[Archived] Michael Appleton - New Rovers Manager

[Guest Norbert]

Good thing I'm not listening to The Smiths or Joy Division whilst reading some of these posts this morning!

I think the previous two posters (Pafell and ParsonBlue) have said pretty much what I'd say. There has been too much chopping and changing this season, with many different negative influences regarding player and managerial recruitment. Influences that often came into conflict with each other which made the running of the club chaotic to say the least. It will take time, perhaps a season or so to undo that, but more if we decide to bin Appleton before the end of the year as the chump who will end up with the job will be far, far worse.

[Blue n White Rover]

His record so far, with the loanees he has brought in, suggests that is way beyond him

He has bought in Stewart, Jones, Bentley, Williamson, Rekik and Campbell.

Williamson - Has only played one game which was in the victory against Arsenal. Surely you're not stupid enough to judge him after that?

Rekik - Has been poor and was rightly dropped. Only a youngster though so will take him time to adapt. Regarded as City's brightest youth prospect, so was a good loan signing.

Campbell - Scored 10 in 17 at his previous club in the Championship. Hasn't been a good signing for us so I will give you that.

Jones - Looks a decent enough midfielder and a just refreshing to see someone actually put a shift in, in midfield.

Stewart - Nothing special on the left handside, but better than Pedersen.

Bentley - Starved of 1st team football for over 18months. He needs time to get his sharpness back. Never played yesterday as he was still recovering from illness.

So other than Campbell, I fail to see your point. Unless of course, you can enlighten me.

[rovers11]

He has bought in Stewart, Jones, Bentley, Williamson, Rekik and Campbell.

Williamson - Has only played one game which was in the victory against Arsenal. Surely you're not stupid enough to judge him after that?

Rekik - Has been poor and was rightly dropped. Only a youngster though so will take him time to adapt. Regarded as City's brightest youth prospect, so was a good loan signing.

Campbell - Scored 10 in 17 at his previous club in the Championship. Hasn't been a good signing for us so I will give you that.

Jones - Looks a decent enough midfielder and a just refreshing to see someone actually put a shift in, in midfield.

Stewart - Nothing special on the left handside, but better than Pedersen.

Bentley - Starved of 1st team football for over 18months. He needs time to get his sharpness back. Never played yesterday as he was still recovering from illness.

So other than Campbell, I fail to see your point. Unless of course, you can enlighten me.

I agree with that.

Williamson is proven at this level and looked decent when he played against Arsenal. Can also play in a number of positions so decent signing.

Bentley has obviously quality but hasn't played regularly pretty much since he left Rovers. Will be a good signing for next season (if he stays).

Campbell is proven at this level. Can play on the wing or as a striker. Needs a target man alongside him though.

Jones is also proven at this level and has been excellent so far.

Rekik has been terrible but is a young guy and potentially a future star. Not worked out yet.

Stewart seemed like a bit of a panic signing to add some pace to the squad after WBA said they wouldn't let Thomas go. Not convinced by him.

All in all, Appleton has brought in proven championship players, a youngester with a lot of potential and a former prem league star who still has a lot of quality and a lot to prove.

[Blue blood]

with his Orr quotes today and his seemingly lack of tactical changes, I'm starting to wonder...

What quotes were these? Definately think we need plan B next season for a promotion push, but am quite relieved that we have at least 1 tactic these days. Not enough to get us promoted but at least it gets us more organised and we've a purpose and plan these days. Hopefully plan A will work better as we bring in more players suited to it...

I feel you hit the nail on the head Tom. Reality is Shabby - it's hard to believe some called this guy the real deal when he arrived - appointed Berg and he was an outright disaster. Good guy, great player, pathetic manager, questionable values. It seems Shaw or Agnew influenced the Appleton choice. Not much better results than Berg really.

I like the words Appleton uses but we should worry about the players he deems good enough to come in. Granted Jones had a good 45 minutes on Saturday but then Murphy has had one good game as well. Signings since Appleton arrived are not good enough and if they are an indication of the calibre he views as capable of gaining promotion next season we are sunk.

We have a squad full of failed PL players who have proved they are not good enough to gain promotion. Appleton is busy signing Championship journeymen who are not good enough - anyone considered why we signed Campbell? A 31 year old who has played at 6 different clubs in 5 years plus had two other spells with Blackpool. That's effectively 8 clubs in five years. Why ? Because he's no bloody use at all.

It's clear now if we continue to sign players of this quality we will not be promoted next year.

... however this is my concern. Who will we bring in who can really make a difference. Campbell has a good record at this level but is too similar to Rhodes. Unless Rhodes is going this is a waste of a signing. As for Edwards... a failure at Burnley AND Hull - what makes anyone think he'll contribute anything of value here?

[Tom]

If we won every game and went up some people would moan about something blue and white best just to leave them to it

Whilst its simply not good enough one way or another at the minute I wouldn't put that down to the loans he has made, had Williamson not got injured our central midfield would look as solid as it has for a long long time with Bentley providing some creativity.

I've said my piece on the manager last night anyway and that boils down to I'd rather he had time to sort it than change for the sake of changing and giving Shebby another chance to get his foot in the door

[Howler]

Maybe worth noting that its taken Freedman a time to settle in at Bolton but now hes got them motoring and in good form.

[rovers11]

Maybe worth noting that its taken Freedman a time to settle in at Bolton but now hes got them motoring and in good form.

That's a verg good point. Anyone know what his league record was after 10 games?

[cesus]

Forget loan signings, comments made to the press about players etc, have things improved on the pitch since his arrival?

At this moment in time I'd say a resounding no, does this mean do I want him sacked again no. The foundations are built on quicksand and unfortunately he has players pulling in different directions, fans questioning whether football is even worth anymore pain and tears and a boardroom that must have one half discussing plans in one room and another half discussing plans in a different room. These factors must make his job almost impossible but for the first time this season and unlike most managers he hasn't had to spend time talking about the owners or the latest Shebby boo boo and still like other managers he hasn't been able to improve fortunes on the pitch.

We do need a mass exodus but I have a terrible feeling that the only players that we will be able to move on/ or players that will want to move will be our better players (Rhodes, Ollsson). In Championship terms our owners have spent a fortune on players and wages, they did this backing managers unfortunately they gave this money to the wrong men and I think Appleton will get next to no money this summer. The lack of funds heading his way in the summer make his loan signings the more intresting as these are the calibre of players we could be watching next season.

[RibbleValleyRover]

I don't think anyone takes pleasure in seeing him fail, if he fails so does Rovers. He still has to be given time, but if he struggles in the first 10 games next season then there would be a very strong argument for getting rid. Rovers cannot afford financially to be stuck in this division.

On the Venky's blame scale I would say it's pretty low this season. They have backed their managers with money e.g. Rhodes and the big increase on the wage bill, it's the managers' fault if anything that this money has been spent badly. The board level deserves more blame than Venky's this season with infighting causing management instability and affecting our ability to attract and select managers.

[PAFELL]

October for his p45 then

I get the impression that even if Appleton went on a ten match winning streak. You would still want to give him a p45.

The club does need a huge shake up from top to bottom, just as Appleton has said. Once that is done, then judge Appleton or whoever the manager is - but not before.

Bolton changed their manager and went on a very bad run. Now look at the run they are having now. It would take ANY manager a lot longer to sort Rovers out than any other club. For two years this club has been ripped apart, from the fan base to the boardroom. It will take more than a few months to fix what has been broken by venkys and previous managers. One thing Apleton has said, which I think most will agree with. There will be a lot of sweat and tears shed before this club is fixed. This time venkys have not brought in somebody to appease folk (shebby) but a sledge hammer to sort out the mess.

Rovers are not going up this season. But to be honest, is the club ready for going up yet? Not in my opinion. Until this club is healed from top to bottom, promotion is just a pipe dream under any manager.

[Parsonblue]

I don't think anyone takes pleasure in seeing him fail, if he fails so does Rovers. He still has to be given time, but if he struggles in the first 10 games next season then there would be a very strong argument for getting rid. Rovers cannot afford financially to be stuck in this division.

On the Venky's blame scale I would say it's pretty low this season. They have backed their managers with money e.g. Rhodes and the big increase on the wage bill, it's the managers' fault if anything that this money has been spent badly. The board level deserves more blame than Venky's this season with infighting causing management instability and affecting our ability to attract and select managers.

Venkys are totally to blame for the situation we find ourselves in. Without their inept decision making we would still be a Premier League club with a good manager and excellent administrative set up. Bolting the door long after the horse has bolted does not absolve them of blame. Sadly, what they failed to grasp from the very outset was that it was easier to spend money to stay in the Premier League than to spend a small fortune trying to get back there once you have been relegated. They could spend millions and still not achieve promotion because there are so many invariables which are beyond your control. A good example is Sir Jack Hayward at Wolves. Like Jack Walker he ploughed millions into the club he loved but it took years before they reached the top flight and then their stay was very short. With Venkys record of management I'm expecting another long exile from top flight football irrespective of who the manager might be.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Venkys are totally to blame for the situation we find ourselves in. Without their inept decision making we would still be a Premier League club with a good manager and excellent administrative set up. Bolting the door long after the horse has bolted does not absolve them of blame. Sadly, what they failed to grasp from the very outset was that it was easier to spend money to stay in the Premier League than to spend a small fortune trying to get back there once you have been relegated. They could spend millions and still not achieve promotion because there are so many invariables which are beyond your control. A good example is Sir Jack Hayward at Wolves. Like Jack Walker he ploughed millions into the club he loved but it took years before they reached the top flight and then their stay was very short. With Venkys record of management I'm expecting another long exile from top flight football irrespective of who the manager might be.

I was specifically taking about this season, I cannot disagree that overall they are to blame for where we have ended up.

[LeChuck]

I was specifically taking about this season, I cannot disagree that overall they are to blame for where we have ended up.

By sticking with Kean through the summer we blew our chance of having a manager who could spend the money properly, and still having him in the dugout at the start of the season meant there was never a chance of harmony in the stands. Then there was the disastrous Berg appointment and farce which surrounded it.

Having said that, it's an improvement on what they have done before. Which really just goes to show what a major fck up their reign has been.

[scotty_beam_me_up]

Maybe worth noting that its taken Freedman a time to settle in at Bolton but now hes got them motoring and in good form.

I said this last night. Bolton fans didn't want Freedman and 10 games in a lot wanted rid of him but after a full window they can start to see improvement.

I wanted Appleton before we got Berg so I am biased but I think if had got him then we would now be seeing a squad coming together putting a run together like Bolton have been.

Nothing to be gained from changing again. A new boss would just give everyone a clean slate again and we would be back in this position around September next season.

Anyone who thinks 2 months, mid season, is enough time to change a club battered for 2 and a half years is deluded.

[LDRover]

That's a verg good point. Anyone know what his league record was after 10 games?

14 points from his first 10 games and 22 from his next 14.

Only reason Bolton fans were unsure is because they were in a perilous position in the league to start with.

His performance points wise is well ahead of Appleton at the same stage anyway.

Also, it should be noted that the real upturn in form followed on from the transfer window and his use of the loan market.

[K-Hod]

October for his p45 then

Then what? Who could we hire that would be better? Balls to this short-termism.

Who with any sort of track record would touch us with a barge pole???

Right now, we need to back the manager and try and remember what it is like to support a FOOTBALL CLUB.

People are so entrenched in negativity it's untrue.

[onlyonejackwalker]

Went to the game last night with low expectations and was pleasantly suprised at the difference in attitude from Saturday's debacle. It is a minimum requirement for me that our players give their all and no-one can complain about a lack of effort in last night's fixture. As others have pointed out however, this does not disguise a lack of quality and we created little for our strikers and rarely troubled the opposition goal-keeper. We had a lot of the play in the first half and looked the more accomplished team, but that was reversed in the 2nd half.

I was pleased to see us battling it out with Davies for supremacy in the air and we coped quite well in general in that area. I was also encouraged by the application centrally of Jones and Lowe and this was mirrored across the team. Nice to see players getting stuck in.

I did not hear any negative chants towards FM. In fact quite the opposite as all around me stood to applaud him on and off the pitch. If a few chanted as stated, then it must have been a very small number and that should not be held against the other 2500 or so decent folk who supported the team very well from start to finish.

However, it is becoming clear to more and more people now that the size of the task facing the club and manager was much bigger than many predicted. MA talks of an exorcism being required and he is of course correct, although his wording could have been better. These are the simple reasons why a suitably qualified and hugely respected manager was required to manage the transition and re-shape the club whilst maintaining results and standards on and off the pitch. And there is the rub for me, as a proven manager with quality credentials would have immediately improved standards just by his arrival and presence and the 'don't know much about him' crap uttered by Murphy would have been bypassed instantly. Squad unrest and low morale would have been addressed immediately and the players would have had no choice but to get onside, instead of biching and moaning behind peoples backs, working to private agendas.

League results under the latest manager have been very poor and I am becoming increasingly concerned about MA's team selections, players recruited, tactics, substitutions, goals conceeded, league position and the lack of chances created and goals scored. For me, playing 4-4-2, (although DJ dropped off far more in this fixture and worked much harder) is a very, very poor tactical decision as neither contributes enough in open play and we immediately gift the midfield to the opposition. Recent selections and changes starting from the Hull game have left a few of us bemused and stopped whatever momentum we had going.

None of us would have picked MA, or Berg, or the classless one for a club and job of this size as their CV's and previous managerial experience meant they would be non-starters in a normal recruitment process. I like Appleton and feel he would be a perfect number two for someone qualified for the role, but this was not the time for further gambles and witnessing someone learning (slowly) as he goes along is very frustrating indeed.

Its not my money to waste and it may sound harsh, but in the abscence of someone qualified for the role, should the powers that be feel MA should be doing far better and now wish to recruit a qualified, proven, experienced and successful manager at this level or above then I would be open to further change prior to pre-season and any available budgets being presented and made available. Relegation form is simply not acceptable with the most expensively compiled squad in the division and more tough decisions may need to be made to have any chance of lasting progress at the club. Managerial recruitments are always a gamble, but we were not choosing from a position of strength and it would have been sensible to minimise the risks, not add to them.

[LDRover]

Went to the game last night with low expectations and was pleasantly suprised at the difference in attitude from Saturday's debacle. It is a minimum requirement for me that our players give their all and no-one can complain about a lack of effort in last night's fixture. As others have pointed out however, this does not disguise a lack of quality and we created little for our strikers and rarely troubled the opposition goal-keeper. We had a lot of the play in the first half and looked the more accomplished team, but that was reversed in the 2nd half.

I was pleased to see us battling it out with Davies for supremacy in the air and we coped quite well in general in that area. I was also encouraged by the application centrally of Jones and Lowe and this was mirrored across the team. Nice to see players getting stuck in.

I did not hear any negative chants towards FM. In fact quite the opposite as all around me stood to applaud him on and off the pitch. If a few chanted as stated, then it must have been a very small number and that should not be held against the other 2500 or so decent folk who supported the team very well from start to finish.

However, it is becoming clear to more and more people now that the size of the task facing the club and manager was much bigger than many predicted. MA talks of an exorcism being required and he is of course correct, although his wording could have been better. These are the simple reasons why a suitably qualified and hugely respected manager was required to manage the transition and re-shape the club whilst maintaining results and standards on and off the pitch. And there is the rub for me, as a proven manager with quality credentials would have immediately improved standards just by his arrival and presence and the 'don't know much about him' crap uttered by Murphy would have been bypassed instantly. Squad unrest and low morale would have been addressed immediately and the players would have had no choice but to get onside, instead of biching and moaning behind peoples backs, working to private agendas.

League results under the latest manager have been very poor and I am becoming increasingly concerned about MA's team selections, players recruited, tactics, substitutions, goals conceeded, league position and the lack of chances created and goals scored. For me, playing 4-4-2, (although DJ dropped off far more in this fixture and worked much harder) is a very, very poor tactical decision as neither contributes enough in open play and we immediately gift the midfield to the opposition. Recent selections and changes starting from the Hull game have left a few of us bemused and stopped whatever momentum we had going.

None of us would have picked MA, or Berg, or the classless one for a club and job of this size as their CV's and previous managerial experience meant they would be non-starters in a normal recruitment process. I like Appleton and feel he would be a perfect number two for someone qualified for the role, but this was not the time for further gambles and witnessing someone learning (slowly) as he goes along is very frustrating indeed.

Its not my money to waste and it may sound harsh, but in the abscence of someone qualified for the role, should the powers that be feel MA should be doing far better and now wish to recruit a qualified, proven, experienced and successful manager at this level or above then I would be open to further change prior to pre-season and any available budgets being presented and made available. Relegation form is simply not acceptable with the most expensively compiled squad in the division and more tough decisions may need to be made to have any chance of lasting progress at the club. Managerial recruitments are always a gamble, but we were not choosing from a position of strength and it would have been sensible to minimise the risks, not add to them.

Great post buddy.

[majorstyre]

having read OnlyOneJackWalker`s piece above (and a very good piece it is), my thoughts are pretty much the opposite

i was at the game also last night

i was heartened by the display last night, which was a total contrast to the disaster against Peterbro

players were up for the fight, with effort and challenges made with relish

jason lowe was a different player without having to cover for murphys lack of effort...

This to me, proves that Appleton has the players,and his words at weekend did the trick

dont get me wrong , we need a lot lot more work

tactics going forward need to be sorted (im convinced you cannot play Rhodes and Campbell in the same team - too similar)

but with Best finally returning this could be our saving

no decent manager worth his salt would touch this club with a bargepole, so we have to give Appleton time and support

judge him in december not now

[Amo]

Again, look at Souey's form when he took over at the end of 99/00 with the most expensive side in Div 1. Of course, Souey had more years under his belt, more contacts, and was able to establish the quality & unity to turn things around in the following season. Appleton is still very much an unknown quantity at this point.

[LeChuck]

To be fair....Souness had access to talents like Jansen, Duff and a young Dunn. At this level that is an unbelievable amount of talent to have had. He didn't really need to rebuild, just find some solid pros who could compliment those young players.

[den]

It's an odd one comparing Freedman's influence with his Bolton team, to Appletons influence with Rovers. Two points on this one. Firstly, Freedman wasn't faced with the debris of the Kean era - and secondly Bolton last night were no better than us, and in all probability don't have the long term injuries that Rovers have.

[bypass06]

Blackburn: Michael Appleton explains Danny Murphy omission

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21683970?

[LeChuck]

Blackburn: Michael Appleton explains Danny Murphy omission

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21683970?

More diplomatic now that he's calmed down a bit, but certainly still damning with faint praise.

[LDRover]

It's an odd one comparing Freedman's influence with his Bolton team, to Appletons influence with Rovers. Two points on this one. Firstly, Freedman wasn't faced with the debris of the Kean era - and secondly Bolton last night were no better than us, and in all probability don't have the long term injuries that Rovers have.

Mark Davies, their best player, is out with a cruciate ligament injury and I'm not sure if Stuart Holden is out long term too.

On the first point, we don't know what debris Bolton had. What we do know is that the previous incumbent in the manager's chair shared an agent with another infamous shyster and had also presided over an inglorious relegation campaign the previous season.

I think comparisons are valid.