[Archived] Nicko

[Hughesy]

If you play with one up.....totally isolated, then you invite attack after unwavering attack and eventually the errors will arrive. This is not the playeres' fault but the set-up dictated by the manager.

Eventually???

7 mins in the 1st half & 4 mins in the 2nd half.....hardly held out did we!

1 up top does not defend a team from making mistakes - cant they concentrate for 10 minutes?!

[Amo]

Amazed that some of the players aren't getting more of the blame from fans for our poor performances. We have a large number of under performing players, players who have failed to perform to a decent standard for years and especially haven't been playing well under our last two managers.

Yes the manager has to motivate and get the best out of their players but at the same time if the player's don't want to perform then what can you do.

So who is to blame for our current situation? Sam, the board and the players. Its not just Sam.

The buck stops with the manager. It is his responsibility to select and organise the best 11 on the day. If certain players are underpeforming, then you drop them. We have some players on the fringes of the first-team who are rarely given a proper crack, whereas Sam continues to keep faith with the Dioufs, Andrews, and Pedersens of this world.

[alexanders]

The buck stops with the manager. It is his responsibility to select and organise the best 11 on the day. If certain players are underpeforming, then you drop them. We have some players on the fringes of the first-team who are rarely given a proper crack, whereas Sam continues to keep faith with the Dioufs, Andrews, and Pedersens of this world.

Just look what happened when Olsson, Hoilett and Kalinic came on.

[Hughesy]

The buck stops with the manager. It is his responsibility to select and organise the best 11 on the day. If certain players are underpeforming, then you drop them. We have some players on the fringes of the first-team who are rarely given a proper crack, whereas Sam continues to keep faith with the Dioufs, Andrews, and Pedersens of this world.

Who are our biggest under-performers this season?

As far as I can see, he has dropped them and tried to get a reaction from them.......

So far he has dropped - McCarthy, Roberts, Diouf, MGP, Andrews....

[tonyoz]

Eventually???

7 mins in the 1st half & 4 mins in the 2nd half.....hardly held out did we!

1 up top does not defend a team from making mistakes - cant they concentrate for 10 minutes?!

I stand by my comment. If we abandon ambition in the opposition's half, it's "backs to the wall" for the entire game. When a team concedes 4,5 or 6 goals on a regular basis, some of them will be in the first 10 minutes.

[Amo]

Just look what happened when Olsson, Hoilett and Kalinic came on.

Please refer back to my post:

"It is his responsibility to select and organise the best 11 on the day."

As far as I can see, he has dropped them and tried to get a reaction from them.......

And how's that worked out...?

So far he has dropped - McCarthy, Roberts, Diouf, MGP, Andrews....

Both MGP & Andrews played the other night, and more than likely Diouf would have too.

This also doesn't explain why our most expensive signings Kalinic & Salgado are afforded little time to prove themselves. Alan Judge also returned from a promising time at Plymouth, yet he doesn't get a shot.

[Hughesy]

Is Judge Back?!!?

MGP played probably because of his goal in the previous game....Andrews because nobody else is fit!

Cant drop players if there is nobody to take their place!!

[alexanders]

I think we agree with each other Topman, but maybe my bad English has let me down and we misunderstood each other.

[Amo]

MGP played probably because of his goal in the previous game....Andrews because nobody else is fit!

Cant drop players if there is nobody to take their place!!

So you don't think Salgado, Judge, Reid or anyone else would be worth a shot over Andrews et al?

I think we agree with each other Topman, but maybe my bad English has let me down and we misunderstood each other.

Sorry, I thought you were being sarcastic, because we conceded four minutes into the second half.

[alexanders]

No, I agree with you.

The whole game turned when we got the likes of Hoilett, Olsson and Kalinic on.

We started playing the ball around and created a few chances.

[RoversSG]

Probably answers any question people may have about journalists visiting fan websites.

Couold have been put together from posts on here or it could be true

Wow! I know things are bad but i didn't expect it to be so bad! I would have thought regardless of the anti-BFS fans, the majority would at least give him till the end of the season. I personally feel that we should wait till the end of the season. It's probably too big a risk for us to bring me a new manager at this stage and other than hughes (who i doubt would want to come back), i don't think there are any good available managers at the moment (bearing in mind we're probably too broke to poach someone else manager).

[TimmyJimmy]

Nicko your article made for very uncomfortable reading. You are a journo and have a wage to make so I have don't have any issues with what you choose to write to earn a living. That said I believe that the pieces of evidence do not add up to the whole in this case. The dressing room unrest and the board room unrest are probably factual but by themselves are not 'newsworthy' whilst the banner line abot Sam having two games to save his job is probably false yet newsworthy. You need to do what you feel is best but it certainly doesn't help BRFC to have that kind of headline in the public domain.

The dressing room situation is addressable only through transfers in and out. No manager (whether he is perceived as competent or not) can tolerate that dissension. A bit of discord is OK and normal from time to time but orchestrated dissent is not. Was Benny really injured? I bet not. Is he a voice of dissent? Bet yes. That kind of unrest spreads like the plague. Same goes for the attitudes of MGP, Roberts, Diouff and a few others. He needs to lose these guys asap and replace them with his own people who believe in what he is advocating.

If the board will not back him with funds and there are no buyers for the septic ones how does he fix problems in two games?

My view is that I wish he set the team up differently. Yet his style might be the one that is best suited for the players we have and would bring three points every game if only the players stuck to the script (I don't believe it for one minute but we'll never know how good/bad he is until the players have given it a go 100%).

Right now Sam is stuck between a rock and a hard place, it's the no win situation to end all no win situations. The only way forward is for the players to do what they are paid to do and swallow their opinions and give it a go.

Nothing is going to change of course and we most definitely cannot afford to change manager and backroom staff again. There is no better option out there, Hughes will not come back and Coyle is gone elsewhere. Changing manager now will relegate us so heaping the negative waves on the club via headlines like these is not helping us.

If Sam is given the backing of the players and board then we will finish above Hull, Bumley and Portsmouth - that's all that is required.

Close season is close season and all options can be examined then, if a change is deemed neccessary after a bit of calm reflection then so be it.

Right now Nicko you are stoking up the righteous indignation of the boo-boys and that cannot help. I would be happier to see factual commentary in the papers and the speculation posted on this board.

[Hughesy]

So you don't think Salgado, Judge, Reid or anyone else would be worth a shot over Andrews et al?

Salgado is a defender, im not sure Judge is back & Reid isnt fit (hence why he wasnt even on the original bench).

Best thing is to get rid of Andrews and then we have 11 men again!

[Amo]

Salgado is a defender, im not sure Judge is back & Reid isnt fit (hence why he wasnt even on the original bench).

Yet Sam has twice played Salgado as a winger?

Stands to reason he'd do a job in centre-mid. He hasn't got the legs to play out wide.

Best thing is to get rid of Andrews and then we have 11 men again!

We had the chance but we never took it.

[Fife Rover]

Whilst I don't disagree with you there, the question is then

(and it is blatantly obvious)

What's the point in having a Manager of the team if the footballers are in effect going to do what THEY want and not what the Manager wants?

I don't think anybody has said or even implied that the players as a team have either said or even thought about an out and out mutiny. Rather more likely that they have had a frank discussion with Sam and pointed out to him a few of the facts of the situation; namely that they do not like his tactics, and they don't have any faith in them working effectively given the players we have in the squad at present. Perhaps even gone as far as pointing out that they are NOT Bolton Wanderers, and they ARE capable of playing both attractive and effective football when allowed to do so. Then again perhaps not, but if I was a senior pro with Rovers right now there is no doubt in my mind that that is EXACTLY what I would be saying.

[DazRover]

Nicko your article made for very uncomfortable reading. You are a journo and have a wage to make so I have don't have any issues with what you choose to write to earn a living. That said I believe that the pieces of evidence do not add up to the whole in this case. The dressing room unrest and the board room unrest are probably factual but by themselves are not 'newsworthy' whilst the banner line abot Sam having two games to save his job is probably false yet newsworthy. You need to do what you feel is best but it certainly doesn't help BRFC to have that kind of headline in the public domain.

The dressing room situation is addressable only through transfers in and out. No manager (whether he is perceived as competent or not) can tolerate that dissension. A bit of discord is OK and normal from time to time but orchestrated dissent is not. Was Benny really injured? I bet not. Is he a voice of dissent? Bet yes. That kind of unrest spreads like the plague. Same goes for the attitudes of MGP, Roberts, Diouff and a few others. He needs to lose these guys asap and replace them with his own people who believe in what he is advocating.

If the board will not back him with funds and there are no buyers for the septic ones how does he fix problems in two games?

My view is that I wish he set the team up differently. Yet his style might be the one that is best suited for the players we have and would bring three points every game if only the players stuck to the script (I don't believe it for one minute but we'll never know how good/bad he is until the players have given it a go 100%).

Right now Sam is stuck between a rock and a hard place, it's the no win situation to end all no win situations. The only way forward is for the players to do what they are paid to do and swallow their opinions and give it a go.

Nothing is going to change of course and we most definitely cannot afford to change manager and backroom staff again. There is no better option out there, Hughes will not come back and Coyle is gone elsewhere. Changing manager now will relegate us so heaping the negative waves on the club via headlines like these is not helping us.

If Sam is given the backing of the players and board then we will finish above Hull, Bumley and Portsmouth - that's all that is required.

Close season is close season and all options can be examined then, if a change is deemed neccessary after a bit of calm reflection then so be it.

Right now Nicko you are stoking up the righteous indignation of the boo-boys and that cannot help. I would be happier to see factual commentary in the papers and the speculation posted on this board.

I agree, if the best the dingles can do is Brian Laws it shows the lack of options out there. I think if we stick with Sam we will stay up, then have a re-think in the summer if we have to.

[nicko]

Nicko your article made for very uncomfortable reading. You are a journo and have a wage to make so I have don't have any issues with what you choose to write to earn a living. That said I believe that the pieces of evidence do not add up to the whole in this case. The dressing room unrest and the board room unrest are probably factual but by themselves are not 'newsworthy' whilst the banner line abot Sam having two games to save his job is probably false yet newsworthy. You need to do what you feel is best but it certainly doesn't help BRFC to have that kind of headline in the public domain.

Right now Nicko you are stoking up the righteous indignation of the boo-boys and that cannot help. I would be happier to see factual commentary in the papers and the speculation posted on this board.

I would remind you that I was against the anti-Sam stuff around here a few weeks/months ago.

You can't stick your head in the sand and ignore things that are happening all around.

Like I said before there are some well-informed people around here who know a lot of details about recent events and their info is the same as mine.

There comes a time when the factors involved cannot be ignored. There is even more that has not and will not come out at this stage.

However, football being football, Rovers could win tomorrow and the pressure comes off.

I agree that 'two games to save his job' was a bit stark. But I stand by every word written...and not written [if you know what I mean].

[mellison24]

I would remind you that I was against the anti-Sam stuff around here a few weeks/months ago.

You can't stick your head in the sand and ignore things that are happening all around.

Like I said before there are some well-informed people around here who know a lot of details about recent events and their info is the same as mine.

There comes a time when the factors involved cannot be ignored. There is even more that has not and will not come out at this stage.

However, football being football, Rovers could win tomorrow and the pressure comes off.

I agree that 'two games to save his job' was a bit stark. But I stand by every word written...and not written [if you know what I mean].

Just for someone who's a bit thick (me, obv). You mean 'every word implied'?

[ultrablue]

Just for someone who's a bit thick (me, obv). You mean 'every word implied'?

Make your own mind up Mellison. It's up to you what you think the article implies.

[nicko]

Just for someone who's a bit thick (me, obv). You mean 'every word implied'?

No, there are certain things that I found out yesterday that I kept out of the story.

Leave it at that for now.

[mellison24]

Make your own mind up Mellison. It's up to you what you think the article implies.

Basically: We're in deep shizzle.

[ABBEY]

No, there are certain things that I found out yesterday that I kept out of the story.

Leave it at that for now.

Why leave it if its fact...let's get everything out in the open and take it from there...mind you what do fans know we need an expert view

[G Somerset Rover]

Basically: We're in deep shizzle.

That's the impression I'm getting..from top to bottom.

[Blackburn Ender]

A big problem for us is you can't legislate for individual errors, such as Robinson's mistake for city's first goal on Monday night.

We were up against it - yet again - from that moment on.

Also, Sam sits next to John Williams every game. That must be getting bloody uncomfortable for both of them, I imagine!

But, given the poor quality of the teams around and below us and a lack of stand-out potential replacements, we might as well stick with Sam 'til the summer, then have a think.

Plus, I doubt afer getting Ince wrong that Williams would want to face finding another manager who can successfully operate under the conditions at Ewood Park.

Regardless of individual poor performances, I think there's enough quality in our squad to stay up.

Putting tomorrow's game to one side, Sunday is - once again - a massive game for us.

Two up front, please, with two wide men. Simple formation and keep it on the deck. Back to basics and no hoof ball!

[rovers_rob]

I would remind you that I was against the anti-Sam stuff around here a few weeks/months ago.

You can't stick your head in the sand and ignore things that are happening all around.

Like I said before there are some well-informed people around here who know a lot of details about recent events and their info is the same as mine.

There comes a time when the factors involved cannot be ignored. There is even more that has not and will not come out at this stage.

However, football being football, Rovers could win tomorrow and the pressure comes off.

I agree that 'two games to save his job' was a bit stark. But I stand by every word written...and not written [if you know what I mean].

I don't know anything that is going on behind the scenes but listening to the interviews that Sam is doing at the moment he seems to be knocking the players all the time. That must have an affect on the players confidence and that will create a divide.

The interview that he gave before the City game on espn was so defeatist as well.

The same happened just before Ince got the boot. If we lose another game and Sam mentions the lack of funding in an interview I think that will be it.

At what point wdo you think the directors will draw up a shortlist to replace Sam ?