[Archived] Arsenal 3 Rovers 0

[Jan]

Jimbo: Row 25 seat 23. Saw Jackie, but not the rest of you.

I have no idea why you're still supporting Souness. So many people in our end left that game early, saying "more of the same. Rubbish team selection, awful tactics and no skill at all"

Yes Arsenal were good, of COURSE they were better than us, but is was so obvious to anyone who actually understands football that they were, if there, in first gear for the first half and we could barely keep up with that. OK Boro lost, but they gave them a game- we didn't.

The table doesn't lie. We deserve to be where we are. Yes, we've played Arsenal, but we've also lost to Southampton (who did SO well last night) and drawn with West Brom. I honestly think that if you take a combination of quality of: managers, training and players together, we are in exactly the right place. Palace score much higher in manager and training, but MUCH lower in players.

Never mind, we have United to lose to abysmally on Saturday. On the bright side, Robson has also clearly lost the Newcastle dressing room, so if he's not sacked by then which, given they have a board who desire success and don't act purely on sentiment as ours do, he probably will be, we MIGHT have a chance of only losing by one or two there.

Dream on all you "half full" people. You're actually drinking the dregs.

Edited August 26, 2004 by Jan

[Brownie]

Oh to be back in the Nationwide League, swimming along nicely in 15th with a squad full of no-hopers !

Why did that pillock Souness have to come along, get us back in the Premiership, clear the overdraft and win a trophy !??

We'd be better off without him !

Is Howard Kendall still available ? Jim Smith ?

[Jan]

Brownie- get over yourself

That was then, this is now.

Who's to say another manager wouldn't have got us out of that predicament too. All I can see is that 17th in the Nationwide (now the Championship) is where we're headed if something isn't done.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

The tonking was as expected.

Please for the sake of your job Souness play Gallagher....it may be one of the very few chances you have left to pull us out of the brown stuff and that's wishful thinking at its best I fear.

IF reports on here about a fall out are true THEN THERE'S THE DOOR PAL

I already feel I've had all the early season optimism kicked out of me.

[MCMC1875]

MATTEO AND NISSA MUST NOT START NEXT GAME... IN ANY POSITION.

Both were sluggish, and did they not get in each others way>?

When the hell is out first win coming from?

WE MUST HAVE GALLY AS A SUB TO COME ON MR SOUNESS. I've had just about enough of this falling out with players nonsence, get a grip man.

We must start like this:

FRIEDEL

NEILL SHORT AMORUSO GRAY

THOMPSON FERGUSON TUGAY DE PEDRO

STEAD DICKOV

On the bench: Gally, Yorke (trying in 1 game is not good enough tho), Matteo (just), Emerton, - A. N Other....

If we are to get this Pedersen...(and lets hope he's an improvement on Tore and Per!) then perhaps he!

We need a reliable defender. Why did we not set our stall out for one after the disaster than was last season, and the ensuing disaster that is this. He gets Matteo plays him in midfield. The guy is poor, and has added nothing.

Only person he can get a grip on is his wife's ex.

[Brownie]

Brownie- get over yourself

That was then, this is now.

Who's to say another manager wouldn't have got us out of that predicament too. All I can see is that 17th in the Nationwide (now the Championship) is where we're headed if something isn't done.

Jan

No amount of whinging and whining on this messageboard will get Souness sacked.

He was appointed from Jack's deathbed, has turned the club around, recreated us as a Premiership club, writing off debts in the process.

He was gathered a very talented squad, of which virtually every player is his choice and will manage Blackburn for as long as he wants.

It's certainly not I that needs to get over myself.

[broadsword]

Is it physically possible to "get over yourself"? Sounds like a yoga position.

If Souness was headed for the chop, he wouldn't have been given the money to sign Pedersen and Coridon.

[Scotty]

Jan

No amount of whinging and whining on this messageboard will get Souness sacked.

He was appointed from Jack's deathbed, has turned the club around, recreated us as a Premiership club, writing off debts in the process.

He was gathered a very talented squad, of which virtually every player is his choice and will manage Blackburn for as long as he wants.

It's certainly not I that needs to get over myself.

Utter @#/?! If the manager's doing a bad job then he'll be sacked. Whether the board does it off their own will or wait until the crowd makes his job untenable remains to be seen but I suspect we won't have too long to wait.

[Ossydave]

If Souness was headed for the chop, he wouldn't have been given the money to sign Pedersen and Coridon.

I wouldn't say that's entirely true. More like a last roll of the dice in my opinion. It's happened quite a few times in recent seasons.

One that springs to mind is Peter Reid at Sunderland. He was given cash to splash, (think it was on Flo and Stewart), but was shown the door a few weeks later.

[Blackpool_Rover]

Good Morning!!

Well ive had time to relect and i have to disagree with what most on here are saying. I agree with most of what is being said about soueys tactics and i think if he doesnt start getting in right soon and were still in the bottom 3 by the end of september he will be gone. Basically a defeat to Portsmouth at home and i dont think he will find any excuses. That will be the final straw.

As for last night. We were playing against an amazing team. I thought we did ok. We were missing several key players. I dont have any complaints about the game. In fact for me that game has pleased me alot more than the last 2, sounds stupid i know but its the first time in a while we have looked like a premiership club, and in the 2nd half it was without playing well. Basically its in the mentality, i get anoyed watching rovers because every time we lose the ball i get nervous because we look like a nationwide club and look like we can crumble and concede at anytime in any way possible. Last night i thought we had a strong fighting mentality and playing anyone else apart from arsenal i think the scoreline would have looked better. If we can play with that mentality and keep our key players all season we will do fine.

However, that is credit to the players, not souness. I still think he needs to sort it out and he has until 5:45pm on the day we play portsmouth to do this. If we dont get anything from that game, even if we beat united or newcastle he should go. He needs to stop messing around and get it sorted. Find his best 11 and play them where they need to be played. He needs to swallow his pride and drop emerton when thommo is fit. He needs to swallow his pride and drop matteo when amoruso is fit (or play him at the back). He also needs to swallow his pride and stop being such a kid with andy todd as in my opinion he could have done a better job than nissa while amo was injured. This is Blackburn Rovers, not Souness Rovers and the sooner he realises that the better.

[CAPT KAYOS]

two mistakes in defense were capitalised on & they cost us dear

Against WBA, again I think we were the better side, esp. in the 2nd half - I'm sure Megson was a lot happier with the result than we were - I know the Baggies fans I was chatting to walking up Livsey certainly were

Last season I can't comment on - I missed the whole season barring the first & last games after having major surgery on my knee

1. two mistakes in defense were capitalised on & they cost us dear

- Jimbo quick question for you - bearing in mind what has been said on here with our defending last night and the previous games after what has been quoted by Ferguson as saying training has primarily been centered on defence does this not REALLY REALLY worry you?

2 . Against WBA, again I think we were the better side, esp. in the 2nd half - I'm sure Megson was a lot happier with the result than we were - I know the Baggies fans I was chatting to walking up Livsey certainly were - golly goshems you do surprise me - newly promoted team struggling for strikers and playing away first game back expecting to get beat.

3. Last season I can't comment on - I missed the whole season barring the first & last games after having major surgery on my knee - explains your comments so we'll give you a bit longer to summise what you see.

Don't really want to comment about last night as I wasn't expecting anything different - what I find surprising again is why people are sounding surprised and trying to defend what happened - don't try to fool yourselves that there is nothing wrong (see point 1).

I hate to say it again, but don't say I few of us didn't warn you many moons ago - same comments come out time and time again except that the numbers are increasing all the time.

But we can all look forward to a possible 1-0 win on Saturday - penalty anybody?

[Ossydave]

Good Morning!!

Well ive had time to relect and i have to disagree with what most on here are saying. I agree with most of what is being said about soueys tactics and i think if he doesnt start getting in right soon and were still in the bottom 3 by the end of september he will be gone. Basically a defeat to Portsmouth at home and i dont think he will find any excuses. That will be the final straw.

As for last night. We were playing against an amazing team. I thought we did ok. We were missing several key players. I dont have any complaints about the game. In fact for me that game has pleased me alot more than the last 2, sounds stupid i know but its the first time in a while we have looked like a premiership club, and in the 2nd half it was without playing well. Basically its in the mentality, i get anoyed watching rovers because every time we lose the ball i get nervous because we look like a nationwide club and look like we can crumble and concede at anytime in any way possible. Last night i thought we had a strong fighting mentality and playing anyone else apart from arsenal i think the scoreline would have looked better. If we can play with that mentality and keep our key players all season we will do fine.

However, that is credit to the players, not souness. I still think he needs to sort it out and he has until 5:45pm on the day we play portsmouth to do this. If we dont get anything from that game, even if we beat united or newcastle he should go. He needs to stop messing around and get it sorted. Find his best 11 and play them where they need to be played. He needs to swallow his pride and drop emerton when thommo is fit. He needs to swallow his pride and drop matteo when amoruso is fit (or play him at the back). He also needs to swallow his pride and stop being such a kid with andy todd as in my opinion he could have done a better job than nissa while amo was injured. This is Blackburn Rovers, not Souness Rovers and the sooner he realises that the better.

Maybe Todd ain't fit?

[Exiled in Toronto]

At least we have the best dressed manager in the league

.... perhaps, but, how long before Graeme joins Sturrock?

For once I must throw my lot in with Oklahoma... Where's the Arte???

we show no creativity---and we won't playing with 6 in the back... but not having witnessed today's throttling... I'll hold my tongue. But just from the stat sheet, it would appear that GS went into Highbury to hold the result- if that's the case, maybe he should have had all XI rovers hanging from the crossbar to assist Brad.

but at St Mary's it was more of the same.... playing by the numbers- predictable stuff. Rovers just don't possess enough talent in the build up-

I see Tugay without a partner in midfield, someone that will assist him break down defenses.... a Dunny in his day. -

Anyway,... just venting... it sux to see Rovers propping up the table so early- I just wish I could be @ Ewood to shout them on come the weekend.

Given that our manager's aim was to make us harder to beat; am I the only one struck last night by the thought that the team who are, by definition, the hardest to beat of all time do it by, er..... packing the team with attacking talent?

His selections in midfield are just conceding possession to teams whose attcking capabilities are better than our defensive ones.

[Blackpool_Rover]

Maybe Todd ain't fit?

Im sure hes not fit. If souness hadnt been such an idiot todd would have at least played a game in pre-season and had a chance to get fit.

[MCMC1875]

GS has lost the plot - this can be traced back to the touchline at Soton last season when Dennis Rofe happened to be in the wrong place and Souey mistook him for a referee before clobbering him.

[Brownie]

Jan

No amount of whinging and whining on this messageboard will get Souness sacked.

He was appointed from Jack's deathbed, has turned the club around, recreated us as a Premiership club, writing off debts in the process.

He was gathered a very talented squad, of which virtually every player is his choice and will manage Blackburn for as long as he wants.

It's certainly not I that needs to get over myself.

Utter @#/?! If the manager's doing a bad job then he'll be sacked. Whether the board does it off their own will or wait until the crowd makes his job untenable remains to be seen but I suspect we won't have too long to wait.

Is it really ?

You think the crowd will be calling for his head shortly do you ?

I wish you were my bookmaker.

[Ossydave]

Maybe Todd ain't fit?

Im sure hes not fit. If souness hadnt been such an idiot todd would have at least played a game in pre-season and had a chance to get fit.

And what if Todd wasn't fit to play pre-season?

[Blackpool_Rover]

Maybe Todd ain't fit?

Im sure hes not fit. If souness hadnt been such an idiot todd would have at least played a game in pre-season and had a chance to get fit.

And what if Todd wasn't fit to play pre-season?

why wouldnt he be?

He started training the same day as the rest of them.

At the end of the day he was wrong to refuse to play. Souness should of fined him. Not hold a personal grudge against the fans player of the season and refuse to include him in a squad ever again.

[Scotty]

I wish you were my bookmaker.

The feeling's mutual. I'd have made a fortune over the years from your wonderful tips.

[Ossydave]

Maybe Todd ain't fit?

Im sure hes not fit. If souness hadnt been such an idiot todd would have at least played a game in pre-season and had a chance to get fit.

And what if Todd wasn't fit to play pre-season?

why wouldnt he be?

He started training the same day as the rest of them.

At the end of the day he was wrong to refuse to play. Souness should of fined him. Not hold a personal grudge against the fans player of the season and refuse to include him in a squad ever again.

All I'm saying is that you have no idea about Todd's fitness, we'll leave it at that.

[92er]

The only thing surprising about Todd is that he is still at the club.

Maybe Souness has reached the same conclusion as we amateur pundits, realised that Matteo can't play in midfield and now wants to buy Coridon.Which I guess raises the question of who he'll play with at centre-half and who he'll replace.If chosen, of course.

[Tony Diamond Inc]

To all the doom mongers (you really make me laugh!).

Face it, we lost 3- 0 to what is arguably the best Premiership side ever. I remember heavier Premiership defeats under the great Dalglish to lesser teams. (I'm sure the stattos can corroborate this)

Let's get it into perspective, I mean it could have been worse, we could have lost 3 - 0 to Charlton!

[broadsword]

Remember losing 4-1 to Wimbledon, that was bad!

[Alan75]

Ah we did have a Newell sent off though

[broadsword]

Are we thinking of teh same game?

1-0 up at half-time, through Windy Wilcox?