Souness must go ?

[Cheeky Sidders]

i wonder if bryan robson would be worth a try

  

You are joking, aren't you!  Aren't you?  Oh jeez!

[RevidgeBlue]

Stop the bellyaching, get behind the team, don't bay for blood if we go one behind and show a little faith.  We will not be relegated and we will turn this around.

No team is ever too good to go down.

We could quite easily be relegated and will be if we maintain our current "form".

No disrespect but it's blind optimism and complacent attitudes such as this which represent as big a danger to us as anything.

[PennyDuff]

The only way we'll be relegated this season is if the board listens to some of the morons on this forum, and sacks Souness.

Managers say that it's during the hard times you really see what you're players are made of. Well, I'd say the same about supporters. It's during these times you realise who the sulking crybabies are, who would sack any manager after some abysmal results, regardless of what he's achieved in the last few years. Pathetic.

You guys have to realise the changes that have been made to both the Rovers squad and the way we try to play. It's very different, and therefore not a big surprise that it takes a bit of time before we get it straight. Yes, we've made a shocking start to the season, but things will improve as long as we keep Souness. Mark my words (26.10.2003).

[jim mk2]

Yes, we've made a shocking start to the season, but things will improve as long as we keep Souness. Mark my words (26.10.2003).

That's all right then. I can breathe alot easier now.

Do you think we can still make the Champions League?

[AlanK]

We have had numerous dingles and wind up merchants on this board over the years but the crap coming from Rover6 and Jan2 is complete @#/?. There are opinions and then there is their garbage. Rover6 has claimed to have seen yesterdays game and yet posts on the mb 25 mins after the final whistle. This was pointed out to IT on another thread and IT has posted no reasonable response to this. Rover6, how did you see the game and then post straight after the final whistle? As for Sturrock, **** off. That leads us to the jibbering Jan who wants Souness extradited. Grow up.

COME ON SOUEY, LETS GET UP THAT TABLE AND MAKE THESE PEOPLE BIGGER FOOLS THAN THEY ALREADY ARE.

[PennyDuff]

poor you jim. It's not my fault that you are negative through and through. I dont think we'll make it to Europe this season (if we dont do something special in the cups), but I'm hoping for a top 10 finish we can build on for next season.

[AlanK]

That's all right then. I can breathe alot easier now.

Do you think we can still make the Champions League?

Maybe so Jim.

Newcastle got off to a dreadful start last season and qualified for the champions league.

No I don`t think it will happen but it is certainly possible.

[FourLaneBlue]

Yes, we've made a shocking start to the season, but things will improve as long as we keep Souness. Mark my words (26.10.2003).

That's all right then. I can breathe alot easier now.

Do you think we can still make the Champions League?

You'll be delighted to know we have no chance of reaching the Champions League won't you? Still though... I wouldn't order champagne just yet though, talk of our demise is rather premature.

Why do you revel so much in the misfortunes of Rovers?  

[Paul]

No team is ever too good to go down.

We could quite easily be relegated and will be if we maintain our current "form".

No disrespect but it's blind optimism and complacent attitudes such as this which represent as big a danger to us as anything.

It is a cast iron certainty that Rovers will be relegated if we continue with our present form. If results continue in the same vein we will achieve no more than 30/31 points, based on last season 44 is the target for survival which means we must nearly double our performnace over the next 28 games to earn those next 36 points.

I'm 100% behind Souness but after a lot of hard thinking I've reached the conclusion that there must be a significant improvement through November or the board will have no choice but to take dramatic steps. Victories over Leicester, Everton and Spurs are essential, followed by wins over Villa and Boro by Christmas. Frankly it's hard to see anything coming out of the games against Utd, Birmingham, Arsenal and Newcastle. IF this can be achieved we'd still only be on 23 points with exactly half the season gone.

My faith will not waiver but we are facing a relegation battle NOW. Souness knows, and often states, survival is the priority. He may well pay the price inside the next month.

[broadsword]

There are some bright points on the horizon.

There's absolutely no pressure in the next game, if we lose it doesn't matter, as long as we perform really well. Of course it would be better for morale if we won, but the only consequence of losing is that we have less games to play this season. Winning against Liverpool would help confidence, but so would putting in a good performance.

Shorty is due to come back, hopefully with Neill back soon also, and perhaps Babbel. Putting Neill at right-back will allow Reid to go to left-wing, Thompson to go right wing, hopefully this would reduce the amount of cutting in as well as bringing more experience to the backline. If we can go to Chelsea and get a draw with our first-choice backline, then we can't be all bad. So now we're getting our backline back again we should have cause for optimism.

Watching from afar my feeling is that Souness introduced 5 in the middle because he was worried about teams going through us more easily, and he didn't feel that anyone playing with Cole would score, so it was not a big sacrifice to lose a striker. Also, the team is short on confidence and actually keeping a clean sheet would do wonders. If you don't think you're going to be able to keep the oppo out, it must be a bit demoralising before you've even kicked off.

I'm going to wait until we get Short Babbel and Neill (they must all speak English!) back and playing together, and then make a judgement.

Sacking Souness now would be a knee-jerk myopic reaction. Although it looks bleak now, there are reasons to be optimistic.

The board is funny because it's so rectionary. We play crap at Villa last Jan >> Sack Souness. We finish sixth >> Souness is God. Duff departs of his own volition, which the club couldn't possibly stop >> Souness is a traitor for selling him, why did he let him go. We lose our best defenders to injury, ship loads of goals and can't win >> it's all Souness's fault, because he bought Todd!

It's funny really how people can be so fickle (apart from miserable Jim).

Perhaps we should go for the manager of my local Sainsbury's, who's transformed the grocery section on an impossibly tight budget!

   

[tashor]

The good thing about Jan's views on Souness are that they make Tnr look to have a completely benign and impartial view on race relations.

Anyone with the slightest knowledge of football history will be aware that sacking the manager by small clubs such as ours in similar situations is a recipe for disaster.

We just do not have the money for a newcomer to buy new players and the present players are mostly here because of Souness. Either he and them will turn this potential catastrophe around or we will be relegated.

At least some of you sad feurklers will be able to bathe in the glory of being proved right.

By all means debate which players should be played/dropped and what formations/tactics etc. should be used but stop calling for the manager's head as that will only cause disharmony which will impede the massive efforts that are now needed to turn this terrible start around.

I refute that most of us here are in denial by not barracking Souness. Yes, he and the players ( plus factors beyond their control that we have discussed to death ) have got us in this mess and yes, hindsight can make even the most stupid amongst us to have devine acumen.

We can do little to help stave off relegation but that little we can do is to support the team and try and give them the confidence and backing to play better than they have.

Those that suggested we replace Souness during the summer ( funny that - seemed to be few and far between then ) at least could not be accused of damaging the club then. Now is not the time.

The one real question for us at this time should be do you want to add to the problems or to try and help solve them. To be part of the solution or not? Or are you only interested in persuing your own agendas to the detriment of the club?

[chris]

next 5 games are key, 3 of these games there will be no Andy Cole

[Radagast]

next 5 games are key, 3 of these games there will be no Andy Cole

Serious bad news regarding Cole. It would be nice to see Gally given a start against Liverpool in the CC to see how he copes.

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

I refute that most of us here are in denial by not barracking Souness. Yes, he and the players ( plus factors beyond their control that we have discussed to death ) have got us in this mess....

I agree tashor.

I'm well aware that the situation we're in now is a serious one. 8 points from 10 games, and not a single clean sheet in our ten matches - the table doesn't lie and we've got a battle on our hands. But I don't believe we'll be any better off by giving Souey the chop.

BTW tash, I liked your teddy bears picnic song earlier.

It made even a miserable sod like me laugh!

[jim mk2]

Another thought: ever since we were promoted Souness has said our priority is survival.

Perhaps Rovers disappointed him by finishing tenth and sixth over the past two season when what he really wanted was a good old muck and nettles relegation fight.

Well he certainly has got his wish now.

[Flopsy]

Yea Go Jim

Jim for the Ewood Hot Seat - Only he can save us from our current misery

[chris]

Another thought: ever since we were promoted Souness has said our priority is survival.

Perhaps Rovers disappointed him by finishing tenth and sixth over the past two season when what he really wanted was a good old muck and nettles relegation fight.

Well he certainly has got his wish now.

my wish is for to name a suitable replacement

[jim mk2]

And another thing:

Talking to some Leicester mates today, their collective state of mind is even worse than ours after five consecutive defeats and surrendering a three-goal lead to Wolves.

If you think we are pulling our hair out at the moment, they are apoplectic at their team's form. Defeat for us in next Sunday's game really is unthinkable.

By the way, we are now down to seventeenth after Middlesbrough gained a point from their draw at Tottenham today.

[Modi]

By the way, we are now down to seventeenth after Middlesbrough gained a point from their draw at Tottenham today.

No we aren't.

[Paul]

By the way, we are now down to seventeenth after Middlesbrough gained a point from their draw at Tottenham today.

No, we are still 16th. The only good thing about this weekend is that Leeds, Bolton and Leicester lost and Boro drew leaving them in 17th spot and the rest in the bottom three.

[waggy]

i always thought the idea of a messageboard,was for people to air their view's.i have seen all our games this season apart from pompey and apart from our rip -roaring start,against a very poor wolves team,and the odd 45 min's of decent footie we have struggled.

      what is fact and pure fact selling your best player's does not improve your team,i do not want a 100 replies saying duffer and dunnie left on their own accord,the fact is selling your best player's does not improve your team.

      as for souness,his behaviour was disgracefull yesterday,acting like a bar=room bully,has he forgot about his triple by-pass.his tactic's in the last 2 games have been poor,1 up front is ok when you have a certian alan shearer up front but coley,is not that sort of player.

      all through yesterday's match i could see from the stand's that coley was getting more frustrated,did souey not see this-i would have introduced gallacher at half-time,to take some wait of his shoulder's.now we are without our star striker for 3 games.

     according to some,we would be foolish to sack him-they may be right or they may be wrong,if we lose to leicester and everton,we have a 12 day's before we go to old trafford,it will be a brave man betting that souey is in charge if we lose these 2 games.

[chris]

i always thought the idea of a messageboard,was for people to air their view's.i have seen all our games this season apart from pompey and apart from our rip -roaring start,against a very poor wolves team,and the odd 45 min's of decent footie we have struggled.

      what is fact and pure fact selling your best player's does not improve your team,i do not want a 100 replies saying duffer and dunnie left on their own accord,the fact is selling your best player's does not improve your team.

      as for souness,his behaviour was disgracefull yesterday,acting like a bar=room bully,has he forgot about his triple by-pass.his tactic's in the last 2 games have been poor,1 up front is ok when you have a certian alan shearer up front but coley,is not that sort of player.

      all through yesterday's match i could see from the stand's that coley was getting more frustrated,did souey not see this-i would have introduced gallacher at half-time,to take some wait of his shoulder's.now we are without our star striker for 3 games.

     according to some,we would be foolish to sack him-they may be right or they may be wrong,if we lose to leicester and everton,we have a 12 day's before we go to old trafford,it will be a brave man betting that souey is in charge if we lose these 2 games.

i will agree some people are scared to be critical of Souness, me included, it does not feel right. If we lost the next 2/3 league games not sure how i would feel then

[The1mattjansen]

GET A GRIP, for all of the part-time whingers who are, for some reason, registered on this board shut up. There are many of us who spent our hard earned cash going to watch rovers all over the country and have done for many years. I cannot beleive that after 10 games of a season with possibly the best manager we have ever had, your calling for his head. Souness regularly turns around these situations and will do a gain. He showed his passion is still there on Saturday and that his sights are still focused on acheiving success with Blackburn Rovers.

Keep the faith

[PennyDuff]

well said mate.

To answer a post above:

I can gurantee you that Souness will still be in charge if we lose the two next games.

[Ste B]

Souness has admitted on Skysports that this is the worst times he has had at Blackburn and the players have to improve otherwise face a relegation struggle.