[Archived] Rovers v West Ham

[AndyR]

"Also, as a special treat, Cadbury are handing out Cadbury's Button giveaways on the councourses between 1.30pm and 3.00pm."

Was it not West Ham we played when they gave away chocolate bars before, which we then bombarded David James with when he ran out towards the goal.

Not that I am condoning that type of behaviour you understand but it was hilarious

[Daremz]

Anyone with an expectation on the attendance this saturday, after all this week's affairs? And how many Hammer-fans will travel? Really curious!

[philipl]

BBC Radio 5Live are basing their broadcasts on Saturday from Ewood Park so that's about 10 more.

[neophox]

I think its good we got rid of Sam and Neill, just a waste of money. I think Kean is the main man at rovers.

[Davenport Nice]

i think it's v important that the owners know exactly how we feel, straight away. the moment might be gone ifv we wait. really hope something is organi

sed. it doesn't have to be detremental to the team or kean. just something that lets them know how we feel.

Our Town,

Our Team,

Respect it.

[gumboots]

i think it's v important that the owners know exactly how we feel, straight away. the moment might be gone ifv we wait. really hope something is organi

sed. it doesn't have to be detremental to the team or kean. just something that lets them know how we feel.

Our Town,

Our Team,

Respect it.

Anything that means that the crowd are not 100% behind the manager and the team at the start of the match has to be detrimental to the team. Saturday's match is not about Allardyce; It's about our team trying to get 3 points against a West Ham team we have found hard to beat recently, a team under enormous pressure themselves. Dislike what the owners have done and find a means of protesting if you can that does not impact on your support for the whole 90+ minutes of the match.

[elwaxo]

i think it's v important that the owners know exactly how we feel, straight away. the moment might be gone ifv we wait. really hope something is organi

sed. it doesn't have to be detremental to the team or kean. just something that lets them know how we feel.

Our Town,

Our Team,

Respect it.

Hope this idea/phrase runs... i like it!

[sambo]

The atmosphere on Saturday needs to be electric. Get behind the team, make some ridiculous noise.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I think its good we got rid of Sam and Neill, just a waste of money. I think Kean is the main man at rovers.

Looks like we'll find out come 3.00 pm on Saturday afternoon !

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

The atmosphere on Saturday needs to be electric. Get behind the team, make some ridiculous noise.

....And leave any protests/anger until the final whistle.

[Hughesy]

....And leave any protests/anger until the final whistle.

No just leave them until we know which direction the club is heading in terms of a new manager & new players.

Protest over a manager being sacked?? A manager that a massive amount of our fans hated his style & tactics?? Give over!

[tony gale's mic]

"one of the best". Nothing like pinpoint accuracy.

Statistically, we also had "one of the worst" away records.

Are you a supply teacher per chance?

When it comes to losing home games (which is what your statement mentioned), then only Everton and Birmingham lost fewer games at home than us last season. Hence "one of the best records outside of the top four".

How on earth is our away record significant, when you say statistically Sam would have lost this (home) game?!

By the way last season eight clubs lost more games than us away from home. So we were around mid table really.

I'm a doctor. Do you usually get the orders wrong at McDonalds?

[JamieUK]

Rather than booing for the owners which would obviously create a hostile atmosphere and possibly affect the players, I'd say the best way to show we object to their dealings would be chants of 'Uncle Jacks Blue & White Army' & 'One Jack Walker' for much of the game...

I still expect us to win this game and dont predict many changes - 4 at the back with Samba & Nelsen with Jones in midfield. The one possibly 'biggy' would be 2 up front but in my opinion we look more dangerous playing 4-5-1 as long as it's Olsson & EH Diouf/Hoilet on the wings. With these 2 involved we can make it 3 up front on the attack.

[philipl]

The great thing about Sam was when it came to the crunchy games, he won pretty well all of them.

Crunchy as in badly need to win, winnable games.

I have no idea what Steve Kean is going to do (apart from being very short handed as he doesn't have a deputy or a chief coach) but boy is this a bad time to be facing a bit of a bogey club for Rovers.

[The Harwood Yankee]

I'm wondering how many of our players are 'Allardyce men' as opposed to 'Rovers men', in the sense of someone like Craig Bellamy who carried an allegiance to Hughes but didnt really give 2 hoots about Rovers. The obvious one would be EH Diouf but presumably he's been working with Steve Kean well enough not to feel a total reliance on Sam getting the best out of him, as many commentators tend to suggest when discussing Diouf.

Saturday's game against West Ham suddenly becomes intersting for all sorts of reasons. In a way I wish we were playing one of the fixtures we would never expect to get anything out of (eg. Man U away). West Ham at home is totally winnable and anything less suddenly heaps all sorts of extra pressure on Kean.

I cant see him doing anything radically different to what Sam would have done with his starting 11, formation and selection wise. Maybe 2 up front? What will be interesting will be substitutions, and any tactical changes made during the match. That's an area where I always found Sam to be particularly weak. So many substitutions seemed to beg the question 'why?!'. And lets not forget the early days of Sam when he'd refuse to field an attacking formation at home, much to the annoyance of the home crowd.

Interesting times, and I'm looking forward to this West Ham game so much more than I was a week ago!

[Wild Irish Rover]

Wouldn't it be ironic if we lined up and played the same way as under Sam on Saturday?

Having said that, there's hardly enough time to adapt the playing system, so I fully expect us to line up 4 5 1, and for Robbo to be taking free kicks high into the opposition area during the game.

The big difference will be how demoralised / disaffected the players are due to the shenanigans of this week and the rampant uncertainty for the future on and off the pitch.

So, I'm going for a 2-0 scoreline (to us), crowd booing off the players at half time, chants of Uncle Jacks Blue & White Army and Big Sams Blue & White Army and a crowd of 23,483 including 534 from West Ham. Samba and Hoillet to score, Chris from a hoofed ball into the box set piece and Junior from a poked effort after a mazy dribble into the box where he loses it, it bobbles around, comes back off a defender after an attempted clearance and finds him facing goal with Robert Green stranded outside the 6 yard area.

C'mon u Rovers!

[Bobby G]

I can see a 4-4-2 starting off with a couple of distinct changes from Sam's line-up to set him apart "officially".

Jones back in center back, if Grella is fit to take his place. Olsson possibly at left back. Mame and Jason up front potentially. If it works, everyone will say "told you so" but they would be counting chickens too early.

[Mike Graham]

Lets get 100% behind the team on Saturday and make some noise.

However if I see the Chicken family in the Directors Box I will be giving them hell, I sit a few rows away and have a voice like a fog horn, they will understand my feelings. That may not please one or two of the "Chicklettes" that roam this MB but tough.

[roversmum]

How do you know they are not in agreement? I'd wager the vast majority would back it.

With respect, theno, that's a bit daft. They are professionals but they thrive on the support of the fans. Things change, we may not like it, but we all have to get on with it. No doubt you would prefer them to lose the match, but personally, I would rather like them to win it and they don't need distractions, they have had enough.

[Bobby G]

Lets get 100% behind the team on Saturday and make some noise.

However if I see the Chicken family in the Directors Box I will be giving them hell, I sit a few rows away and have a voice like a fog horn, they will understand my feelings. That may not please one or two of the "Chicklettes" that roam this MB but tough.

[den]

Lets get 100% behind the team on Saturday and make some noise.

However if I see the Chicken family in the Directors Box I will be giving them hell, I sit a few rows away and have a voice like a fog horn, they will understand my feelings. That may not please one or two of the "Chicklettes" that roam this MB but tough.

I can vouch for that. He has.

[Billy Big Pants]

Was it not West Ham we played when they gave away chocolate bars before, which we then bombarded David James with when he ran out towards the goal.

Not that I am condoning that type of behaviour you understand but it was hilarious

Haha I remember this... pretty sure it was Watford though?

'Time' bars possibly, and as he ran to the Blackburn End for the start of the second half... he had a proper strop on!

Seem to remember he had a blinder in a 0-0 draw?!

[47er]

No just leave them until we know which direction the club is heading in terms of a new manager & new players.

Protest over a manager being sacked?? A manager that a massive amount of our fans hated his style & tactics?? Give over!

It will be tough if we fail on Saturday --losing to the bottom club and no Allardyce to blame! Don't know how half the Board will cope.

Didn't think you'd be joining them Hughesy---what a u-turn.

[Ray-Von]

Haha I remember this... pretty sure it was Watford though?

'Time' bars possibly, and as he ran to the Blackburn End for the start of the second half... he had a proper strop on!

Seem to remember he had a blinder in a 0-0 draw?!

Watford in 1990, the bars were called "Applause." I think we got beat either 2-1 or 2-0.

Also memorable for Andy Kennedy scoring for Watford in the first half, cue his silly dance in front of the BBE. The goal was subsequently disallowed

[slough_rover]

Theres no way Kean can instill his methodology in under a week. Not going to happen so I will wait a few games before I start to make judgement on his tactics. You cant take a team that has played hoofball and 4-5-1 for 2 years to suddenly start playing slick football overnight.