[Archived] Blackburn Rovers 1 Vs 0 Portsmouth

[Nayef]

MURDER AT EWOOD PARK

Police would like to question a man in connection with the murder of blackburn rovers on 18th September 2004.

Suspect is male, coloured, 21 years old and rumoured to be of nigerian origin.

Wanted for the crime of scoring a hat-trick past a bald hapless american (with no reply)

edited to avoid prosecution

Edited September 14, 2004 by Nayef

[vyeo]

its early in the week, and a win is imperative. however, having watched both rovers and pompey's matches this weekend, i am not optimistic.

any 2 of amo, short, matteo and nils vs any 2 of yakubu, fuller and lua lua. no contest in terms of pace. here's hoping that my pessimism is untold.

1-3 pompey. rovers please prove me wrong!

[Cheshireblue]

Portsmouth are the most in-form team in the league, while we are the complete opposite.

Now surely that ought to be Arsenal? They do have 15 points from 5 games and are unbeaten since before Abbey was old enough to drink?

That said, turning to matters in hand, we'll beat Portsmouth. They may have a few quick players, but they also have a significant collection of donkeys to go with them.

2-0 Rovers with Stead and Amoruso doing the honours.

[1864roverite]

shouldnt it be dark skinned or coloured male ?

come on were in the world of softies and the pc police are now after you nayaf !!

[tchocky]

No new manager == certain loss.

I do have a feeling that Stead will get his first goal of the season though, so at least one for us then. 2 or more for them.

[Oklahoma]

1-0 (PLEASE!!!)

Stead to score and a lot of luck for us.

[Radagast]

shouldnt it be [snip] coloured male ?

No, that's the one you're not allowed.....I think......

Ah yes, football. It's very hard to muster any optimism for this one. Pompey are playing rather well and Rovers, well, aren't. I was generally pleased with the team Tony put out on Saturday (Everyone in their natural position? Are you sure?) but we need a 'proper' manager in to lift the players and hopefully dig us out of the rut with the whole new-gaffer-breeding-confidence-resulting-in-impressive-early-results thing. I don't normally predict results because I feel it's a waste of time, but my prediction(s):

Tony in charge - Pompey win.

New Manager - Rovers win.

Edited September 13, 2004 by Radagast

[Bobby G]

It would be DISASTER if we dont win.2 points out of 6 games would put us in a very bad position.On the flip side a win and 5 points out of 6 points will be a reasoble total,considering we played Arsenal,Man Utd and Newcastle and will only have Chelsea and Liverpool from the teams that we arent really expected to take points off.

[philipl]

I feel a little more optimistic after reading this. We played Newvastle with nine men in the first half- both Flitcroft and MGP were completely out of their depth.

Hopefully, MGP will get over his injury quickly and will gett to grips with the English Prem- he is young enough. However, Flitcroft was so disappointing at Newcastle even against my low level of expectation of him that I can only see him featuring again in extremis.

Douglas has to feature from the start of the Pompey game. If midfield don't give protection to our leaden footed defenders to stop he Pompey speed merchants from getting full runs at them, we will ship goals again even though Pompey's players are not quite the class of the Newcastle forwards who ripped us apart.

I expect we will score on Saturday. Not conceeding at the other end is going to be key in what will probably be a rather desperate game of football.

[pg]

I was about to suggest formations etc. for the Portsmouth game.... but its so depressing that I am struggling to think of a half-decent line-up.

Let's look at the line-up that saved our skins late last season :

Friedal

Neil Short Amoruso Gray

Flitcroft Andresson Tugay Douglas

Cole Stead

Could you replace Andresson with Ferguson, Cole with Dickov and be confident of getting a result?

Flitcroft's peformance against Newcastle would suggest otherwise. But what would you do... replace him with Emerton??

Is Thommo going to be fit?

We used to have a glut of midfield options, now we have very little.

Tugay - still a superb player.... but age limits his effectiveness and mobility

Flitcroft - by the sounds of it, on his way out.

Douglas - always viewed him as a player of limited skills... from what I have seen of him.

Emerton - a complete mystery

Thomson - its been so long since he's played a game. You doubt whether he can ever return to his form of two seasons ago.

Ferguson - so much relies on him. Will he be the box-to-box midfielder we have been crying out for since Sherwood left?

Pederson - hasn't impressed so far.

De Pedro - ditto.

At the moment... it seems it doesn't matter which playes to swap and change into midfield... its slim pickings at the moment

[philipl]

pg, completely agree with you and going bck to the formation which rescued us last season has to be the option this time rould as well.

I believe Thompson is due to be fit again so I would draft him in to replace Flitcroft. Perhaps start with Emerton rather than Tugay if Pompey are vulnerable to width rather than use width.

On the basis of the first two performances, we dare not start this game with MGP on the field.

There are enough question marks over Tugay, Flitcroft, Emerton, Thompson to be able to afford to carry MGP through his learning curve. Another bad game by MGP would be worse han resting him whilst the rest of them get their act together.

At least Douglas is dependable. Limited but does a job whenever asked. That used to be the case with Flitcroft but not any more.

[emerton]

1-0

dickov

*big lleyton hewitt cmon*

[T4E]

1-0

dickov

*big lleyton hewitt cmon*

*Big Roger Federer backhand*

Wake up.

2-0 Pompey.

[emerton]

1-0

dickov

*big lleyton hewitt cmon*

*Big Roger Federer backhand*

Wake up.

2-0 Pompey.

, i saw that coming, lets just hope its not 6-0 in the first

[1864roverite]

douglas dependable ?

your'e dreaming

[AussieinUk]

First predication aginst rovers in a while....

Rovers 0 - 2 Pompey

*SIGH* (very disenchanted)

[roversWASmylife]

Blackburn 2 - 1 Portsmouth

Scrappy game, end to end with poor defending from both teams, with us just snatching it at the end.

A must win game.

[CAPT KAYOS]

douglas dependable ?

your'e dreaming

I'd certainly have him in before Fitcroft now.

[1864roverite]

captain

I really appreciate your views

however

flitcroft is a battler who can still actually run (albeit like a chicken) douglas cannot run to save his life !

In any case I would bring a youngster in Donnelly could do a job, so could mcEverley, chrsit even the kitman could do a job !

[bob fleming]

chrsit even the kitman could do a job !

I don't think we're quite at the stage where Alan Whitehead should get a game 1864. I think Flitty still edges it there.

[joey_big_nose]

We have to win this one. We absolutely have to.

My team to start:

                      Stead   Dickov

Pedersen    Thompson             Gallagher

                                  Ferguson

      Gray   Amoruso    Matteo     Niell

                        Friedel

Subs: Tugay, Boothroyd, Emerton, Short/Jansen (if parkes decides to go sans defenders again), Enckleman

Four things-

Thompson needs to be given a shot in the middle. he is the only realistic long term partner for Ferguson. Flitcroft is finished, Tugay is old and Douglas is just too limited. If he is injured (god dammit, when will he be sorted out?) Tugay should get the nod. Flitcroft should just be roundly flogged whatever the circumstances.

I know Emerton has been playing better recently but I have to say that, if fit, Gallagher will worry the opposition more. I dare anybody to argue with that. Defensively he might be slightly more suspect but Emerton has hardly covered himself with glory.

If Pedersen has another weak game Boothroyd should be considered as an option on the left in the final third of the match. He can play wide and run at defenders, something which has been lacking from MGP's game. When will De Pedro be fit?

Matteo and Amoruso need a run of games together. Once they know each others style they will be authorative. Matteo needs to learn to play off Amo.

1-1

Edited September 14, 2004 by joey_big_nose

[tcj_jones]

pg, completely agree with you and going bck to the formation which rescued us last season has to be the option this time rould as well.

I believe Thompson is due to be fit again so I would draft him in to replace Flitcroft. Perhaps start with Emerton rather than Tugay if Pompey are vulnerable to width rather than use width.

On the basis of the first two performances, we dare not start this game with MGP on the field.

There are enough question marks over Tugay, Flitcroft, Emerton, Thompson to be able to afford to carry MGP through his learning curve. Another bad game by MGP would be worse han resting him whilst the rest of them get their act together.

At least Douglas is dependable. Limited but does a job whenever asked. That used to be the case with Flitcroft but not any more.

While i agree MGP needs to be introduced slowly to the english game, I disagree over tactics - to play such negative minded football at such an early stage in the season is going to garuntee us relegation. Whats the point trying to play nice football if we're already resound to being in a relegation fight and play a formation to match?

Sure we have played awfully this season, but one of the reasons many wanted Souness out was for his, at times, negatively minded football. The only way to bounce back and make a success of the season is to play attacking attractive football and put the pressure on the other team. We're 19th as it is - we don't need the constant pressure of encouraging the other team to attack.

Bring in the attacking presense of De Pedro on the left, Thompson on the right and play Tugay and Ferguson in the centre. If Portsmouth play Berkovic then bring in Douglas as a grafter, otherwise lets control the midfield and take the game to them - im sick of all the negativity in our play!

Oh yeh, does anybody know if a suit and tie is required when watching the game in the box's in the JW stand?

[rock steady]

if tugay cant get into our side at home to portsmouth then when is he ever going to play?

____JANSEN! stead

mgp fergy tugay emerton

gray matteo amo neill

_______brad

thommo for mgp/or maybe emerton if he's fit and neill out if we happen to find a decent right back

rovers win 3-2

keep the faith

[neekoy]

Stack the midfield, deny service to the forwards, play for a nil all draw then when Hughesy gets here we can start fresh

Saying that I think we are going to get a touch up

[tchocky]

I would expect a lineup like

          Stead     Dickov

De P    Tugay    Barry   Emerton

Gray    Matteo  Amoruso    Neill

                 Friedel

Subs: Encks, Short, MGP, Bothroyd, Flitcroft

I would like to see

          Bothroyd  Stead

De P     Tugay    Barry    Thompson

Gray   Short   Johansson  Emerton

                 Friedel

Subs: Encks, Todd, Jansen, Dickov, MGP

Todd of course is probably not 100% fit, dunno about Thommo. And if Gally was fit he would start every game.