[Archived] Preview of ROVERS vs. Blackpool; 19 March 2011.

[Stuart]

'No neutral tears if Rovers are relegated'

Sadly, all too true.

Id wager on many wanting us down

"Rovers also have fixtures against fellow strugglers Birmingham, West Ham and Wolves between now and the end of the season - but a huge hindrance is the fact Rovers' players simply haven't got the mindset for a survival battle, whereas players at West Brom, Blackpool, Wolves, Wigan and West Ham have been fighting for their top-tier lives all season, giving them an edge."

I'm sure I'm coming off as an optimistic fool at the minute but that is just rubbish.

So teams who have been poor ALL season are suddenly going to be instantly better than teams who are normally higher up the table? Pah.

Not saying the overall sentiment isn't true but that is just sour-grapes logic - at best. Sorry but I'm not taking any notice of a bitter West Brom fan. 6 points Simon Wilkes, 6 points. And still above you.

[gumboots]

[ Somehow Kean has had a good team talk[/b] for them to play like they did in the second half. By all accounts Rovers had the better of the first 2o minutes in the first half.

Jermain Jones has to learn he cannot keep on fouling the way he does, in the areas he does. Instead of paying 90.000 a week to RSC Rovers should have pushed for Adams.

Actually Hoillet I think it was said on Radio Rovers that the staff and the captain got them going for the second half, never mentioned the manager specifically - seems to have been more the players themselves who decided they wanted it more than the manager actually doing anything.

[tony gale's mic]

"Rovers also have fixtures against fellow strugglers Birmingham, West Ham and Wolves between now and the end of the season - but a huge hindrance is the fact Rovers' players simply haven't got the mindset for a survival battle, whereas players at West Brom, Blackpool, Wolves, Wigan and West Ham have been fighting for their top-tier lives all season, giving them an edge."

I'm sure I'm coming off as an optimistic fool at the minute but that is just rubbish.

So teams who have been poor ALL season are suddenly going to be instantly better than teams who are normally higher up the table? Pah.

Not saying the overall sentiment isn't true but that is just sour-grapes logic - at best. Sorry but I'm not taking any notice of a bitter West Brom fan. 6 points Simon Wilkes, 6 points. And still above you.

I wouldn't quite put it that way, but I'd actually go further back and say teams that have been used to fighting for survival over the last two or three seasons like Wigan etc will definitely have a psychological edge over us since they've done it before. We haven't been fighting for survival this late on and been this close to the drop since the season we actually went down.

The seasons we've been worried about relegation we've usually fairly likely to stay up by this point in the season.

[grizfoot]

Thank god for Chris Samba and Junior Holiett. The former was a danger from set-pieces all day long and could have easily had more than his one goal. Holiett was man of the match by a country mile had the beating of their right-back all day long and some his dribbling is reminisicient of a young Damien Duff (can't really pay him a higher compliment than that). Elsewhere there was largely average performances but despite that we created enough chances to win three or four game let alone one! The late goal was more than justice for the amount of play we had, especially in the second half, a draw is not the greatest of results against probably the worst side in the league at home but given how close the league is this point could prove very crucial for the fact that it takes two extra points from Blackpool. Don't like to blame referees too much but today's performance by Howard Webb MBE was baffling for large parts, didn't look like a penalty to me and then there was the fiasco of the Blackpool "offside" involving probably the latest offside flag your ever likely to see. Well at least nobody can argue that today's game wasn't entertaining enough for them I suppose.

[gumboots]

"Rovers also have fixtures against fellow strugglers Birmingham, West Ham and Wolves between now and the end of the season - but a huge hindrance is the fact Rovers' players simply haven't got the mindset for a survival battle, whereas players at West Brom, Blackpool, Wolves, Wigan and West Ham have been fighting for their top-tier lives all season, giving them an edge."

I'm sure I'm coming off as an optimistic fool at the minute but that is just rubbish.

So teams who have been poor ALL season are suddenly going to be instantly better than teams who are normally higher up the table? Pah.

Not saying the overall sentiment isn't true but that is just sour-grapes logic - at best. Sorry but I'm not taking any notice of a bitter West Brom fan. 6 points Simon Wilkes, 6 points. And still above you.

I read that article and thought it was certainly not written by a neutral. I think we will probably go down but it was great to see the players seeming to want to get out of the mess we found ourselves in today. Until the 2 Blackpool goals we hadn't done a lot wrong and it was the speed with which those 2 followed one another that knocked the stuffing out of players. According to Salgado on Radio Rovers it is a very normal reaction when you know that you really need to win and then you feel that things have somehow just gone haywore without your doing anything too disastrously wrong - yes, the Jones foul was silly but these things happen. At half time I, like most of the crowd I suspect, wanted to go home because I could only see the match going one way. However, I stayed because I'd stuck with it so far and couldn't see how I could leave. I was glad I did, not because it felt good at the end, but because we ended the game on a high whereas Blackpool must have ended on a real downer. It might not make a difference, but it just might. There are still huge problems at Rovers and there's no point in pretending this is anything but 2 points dropped but it feels better than that.

[joey_big_nose]

The first half was nothing short of a disgrace Rev,the fans were literally shell shocked into near silence around me a half time,I dont think I've witnessed that before.

I don't agree with that - on balance over the first half we were roughly even with Blackpool. The difference was the appalling penalty decision and a sublime free kick. We had our chances that we didn't take. We had most of the ball.

Second half we totally dominated. The performance broadly speaking was actually one of our best of the season in terms of shots and possession. We should have won but our finishing was poor and we did not have the luck. I think we hit the post three times and missed three great chances.

Kean has turned out some real garbage - Villa, Newcastle, Wigan - but today and against Fulham we have looked decent. The issue is not so much us playing badly, but playing relatively well but still not picking up enough points.

The main pluses for me was a sublime Hoilett and a decent looking central midfield especially when P Jones came on. Still got big problems with defensive organisation though, and our striking options look extremely poor. We need to get someone up top on form and scoring. We haven't had this since Cruz's efforts way back in 2008...

[Fylde Coast Fan]

I was all set for going home at half time to be honest. Glad I didn't, and the emotion when Hoilett scored was an amazing moment.

While we were dire after the offside goal until half time, I reluctantly offer a couple of points in defense of Steve Kean:

- This group of players has always struggled with keeping their chins up after conceding a goal, going back to Hughes. Soon as we let one in we fall to pieces for 15 minutes, and Blackpool took full advantage.

- Whatever Kean said to put a rocket up their arses at half time worked.

- There are NINE teams within six points of each other in the bottom half of the table. Ask Newcastle fans, they think they're going down. Same with Villa, same (I'm sure) with a lot of other clubs that probably won't go down.

Are we in trouble? Yes. Can we get out of it? Yes. Will we? If we play like the second half today against Birmingham, yes.

[Parsonblue]

'No neutral tears if Rovers are relegated'

Sadly, all too true.

Id wager on many wanting us down

I fear that there will be no tears shed if we go down and rightly so in my opinion. All of our problems have been self inflicted by an owner who hasn't got a clue what she is doing. To sack an established manager and replace him with Kean simply because she believes he's a hard worker is staggering, particularly when his agent was the main man whispering in her ear at that time. Now it appears that Kean is the main man whispering in her ear. No doubt he will tell her that a point against Blackpool was a wonderful result and, sadly, I have no doubt that she will believe him. Having these two individuals leading the club after John Williams and Souness/Hughes/Allardyce shows just how far this great club has fallen. I don't think I have ever felt as disillusioned with things at Ewood as I do now.

Today was two points dropped because, once again, our astute manager couldn't set up a side to deal with the threat that Blackpool offered in midfield. Adams was allowed to run the game and how our midfield cried out for a player with a tenth of his ability in terms of passing. There is absolutely no point in paying a hefty wage to Roque if you can't supply him with the type of service he needs and the way we are set up it is very difficult to see how we will ever do that.

The January transfer window has proved to be a nightmare for the club. I assume Formica is sharing the same treatment room as Grella and Dunn. Having signed in January it is going to be April at the earliest before we see our so called "star" attraction. Although the rumours of work permit problems don't seem to go away. Meanwhile, the youngster who had previously appeared in 3 games for Barcelona 'B' this season has made it as far as the bench but appears not to be good enough to shift Roberts or Mame Biram Diouf from ahead of him.

For all the talk about entertaining football, our goalscoring opportunities are coming from set pieces when the ball is launched into the opposition area. Since Sam left "Fortress Ewood" has become a soft touch under Kean and I'm sure that Birmingham and Bolton will arrive at Ewood fancying their chances.

Desai said she wanted entertainment and I hope she his happy with what she has got. As a supporter of fifty years standing, I simply wanted a team that could hold it's own in the Premier League, sadly, it looks like I'm going to be sampling the Venky brand of entertainment in the Championship next season. At least we will be spared the club being held up to ridicule as there isn't the same level of interest in a mid-Championship club.

[Kelbo]

Actually Hoillet I think it was said on Radio Rovers that the staff and the captain got them going for the second half, never mentioned the manager specifically - seems to have been more the players themselves who decided they wanted it more than the manager actually doing anything.

If that is the case, then Kean should never walk into Ewood ever again in any capacity, that is unbelievable!

Come on Venkys, we know you arent the sharpest kives in the drawer but get rid of Kean now!

[Stuart]

I read that article and thought it was certainly not written by a neutral. I think we will probably go down but it was great to see the players seeming to want to get out of the mess we found ourselves in today. Until the 2 Blackpool goals we hadn't done a lot wrong and it was the speed with which those 2 followed one another that knocked the stuffing out of players. According to Salgado on Radio Rovers it is a very normal reaction when you know that you really need to win and then you feel that things have somehow just gone haywore without your doing anything too disastrously wrong - yes, the Jones foul was silly but these things happen. At half time I, like most of the crowd I suspect, wanted to go home because I could only see the match going one way. However, I stayed because I'd stuck with it so far and couldn't see how I could leave. I was glad I did, not because it felt good at the end, but because we ended the game on a high whereas Blackpool must have ended on a real downer. It might not make a difference, but it just might. There are still huge problems at Rovers and there's no point in pretending this is anything but 2 points dropped but it feels better than that.

Very good points.

[Fylde Coast Fan]

If Kean goes in the morning, who takes over? Jensen?

We need some continuity. Bad continuity is better than chaos.

[HemelRover]

That seems to be a recurring them around here RVR.

Okay, as someone who was at the game and seemingly a lone voice...

It was truly desparate stuff in the first half but that was probably as a result of the penalty being given and the player's heads going down. Blackpool's goals came from a couple of set pieces which had it not been for (a poor on the day) Howard Webb trying to make up for his faux pas with the first disallowed goal may well not have resulted in the 2-0 lead for them.

Watching droves of fans in the Blackburn end head for the concourse (being kind) after 20-odd minutes was heartbreaking - although that end did still look full as we got back into the game second half. The fans actually created a fantastic atmosphere towards the end and it was quite right that we got the late equaliser. Although we had plenty of chances prior to that which were spurned. Santa Cruz and Hoilett being the main culprits.

I've been very critical of Kean this last few weeks as my patience wore thin but his motto of "we'll look to the positives" was never more apt than today.

Had it not been for our precarious position, I would say that that was the kind of match which is worth going to. It had everything - lows, highs, atmosphere, head-in-hands, bums-on-edge-of-seat, goals, chances. Perhaps I'm going over the top there but looking at the table with us in 13th says that there are seven teams poorer than us - still! - so we need to take all the positives we can from here on in.

Maybe a change of manager could make the difference, maybe Givet not getting himself stupidly sent off last match might have made a difference. All that debate can wait until tomorrow. I'm going to have a few beers and enjoy this evening. There might only be a couple of such nights ahead over the next 8 games.

I think i love you for that post. And the highlighted bit especially.

[Stuart]

I think i love you for that post. And the highlighted bit especially.

[Mr C]

The only thing which salvaged us a point was Big Sam type hoofball. Nice to see the Robinson 'assist' back in all it's glory. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, don't they Mr Kean?

[tony gale's mic]

Had it not been for our precarious position, I would say that that was the kind of match which is worth going to. It had everything - lows, highs, atmosphere, head-in-hands, bums-on-edge-of-seat, goals, chances. Perhaps I'm going over the top there but looking at the table with us in 13th says that there are seven teams poorer than us - still! - so we need to take all the positives we can from here on in.

- There are NINE teams within six points of each other in the bottom half of the table. Ask Newcastle fans, they think they're going down. Same with Villa, same (I'm sure) with a lot of other clubs that probably won't go down.

This is the reason why you're both wrong.

That simple reason is why so many of us are so worried about us looking like the most likely candidates for the drop.

And our next four fixtures involve three very difficult fixtures away at Arsenal and Everton and home to Man City; and a six pointer at home to Birmingham. Lose that and we are as good as down IMO. Fail to win it and things still look very bad.

The next six fixtures are harder than the six we've just had, so without a sudden upturn in our fortunes there is only one way we are heading.

[Silencio]

However, if the players weren't putting in a shift, I'm sure you'd be the first to blame that on the manager.

Come on, Rev. Don't try taking it out of other people when you were one of the ones most delighted when Dev and Sunita took over and sacked Sam.

[thenodrog]

We got lucky enough today (considering we were 2 down at half time) but the team really is a shambles. Relegation is the only natural conclusion. Our owners bought a Premier League operation and are running it like a two bob corner shop. Crap, crap, utterly crap.

Bout right. imo the most likely outcome of our equaliser is that Blackpool will come down with us. Shame for them cos overall they were the better team and their football was better too.

Our 2nd half rejuvination btw was straight out of the Allardyce handbook! I seem to rem that after Blackpool running rings around us for 45 mins that our second half tactics of long punts forward, long throw ins and Robbo taking free kicks from the half way line reaped dividends ..... which speaks volumes after Allardyces tactics had been banned/abandoned by Kean early in his reign simply to suit Mrs Desai who lets rem, and by her own admission had never been to a single match in her life and knows sweet FA about football in general.

[Rovers Gals]

Doesn't matter. This is what happens when you put in awful performances in other games and don't get results. You don't get the results you need in some games by playing poorly, then you get unlucky in other games. Recipe for relegation.

[Stuart]

This is the reason why you're both wrong.

That simple reason is why so many of us are so worried about us looking like the most likely candidates for the drop.

And our next four fixtures involve three very difficult fixtures away at Arsenal and Everton and home to Man City; and a six pointer at home to Birmingham. Lose that and we are as good as down IMO. Fail to win it and things still look very bad.

The next six fixtures are harder than the six we've just had, so without a sudden upturn in our fortunes there is only one way we are heading.

The thing is Doc, if we all think like that, we will be relegated. In that second half, something amazing happened. We got a goal back and the crowd actually got hold of that magic bug called 'hope'. The atmosphere in the ground was brilliant and if we just keep that going in our final home games, there's a chance that we could do it. There are teams below us who are also on the slide and there are no easy fixtures in this league just ask a Villa fan after today's game.

What will be will be but let's at least not go down without a fight and getting behind the team.

I've been extremely cynical of late. I'm not a Kean fan and I have big problem with Andrews being in the first team (notable by his absence today) but until it is all over, I'm going to make a point of trying to be positive about our chances.

Nothing wrong with that his there?

And form is all relative to the games you are playing at the time. There have been many examples on this board of a run of matches one season compared to another season where the same fixtures have been spread apart. The season is 38 games long and it's only the form over all 38 games which counts. The rest is just conjecture and opinion.

Keep The Faith!

[tony gale's mic]

The thing is Doc, if we all think like that, we will be relegated. In that second half, something amazing happened. We got a goal back and the crowd actually got hold of that magic bug called 'hope'. The atmosphere in the ground was brilliant and if we just keep that going in our final home games, there's a chance that we could do it. There are teams below us who are also on the slide and there are no easy fixtures in this league just ask a Villa fan after today's game.

What will be will be but let's at least not go down without a fight and getting behind the team.

I've been extremely cynical of late. I'm not a Kean fan and I have big problem with Andrews being in the first team (notable by his absence today) but until it is all over, I'm going to make a point of trying to be positive about our chances.

Nothing wrong with that his there?

And form is all relative to the games you are playing at the time. There have been many examples on this board of a run of matches one season compared to another season where the same fixtures have been spread apart. The season is 38 games long and it's only the form over all 38 games which counts. The rest is just conjecture and opinion.

Keep The Faith!

Don't get me wrong when we're at the games we need to cheer on the team as much as we can, be as positive as we can and on the whole the atmosphere was great today.

But when we're talking about things out of the heat of the moment on here, it's much better for discussion to maintain a realistic outlook. And that basically states that we're in the worst form in the league, with maybe the toughest run in of all of our rivals.

Let's not go down without a fight - agreed. But we need to be realistic and there have been people on here who have been burying their heads in the sand ever since the Allardyce sacking, although granted I don't think you were one of them.

[Rovers Gals]

How many points have we won under kean ? now if one owns a business and your new manager loosing money would you replace before went into financial trouble ? quite simple in my eyes . Or one could strip company of assets and run away .

The only thing which salvaged us a point was Big Sam type hoofball. Nice to see the Robinson 'assist' back in all it's glory. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, don't they Mr Kean?

yes It seems so

[thenodrog]

Actually Hoillet I think it was said on Radio Rovers that the staff and the captain got them going for the second half, never mentioned the manager specifically - seems to have been more the players themselves who decided they wanted it more than the manager actually doing anything.

Just logged on but that would be my interpretation of the turnaround in the match. I mentioned in the pub that Samba must have locked Kean out of the dressing room at ht.

[Steve Moss]

Anyone who thinks a draw at home to Blackpool is acceptable is as deluded as the manager.

The fact that this comes from a man who looks like the Joker emphasis the level of delusion within the top tiers of the Rovers.

The only chance to stay up is sack Keen tonight. Totaly out of his depth.

I believe this would give us a boost. I don't believe it will happen as it would be an implicit concession that they made a mistake.

Ian Holloway after the game. Fair play to him.

Despite a certain level of insanity, Holloway remains a class act.

Kean, please do the decent thing and hold your hands up, you are out of your depth, walk away from my club before it is too late.

2-2 is a shocking result, don't let the circumstances blind you.

To do this Kean would have to demonstrate some character. I don't think he has it in him.

Steve Kean was 'happy' with today's result listening to his post match interview.....

Which tells me a lot about Steve Kean and only reinforces my opinion that he should be shown the exit door.

Thank god for Chris Samba and Junior Holiett. The former was a danger from set-pieces all day long and could have easily had more than his one goal. Holiett was man of the match by a country mile . . .

Agreed 100%

[Hekla]

It was nice to see Kalinic and Rochina come off from the bench...

[EWOODACE1]

up until the 1st goal both teams where getting by and we looked slightly more dangerous than them. when they got their 2 goals that quickly they bossed the rest of the 1st half.

2nd half we were brilliant. for once kean must have got something right in his talk. the amount of chances we had was unbelievable and how we only scored 2 was disapointing. 5 times hoilet came in from the left and pulled the ball back and unfortunatly the one that someone was on the end of was our worst player nzonzi and he couldn't even hit the target from 8 yards out. the rest was down to the fact that santa didnt attempt to meet one and just stood there. he was also non existant for the most part and didnt look interested.

the game really turned when phil jones came on and totally changed the midfield. he won everything, kept possession and took adam out of the game. jermaine jones also looked a better player with him along side.

i dont think this masks the 1st half and keans tactics as one half of a game doesnt forgive for the last 5 and half games and we have a very tough run in. what we need now is kean to stop messing around, pick his best 11 and stick with it. making 3-4 changes every match shows he is panicking. teams always do better when left alone and they are given a run.

that being said i dont believe nzonzi, diouf, emerton and cruz should be in there. now jones is back things could be better