[Archived] Rovers v Charlton

[Paul]

13 hours ago, Gav said:

We're digressing but I'm not even sure where this NAPM stuff actually came from?

I know plenty that are boycotting on principle, not because of money, and all credit to them for that I say.

We have all had our reasons one way or another and those reasons should be respected.

 

I think it’s a phrase which arose on here. I first saw it in a post when someone effectively said “that’s it, not a penny more.” The sort of off the cuff remark we all make on occasion. It got picked up, repeated and became a convenient hook or slogan for some. It’s never been a campaign or movement to my knowledge. Mind you there have been so many..........

[Mattyblue]

Been nicked from Blackpool fans, no?

[Andy Kennedys Hairdo]

Not a great game but fantastic to win when not playing well. Other positives to come out of the game were Raya's performance and the fact that Tomlinson managed to do more with one through ball to Conway than Corry Evans has done in the last couple of years combined. Nothing against the lad personally but Rovers need to get his wage off the books and no-one can tell me that Tomlinson couldn't do the same job he does for at least half his wage. 

[Paul]

12 hours ago, Vinjay17 said:

Yeah that's of unimaginable importance to me.

In seven short words you demonstrate a complete lack of understanding of the very important role a club such as Blackburn Rovers can play in the local and international community. 

Matchday has always generated a significant local revenue for the businesses close to Ewood, from pubs, to newsagents, chippies and a couple of lads running a £3 parking lot. Matchday would regularly bring an average of 25,000+ to the area. It’s very easy to demonstrate how this can add £150-250,000 to the local economy at every game.

Of equal and possibly greater import was the influence in the 1990s of putting Blackburn and east Lancashire on the world map for millions who would never otherwise have heard of the town. 

One simple sentence betraying a high level of selfishness and ignorance. 

[Paul]

One of the most nervous afternoons I can recall for a while. A few short weeks ago we would have lost. Great to feel those nerves as they indicate a groundswell of feeling something good is about to happen. 

For me the team dug in and worked very hard. Full marks to Mowbray for making the changes he hoped would put pressure on Charlton to try and reduce their threat. It worked but took longer than was comfortable for this fan.

I thought Charlie’s mistake underlined what a fantastically consistent player he is. Raya the undisputed MOTM and for me the man who won this match for Rovers with 6,7 or 8 key saves, catches etc.

Despite his work for the second goal I was disappointed in Nuttall. I don’t know if it was laziness or inexperience but he was brought on alongside Graham to do two jobs; defend from the front by harrying the Charlton defender in possession and running at them to create a threat. I thought the defensive side totally lacking. He’ll gain from the experience and do it better next time. 

[dingles staying down 4ever]

Relieved we got the three points that somewhat papers over the cracks. It took until the 93rd minute to get a shot on target and Mowbray did Charlton's work for them by nulifying Dack by putting him on the wing. Most of the 2nd half was spent in our half as we dropped way too deep again. No midfield again.

Charlton looked slightly more dangerous than us but I think the fact that they were rather toothless up front was our only saving grace.

I don't get those calling Nuttall lazy, I think he should some maturity in what he chased down and what he left. Graham on the pitch helped him. 

Conwy's legs have faded to such an extent that if he was a horse they'd of shot by now. His confidence is so low. There was at least two or three times where once upon a time he would of taken a pot from the edge of the area.

Tomlinson also looked promising when he came on.

It was also good to see the celebrations after the 2nd goal which shows that for the first time for a long time there appears to be a togetherness in the team.

 

[blueboy3333]

7 minutes ago, dingles staying down 4ever said:

I don't get those calling Nuttall lazy, I think he should some maturity in what he chased down and what he left

He's a 20 year old lad who was on the pitch for 30 minutes. He shouldn't be 'choosing' what he chases down. He can do that when he's 32 and on the pitch for 90 mins. There were two occasions where he could have got the ball when it was trickling out of play at the BBE but he just didn't bother moving. The CH shepherding it out of play kept looking round to see if Nuttall was coming and just gave a bewildered shrug when he didn't. Mowbray was clapping his hands in his direction as if to say 'come on, pull your finger out'.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, dingles staying down 4ever said:

Relieved we got the three points that somewhat papers over the cracks. It took until the 93rd minute to get a shot on target and Mowbray did Charlton's work for them by nulifying Dack by putting him on the wing. Most of the 2nd half was spent in our half as we dropped way too deep again. No midfield again.

Charlton looked slightly more dangerous than us but I think the fact that they were rather toothless up front was our only saving grace.

I don't get those calling Nuttall lazy, I think he should some maturity in what he chased down and what he left. Graham on the pitch helped him. 

Conwy's legs have faded to such an extent that if he was a horse they'd of shot by now. His confidence is so low. There was at least two or three times where once upon a time he would of taken a pot from the edge of the area.

Tomlinson also looked promising when he came on.

It was also good to see the celebrations after the 2nd goal which shows that for the first time for a long time there appears to be a togetherness in the team.

 

I can't believe anyone would see Dack as anything other than a support player behind the striker. That's where he should play every week. Reading the comments about Conway we desperately need a winger in the January window.

[RV Blue]

We were pretty poor but a win is a win.

Raya: 9. Our man of the match by a country mile, he was pretty much flawless apart from a couple of dodgy kicks.

Nyambe: 5. He's just not good enough, his pace gets him out of trouble sometimes but not all the time. He hasn't improved this season.

Downing: 7. Didn't do much wrong, decent performance.

Mulgrew: 6. Pretty much the same as Downing apart from one mistake which Downing cleaned up for him.

Williams: 7. Decent.

Conway: 6. Tried hard but his legs have gone, it is hard to watch at times.

Smallwood: 5. His worst game in a Rovers shirt I think, he couldn't pass to a teammate all game.

Evans: 4. A complete waste of space, get rid & give Tomlinson and extended run in the side.

Antonsson: 5. Barely did anything going forward apart from a nice chest and pass to Williams, and he was poor defensively.

Dack: 6.5. Not his best game but he was still busy and the one that looks like he's going to make something happen.

Samuel: 6. Worked hard but it didn't really happen for him.

Tomlinson: 7. Played well and now should be our first choice to go next to Smallwood.

We missed Bennett massively and he can't come back soon enough.

[RV Blue]

How was Travis not on the bench? That one didn't make any sense to me, he can play in about 4 different positions and we didn't even have a winger on the bench.

[G Somerset Rover]

39 minutes ago, RV Blue said:

How was Travis not on the bench? That one didn't make any sense to me, he can play in about 4 different positions and we didn't even have a winger on the bench.

Fear not. Ben ‘unplayable’ Gladwin will be back soon.

[Dunnfc]

2 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Been nicked from Blackpool fans, no?

And it's a good principled decision unfortunately our fan base is possibly never going to unite and quite frankly everyone is selfish with their own views. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

26 minutes ago, RV Blue said:

We were pretty poor but a win is a win.

Raya: 9. Our man of the match by a country mile, he was pretty much flawless apart from a couple of dodgy kicks.

Nyambe: 5. He's just not good enough, his pace gets him out of trouble sometimes but not all the time. He hasn't improved this season.

Downing: 7. Didn't do much wrong, decent performance.

Mulgrew: 6. Pretty much the same as Downing apart from one mistake which Downing cleaned up for him.

Williams: 7. Decent.

Conway: 6. Tried hard but his legs have gone, it is hard to watch at times.

Smallwood: 5. His worst game in a Rovers shirt I think, he couldn't pass to a teammate all game.

Evans: 4. A complete waste of space, get rid & give Tomlinson and extended run in the side.

Antonsson: 5. Barely did anything going forward apart from a nice chest and pass to Williams, and he was poor defensively.

Dack: 6.5. Not his best game but he was still busy and the one that looks like he's going to make something happen.

Samuel: 6. Worked hard but it didn't really happen for him.

Tomlinson: 7. Played well and now should be our first choice to go next to Smallwood.

We missed Bennett massively and he can't come back soon enough.

Thanks for that. When the highest score for a starting midfield player is 6 you don't have to look far to see where the problem is.

I agree with you that Tomlinson should start in place of Evans. I was less than impressed with the decision to go with Evans yesterday and after that there can be no more excuses. I said a while back that if Smallwood plays well the team plays well,  the reverse will also be true. We can't expect the lad to shine every week, he needs another player to share the work load. From what I've seen of Evans this season is he's also playing from memory now.

Conway tries his best but he's not the player he was by along chalk and if Antonsson isn't scoring goals his contribution is usually pretty minimal especially in home games were he's marked more closely.

You can't keep playing teams were they out play you in terms of possession and keeping winning. That's defying footballing gravity.

 

 

 

 

[roversfan99]

Poor performance but we won and got a clean sheet so cant complain at all.

Good to see Graham get a goal when he came on, he proved why he should be our number 1 striker, looked motivated and held it up well, whereas Samuel had one of his regular Leon Best days, nearly caused some trouble, kept falling over and could't hold it up.

Raya was good bar one cross in the second half he got nowhere near, probably man of the match.

2 centre backs were excellent bar Mulgrews one mistake. Tomlinson did very well when he came on. All of our attacking players had an off day.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

You can't keep playing teams were they out play you in terms of possession and keeping winning. That's defying footballing gravity.

Tell that to two managers that we consistently laud on here - Dyche and Allardyce.

[Crimpshrine]

17 hours ago, Claytons Left Boot said:

Perhaps mods, we could have a poll purely for the NAPMers, to see just why they are boycotting, something along the lines of

a. To deny Venky’s additional income in an attempt to get them to leave

b. Can’t forgive or forget the turmoil they’ve caused

c. Other/personal reasons.

For me it's mainly option b.

I made the decision when Coyle was appointed. It proved to me they still didn't care and had learned no lessons at all. It still felt like there was something not right.

I nearly stopped going when we signed Myles Anderson - would Venky's employ someone at one of their factories in India and pay him massively to sit around doing nothing just because he was the son of one of their advisors?

They are either incompetent, just don't care or are using Rovers for their own reasons.  The way they run the club shows disdain for the fans and the town.

I know that withholding my season ticket money will make not a jot of difference but I feel that attendance at Ewood is somehow endorsing Venky's which I can't bring myself to do.

I am desperately missing going to Ewood and follow every kick on the radio. I go to as many away matches as possible. 

I may have painted myself into a corner but I can't go back until they have gone or they suddenly come clean, start communicating, offer apologies for past mistakes and get people who care on the board. Can't see it happening.

I'd love to be at Ewood  on Boxing day but won't be, sadly.

[RV Blue]

19 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I agree with you that Tomlinson should start in place of Evans. I was less than impressed with the decision to go with Evans yesterday and after that there can be no more excuses. I said a while back that if Smallwood plays well the team plays well,  the reverse will also be true. We can't expect the lad to shine every week, he needs another player to share the work load. From what I've seen of Evans this season is he's also playing from memory now.

Yes exactly, Smallwood is probably our most important player alongside Dack and if he doesn't play well we look a bit lost. Hopefully Tomlinson is the one that'll sort that out for us.

[OJRovers]

6 minutes ago, RV Blue said:

Yes exactly, Smallwood is probably our most important player alongside Dack and if he doesn't play well we look a bit lost. Hopefully Tomlinson is the one that'll sort that out for us.

Lenihan will be an option for CM when he's back too.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, OJRovers said:

Lenihan will be an option for CM when he's back too.

I still think Lenihan might go in the transfer window, but if he doesn't..

We should put Lenihan on defence, alongside Downing, and push Mulgrew into central midfield, alongside Smallwood. Mulgrew has been great in defence for us, but at the end of the day, he is a better midfielder than defender, just as Lenihan is a better defender than midfielder.

At the same time, stick Evans on the transfer list, and let's give Tomlinson some fair game time when Mulgrew or Smallwood are knackered.

[JacknOry]

Sounds nice in principle but I'd say that a big part of the reason Downing has impressed, is Mulgrew. Mulgrew is always talking to him and the rest the defence. Not sure breaking up that partnership would e a good idea.

[briansol]

58 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Thanks for that. When the highest score for a starting midfield player is 6 you don't have to look far to see where the problem is.

I agree with you that Tomlinson should start in place of Evans. I was less than impressed with the decision to go with Evans yesterday and after that there can be no more excuses. I said a while back that if Smallwood plays well the team plays well,  the reverse will also be true. We can't expect the lad to shine every week, he needs another player to share the work load. From what I've seen of Evans this season is he's also playing from memory now.

Conway tries his best but he's not the player he was by along chalk and if Antonsson isn't scoring goals his contribution is usually pretty minimal especially in home games were he's marked more closely.

You can't keep playing teams were they out play you in terms of possession and keeping winning. That's defying footballing gravity.

 

 

 

 

In fairness Antonsson had a least 3 good crosses in the first half, which is usually his weak spot. The bigger issue this game was ball retention was awful, esp Smallwood and Conway was giving it away for free. 

A great team can grind out points on an off day, and Rovers proved again to win in a game they would easily lost at the start of the season. 

Forgot to mention Williams who again had a good game. He has really improved these latest weeks. Been good both defensively and offensively. Very strong in the air for a fullback, which helps a lot when conceding corner and set pieces.

[roversfan99]

34 minutes ago, Phil T said:

I still think Lenihan might go in the transfer window, but if he doesn't..

We should put Lenihan on defence, alongside Downing, and push Mulgrew into central midfield, alongside Smallwood. Mulgrew has been great in defence for us, but at the end of the day, he is a better midfielder than defender, just as Lenihan is a better defender than midfielder.

At the same time, stick Evans on the transfer list, and let's give Tomlinson some fair game time when Mulgrew or Smallwood are knackered.

Is Mulgrew really better as a midfielder?

He has said recently that he sees himself as a defender, he doesnt have the legs for midfield and he gets a full picture from the back bringing the ball out and leading by example. Headed loads of crosses away yesterday and is the leader back there, helping Downing and soon Lenihan along.

[Paul]

25 minutes ago, meadows said:

There were twice as many pubs & clubs & shops in the Ewood area open & relatively thriving when we averaged 5,000-7,000 on the Gate in the 1970s/1980s. You can’t simply ascribe the demise of local businesses to a downturn in footfall on a Saturday once a fortnight. Name me an area of Blackburn where pubs, newsagents, corner shops etc haven’t reduced in number. 

I didn’t blame the demise of local business on the downturn in the club’s fortunes - that is a much deeper and political subject. 

What I discussed is the importance of the club to local business and on the wider world stage. When Rovers were at the 90s peak everywhere I went across the globe or people I met from round the world the name Blackburn was recognised. That’s my point. 

[USABlue]

4 hours ago, Andy Kennedys Hairdo said:

Not a great game but fantastic to win when not playing well. Other positives to come out of the game were Raya's performance and the fact that Tomlinson managed to do more with one through ball to Conway than Corry Evans has done in the last couple of years combined. Nothing against the lad personally but Rovers need to get his wage off the books and no-one can tell me that Tomlinson couldn't do the same job he does for at least half his wage. 

Funny you mention Evans, I was listening and part way thriugh the 2nd half I heard his name for the 2nd time I think, for giving the ball away.  1st time I heard his name was for a cick up too.  Must.make young Tomlinson wonder what he has to do.  A great de-motivator that and perhaps my.biggest criticism of Mowbary.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

28 minutes ago, Phil T said:

Tell that to two managers that we consistently laud on here - Dyche and Allardyce.

Yes but neither of them are managing Blackburn Rovers.