[Archived] Watford v. Blackburn Rovers preview

[K-Hod]

if they do they aint rovers fans.

+1 fickle turncoats.

[davulsukur]

I'm guessing we were utterly abysmal?

Only seen the result and read the BBC report which starts with

"Watford kept their slim automatic promotion hopes alive with a comprehensive demolition of 10-man Blackburn at Vicarage Road"

[K-Hod]

I'm guessing we were utterly abysmal?

Only seen the result and read the BBC report which starts with

"Watford kept their slim automatic promotion hopes alive with a comprehensive demolition of 10-man Blackburn at Vicarage Road"

I watched a stream, and turned it off at 3-0, I'd seen the situation a few times this season.

We weren't amazingly bad first half, but as soon as they scored, we imploded.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

if they do they aint rovers fans.

Correct, I'm staying away at the moment but I'll never watch another team.

When you're assembling a team you need all sorts of players with all sorts of skills for the different positions, it's a balancing act. You also need to balance out their characters, you can afford a few faint hearts, but not many. We seem to have bought and loaned in almost exclusively faint hearted players who aren't up for a fight.

[onlyonejackwalker]

The sooner we are safe and this utter disgrace of a season is over the better.

Avoiding relegation to the third tier of football is now seen as a result,like I say..what have we become.

Shameful.

Quite right. It's laughable that scraping survival will be cause for celebration at this level. 4.0 at Watford after going in 0.0 at half-time? Shameful indeed.

An acute sense of embarrassment, despair and sadness with the Rovers engulfed me last night. Even amongst the troubles of the last two years, losing in such a way whilst our position is so precarious disgusted me.

[47er]

Correct, I'm staying away at the moment but I'll never watch another team.

When you're assembling a team you need all sorts of players with all sorts of skills for the different positions, it's a balancing act. You also need to balance out their characters, you can afford a few faint hearts, but not many. We seem to have bought and loaned in almost exclusively faint hearted players who aren't up for a fight.

Well Leon Best is up for a fight! Unfortunately at the expense of the team, which he doesn't seem to give a toss about, judging by his own comments.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Well Leon Best is up for a fight! Unfortunately at the expense of the team, which he doesn't seem to give a toss about, judging by his own comments.

That's not fighting, I'd be more understanding if he had actually sparked the guy out. Seems to me he wanted this season over. I feel the same way as I'm sure do most Rovers fans but we can't duck out like he did.

[thenodrog]

One thing that I blame Bowyer for is the line up today.

They are a better team than us, they are playing at home and we change Lowe for Dunn.

Yes, I know Lowe was injured but we should have gone for 4-5-1 and not 4-4-2, specially when Dunn is one of the midfielders.

It should have been Dunn and Pedersen in for Best and Lowe.

the midfield should have been . King, Jones, Dunn, Williamson, Pedersen.

We need to win the midfield to get a result today,

Difficult to disagree with that. 4-4-2 has served us badly this season but it is the formation that appears to suit our star player Jordan Rhodes best. imo he truly is a fox in the box but a real donkey out of it. He has been a quandary for every manager we've had this season. Yet again I am reminded of the old adage that 'there is no i in team'.

[thenodrog]

Today was unacceptable, full stop.

Play the youth team.

Well thats a great idea with the situation so desperate isn't it? Playing a few kids is something you might just try when the club is mathematically safe. Playing all of them would simply guarantee massive hammerings in the remaining fixtures and a large fine from the Football authorities.

Did any of your ancestors play a major part in the Charge of the Light Brigade by any chance?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Like I said in an earlier post, it's all about balance. We haven't got any. If we play 5 in midfield and Rhodes up front on his own nothing sticks and our opponents can play out from the back easy peasy. If we play two up front and four in midfield then ( especially with all the lightweight midfielders we've got ) we get over run in the centre of the park. If we'd have just got a list of players available and stuck a pin in it we'd have probably done better.

[LeChuck]

With Best and Rhodes we might as well only play one up front. They offer nothing as a pair. They're both slow, don't create for others and don't drop deep to offer a different option. They must be so easy to play against.

Contrast that to Watford yesterday with the pacey and clever Forestieri running channels, dropping deep and looking to play in his strike partner.

Qualities of a strike force need to compliment each other. I can't think of a single quality either Rhodes or Best has that helps the other.

[thenodrog]

Sounds like he got himself sent off to give the rest of the season a swerve. Similar to guys shooting themselves in the foot to avoid getting sent to the front in the old days.

Thats simply remedied then. Insist he trains away from the first team squad but every single day with the reserves / youth team with special emphasis on fitness and stamina work and no work with the ball so that a. it's painfully punishing and b. he can't pick up an injury to use as an excuse. When he kicks off and refuses to come in and does a runner to some holiday destination then fine him as much as his contract will allow and bring his agent in to re-negotiate it..

[thenodrog]

if they do they aint rovers fans.

Maybe........... but assuming Notlob return to the Prem then imo they would be best descriped as true supporters of football.

[den]

With Best and Rhodes we might as well only play one up front. They offer nothing as a pair. They're both slow, don't create for others and don't drop deep to offer a different option. They must be so easy to play against.

Contrast that to Watford yesterday with the pacey and clever Forestieri running channels, dropping deep and looking to play in his strike partner.

Qualities of a strike force need to compliment each other. I can't think of a single quality either Rhodes or Best has that helps the other.

Yep. Once again nothing at all stuck up front, meaning Watford never looked in any trouble at all. Once they upped the tempo after the break, we had no answer.

We have a 25-30 goal a season striker, but as a team, we have scored just slightly over one goal per game over the season. Something has to change.

[Oklahoma]

Difficult to disagree with that. 4-4-2 has served us badly this season but it is the formation that appears to suit our star player Jordan Rhodes best. imo he truly is a fox in the box but a real donkey out of it. He has been a quandary for every manager we've had this season. Yet again I am reminded of the old adage that 'there is no i in team'.

Just remembered one situation in the game:

we were losing 2-0, the midfield won the ball for us but the strikers didn't bother to offer a possible counter attack option. They just stood where they were, didn't create space or any solution for the team.

I know Rhodes is best inside the box but in the football today a striker has to offer more than that.

And playing a loan striker doesn't mean he won't get chances to score. If the offensive midfielders are creative and fast, he should get plenty of chances to score.

Still think Nuno Gomes would be the perfect partner for Rhodes. He is used to play behind the striker, if fact it was his main role in Benfica. And maybe Rhodes can learn something from him.

[Fife Rover]

Yes. Not been great, however we are better than the teams around us. The teams around us won't pick up many points. We have a game in hand.

Yeah, but no point getting angry over things you can't change.

So you're another for passive acceptance whatever happens. Thank God you were not PM in 1939 when Hitler marched into Poland......we couldn't change that either but it did not stop us having a go. Cowardly pillocks I just cannot stomach!!

[Fife Rover]

Well done with that, I'm sure the anger will subside now

Now excuse me while I find a noose.

If it's to use on TD....I'll help you find one.

[yoda's brother]

Maybe........... but assuming Notlob return to the Prem then imo they would be best descriped as true supporters of football.

dont start that kean again.

[Cherry Blue]

Reports in one paper say Bowyer will appeal against Best's red card. Why?

To quote Rovermagic who was at game "......Best has big biceps but that's about all. Can't run, can't jump, won't tackle, can't score, no technique. Spineless. But maybe worse was lack of quality. How could Appleton have dumped our by far most creative player.......". From what I saw on live TV fully agree.

Accept the red, we don't want players who don't perform and that goes for King too!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just remembered one situation in the game:

we were losing 2-0, the midfield won the ball for us but the strikers didn't bother to offer a possible counter attack option. They just stood where they were, didn't create space or any solution for the team.

I know Rhodes is best inside the box but in the football today a striker has to offer more than that.

And playing a loan striker doesn't mean he won't get chances to score. If the offensive midfielders are creative and fast, he should get plenty of chances to score.

Still think Nuno Gomes would be the perfect partner for Rhodes. He is used to play behind the striker, if fact it was his main role in Benfica. And maybe Rhodes can learn something from him.

" Creative and fast" and our midfield don't belong in the same sentence.

[rovermagic]

+1 fickle turncoats.

True. But we need more than our 4700 core. I work near Millwall ground. And our performance at Watford was so sick making that I cannot stomach going to Millwall Tues night. This is a first since I started supporting Rovers 23 years ago.

[K-Hod]

True. But we need more than our 4700 core. I work near Millwall ground. And our performance at Watford was so sick making that I cannot stomach going to Millwall Tues night. This is a first since I started supporting Rovers 23 years ago.

No doubt, but you don't go supporting another team.

Thick and thin and all that....

[thenodrog]

dont start that kean again.

Not sure what you mean. However there are many types of fans but the 4 main groups imo are....

1. The one who pays to follow and support his team no matter what standard or level the football or the set up is. 60% of people who attend live matches will be in this category. Examples of the extremes of this are to be found in just about every Div 2 team and most Div 1 teams and even some Championship clubs. Their teams will never ever win promotion to the top table and the standard of football on show is usually one notch above park football. They exist solely on stubborn and usually misplaced loyalty. Admirable but only in a stupid and futile manner.

2. The one who is more discerning and likes to watch top quality football played by top quality players. Not many of these nowadays but years ago these types would go to their own club (BRFC) at home and a neighbouring club (Notlob, PNE, Burnley) on the weeks that their team is away. The MWay network reduced these numbers significantly. Needless to say I'd wager that we beneffited from these in the early-mid 90's. I rem speaking to some scots from the border region who had hired a coach to watch BRFC play simply because KMD was manager and both Hendry and Shearer held attraction for them, and Blackburn was their nearest Prem Club. (It was the QPR match that we won 4-1 and the lad I spoke to had unfortunately gone to the toilet when Shearer scored that screamer.) .

3. The fan who can no longer be arsed and who has found other things to do on saturday afternoons and watches his football on the telly. They may be questioned about their motives but never about their influence. This lot are the fastest expanding group and the ones who fund the whole shabang and the one the marketeers and footballs 'men in grey suits' pay most heed to.

4. The fan who is not a fan of football but who attaches themselves to some glamourpuss club from a major city without ever making any financial contribution. Speaking personally these are the know nowt types who I have little to no time for.

No doubt others you can think of many alternative categories to pigeon hole football supporters into.

[yoda's brother]

Not sure what you mean. However there are many types of fans but the 4 main groups imo are....

1. The one who pays to follow and support his team no matter what standard or level the football or the set up is. 60% of people who attend live matches will be in this category. Examples of the extremes of this are to be found in just about every Div 2 team and most Div 1 teams and even some Championship clubs. Their teams will never ever win promotion to the top table and the standard of football on show is usually one notch above park football. They exist solely on stubborn and usually misplaced loyalty. Admirable but only in a stupid and futile manner.

2. The one who is more discerning and likes to watch top quality football played by top quality players. Not many of these nowadays but years ago these types would go to their own club (BRFC) at home and a neighbouring club (Notlob, PNE, Burnley) on the weeks that their team is away. The MWay network reduced these numbers significantly. Needless to say I'd wager that we beneffited from these in the early-mid 90's. I rem speaking to some scots from the border region who had hired a coach to watch BRFC play simply because KMD was manager and both Hendry and Shearer held attraction for them, and Blackburn was their nearest Prem Club. (It was the QPR match that we won 4-1 and the lad I spoke to had unfortunately gone to the toilet when Shearer scored that screamer.) .

3. The fan who can no longer be arsed and who has found other things to do on saturday afternoons and watches his football on the telly. They may be questioned about their motives but never about their influence. This lot are the fastest expanding group and the ones who fund the whole shabang and the one the marketeers and footballs 'men in grey suits' pay most heed to.

4. The fan who is not a fan of football but who attaches themselves to some glamourpuss club from a major city without ever making any financial contribution. Speaking personally these are the know nowt types who I have little to no time for.

No doubt others you can think of many alternative categories to pigeon hole football supporters into.

no need.

rovers or nothing for me.

them that swap teams are plastics end of.

[K-Hod]

Supporting a football club has its peaks and troughs, much like life.

We're not the first team to fall foul of bad ownership, bad managerial decisions etc. It is sh1te admittedly, but things will change eventually, who knows when?

Pretty daft to label people stupid for sticking with their team. We were here before Venky's, and we'll be here long after, in what numbers, again who knows?

Every club needs its hardcore fanbase, as the size of any club's fanbase is relative to its success. It isn't always about the size of the town/city/catchment area. Just look at Bristol City.