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November 1, 2009
Rovers 10th successive failure on the road came as no surprise to anyone. It may not have resembled the debacle of 7 days ago but even Jack Straw who was sat among the faithful in the ghost-like atmosphere of O.T, would fail to put a positive spin on Rovers' recent performances against the Big Boys. The backline may have been tighter than last week but the support to the isolated Di Santo was largely non-existent and on the rare occasions when the ball found its way to him, he was not able to hold it up and bring in others. Kalinic was unfortunate with a shocking decision but if our only opportunity to create any threat on the opposition goal is from set pieces, then please ,please, please, give someone a try other than Pedersen! October 26, 2009
A Rovers spokesman said last night(Sunday) that "A couple of cases of swine flu have been confirmed and other members of the squad have complained of virus-like symptoms." This may partly explain the debacle we witnessed in the 2nd half on Saturday.The players in question happen to be Dunn and Samba who were both missing at Chelsea. There is now a serious doubt as to whether the League Cup tie against Peterborough will take place at Ewood on Tuesday. It appears that the club tried to get the FA to cancel the Bridge fixture at the11th hour but as FA policy dictates, this is a privilege reserved for the Big 4! All Rovers fans will wish Dunny and Samba well and we should know more when the club releases information later in the day. October 20, 2009
My apologies for the delay in responding to the events on Sunday. The celebrations immediately after leaving Ewood went on and on and on and... But on sobering up and reflecting on the afternoon and after watching a re-run of the match for the first time,I have to agree with many of the Burnley viewpoints which have been aired since the game. In no particular order: 1. Burnley were by far the most inventive side who created countless chances and limited Rovers to half ones at best. Burnley's gorgeous free flowing football, which now must eclipse Arsenal's passing game, was in complete contrast to Rovers ugly long ball stuff. The build up play which led up to Rovers first and third goals was more good fortune rather than swift incisive passing. Indeed Di Santo's touch to bring in Dunn for the equalizer was so lucky. He definitely did not mean to do it. The two Rovers forwards certainly did not deserve their men of the match awards. What did they contribute? 2. Rovers were certainly the aggressors and on more than one occasion should have seen them being reduced to ten.Wade Elliot did not show violent conduct when he unfortunately 'tangled' with Chimbonda on the touchline and Clark Carlile was desparately unlucky to get a yellow with a fair tackle on Dunn. Oh, and Brian Jensen did not deliberately take out Roberts. 3. Despite the police stopping the club from selling further tickets, I firmly believe Rovers would not have sold more as opposed to Burnley who could have filled the ground five times over. Historical facts back this up. Lest we forget the world record attendence of 349,456 for Burnley's final game in '87 gainst Orient when every Burnley supporter was there and that same season in Div 4 they did average well over 100,000. We all know they have always Overall folks, a good day all round. A great advert for East Lancs, with a passionate and partisan crowd, with little hint of nonsense ( apart from some clowns who decided to impersonate cavemen in Cherry Tree.) I firmly believe we have the greatest derby in the country, which has been witnessed by a whole new audience around the world and it's something ALL OF US in this part of the county should be proud of and wish to continue. The morning of the match brought feelings of apprehension and excitement and reminded me of how it use to be when nothing else mattered in life apart from your club being successful. And then we had to grow up! Now it's time to move forward and build on the home form to enable us to enjoy the return fixture in March in a relatively comfortable postion. We will not forget Sunday but use it as a springboard to move forward and climb the table as we did after Turf Moor in 2000. Next stop, The Bridge. October 16, 2009
Irony and subtlety are in short supply in East Lancashire this week. As the title of the most recent Burnley blog will testify, grown up, intelligent men may lose some perspective and all rational can be thrown on the scrapheap. In defense, the novelty factor of the fixture is having a huge part to play in the build up. The media, as is usually the case, have used this rare opportunity to dust down their reference books and educate the country as to the meaning of the rivalry. From Frank Keating's historical piece in Wednesday's Guardian, to the Mirror's view that this is the most vicious derby in England, each publication will have their own slant in the build up. But if ever a game did not need any hype, this is one. There is no need to give it some snappy title(as sky love to do) or create an artificial atmosphere by playing some ridiculous gladatorial music as the players enter the arena. This is a throw-back game to another era and is just as much about the towns as the teams. October 6, 2009
One arm of the Arsenal propaganda machine (aka the Matchday Programme) reliably informed us on Sunday that Rovers' record defeat was suffered at the hands of the Gunners in 1933, 8-0 if anybody is interested. This statistic would surely have been re-written had it not been for the brilliance of Paul Robinson. I had to look twice when I watched the highlights that evening and saw Fabio looking on from what I have always considered to be a souless new build.I was convinced he would have gone to the Bridge to observe players he already knows inside out. Robinson deserves his chance again but could the unthinkable become reality and Capello decide David Dunn is playing with the same confidence and swagger he possessed all those years ago when he last won a cap. Dunny is fitter and stronger and more arrogant than at any time since the beginning of the decade. There are always at least 2 wildcards included in any World Cup party and he would certainly be a brave choice. Sam was correct in believing Rovers should have been awarded a spot kick at the Ems,but wrong in thinking it would have changed the course of the result. Arsenal were in another stratosphere compared to the rest of us. It was the greatest exhibition of attacking football I have seen in the flesh for a hell of a long time. I have often criticised Wenger for undermining the traditions and fabric of the English game but nobody can argue with the way his teams can play. September 27, 2009
They say a week is a long time in politics but it's light years as far as football is concerned. Last weekend brought doom, gloom and a great sense of forboding for the cold and dark months which lie ahead. Fast forward 6 days and optimism oused out of Ewood, the like of which we have not seen for some time. We maybe getting ahead of ourselves slightly but there are fundamental reasons why this victory may prove significant in shaping the rest of a very long season ahead. The manner of the performance and the tempo at which we took the game to the opposition even after the sending off, was unique in the current campaign. If Sam's system is going to be effective and worth pursuing, you need a target man who is mobile and able to lead the line. He also has to bring into play the runners from midfield. This has been missing up to now. Step up Di Santo! He fulfilled the criteria and ran himself into the turf. If he continues to impress, the current Chelsea transfer embargo may unfortunately force his quick return to West London. N'zonzi was also instrumental in the victory. His distribution was excellent and he controlled the midfield for long periods. His performance should finally see the end of the 'none' dimensional Grella/Andrews partnership particularly after the former saw red by doing a great Paul Scholes impression under the nose of the ref. Dunny took us all back a decade with an inspirational display. In fairness, he does appear fitter, stronger and more confident than at any time in recent seasons. There is still much to do for Sam to convince the Ewood faithful that his methods and formations are the most pragmatic way of keeping the club in the top flight, but Saturday certainly helped his campaign. September 21, 2009
The glorious 'Indian Summer' weather we had this weekend was in complete contrast to the mood that all Rovers fans were feeling leaving Goodison on Sunday. The performance raised more questions than answers and was the latest in long line of away days where the faithful travelled in hope rather than expectation. I have said many times before that we do not have the quality to play a passing game, equally we do not have the personnel in the right places to do justice to the current system. We are stuck between a rock and a hard place and that should worry us all. I still have faith in Sam to fulfill his remit of keeping us up but by continually playing a 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1 formation, he is testing the patience of the most loyal supporter. As for poor Jason Roberts, it is nothing personal. He gives 100% and I appreciate the effort he puts into every game. But unfortunately that is not good enough. By asking him to play as the lone man upfront, with the total lack of service he receives, it is akin to kicking a blind man's stick away! September 13, 2009
I've never played a game of Rugby League. I do realise however that the basic premise is that you have 6 attempts to score a try and if you are too predictable the ball will be 'turned over' to the other team. The first half yesterday resembled just that. The late Eddie Waring would have been in his element! For 45 minutes, one side was a poor man's Stoke, the other was far worse than that. The pattern of play went something like this; Long throw,long throw,long throw,corner,goalkick. Long throw,long throw,long throw,corner,goalkick. Long throw,long throw......(you get the idea!) There were kids in front of us snoozing to their hearts content. With Jason Roberts again all alone up front, Rovers were limited in their attacking options. Wolves were worse than awful and with more adventure, Rovers would have gone in at the interval with more to show than Diouf's opener. The 2nd half was different. Rovers were inventive and mixed things up and the default mechanism was thrown in the bin.They removed their shackles and with the instrumental Dunn surging forward with energy and purpose, they threatened the Wolves goal on countless occasions. There was a spell on the hour mark when Rovers treated the faithful to an exhibition in the art of passing which had some of us looking through the history books as to when that last happened! September 8, 2009
It's been 7 days where nothing in the football world has got me truly excited. The transfer window let in a slight draft...yawn,yawn! Chelsea have had a transfer embargo placed upon them, but deep down we all know that the ban will be overturned or suspended at the very least. And now we have to brace ourselves for weeks if not months of similar stories involving clubs who may not have signed youngsters by the most ethical means. The coverage could make the Telegraph's expenses extravaganza seem like a one day news item. But the lack of eyebrow raising stories always seems to occur during International week.It does feel strange to have a break so early in the season, but the Premier League have their hands tied when it comes to the International calandar. It was a pointless game against Slovenia despite what anyone might say. Some will argue that it was good for Capello to try out some 'fringe' players before the Croatia game but if the guy does not know his squad by now, he might as well pack it all in and retire to Lake Garda. August 30, 2009
Down the years, Rovers' followers have become immune to the adverse media coverage the club sometimes receives. In '95, we did not win the league but United lost it. In the middle part of this decade the name of the team was temporarily changed to BBBRFC (Bully Boys Blackburn Rovers Football Club) by some pundits. There was a season around this time where we were playing some great stuff and challenging for a Champions League spot, but very few took notice. Casting my eye over the Sunday papers this morning, it seems the next wave of Rovers bashing is upon us (Rod Liddle's jibe in the Times being one example). But is it justified? Yesterday's game was a dour affair with very little in the way of excitement and creativity(except for an unexpected Tugay appearence) but arguably the main remit for the team was to avoid defeat and get us off the mark. If this was the case then job done! I'm not saying I agree with playing 4-5-1 against a team we could and should beat at home but watching football never has or will guarentee thrills and spills. Alladyce's methods are about as old news as finding out The Beatles have split up! But it is plainly obvious that Big Sam was frustrated with some of the fans' reactions to certain tactical decisions. In his post match interview he told the supporters to"Leave it to me. I'm the expert." At this embryonic stage of the season, I am prepared to bow to his judgement. I just hope those words don't come back to haunt him. |
- No Horror Show But Eerily Familiar
- Oinkment Required! Rovers Feel Pig Sick
- Happy Days but Time to Look Forward
- Lancashire Hotpot? More like a Vindaloo!
- "And here's to you Mr. Robinson..."
- Few Villains on a Day of Heroes
- Toffees, Too Sticky For The Puddings
- There Is More Than One Way To Skin A Wolf!
- Club V Country
- Chewing The Cud
