[Archived] Rovers V Bolton 28Th August

[joey_big_nose]

Hanley and Duffy looked a lot better, also with each other .. seemed to be more of an understanding and no bickering

Henley looked really good against a tricky player like Wellington

Spur..I like the guy he's a top pro but he's weak defensively and only offers long throws...I wonder if the ollson rumour is true about him getting a bonus or something through appearances

Rhodes looked rusty although did get into some great positions to finish

Delfie. ..well the lad does try, just dosent have that much quality

Conway ..class above every single one on the pitch..little gem he is

Marshall...did he play?

Evans and lowe ..woeful. .Both lose possession so cheaply and can't offer anything in attack

Koita. .Has the touch of a donkey but he does look strong and quick and makes things happen..like the look of him

Barrow .. not seen much of him but is fast ..needs to start a game

Agree with this. Our centrbacks and Conway were excellent, and we managed to push up well, and get the ball in the box enough. All of it good. Really it should have been a routine win as Bolton offered so little in response.

However we were done over by two key deficiencies.. We had so little through the middle - Lowe was abject and Evans only slightly better. . Delfy and Rhodes offered very little in terms of getting in behind, winning in the air or hold up play. And the chances they had when they got them from crosses they failed to make the most of. Things significantly improved when Koita came on.

Also worryingly Guthrie looked way off the pace when he came on too... Still I'd have him over Evans. Marshall is a mess at the moment too...

Next game for me - bring in Koita for Delfy, Evans for Guthrie, Akpan for Lowe, and maybe Barrow for Marshall.

We really need to start scoring some goals.

[Neal]

You say he is not wanted by the fans and yet accept that a lot of people support the manager.

I accept there are people that support him but they're in minority Parson, I know you don't choose to accept that however so we'll just have to agree to disagree. How people can't form an opinion now on Bowyer after over 2 seasons is baffling, there is enough evidence and enough football has been played to know that this guy was the right man but no longer is. Times change and sometimes clubs just need change, this situation isn't going improve, he isn't going to improve himself or us and the void between him and the fans is just going to widen. He needs to resign with dignity, at least I could respect him for that and it would leave his time here in charge here in a positive light rather than the sour negative one it's slowly becoming.

[Gav]

I was at the game on Friday, like I was most of last season and the season before. The crowd are not anti Bowyer, we've heard zero chants of Bowyer out so I'm not sure where you form the opinion that Bowyer supporters are in the minority.

[ABBEY]

Let's have a poll

[yoda]

Let's have a poll

You dancing ?

[ABBEY]

No comment .. Paefell might take it the wrong way

[Neal]

I was at the game on Friday, like I was most of last season and the season before. The crowd are not anti Bowyer, we've heard zero chants of Bowyer out so I'm not sure where you form the opinion that Bowyer supporters are in the minority.

Let's have a poll

We did Abs, and it showed that the Majority of the fans did not back Bowyer but i think it's a wise idea to prove that point again. Gav, i'm not sying there's chanting etc... I'm going off the poll we had on here but i think it's a good idea to do another just underline it, I recon less than 30% of fans would actually want him to remain as manager.

[Mattyblue]

I was at the game on Friday, like I was most of last season and the season before. The crowd are not anti Bowyer, we've heard zero chants of Bowyer out so I'm not sure where you form the opinion that Bowyer supporters are in the minority.

It's a strange one.

Most Rovers fans I speak to accept it's time for a change- many of those have a lot of time for the bloke, respect the job he did initially, but realise his race is run.

Yet on the ground there is a real reluctance for fans to put their head above the parapet. I've said before that I believe this is a hangover from the Kean era when fan v fan squabbles were breaking out around Ewood each week, plus respect for Bowyer as a man and the sanity he brought back to the club in 2013.

However, to equate this to widespread support for him to carry on is massively wide of the mark.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

Did any of us there enjoy what we witnessed? Third home game and very poor. No fortress Ewood. I left thinking it is a very hard season ahead.

[Gav]

Neal you can't take a poll of here as a true reflection of how the fans feel, this site represents less than 1% of the fanbase and some of that 1% are kranks and opposition fans.

Matty you make some good points, can't argue with much of what you say. I don't think Bowyer has total support but I then again I don't think the majority want him out either.

[Rover_Shaun]

The evolution of a Bowyer supporter

"I'd stick with him because he's signed some good players and we're fighting for a playoff spot"

"I'd stick with him because he's signed some decent players and we are where we should be in upper mid table"

"I'd stick with him because he's signed some ok players and we'll end up where we should be in lower mid table"

"I'd stick with him because the players he's signed aren't that great and we'll end up where we should be just safe of relegation"

"I'd stick with him unless were adrift at the bottom because the players he's signed are pretty average and he's been hamstrung by FFP since the dawn of time and all that"

"The squad is pretty crap and we're heading for relegation under him so the time is right for a change. I never really thought he was that good anyway"

"I never backed him. Prove it"

[Neal]

Neal you can't take a poll of here as a true reflection of how the fans feel, this site represents less than 1% of the fanbase and some of that 1% are kranks and opposition fans.

Matty you make some good points, can't argue with much of what you say. I don't think Bowyer has total support but I then again I don't think the majority want him out either.

So do you honestly think a majority of fans want him then?

[Gav]

So do you honestly think a majority of fans want him then?

To be honest I'm not sure, we're talking about a fanbase of 17/20k, many that even go these days.

The match day experience says he still has the majority of fans, but equally Matty could be right and fans are unwilling to voice an opinion.

Doesn't matter anyway, it's down to Venkys, so he'll be here for a while yet I'd wager.

[Amo]

It's a strange one.

Most Rovers fans I speak to accept it's time for a change- many of those have a lot of time for the bloke, respect the job he did initially, but realise his race is run.

Yet on the ground there is a real reluctance for fans to put their head above the parapet. I've said before that I believe this is a hangover from the Kean era when fan v fan squabbles were breaking out around Ewood each week, plus respect for Bowyer as a man and the sanity he brought back to the club in 2013.

However, to equate this to widespread support for him to carry on is massively wide of the mark.

I'd say it's a general mix of apathy and fear that has prevented another uprising. A lot of fans probably don't know what to do for the best. The last time they turned en masse on a manager they were ridiculed by the media and their cries fell on deaf ears. There's little chance of them turning on this one, least of all because Bowyer isn't universally hated like Kean, and actually did an admirable job when he first took over. There's also the matter of them replacing him with someone equally as bad or worse. Protests of any kind should be directed squarely at the owners, but then we run into a similar issue where fans are afraid of what'll happen if their wish came true.

[Hasta]

To be honest I'm not sure, we're talking about a fanbase of 17/20k, many that even go these days.

The match day experience says he still has the majority of fans, but equally Matty could be right and fans are unwilling to voice an opinion.

Doesn't matter anyway, it's down to Venkys, so he'll be here for a while yet I'd wager.

Nobody I spoke to on Friday at the game who were sat around us ,or after the game in the pub, thought he should stop. That was about 15 people in total. Many thought we'd end up with a nobody but all thought Bowyer should go.

I think you would be very surprised if you could have a genuine poll of match day attendees.

[JBiz]

Great post topman.

The whole situation is unbearable and goes a long way to explain much of the reaction on here.

[martonrover]

Had Heskey taken his chance on Friday the atmosphere would've progressed from ambivalence to hostility.

That progression will occur at some point unless he is removed or resigns.

There was a chorus of 'boring, boring Bowyer' near me in the Riverside.

[Stuart]

Very true marton. It was a bit of an escape in truth.

I can only hope that we can build on it.

[joey_big_nose]

Well as far as I am concerned I was in the "vaguely hopeful that Bowyer would improve, think changing manager under Venkys is too big a gamble despite Bowyer being weak" start of season to now "things are so poor Im almost willing to support rolling the dice and chopping Bowyer despite having no confidence in the board/owners to pick a decent manager"

It really is a great set of options at our disposal....

[Blue blood]

I think the problem with many posters on here is that they simply don't see, or acknowledge the bigger picture DE, yes the buck stops with the manager, its his side, his tactics and his responsibility, but many other factors play a part.

The biggest factor for the past couple of seasons is the dumbing down of the playing side and Shaw/Venkys hiding behind FFP, which despite bringing in absolute dross we still went into embargo. Once we come out of the embargo we'll hear rhetoric like 'we can't buy xxx because we have to comply with FFP' its a smoke screen to continue the dumbing down of the playing side, nothing more nothing less.

I strongly believe Jose Mourinho would struggle to get this side promoted because they're very very poor players, maybe he could bring in better players on free transfers, who knows, but the current playing side is the worst I've seen in 30yrs+

The club cannot progress until Venkys leave, thats the stark reality of our situation, because they'll not invest in either players, managers or football people to run the club.

So keep blaming the manager if it helps

Not sure what I think of this post. Agree with many elements - Venkys embracing ffp like a long lost relative would've peeved any manager off. It's one thing to work in tough conditions but another when they are doubly made by the owners (the debt and then not evading ffp which seems easy to do.) totally agree with you that ffp is the owners' saviour in it excuses negligence and gives them a reason for their actions. Sooner they're gone the better.

Having said all that I do think the manager should be doing a lot better with what he has. Many of the players have been with him 2 years and he still has no idea how to get the best out of them or his best formation or tactics. Also many games this season we could have got more from with a change in tactics. Again that's the managers fault. In both cases the ffp is largely irrelevant as these are qualities or lack of, from the manager, not the recruitment element of the role.

Finally what hacks me off most about bowyer is the nonsensical self preservation interviews. To me the good bloke stuff is nonsense when you look at interview after interview with lies, distortions and focussing on anything bar what matters - results. The fact he is growing nor dislikeable as well as being bullet proof and inept is only going to see more fans ire turn towards him.

[Al]

Neal you can't take a poll of here as a true reflection of how the fans feel, this site represents less than 1% of the fanbase and some of that 1% are kranks and opposition fans.

Matty you make some good points, can't argue with much of what you say. I don't think Bowyer has total support but I then again I don't think the majority want him out either.

It's called a representative sample GAV. Works in elections and it works on here. You can't go around denying the result because it's not what you wanted by saying the sample was not representative.

[Blue blood]

I think the problem with many posters on here is that they simply don't see, or acknowledge the bigger picture DE, yes the buck stops with the manager, its his side, his tactics and his responsibility, but many other factors play a part.

The biggest factor for the past couple of seasons is the dumbing down of the playing side and Shaw/Venkys hiding behind FFP, which despite bringing in absolute dross we still went into embargo. Once we come out of the embargo we'll hear rhetoric like 'we can't buy xxx because we have to comply with FFP' its a smoke screen to continue the dumbing down of the playing side, nothing more nothing less.

I strongly believe Jose Mourinho would struggle to get this side promoted because they're very very poor players, maybe he could bring in better players on free transfers, who knows, but the current playing side is the worst I've seen in 30yrs+

The club cannot progress until Venkys leave, thats the stark reality of our situation, because they'll not invest in either players, managers or football people to run the club.

So keep blaming the manager if it helps

Not sure what I think of this post. Agree with many elements - Venkys embracing ffp like a long lost relative would've peeved any manager off. It's one thing to work in tough conditions but another when they are doubly made by the owners (the debt and then not evading ffp which seems easy to do.) totally agree with you that ffp is the owners' saviour in it excuses negligence and gives them a reason for their actions. Sooner they're gone the better.

Having said all that I do think the manager should be doing a lot better with what he has. Many of the players have been with him 2 years and he still has no idea how to get the best out of them or his best formation or tactics. Also many games this season we could have got more from with a change in tactics. Again that's the managers fault. In both cases the ffp is largely irrelevant as these are qualities or lack of, from the manager, not the recruitment element of the role.

Finally what hacks me off most about bowyer is the nonsensical self preservation interviews. To me the good bloke stuff is nonsense when you look at interview after interview with lies, distortions and focussing on anything bar what matters - results. The fact he is growing nor dislikeable as well as being bullet proof and inept is only going to see more fans ire turn towards him.

[Gav]

It's called a representative sample GAV. Works in elections and it works on here. You can't go around denying the result because it's not what you wanted by saying the sample was not representative.

Its a bit like the labour leadership vote, completely flawed Al.

Match days are the true test and up to now the fans seem behind the Bowyer.

[den]

Its a bit like the labour leadership vote, completely flawed Al.

Match days are the true test and up to now the fans seem behind the Bowyer.

Have you asked them all Gav? How else would you know what they all think.

[Gav]

Having said all that I do think the manager should be doing a lot better with what he has. Many of the players have been with him 2 years and he still has no idea how to get the best out of them or his best formation or tactics. Also many games this season we could have got more from with a change in tactics. Again that's the managers fault. In both cases the ffp is largely irrelevant as these are qualities or lack of, from the manager, not the recruitment element of the role.

The squad, which Bowyer assembled, is rubbish.

Could he have brought better players in on reduced wages and no transfer fees, maybe, maybe not, but the fact remains he's working with substandard players and some sections of support are expecting play off pushes, cloud cuckoo land for me.