[Archived] Southend v Rovers

[scotchrover]

Finally calmed down after yesterday's no show, having spent about £80 in total. My view is that we were bullied out the game. Phil Brown has very much took on board Allardyce's physical approach, from the years he spent with him. 

When did finally get going, we looked like a force, but it didn't last long.  I think part of the problem we've got is that Mowbray's had to bring in so many new players, so time is needed for them to get used to playing amongst each other. Talk about pre-season as much as you want but we're in a league that's far more intense than that.

Another issue I felt yesterday was that Danny Graham was found to be too often isolated- some of this is to do with Mowbray's tactics  Samuel should have been forward all the time, instead of helping defend.

On the defensive front, we were poor. The only player that caught my eye for the right reasons was Mulgrew. He was the best of bad bunch back there, but should still take some of the blame for the way Southend ran rings around us, in the final third.

All on in all, Southend are a good side at this level, who I believe will be in or around the play-offs. They've got a couple of ex-Premier League players in their ranks. I still think we'll be near the play-offs too, but I can honestly see us taking a good few games to get going. Anyone who think we're going to walk this League though "because we're Blackburn Rovers," is wrong. We're Blackburn Rovers who've had 7 years of mismanagement.

[Sparks Rover]

1 hour ago, blueboy3333 said:

It isn't, you're right, so I'm not sure why you intimated you worked 'in' football on a public message board.

Fair point. 

[scotchrover]

Just now, MGPensioner said:

question is

should we play the development team at Coventry?

can't be getting injuries in our threadbare first team!

No- they need as much experience together, to ensure they get going. 

[davulsukur]

Saw the "highlights".

2 of the worst goals I've seen conceded for ages. How was there a guy, completely unmarked running in at the back post?

The second wasn't much better, another defensive shambles. 

[G Somerset Rover]

21 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

Saw the "highlights".

2 of the worst goals I've seen conceded for ages. How was there a guy, completely unmarked running in at the back post?

The second wasn't much better, another defensive shambles. 

The first one as you say is simply calamitous. Unless the bloke is David Blaine how on earth has he ghosted in unsighted with nobody remotely getting close to him. As somebody said yesterday it would be an embarrassing goal to concede in school football, let alone the third tier of the game. 

[martonrover]

41 minutes ago, MGPensioner said:

question is

should we play the development team at Coventry?

can't be getting injuries in our threadbare first team!

No.

Perhaps had we put in a better performance yesterday and got something from the game.

Winning is a habit. Let's go for it and instil some confidence and momentum.

[davulsukur]

4 minutes ago, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

The first one as you say is simply calamitous. Unless the bloke is David Blaine how on earth has he ghosted in unsighted with nobody remotely getting close to him. As somebody said yesterday it would be an embarrassing goal to concede in school football, let alone the third tier of the game. 

As a member of the Defenders Union (i.e. a pub level full back) I'd be absolutely raging if a team I played in conceded a goal like that (and I'm talking Sat/Sun hangover league here)

[Bigdoggsteel]

24 minutes ago, davulsukur said:

Saw the "highlights".

2 of the worst goals I've seen conceded for ages. How was there a guy, completely unmarked running in at the back post?

The second wasn't much better, another defensive shambles. 

Is Mulgrew actually  a leader? Is he vocal, does he lead by example? He is our best player probably, but is that reason enough to be captain? People were saying that Bennett should be, basically because he is a nice guy. I think we need to look at leadership in this team. Villa signed Terry and made him captain straight away. I don't see leadership in our team. How many of them have ever captained a team before? Without battlers and leadership we are going nowhere in this league 

[dallydally]

Mulgrew saying the players are gutted and need to learn the lessons. Spot on Charlie!!  ?

[GreenRover]

52% possession yesterday but two shots on target. Tells its own story. 

[gumboots]

6 minutes ago, martonrover said:

No.

Perhaps had we put in a better performance yesterday and got something from the game.

Winning is a habit. Let's go for it and instil some confidence and momentum.

What if we lose though 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, dallydally said:

Mulgrew saying the players are gutted and need to learn the lessons. Spot on Charlie!!  ?

Bloody hell, is there an echo in here ? If I had a £1 for every time I've heard that over the last half a dozen years I'd be rich.

Here's a bit of advice Charlie - " Shut the hell up and let your performances do the talking ".

[Bigdoggsteel]

13 minutes ago, dallydally said:

Mulgrew saying the players are gutted and need to learn the lessons. Spot on Charlie!!  ?

Work hard, battle to win the ball. 

Did they really need to lose to learn that at this stage of their careers? 

The lack of effort and fight has been ingrained here for years 

[Bigdoggsteel]

18 minutes ago, GreenRover said:

52% possession yesterday but two shots on target. Tells its own story. 

Interesting that we committed more fouls than them even though people said that they were very physical. Can anyone who was at the game give their take on why this was? What were our fouls like? 

[Mercer]

1 hour ago, MGPensioner said:

question is

should we play the development team at Coventry?

can't be getting injuries in our threadbare first team!

You play your best team. 

Results breed confidence and confidence is critical.  Breaking out of a losing mentality isn't easy.

[tomphil]

2 hours ago, broadsword said:

No point getting your hopes up. The next fall guy will be another doss loser who needs his mortgage paying. The band line-up changes, the recording studio gets a new lick of paint, the groupies are different...  but the song remains the same. 

It's like worrying if we'll be able to replace pee wee Herman with inspector clouseau at the controls of a blimp with the ass ripped out of it and a bunch of radioactive chimpanzees toting ak47s running amok with a job lot of marbles in the control room. 

Incoherent formation? Check

Lack  of fitness? Check

Lack of heart? Check

Signing dossers? Check

Shipping goals? Check

Manager not exerting a positive influence? Check

 

This nonsense has been going on for years. There's no point in hoping it will magically get better until Venky's go. It's a clear pattern. And a clear trend. There's no heartbeat left in the club because all the people on the inside who cared and who could influence it have been pushed out. Well keep on falling until Venky's go and if you believe otherwise then you're a fool to yourself

What we need back is the underdog mentality because ever since we dropped out the Prem we've remained a big scalp because of the clubs profile compared to others of a similar size who are floating around having been in the Prem.

Always the mentality has remained of a Prem club just visiting the lower leagues but sooner or later it'll all click and we'll rocket back up when in actual fact the problems we operate under and the constant downward trajectory of the club under Venkys should mean we are somewhat of an underdog as we fight against the club crumbling altogether. The players need this mentality as having the big time Charlie attitude in this league will prove another undoing.

Big name club, big name players, large and very odd wage bill, billionaire owners, big ground, big infrastructure the list goes on.  Constant references from our managers, players and others how it's a massive club, well these days under this ownership and their shadows it isn't at all and hasn't been for years. 

When Pompey, Charlton and the like ended up down here they were obviously seen as big clubs but flawed ones which meant people didn't take them as serious threats. Rovers with a lot of the problems it has due to the ownership and way it's run somehow still get seen as the fly boys because most of the problems are cleverly left out of the spotlight and bit of window dressing with a signing that's rated in this league has diverted the attention away again. You only needed to read that Southend forum to realise how blind other fans are to the real story at Blackburn Rovers.

Blackeye Rovers need to make a comeback as you need to boot and fight your way out of this league alongside your football.

[Skiptonrover]

Not the best of starts but it's only 1 game in, Tony needs tinker time & see what the response is against donny. Poo happens it's how you react after still plenty of games left to go. I predicted we will have a good season so still maintain that same stance they will have to harden up this league takes no prisoners. Trying to speculate or preempt problems is futile on certain things. Take 9pts (think 7) against donny Bford mk dons this s**tshow will hardly be mentioned 

[neophox]

Think Dack and Leninhan will be missions on tuesday and Evans and Ward will start. Maybe Caddis for Nyambe. 

[neophox]

Southend will beat

most teams at home

you will see... They got to top 6 last year and have got Kightly who I wanted here..

[neophox]

Time to show start winning against Sky blues on tuesday..

[Rob1981]

1 hour ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Is Mulgrew actually  a leader? Is he vocal, does he lead by example? He is our best player probably, but is that reason enough to be captain? People were saying that Bennett should be, basically because he is a nice guy. I think we need to look at leadership in this team. Villa signed Terry and made him captain straight away. I don't see leadership in our team. How many of them have ever captained a team before? Without battlers and leadership we are going nowhere in this league 

This looked like an issue to me. The advantage of league one is that you are very close to the action, and there was one point where Williams and Bennett were arguing about a corner that we had conceded and Mulgrew, who was standing between them, silently moved away.

Wasnt impressed. I wanted him to tell them to start (rude word) focusing and get on with it. I like Mulgrew, but the team really needs someone tough leading them on the pitch.

[Rob1981]

7 minutes ago, neophox said:

Southend will beat

most teams at home

you will see... They got to top 6 last year and have got Kightly who I wanted here..

Totally agree. I was a bit shocked by how well they passed it around and pressed.

[TBTF]

5 hours ago, Pedro said:

One game in and the level of panic here is insane but also, predictable.  If this becomes our standard, then I totally get it but there have been wholesale changes in the summer so common sense should say that surely there must be time to let the players settle, let the league take shape and then if we aren't in the top two or three, then question the manager. I personally think that to suggest this after one game and think that Mowbray may not even see the month out is madness.  It isn't going to be our only loss this season and rightly so, there is a massive weight of expectation throughout our fan base (even a large portion of the pessimists secretly expect us to be really competitive - you can see with their reaction to the last two results ?) but we blatantly need to quickly develop or add more leadership, quality and fight to the squad or we'll get nothing but disappointment.  

No Pedro. We all get it that its early to be pressing panic buttons. But the alarm is that having had 3 months to prepare for this day , bring his squad together , recruit what he has called 'good players' and tell fans to enjoy our football-that we are so deficient in so many aspects from the first whistle .And a lot of those defects aren't in the category of simply a  bad day at the office. They are basics,  and in most cases things that should be a complete given not optional.

Its the managers job to get that right and rightly there are questions asked about it.

[Rob1981]

1 hour ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

Interesting that we committed more fouls than them even though people said that they were very physical. Can anyone who was at the game give their take on why this was? What were our fouls like? 

This was largely due to a very poor referee. He was terrible, but the further we move down the leagues (?) the more I realise refereeing is largely based on who is the home team...

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, Rob1981 said:

Totally agree. I was a bit shocked by how well they passed it around and pressed.

How hard is it to organise a good pressing game ? How much pure footballing talent do you need to press the opposition successfully ?      Bloody hell , just give me 11 fit lads whose hearts are in it and we'd win more ball back than our lot !