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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/26/17 in all areas

  1. Them answers could have been from Kean or Coyle. To be honest I find it insulting after playing, refereeing and watching football for over 50 years that our manager comes out with banile drivel like that. He admits that the defence is not the most mobile in the world and still picks the same players and played Dack out wide on Saturday who couldn't defend to save his life. I'm rapidly running out of patience with the nonsense he is spouting.
    5 points
  2. It doesn't look like any of these lads will get a chance with Mowbray in charge.I Don't understand it,he is happy to bring in a 17 year old from west brom but won't reward our own youth despite their excellent form.The telegraph should be grilling him about this
    3 points
  3. Well, tbf, they've got the U23s winning and playing some really good football against their counterparts from other clubs (at a higher level). All managers start somewhere. Our problem has been less about giving new managers a chance and more about giving failing managers too long.
    2 points
  4. Reads like a man cracking under pressure to me: "I understand, I’m not stupid, I see that when he comes on he can beat players and create chances, I’m very conscious of people when we’re out there thinking ‘why isn’t Chapman playing?’,” Mowbray said.
    2 points
  5. There are few positives following a relegation to League 1, but if you are to search for some small consolation, then the prospect of an away day in this attractive Shropshire market town is perhaps one of them. Albeit, the old town centre Gay Meadow ground is now a stylish, modern housing estate, replaced some 10 years ago, by another of those purpose-built out of town, next to a retail park, 10,000 seat stadiums. The last time Rovers visited Shrewsbury, was 1993, in what turned out to be an epic League Cup tie, eventually culminating in a 4-3 extra-time win for Kenny Dalglish’s embryonic Premier League side, the winner coming from a fine goal from a recently signed centre back, who took the field in a shirt with neither a name nor number, one Ian Pearce. This version of Rovers found themselves cast as underdogs. Shrewsbury were riding high at kick off, on the back of 7 (SEVEN) wins and a draw. Older Rovers fans will recognise the SEVEN reference, (thanks largely to Town legend Alf Wood !). This start to a season is exactly what many Rovers fans expected their team to deliver, but the reality has proved somewhat different. A decent run of four wins on the bounce was rudely interrupted by last week’s shock home defeat by AFC Wimbledon and this game presented a chance to restore confidence, both in the team and on the terraces. Here was a chance to right a wrong, to make a statement to the rest of the division that last week was merely a blip and that Blackburn Rovers were ready to impose themselves. The team sheet revealed returns to the starting line-up for Bradley Dack and Danny Graham at the expense of the injured Craig Conway and dropped Marcus Antonsson. There was some trepidation in the crowd as to the “strength and stability” (thanks Theresa) of the back four but equally, some anticipation of creativity and guile up front. Shrewsbury have a simple game plan, one that should resonate with Rovers fans of a certain vintage; namely, play on the floor where possible, attack directly, lay the ball off to the flanks as quickly as possible and create chances in the opposition penalty area for a strong centre forward. Their most impressive performer being Shaun Whalley, a pacy right winger who had a loan, then permanent spell at Accrington Stanley in 2007-8. It’s a game plan they executed very efficiently. Rovers so often passing sideways and backwards; slowly, deliberately, patiently but unthreateningly; would lose possession only to see their opponents with three swift, incisive passes create a dangerous shooting opportunity. Rovers rode their luck a little in the first half. An early Samuel header apart, there was not a great deal to get excited about. The Rovers back four still looks fragile. Ward & Raya seem now to compete almost on a weekly basis for their own “Mishap of the Month” competition. Here they combined on one memorable occasion to create a threatening free kick for Shrewsbury on the edge of the area out of a situation that had barely homeopathic levels of danger. The warning signs were there and the inevitable happened after 57 minutes, a Raya flap at a cross leading to a scrambled close range effort. Disconcertingly, for almost 15 minutes, it seemed that Mowbray had no idea how to react. The Plan A had failed for over an hour but no substitutes were even warming up. The frustration reached the fans who chanted for Mowbray to “Sort it out”, the very least that should be expected. A triple substitution, the sort made usually only when playing “Championship Manager” (or if you are Birmingham City era Barry Fry), transformed the Rovers’ approach. Harry Chapman introduced himself to his full back by racing past him twice in short order. Dack restored to a central role, now seemed keen to influence proceedings. He had looked nothing like as effective wide left. Dack is something of an enigma. He clearly has talent & technique but allied to a fondness for over-elaboration and a reluctance to do defensive chores. When he doesn’t create or score, he naturally looks like a luxury we can ill afford. Here though, he eventually came good, following another rapid thrust from Chapman. The cross was attacked and defended with vigour with Dack eventually stabbing it home for an equaliser. Rovers had therefore given themselves only 5 minutes to win the game and many observers around me expressed delight at parity, but also frustration that for the preceding 80 odd minutes, Rovers had seemed one-paced, pedestrian and lacking any guile or imagination. Listening undercover to Shrewsbury fans on my walk back to the car park, they seemed genuinely concerned that they were going to lose in that last period, but they too were frustrated that when on top, they couldn’t find what would surely have been a killer second goal. A fair result ? Perhaps not if you are Salopian but at least Rovers came back at the unbeaten league leaders on their own patch and rescued something. Consecutive defeats whilst not terminal, would surely have raised the stakes. This at least bought some breathing space. If Rovers are the “Ikea team” that I have previously suggested – all the parts but no assembly instructions – the evidence of this encounter suggests that a vital nut & bolt or dowel might actually be missing. That or we need to learn how to use the Allen key properly to tighten things up. Raya, whilst an excellent shot-stopper with fine reflexes repeatedly seems prone to a costly error and is vulnerable to crosses. The defence lacks pace on its flanks and with Elliott Ward in the middle makes the heart flutter at least once or twice a game. The balance of the midfield remains elusive for Mowbray. Smallwood probably the one real success doesn’t seem to bring out the best in Evans, who frankly should be bossing games at this level. The lack of “proper” wingers when Conway is out and a lack of genuine pace (Chapman excepted) means opposition defenders can push forward with little concern from a ball over the top. Mowbray seems uncertain as to the best combination of forwards. He has choice in abundance but as one seems to find form, a change in partner or an absence of a partner undermines the promise. This is the sort of dilemma that ought to have been resolved with pre-season friendlies against tough opponents. Tell me again what we learned in stuffing York City ? The bright spot is that when the three subs were thrown on, we seized the initiative and could conceivably have stolen the 3 points. Chapman is a real prospect. He is so effective coming off the bench against tiring full backs. Can he keep that up as a starter ? Can he be trusted to treat possession with respect when we are under the cosh ? Will he do his share of helping the full back ? Well, I guess there’s a really good way to find out… With two upcoming home games that are eminently winnable, this is a crucial week in Mowbray’s tenure. By next Saturday at 5pm, we will have played 10 league games – P8 W4 D1 L3 could become P10 W6 D1 L3 in other words, only just shy of the “2 point a game” average that would surely see automatic promotion (extrapolated over the season of course). At time of writing, Rotherham are above us in the league table, a victory would overhaul them. Gillingham now shorn of the services of Bradley Dack are in the relegation spots. This is a crucial week. It’s an opportunity to make a statement to the rest of the division. Much like today’s game was. “Carpe diem” Rovers. Old Blackburnian. View full article
    2 points
  6. Cardiff City, the club managed by Neil Warnock, who was rejected as manager by Blackburn Rovers in 2016 in favour of Owen Coyle, are at this present time sitting 3 points ahead of their nearest rivals, Leeds United, at the top of the Championship after going 3-0 up on their second placed Yorkshire rivals tonight. Former Rover Junior Hoilett scored for Cardiff and 27,000 fans were in the stadium. I mention this only in passing as we scuffle among the deadbeats in the third division.
    1 point
  7. The pathetic thing is knowing venkys it will be David Lowe who is given the caretaker role. I'd like to see Johnson being given a chance but with the way the club is being run he may not want it.A young manager has to make the right choice when taking their first job in senior football and he may feel he is better waiting for a club with a competent board and structure behind it
    1 point
  8. Don't really disagree with you. The difference is that I don't think my expectations have lowered. I think their talent profile has been raised. If it's them or a proven Championship manager or successful League One manager then they would probably be second choice just now but it's a definite second and not last resort.
    1 point
  9. So in one article he says that both Chapman isn't good enough defensively and he's at his best when we are defending a lead?? Which is it Mowbray? At least he likes to think he's very astute tactically . I would have thought that bringing on a player like Bennett would be a better idea when 1-0 up than bringing on a lad who is supposedly a liability defensively. Imagine a Mourinho, for example, bringing on a Martial when he's defending a lead, it doesn't happen. Sack him.
    1 point
  10. http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/rovers/news/15556843.Tony_Mowbray_says_Middlesbrough_loanee_Harry_Chapman__is_a_work_in_progress__despite_impressive_start_to_life_at_Rovers/?action=success#comments-feedback-anchor Right on cue, Mowbray's excuses roadshow:- What Mowbray said v (reality) 1) We can't start Harry because the defence consists of a 'certain type of footballer' (the defence is slow and vulnerable, the defence he had all summer to recruit for but didn't because he was too busy signing midfielders he never plays) 2) If you get a goal teams over commit so Harry becomes useful like against MK Dons when you bring him on (If you don't play Chapman you are less likely to get the first like against Doncaster and Wimbledon so the team loses anyway) 3) If you lose the first goal life become hard (yep, so at home try and get the first goal instead of being so negative and inevitably losing) 4) I'm the expert on tactics (3 defeats in 4 at home on the cards tonight) 5) Statistically getting the 1st goal means you are likely to win (yet he sets up his team to defend and not concede) 6) If you set up your team to score 4 you'll lose (straw man at it's worst) He'd better win tonight after all that @#/?
    1 point
  11. Early access version scheduled for the 12th of October http://store.steampowered.com/app/636690/Sociable_Soccer/ http://sociablesoccer.com/
    1 point
  12. We need a winger, we need pace and we need to be able to counter-attack. noticeable in the Shrewsbury game that they got from A to B much quicker than we did. His non-selection as a starter is just another example of how everyone but the manager can see a problem and a potential solution. The ball pulled back from the bye-line---still the most effective move in football.
    1 point
  13. some while ago we joked on here about Johnson or Dunn or both getting the next manager job! Now we are begging for it! An astonishing example of the dumbing down in expectations Venkys have brought about in our once-great Club.
    1 point
  14. Travis starts tonight for the u23s, I'm rapidly losing patience with Mowbray.
    1 point
  15. I said he comes on we are 'normally losing' I've checked and he's come on three times when we've been losing and three times when we've been winning. Two unused subs. So 50/50, but a s you misunderstood my point I'm claiming a moral victory. Because he's good. He also stood out at home to Burnley when he started by all accounts. The problem is that we aren't winning at home. You haven't acknowledged that. Also because we have very little in the way of an attacking threat when the likes of Chapman and Dack aren't playing it is very easy for teams to sit off and pick us off on the break. Once they get a goal it is then even easier to pick us off as we over commit chasing the game. The reason for playing Chapman at home from the off is that it increases the chances of us getting the 1st goal which then changes the whole complexion of the game. Teams then have to come out and commit players themselves, opening up the space for the likes of Chapman to exploit. Chapman isn't always going to come off the bench and save us, he did at the weekend away from home but he didn't he didn't against Dons or Donny at home. He's 19, he can't be relied upon to be a super sub and get us out of the shyte which he is in danger of being seen as. He needs a start. If Mowbray doesn't trust him out wide then give him a start up front or just off the striker. It's not like we have strikers banging them in. When he signed Mowbray said he could play all along the frontline.
    1 point
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