find major fault with each goal we conceded. Our midfield was, again, almost non existent.

Gallagher is wasted out wide on the left in what is largely a 442 and surely it would be better to have Emnes there (wide left) with his trickery. Gallagher's power through the middle would have put even more pressure on a Reading defence that looked far from confident.

It really was 'Deadwood' with virtually no atmosphere. Sat in the JW and would estimate 800 in DE, 1,200 in Riverside and 2,000 in BE. So if, JW half full at best, that would give a real gate of 8,500.

Dougie the great Bryan Douglas said after the Wigan game earlier this season that this was the worst Rovers team he'd seen in fifty years.

[cesus]

Today was one of those days were I personally believe relegation looks pretty much a certainty. When you play reasonably well, create a plethora of chances and miss a good number of them BUT get cut to ribbons every time the opponents attack you know the writing is on the wall.

I lost count how many times Reading could pass the ball from side to side then simply play a ball forwards and within two touches were flying towards our goal luckily enough for us to shank their shots.

Our central midfield is not doing it's job, it neither supports the attack or the defence. How many times in the last few games have we conceded from an opponent (midfielder) checking their run and scoring/ assisting a goal from a pull back in the last 3 games 4?, 5?. Getting done by the same thing is simply unforgivable.

Marshall shouldn't be playing anymore, let Nyambe develop. Marshall got both barrels from a chap near to me in the second half after his efforts in the half and for the 2nd goal he certainly heard it!!

Every goal has flaws, first goal Steele has to own HIS near post if he is beaten across himself then it has to be a good strike. Second goal has three opportunities were we pretty much had possession to clear, then slow to the original shot and slow follow up to the shot hitting the crossbar. Third goal Lenihan showed a lack of experience trying keep the ball in play and should have held position and Brown has had a nightmare in the build up too.

We attack like a top half team, we defend like a team heading to league one.

[Amo]

Bowyer wouldn't have relegated us.

Really? Because averaging 0.9 points per game is relegation form.

[JAL]

I felt that Rovers should have won the game with the clear cut chances we had but we didn't. Graham should have had a hat trick, Emnes at least 2 great chances and 1 half chance, Lenihan headed over from 8 yards out.

But defensively we are awful and we cant expected to score 4 goals to win a game and conceding far too more goals aswell. We should have come away with at least 4 points at least but sadly we got zero.

Felt Gallagher is wasted on the left wing tonight when we could have put him up front with Graham and Emnes in behind. He was winning headers against McShane all day.

Marshall needs to leave. doesn't want to be here and I would sell him now.

we need to much better defensively and be better organised as a team and formation wise.

Emnes ?

First time I'd seen him live on Tuesday thought he was a very, very poor player.

Conman Coyle standard !

Steele let another three in Raya isn't much kop either chaddy where do we go ?

[tomphil]

Today was one of those days were I personally believe relegation looks pretty much a certainty. When you play reasonably well, create a plethora of chances and miss a good number of them BUT get cut to ribbons every time the opponents attack you know the writing is on the wall.

I lost count how many times Reading could pass the ball from side to side then simply play a ball forwards and within two touches were flying towards our goal luckily enough for us to shank their shots.

Our central midfield is not doing it's job, it neither supports the attack or the defence. How many times in the last few games have we conceded from an opponent (midfielder) checking their run and scoring/ assisting a goal from a pull back in the last 3 games 4?, 5?. Getting done by the same thing is simply unforgivable.

Marshall shouldn't be playing anymore, let Nyambe develop. Marshall got both barrels from a chap near to me in the second half after his efforts in the half and for the 2nd goal he certainly heard it!!

Every goal has flaws, first goal Steele has to own HIS near post if he is beaten across himself then it has to be a good strike. Second goal has three opportunities were we pretty much had possession to clear, then slow to the original shot and slow follow up to the shot hitting the crossbar. Third goal Lenihan showed a lack of experience trying keep the ball in play and should have held position and Brown has had a nightmare in the build up too.

We attack like a top half team, we defend like a team heading to league one.

But that's the way he'll continue to do things because it's the absolute only way he knows he's said as much the other day. Very very rarely does a weak team football it's way out of trouble that's why a change of style manager now who can bring a few strong battlers in is essential.

Coyles going to take us down playing open attacking football and then everyone turns around and says oh unlucky. Anyone including him putting faith in having the likes of Hoban back in and Mulgrew fit are going to be disappointed as well because under these tactics we'll not do much better with them.

Brown & Greer have proved what we all thought - busted flushes. Stokes and Mulgrew have proved what we thought - injury prone bit part players. All these lot on good contracts and wages, shocking for a club in our position.

Coyles another failure.

[Mercer]

I felt that Rovers should have won the game with the clear cut chances we had but we didn't. Graham should have had a hat trick, Emnes at least 2 great chances and 1 half chance, Lenihan headed over from 8 yards out.

But defensively we are awful and we cant expected to score 4 goals to win a game and conceding far too more goals aswell. We should have come away with at least 4 points at least but sadly we got zero.

Felt Gallagher is wasted on the left wing tonight when we could have put him up front with Graham and Emnes in behind. He was winning headers against McShane all day.

Marshall needs to leave. doesn't want to be here and I would sell him now.

we need to much better defensively and be better organised as a team and formation wise.

Clear cut chances Rovers had !?!?

Reading could have been three up before they notched their first.

They had numerous good half chances and opportunities they squandered.

This could easily have ended in a 6-4 or 8-4 loss.

[Paul]

So we deserve to be here because of all those issues you raise Paul.

Which ever way you slice it the owners of Blackburn Rovers have put us here, anyone who supports the club is here by choice also, so you and I deserve to be here.

Sorry to be an arse about it.

You may feel you deserve to be here. I do not. And yes you are being an arse! 😀

[onlyonejackwalker]

Another three to the tally. Good old Coyley.

[Parsonblue]

Really? Because averaging 0.9 points per game is relegation form.

He left in November. At that point we weren't in the relegation zone we were 16th and four points clear of the third from bottom club. Three of the clubs below us at that point were relegated. Today we are in the bottom three and have been in the bottom 3 or 4 all season. That's why Coyle needs to go.

[chaddyrovers]

Emnes ?

First time I'd seen him live on Tuesday thought he was a very, very poor player.

Conman Coyle standard !

Steele let another three in Raya isn't much kop either chaddy where do we go ?

Emnes has quality but he should have at least 2 goals today

We need a new keeper in January IMO but the problem is will funds be available to the manager to sort this out. God knows probably still confused like 5 years ago.

Coyle needs to pick Raya for the next game

[JHRover]

Emnes has quality but he should have at least 2 goals today

We need a new keeper in January IMO but the problem is will funds be available to the manager to sort this out. God knows probably still confused like 5 years ago.

Coyle needs to pick Raya for the next game

I'm not buying the confused excuse any more. They know what they're doing. Question is what is the next phase?

[JAL]

Emnes has quality but he should have at least 2 goals today

We need a new keeper in January IMO but the problem is will funds be available to the manager to sort this out. God knows probably still confused like 5 years ago.

Coyle needs to pick Raya for the next game

I'm pointing out that Emnes IS NOT QUALITY far from it chaddy.

As for Raya another who's not good enough .

Coyle needs to go asap along with any scousers wouldn't you agree !

Where's Nyambe what hes still developing a left foot or a right one ?

[darrenrover]

Dougie the great Bryan Douglas said after the Wigan game earlier this season that this was the worst Rovers team he'd seen in fifty years.

He'd be right.

It's also undoubtedly the worst management, board and owners in 141 years and therein lies the problem.

[blue kiwi]

dREADING the game,and i was right.Raya needs a run of games steele has made to many mistakes and we have no money to replace him.Listened to sky sports news and dropped of,when i woke it was 2-2,checked who scored and then it said another goal at ewood park,my heart jumped a beat(thats how keen i still am)he says evans has scored i thought great,then saw the caption 2-3.@#/? that hurt.

were do we go from here,well we will know if coyle is here in the new year he aint going anywhere.players need dropping,staff need replacing and wharton needs a new contract.

[AggyBlue]

Grim.

It's starting to wear me down.

[Lancaster Rover]

Little gaps starting to open above us, teams pulling clear so we are now reliant on them losing as well as us winning. Relegation is a certainty as it stands.

[mhead]

Look....when you compare us to the other teams in the Chumpionship...how can we have any cohesion and staying power with so many transit players(injured a lot,not sure of their future etc etc). So Grant Hanley is the big miss. And we need more players in the team with a vested interest and loyalty to the Club(Nyambe,Wharton and Tomlinson etc). Better to give them and others experience than this disjointed bunch.

And only then do we come on to Coyley - his pedigree,his mouth and lack of any defensive/midfield system.

We are in trouble and even if the Venkys left(no bloody guarantee) we need now 3/4 years to regroup.

And it will be the apathy of the fans that may kill us now! More in sadness than anger.

[ABBEY]

3/4 years to regroup ? Works for me

#venkysout #findpasha

[McClarky]

Just saw the goals. However much Coyle winges about injuries it's not at the back where our main problem lies. The first goal was poor goalkeeping and the other two, yet again, were down to midfielders not covering properly. Whoever plays in there they jyst don.'t pick people up at all and we keep conceding goals as a result. With the current squad there is only Mulgrew who I can imagine might improve things so when he's fit he should play in the centre with Lowe, Akpan and Evans being nowhere near the team.

[MCMC1875]

#CoyleOut

[RoverCanada]

Really? Because averaging 0.9 points per game is relegation form.

Bowyer was fired after the 1-1 Brentford game. We were in 16th place at 3-8-5, so 17 points in 16 games, or 1.06 points per game. So, ~49 points over the whole year. That pace would have put us tied with Rotherham in 21st, well ahead of Charlton's 40 points. People forget how rubbish Charlton, MK Dons (39), and Bolton (30) were...

The other thing to keep in mind is the (relatively!) upward trajectory Bowyer had us on, as we started that year on a 0-4-3 run, then went 3-4-2. If we continued that form for the rest of the year, we'd have been at 60 points by the end of the year (4 points in our first 7 + 13/9*39 = ~60), which would've been good for 12th.

By my memory, as i was at the Fulham and QPR away games that finished those first 7 games, our form took a huge swing in the second half of that Fulham game, as I remember thinking Bowyer should be fired after an awful first half that had us down 2-0, but we then dominated all 2nd half, Rhodes scored a penalty, and then Hanley had a goal taken away from him that replays showed had crossed the line. We then had a solid away draw against QPR, beat Charlton 3-0, managed an away draw at Hull...

If I remember correctly, after a brief spurt of optimism, that 1-1 Brentford game was particularly unimaginative so many of us were happy to see the back of Bowyer despite the recent run of "ok" results, and of course Lambert's appointment brought some brief optimism.

Anyway, in sum, first, it's hard to imagine Bowyer taking us down given how crap Charlton, MK Dons, and Bolton were. Second, and while you're welcome to not accept this at all, we were on an improved run of form before Bowyer was fired, and if that form had kept up, we would have easily been mid-table.

[DE.]

If there was one thing you could guarantee with GB it was that sustained runs of good form did not last very long.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Look....when you compare us to the other teams in the Chumpionship...how can we have any cohesion and staying power with so many transit players(injured a lot,not sure of their future etc etc). So Grant Hanley is the big miss. And we need more players in the team with a vested interest and loyalty to the Club(Nyambe,Wharton and Tomlinson etc). Better to give them and others experience than this disjointed bunch.

And only then do we come on to Coyley - his pedigree,his mouth and lack of any defensive/midfield system.

We are in trouble and even if the Venkys left(no bloody guarantee) we need now 3/4 years to regroup.

And it will be the apathy of the fans that may kill us now! More in sadness than anger.

I'm sorry but if you're looking for loyalty in modern football you're looking in the wrong direction. The only loyalty players have today is to themselves.

[Athlete]

Emnes has quality but he should have at least 2 goals today

If he had quality he wouldn't be here

[1864roverite]

It was total utter garbage from start to finish

Coyle is an incompetent buffoon, chimphead or whatever, he most certainly is the worst manager since his mate Keanscum