[Archived] 10 man Everton 1-0 Rovers

[FourLaneBlue]

To be honest i'm still very peed off as i'm sure many more are so i'm not really being all that objective.  However if people are seriously suggesting that we did not lack for effort today then i'm amazed.  Certainly if it wasn't lack of effort it was lack of application, like I said as one off it's bad, but two weeks running is simply disgusting, and that is not too harsh.

Let's look at individuals today, Friedel didn't command his area, Nelsen was embarrasing, Gray was awful, Neill was lazy, Savage was pathetic, Tugay was no better.  I could go on all night.  Although it could be argued we pushed up in the 2nd half we never really went for it.  It was all so lethargic, simply Everton wanted it more, quality didn't come into it, there was none.

A very sad day indeed. We were outfought for every single ball today.  We got almost all the decisions off the ref, played 10 men for 80 mins and were still totally pathetic, Match of the Day didn't show the half of it.

383506[/snapback]

OK fair enough I agree with what you say. Certainly there was no lack of players running around, albeit like headless chickens at times. There was a lack of application. The 'didn't try enough' line is a stock response from fans whenever their team loses, unless against a big team when instead there is usually a wry shake of the head and 'they tried their best, we were outclassed' attitude, even if they didn't!

thenodrog - there was plenty of movement off-the-ball but the only way we could see to get the ball played with speed forward was to pump it forward by which time Everton were back in position. Everton defended so deep that there was no areas for our forwards to run behind to get into space. It seems to be that you are suggesting effort is all that matters...well, how much more effort do we need to win the Premiership?

Certainly agree though that we had no captain driving the team on. Todd may wear the armband but Savage is captain in all but name. He's the one running around and showing the team how to disrupt the rest. Today he was largely anonymous.

[Alan75]

I'm sorry, it has to be said.  Apologies in advance for shouting, but enough is enough.

FORGET DUBAI, THE FANS DESERVE TO GO, NOT THE PLAYERS.  KEEP THEM WORKING UNTIL THEY REMEMBER WHAT THEY'RE HERE FOR. 

383460[/snapback]

Raffle the tickets,to fans who went to West Brom and Everton

[thenodrog]

thenodrog - there was plenty of movement off-the-ball but the only way we could see  to get the ball played with speed forward was to pump it forward by which time Everton were back in position. Everton defended so deep that there was no areas for our forwards to run behind to get into space. It seems to be that you are suggesting effort is all that matters...well, how much more effort do we need to win the Premiership?

383522[/snapback]

Play in a relegation threatened team and a promotion team and you still come off the feild after 90 mins feeling knackered. Difficult to describe but one team plays leaden footed whilst the others play on their toes. The difference is half a yard slower all over the pitch. It does happen to most teams except the ones with huge squads of good players who are all competing amongst themselves for places.

Maybe a good way to describe Boro this season (and also our own experience of the last two months... and 40 years come to think about it ) . Plenty of good players but Maclaren is not able to motivate them for every game. When they play against top teams they are self motivated by the challenge and end up beating the likes of Arsenal, MU and Chelsea.

[thenodrog]

I'm close to thinking we should revert to the 4-5-1 until our defensive frailties are sorted out on the training ground. Right now they'd give schoolboys a bad name with the errors they're making.

383520[/snapback]

I've suggested that too for away games BUT yesterday when Everton went down to 10 men after 9 mins and sacrificed Macfadyen to go with a 4-4-1 formation every manager/coach/pundit etc would have immediately reverted to either a 4-4-2 or better still a 3-5-2. Could you imagine any team staying at 4-5-1 against 10?

btw and not that it matters but it was a very harsh free kick for their goal!

[Paul Mellelieu]

Everton worked like blacks and got the result they deserved.

I'm afraid remarks like that beggar believe. And there was Theodrog musing recently on how we can get more Asian fans to Ewood. Acting like it's the C21st rather than the C19th might be a start.

[jim mk2]

The worrying thing is that over the last 2 seasons, under both Souness and Hughes, there's been a marked downturn in both the performance and commitment levels the minute we were "safe."

The same seems to be happening again this season. With 14 games to go! 

383517[/snapback]

My thoughts exactly.

It's a legacy from the Souness (him again) era. The players' mindset is still to avoid relegation, make sure their £1 million plus salaries are protected for another season and then mentally switch off and go through the motions until they go on their summer hols.

Not good enough Mr Hughes.

[92er]

Richard Dinnis summed up the game by saying that there was no understanding between Brad and the centre backs, that Gray played poorly and is in a bad run of form, that there was no creativity in centre midfield and tht nothing came from the wings. As a result Bellamy had to drop more into midfield to try and get the ball.

He also made a comment that during the warm down, the faces of the Rovers players suggested that Hughes,who "normally does not throw tea cups" had probably had a right good go at them.

[FourLaneBlue]

Play in  a relegation threatened team and a promotion team and you still come off the feild after 90 mins feeling knackered.  Difficult to describe but one team plays leaden footed whilst the others play on their toes.  The difference is half a yard slower all over the pitch.  It does happen to most teams except the ones with huge squads of good players who are all competing amongst themselves for places.

Maybe a good way to describe Boro this season (and also our own experience of the last two months... and 40 years come to think about it ) .  Plenty of good players but Maclaren is not able to motivate them for every game.  When they play against top teams they are self motivated by the challenge and end up beating the likes of Arsenal, MU and Chelsea.

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Well I don't disagree with any of that. What I was disagreeing with was the suggestion that the reason we lost was 'lack of effort' and just using that as a catch-all excuse, although to be fair I think MB was just pee'd off like the rest of us. This side is light years ahead of what it was under the last days of Souness. Maybe misapplication of effort is more like it. They were running about with little to show for it. Everton's effort seemed all the more controlled. When they got the ball they immediately broke. They're a good counter-attacking team. They sit back, man-mark and wait for the ball to come to them...suddenly they then break with pace.

Playing with ten men didn't really change their gameplan. Kuqi, for all his faults bless him, does offer a physical presence up front. Exactly what is needed against tall centre halves like Weir and Stubbs. We were ran out of ideas more than anything. If we'd played another ninety minutes I'd not expect us to score. They were so well-marshalled that something special was needed to break them down. We didn't have anything to do that. Other than hustle and bustle we had nothing.

What worries is that Sunderland will most likely play a similar game. Men behind the ball, defending in numbers. We need to be able to break down a team who have no wish to go forward except in short stints. Hopefully Sunderland will be rubbish as usual though.

Edited February 12, 2006 by FourLaneBlue

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Lets give Everton a bit of credit - they aren't a pretty team, but Moyes has them well organised. Being down to 10 men doesn't actually make a huge difference from a defensive perspective - it just means you have one less outlet attacking wise. But it sounds like our current defensive frailties helped then considerably.

I wasn't surprised that we failed to break then down - the team is set up to work hard and hit teams on the break. When you play a team like Everton you will get few chances to hit on the break when they are down to 10 men.

It also sounded on the radio as though the referee bottled it big time after sending off their keeper. Loads of dives etc (incl the soft free kick that led to the goal) which gave Everton free-kicks.

Yes, we should be able to beat 10 men - but in reality 90% of the Premiership would have failed to break down a resolute Everton team, with a referee under pressure from 30k+ screaming scousers.

As for imagination in the team - that went a long time ago - we have few players that can go past a player - which is essential to create space. Ah remember the days of Duff, Dunn, Jansen. Face it - we have a hard working team with little flair - though there is hope for the future in MGP and Bentley. Just think what a difference MGP could have made - the free kick following the keepers sending off would probably have gone in the top corner, and we would then be celebrating a famous win. On such things are a very tight Premiership (excl top 3) decided.

[Ozz]

We have taken two steps forward this season, now we have taken one step back. Nett result, we have move forward. Three points at home to a woeful Sunderland on Wednesday should see us top seven. Not too shabby.

Went to WBA and EVerton and the amount of saves made by all three goalies we have faced is the most worrying aspect though.

[SAS]

wasnt pretty for us

everton down to 10 men, and safely beat us

the everton fans seemed to be a bit gutted then and that was probably why they only sung everton everton

we all knew beattie would play, despite his apparent injury

treated like a bag of @#/? at the end on the way back from the everton fans scum

[waggy]

happen now is the time to play some off the younger lads,commitment is being quetioned bigtime here,one thing the young lads have is commitment.it beggars believe we started without pater

[Ozz]

Couldn't help notice the influence Matt Jansen had for Bolton at Highbury yesterday...

[den]

happen now is the time to play some off the younger lads,commitment is being quetioned bigtime here,one thing the young lads have is commitment.it beggars believe we started without pater

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Which ones apart from Peter, who was involved, Waggy? I haven't seen anyone anywhere near the first team in terms of ability.

[Ozz]

[waggy]

pater was involved yes but surely he should have started,i do not like playing players out off position,and emerton has only the world cup on his mind now.having watched 2 off the 3 games at ewood in the fa youth cup,i understand your point, about none being good enough.

i think nolan and thomson the cb's were pretty good,but maybe not good enough to dislodge our 3 present centrebacks.barker is a big centre forward,but has he gone to belgium?taylor is at qpr but could be recalled,hodge in midfield looked very tidy.

the most impressive striker in the youth set up was clarke.

[herbergeehh]

Taylor is back at Ewood..

[SouthAussieRover]

happen now is the time to play some off the younger lads,commitment is being quetioned bigtime here,one thing the young lads have is commitment.it beggars believe we started without pater

383547[/snapback]

Lol now I know for sure we are entering the final phase of the season.

Watch out Hughes Waggys on the warpath

[Eddie]

Couldn't help notice the influence Matt Jansen had for Bolton at Highbury yesterday...

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I knew someone would bring this up. I've watched the entire match and have to say he looked a bit like a lost puppy. Just like was always the case when playing for us there was no lack of effort, but at the moments when in the past you would have expected him to produce a moment of skill he was sadly lacking. Apart from one cross early on in the game and then a fortunate bounce from his tackle that lead to the goal he offered little to the attack other than tireless running. Of course this was beneficial to the Bolton cause as it was very much backs to the wall stuff for them, but in my opinion Jansen is now a poor man's Dickov.

[Ozz]

Only saw the highlights, but appeared to be involved in Boltons most dangerous moves?

[Eddie]

Only saw the highlights, but appeared to be involved in Boltons most dangerous moves?

383567[/snapback]

He had a couple decent darts down the left, but he didn't show any great pace or any real final product. Really he just benefited from a couple decent balls to him and the fact that Arsenal's defense looked lost at sea at the beginning of the match.

[Rovers_4_life]

[waggy]

lets get back on topic,apart from chelski man utd arsenal and maybe liverpoo the other teams in the premier are very much of a muchness.every team is capable off beating one another,it has been said IF we beat sunderland we can go as high as 7th or maybe 6th depending on west ham tomorrow night.before the season started i hoped for a better finish than last season,tbh we are safe now can't see 3 teams getting 37pts.

now comes the crunch do we go for europe!!!!tbh i reckon we have no chance,do we stick with the same players and try to finish as high as possible.do we give lucas and emu a rest before the world cup?do we blood a few youngsters?

[S15]

Premiership football is sh*te.

Complete sh*te.

90% of matches are a complete bore unless your team is involved, there is no atmosphere at 90% of matches, there is a small crowd at 90% of matches, and 90% of the season can be predicted before it's even started.

Something needs changing, but I have no idea what. I fear Rovers will turn into an eternally dull team such as Villa, Charlton or Everton, who will 90% of the time occupy a position between 8th and 17th.

Yesterday was sh*te. We are toothless like we were pre Christmas, and nothing other than a win on Wednesday will kill our season.

[roversmum]

City is beating Charlton meaning we are now DOWN TO 10TH PLACE in the table unless Charlton can get another goal